CrimsonStrife

Diggin the fabric textures...

You guys might be thinking of one I did for that terrible failure of a mod JAU....it was finished...but I have no idea what they wound up doing with it....I'm pretty sure the group died off though.

I foresee the arms doing really wonky stuff...considering the way the JK skeleton animates and has to be rigged....

So after coming to the realization that a handful of us here have formal Game Development education and or experience, I felt it might be beneficial for those who wish to pursue the industry if we banned together and shared from the fountains of our collective knowledge. I am going to kick things off with an item that is essential to a professional game design...the Design document. Your Design Document is essentially a summary and collection of EVERYTHING in and about your game, while you might not go dialogue for dialogue, you would include the story, the characters, the setting, etc...but you would also then list mechanics, how will the player move, how will they win, is there AI, if so how will it work?... This sounds like a lot I know...and it is, which is why I have decided to share a template that an instructor and I compiled last year. This way, you can see how you might lay out the info, what all is involved, and you can even treat it as a fill in the blanks. You can either copy and paste, or download it as a pdf from the spoiler box at the bottom of the page. One of the major advantages to writing a GDD is that even if you cannot make it yourself, it gives you something with which to pitch your idea to a major developer.

The courses are not a requirement...you could learn to do everything on you own. The classes I took were actually for UE3 which is the exact same interface as UDK, and I wasn't taking them to learn to use it, but because that is the engine my school uses for the degree, the point I was making was that I am more comfortable with it, because I have spent so much time with it. It does dramatically cut down on difficulty because it comes with essentially all the technical tools you would need built in, but it also relies entirely on what you as an individual are either already capable of when you pick it up or what you are willing to research. Not to mention it is still a beta product, so they have not yet released much in the way of documentation. Quoted from the UDK FAQ

Sounds like a plan.

errr...that might have iffy results.... lol

Alot maybe....but *ahem* just saying...

And yet another one...lol...you know it sounds like we have enough people we could setup some sort of of guide or tips for the industry...though I suppose that is what this thread is serving as.

I think I'll watch this one from afar.....

Welcome...we put the "fun" in "Dysfunctional Family".

Exactly...I figured I coudln't be the only one. -Edit- That reminds me...I really should add Scott to my linkedin, and see if I can't get some of the other Redstorm guys, they were fantastic. Don't play their games with them though...they cheat like mofos.

We could take this to some very interesting places... And actually, given that I am probably one of the few (although not necessarily the only) members here with formal education in game design, the ability to frequent Game Conferences, and with contacts in the industry, I could supply a whole slew of tips and information about breaking into the industry...although admittedly I am mainly just parroting back what I have learned, and in few cases speaking from personal experience.

Alpha was done the same way...except I had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement for the duration of the development I was not allowed to discuss the contents of the game or that I was playing it outside of my communication with them and the other testers. These are a lot rarer however.

You mean for a beta? None, these are typically open to the public, but are done via a random selection, they don't pay (not typically) and are not very long term situations, but they are a fantastic way to make contacts. Most of these are play testing and not bug related too.

I wasn't saying specifically use BrainBench lol, mainly just giving you a list of the type of certs to look for, and when it comes to programming, Microsoft's test will probably have some of the most respected results...the trick to the shipped game is getting in as a tester, if you talk to anyone actually in a company, many of them started off as testers. And the advantage there is, (while the one example I gave above doesn't represent it) it is more of an entry level position, and while some companies would still like for you to have a shipped title, it becomes much less of a deal breaker.... But even there, I think a few certifications would help you out...and your going to at least need a basic associates degree...even if you don't pick a specific major. As far as the beta thing...look around online, sign up for some that don't require you to travel....seeing as how BF3 has been released and I am no longer under an NDA, I can talk about this, I alpha tested it over the internet long before it released...and was in contact with several developers during that time frame....and did it all without leaving my home.

Very well, No I completely agree with you on the portfolio bit...I think you misunderstand...the problem nowadays, is getting someone to a point where they are viewing your portfolio, which means you either need to have somehow managed to get them in person (a good option is either knowing someone or attending one of the events I talked about), where you can show it off, OR have enough to show off on an application (such as an education or special certifications) to get their attention so they will WANT to look at your portfolio. Notch has gotten where he is today, because he struck out on his own, made a product, released it, turned a profit, and in doing so was able to show the industry what he knows...and therefore his education level is moot. That is very much what I am attempting to do here, make a game, release it, and have something that will draw attention to me and show my abilities. Your right, it is very much an artist's tool, and so you can see why I hold a preference to it over a programming centered system (though it must be stated that I also would like to work in engines such as Unity, Crytek, etc..but that at a one time fee of $99 + 15% royalties after $55,000 in profit, and use on an infinite number of titles) the UDK is a more affordable option for this project. Well first thing I can tell you, is if you want in this kind of industry but don't have plans to continue into college ( although I highly suggest at least getting a 2-year degree in general studies from a CC) that certifications are the way to go...they vary in cost, but they are a good way to verify you know what you say you know...lets say you want to be a C++ Programmer, then these are a good example of the kind of certs you could aim for. I would advise taking them through someplace like Microsoft though if possible ( I heard that Microsoft no longer offers a straight-up C++ cert, it is all about .NET now) but look up certifications for languages you know, find study guides online, and start taking them gradually. Your young, you've got time, if you started now you could be well off by the time you'd graduate highschool. Since you seem to definitely favor programming, this is probably a good path for you. I myself am in the process of studying for my A+ and CCNA and CCNET certifications. A good way to make contacts in the industry, is to sign up for beta tests. Now while it is better to take part in ones where you can go to the office and meet the developers in person, any test system where you are able to be in direct contact with a developer is a good one. For example, since I live about 2 hours out of Raleigh I took part in both in house Alpha tests and online Beta tests with the developers of Ubisoft Redstorm, for Ghost Recon Future Soldier, and I still have contact with Scott Shirhall, their QA Analyst and Playtest Coordinator....even had a nice conversation with him when I ran into him at this past ECGC when he was manning the Ubisoft booth.

