Hi Genocide1812, Thanks very much for the support and the interest. I feel a wall of text coming on I knew that I wanted to make games since I was about 10 an got my first computer, 27 years ago. From that point, I pretty much spent all my free time playing computer games. I actually never had a Nintendo or Atari which I always thought was a great injustice, but it may have given me a different games focus growing up than my friends. Eventually I made it into college, and then university (taking 7 years for a 4 year degree as to not interfere with my gaming) First years were super slack, but by the end I had gotten a job in the games industry and was working 40 hours a week with a full course load, while still keeping my gaming hours intact. I lacked a social life though, but who needs those. My degree was in CompSci as yours is, however aside from it getting me in the door, and providing some good math skills it has not been terribly relevant. This will not be the case for everyone though because my career path is odd, and I am very much a generalist programmer. I am not a guru at any particular aspect of coding... at all... but I can fumble by with all of them enough to build what I need at the time. Mostly I have always dealt with high level implementation. Now more about the interesting part. The industry job. So how do you get into the games industry? Simple, it is like the Mafia and someone needs to vouch for you. In my last year at university, I found out that one of my room mate's friend's was a designer at Black Box Games in Vancouver (A pretty big game making hub because it was one of the early campuses for EA) So I proceeded to head out with my buddies and this designer and drink many many beers. We hit it off, I got an introduction and a shot at the possibility of becoming a tester. This was beyond a dream come true (i did not know then that this is the worst job in the industry and generally leads no where but management, which I may touch on later.) This was mid year 2000 The day of the interview arrives, and it is awesome. I am talking to the owners of a then 50 person company (grew pretty massive b4 EA bought and over the years dismantled it) Swearing, the promise of alcohol, everything you want in an interview. I was sure I had the job. Waited a couple days, and got a rejection phone call. I was not qualified. Keep in mind, I was in my last year of comp sci, had a 3.75 GPA and was beyond an avid gamer. Did I mention it is hard to get into games. Broken hearted for a few days, and I get a call. During my interview I spent a lot of time talking about our Starcraft network in our university quad. This gets me a job in IT there. I am the one and only IT guy for a 50 person company. I jumped at the chance, but was pretty intimidated. I realize this story is getting long now, and we are no where NEAR SPAZ yet, so maybe I should pick up the pace. I proved myself in the IT department, and got a chance to actually run the QA (testing) department while still in school. I jumped at that and was then doubled up on jobs. Proved I could handle those, and got a job scripting AI on Sega Soccer Slam. So at one point I was