I might not have the time to play much and test it throughoutly, but I received a beta-key to access, so if someone thinks he is dedicated enough to test the game and help the developers, just message me
I don't understand why someone would go to all the effort to make a game - which I can assure you is a LOT of HARD work - then use that time and skill to go and do something so totally generic and without originality that nobody who's ever played more than a handful of computer games would see any reason to play it.
This just reminds me of a game I got free with the old original play station called wipeout, I think I only played it once, maybe twice. I've got to agree, it looks very generic.
Nice to see you are still developing though Becky (I clicked your signature link) and its looking more epic than ever, keep up the good work!
Thanks, I'm hoping to get to alpha before the end of the year assuming I can keep up the progress (read: continue to abstain from alcohol and sex) until year end.
You should try and make peripherals. I dunno.
I would think game development might be a risky venture these days. Unless you have a decent business plan. Sure. You can crank out another FPS game and someone will buy it, but to come up with something ...original in today's market could go either way. People are always up for something new, but they're pretty fickle about it. Also, while a person develops one thing, say an arcade style air combat game, and really makes an effort to make it flight controller friendly for the PC, the target demographic the developer is aiming for, goes all out smartphone and touchscreen. It happens.
This game you're developing. What platform is your target market? A PC user?, A Tablet/Smartphone user? Both?
Either way, I hope you do well with it.
I miss RTS games. I loved building a massive army of zergs, Soviets or elephants and attacking people with them.
I had a go at putting a team together for a motion simulator chair, but the project fell to pieces when the hardware guy had a death in the family and the firmware guy moved to Ireland. And that was that...!
Yes and no, it depends upon investment level and at the indi level what you expect to get back from it. I treat my game development as a hobby, it is what I WANT to do with my evenings. Having said that, I still have a budget, and a rough business plan. I am after all also a reasonably successful business woman despite my left leaning tendencies *stares Intrepid hard in the eye*
I look at this the other way around, to play safe is to play it dangerous. Churning out more of the same and avoiding innovation never works in a developed market. Games are now a mature market, they are mainstream. The only people who can play safe now are the elephants in the room. The rest of us HAVE to innovate, if we don't then we are dead in the water because nobody will hear us making a splash. Our products have to be remarkable (that is to say, worthy of people passing comment on it's features) because if they aren't then no matter how much we spam You Tube, we're just peddling something the world has already seen.
Yes, and this is a problem of small teams attempting big projects. It's one of the reasons why they fail - that and not having the technical capability to pull off their ambitions. It's the thing that scares me the most, which is why from the word go I was aiming at DX11 - because by the time I finish, that'll be entry level! As for tablets and platform, well for me it's a hobby so that pretty much decided it - but if I was tackling it purely as a business then I would have gone cross platform as it is the only sensible approach these days, that pretty much locks you into developing with products like Unity which I didn't want to do.
Thank you kindly, and I think I answered the question above .
Well I did have a play with prototyping an RTS before I made my final decision on the RPG, it was DX9 based and I never got as far as adding custom shaders to it, but just to frustrate your urge to zerg - here's some juice shots of a game that you'll never get to play ;P... (please consider it's prototype quality graphics not a production draft)
"I look at this the other way around, to play safe is to play it dangerous. Churning out more of the same and avoiding innovation never works in a developed market. Games are now a mature market, they are mainstream. The only people who can play safe now are the elephants in the room. The rest of us HAVE to innovate, if we don't then we are dead in the water because nobody will hear us making a splash. Our products have to be remarkable (that is to say, worthy of people passing comment on it's features) because if they aren't then no matter how much we spam You Tube, we're just peddling something the world has already seen."
Wise words from wise thoughts. Studying to be a software engineer, I know that quote will help me a lot. It's not only for games, it's for every programs aswell but it's really motivational.
...Studying to be a software engineer...engineer... ENGINEER!
Nothing against you Khristi or the career you wanna pursue. In fact, more power to you.
But the word "engineer" has been slung about for so many professions to make them sound important, that it cheapens the word.
My fancy title? Why I'm a Design ENGINEER. LOL I barely finished high school much less have some sort of licensed certification that engineers are supposed to have. Yeah my job is supposed to be a degreed position, but I've been doing this off and on since I was 14. What I really am in a nutshell is a production artist that knows how to build things and translates architectural graphics from some high dollar firm into something that actually be built and can be mass produced by moody artsy types that are working there cause no one buys fine art in Houston.
