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DarkBASIC Professional Discussion / Who wants to get into the games industry?

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malcom2073
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 13:52
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I personally own my own upstart programming company. And although I am still learning c++, I already have a game in development and several members onboard to help. While independant games dont sell as well, there is something to be said for them. Sure getting into the industry is hard, and its alot of work, but once you get there it makes it all worth it, thats why I'm going into it.

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empty
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 14:02
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Quote: "
i'd suggest you take your history again...
The BBC Micro Computers and the Acorn Computers are two TOTALLY different companies (not even from the same country)
"


From what country is Acorn then?

To freshen up your history knowledge:
http://bbc.nvg.org/history.php3
http://www.mcmordie.co.uk/acornhistory/acornhistory.shtml

Ogres have layers.
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 14:34
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although they shared alot of the same technology inside, they weren't the same setup inside - but they did use the same language (probably cause they're processors were the same)

and empty - that isn't an official 'history' of Acorn... i mean for example it would be interesting to explain why it says the Eletron was release '83 - yet i have a bunch of games from '81 which have the Acorn logo on them in 'For the Acorn Electron' on thier covers

it is getting very tiresome you just jumping into a chat just to make an example of me and thats about your entire contribution to the forum.
if i were you i'd check your sources a little more carefully too - cause they don't match

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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empty
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 16:49
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Quote: "
that isn't an official 'history' of Acorn... i mean for example it would be interesting to explain why it says the Eletron was release '83 - yet i have a bunch of games from '81 which have the Acorn logo on them in 'For the Acorn Electron' on thier covers
"

I doubt that. You can find many sources in the internet which say that it was released 1983 (a few say 1982 and none of them says 1981).


Quote: "
it is getting very tiresome you just jumping into a chat just to make an example of me and thats about your entire contribution to the forum.
"

I don't think that you know what my contributions are.


Quote: "
if i were you i'd check your sources a little more carefully too - cause they don't match
"

Well at least I have sources while you often sell wrong facts that have no other sources than your fantasy (just to remind you: CD, Tapes, Midi etc).
So thanks for your advice but if I were you I'd take it yourself first.

Ogres have layers.
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Redmotion
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 16:58
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All creative jobs have god awful hours with low pay to fill someone elses pockets. Which is why only 1 in 30 games is any good. The rest are mediocre, even the ones with good visuals and sound - they are the equivalent of hollywood special effects movies. Just to look good for the back cover. This sort of industry starts off with people really enjoying it and doing it for the fun of it. Ten years later word gets around that there is money to be made. More people invest in the next cycle expecting a return. And it steamrollers. Before you know it. The market is saturated by million pound turkeys. There are no more great incentives left for the "workers" like royalties and profit sharing because half the money goes to the publisher for putting their neck on the line in a market where only boring branded games like FIFA and WWF wrestling make their money back. I'd prefer to make games for myself and if someone wants to sell it when it's done then cool. I got an Atari ST game published by a PD company about 6-7 years ago (before the market was killed off by the PC and consoles). I got about £50 for two years work!! Probably the worst paid job I ever did - and I loved every minute of it. If I wasn't in charge however, constricted by marketing research and management driven timelines I would hate doing games...
As it is, I work as an Architect in the day, and try to make games when I've got none I want to play. As it is Metroid Prime is about be released and re-establish my belief that there are a few BRILLIANT games developers out there....

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Beta1
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 19:57
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Raven, trust me your wrong there.

The BBC microcomputer was built by the company that became Acorn as a tender for a competition from the BBC for a home computer system for a programing/computer system they were making, Acorn won the competition and the BBC microcomputer was born. They ARE both the same company and were in cambridge UK as it was originally part of olivetti I think.

As I think you'll find out if you look here http://http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?BBC+Micro

or here

http://http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/bbc/
http://http://www.instantweb.com/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?BBC+Micro


Later came the BBC master and the archimides systems and the RiscPC. Incidently ARM (the company that designs most of the mobile phone and pocket PC processors was originally a joint venture by Acorn and someone else I cant remember)

And as for elite
http://http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/archive/a4120000.htm

Thats BBC and electron versions thank you very much

And a rather good interview with the authors here

http://http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/archive/a4120010.htm

I was a Acorn fan for many, many years and owned one of most of the different series of acorn machines

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Beta1
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 20:05
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bugger its screwed up all those links, if you lose the first http:// from each it will work

and in the interview:

"For Braben, Elite was his first professional effort and his first game for the BBC B. Soon after the pair started work on the program, they took it to Acornsoft and the company was sufficiently interested to supply Braben with a BBC micro. "

Acorn soft being the software arm of Acorn

Also http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_computers is quite good

Sorry to go on a bit but I dont like being told I'm wrong.

