Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Want To Work On BioWare's Star Wars Game?

Posted by Hemos on from the i-just-want-to-play-it dept.

Johnathon Walls writes: "BioWare, the developers of the recently announced Star Wars role playing game, has posted a job offer for art director on the Star Wars game via IGN PC. 'Applicants must have industry experience and a strong art foundation. Submit resume with portfolio demonstrating skills in 3DSMax, Photoshop, Drawing, painting, graphic design. Superb scheduling and people skills required.' Undoubtedly you'll have to move to Canada, but I can't imagine that's going to stop anyone!" Mmmm...playing Icewind Dale [?] ...want Star Wars.

15 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Re:My request by arcade · · Score: 2

    Eyh! The ewoks are CUTE. The gungans on the other hand.. I hate the creatures. But the ewoks? Don't diss the ewoks man! They rawk! :D

    *starting the flamewar of the day*
    --

    --
    "Rune Kristian Viken" - http://www.nwo.no - arca
  2. Difficult to work for a game company by Fervent · · Score: 3
    Your chances of getting on as a director for a Star Wars game - or any PC game for that matter - is slim. I've tried everyone from Sierra to Blizzard to id, and each had enormous commitments (not only moving, but 14-hour programming shifts, the ability to fire you at a moment's notice, etc.) for their titles.

    These companies put out great games, but you have to wonder about the sacrifice some of these programmers and artists have to make. They always show programmers firing nerf guns around on Fridays in gaming mags, having fun, but they never show them sitting and staring at the same DirectX screen for 14 hours on end.

    --

    - I don't care if they globalize against free speech. All my best free thoughts are done in my head.

    1. Re:Difficult to work for a game company by stripes · · Score: 2
      Your chances of getting on as a director for a Star Wars game - or any PC game for that matter - is slim.

      As a director? I have no idea. As a starting programer it didn't seem hard to get a starting programer-job at MP Games (Microprose's now defunct coin-op sister componay) almost ten years ago.

      These companies put out great games, but you have to wonder about the sacrifice some of these programmers and artists have to make.

      Actually I can rather assure you that I do :-)

      It was a lot of work. And there was a lot of collabration with the artists and other coders, so everyone keeping similar hours was pretty important, which makes for painful mornings after an all-nighter.

      Then again working for a little start up (UUNET) was also very demanding. It didn't have the same pain-in-the-ass be-in-in-the-morning requirements, but there was a lot of hard work there. I'm not sure there are worthwhile jobs that arn't demanding.

      They always show programmers firing nerf guns around on Fridays in gaming mags, having fun, but they never show them sitting and staring at the same DirectX screen for 14 hours on end.

      Well nobody shows that stuff. It isn't photogenic. If you ask to see it when you go interview you'll get too (you should at least walk by it even if you don't ask -- be extreamly wary of off-site interviews! Rember you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you...at least if you are doing it right!).

      And every place has it's own little steam-blow-offs. Sometimes nerf wars (scheduled or not -- my Wildfire is loaded and ready monkey boy, bring it on). Sometimes gaming. At game componies there is a lot of gaming (the caf had lots of board games in it, and a few CoinOp clasics, plus our own of corse), inclusing "field trips" (either to see your game in test, or just to playtest the others...pity they didn't let me file an expense form for that, but at least it was gaming on work time).

      But other componies have fun things as well. Nerf wars are popular. Cube decorating, and reconfiguring isn't bad. Nor is "lets see if we can get on the roof". Some places will have really long lunches (when far enough from deadlines at least).

      Few componies are utterly devoid of any sort of fun at all. (well, maybe there are, I've only worked at about five places plus some consulting, so and other then consulting all in the MD/VA area)

    2. Re:Difficult to work for a game company by TrevorB · · Score: 2

      Damn, where are my mod points today!

      People... working for a games company SUCKS. My wife worked once in the testing department for a local game company. The programmers would come out with statements like: "Gee, I haven't seen my daughter awake in 2 months!". Deadlines were arbitrary and unmoveable. Close to release date, the place became a madhouse.

      Much much better saner jobs await you... Unless you like long hours with poor pay and the occasional game of quake to keep you from doing the real thing to your co-workers...

