Risa Taneda

Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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Do you want to level up your game dev team? Do you want to learn some of the magic that makes some of the greatest games? Alex's course is a great place to start. And if you have designers on staff you think would benefit, I highly recommend this bootcamp. #bootcap #gamedesign

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Play the game in your head before you code a single line. You must imagine every detail: gameplay, flow, visual style, UI, etc. ↳ The clearer your vision, the smoother the development. ↳ If you can't picture it distinctly, development will be chaotic. Because every new game starts in your head, in your imagination. So push it to the limits before spending any resources on development.

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Why do we need to keep accepting this. My stay and Microsoft was one of the most negative I have experienced in my career. I am still unsure if it was the studio I worked with or the Microsoft problems that went into these studios. I would like to think it was a mix of both… But either way I have massive mistrust to how Microsoft has done things. My wife was at Blizzard and we thought the acquisition might be good for Activision. We all know how that went. I use to like Phil, but idk anymore. What Microsoft is doing to these studios is immensely damaging not just to the people within these studios, but all other support studios around them like co devs that now have zero to work on. At this point I would not sign a deal with Microsoft because it could be a death of your company moment. We cannot be in this state of being that every game has to be insanely successful where if it is not like Fortnite, Minecraft, or any other insanely successful title it is not deemed successful and thus needs to be shuttered. Like Larain Studios said and I have always believed you need to build teams not products. If you build good teams you can trust, good products will come. If I was under Microsoft shadow I would be very scared for my long term well-being especially if you are part of the newer studios that were bought. This is just not the way. Do not put blame on these studios own up to it and say we have royally messed up. People will be more receptive if high ranking people just take the blame directly and yes maybe not give them bonuses for a couple years. Affect them in the wallet for a bit. Make them understand the worth of money again. #layoffs #microsoft #bethesda #blizzard

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There's no single right approach to a feature or a game. I learned this lesson early on at Playrix. Years ago, I reviewed a new feature prototype for Fishdom. It was complex, experimental, and heavily inspired by another game. After playing, I felt the prototype missed the mark. The feature didn't evoke the desired emotions like its reference. So, I prepared detailed feedback: • Pointed out the flaws and differences • Suggested changes to align it closer to the reference I was confident my feedback was perfect. I thought I found the only "right answer," as if it was a math equation. Later on, my mentor looked at my feedback and said: 💬 "Anton, your feedback boils down to remaking everything from scratch to get closer to the initial reference. While that may be valid, did you consider finding something that works well and could be developed in a new direction, even if it’s not like the reference?" 💬 I was stunned. I hadn't considered another way except following the reference. And in the end, the team indeed found a different path for the feature. Since then, I've always reminded myself: There are always multiple paths to solve the problem. None are absolutely right or wrong.

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🎮Monthly External Game Dev Pulse🎮 May’s game dev pulse survey is now open! https://lnkd.in/g5u25bmM If you are an external development professional within video games, please take 5-10 minutes to complete this short survey.  This pulse closes on Friday, June 14, 2024 @ 5pm PST. I release these pulse’s on a monthly basis, and as a thank you I share the key data and insights with this community on Linkedin. This monthly pulse is used to gain regular snapshots in time of the industry-wide vision on External Development, with an aim to provide video games professionals the data needed to lean on external development to create increased development stability. There are a few differences in this pulse compared to last months: • A choice has been added to determine whether you are a buyer or seller of services. • The questions are now multiple choice - taking the top answers from last month's survey - with room to add other answers if required. • A bonus question has been added based on a response that gained the most intrigue from April’s survey: what can this community do to more successfully highlight diverse regions for services? I hope for a large pool of diverse participants - both on the buyer and seller sides - so if you see the value in this initiative please complete this survey, and share this post with your network. If you are interested in reading the report from April’s pulse survey, you can find a link to it in the Featured section of my LinkedIn profile. If you have any feedback for how we can make the most of this initiative, or improve the pulse for future releases, please let me know your perspectives through a LinkedIn message. Thank you.