full course load in school, IT department, QA Lead, and AI scripter for my first game all at once, and it was the best time of my life. Quickly I was extricated from my other roles to focus on gameplay, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I had become a designer. As a programmer, I always felt slighted and thought "scripter" was a dirty word among programmers, and that I should be writing AI because that's where its at. Little did I know I was on the perfect career path for me. Sega Soccer Slam turned out to be a great success, and people all over the world were playing vs player brains that I had created (did all player scripting aside from goalies) This was absolutely awesome. Next I went on to programming defensive gameplay for NHL 2004 (Also, I hate hockey and it is my fault that game was too hard hehe) This gave me a programming half to my scripting half so I had a better idea of what goes on under the hood. But everything I did was always high level. By the time NHL came out, EA had bought Black Box Games and it had gone from a frat house to a typical corporate office with suits galore, butt kissers, the whole bit. TPS reports anyone? I just walked in one day (after NHL shipped, as not to hurt the product) and told them that I couldn't do it any more and left. I didn't have a job waiting, I was just too heart sick to see my dream of the games industry rot in there. Luckily, my mentor of sorts at BlackBox came with me and we started a company together called Quasar Interactive. There is actually a game called Statesmen that we made that never saw the light of day. it sits in a box on my self, but the company we made the game for, never decided on a means for distribution and it languishes. (It is a board game by the way) For this project we were paid about $20,000 each which gave us just enough to survive. The money ran out and I needed a job. (We are almost to the forming of MinMax, you said you wanted the story) Interestingly, Statemen used Torque (what SPAZ uses) but Radical Entertainment was also working on a game called Scarface that was in serious trouble, and it also used the same scripting language as Torque. (Both engines were built off the tribes 2 engine, crazy eh?) I had an interview, told them that I had written in the order of 50,000 lines of Torque Script and was hired in about 15 minutes. Scarface was in serious trouble and my role quickly went from bolt on gameplay scripter to technical designer as my previous high level experience and programming plus my familiarity with torque script and the fact that I am a benevolent (I hope) dictator lead me to begin to implement changes to that project that got the scripting team to use a common set of gameplay tools to bring the game into a humming machine. Scarface didn't come together until about 1 week before we shipped. But the most important part of that project was that I met Richard Clifford (other half of MinMax) This was his first job, and we became good friends and worked together a lot. I taught him everything I could and he was always willing to learn. After Scarface's success, we were both put on Scarface 2 and in an office together. We