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Andy Igoe
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Posted: 14th Mar 2003 20:15
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BBC BASIC sucked. Sinclair BASIC rulez ok.

Remember when the games industry was brought to it's knees because magazines where giving away free games on covertapes?

And doesn't it sound strange to say 'covertapes' when it used to be so strange to say 'coverdisks'.

Both of these thoughts where brought to you by 'Distractions Inc'. You may now put your gloves back on.

Pneumatic Dryll, Outrageous epic cleric of EQ/Xev
God made the world in 7 days, but we're still waiting for the patch.
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HZence
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 02:52
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Id isn't I.D. - it's "id"

Lol yeah. I used to call them "I D" (separate letters) when I was a little kid (about 5 years old). I miss those good old games. Some of the good ones (like BioMenace) don't run on newer PCs for some reason.

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BoB Vila
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 05:33
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Its funny cause I never heard anyone call them Id, I've always heard it called I.D. id just sounds wierd for a game company. You need at least two silables..

Bobvila.com made me take off my avatar! (dunno how they found out)
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 08:04
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yeah, well the more interesting thing is depending who you talk to in the company itself also depends on what the name is

it is id (as if did within the first d) and there is a very interesting story behind why but i can guarentee no one will know why.

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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HZence
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 08:10
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Lol. Our organization is called "Zealot Computer Entertainment". Though normally pronounced [Zell-ut], when we first found the word (me being the first two people we pronounced) when I was in 6th great we pronounced it [Zeel-ot] (kinda sounds like camelot, lol). We still pronounce it that way because that's the way it was started, and that's the way it'll remain...to us anyway

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Beta1
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 11:23
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Right.....

Well I didnt see anything contradictory in any of my posts, except possibly that they were contradicting you.

I think we may just have to accept that you clearly have the first ever acorn electron built by a different comapny than the rest of them (from a different country) and were personally gifted a copy of elite by brabram and bell before the rest of the world was honored with it

and just to finish my contribution, the original elite cover art (and computer compatibility)
[img]
http://www.stairwaytohell.com/games/acornsoft/Acornsoft-Elite.jpg[/img]

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Xoid
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 13:17
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id software is pronounced I D software but there is hidden reason to this, ever heard of the psychology id?

I'm not gonna go into too much detail but the id refers to the 'pleasure principle' - The part of a persons personality that contains strong desires and emotions.

LOL, I dunno really, that's what I THINK they mean it to be, but I could be wrong.
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Terabyte
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 13:24
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yeah i want to be in the games programing industry
im going on work experience in june
ive applied to oracle
hope they reply soon cus my teacher is constantly poking me with a rather large spoon!!! about not getting my response in!!! [img] [/img]

I have a word of advice...
..don't piss on an electric fence!
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Xoid
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 13:37
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Frobscottle, if you want to be in the games industry I suggest you start a portfolio with examples of what you can do.

it will be good to show the employer how you progressed through the years, starting with a platform type game to a full 3D experience using DirectX/OpenGL etc... DarkBASIC is a good engine but your gonna NEED to get into writing games / effects or whatever in C/C++.
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 15:30
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Xoid... it is DEFINATELY pronouced right$("did",2)
if there is one thing i know this company is pronounced, who named it, and why

that aside, my Acorn is a 1982 machine - so probably one of the first ... i'll rummage through the loft for the elite manual and box itself, cause i only have the copy of the tape out of storage.
you know the funny thing, the motherboard of my Acorn & the CPU both say 1981 on them go figure

but i guess your right and the hardware staring me in the face is wrong (baka)
and once i find the manual i'll show you it doesn't have any such thing with "For the BBC Micro" on it

i'm not sitting here bloody searching the internet for things that could backup my claims here ... apart from i'm the most useless researcher in the world - i don't need to look things up for my facts, i have the bloody hardware and software ALL around me here!!

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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empty
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 17:06
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Raven, your problem is, and you have proven it in many posts, that you can't stand being wrong. And that is your problem not our. If you don't have a clue, don't behave like you have one.

As for hte pronunciation of id-software, well, this is indeed pronounced like the "id" in did or in Sigmund Freud's "The Ego and the Id".