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One phrase that keeps coming up from big game publishers when trying to justify their layoffs and cuts is this, "the market is oversaturated." They're intelligent enough to identify that fact and blame it on enhancements to technology and accessibility, but they don't appear to have been intelligent enough to acknowledge that their habitual hiring/firing practices have contributed directly to the market's oversaturation that is now harming their growth. I can almost guarantee that every one of you reading this knows multiple people who have started their own indie studios, joined an indie studio, or become solo developers following the disillusionment they experienced due to the current widespread job insecurity in AAA games. These companies have identified the problem while simultaneously contributing to the problem, because the ability to think in terms of short-term financial gains does not equate to the ability to think in terms of human behavior. Unless employment in AAA becomes truly equitable - and I'm talking about what will take years of shows good faith, of creating and maintaining steady full time employment for everyone across the board (that means doing away with a lot of temporary contract work), that means no more leaving the creators out to dry - the future of games will belong to Indie developers. There will at some point be a decisive shift in power if there is not active, intentional, and equitable change made by the people in positions of power. I'm not saying this with hope that the indie devs will win out above AAA. Not at all. I want both to thrive, and to everything there must be a balance. I've been far more enmeshed within and therefore very hopeful about the future of AAA games throughout my career, and I still dream of a world in which AAA game devs on every rung of the ladder have steady and unshakable lifelong employment within that world. It IS possible, and it HAS been possible. But as long as greed is at the wheel, that dream will not become a reality outside of independent studios. And that's just the truth of it. What can you do? In whatever capacity you are able, do what you can to create a more honest, decent, and equitable world. You can do this in your company, you can do this in your personal life with the people you meet. Take every little opportunity to do something good, because every good act plants a seed. We simply haven't had enough little good acts, and that shows up in in society in big, big ways. Peace to you. -B

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🔸 I'm starting to use FUGAZI as a verb these days. As a band they seemed to have a solid and honest starting point to build TRUST and LOYALTY with their audience. I think it's something we could all learn from. https://lnkd.in/gF9xA_Rt Check it, YO! #fugazi #businesspractices #DIY

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No longer Xbox, but Microsoft Gaming. This is true. Sarah Bond interview was word salad. But between the word salad tidbits did come out. Tango games was succesful, but not for Microsoft standpoint. We are in a different era where you could do everything right and still go down. Scary for any company working under Microsoft. Truth be almost any other big corp company because this is the trend now. Success on reviews, awards, and even sales is no longer a good enough metric, but longevity of the success, games like Minecraft or Fortnite. That is why some game companies under MS are more or less protected. Unlike Arkane that had one fail and were shuttered because they were the new kid to bully in the school system. But even so I doubt any company under Microsoft is safe anymore and if you work with them you are part of the cutting block. This is going to change the dynamic not just for MS but for other companies thinking this is ok. MS is normalizing this behavior and others will take inspiration imo. #xboxdead #layoffs #studioclosing #gamedev #microsoft #games #gameindustry https://lnkd.in/g-WavKx4

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5 Comments

Writing shaders made a lot more sense to me than using a node based shader editor. "NORMAL_MAP = vec3(0,10);" Really helps with foliage in an isometric style, especially if it's moving and is lit by a dynamic light source. it helps keep the lighting consistent and avoids back face discoloration.

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Maple Tree Scene done with SpeedTree (IDV, inc) and Unreal Engine #art #environmentart #artist #gameart #game

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I think one of the things that's so frustrating about Xbox's recent studio closures is that it is stark contrast to the things they *say*. They say they want original, interesting games, but then they shutter Tango. They say they want to take big swings at live service stuff, but then release Redfall in a disastrous state and don't have the bottle to fix it before shuttering the studio. They say they want interesting, original content, but then close studios working on original content to bolster Call of Duty. Xbox needs platform-defining exclusives. But they've also shown they don't have the understanding to ship stuff that can legitimately compete with what Sony's doing with Playstation's first parties. What happened to Starfield? Redfall flopped. Halo Infinite's SP "infiniteness" faceplanted. Halo Infinite's multiplayer took years to sort out a fatally awful progression system, and it still mostly sucks, but who cares because no one's playing it. Forza Motorsport bombed. Where is Gears? Where is the next thing from id? From MachineGames? When it's one studio flailing around, maybe it's the studio. When it's ***everything*** under the Xbox Game Studios banner, it's a different situation entirely. What the hell are they doing over there? But the point is, when you see closures of studios when the platform is totally failing to deliver anything of meaningful, differentiating value to players... it's time to call it. Phil Spencer's driven the Xbox into irrelevance. How you could spend hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve *so little* is genuinely shocking to me.

