if you could live in any city besides the one you currently live in, where would you go?
omg I'd go back over to Hilversum in a heartbeat. I've gotta find a way to live over there for a couple of years or something...
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in the His Dark Materials universe, what would your daemon be?
At the moment it would be a badger, though if you had asked me this at other points in my life it would have been different things.
The badger thing is new.
The badger thing is new.
Magic: the Gathering, yay or nay?
I have a fondness for MtG and how it comes back into my life in little waves over long dry spells. I like drafts the best, because I enjoy playing scrappily under constraints. I dislike playing with planned decks, especially ones that shut the game down, though I respect that a lot of people really enjoy this for the deck-building strategy.
But yeah, I'm always down for a friendly draft!
But yeah, I'm always down for a friendly draft!
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Guns that make breakfast or guns that hate Texas?
Breakfast.
I've always thought that being a 3D Artist (specifically Environmental Artist) for a game studio would be rad, but I worry I wouldn't be able to get the job because I can't really draw. Is that a problem?
This question is from a bit ago but it took me awhile to compile all the answers. Since I am not an artist, I consulted with artists that I know and/or work with.
The consensus is that drawing is NOT necessarily required to be a great industry modeler (though being able to draw to some degree to communicate your ideas is handy in any role). There's a tendency to think of the skills you learn in art to be back-dependent, kind of like math, but it's not necessarily the case with art. Afterall, there are some amazing concept artists who don't easily grasp 3D in the same way an amazing modeler might not be a stellar drawer. It is a bit like knowing different instruments, for a musical analogy.
That said, the people I talked to did say that if drawing is not a strength then sculpting should be. Painting also is a handy skill for good modelers (especially in doing texture work, but also in the general expressive skill in the blocking out of shapes that comes with painting). Do note that painting is a different skillset than drawing. Other general skills, like color theory and composition, are quite important.
One artist said that hard-surface modeling relies less on drawing skill than organic modeling. He said that being able to model a full chess set is a good base test of range. Another artist said the skills they learned in photo editing and animation became more important than drawing, and notes that in big studios most modelers are working off of existing concept art.
The consensus is that drawing is NOT necessarily required to be a great industry modeler (though being able to draw to some degree to communicate your ideas is handy in any role). There's a tendency to think of the skills you learn in art to be back-dependent, kind of like math, but it's not necessarily the case with art. Afterall, there are some amazing concept artists who don't easily grasp 3D in the same way an amazing modeler might not be a stellar drawer. It is a bit like knowing different instruments, for a musical analogy.
That said, the people I talked to did say that if drawing is not a strength then sculpting should be. Painting also is a handy skill for good modelers (especially in doing texture work, but also in the general expressive skill in the blocking out of shapes that comes with painting). Do note that painting is a different skillset than drawing. Other general skills, like color theory and composition, are quite important.
One artist said that hard-surface modeling relies less on drawing skill than organic modeling. He said that being able to model a full chess set is a good base test of range. Another artist said the skills they learned in photo editing and animation became more important than drawing, and notes that in big studios most modelers are working off of existing concept art.
Let's say in Nuclear Throne you had the choice of picking Strong Spirit or Boiling Veins in world 1. Which would you get?
Hmmm, well I haven't had much experience with the revised Strong Spirit because I've been so busy moving recently, so it's tough to say. New Strong Spirit is one time use, right? In that case I'd probably go Boiling Veins, so as not to "waste" Strong Spirit on something foolish early on, which would most likely be me grenading myself anyway.
Why?
Because existing is better than the alternative, I guess?
You favorite meal, favorite place to go on vacation and favorite non pet animal?
Meal - Ethiopian food, though I can't nail a specific dish because I always get combos. All the wats are yummy and I love the lentil dishes.
Place to Go on Vacation - I'm not much of a consistent vacation-goer but I really REALLY liked the Netherlands and would like to go back
Non-pet animal - hyena. Though, I've also developed an affinity for badgers, lately.