Ogres have layers.
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 17:25
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and you guys don't want to believe that perhaps the internet might actually be lying to you ... i'm kinda getting sick of this attitude of "Raven said something lets try to prove him wrong with stats and pages on the net"

anyone can write these sites, and anyone does - with hair brained thoughts on what is real and what isn't.
When i have a PCB board from within my Acron with the date stamp '01 12 1982 10:52' on it, first of all i'd hardly call the 12th of January '82 an 82 development and design (like you sources said)...
secondly, it says on the bottom "Designed in the United Kingdom, Built in Hong Kong" and on the CPU it has Ferranti Technology 'Acorn' ULA I2Co2IM - 33 '8422'
and on the bottom has the date stamp 13/08/1981 with 'Designed by Texas Instraments'
on the PCB board it has Electon (c) Acorn Computers 1982

this would mean that although the designs were copywritten in '82 this doesn't mean they were never developed nor released before then ... and it is likely that there are a few machines with "patent pending" on them

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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empty
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 18:00
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Like I said it's not only this thread.

And wouldn't you say that it's unlikely that they release (and release means "public release") before they got the patent?

BTW: My question was, from what country is Acorn? You said BBC and Acorn are from different countries. Or isn't the first B in BBC "British"?


Quote: "
on the CPU it has Ferranti Technology 'Acorn' ULA I2Co2IM - 33 '8422'
"


And here we go again. You see, on the IC it says "ULA". Is this a CPU? No, it's a ULA (Undedicated Logic Array).

Ogres have layers.
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HZence
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 21:04
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Okay, enough tension already! We're all in the same boat here...or we should be anyway. I'm trying to learn to watch what I say too because whether you mean to or not, you can easily offend people in forums like these where people can't hear your sarcasm or tone of voice.

Again, an apology to Rich and the team for my earlier comments on DBPro and product distribution. Sorry.

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BoB Vila
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Posted: 15th Mar 2003 22:17
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Back to the games industry thing. Does anyone know anything about those budget publishers like Xtreme Games, etc etc..

Bobvila.com made me take off my avatar! (dunno how they found out)
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Xoid
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 04:12
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Hey, I was right about why id software called themselves id software, LOL

Quote from website:
"Taking its name from Freud's primal, instinct-driven face of the human psyche, id Software is, by general acknowledgement, the coolest game shop in the world."

http://www.idsoftware.com/business/home/history/
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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 09:56
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ask John Carmack sometime to pronouce the company name for you - then ask him WHY it is called that

as for Empty... i contribute alot daily - infact if you bothered to read back on this fucking thread rather than insulting me perhaps you'd see i've contributed quite a large amount of information here.

if you think its a crock of shit thats upto you, whos the one out of the two of us earning over the $100k mark though? so quite frankly you can kiss my ass with you damn'd sarcasm and ever wanting need to prove me wrong.
its funny ... you're actually old enough to have lived through the early 80s AND remember them - so how come you needed the net to get your facts right throughout this argument?

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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indi
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 10:09
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Ive had to delete two of your posts raven for vulgar language on this post alone.

few more of those will give me good reason to file a complaint and u wont be welcome to abuse/help the DBP forum users.

http://www.lunarpixel.com

http://www.lunarpixel.com/dt/
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empty
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 13:43
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Quote: "
as for Empty... i contribute alot daily - infact if you bothered to read back on this fucking thread rather than insulting me perhaps you'd see i've contributed quite a large amount of information here.
"

Yeah, only problem is: some of your information are wrong. And who is insulting who?

Quote: "
if you think its a crock of shit thats upto you, whos the one out of the two of us earning over the $100k mark though?
"

LOL, impressive.

Quote: "
so quite frankly you can kiss my ass with you damn'd sarcasm and ever wanting need to prove me wrong.
"

No, sorry, I don't have an ever wanting need to prove you wrong.


Quote: "
its funny ... you're actually old enough to have lived through the early 80s AND remember them - so how come you needed the net to get your facts right throughout this argument?
"

I don't need to get my facts.
And this is the difference. I know that BBC and Acorn are from the UK and I can prove it. You pretend to know that Acorn is either from a different country or from no country at all (so they don't have to pay taxes?) but can't prove it. Instead you start insulting people.

Ogres have layers.
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Richard Davey
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 14:01
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Guys - cut the language (even if you didn't first write it, please at least edit it out in your "quote"!) because I'm with indi 100% on this one. Flame wars are one thing, slagging matches another.

