Job seeking demo in Ogre or DirectX
Author
I'm currently in the process of writing a demo with aim of showing it off to recruiters in the hope of landing a job in game development. I've been working on it for a while now using the OGRE rendering engine and ODE physics.
However it occurred to me recently that because by using these libraries I avoid a lot of the hard work of the low level graphics and physics, which is obviously why I chose to use them, prospective employers viewing the demo might not be so impressed because they know that I've avoided some of the more in-depth challenges.
I feel I'm still facing a lot of equally technical challenges, but having read a bit of material on demo writing recently which mostly seems to advocate demos directly using directx or opengl I'm slightly worried I'm working down the wrong path.
Can anyway offer any advice on this matter?
I'd say it all depends on what kind of job you'd like to score. Obviously if you want to get into engine development, this would be the wrong route to take.
However, most game developers nowadays use a lot of middleware and therefore it doesn't have to be a bad thing, that you're not writing everything from scratch. Just make sure that the coolest features in your demo are the ones you've done yourself.
However, most game developers nowadays use a lot of middleware and therefore it doesn't have to be a bad thing, that you're not writing everything from scratch. Just make sure that the coolest features in your demo are the ones you've done yourself.
If you're after a role in gameplay, AI or similar high level stuff then writing it based on OGRE and ODE isn't a big deal. You'd be writing code based on whatever engine (in-house or middleware) the company uses anyway.
As Harry says though, if you're interested in engine development, you'd definitely want to roll your own stuff in DX or OGL.
As Harry says though, if you're interested in engine development, you'd definitely want to roll your own stuff in DX or OGL.
Quote:Original post by boz
I'm currently in the process of writing a demo with aim of showing it off to recruiters in the hope of landing a job in game development.
That's too bad you're only writing it for the purpose of getting a job - not because you want to write it. It's the passionate ones who get the jobs. You're already doomed before you start, since you don't really have passion for it.
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson40.htm
You should make multiple demos, because you want to, with each one being an exercise in learning different aspects of game development.
Author
Quote:That's too bad you're only writing it for the purpose of getting a job
Did I say it was the only reason. You're far to quick to assume I'm not passionate about game development just because I'm trying to get a job - that makes no sense. As it happens I've already written dozens of games all just because I wanted to. Heres a game I wrote when I was 15 before it even occured to me I could make money out of game development : Gold thief
I already have a job that pays very well, its only because I am passionate about game development that I want to change careers and am working on a killer of a demo.
Please refrain from telling people their "doomed" before knowing anything more than contents of a single post about them, others with less convication than myself may find it discouraging.
Why don't you some of your better, existing games as demo pieces then? Previously completed and polished work generally tends to look better than work developed very recently for an interview (the previously built stuff tends to be more polished, and so on). Even if those games are not as polished as you'd like, you'd likely end up with more bang for you buck going back and spit-shining them rather that create something entirely new.
Quote:Original post by beany_boz
...
Please refrain from telling people their "doomed" before knowing anything more than contents of a single post about them, others with less convication than myself may find it discouraging.
I take it you have probably never heard tom speak on these forums, have a look at some of his other posts. He is blunt but also correct. :)
Author
So, to paraphrase in the style of a certain Captain Yossarian, what you're saying dmail, is that:
1.Anyone wanting to get into the game industry should submit a demo of their work
2.Anyone trying to create a demo is not sufficiently passionate to get a job because they are creating a demo
1.Anyone wanting to get into the game industry should submit a demo of their work
2.Anyone trying to create a demo is not sufficiently passionate to get a job because they are creating a demo
Well, the weight that a company assigns to a demo varies widely from company to company -- some don't care if you give them a demo at all, some won't interview you without one.
Applications written as demonstration pieces can feel very different from applications written for the sake of writing the application. It's just something to be aware of.
You didn't answer my question, though, what about your previous projects makes them unsuitable for using as demos?
Applications written as demonstration pieces can feel very different from applications written for the sake of writing the application. It's just something to be aware of.
You didn't answer my question, though, what about your previous projects makes them unsuitable for using as demos?
>you'd definitely want to roll your own stuff in DX or OGL.
Just my 2cts:
I'm working at a gamedev company and I read a lot of cv's recently.
90% of the people are trying to get a job as a graphics programmer.
Maybe consider learning an area like networking... Experienced
people are much harder to find here (we actually switched people
internally because we couldn't find one)
Just my 2cts:
I'm working at a gamedev company and I read a lot of cv's recently.
90% of the people are trying to get a job as a graphics programmer.
Maybe consider learning an area like networking... Experienced
people are much harder to find here (we actually switched people
internally because we couldn't find one)
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