Place to Go on Vacation - I'm not much of a consistent vacation-goer but I really REALLY liked the Netherlands and would like to go back
Non-pet animal - hyena. Though, I've also developed an affinity for badgers, lately.
what was your game design experience before going to grad school?
Hmm, i could answer this two ways. On the one hand, it would be a big fat zero, because I didn't even have any idea I wanted to work in games until graduate school.
On the other hand, in doing game design at grad school, I realized that there were lots of places in my life where I'd been designing games all along and didn't even know that's what I was doing. Building Doom levels, running D&D campaigns, making up "playground games," and the like. Also, a lot of other general interactive entertainment things that I'd done my whole life ended up being very applicable in game design, i just didn't realize that at the time.
I guess I had experience, i just didn't know I had it. Before then it was all like "I'm doing this because it's fun." and not "I'm doing this to get experience making games."
On the other hand, in doing game design at grad school, I realized that there were lots of places in my life where I'd been designing games all along and didn't even know that's what I was doing. Building Doom levels, running D&D campaigns, making up "playground games," and the like. Also, a lot of other general interactive entertainment things that I'd done my whole life ended up being very applicable in game design, i just didn't realize that at the time.
I guess I had experience, i just didn't know I had it. Before then it was all like "I'm doing this because it's fun." and not "I'm doing this to get experience making games."
Hi Lisa! Do you think it's harder for someone from Spain (or anywhere else for that matter) to enter an entry level position at a big studio in the states than for someone living and studying there?
I think it depends on the studio. Insomniac hires internationally when the talent is the right fit, and it doesn't really matter if it's senior or entry level or what. There are visa-wrangling obstacles, I'm sure, but I don't know much about that aspect of it, as that's more of an HR thing.
I can't really speak for other studios but I know it's different at different places.
I can't really speak for other studios but I know it's different at different places.
Sorry about that question being cut off. But to put closure to that: "... in terms of the kind of the kind of work being done and the structure of the game design department". Nevertheless, you have awesomely answered my question as well :D
Hooray! :D
Hi Lisa! Stumbled upon your blog last year and you are someone I look up to-- woohoo, women in games! I'm a lead designer at a small studio and have designing games for mobile for 2 years now. What are your thoughts on transitioning from mobile game design to AAA game design in terms of the kind of
Aw, thanks! ^_^ (Oh God I really need to update my wordpress theme if people are stumbling upon my blog! :O).
Also your question got cut off so I don't know the terms you were going to define, but I'll just take a best guess. Also note that having never been a designer on mobile games I'm speaking from one end of the spectrum here, but I do have a case study for you. My friend, David Shaver, transitioned from working primarily on mobile and casual games to becoming a designer at Respawn on Titanfall, so it is quite possible to do! However, most of what he did to sharpen up his AAA design skills to a quality level was done in his spare time on side projects. You can check that out here: http://davidshaver.net/portfolio_lostWorlds.html
I asked Dave for some words of wisdom on making the transition. Here's a summary of what he told me:
1. Work your butt off on the side to build high quality work for the portfolio that demonstrates AAA skillset
2. "Jack of all trades" skillsets, in his opinion, were more valued in mobile whereas AAA seeks out specialists. This isn't true of all places (Insomniac has more general designers, for example), but it certainly helps to be able to demonstrate a specific skillset (level design, combat, systems design, etc).
3. Networking is important, and the mobile and AAA spheres can be a little different, so go out of your way to network with AAA folks.
I'd say the skills you need in AAA depends on the types of games you want to work on, and then just being able to show off those skills, be that combat or quest design or whatever. I think whatever you're looking to get into, it's going to require supplemental portfolio work.