Damnit @@Caelum....I had just posted a response when you did that too >.<

Of course they didn't, at that point such things didn't exist, hell at that point most developers had no formal education in game design (again such a thing didn't really exist until up about 5 years ago), most were just random programmers or had done drafting or design work. But the jobs industry today is completely different, gaming related or not. Yes your skill is important, more so than what you can claim you know. But unless you get out and meet this people (I.E. these types of events where developers and companies will review your portfolio in person), they are going to see you as a name on a piece of paper, and the first thing they will look at on that application won't be your work, it will be ; is this individual educated? maybe they didn't take formal classes, but maybe they at least have certificates, (I.E. an A+ cert and CISCO certs can get you just as far with a 2-year degree, as someone with a bachelors). Sure they will want to see a demonstration of skills, but if you cannot either show them your work in person (thereby ensuring they are actually seeing it) or you don't have the education to make it past the first few rounds of elimination where they will look at your work themselves, then how do you expect to get anywhere. Then there is the dreaded "previous experience" requirement nowadays: Let's take Bungie for example. http://www.bungie.ne...t_careers#32075even for a tester Or heres Id Softwares requirements for a Game Programmer I don't attend these things specifically for UE, in fact I tend to go specifically to programming lectures since, that is my week point. -Edit- This isn't the place for this, if you want to continue this discussion, we should probably take it and make a thread in the spam section.

The events I am referring to are not strictly one company or one engine..again referencing the ECGC http://www.ecgconf.com/ (you can look here for this past years scheduled classes), it takes place in Raleigh NC, which in fact is one of the largest concentrations of developers in the states. As described there, volunteering at these events essentially makes them free...with the only costs being transportation and board. And yeah, there are still people who cannot afford it, honestly I work my entire summers in a warehouse for 12 hours a night to pay for the things I do, so no it's still not "cheap"...but if someone wants to get into the industry bad enough, they will find a way to make it work. In today's industry you honestly just cannot get anywhere at a decent pace... if you don't get out and attend things like this, not from an educational view, but because these days, you have to KNOW someone...you have to rub elbows with the right people to even get a decent shot.

Bottom left is fantastic.... I was ninja'd about the line on the face lol.

That is true, but it is not a good choice for a 3D game, as if you start looking into the process you'll find this: "An XNA Framework game deployed to the Xbox 360 console cannot exceed 2 GB. Also, this means that any single file you deploy must be smaller than 2 GB." http://msdn.microsof...ibrary/bb203929 I have no idea where you are pulling your statistics from on that one, HUNDREDS of developers attend such events, and programs...all over the US (and I'm sure other countries hold them too)...The East Coast Gaming Conference alone is a huge event and the Unreal lectures are some of the most popular sessions there. My college classes, yeah not everyone can find something like that, or afford to go, but things like the Unreal University, are public events, and if you volunteer at the events, they are even free, these things are not as closed off or as unique as you seem to think. Don't get the idea that I am some sort of UE worshiper, I would actually enjoy making this project in Unity, however I intend to sell the final product, and the commercial licenses for Unity are far more expensive. Not exactly sure why you would want to change the map format...but all that stuff is perfectly possible in the full UE3 as they give you the C++ source code. Basically: UDK = UE3 - (C++ Source Code) - (Console Exporting)

Ehh yes, it is true that you cannot just port your game to a console, this is something reserved to commercial versions of UE3 (and I mean full on companies not just commercial licenses). But then again to even develop on consoles in general (legally) you have to purchase development kits. I get where your going with that, but honestly I cannot say I have ever had any crashes that I didn't already know what I did to kill the program, so that has never bothered me personally. I disagree...but then again, I took 2 entire courses on it, and I have been to several lectures on the engine when annually attending the East Coast Game Conference. Well I don't really understand what in the toolset you would be attempting to change even if you could, but you can change pretty much anything function-wise through Uscript files, admittedly the Kismet in the engine is limited.

Apparently since 2006 a team of 7 has been making a game that really shouldn't be possible. Not in the sense that such as small team cannot produce a game, as it is done all the time, but this one is actually resembling a AAA title game, and they are using their own engine that they coded just for this game! O.o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re9sqgeWFDM&feature=player_embedded "Natural Selection 2 is an immersive, multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival. It seamlessly combines a shooter/FPS gameplay with a strategy (RTS) game. The game is in active beta with 40,000 players – we’re releasing updates nearly every week with new units, abilities, maps, improvements, etc. NS2 v1.0 will launch on Steam this summer." Apparently it's predecessor was a Half-Life mod.

I can edit, however the reason for that is there is something not quite right about the way they handle image embedding, when I attempted to use the href, it would display the image, but all the tags for the href would display as if they were text. I can fiddle with it some more, but no it is not broken, I did that on purpose.