Every now and then I come up with something massive or per local ordinance or contract or whatever, what i design has to be certified by a structural engineer, That guy is a state certified structural engineer.
ROFL
One place I worked the receptionist was married to a guy that worked for Union Pacific Railroad. Now that guy? He was a REAL engineer.
Not everyone who works in software knocks up computer games. My day job involves building software for commerce, systems that take credit cards. If something goes wrong the potential is there for thousands of peoples lives to be ruined, and it's a responsibility I take very seriously.
Some software engineers work on mission critical systems for hospitals, space flights, heck even nuclear missiles are controlled by software written in AMA.
Software runs the world now and there aren't enough geeks to go around. As a programmer you are both system architect, and the one holding the screw driver.
It absolutely is a form of engineering.
As for degrees, it is my view that the universities have never quite got a handle on the subject of being a programmer. A degree is NOT ENOUGH.
I'm sorry your own job is unfulfilled, but let's not tar everyone with the same lack of self esteem eh
You don't get it. There's all sorts of things that are "forms of engineering"
My complaint is how they sling that word around.
And it's really not just that word. What I don't like is how everyone seems to have a habit to over-inflate or over-hype things. I can understand it with salesmen trying to sell you a car or a vacuum cleaner, but it's with EVERYTHING these days. And I think the casual labeling of Engineer is a prime example of that. Maybe it's the rest of the planet that has self esteem issues?
Engineering as a term in particular. For you to do what you do, did you have to take a state or province certified exam to aquire a license to do what you do?
When a Doctor finishes med school or an attorney finishes law school, it doesn't automatically make them a doctor or lawyer. They have to take a certification exam. If a person wants to put Engineer in their title, shouldn't they as well?
Especially people that mess with people's credit cards or hospitals or nuclear missiles?
Like what an electrical, structural or civil engineer does? I engineer stuff all the time, It may not put people's bank accounts at risk if I don't know what I'm doing, But it can sometimes catch fire, fall apart and crush someone. Sure I "engineer" but I base things on tried and true methods of construction. I don't have to resort to complex formulas (very often) to determine if something is going to be structurally sound. For the most part, I just have to know what can be done utilizing established techniques. As much engineering as I do, I'm not one.
Lack of self esteem? ROFL Really?
Sweetie, I'm a cocky arrogant **** from Texas. I don't think that's a very accurate assessment since I think... no I KNOW I'm better than everyone else. :rolleyes: I wouldn't have been able to claw my way up the food chain, if I was like that. If you're gonna take judgemental shots, use a scope to focus your field of view in the microcosm
Unfulfilled... No. that's Americanism. Not unfulfilled. I know I can always do better. I can always work harder. There's no such thing as "enough".
You know, that sort of thing. That and a nice healthy mix of burnout to temper my aggression.
Ehm, I don't know how they do it in Yippyyahow Texas, but here to be allowed to call yourself an Engineer you have to have at least a bachelor degree in engineering There is no state certified test at the end, but the whole course of studies are.
Software engineers are absolutely engineers, IMO "real" engineering and software engineering can't be separated in todays world. The little PCL and C++ I learned is laughable compared to real IT tho
.... UHHH...THanks for proving my point, in a way. See you have to have some sort of background to be considered an engineer... legally - right?
Well here, even though, you'll most certainly get called on it, but for some things, this case, software engineering, a kid that works at gamestop and can make an app can put "software ENGINEER" on his resume. Lemme ask you something. How fair is that to you? Let's say for some horrible reason, you had to move to Detroit, you and that guy are looking for the same job, I'm a headhunter looking to fill a void, I'm a contracted headhunter and only know enough about the position to ask questions and have no clue what is the right answer I do Human Resources, so the guy with the nicest tie wins. He traded it for a copy of Halo....And your resume looked like it had a coffee stain on it.
Are you seeing where I'm going with this?
You all claim to be engineers, you ACC in particular state that a bachelor's is required for you to even put engineer in your title.
I'm not going to argue with you, You're engineers. OK. Fine. But since what y'all do is all that. and is very precise, demanding and well important, then shouldn't you think some sort of bonafide certification is in order? At the very least to prevent the guy with the nice tie from B.S.ing his way into becoming a project manager for the IT of a medical center. Sure somebody may look up his education credentials later, but all he has to worry about is getting fired if he's actually followed up on and found out. I didn't really look at his resume. I was too grossed out after seeing yours and that nasty coffee stain. And his tie really looked good. And Friday's my last day.
