2d-chris

Make a short video - cut to the parts where things are happening, I've not needed to do that, but I would do if I made a HL2 sp level and wanted to show it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtKADQnjQmc

hehe that extreme DOF makes it feel more staged than it probably should, but it's still dope so what ever, love the red one, feels unique

Yeah what evert said, personally, even with a good theme you can make it boring or really cool, I know that is very subjective, but try to go for something that you've not seen much in a game before, or something iconic for what ever reason. A warehouse can be done ok, or done really well, but I doubt it would stand out as much as something like a telescope in a jungle like https://www.uvm.edu/newsadmin/uploads/arecibo3.jpg Location scouting for movies is a real thing, and it's no different in games - there is a skill to it, I've watched literally hundreds of documentaries about pretty mundane things (modern marvels, engineering and architecture) you'd be amazed how cool some of those areas you normally don't see are. Normal everyday locations and themes serve a purpose too, In the sense they prove a baseline for other levels to stand out - but I'm not sure I'd enjoy building those these days. A trick you can do to add more theme to your level, is to take a pretty normal location and add a twist, like a plane crash, post earthquake/disaster, extreme weather etc, theme is so much more than a location, it's a story. One final tip, it can be refreshing to find a theme that is more specific, a "City" is a huge amount of work to pull off, requires many assets and a lot of different sub themes, where as a power plant, sports stadium, warehouse or office is very manageable in terms of art, where you can reuse most of the art throughout the level without it becoming too boring, use tricks like different lighting and atmosphere to save time and give an area a unique feel, for example, a warehouse need's storage, utility rooms, car parking/garage entrance, office/staff room and toilets. You now have sub themes that fit your overall theme, the location should feel as if it would function.

I'm packing a pair of these suckers, if you want pure quality and color accuracy these are the real deal, they are not some insane refresh rate gaming panel, but for work they are incredible and easy on the eyes. Don't be fooled by insane specs that are useless in the real world, you get what you pay for, so pure, uniform brightness, no eye strain etc, they blow the ultrasharps out the water (we have dual dell ultrasharps 27" at work) totally recommend these nec's if you have the budget http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa242w-bk considering what I spend on the rest of my PC, I would never buy a cheaper monitor again, it's so worth the stretch if you can afford it.

Well yeah, so long as they acknowledged you that's ok, there are techniques I've heard of to get a shot really close even with a 35mm lens and have people fooled. When it comes to laws, there is no simple rule, for example in Germany the law is completely different. You absolutely can't take a photo of somebody up close unless they give you permission, I suppose not beating your face in is pretty good proof for that. Still think it's weird shooting a photo then asking for permission, you could do what most street people do and say, hey, can I shoot you doing while you go about what ever it is your doing, most people will just carry on and be cool with it, just my opinion! That's why I shoot trees, and I'm very good with people when I have to be

Well I'm not really into street photography, but you can't just go around taking photos and sell them, you have to ask permission soon as money is involved and there is a good chance you'll have to take images down if people find out, I get the idea of being candid, best photos I've taken of friends are candid. Most professionals I've seen avoid the idea of true candid, and they usually say to not do it because it does give a pretty creepy/bad name to photographers, you know the creepy dude hiding behind a lamp post with a zoom lens shooting people that are unaware ... this is precisely why i shoot landscapes so I don't have to worry about all this stuff. Your photos are of people directly and very personally, not a wide shot of them walking by or in a wheelchair from a distance, as art it's fine, but it does raise concerns as a project IMO, if your goal is to be a bit out of there and risky then it's all good. I guess, what I'm getting at is, this is not street photography in the traditional sense, you know people going about their lives in an environment shot, it's more of, taking portraits of people on the street without them being aware? It's an interesting project but I wouldn't have the balls to do it but I guess art can and is taking bold steps.

I know you said candid, but when it comes to people it's always best to ask permission (lets not get into the legal side of this) , the key is to make them feel natural. Ofcourse you can grab a shot with a long lens but it won't feel the same as f8 forget with a 35mm, if you want to ninja buy something like an rx100IV, people won't blink an eyelid or be scared off by it. IMO the best street shots look candid, but are actually a bit scripted in one way or another. I think these days I feel more awkward hiding and shooting people than just asking them, not that I've done much of it. This vid is awesome, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6zr3wKRV0 your pics are cool btw

That feeling when your A team squad comes back into action after using rookies for a few missions

I've had quite a lot of the action cams mess up and not trigger at all, the game sits there for like 10 seconds and then responds again, seems like they have some funky camera code. Happens quite a lot for me, sometimes everytime during a mission. Might turn it off until it's patched.

