But it usually does. I’ve done a lot of “research” over the years, and much of it translated into actual design theory. However, especially when playing Civilization until 5 in the morning, gaming can be even more fulfilling than research 🙂 However, I think I have learned what I need to from many of the games in my collection, and it is time to rehome them. Before I do so, however, I was going to give friends a chance to grab the ones they want. If you are interested in any of these before I put them on eBay, just comment here.
Testify! Speaking at Legislative Hearings
March 18, 2015 | Author: HDIAndrew
Witnesses at Congressional hearings in DC often seem to be spending most of their time listening to Congressmen grandstand rather than actually testifying. I’ve testified four times in the past few months before Georgia legislators, and found the experience very different from the televised spectacles. Perhaps it is because tax issues do not get the same type of attention oil spills or mine accidents garner, or because state legislatures feel more pressure to get things done, but the representatives and senators before whom I have spoken have been much more interested in fact finding than in pontificating. I’ve broken down the types of questions I receive into four categories – my own legislative inquiry taxonomy – and wondered if anyone could add to them.
PAC Attacks and Advice to New Grads
March 11, 2015 | Author: HDIAndrew
Many colleges and universities bring in groups of industry experts to advise them on how to improve their program or help their graduates find jobs. Tonight the Art Industry of Atlanta brought in a particularly good mix of veteran game designers, animators and former grads to share insights. Many of the PAC’s comments were spot on, but I wanted to share three highlights:
1. Few art directors want to look at DVDs anymore. Have an easily navigable web site showing only professional quality work (well, and your resume). Send out links to reels that have been customized for that company, and don’t put up anything you think might not belong in a commercial product.
2. Update your web site at least once a year. Continue to show your best work, and if you are not employed in the industry, show that you are still honing your skills anyway.
3. This one was from David Hensley at Tripwire Interactive – check out Valve’s guidelines for selling user-generated content on Steam. If you have products up there proving their worth, you have already shown your ability to be an industry pro, and are probably making money as well.
FSNA Bug Hunting
March 9, 2015 | Author: HDIAndrew
One of my personal GDC highlights was meeting with the Fading Suns: Noble Armada programmer and getting the latest build of the game working on my new iPad. Now the playtesting starts in earnest. Playtesting, also known as Quality Assurance (QA) and bug hunting, gives people the idea that all we do is sit around and play games all day.
And that is correct.
However, it is an insane kind of playing. The old joke is that insanity is defined by doing the same thing over and over again in hopes of a different result. In playtesting, we do the same thing over and over but with minute differences in hopes that we may get different results and pinpoint what causes bugs. Or we do the same thing over and over again in order to document exactly what it is that causes the problem.
A Good Week
March 7, 2015 | Author: HDIAndrew
On top of hearing a lot of praise for SIEGE while at GDC, and the video game tax credit extension unanimously passing the Georgia House of Representatives, I returned to Atlanta to find this article: