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BioWare Holds World Design Contest
grayblob writes "BioWare is holding a World Design Contest to find talented level designers to work in Austin on their first MMORPG. To enter you must create a module with a 20-40 minute playtime in the NWN1 toolset. The module should include 'a cut scene, intricate puzzles and interesting NPC behavior.' The contest ends July 20 and like the writing contest doesn't guarantee employment for the winners."
One thing that they should have picked up from Guild Wars, and from NWN2. Cut scenes in multiplayer suck. 5 want to skip, and the other guy is afk. If I submit one, I'm just going to have a video of quad Knights of the Round. Because hey, it worked for FFVII.
they want to create this artifical environment of competition to make people think it's a priviledge to work for them or something? people, it's a highly competitive employment market - and i mean for employers, not you. they need to be begging you for the chance to explain why you should want to work for them, not the other way around.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
I absolutely love this kind of thing. Contests seem to inspire innovation. My favorite contest in recent years was the x-prize - that result was great!
After all, competition made life: Just so long as it does not become conflict, it is healthy.
Read my Very Short "Stories"
Good way to get new ideas. Wasn't there a band that held a similar contest to find a new guitarist and just copied all the good riffs they heard on the day?
Who retains copyright over submitted works? No mention of it in the agreement.
I like this bit:
VGH Austin is under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to:
(a) acknowledge receipt of the Materials and/or this Agreement;
So you have to sign an agreement which they can deny ever receiving. Nice.
The benefit of going this route instead of the dreary old slog-through-the-demos route is that you might find a one-in-a-million inexperienced young hack out there who can knock together some impressive stuff, is surprised that he has any skills marketable to a game company, and then pay him a crap salary for the "opportunity" to work for them.
So the company gets a cheap, eager, bright eyed new recruit for a few years while the product goes through its life cycle and the guy either moves on once he figures he's got enough experience to get a decent gig somewhere else, or the whole project flounders and the entire development team gets laid off anyway. I'm not sure if this is a profitable business model or not, but I do know that it will probably suck to be on the lower end of things.
Why wouldn't they use NWN2 for the contest? I know obsidian developed it, but the name and franchise is still linked to bioware. They even continue to host the forums. Why would they want to test potential candidates on a 7 year old game engine when they could be showing what they can do on the latest and greatest?
I don't think there would be any legal issues with it either, since modules are considered freeware, and as long as everyone has purchased a copy of the game.
I got nothin'
If he can write The Hex Coda, he can win this contest. But I'll give The Rose of Eternity series due credit for its awesome use of cutscenes and music.
the irony here is that you must have looked to post that, so this must be your own sad way of admitting your homosexuality
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
It wasn't even stable enough to run the included module, let alone community development.
Here's a simple strategy. Design a module where your character walks into Bioware's headquarters and starts shooting fireballs and summoning stuff because they didn't get a job there. Now that'll get ya hired lol.
Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
So let me get this right. You will have to design an innovative playing environment for free for a company that will make millions from your idea/s without retaining any copyright or a guarantee for a job, boy talk about selling swamp land to suckers. While Im here Iran have just started a competition to design a thermo-nuclear device that can be carried in a suite case, and the prize is free do it yourself suicide kit.
http://no-spec.com/
Why not just delve into the existing selection and hire a few of the wonderfully talented builders that have already wowed us with their work? Or just hire Adam Miller.
And the masses cried out, "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0!"
It's just a contest. You're free to decide whether it's worth it or not. You're also free to decide whether the terms are fair or not.
Camping on quad since 1996.
Doesn't sound much like a fair deal to me, you're supposed to be paying me for work.
God spoke to me.
I don't know about you but I saw this: 1 reply beneath your current threshold.. Before I clicked, I had no idea your post was about "free gay porn" or that you were homophobic.
By the way, there's nothing wrong with gay porn.
Camping on quad since 1996.
Of course theyw ouldnt give employment to someone who may be proficient with an engine that is outdated. When this thing is sent in to Bioware is there some clause in the terms and conditions where the IP, that users have created for use in this competition, becomes the property of Bioware? Are bioware gonna get all these cool ideas and then rort the poor fools that handed them in not knowing that this was entirely agreed upon cause they didnt bother to read the conditions?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
[Hopefully I remembered incorrectly.]
company -> companies
the game is nearly 5 years old, if you don't yet have it, you should be able to find it at very low price besides, they have to use something for such a contest, i doubt they'll release it freeware/make an entire game to test people with, just to find a few skilled people
I'm certain Bioware's going to get rich off a few 20-40 minute module submissions from the NWN1 engine.
Christ. Considering you'd likely be getting hired to create modules using the NWN engine, it's only common sense that they want to see what kind of work you do beforehand. Houses producing FPS games generally ask for level portfolios - what, Bioware shouldn't do the same?
A module that's less than an hour long isn't likely to be appropriated and sold for profit.
Do you get paid for writing your resume, or getting an artist's portfolio together too? People said the same things about the WotC Setting search a few years back, and even though I didn't win the contest, I placed in the top 11, which was enough to get me my first book deal and to give me a career in writing. Don't be so quick to be cynical about this kind of contest. Or, you know, do, and those who are willing to work for an opportunity won't have as many people to compete against.
Yeah, about as reasonable as:
You want me to buy a suit for the interview to get employment? You're supposed to pay me!
You want me to buy gas to drive to the interview to get employment? You're supposed to pay me!
You want me to pay for university and get a degree to get employment? You're supposed to pay me!
Sometimes they do, but more often then not you have to do some things for yourself. Get used to it.
Come over here, I know *just* the place where we can get some...together....
"employment is not a favour, it's an arrangement. your labour and idea's are VERY valuable. "
Until those ideas get hosted on piratebay.
"In addition, employers like this like the breed this idea that you will need to accept any terms and any pay they offer because clearly they are doing you a favour."
Then start your own game company.
It's creating 40 minutes of game play, with a cut scene using an OLD toolset for an enviroment type they won't be using.
It is barely long enough to qualify as a level, muchless something they will make money with, mush less 'millions'.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
A year or two ago I participated in Bioware's writing contest, winning the community voting. I actually did it for the swag they were giving away - I use their coffee mug every day and that Bioware wool cap kept me warm all winter. They'd already offered me a job some time ago, mostly after my NWN modules came out. It was extremely flattering, though the move, disruption to my family, and pay cut made the decision pretty easy. I have a great job in healthcare and a somehow find the time to continue to work on my module building even still. Working for a gaming company can be difficult, though Bioware is one of the best in the industry. I think my decision was to stick with a quality, stable job and having game making be a hobby. For the most part, it's lower stress and I can take the story whatever direction I want.
In terms of the winning module from last year, I actually did two versions. The first was way too linear. The second had lots of choice, from evil to crazy to several flavors of good. There was drama and humor, quality scripting, and polished writing. For folks trying for this contest, I'd keep the cutscenes short, give the player as many choices as you can manage, and make your NPCs memorable. Less is more for these sorts of things. Don't plan an epic module spanning dozens of areas. Just make a couple, with a simple storyline. Play to your strengths - writers should write and scripters should script. You'll have to do both, but emphasize what you're best at.
It would always crash at the same point even after reloading, forcing you to restart the campaign. That's not release quality.
Everyone who comes in here and poo-poos on the contest should keep that in mind.
I love these "contests".
Comapany: "Hey obsessed fans, make us some content. Normally, people get paid to design content. You will not be."
Obsessed Fan #42: "Huh? You want me to work for free? No WAY!"
Company: "Well... what if we called it... a CONTEST?"
Obsessed Fan #42: "Contest?! OMG sign me up!"
Company: "Thanks for joining (sucker)! Submit your free work to win (a meaningless, cheap prize that doesn't come near fair compensation for your effort)!"