I hope that answers the question! If it didn't, please feel free to follow-up :)
Also your question got cut off so I don't know the terms you were going to define, but I'll just take a best guess. Also note that having never been a designer on mobile games I'm speaking from one end of the spectrum here, but I do have a case study for you. My friend, David Shaver, transitioned from working primarily on mobile and casual games to becoming a designer at Respawn on Titanfall, so it is quite possible to do! However, most of what he did to sharpen up his AAA design skills to a quality level was done in his spare time on side projects. You can check that out here: http://davidshaver.net/portfolio_lostWorlds.html
I asked Dave for some words of wisdom on making the transition. Here's a summary of what he told me:
1. Work your butt off on the side to build high quality work for the portfolio that demonstrates AAA skillset
2. "Jack of all trades" skillsets, in his opinion, were more valued in mobile whereas AAA seeks out specialists. This isn't true of all places (Insomniac has more general designers, for example), but it certainly helps to be able to demonstrate a specific skillset (level design, combat, systems design, etc).
3. Networking is important, and the mobile and AAA spheres can be a little different, so go out of your way to network with AAA folks.
I'd say the skills you need in AAA depends on the types of games you want to work on, and then just being able to show off those skills, be that combat or quest design or whatever. I think whatever you're looking to get into, it's going to require supplemental portfolio work.
I hope that answers the question! If it didn't, please feel free to follow-up :)
Why did the builds merge!
I DON'T KNOW, LISA, WHY DID THE BUILDS MERGE I DIDN"T TELL THEM TO MERGE
What is the more important with studies? Learning, friends, having a degree? (Right now I'm learning computer science. I hate people here and I would learn better with internet I think. But I need a degree. But it can be a degree in something else too. Shoud I quit just because I'm not happy here?)
This is a tough one to answer, mostly because a lot has changed since I went to undergrad in terms of priorities in higher education.
In 2004 I would have said that going away to undergrad gives you all kinds of wonderful opportunities to grow as a human beyond just the degree, including the social aspect, learning beyond your major(s), and in general just exposure to different people and points of view than you are used to. I'm oldschool in that I thought the value of college was in the learning and not in the "get this degree to get that job" aspect, which is why I went to a liberal arts school and studied all kinds of things beyond my two majors in art and computer science, and got myself involved in all kinds of adventures that rounded me out as a person (and unknowingly prepared me REALLY well for a career as a game designer). In 2004 I would have said that finding a place where you feel safe and comfortable to grow out of your shell and branch out as a person was the most important thing.
But that was 11 years ago. It's different now, at least in the States. There's this vicious cycle of having to have a degree for any job, and an increase in people being pushed to school, and astronomical tuition costs, and looming debt to event get any of this. It's brutal stuff. I have to think long and hard before I give anyone advice on college because I understand that the circumstances are so different now than when I went.
That said, I still think that finding a place where you feel safe and comfortable to grow out of your shell and branch out as a person, and a way to get exposure to different people and points of view is really important. There are important things I think you can learn being away in the physical space of college that you won't get on the internet, but I also don't think that school is the ONLY way to get those experiences. I will also say that one thing that probably HASN'T changed is that the responsibility rests on you to make the absolute most of any educational situation you find yourself in. If you feel like you can't change your state, then finding a better place might be a better option, but if you can find ways to actively improve your situation and hang in there and finish off the degree if it isn't too far away, that is also a valid option.
A wise bear once said that there's no such thing as a wrong decision, just informed decisions and uninformed decisions. Basically, I wouldn't quit without a plan in place, and make sure that whatever decision you make is one in which you have thoroughly considered and researched the outcomes.
In 2004 I would have said that going away to undergrad gives you all kinds of wonderful opportunities to grow as a human beyond just the degree, including the social aspect, learning beyond your major(s), and in general just exposure to different people and points of view than you are used to. I'm oldschool in that I thought the value of college was in the learning and not in the "get this degree to get that job" aspect, which is why I went to a liberal arts school and studied all kinds of things beyond my two majors in art and computer science, and got myself involved in all kinds of adventures that rounded me out as a person (and unknowingly prepared me REALLY well for a career as a game designer). In 2004 I would have said that finding a place where you feel safe and comfortable to grow out of your shell and branch out as a person was the most important thing.