Well it's pretty much what Starcraft 2 campaign did, it works well but the occasional reset to the old design is fun, you know the ability to really take your time and plan out everything (deathball or in xcoms case overwatch abuse :P) The more I play the better xcom2 is, those first two missions should not be so brutal though.

Man, first mission was brutal, not a fan of the time restricted fail conditions I must say, other than that it's solid as a rock! (if not balanced by somebody who played too much of the first game and thinks it's easy)

Man, tragic I really respect that guys opinions, hope some how he's one of the luckier ones who can fight on for longer. It'd be a huge loss for the industry, I feel he's one of the few vocal (and respected) voices of reason in a world of stupid decisions

Dude, this will be the shooter to get me back into it, SP of cource, not competitive enough to bother with MP shooters right now

Interesting, I had a similar experience with Bizarre, got the job offer but I had to go there twice by train (good $150 per journey) which they never offered to refund Given what happened about a year later, things added up I guess.

Headhunters from a specific company, coolHeadhunter companies, hmm nopeSolo headhunters, yeah maybe My linkedin is full of recruiters, I've only ever followed through with an interview with Ubisoft but that was through one of their recruiters. I don't think at this point in my career I'll ever need to use a recruiting company, but there are a few private people I know who seem to do well and have successful clients.I'd rather go through contacts I know (yes I know it's easier for me but that's what you get with experience) I'd imagine for contractors or people that intend to bounce around from job to job it might be useful myself, I like to commit to a job for the long term.

Excited for this one!

The only pleasure we get is from the line of horny chicks that totally dig people who make video games. Don't you dare wake me up I'm having a great dream

Yeah give UE4 a shot, you can make little projects quite easily now, not going to say it's easy though, but of all engines that I know of you won't find more documentation/tutorials to help you out than UE4, if you want to learn something that might end up in a game, try the new Unreal Tournament 4, there's never been a better time to contribute. I also don't have much motivation outside work to do personal projects, because you know there's more to life than making games ... That's ok by me, I still spend a little time getting better with particle/special FX for games because I enjoy it so much, but even that I do quite well now so I end up making some at work

Exactly!

There was an interview on youtube I've seen recently with the level designer who made the first mission/intro to the game, I can;t find it, does anyone have a link? That's far more informative than this article about art deco ^^ (for designers)

Was kind of expecting this to be more about, you know level design, but still very interesting

Intern and junior are basically the same thing in terms of work, some might say a junior is a little more advanced, but looking at your list of experience you are far more qualified than most developers first "junior" job. Some developers have various perks to being an Intern (free lunch, paid apartment) so moving to a junior position puts you into the real world. You might know this already but it';s worth sharing. Hell, with your experience you might be able to apply for regular positions, and if you don't hit their mark they might offer you a junior. Just go for it, school means nothing for designers. If a great developer came knocking at your door now, I'd go for it, screw the "qualification"

I'd go standard unless you want to hide the PC somewhere, although you can fit a crap load of components in very small spaces these days heat and noise are always an issue for gaming PC's, Allow for airflow and your pc can be very quiet. Buying parts for a really small MOBO/Case can also add to the stress, and having to actually build it with organized cables, I've seen a few linus tech tips videos on youtube of him making a really small setup, what a nightmare. @ HP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-ITX

actually I have the Asus zenbook with some stupid 3200 resolution screen, I run games in 1366 x 768 and it looks fine, mind you it's a 13 inch screen My camera slider arrived, it's built so freaking well, feels like something from a race car with all that carbon fiber motion controller (for timelapse and motorized panning) is coming soon, saving up for an entire new photography setup, will use my Canon as a backup ^^ costing me what a pretty decent car would cost, it's all the accessories that you wouldn't really think about, like over 12 batteries + a portable solar powerpack for just 1 of the 3 cameras I'll be taking (can't charge easily in the wilderness) also keeping the size and weight down means investing in some specialist gear. But to be honest it's my passion, so feck it.