What do you think about Final Fantasy?

[Alastor]

I think it sounds more like a Director, personally. I dunno, they use these titles a bit differently.

Main point is: I want to work creatively with the game, mainly on ideas, concepts and fleshing them out, giving them basis, making them all fit, gameplay, story, combat, etc.

[MissMisa]

Originally Posted by Alastor

I think it sounds more like a Director, personally. I dunno, they use these titles a bit differently.

Main point is: I want to work creatively with the game, mainly on ideas, concepts and fleshing them out, giving them basis, making them all fit, gameplay, story, combat, etc.

Yeah, it's all sort of a similar thing, but he calls himself a designer in here. But I do know that nowhere in the booklet or the industry do they ask you to show them a whole fully fleshed game you've produced. What they ask for is dependant on the job. Maybe for programming they'll ask you for a small sample of some coding, which may be in the form of a game but I don't know much about the programming side. However, for things such as artist and designer you don't need that, you just need knowledge of different programs. For example for an artist, if your a concept artist they expect pencil drawings, sketches, CGed on photoshop. For a model artist they expect CGed images, 3D models, and animation reels.

[Alastor]

I know that it's like impossible to get hired as a Project Manager/Lead Game Designer/Director unless you have big bits of experience and merits. Here's an excerpt from Massive Entertainment:

PROJECT MANAGER:

Do you want to become our next Project Manager and create fantastic games with some of the most talented people in the industry? Are you challenged by helping us maintaining our reputation of delivering top-quality titles and being part of one of the greatest studios? As our gaming Project Manager, we want you to contribute with good comprehension of all aspects of project management to successfully manage and coordinate the complete production process!


You will manage team Leads and together define and create effective schedules/project plans and milestone deliverables, for the project. To ensure successful completion of the product you coordinate resources throughout the development, by facilitating and driving the team communication and motivation. This includes reporting to and assisting VP of Product Development in supporting the strategic planning process besides coordinating with staff and handle task interdependencies to ensure timely and accurate deliveries.

An important part of your job is to work closely with CFO and team Leads to manage budgets and profit goals of the project. This also means providing financial, technical, and creative input to management on the product. To interact with external development partners, contractors, and outsourcing providers is necessary. Primary is contact with publisher to establish and maintain proper expectations and represent Massive Entertainment’s professional approach to game development. Amusing and fun might also be to represent the company at Game events around the world.

Required skills and experience:
You play computer games regularly and have:


Minimum of 3 years Project Management experience is a must (team consisted of 30 members or more)
Expert knowledge of hardware and software game industry trends.
Excellent verbal and written communication and collaboration skills.
Must be driven and enjoy working in a fast paced environment proactively.
Experience of facilitating effective project planning and decision making besides having the capacity to provide clear goals and motivate your team.
Must be extremely organized and detail oriented with the ability to drive large-scale projects.



Helpful additional skills:


Experience from the game industry.
Experience of Scrum or other kinds of agile methods.

[Alastor]

This is what they have to say about Lead Game Designer:

As a Senior Game Designer you will be joining a team of 7 designers and one lead. Your responsibilities can (and will) cover the full range of the game design spectrum from dialog writing to unit balancing.

Our teamplay environment requires highly diplomatic team players that can inspire, unite and lead the other disciplines in the development team. In addition to this we are only looking for people who like games more than most people, who play games more than most people and who know games more than most people.

Requirements:

Minimum of 3 years game industry experience
Worked on at least one title as a game designer
Fluent in both written and spoken English
A passion for games
Outstanding communication and cooperation skills
Willing to relocate to Malmö, Sweden



Additional strengths:

Worked on a console SKU
Relevant education (HCI, Game design, etc)

In addition to your CV, please include a cover letter describing the nature of your profound passion for games, as well as any number (at least one) of documents in English that you yourself have written (for instance a school paper, a short story, a game design draft etc).




And about Game Designer:

As a Game Designer you will be joining a team of 7 designers and one lead. Your responsibilities can (and will) cover the full range of the game design spectrum from dialog writing to unit balancing.

Our teamplay environment requires highly diplomatic team players that can inspire, unite and lead the other disciplines in the development team. In addition to this we are only looking for people who like games more than most people, who play games more than most people and who know games more than most people.

Requirements:

Previous game industry experience
OR
Relevant education (HCI, Game design, etc)
Fluent in both written and spoken English
A passion for games
Outstanding communication and cooperation skills
Willing to relocate to Malmö, Sweden



Additional strengths:

Modding experience
Previous experience working with different GUI systems
Experience working on console games in any capacity



In addition to your CV, please include a cover letter describing the nature of your profound passion for games, as well as any number (at least one) of documents in English that you yourself have written (for instance a school paper, a short story, a game design draft etc).

[MissMisa]

Wow they both seem extremely demanding jobs. Very exciting stuff though! It would be like a dream come true to work in the game design industry.

My dad has a friend of a friend, so to speak, who's in the industry to maybe I could get some work experiance through him like I got my work exp at the BBC.

[Tenchu]

Well I suppose that is not so unrealistic, Alastor.

The story designer is usually the character designer, script writer and director.

You guys have to understand, I mean really think about it, is a company in which the selling of its next title could leave it at bankruptcy if they fuck it up, is a person like this going to put an inexperienced newbie in charge if their production? Of course not.

You also have to understand, character design and story design is not actually a very hard thing to do. Rarley will they look at employing someone who wants to do only this. It is unheard of to me, actually.

If you look at the majority of people who together make the team of the game designer, they would have started in animation, or doing voices, or something simple for the company. And it is only once they get their foot in the door from doing simnple tasks when they can put up ideas.

... Good luck.

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by Tenchu

Well I suppose that is not so unrealistic, Alastor.

The story designer is usually the character designer, script writer and director.

You guys have to understand, I mean really think about it, is a company in which the selling of its next title could leave it at bankruptcy if they fuck it up, is a person like this going to put an inexperienced newbie in charge if their production? Of course not.

You also have to understand, character design and story design is not actually a very hard thing to do. Rarley will they look at employing someone who wants to do only this. It is unheard of to me, actually.

If you look at the majority of people who together make the team of the game designer, they would have started in animation, or doing voices, or something simple for the company. And it is only once they get their foot in the door from doing simnple tasks when they can put up ideas.

... Good luck.

that's most applicable to most any job >.>'''

[Wyverian]

Originally Posted by Alastor

Wyveian, I understand where you're coming from if you started with FFVII, but most agree that FFIX is really how a Final Fantasy game should be, it's a classic. I think you have to ignore the whole deformed-character-style they have because it's all good fun. More equipment allows for more diversity in FFIX, different character combinations, no dull aspects of gameplay (Draw? Who came up with this? He or she should die!) and the story and music is really great (the story has similarities to FFVI, which is pretty cool).

I think FF started going downhill basically when Sakaguchi stepped down as a Producer. While this allowed them to reinvent themselves, they've really lost track of what the vision of Final Fantasy is.

I mean, in all honesty, wtf was FFXII's story about? It was politics here and there again and your characters were shallow as HELL.

Ummmm my first FF game was FF4 with Cecil ^.^ 7 was my second. I hated just about everything about 9 I disliked the story, characters, ability system, and honestly the chocobo game angered me to the point of no return.

Also fun fact the start guide for 9 was nearly useless as it kept referencing you to a website.

[MissMisa]

Originally Posted by Tenchu

Well I suppose that is not so unrealistic, Alastor.

The story designer is usually the character designer, script writer and director.

You guys have to understand, I mean really think about it, is a company in which the selling of its next title could leave it at bankruptcy if they fuck it up, is a person like this going to put an inexperienced newbie in charge if their production? Of course not.

You also have to understand, character design and story design is not actually a very hard thing to do. Rarley will they look at employing someone who wants to do only this. It is unheard of to me, actually.

If you look at the majority of people who together make the team of the game designer, they would have started in animation, or doing voices, or something simple for the company. And it is only once they get their foot in the door from doing simnple tasks when they can put up ideas.

... Good luck.

Yep, I know that. It's the same with a lot of jobs. That's why I'm really striving to get some work experiance in this field so they know, that I know how the system works. I don't expect to be the awesome head character designer straight away, but I'm hoping to get there eventually.

And thankyou ^_^

[chaseme]

sorry but i hate people who whines but got nothing to make it better. If you think you are better than those who design FF put what ever ideas you got into words and present it to the public if you are as good as you think you are youll get the peoples attention .

if youll only look at the 2nd bolded phrase your right it would sound like me asking you to make a better FF.

But if youll look at my 1st bolded phrase youll get what i mean.

Not the greatest guy with grammar i usually mix grammar with rules of programming language.

Basic of programming

a=c
a=b
b=c

is not the same

as

a=b
b=c
a=c
------------------
"draw" is decent at worst for me. You can gain access to lots of magic with it from your magic. and some unique magic from bosses and cards(IIRC). And draw is optional.
Why not just make characters have specific magic specification?
Its because the game lets you play different characters combination. Draw being optional and letting you get a wide array of magics is essential to accomplish mission or to survive.
** now thats how you should critic not something like "dull, boring or fun" and i think i see you claim that you examine the whole aspect of games.

anyway why do you always assume i ask something unreasonable from you?
I dont think its impossible to come up with a playable game single handedly considering todays technology and your "dedication"
-------
anyway good luck with whatever your planning with Unreal Editor. I am sure try your games if it ever get published in the future you can even slap it to my face if that happened, dont worry ill fly to you myself