But that was 11 years ago. It's different now, at least in the States. There's this vicious cycle of having to have a degree for any job, and an increase in people being pushed to school, and astronomical tuition costs, and looming debt to event get any of this. It's brutal stuff. I have to think long and hard before I give anyone advice on college because I understand that the circumstances are so different now than when I went.
That said, I still think that finding a place where you feel safe and comfortable to grow out of your shell and branch out as a person, and a way to get exposure to different people and points of view is really important. There are important things I think you can learn being away in the physical space of college that you won't get on the internet, but I also don't think that school is the ONLY way to get those experiences. I will also say that one thing that probably HASN'T changed is that the responsibility rests on you to make the absolute most of any educational situation you find yourself in. If you feel like you can't change your state, then finding a better place might be a better option, but if you can find ways to actively improve your situation and hang in there and finish off the degree if it isn't too far away, that is also a valid option.
A wise bear once said that there's no such thing as a wrong decision, just informed decisions and uninformed decisions. Basically, I wouldn't quit without a plan in place, and make sure that whatever decision you make is one in which you have thoroughly considered and researched the outcomes.
So over the years I've finished some jam games, but haven't been able to finish any kind of "real" game. I've recently realized that part of this is due to my not knowing how much work/time would actually go into them. How do I get a feel for that without having the experience of finished games?
You have yourself in a bit of a catch 22 here, because I can honestly say that the only way to get a feel for how much work/time it takes to finish a game is to actually finish one. Actually, finish several. You can study things in isolation all you want, but you will never learn that sense of realization that "oh crap, UI really DOES take 4x longer than you realize" or "man, this is taking more iterations to get this fun than I thought it would" or "wow this was really fast to prototype but making it 'for reals' so that it won't be buggy or tank the framerate is actually taking a really long time" without buckling down and just DOING it.
Those paradigm shifts are important, because that's how you develop "the feel." It's one thing for someone to say to you "the last 10% is 90% of the work" or "if you've decided to put MP in at the end of production you've actually decided to put it in at the middle of production," but when someone just says those things you don't internalize them. You can have the quotes knocking around up in your brain but you don't have the FEEL for it.
So you don't know how much work/time it takes to make a "real" game (whatever that means). If that's what's stopping you from finishing something, then you're in a lot of trouble, because finishing something is how you learn those things! If you are having trouble finishing things because you get midway through and realize things are just drastically out of scope, make sure you are learning from that. Document your progress when you work on your game, use a design log or something, anything to help you be aware of how much time things take.
It's a constant learning process as well, but one that only improves with experience.
FINISH YOUR GAME.
Those paradigm shifts are important, because that's how you develop "the feel." It's one thing for someone to say to you "the last 10% is 90% of the work" or "if you've decided to put MP in at the end of production you've actually decided to put it in at the middle of production," but when someone just says those things you don't internalize them. You can have the quotes knocking around up in your brain but you don't have the FEEL for it.
So you don't know how much work/time it takes to make a "real" game (whatever that means). If that's what's stopping you from finishing something, then you're in a lot of trouble, because finishing something is how you learn those things! If you are having trouble finishing things because you get midway through and realize things are just drastically out of scope, make sure you are learning from that. Document your progress when you work on your game, use a design log or something, anything to help you be aware of how much time things take.
It's a constant learning process as well, but one that only improves with experience.
FINISH YOUR GAME.
Hiya! So I'm a fourth year college student with a focus on programming rather than design. Unfortunately, our curriculum has only had us taught C# and Java. In preparation for going job hunting, do you think I should cover my bases and learn the likes of C++ and SQL as well, or just home my expertis
This sort of depends on what sort of work you're wanting to get into. There are lots of gameplay programmer opportunities that either use those languages or use languages that can be learned quickly (once you have experience in one language, picking up a new one shouldn't be a huge hurdle) in which case a focus in underlying programming principles is more important than being taught a specific language.
However, if you want to get into AAA console development as a gameplay programmer, then yeah, C++ is going to be key. I don't want to give the impression that C++ somehow "counts" more as a programming language than any other, but I will say that having to deal with memory management creates a whooooooole different layer to programming than not. Then there's also general skills that anyone should have if they want to get into AAA programming.
