Thanks for the write-up. Very aware of the impact a beta testing phase can have (both ways, in fact), and one of the advantages of our new accounts system developed by Fireteam is that we’re able to run and manage beta tests through that, so it’s certainly an option we’ll be looking at for certain games.
As for applying - I say give it a shot. Even if you don’t get this particular position, you’ll be kept on file for future vacancies.
[QUOTE=tokamak;399350]They did that when they were hiring for the (unannounced) brink. Was a 3D artist project though. They had to replicate a piece of Ark-style watercooler and a Container City themed environment. There’s nothing stopping you from creating these challenges yourself though. Blizzard recently hired a dude who told them their concept art sucked and showed it how they could do it better.
Same goes for anyone else. The hyperrealism is fun and distinct to Splash Damage, so going down that line and proving yourself to be able to handle that style is a nice perk, but if you think you know something even better by all means show that.
As for the comic, keep it up man, I don’t think there’s a better portfolio than an entire full-colour graphic novel.[/QUOTE]
Hi, tokamak,
I too think that if someone comes up with a great idea most devs wouldn’t be so blind and leave him standing outside in the rain. But in my case it’s more the other way around. I still play this game, even though cursing it on a regular basis for its balance problems, because I love the art-style. I wouldn’t like to change anything visually. Instead I find it a great pity that I/we won’t see anything further from the Ark. Everything from weapons to characters and environment, exactly matches my taste; though I would’ve loved too see more Resistance maps like CC and Shipyard. The freedom of movement is still unmatched in any fps game out there(excluding games with jetpacks).
So doing fan-art is probably the next best thing to explore the Ark; considering they are not hiring for Brink 2. Wich at the moment seems less than un-probable. The only problem with fan-art is that you can’t do anything with it after you are done with it. But wtf, I haven’t earned something with my drawings for the last 32 years, so what’s another year? And having a fully colored comic in my portfolio is indeed worth something. Not at last for amping up my faint artist ego:)
I’m not sure. The hyperrealism is great. But the colour-wash didn’t match the exaggerated detail and felt cheap at times. Nothing wrong with colour in shooters, and perhaps it was an engine thing more than anything but it just didn’t feel right. Other colourful games like UT3 or WoW who use similar post-processing techniques executed this much better. The later installments of Gears of War took it to completely new heights. I hope the switch to the Unreal engine will solve this in new projects.