coughlinjon Posted February 1, 2017 I've been an aerospace engineer for the eight years since I graduated. I've been picking away at learning Unity and game development for a few years. I finally quit my full-time aerospace job and dropped to part-time consulting, and my wife and I agree that I need to take my shot at developing games right now - while we're still young and we don't have kids. We live in Madison, WI and we want to stay here, which means I need to find a team or contracting specialty that will allow me to work remotely. I'll be attending Train Jam and GDC and I'd like to make sure I use my time meeting the right people and teams. I know there are some developers in this crowd, so I'm wondering if you all have any tips Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted February 2, 2017 Don't quit your day... oh shit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zerofiftyone Posted February 2, 2017 Whoa! Exciting! I made a very similar life decision about a year ago, so I'm familiar with the boat you're in right now. If you ever need any specific advice, you know where to find me. So tell me about what kind of games you want to make? Are you going solo, or collabing with other developers? Is the ultimate aim to get hired somewhere or are you just seeing where the wild ride takes you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coughlinjon Posted February 2, 2017 5 hours ago, zerofiftyone said: Whoa! Exciting! I made a very similar life decision about a year ago, so I'm familiar with the boat you're in right now. If you ever need any specific advice, you know where to find me. So tell me about what kind of games you want to make? Are you going solo, or collabing with other developers? Is the ultimate aim to get hired somewhere or are you just seeing where the wild ride takes you? I don't have the cash to go solo for very long, and I also don't know that I have all of the art skills I'd need to make a commercially viable game by myself. My ideal situation would be joining a small team who already have something in the works. My dream is to make first-person narratives, lol if that wasn't apparent by the games I submit. I'm starting to reach out to 1-10 person teams who have made games I enjoy to see if they need any help part-time or full-time. My portfolio is thin, because I'm just now taking this career more seriously than a distant dream. I'm hoping I reach out to enough of them digitally that by GDC at least a couple are willing to meet me in person. I waiver between incredibly optimistic and terrified. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problem Machine Posted February 2, 2017 It's possible to make a commercially viable game with no real art, as with Super Hexagon, but that's pretty far afield from the first-person narrative niche you'd like to find yourself in. During the WizJam4 stream, though, someone submitted a game that was like a hybrid first-person-text-adventure, which was I guess built in the Icicle Engine, so that may be worth checking out. As for getting on teams, I can't really say anything there, being a solo project man myself. Game Jams are a good place to start, anyway: You can hone your skills, build portfolio, and meet potential buddies and collaborators. I've never really gotten the hang of 'networking' myself, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted February 3, 2017 That someone was me! The Icicle engine is not available for general use yet afaik, but perhaps if coughlinjon were to contact Cheeseness (whose engine it is and who posted in my thread for that game, "Baboo!") he'd be happy to let him have a go. I'm not sure it's a good fit for coughlinjon, though. I mean, it's not far removed from writing Twine games. He's already made two amazing WizJam games in 3D with visuals.. Besides, it sounds like he wants advice for this bit particularly: On 2/1/2017 at 1:02 AM, coughlinjon said: I'll be attending Train Jam and GDC and I'd like to make sure I use my time meeting the right people and teams. I know there are some developers in this crowd, so I'm wondering if you all have any tips (Sorry if I'm misrepresenting you, though, cghlnjn) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coughlinjon Posted February 3, 2017 52 minutes ago, Ben X said: sounds like he wants advice for this bit particularly: You're right, that's the part I'm most interested in. I need to find a way to make contacts with some potential teammates. Thanks for the kind words, too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
infamous space turtle Posted February 3, 2017 Good luck coughlinjon. Its a cliche but your only alive for so many hours, you've got to take advantage of that. Exciting stuff! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbilsinspace Posted February 3, 2017 Oh man, I've been thinking about making this step for many years, and keep bottling out, so I'm really excited to see you go for it! Whatever happens, keep us posted. I'm especially interested to see how you get along with train jam. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