Nick (a senior gameplay programmer at Insomniac) likes to give this list to his mentees at Game Mentor Online as far as "general skills one needs to master as a gameplay programmer:"
3D Math
– Vectors
– Matrices
– Quaternions
– Application of 3D math to gameplay
C++/Processor Architecture
– Classes/structs/pointers
– Memory allocation
– Component Architecture
– Globals vs Singletons
– Virtual Function Calls
– Threads
– Cache coherency
– Instruction pipelining
– Processor Intrinsics
– SIMD instructions
That's like the baseline, then there are specializations you can get into, like physics, AI, networking, rendering, etc. Those all have their subsets of specific needed skills as well. Anyway, my point is that C++ is still pretty important in AAA, at least in the console space.
Once again, though, that's if you aspire to get into AAA gameplay programming. It's not necessarily the end-all-be-all, and not necessarily a poor reflection of your curriculum. Hope that helps!
However, if you want to get into AAA console development as a gameplay programmer, then yeah, C++ is going to be key. I don't want to give the impression that C++ somehow "counts" more as a programming language than any other, but I will say that having to deal with memory management creates a whooooooole different layer to programming than not. Then there's also general skills that anyone should have if they want to get into AAA programming.
Nick (a senior gameplay programmer at Insomniac) likes to give this list to his mentees at Game Mentor Online as far as "general skills one needs to master as a gameplay programmer:"
3D Math
– Vectors
– Matrices
– Quaternions
– Application of 3D math to gameplay
C++/Processor Architecture
– Classes/structs/pointers
– Memory allocation
– Component Architecture
– Globals vs Singletons
– Virtual Function Calls
– Threads
– Cache coherency
– Instruction pipelining
– Processor Intrinsics
– SIMD instructions
That's like the baseline, then there are specializations you can get into, like physics, AI, networking, rendering, etc. Those all have their subsets of specific needed skills as well. Anyway, my point is that C++ is still pretty important in AAA, at least in the console space.
Once again, though, that's if you aspire to get into AAA gameplay programming. It's not necessarily the end-all-be-all, and not necessarily a poor reflection of your curriculum. Hope that helps!
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Kyle D.
Mr. Vlad from Twitter here. What's the best way to start learning how to become a game developer? Where to get literature, how to familiarize yourself with the industry, what tools to look into? Hopefully it's not a silly question, but I'm just kind of lost. Call me a noob.
Not a silly question at all! There's a ton of resources out there on how to get started once you find out where to start.
Pixel Prospector (http://www.pixelprospector.com/) is a great hub of resources for all aspects of game development from creation to assets to distribution
Just last night I stumbled upon this lovely thread from Absinthe Games on similar resources as well as ways to connect with other developers - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=965454
If you're interested from the coding angle, Handmade Hero as series of streams on creating a game with Q&A and lots of good step by step explanations. It might be worth going and watching past episodes http://www.twitch.tv/handmade_hero
Any streams in the game development category might be fun ways of observing how different people approach things.
Also recently, Zoe Quinn made this lovely "sorting hat" to help people get started with those early "what the hell should I be doing!" questions http://www.sortingh.at/
In general, I'd say a good way to get started is to find a tool that looks like you'd be comfortable messing around in, then going through some tutorials to get a handle on it, then start making smaller projects to get used to the pipeline of finishing a game. I personally love Construct 2 as a fast prototyping tool, and it has some robust tutorials and a great community that is very helpful towards newcomers. It sort of depends on what sorts of games you want to make (see sorting hat).
Once you've got some tools practice under your belt, participating in game jams can be a wonderful way to connect with the developer community and find support.
Hopefully this helps you get started! Good luck!!
Pixel Prospector (http://www.pixelprospector.com/) is a great hub of resources for all aspects of game development from creation to assets to distribution
Just last night I stumbled upon this lovely thread from Absinthe Games on similar resources as well as ways to connect with other developers - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=965454
If you're interested from the coding angle, Handmade Hero as series of streams on creating a game with Q&A and lots of good step by step explanations. It might be worth going and watching past episodes http://www.twitch.tv/handmade_hero
Any streams in the game development category might be fun ways of observing how different people approach things.
