Just like to let you guys know...if you havent noticed yourselves. I checked Amazon.com and read a lot of comments on the calculus the easy way and trig the easy way books. From what I can gather, the calculus book is very good but the trig book has many errors and leaves much to be desired. Just wanted to warn those thinking about getting the trig book, perhaps another book would be better to learn trig from, then you can move on to calculus the easy way. Im still looking for the right book for myself.

Hey,
what do u guys think of full sail(fullsail.com) i heard that its a trade school and most people have a hard time breaking inot the industry because employers arent looking for the skills taught at full sail, for the most part, they are looking for a more rounded education, u guys agree?? is there anyone here who knows about this sort of gaming hiring stuff that could answer my question? thanks


,Matt

-= kill one, your a murderer, kill thousands your a conquerer =-

I will say this as this day for me has been just checking it all out. 1st Go to the library and look at some programming books
second also look at all the higher math books. Vectors and algo-
rythims are very important. Now if this is not to much, find some books on graphic design both 2d/3d, then find a few books on
music prorams such as cakewalk.
You will see that there is a vast array of topics that go into game development not just programming, and that you can actualy learn all this without any formal schooling. Now I must say that if you want to work for the big boys they expect you to have some kind of degree in any area. The thing is to find out what it is that trips your trigger.
Personaly I have a very great and diverse background and still need all the help I can get. Just try to figure out a direction then go for it and try not to get dicouraged when it gets really tough. You have control over your education and that more than anything you should have as truely ,that in it''s self is power.
If you can do algebra you can do trig, If you can do Trig you can do calculas, If you can do calculas you will start to understand Physics.
Now on the other hand , If you learn and understand basic,you
are now primed to learn any other language, now expand, move to C, C++, Pascal although this is only glorified Basic, You really need to Learn The object-oriented Languages as they are the besis of all 3D programming.
Okay, now you need direction. Portion of a game or whole game.
By yourself or with some kind/size of team. That is the Kool thing of School as to self taught, you build CONNECTIONZ.
This is where you will actualy find that there is at least one other, in class or school that shares a common vision that can be built upon.
You should also know that if this is what you choose then you should be in LOVE with it as the reality is that you will be like most and settle for the passion of saying I made this or
that game and not need to collect from it moniteraly. I will also tell you this. When any of US tell you we do it only for LOVE WE LYE, because WE ALL have dreams, Most of us also have regular jobs either by day or by night, Now you see the Laboure of love.
It really is not as hard as it sounds, but it is even Less
glorious the you dream, Like writing the next ROOTS, you still have to write and that takes awhile. Anyone can tell a story but can you make people feel you are the one they are writing about,
in other words, can you make people feel that you are either talking about them or are in fact themselves.
The same is true about your games, Are you Duke, LARA,
the Pilot of the Latest X-Wing, Get it?
This has been long and the point is Learn as much as you can, in all the parts of this Monster BIZ and you will find your NICHE and you will Succeed!!! Best Of Luck - THE Kid

I, too, have wondered recently the same questions and have done some looking to see what seems to be the best education and what universities/colleges offer the best type of education and courses/resources. Just recently I have found that the University of North Texas (http://www.unt.edu/) obviously has a program called LARC where students, mainly those majoring in computer science, come together and learn what it takes to be part of a team of programmers who develop and make games. The computer science students are paired up with some of the art students and together they plan and actually code a game to completion. The LARC site says that students will make a game demo CD that they will be able to use for future job applications.

I''ve also heard about Full Sail, and it seems like it would be a good place to become specialized in game development for those with some sort of computer science degree. I''ve only been into programming for about 8 months, taken a course in C++, but I must say that I''ve really enjoyed it. I just picked up Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus to learn a little bit of Win32/DirectX programming. I realize that some of its topics are outdated (i.e., DirectDraw was done away with as of DirectX 8, i think), but I think it does a good job of teaching just the beginner the basics. Like some people have said before, might wanna check out a few books, go to your library and spend some time there. Unfortunately my library is very limited, but occasionally I can go to the university library and browse through a few books.

Whatever you decide, just remember to stick to it and don''t get discouraged.

Hi all! This is the first time I've ever posted here on this website. I am definitely a newbie to the world of computer programming, but reading this message board gives me optimism about learning this stuff. I am a junior at UC Davis majoring in BioSci and Psychology, but my interest in learning how to program has recently grown dramatically.

I took a C programming course 2 years ago and did fine, but the next quarter I took a C++/Unix programming course (along with a full class load) and had to drop out because it was too time consuming.

