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Hey! Thanks for the ping. I just posted the talk on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/RaphLife/steering-the-rocketvfs
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I honestly have no idea what's going on with DNF, if anything, so I can't comment.
I will say, however, that it wouldn't surprise me. The reason? Simple economics. Take 2 stands to make a nice bundle of cash if they can get DNF on the shelves, and it makes no sense for them to leave that money on the table.
I suspect if it's true that DNF is still in development, it's definitely one of those "it's just business!" type scenarios. It would be great for the game to come out, be awesome, and validate all the years people poured their hearts and souls into the game. -
This depends entirely on what field you aspire to enter. Expectations for skills and talents of an aspiring game programmer are completely different from an aspiring game designer.
Generally speaking though, discipline aside, I'd always look for the same qualities -- dedication, passion for video games, proactivity, a demonstrated ability to learn and explore their preferred discipline in a self-motivated way. You should have a portfolio of work that illustrates not only your talents, but your dedication to the craft of making games.
Raw talent and personality traits like I describe above, and a strong portfolio, are more relevant, in my opinion, than any particular skills a candidate comes to the studio with. There is an immense amount of "on the job" learning that goes on for junior positions. -
In terms of sheer hours, it would have to be Fallout 3 (about 120 hrs).
In terms of having played and replayed, it would be Half-Life 2 and the episodes. I've played HL2 three times, and each of the Episodes twice.
Following this would probably be Deus Ex (played it twice), Fallout 1 (played it twice), and Wasteland. I had a lot more time to dedicate to gaming when those games were current. :) -
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I officially collected a 3DR paycheck for about 6 months while Scott Miller and I were getting the company that would become Radar off the ground.
It was a pretty interesting time, for many reasons. Not only were we trying to get the company off the ground, we were also ramping up three external projects, working out the kinks in the business model and IP development methodology, and Scott was searching for our CEO and the other executive team members who were needed to secure the kind of private funding we needed to make the business model work.
During that time, I had a chance to visit 3DR a couple of times (by default I worked out of an office in Vancouver) , and it was truly an amazing experience. It was like walking into game development history. It might seem odd from the outside -- given the studio's struggles with getting DNF out the door, they were the butt of many industry jokes -- but honestly when you were there all you felt was that they were super passionate about making games and felt like a pretty tight-knit little family. It was just cool to walk through the place and get the incredible sense of history, everything from the radiation symbol in the lobby floor tiles, to the countless framed articles about previous 3DR games. Plus, I'll admit to feeling pretty cool as an 'insider' and getting to play DNF when everyone else still thought it was purely vapour-ware.
I'm sad to see things have become so rocky for 3DR. This industry can be so unforgiving. -
The short, and truthful, answer is that I really have no idea. I stay only in very sporadic contact with my former crewmates at Radar. I do note, however, that at least a few of the projects we started while I was there no longer seem to be in development. It's been about three years since we founded Radar and kickstarted the first projects, so with any luck something will come out of the braintrust sometime this coming year. As a company, the business-model was fairly forward thinking but depended on a healthy pool of eager investors to make it work. That pool seems to have dried up a fair bit, from what I can gather.
Still, they're a bunch of creative business-people so I have a feeling we've not heard the last from Radar.
My good friend Dave Adams is still there so I hope them all the best. -
Anyone who knows me knows this answer (and responds, rolling their eyes since I reference it all the time) -- Half-Life 2. I still consider it a highwater-mark for gameplay design, pacing, and overall presentation. The characters in HL2, especially Alyx (and particularly in the later Episodes), are still some of the most compelling I've seen in any game, to this day. I'm a huge Valve fanboy and can't wait to see what they do with the series. Where the hell is Half-Life 3!?!
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I'm currently working on Space Marine, Relic's 3rd person action game for 360/PS3. It's a 3PS set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and is a completely new franchise, different from Dawn of War. It's really looking and playing great these days! The team is really passionate and talented; every day is fill with interesting new challenges.
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The cosmopolitan nature of the city, the meeting of a huge variety of European cultures. Some areas of the city have incredible architecture. The restaurant choice is amazing, with a massive breadth of ethnic foods and markets. Ubisoft Montreal. The Old Port. Mount Royal. Church steeples. The sophisticated fashion sense. Real bagels.
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Same as most people, I guess. A lot of hard work, some luck and opportunity, knowing people, and being in the right place at the right time. I have colleagues who became CDs in much less time than that. They just have the right set of skills and qualities that make them really good at doing that kind of work.
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We already chose -- our home has been TV-free since 2008, and it's been incredible. Now, when we want to watch a movie or TV show, we buy it from iTunes, download it from a network site, or get it on DVD and watch it on my MacBook Pro. When you get rid of your TV, you discover that your living room can focus on all kinds of other more important things. It's really liberating. I challenge you to go without TV for 6 months and then watch it for a day -- you'll quickly realize how completely and utterly useless and ridiculous it is.
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I love Vancouver! It's one of the best cities in the world. Incredibly beautiful city, friendly people, great vibe overall, and within easy travel distance to so many incredibly beautiful places. It's a wonderful place to be able to raise a family. It's also a great city in which to be a game developer. The local industry has taken a beating in recent years, but I think we're about to emerge from a bit of a slump and when we do it'll be with a vengeance.
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Raphael van Lierop’s Bio
Game developer living in Vancouver, BC. I've been a producer, creative director, designer, and writer in the video game industry, and have been making games professionally since 2002.
