Fletch

Code: Get a CS degree (focus on programs that teach C++ and .NET) and/or make a mod. It doesn't have to be a big mod; it could just be something to show off a rendering effect, gameplay type, etc. The key is that you're versatile and can write clean code. Art: Learn 3DSMax, ZBrush, and Photoshop. Pick a current gen engine (I'd suggest Unreal) and work the hell out of it, learning all the tricks. Then do it with another engine. A portfolio full of unskinned weapon models is worthless. You need to be able to produce map props that are within a good poly range and are correctly skinned and UV mapped, and also more complicated models like people and vehicles. The world is moving towards placing level props like fences, walls, and houses. If you can crank those out, you're set. Level Design: Pick and engine and go. Make a bunch of maps using standard assets, then beg and borrow some custom assets and repeat. Engines can be learned, so don't worry about only knowing Source or Unreal. I did only Source work before working and Gearbox and it probably took me about 2 weeks to be fully comfortable with Unreal. If you really want a job, show that you have a good handle on what's fun. Know what makes a good SP level vs a good MP level. Learn good composition and detailing. Make a SP level, even if it's just a 30 minute demo to show that you can do it. If you really want to ensure a job, go with code and art since those are generally the harder ones to learn and are in more demand. LDs tend to be a dime a dozen, but the barrier to learning the skills is also a lot lower. P.S. And don't worry about getting a degree for Art or Design. Coders will most definitely get some benefit out of a structured degree program, but make sure the program will actually teach you what you need (and learn the rset outside of class). I have a B.S. In Political Science and English, and very few other LDs at GBX have a degree (Mojo and a few others). Above all, a degree doesn't matter if you have the skills, so don't worry about a formal education or a special game design program if you can learn it yourself. P.P.S. Also, for those of you in high school, please consider going to college, even if you're not getting a degree in something related to game design. The experience of going off on your own, exploring your own academic curiosities, living on your own, and making decisions for yourself is well worth it. While I certainly admit it's not for everybody, I will say that the world is certainly more open to those who pursue higher education, and you'll probably end up a better rounded individual.

We call dibs on America. The rest of you can fight it out in the EU.

Nope, sorry. Post-9/11 it's just such a bitch to get work visas. On a side note, it's also worth noting that we're also hiring next-gen artists and coders.

A few are at GBX now. And, yes, this has been in the wind for a while down here in Dallas. I didn't see a buy out from MumboJumbo, but everybody that has had even cursory interactions with Ritual over the last year knew the ship was going down. Sin Ep 1 bombed to a spectacular degree. I can't fault Ritual for trying out a new distribution method, but when you put all your money down on one bet, you better make damn sure you've got a good hand. Thus is the life in the Dallas developer scene. Id hasn't done anything worthwhile in years, shipped out its major titles to other companies to make, and got its ass handed to them by Epic in the engine market. Ritual is making flash games. 3DRealms is a band lunch away from a full on meltdown. It's a good time to work at GBX or Ensemble, though. (We're hiring, btw, check out the professional recruitment forum.)

Who gives a fuck. Levelord has made any relevant or exciting in over a decade. If there was suddenly a need for Quake DM maps, he'd be on top of it, but otherwise, he's just sorta useless. The only people that give a damn about him are goons at Shacknews who don't know their assholes form their elbows.

Other way around. People left, thus those that remained were forced to make flash games.

What makes you so sure it's for the Aliens game? Whoops... probably shouldn't have let that slip.

Let me put it this way. We have a Best Buy next to work. Every time they get Wiis in, we send out a company wide e-mail and people rush over to grab them while they last. While going over there to pick one up from the locked case in the back, you'll walk by a stack of 20-30 PS3 sitting in the open air, begging people to please buy one. I've never seen the stack get any smaller. And this is why it's funny to think of all those sad bastards who camped outside in the freezing rain to get their PS3 on launch day.

whats going on in his crotch area there? Rock N Roll. That's what's going on.

We'll steal him eventually.

C'mon, you know you want to. It'll be like getting the old band back together.

Let us know if you need help moving boxes / assembling stuff from Ikea.

That's all I'm saying.

from when to when? I'm hearing the March 21 release date is pretty solid. Are you hearing different? yeah.. source? The Interweb!

I agree with most of that. My big question about the longevity of the Wii and it's overall sell through is going to be who steps up to the plate besides Nintendo. What other developers out there are going to be able to make some memorable game using the wiimote that really reaches audiences. To me, that was where the GC failed. Over 90% of the big games were out of Nintendo (or a developer working for Nintendo).

Magazines are soooooo 90s.

I've stopped working on private stuff at home since I started work. I just don't have the time or care that much. If I'm at the office until 8 or 9, I just want to come home, watch some TV, and sleep. I get my creativity out at work. I don't really consider it a bad thing. I like having the separation. It gives me more time to do other things like photography, writing, reading, etc.

Replying to complaints and queries: Is it big? Nope. From the size comparisons I've seen, it's thinner than the Pearl and Blackjack, but slightly wider and taller than them. NYTimes also has a tech article saying it has a good weight to it. Not too light to feel flimsy but not too heavy to feel bulky. Does it have a calendar? In the keynote, Jobs said it could sync up with any iLife or Outlook data, including calendars, notes, and contact lists. Assuming you use Outlook's calendar or iCal, you should be fine. Cover coating? The NYTimes article interviewed one of the tech guys who said the coating has been one of their biggest R&D tasks and that it is designed to survive in a modern pocket. I wouldn't throw your keys around with it, but I have faith they'll get a nice feel to it. Other phones doing the same thing? Nope. Not even close. I've played around with a Pearl and a Blackjack during my recent phone shopping trips. Neither of them touch the functionality I saw during the keynote video. WindowsCE is a clumsy operating system, and most of the features you try to use are just too cumbersome to bother with. It's no use checking a map if it takse 3 minutes to load and is completely illegible at screen resolution. I haven't seen any other phone that smart loads phone numbers from mobile web pages they way the iPhone did. This thing is running OS X natively. That's about 10 years of advanced tech past WinCE and Blackberry. Plus, at the end of the day, it's Apple, and they know how to make the best UIs on earth. Only 8GB: Cry me a river. I've got a 40 GB iPod if I need all of that music at once for some reason. 8GB is about 22 hours. I think I'll be fine with a wide array of music at my finger tips. I can see how people don't want to pony up $600. I get that. I've got the disposable income (/me hugs GBX), so I might as well. Why be a tech geek if you don't get to be an early adopter? Sure, half the guys at work will get one, too, but we'll be really cool when we pull them out at lunch. If you just want the iPod functionality, wait until Christmas. It wouldn't surprise me if they release a touch screen iPod to replace the top end iPods for the holiday shopping season. Lord knows they'd make an even bigger killing. P.S. The big winner in all of this is Cingular. Apple is shipping 10 million of these thinfs to the States by 2008. That's a lot of new customers. Plus, these are high dollar customers that are willing to buy expensive phones and expensive rate plans. Smart, smart guys to sign on to this deal sight unseen. Plus, Apple is going to use their clout to force them to upgrade the GSM-EDGE network to adhere to their quality levels.

I'll be getting one of those first thing. No questions asked. I've been resisting getting an all-in-one phone, but this wins. I don't care about the price. It does everything I want it to do and it does it well, unlike most of the stuff that is on the market. Apple wins.

And D3 continues to win the award for always looking the exact same.

You don't stare at the mantel when you're poking the fire.

http://images.google.com/images?q=Danie ... a=N&tab=wi You have to admit she's hot.

Nobody likes you.

1) Get back on my bike and/or go to the gym on a regular basis 2) Move by February.

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