It initially scared me off from attempting to learn programming entirely. Being stuck in the cold, dim computer lab basement every day of the week with no allowance for food was too much for me. I also think having to learn C++ AND Unix script programming in less than 2.5 months (the length of a quarter) just added more unnecessary stress.

Presently, I am relearning everything I learned--starting with the basics. On my leisure time, I am reading How to Program C++ by Deitel & Deitel and answering EVERY SINGLE problem at the end of each chapter, making sure that I learn each concept to the fullest. I have quickly found that those 24-hour books just don't cut it when you want to really have a feel for what you are reading about. I am also using Oreilly's Unix CD Bookshelf to help me learn commands in Mandrake Linux 8.1.

So far, learning to programm is purely a hobby for me, but I hope to take a couple more programming classes before I graduate. I took advanced calculus and physics earlier in my college career, but unfortunately wasn't as studious back then as I am now. I will read up on those subjects when I have the time.

I guess my motivation for learning programming is the thought of educational software--particularly edutainment. I was wondering if any of you guys knew how people get started in this business. I am not certain of making a career (or money) in that field, for I am just learning the basics as of now. But I would like some perspective and opinions from others on the state of things in the educational software arena. Thank you for reading all this!

Cheers,
Justin

Edited by - justlnluck on January 15, 2002 2:08:37 AM

Hi justinluck,

Last year I attended this business convention and one of the speakers was the CEO of a large cable company. He stated in his speech that he wants to move his company towards creating educational software that students could interact with during class. Of course this probably wont happen for a looooooong time considering the state of the U.S. educational budget, but it gives you an idea of what the future may look like. Dont know how helpful this is to you but thought Id let you know. Perhaps the edutainment market will be the next big thing. =)

quote: Original post by samosa
Hey,
what do u guys think of full sail(fullsail.com) i heard that its a trade school and most people have a hard time breaking inot the industry because employers arent looking for the skills taught at full sail, for the most part, they are looking for a more rounded education, u guys agree?? is there anyone here who knows about this sort of gaming hiring stuff that could answer my question? thanks


,Matt

-= kill one, your a murderer, kill thousands your a conquerer =-

It seems to me you''ve been a little miss-informed. Perhaps by one of the graduates who was not fortunate enough to find a job. And they are partially correct, note the "partially". Standard entry level positions require at least 3 years work experience in C/C++. Not even a Masters in Computer Science will get you this experience, I don''t see why anyone would expect it out of Full Sail. As for the skills taught at full sail? Networking, Real Time 3d, math, physics, DirectX, OpenGL, it seems to me that this is the stuff all game companies are using to make games. Sure the program could be improved in areas, possibly lengthen and teach some more advanced topics, however the school gives you the elementary knowledge which you can then extend by reading articles on the web, viewing books or even asking the teachers about topics that aren''t covered in class.


As for the graduates not finding a job; You have to remember that there is more involved in finding and getting a job than simply education. The unlimited number of things that can happen on an interview can range from answering a single personal question wrong to completely blanking while taking a coding test. During an interview the interviewer will try to evaluate your personality and try to estimate if you''ll "fit in" to their work environment. There is simply no amount of education which can prepare you for this.

You also have to remember as with any school the graduates don''t always wish to move into the industry right away. Some take time off after graduation to see the world and live a little bit before looking for the all important job. Then there are those who want jobs but limit themselves to specific regions and want an enormous salary. Others have decided to start their own development companies. Some graduates have decided that they do not wish to continue on with a game development career. Finally there are the graduates who wish to get jobs but they don''t interview or "test" well..

The other reality of the situation is the current number of Full Sail graduates. The program has been running for about 2 years now. New classes start every 2 months, and roughly estimating 20 kids per game design class you end up with a total of 240 graduates. That''s not a hell of a lot of graduates. Guesstimating that at least 1/2 of the people who''ve graduated have decided to either take time off, pursue a different career, or start their own development company your left with a total of 120 graduates who are eligible for placement.

When the program first started Full Sail undertook the task of outplacement on it''s game design program. However just a short time ago Full Sail decided to let "VSearch" head up it''s outplacement. "VSearch" was founded by an industry veteran and is often used to recruit new talent for game companies. It is my firm belief that any one who goes to Full Sail and really applies themselves should be able to get a job in the industry.

I graduated Full Sail in November of 2000. And started working at large game development house in March of 2001. There are a number of other students who have graduated Full Sail and gotten jobs in the industry also. It''s obvious that the program is working; unfortunately it doesn''t work for everyone.