Also recently, Zoe Quinn made this lovely "sorting hat" to help people get started with those early "what the hell should I be doing!" questions http://www.sortingh.at/
In general, I'd say a good way to get started is to find a tool that looks like you'd be comfortable messing around in, then going through some tutorials to get a handle on it, then start making smaller projects to get used to the pipeline of finishing a game. I personally love Construct 2 as a fast prototyping tool, and it has some robust tutorials and a great community that is very helpful towards newcomers. It sort of depends on what sorts of games you want to make (see sorting hat).
Once you've got some tools practice under your belt, participating in game jams can be a wonderful way to connect with the developer community and find support.
Hopefully this helps you get started! Good luck!!
Do you have a "dream game" that you would want to see made/make if you had unlimited time/resource/etc?
This is one thing that has always made me feel a little weird as a designer, but I actually don't. A lot of my designer friends got into the field because of some big game vision that was driving them in their heads, but I've never had that before. I tripped and fell into game design and enjoyed the problem set, so it's a little backwards for me, I guess.
It can make it difficult to relate to other designers, sometimes, because I am so much about exploring and digging and poking at a seed of an idea to see what it turns into, versus having a grand vision that I want to create. It makes me wonder if that frame of reference leads me to giving unhelpful advice to people who are driven in a different way.
So, alas, I do not have a grand secret game vision that unlimited time and resources would let me do. And unlimited time and resources sounds scary anyway, because it removes some constraints that can pressure an interesting game out. I guess if I had those things I would just prototype forever until I found the next thing worth poking into existence.
It can make it difficult to relate to other designers, sometimes, because I am so much about exploring and digging and poking at a seed of an idea to see what it turns into, versus having a grand vision that I want to create. It makes me wonder if that frame of reference leads me to giving unhelpful advice to people who are driven in a different way.
So, alas, I do not have a grand secret game vision that unlimited time and resources would let me do. And unlimited time and resources sounds scary anyway, because it removes some constraints that can pressure an interesting game out. I guess if I had those things I would just prototype forever until I found the next thing worth poking into existence.
Got a few project management tips? (ie. how to not let your Early Access game fall into oblivion)
This seems like a question better suited for the likes of Rami, but I'll take a stab, I suppose. Engagement seems to be key. Just as an outside observer, it seems like your community is your most valuable asset in Early Access, if they will champion your game, and so growing and shaping that seems suuuuuper important. At least in successful Early Access games I observe the creators constantly stoking that fire. Like just non-stop feeding of kindling in there. That's like a foundation on which all the other marketing-hoojaz seems to rely.
Other unrelated project management tips that I learned over SDB.
- I found it really useful to be honest with your team at all times. I've heard some people say that when you lead a team you should be an unshakable rock of outward-facing confidence for your team members to look up to, but that really hasn't been my style. If there is something worrying me, I talk to my team about it. I am honest with them about when I'm about to go battle logistical nonsense to protect them and make them able to do their work. It made for a very close-feeling team, and I think it was successful, but I think everyone just has to find their own style
- The software we used to organize ourselves evolved with the projects, as how we defined our tasks evolved. Early on we used a google doc style design log. Then when we were more into production we used Trello, with tasks broken down in categories. Then later we broke tasks down by weekly chunks. In the end it was all devtrack. I guess what I learned is that if your tool use shifts over the project, it isn't bad, and doesn't mean the earlier tool didn't work, just that the needs for how to organize tasks changed with context, which is normal.
- For small teams, whole-team chats are amazing! Once we got the whole team into a group chat, it was a great source of information and camaraderie. We would talk about all the problems we were trying to solve in there, and even if our sound guy didn't have anything specific to add to the art problem we were solving, it made everyone feel like they were on the same page. We bonded over that group chat for sure. This breaks down with bigger teams, but can be good for pods or subteams. Anything that needs knitting up, I suppose.
