17 replies to this topic

[neilsamtani]

Hey people @ DevMaster

As a newbie in the industry (not as a gamer though!!)

1)I was curious - there seem to be projects around the internet,
some open source, others for companies, that involve project work
done from abroad, for no pay. Do you guys know anything about this? Is it worth
doing something like this to get a lil sumthin sumthin to add to your CV?
if so, can you guys recommend any?

2)I'm doing an MSc in Management (im sure those of u who read the IGDA forums
will have seen me!), and my thesis is about the video game industry (yay!).
I really want to make an impact here, and was curious is anyone has any advice?
If you work in the industry, could I take up a few minutes of your time and have a chat?
At the moment I am thinking of following a HR based path (motivating key personnel)/
Operations managment path (project management/development)
maybe even a whole state-of-the-nation/how to improve it type general path

Lookin forward to hearing from you brilliantly talented & infinitely wise gaming gurus


:blush:

Cheers,
Neil
:blink:

[CyraX]

As a student I believe that having a project to your name is VERY important - paid or unpaid is nobody's concern.
However u do a project @ Ensemble/ID (you are a god)/ Blizzard you have an extra punch.
One suggestion HR guyz are helpful in variety ways - infact they are one of those bunch of ppl who are overlooked and underestimate. I know this from having seeing the many HR goodies and badies...
Maybe you could make it a point in it.

[neilsamtani]

hey CyraX - hows it going?
I saw your site - you're studying in Hydrabad right? I was there last summer - my dad is from there + we still have family there.

dude did you mean that ID / Blizzard are doing distributed project work? I checked out their site & didnt find anything. I want my own creation,
but that'd take over 3 months & I've got to have a job by September! The project here sounds wicked, but it seems like everyone
here has had far more experience than I do! & I'll be struggling to catch up, openGL is harder than anything I've ever learned!!

I'll get in touch with various HR managers, see if they're willing to help me out with my thesis.

I guess it's hit & miss but until then I'll just keeping pestering them! :lol:

Later,
Neil :yes:

[CyraX]

huh!!
You dont have a location so its kinda hard to say anything. Yes I WAS studying in Hyderabad (for the past 20 yrs). Now working in mumbai/Bombay. And no ID is not doing any distributed development or something. Its just that they are good @ what they do. So I mentioned their name.
If you are in India then it might just be a little tough to find a game company. Not to dishearten you.
Boy u are saying OGL is hard - I cannot say anything else.
OGL is by far the easiest API for graphix if u want to know.
Oh btw - YOUR location plz... err.... a.s.l

[neilsamtani]

haha don't stress - im in the Bath (UK), from gibraltar originally, but parents are indian - dad is from hydrabad and mum is from mumbai. Ive been mumbia loads of times, got 1/2 my family down there in bandra & khar!

im 22/m. dude OGL is tough to get into - just to launch a new window seems to take 300 lines of code! im sure i'll get the hang of it in the next couple of days, been learning from online tutorials mainly. It does seem as if it's in a different league from the what Im used too - which is html/xml/pascal/c++/basic etc etc! I can usually pick up and play wit languages easy enough, and even DX seems to make sense! :eek:

anyway back to lectures - can you suggest any good reading material to get into OGL?

Cheers! take it easy mate,
Later,
Neil

[vinmar]

neilsamtani said:

anyway back to lectures - can you suggest any good reading material to get into OGL?

I don't think I'm alone in recommending the tutorials at http://nehe.gamedev.net/

They're pretty special if you're just trying to get started.

[baldurk]

actually, about 0 lines of that 300 lines of code for initialising the windows is OpenGL. You might want to look into SDL, because it sounds like you're using win32 code.

[CyraX]

300 lines of initialization - is a ONE TIME TASK AND pretty much found anywhere on the net (nehe.gamedev.net)
Its the remaining stuff you are to worry about.
SDL: Would be easy for a person who is already workingin C++.
Try using GLUT for basic stuff.
Else you can continue using ur 300 lines ka skeleton and build over it.
Whatever it is - get urself the Red Book (its available online too)

[neilsamtani]

ahh i've been sitting in front of the computer all day working on an assignment on

IS flexibility!

loads of fun. :confused: no *beep*, but i look like the smiley right now.

Guys I tried out SDL yesterday - it was wicked, had no problem getting
into it. I was moving bitmaps around with my mouse in no time.
I guess you're right CyraX, checked out nehe's tutorials when vinmar told me about them
n they were wicked - straightforward and easy to understand - but a bulk of the code was
getting the skeleton sorted.

Think i'll be playing around with SDL - but something really inspired me - I compiled a few
of nehe's tutorials (9 & 37 were incredible!) and I thought - wow - I got to learn ogl!!

Now I need to get the hang of this so I can code a project & apply to Rare before the deadline
they're based only 40 mins away!
:D


Later
Neil

[CyraX]

:yes:
Great apply for Rare and dont forget the forum after that :)

[neilsamtani]

haha if I get job at rare Im taking all you guys out for a drink
&
then Ill recommend you guys for any openings - it was you lot
who helped me get started right?

:nod:

now i got to get my game in order - im working on a menu screen
Do you guys need one for the project?

I have an idea of a platform type game, using the mouse to control
the direction of the gun....now all i need to do is learn to code SDL!

later!
Neil

[baldurk]

cool! Free drink and a rare compliment! oh yeh.

SDL is really easy to learn. Have the docs in one hand, and sample code in another and you learn pretty damn fast.

[neilsamtani]

Baldurk,

Yeh - it'd be cool - getting a pint up to mars might be a bit of a mission though! :eek:

Jus 1 thing - how are the companies going to feel about my knowledge of SDL?
do you think I should learn the ins n outs of ogl before applying, or can I just
add 'games development with SDL' on my CV?

Oh - btw - I was thinking about my thesis & decided I should do

New Product Development in the VG industry, maybe get a few companies to help out! :yes:

anyway - Im out, later
Neil

[CyraX]

That's fine...
Drink, oh well, just parcel it over to India.
SDL is generally not used in Games (Production level).
However its the experience in gaming that counts and not the tools you have used.

[baldurk]

CyraX: actually, quite a few companies use SDL. Not exclusively I don't think though.

[neilsamtani]

It's cool - i'm guessing that since the linux port of Civ. (was it 'call to power'?) was coded in SDL it won't hurt to add

SDL to my CV B)

CyraX dude im sure Ill be in Mumbai sometime in the next couple of years - ill get you a drink then!

later guys, watching memento now
Neil

[CyraX]

Sure sure,
I dont really drink tho - but I will adjust with something other than that...
In the near future is - err... anyways take ur time :D
baldurk: Cud you send a list of the games that use SDL?
AFAIK ppl use SDL IF they have to write the game on Linux/win etc ;basically cross-platform. However maybe 2% of the games are in this pool.
If you are talking of part time gamers - no worries they have to use SDL - its GPLed if I am right.

[baldurk]

well, IIRC loki software wrote SDL (at least started it) so I think all loki's games use SDL. Plus UT2003. However you are right, only cross-platform intended games use SDL.

Still good though, but I have no experience in CV writing, so I can't say if it's good to put on a CV. I'm sure it ain't bad :)