    3. Re:Difficult to work for a game company by Amokscience · · Score: 2

      Unlike many technical jobs the game industry requires that your job *becomes* your _life_. Those people who can stay married and happy during that time are very lucky. I know several young people who have gone into the gaming idustry. Unless you have an undying passion for the work you will burn out and leave. Most will say that they work 'normal' work hours untill crunch time but the fact is most game developers can't leave work at work and have a life at home. It's a vicious job.

      Quote from one of these people:
      He: "I came home and my gf jumped all over me saying 'I'm horny, come to bed'"
      Me: "Heh, neglecting your relationshp?"
      He: "I was too tired to even think about it"

      And frankly the payoffs are not very good. Unless you manage to get on board one of the few megahits you're playing bad odds on making any bonus or large royalties. Console gaming is better but not drastically so.

      --
      Fsck cluebie moderators. I'll say what I want, offtopic or not. And fsck having to qualify every bloody statement just
  3. Hmm by Th3+D0t · · Score: 2

    "Worst Article Ever."
    ---

    --
    I am the dot in slashdot.org
  4. The good ole days by Mr.Jason · · Score: 2

    Games based on movies are ok, but where is the creativity? I miss the good ole days of final fantasy or dragon warrior on the nes, or Wonderboy in Monsterland for sega. Those games where original and fun. I remember playing those for hours on end. Yes modern games have better graphics, no doubt this new Star Wars will too, but how good will the story line really be? Star Wars for N64 sucked in my opinion. The only reason games like this are successful is the money spent on advertising. I like games that become successful on there own merits, not because some company spends millions on advertising.

  5. Slight chance of Linux port... by CrusadeR · · Score: 2

    Depending on how well Neverwinter Nights sells for Linux of course (for those who don't know, BioWare is porting NWN, a highly anticipated multiplayer (not massive) AD&D RPG that's meant to capture the tabletop AD&D gameplay in a modern comp game, to Linux internally). This may be difficult to gauge, as the binaries for all supported platforms (Linux, Mac, and Win) are supposed to be in the box, but if they get a lot of positive feedback, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Star Wars RPG released for Linux as well (granted, it probably won't be available until late 2002/2003, so speculating now is rather moot).

    --
    :wq
  6. Re:Hmmm... by CrusadeR · · Score: 2

    Fair enough... I suppose some last minute problem could crop up and they would have to choose between shipping the Windows/Mac releases and ditching Linux or waiting to fix a Linux build issue (in which case there would be no choice at all, I couldn't see BioWare delaying the Win release more than necessary under any circumstances).

    Hopefully in such an eventuality they would be able to get around to releasing Linux binaries, depending on how serious the problem was.

    Thanks for the SITREP.

    --
    :wq
  7. Hmmm... by CrusadeR · · Score: 2

    That would seem to contradict both the official FAQ and a May interview with BioWare's Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka. Can you substantiate your claims?

    Thanks!

    --
    :wq
  8. Slow news day? by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 3

    What, is everyone at a party or something? No news today? Someone at ./ sleeping with the HR director at BioWare?

    There are a million fun jobs out there in the universe. Many of them are for interesting projects at fun companies... maybe even *more* interesting then an Art Director for some Starwars game....

    Even if this position is about Star Wars, what makes this article so slashworthy?

    Not to mention that this article is basically a reposting word for word of the IGN link...

    You hinting to us Hemos? Thinking of a new job??? </gripe>

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  9. Hopefully they'll fix the engine. by Mike+Buddha · · Score: 2

    Man, that Bioware engine sucks much ass. I love their games, but they go to get their engine up to snuff. Somethings gotta be done about stupid NPCs and monsters. It's not fun when you can exploit problems with the engine to make the game easier to win.

    --
    by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
  10. I wonder if John Romero.... by cvd6262 · · Score: 2

    ....would apply for this, and if so, would he even put Daikatana on his resumé.

    --

    I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.

  11. uh oh by nomadic · · Score: 3

    I feel bad for the HR guy who will have to read all the resumes pouring in...quite possibly the first time a human being will be slashdotted...
    --

  12. My request by phish+junkie · · Score: 3

    Whoever gets the job, please please be sure to include plenty of Jar Jar death sequences!