- UI will always take up way more time than you initially expect. Always.
Other unrelated project management tips that I learned over SDB.
- I found it really useful to be honest with your team at all times. I've heard some people say that when you lead a team you should be an unshakable rock of outward-facing confidence for your team members to look up to, but that really hasn't been my style. If there is something worrying me, I talk to my team about it. I am honest with them about when I'm about to go battle logistical nonsense to protect them and make them able to do their work. It made for a very close-feeling team, and I think it was successful, but I think everyone just has to find their own style
- The software we used to organize ourselves evolved with the projects, as how we defined our tasks evolved. Early on we used a google doc style design log. Then when we were more into production we used Trello, with tasks broken down in categories. Then later we broke tasks down by weekly chunks. In the end it was all devtrack. I guess what I learned is that if your tool use shifts over the project, it isn't bad, and doesn't mean the earlier tool didn't work, just that the needs for how to organize tasks changed with context, which is normal.
- For small teams, whole-team chats are amazing! Once we got the whole team into a group chat, it was a great source of information and camaraderie. We would talk about all the problems we were trying to solve in there, and even if our sound guy didn't have anything specific to add to the art problem we were solving, it made everyone feel like they were on the same page. We bonded over that group chat for sure. This breaks down with bigger teams, but can be good for pods or subteams. Anything that needs knitting up, I suppose.
- UI will always take up way more time than you initially expect. Always.
if a super nintendo is running super mario in the forest and nobody is around to play it, is it still a good game?
Is it even still a game? If there is no one to play a game, is it still a game? I think players might be a key ingredient, here.
My personal favorite: What is your view on the Ship of Theseus?
It was a terrible view! I had to sit in the middle seat between two really tall people. I couldn't see shit.
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
If by sound you mean air vibration, yes! If you by sound you mean the associated experience, then no.
Did you ever make a level editor for Slow Down Bull or was it hand editing spreadsheets all the way thru. Been wondering. Follow up: how many level editors necessitate an editor?
We built the levels straight into Unity using their editor by placing wall sprites and spawners and such. The spreadsheets we used for progression balancing.
You’ve been working in AAA for over 5 years, and you were the leader of the Slow Down, Bull project. What is your next milestone/ career goal? I’ve noticed you’ve done a few classroom lectures and spoken at many panels this past year. Do you plan on teaching eventually?
I do love very much to help students, but I don't think I'd be happy being a teacher full-time. I like to drop in unexpectedly, talk to project teams, maybe give a talk, help as much as I can with design feedback, and then whoosh off again before I can be taken for granted :)
My mentor refers to this sort of thing as "the perfect exchange." They get my knowledge, I get to feel like my skills are actually useful to someone in a practical way. It doesn't have to be just students, either. I love visiting with all sorts of teams and getting into interesting design conversations and actually feeling like I'm providing a service. Maybe host roaming game jams. That might be fun.
I would like to start creating more situations where this exchange can happen. Another mentor suggested working more school visits into my year, and then perhaps trying to visit with indie teams in the area at the same time. I just want to visit! Not really a design consultant, more like a design squatter.
My mentor refers to this sort of thing as "the perfect exchange." They get my knowledge, I get to feel like my skills are actually useful to someone in a practical way. It doesn't have to be just students, either. I love visiting with all sorts of teams and getting into interesting design conversations and actually feeling like I'm providing a service. Maybe host roaming game jams. That might be fun.
I would like to start creating more situations where this exchange can happen. Another mentor suggested working more school visits into my year, and then perhaps trying to visit with indie teams in the area at the same time. I just want to visit! Not really a design consultant, more like a design squatter.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Fun fact. Earlier this year we discovered a person at work who had never seen this movie, and all of us grew very excited. We held a viewing one evening and there were like 15 of us and not ONE PERSON quoted during the movie! Some people squirmed at some parts, but everyone was able to keep their mouths shut. I was so proud! (the new person enjoyed it, by the by)
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