began to work out the metagame for our opus. Let me tell you, Scarface 2 was going to be friggin awesome, and we designed the core of the game in a pub one night. We even made a board game for the metagame that we made each team member play when they joined the project as to infect their brains with the awesomeness of what they were creating. Oh, by the way, Activision and Videndi merged and Scarface 2 was canceled because XYZ executive bull????. (So Genocide1812, I feel your pain about the industry's direction) We poured our souls into Scarface 2, it was awesome, the team loved it, it was to be the best thing any of us ever made, and they killed it. This pretty much broke Richard's and my Spirit but we tried to persevere. Richard went on to work on Prototype, and I spent time on two undisclosed and ALSO canceled projects at Radical. Both were canceled after I left, but the writing was clearly on the wall. Dysfunctional teams and broken spirits all around in the company. Oh also, when they killed Scarface 2, they laid off half of the company. Great feeling that was losing all those friends. So finally, I had enough and so did Richard. We were chatting in the same pub where we designed Scarface 2 and said #$@! it! after about 6 pitchers of beer, we didn't want to live that way and the next day we marched into work and resigned together. Note, I had a 1 month old first child at this point, and didn't want him growing up with a dad that was spiritually broken. FINALLY WE GET TO MINMAX. A few days later, after the glow of quitting wore off, Richard and I thought, what now (at the pub again) and decided to make a game together. We had both dabbled extensively with Torque and decided to go for it. Richard's job in general is to run around with rainbows flying out of his head, and I chase him around dual wielding with a butterfly net catching the good ideas, and a baseball bat to smash the bad ones. We both REALLY missed games like Star Control, so we decided to merge all the favorite bits from our favorite games to make a "space game." In the Dev branch, our game is still called "Space Game" We spent 1 whole week designing the game and scheduling out 6 month dev cycle. 5 races, persistent universe, random tech tree, epic story, ship construction, betrayal , hybrid races blah blah blah. FOOLS! So we ended up with a design in our heads (never anything on paper to this day) that we decided we loved and was perfect (almost none of it is in the game today) and we instantly set to work. =========================================================== 以上推文连结的第一楼, 我三流的翻译,为避免误导留下原文 加减看吧 ========================================================= 你好Genocide1812, 感谢你的支撑与感兴趣.我觉得一片讨论文字墙就快来了 我知道我想作游戏是起於大约我十岁,得到第一台电脑时,距今27年前了。 从那时起，我花了相当大量的时间在打电动. 实际上，我从未有过一台任天堂或ＡＴＡＲＩ， 这是我真的认为从不公平的一件事， 但它可能给了我一条不同於成长期间友人的游戏聚焦。 即便我进了大学，（花了七年才将四年制读完，如果没有被游戏干扰的话） 第一年真是超散，但最後我得到了一个游戏产业的工作， 并在全课程满载的情况下每周工作４０小时，同时确保我的游戏时数依旧完整。 虽然，这使我缺乏社交生活，但谁需要那东西呢。 我的学系和你一样是CompSci（直译应该是程设系对应台湾感觉应指资工吧？）， 然而除了这项背景让我入门以外,它也提供了一些很好的数学技巧, 相关性其实没那麽糟. 虽然这对一般人而言不会是个好例子,因为我的职业之路是奇特的, (或者意思是只有过一个职业的),我其实是一个非常一般的程式设计师. 我在编码的任何一个面向都绝非一个大师,但我能摸索出在我需要建立出什麽的时候, 摸出什麽并且完成它. 最近我已经能保持有高完成度的产出. 