Guaigean

Hmmm, it would seem to me that anyone looking for dev's to assist on a free project would be a little bit kinder to those that respond.

Not sure how a Troll became able to throw off a topic so far, but anyway... The article was a fairly decent read, and although not right on, had some useful info. Since I'm graduating in two weeks with my CS degree (FINALLY!) I am trying to soak in all the final tidbits of advice I can before having to mass mail my resume to places like Obsidian (hint, hint). Anyway, thanks for the post.

yodaman, I would recommend thinking about foreign exchange at any school you end up at. Most US schools offer international exchange, and it can be a fun way to get some world experience, learn about foreign culture, and get those pesky GER's out of the way. You'll have to take em anyway, might as well do total immersion at the same time. Then by the time you get to upper division courses you'll have had a lot of fun, and be fully able to focus on the CS courses. When you get into em, don't take em lightly. There is a LOT of cool stuff you can learn from them, especially if while you're taking them you always think "How can I make this part of a game?" It certainly helped me a lot, especially to find a reason to chug through some of those math courses, which teach you all about (In a weird theoretical kinda way) how to do advanced collision detection, intersections, and 3d transformations.

Don't forget to relax and enjoy life in the mean time. Part of working on a development team has to do with being able to work with people. Make sure to get a little bit social occasionally too and don't spend all of high school indoors at the computer. There's a lot to be missed if you do.

In some fields this does work, but as far as computer science, it can amke quite a difference. I've worked with people with and without degrees. Over time, those without may be able to hold their own to an extent, but most with have the concepts to be more flexible. Many without degrees focus more on specific languages, while those with CS can move from one to the next quickly and still apply the overall concepts. The best thing I think the formal education does for computers is teach you the shortcuts so they don't have to be reinvented. Can save a significant amount of time when money matters.

As far as the wacompad I'm not familiar. But I have several artist friends that completely adore tablet PC's, but they work in general art and graphics not just gaming. Maybe a higher end item, but you're "painting" right onto the screen that way. Plus you can get them with anti-glare type addons so you can use them outdoors in the bright sun. Anyway, just thought I'd offer another alternative that many seem to enjoy.

As for applications in gaming, Linear Algebra is really useful. It can be used for collision detection, view tranformation (like spinning you around at angles), and all sorts of other types of things required of moving you around in a 3D, or infinitely dimensional world. Luckily I had a Math professor who was interested in 3D computing, so every new topic ended in a discussion of the possibilities and uses for it.

As it should be Doing something similar myself. Amazing what you can apply from the math side with a little creativity.

Most of the companies also offer alternative experience requirements such as having worked on scientific projects, advanced skills in maths and physics, or other such software development experience.

Um, no options for "I get my degree in May" so I guess that leaves me out of the vote.

Thats not a bad thing. You can always size down, but sizing up can get ugly. As far as the art goes, it's good stuff. My only comment is that I'd like to see some finished products. Lots of potential in those sketches.

Simple solution... buy nVidia.

Fixed now, thanks :D

Unfortunately, Product of the Cosmos is a lost cause. The only thing this discussion has done is prove that to me. No matter how much scientific evidence is exposed they will not accept it. PotC is simply a Stone Deaf (see http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame78.html). Good luck beating anything into that one.

Not really sure how much interpeting I did, other than saying the business model basically works for EA. As for "weeding out 75% slackers", I actually said "they weed out the lowest 75% of performers". That doesn't make them slackers by any means, just not as high performing as the top 25%. As I stated, I definitely think EA's human resources management is extremely lacking, but their profit margins work for them. Aside from having a large strike of workers and all production ceasing, EA has no motivation to change,

Another good tool, (I haven't seen it mentioned, maybe it was), is SpyBot Search & Destroy. Not only does it remove malicious programs, but it also helps to immunize you against them. And it's a freebie. It's available here... http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Wow, I'm one of 2 that picked engine programming. Maybe I have a chance in this industry if there's that little competition for the job :D

Believe me when I say that I think what EA did was wrong, but slashdot also had this post http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=0...&tid=187&tid=10 about the way EA runs things. It gives a little insight into the mentality. Worth a good read for anyone interested in development. For those that are too lazy to click the link, it is a document all about the professional environment of game development written by a professor at Carnegie Mellon. EA apparently has a very viscious ladder to climb, and they weed out the lowest 75% of performers regularly. The paper also shows, though, that if you are that dedicated, and that good, it can be a highly rewarding company. Again, I think what EA did was wrong, but at the same time, people are lining up to work there. And can you really blame a company for rewarding those with extreme dedication and performance? Just a few thoughts. And if ya don't agree, I'm sure you'll let me know.

Never fails. A quick joke/jab always turns into an analysis of whether the joke is grammatically, politically, and/or statistically realistic. Just laugh, and move on.

I suggest reading the following line of posts. A lot of suggestions on becoming a programmer are in there, as well as some class suggestions. Mainly though, math is a very useful tool for any programmer. The more the better. Once you have that and some physics (mostly mechanics) the world of games will become very clear. Then you'll wander around life imagining how everything could be coded if you had enough time. Maybe that's just me though.

But if they do it right, which I have a feeling they will, they can then license that engine out to other companies. It's a good way to make that investment worth it.

Not to mention, any firm that has you doing 3D modeling will usually have their own licenses to all this software. For a lot of software options, student editions will get you along fine until you get a job in the industry, at which point your job will cover the software. Unless you plan on doing independent work, you may never need a personal license.

From what I've experienced and compared with friends, the average CS degree course wise is about standard for a science/engineering degree, but a few more courses than most non engineering degrees. There tend to be a lot more lower division courses in CS than most degrees carry which leaves little room for electives aside from the bare minimum GER's required. Even if you can fit in a couple electives, they usually go into math or logic courses as it just makes sense. Just my experience, but my bachelors degree rounds out to be about 140 credits, with only 2 classes being non-Degreee/non-GER related. The average degree is around 120 right? Maybe I just got worked though... Quick note on tuition... University of Alaska runs approx $120.00 per credit hour, and UA Fairbanks has a pretty strong computing center (used primarily for northern lights research and CS)... Pretty cheap compared to most schools I've seen for the quality of the degree

I'd say aside from my first or second course, the classes have very little to do with syntax. Most of the courses simply use a language to teach a concept, and that language may vary. Once ya know a few languages, you can pick up a new one in a matter of weeks anyway. What isn't so easy is getting all the advanced concepts, which is where a lot of formal education courses focus. Having a working knowledge of trees, stacks, queues, graph theory, a.i., genetic algorithms, etc. is the real gem that ya get from formal education in my opinion.

Kainiak... Don't give up on it. Fortunately programming/game design is a task you don't have to start on at a supremely young age. Think about it, what is there exactly that would require it so? There is no physical effort involved, so you don't have to be young/fit. It is something that you can learn in a few years, so even if you started now you'd be 25 upon completion. Besides, being slightly older and having real world experience, as well as a little maturity, you will be more likely to take classes seriously, and learn more from them than the average 18yo fresh out of high school kid. One of the best programmers I know didn't start school until she was 26 and she far outprograms those she went to school with who started at 18-19. Anyway, never give up on a dream.