Cheers,

Rich

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
DB Team / Atari ST / DarkForge / Retro Gaming
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empty
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Posted: 16th Mar 2003 14:15
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OK, I'll edit it out next time.

Ogres have layers.
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HZence
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I don't mean to be offensive Raven, but ironically you are the most offensive one here, and I think you should stop concentrating on being just plain right and start concentrating on proving your point and not thinking that everyone is going to be on your case about it.

And Rich, I really am very sorry about my comments about the USB adapter being a money-making scheme: it was totally unprofessional of me and not only that, it was a false assumption. Sorry again.

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 17th Mar 2003 02:40
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HZ look up empties posts for the past week ... getting sick'n'tired of the same old crap

funny how simple slinked in a few comments on things over the past few days too - happens every 6 or so weeks, like ya'll have nothing better to do

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
One block follows the suit ... the whole suit of blocks is the path ... what have you found?
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HZence
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Posted: 17th Mar 2003 04:31
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Fair enough

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Andy Igoe
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There is something better to do out there?

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God made the world in 7 days, but we're still waiting for the patch.
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HZence
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Posted: 18th Mar 2003 01:48
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There is something better to do out there?

No clue what you mean by that....

Yeah, I hope to have my dream game published some day. Who knows, maybe my company will be the publisher

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Shadow Robert
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Posted: 18th Mar 2003 15:30
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lmao... oki well maybe the unemployed have nothing better to do (^_^) but some of us are just plain bored and do.

you're suppose to be giving me excuses to put off my fasinating work ... oki perhaps it isn't so fascinating, infacts its boring the living crap outta me. But ho hum

Tsu'va Oni Ni Jyuuko Fiori Sei Tau!
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HZence
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Isn't your work game/program developemnt...and it bores the crap out of you? Lol...why are you in the field then? Oh wait lemme guess, cuz you have nothin better to do

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Shadow Robert
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lmao... every job has aspects that you don't want to do but must, however most of the work i'm doing recently has been programming - something i'm not really cut out for and infact i quite dislike doing it for enlonged periods.

i mean i enjoy it when i'm working on a shader for a day or two, and i can see a good visual result... but right now i'm programming quite a few things for programs which i have to make sure are done within a reasonable amount of time - the Render System for example must be done by June at the latest in with 4 platform versions 3D Studio Max 4/5, Maya 3/4/5, Milkshape 1 & Milkshape 2
add to this i want it done for my own product which i want to relase in October still along with the new IDE and the UIS for DarkBasic Professional.
all this with my fulltime job and the small amount of work i've promised Sam

all of which is programming - when all i wanna do is sit back and just work on artwork all day again.

not forgetting i've got 2 companies which are developing for FMTau Labs, as well as keeping FMTau Labs financed (which is what the projects above are to accomplish hopefully) ... i've got a little more on my plate than alot of people realise most of the time, and i think i have the right to be bored outta my head somedays.
And i wouldn't be working so damn'd hard if people say they'll help me out and then get bored like a month in and just bugger off - which truely piss's me off alot, cause i'll say something will be done for you guys and other guys - just to be left on my own with a bunch of source code i haven't a flipping clue what it does or even find out the screenshots i've been getting sent were faked and they never did any of the blasted work they said they had

... quite frankly i'm gonna be bloody happy when i can afford to rent office space in either the UK or US and setup shop properly. So that i can keep a real eye on people i have working for me - its why i don't even bother offering pay now, because when i did people just took the money and disappeared... its so annoying being screwed over, time and time and time again

:: sighs :: and breath

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the architect
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Posted: 19th Mar 2003 23:41
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All work gets boring even when its a dream job.

It all comes down to which gives you the most buzz!

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Eponick
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I definatley want to.
Wanted to for years.

I will not allow myself to die unless I see my name in the credits of a mjor video game under Lead Programmer

Hehe..

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HZence
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You sound like me, except I want my name to be in the credits as lead programmer of my dream game - the one I conceived and am having about five people help me along the way with.

Ah, Zealot Computer Entertainment - someday...



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Eponick
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I would rather see my name on Blizzard or somthing, i like alot of their rpgs

But it would be awsome to see my name on a nintendo console game...

*Goes off into a dream state and you hear a harp playing in the background*
The Legend of Zelda......This is the game that inspired me to be a programmer...

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