现在开始关於更多有趣的部分.业界工作 那麽你到底是进入游戏界的? 很简单,它就像是黑手党,某个人需要担保你. 在我大学生活的最後一年,我找到了一个我室友的朋友, 他是个在温哥华Black Box Games工作的设计师, (一个相当大的游戏制作公司,因为它是其中一个早期为EA工作的公司) 所以我和我兄弟一起去拜访了这位设计师,并且在几杯啤酒之後. 我们把事情敲定了下来,我获得了一个介绍,并且有机会成为一个测试员. 这是个梦想的成真 (我那时并不知道这份工作是业界最糟的, 一般而言除了管理职它没有任何其他升迁的可能性,但这是我接触之後的事了) 这时是2000年中 面试的日子到了,而且过程很棒. 我和一个50人公司的老板讨论着 (而且规模成长到当大,B4 EA买下了它,并在几年後解散它(原文的B4是什麽意思有待厘清) 宣誓,关於酒精的承诺,所有你在面试里能想到的. 我已经确定我已经拿到了这份工作. 在等待几天後,我得到了一通不录取的电话通知. 我没有合格. 这句话一直在我脑中挥之不去,我正在comp sci系的最後一年, 并且不只是个3.75GPA的人而且是个有干劲玩家(GPA是啥有待解释) 我有提到要进入游戏界很困难吗? 我的心碎了几天,然後我接到了一通电话. 在我面试期间,我花了大量时间在我们大学公开区谈论关於星海争霸网路. 这让我在那儿得到一份IT的工作.... 我原本是一间50人公司的唯一IT人员. 然後我在一个机会里飞跃了,尽管这相当令我害怕. 我理解到这故事现在已变得漫长,我们已经到了一个附近没笨蛋的地方 (原文NEAR SPAZ yet有误译请指正) 所以我也许应该加快脚步. 我在IT部门证明了我的能耐,并且以在学中的身份得到了实际去跑QA(测试)部门的机会. 我在那时得到了跃升,在工作上翻了二翻 在证明我有处理那些问题後,我得到了一份在世嘉Soccer Slam(我不知这啥游戏) 的人工智慧程式撰写的工作. 所以我在一个时间点上是个全职学生,IT部门,QA LEAD (我翻不出这职位,反正跟测试有关),及我第一个游戏AI程式, 这是我人生里最棒的时刻 很快地我摆脱了其他的身份,可以聚焦在游戏上,在那时里我忘了我自己, 我已成为一位设计师. 作为一个程式设计师,我总是对"编码者"这词感到有点轻视, 并认为这是对程式设计师的污辱. 我有稍微察觉到我正走在完美的工作之途上. Sega Soccer Slam在发售後获得了极大的成功, 全世界的玩家正对抗着我所设计的球员智慧.那感觉没话讲,棒极了. 接着我继续了NHL 2004防守的程式设计 (同时,我讨厌曲棍球,这游戏会变得过难是我的错,嘿嘿) 这次我得到了一半的专案,和一半的编码,所以在表面之下是什麽实际状况我有了较好 的概念. 但我所做的一切都是高完成度的. 在NHL快结束制作时,EA已买下了Black Box Games, 把它从一间兄弟会据点变成典型的西装横行的办公室,分割案子的接合者之一, 全体的一个环节. 向每个人TPS报告?(TPS待解释) 我在一天里的散步後(是在NHL结束後,而不是在伤害这产品) 告诉他们我无法再为这东西作什麽并离开了. 我并没有新工作在等我,我只是太过伤心,因为在那里我无法看到我梦想中的游戏界 很幸运地,在BlackBox有个像我一样的家伙,一个良师益友来到了我的身边, 我们一起开了一间公司叫Quasar Interactive. 我们也实际上作了一个叫个Statesmen的游戏,一个永远不会见光的东西. 它位於我的一个盒子内,但这个我们为了这公司制作的游戏, 却从来没有决定发售方式和发售语言. (顺便一提,它是board game应该是桌游,但後文显示它不是桌游,所以我想另有译法) 为了这个计画,我们每人付了20000块美元,让我们能够生活. 当钱烧完时,我需要一个工作(我们几乎形成了MinMax的模式,你说你想听故事的) 有趣的是, Statemen使用的语法是Torque(多蠢的方法), 但Radical Entertainment那时也正用类似的语法在制作一款叫Scarface的游戏, 而且陷入了大麻烦中.(这二种编码法都来自tribes 2 engine,很疯狂吧?) 我在面试里,告诉他们我已经写过50000条的Torque程式,就在15分钟後得到雇用. Scarface正陷入大麻烦里,而我的角色像是来自闪电中现身, 从游戏的程式编码到技术上的设计,如同我先前的高完成度工作经验及专案能力再加上 我对torque语法的熟悉,事实上我成了一个仁慈且宽厚的(我希望)独裁者领导着变革的 开始,这计画有了使用游戏设计工具组的程式团队,这让游戏进入了机械运转的状态. Scarface直到我的部分完成一周後才结束. 但这专案里最重要的部份是,我遇到了Richard Clifford (MinMax的另一半) 这是他的第一分工作,我们变成好朋友,并时常工作在一起. 我教了他我的一切,而他也总是愿意学习. 在Scarface的成功後,我们都推动着Scarface 2并在同一个办公室工作. 我们开始为我们的大作进行规划. 让我告诉你, Scarface 2将会他妈的棒,我们泡在一间PUB的晚上时, 设计了游戏的核心. 我们甚至为了续作, 弄出了一个桌游让每个小组成员在加入专案时能发挥他们的脑力 使作出来的东西更棒. 喔,顺带一提, Activision 和 Videndi合并,然後 Scarface 2 就取消了, 因为 XYZ 的执行 bull????.(本段XYZ及爱心应该可以理解成一段不满字眼) (所以啊,Genocide1812兄弟,我可以感到痛苦,关於业界的方向), 我们倾注灵魂的Scarface 2,它棒极了,团队都爱它,它是我们曾制作过里最好的一个, 然後他们杀了它. 这事重伤了Richard和我的心,但我们试着去抵抗. Richard继续为着原型工作,而我把时间花在二个未公开的也是被Radical取消的案子. 在我离开後,它们都被取消了,但墙上的书面的形式很清楚. 那时不正常的制作团队和受伤的心充斥公司. 喔,还有,当他们杀了Scarface 2,他们解散了半个公司. 失去那些朋友的感觉很强烈. 所以到最後,我受够了, Richard也是. 我们待在设计Scarface 2时的同一间小酒馆, 并且在大约六品脱的啤酒後说他#$@!,我们不想用这方式讨生活, 接着隔了一天我们把工作结合重新聚集在一起. 记着,我那时有一个一个月大的长子,并且希望他成长时没有一个精神破产的老爸. 终於,我们来到MINMAX部分了. 几天之後,在离职的光辉散去後, Richard和我思考着现在怎麽办(还是在酒馆里), 并决定一起制作游戏.我们对TORQUE都涉猎广泛且决定继续用它. Richard平常的工作是让他的脑子飞出彩虹,而我则在旁追赶着他, 并用着捕蝴蝶网子往好主意套下去,并用棒球手套杀死其中不好的. 我们都很怀念像是Star ControL的游戏,所以我们决定去结合我们喜欢的游戏里所有喜 爱的要素,以制作一款"太空游戏". 在发展部门,我们的游戏仍叫做"太空游戏" 我们花了一整周去设计游戏,及排程出一个6个月的开发周期. 5种族,不灭的宇宙,随机的科技树,传奇故事,般舰建立,背叛,混种等等等等.... 蠢毙了! 所以我们终止了这个脑中的计画(到这天还没有任何文件产生), 这个我们决定作,我们喜爱,的完美游戏(几乎没有任何残留在现在的游戏里), 我门立即开始动工 --

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