While at the same time that's happening, the guy that's applying to operate the boilers for this medical center? He has to be a certified stationary engineer, licensed with the City before he can even almost be considered for the spot. And if he's got a fake license or has no way to validate his certification, he's looking at jail time.
Hopefully, that puts what I'm goin on about in a better perspective for y'all.
I don't know squat about software engineering. LOL yeah I do, I call the receptionist and this dude named Gary shows up and fixes things.
Wait a minute Acc... You're from Germany. You have to be certified to do everything there.
"Q.E.D"
Why you make that seem like it's a BAD thing.
Wait... I'm not through with the medical center. Meet Brad. He's the Architect that designed the building. Unfortunately something went wrong and the emergency room doors fell on someone and killed them. Brad is some one's girlfriend in prison.
Meet Ted. Ted's an alcoholic wife beater. One day after a night of tying one on and chasing his wife halfway across town to her mom's, he finishes up work on the architecture that will enable the software that controls patient monitoring to interact with the rest of the network. He put a "2" where he needed to put a "3" and 5 people in ICU died. What happens to him? If he has decent healthcare, he keeps his job and goes to rehab for two weeks.
I don't know what that has to do with anything, I just was carried away with the imaginary hospital
Lucky Ted, he's got mates in a position to help him, one short secret handshake later and a short rehab course and he's back in business.......
A degree simply proves you can write essay's, ( or write to your esse ! ), Many years ago, I remember having to teach graduates the basics of the job, something that theory never teaches, and deal with their 'total knowledge of everything, cus I've got a bit of paper saying I know it all'
Yes, a knowledge of theory is important, far more important is 'knowing how s#!* works, how to make it work, and how to fix it when it doesn't. You don't get that from a course, you get that in the real world, constantly learning, and, TBH, being conservative in the choices you make to ensure things work, and keep working.
That's why I love being in business for myself, the edge of knowing that your actually responsible. If there's a SNAFU, it's your issue, not someone else, not finding someone else to blame, your actually responsible.
It's what really 'annoys' me when you see a complete flustercluck of a system go in, and then you watch the inevitable blame-game being played out, as per usual, when something that's been screwed up from the beginning doesn't work.
Rule 1; Never say 'I told you so !', it really annoys people.......
Mid you, they still pocket the big bucks for the flustercluck ( Obamacare website anyone ? )
I guess legally software engineering isn't at the level of other engineering accreditations in every nation, but some (most?) have some sort of a charter system that can be used to prove one is an Actual Software Engineer. "In the U.K. the British Computer Society has developed a legally recognized professional certification called Chartered IT Professional (CITP), available to fully qualified Members (MBCS). Software engineers may be eligible for membership of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and so qualify for Chartered Engineer status". Does the German BVT apply for software engineering too?
Also, Texas is a special case where there are (more) stringent regulations to pass as a software engineer. 'Some of the states in the United States regulate the use of terms such as "computer engineer" and even "software engineer". These states include Texas' and "The United States, starting from 2013 offer an NCEES Professional Engineer exam for Software Engineering, thereby allowing Software Engineers to be licensed and recognized.[23] Mandatory licensing is currently still largely debated, and perceived as controversial. In some parts of the US such as Texas, the use of the term Engineer is regulated by law and reserved only for use by individuals who have a Professional Engineer license."
A degree is insufficient qualification to be a software engineer. You only get the skill from doing it, it's never been taught to a minimally acceptable standard. You prove it with a portfolio, and you get that portfolio by getting your arse in front of a screen and coding. Not learning to write essays or firing off bullshit at interview.
The thought that I would just need a degree to do my job is frankly insulting. I hire graduates and it takes years to train them. They're not good enough by a very long way. They are quite cheap but it takes 4 to 7 graduates to do the amount of work I do and then their work quality is frequently lacking. It's more efficient to employ experienced people, and then mix in a few trainees to invest in our future. I couldn't care if they have a degree or not, I don't even read CV's. I look at portfolio's, and I hack and exploit them to pieces.
Thought I'd be nice and share it, because I am not interested that much either 
There is no state certified test at the end, but the whole course of studies are.