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Don't want to bum you out but I know I'm not the only one who has noticed the same layoff cycle on LinkedIn over and over. I can tell your future... 1. Studio is shut down, all the devs become active on LinkedIn maybe for the first time in years and do their looking for work posts. People reach out with connections and support emojis. 2. The outpouring of thanks to the wonderful gamedev community. Amir Satvat and other full time LinkedIn influencers are tagged. 3. Nothing comes of all the LinkedIn support. Devs post frustration posts about how hard it is to be laid off and the injustice of the game industry. Many people will later delete these posts when they start to realize studios still aren't hiring them. 4. The reality step. Months pass and prominent veterans are still unemployed, let alone those "juniors" with a mere 5 years experience. At this point, people either give up and disappear, get a job and disappear (rare), or become a chronic disillusioned LinkedIn user. This last one either requires wearing a mask or ranting about capitalism more and more. 5. The laid off devs watch this cycle repeat for a whole swath of suffering people every couple weeks/days. And that's the step I've been on for a few months. But hey I've been working hard on my family and my solo projects. Magehunter coming soon, and AAA Simulator devlogs will be in production even sooner! Make art for yourself and those you love. Don't make my mistake - look for happiness outside this Microsoft product called LinkedIn.

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What was the moment you decided to work in gamedev? I was 12, playing D&D with my older brother. Growing up, I struggled to communicate with my peers. I was shy and found it hard to connect with others. But D&D was different. It was my favorite game. I could play it all day and never get tired. And it wasn’t just a game; It was a whole other world where I could live different, exciting lives. The only limit was my imagination. In D&D I learned to communicate, form alliances, and defend my opinions. It was more than a game for me; it was a life lesson. One day, I realised I wanted my future job to involve games. I wanted to create these new worlds myself. Yet, as I got older, I took the traditional path: - Excelled in school, won a math olympiad - Went to a prestige university for IT development and management Then life took an unexpected turn. I met my future co-founder at university, who shared my passion for games. We dropped out of university to develop our interactive thriller game and secured angel investments, gather a small team, etc. Since then, my work has always been about games. And I’ve never regretted my choice for a second. What about you? How did you find your way into game development? Are you happy with how it turned out? Or do you wish you had tried another field?

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In this video I'll expand on my recent 'Senior Vs Jr Quality' image, but also give an example of soft skills from a high level perspective and what you can do as a junior to start building them. https://lnkd.in/e7NJzdDk

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For my current scene, I had to choose between different types of wind, the Pivot Painter, Speedtree Game (.st9) or UE (.st). After several tests, the Speedtree UE (.st) seems the most interesting in terms of rendering/performance. There's still room for improvement, but the basis is there and already solid. I can't wait to work on the other planned biomes! 😀 #wip #unrealengine #speedtree #wind #vfx #ginkgo #forest #ghostoftsushima #inspired #scene #fanart

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Every month, Epic Games chooses 20 items from their Marketplace to showcase where they have up to +47K items they have there. Today, on the Marketplace, Epic Games saw my product Optimization Debug Tool, and they chose to showcase my item after a short period of being there, in addition to that I'm giving you a discount of 30%! Maybe another good update will be that now there is a live Discord server for support. https://lnkd.in/d8duDKwB #unrealengine #unreal #unrealengine5 #unreal5 #optimization #debug #quality #marketplace #indiegamedev #indiedev Epic Games Unreal Engine

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🚀 After 5 years as a Professional Material Artist I have more than 19K Views on Artstation. 🔥 It is not the first time I talk about this. But there is something I want to highlight. To be successful there are many things to do, it is not only about good material. If you make the best material in the world but nobody knows, no one will discuss it. First focus on doing a Great Material, then focus on sharing, and in the middle of these two things, make friends and connect meaningfully with people. 🤗 PD: If you need a place where to do all of those things I have the right place. There is a Discord community for Material Artists with more than 380 people and growing! If you want to learn from professionals and make connections this is the right place. Future Material Artist Discord Community HERE: https://lnkd.in/d9bKMM-f #3d #vfx #texturing #TextureArtist #3dtexturing #digitalartist #substance3ddesigner #3dartist #gameartist #gameart #adobe

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