rec.autos.simulators

I'm thinking of applying to a company that makes racing games. Any ideas
what they will be looking for?

Thanks

People who know what it takes to make a good game then what it takes to make
a good racing game. To know enough to find a bug and understand it what is
causing it. Knowing racing helps but you must know the *** industry
first.. Understand that there are limitations to the software and try to
find other ways to enhance the product. Be able to deal with egos, a lot of
people in the industry have big egos.

Good Luck
Brian

On Thu, 10 Feb 2000 10:59:35 -0600, "Brian Ewoldt"

Very big egos.  To the point where I seriously reconsidered why I went
into computer programming.

Good point on finding a bug.  That's probably what seperates the
experts from the grunt workers.  They know how to catch a bug and
determine the cause.

Typically you need some kind of portfolio to get into the ***
industry.

Seriously, if your a smart enough guy/gal and can show that you can
multitask better then Win95, have a little background in software, and just
plain have some good ideas to make "any" product better, all help you get in
the door. If your looking for just a testing position, it usually helps to
already know someone that tests or to have some previous "beta-testing"
experience (you know, the free kind) with numerous other companies. Show
examples of online racing projects that you have been affiliated with;
racing leagues, web pages, etc.. as it all shows that you are determined to
do what it takes to help the communtiy and the product. One thing I have
realized for a while is that for some of the :lower" positions in a company,
educations doesnt matter as much as who you are in the community. R.A.S. is
a good place to start by helping others and doing what you can for the
community. The more your name gets thrown around, the better.

But, before you go out of your way to get into auto-racing software think of
the cons... I did not and moved 3000 miles to a job that did not deliver
what I expected (though still a great time of my life).
1) Ego's are huge, realize that there are many cases that someone who is not
your boss tells you what to do only because that person has a bigger name
then yours. The business is run on ego and that is one of the largest
downfalls of it.
2) Who is there to work for? Not too many companies do auto racing sims.
Take a closelook at the 3-4 that do and where they are located . Papy "The
King" Sierra in MA, Microprose in N. CA(but they only have one racing title,
released every 4-5 years), Bethesda on the east coast as well, and Motorsims
in Texas (still young and learning though that is probably a good thing).
There are others that do more "arcade" type games... in fact many others, if
that is what you are looking for.
3) *** industry is very unpredictable. You never know when your job will
be lost. It can happen at the best or worst of times. Titles get cancelled
on a daily basis and sometimes have nothing to do with the sales of the
products. Sometimes a parent company is bought by another and ideals change.
We all know the result in that. Poor flight sim guys just had to deal with
Falcon 4 being shut down because microprose has now decided that flight sims
(and others) just arent good business.
4) On same note as above, many days you go into work and realize your not
doing what you were hired to do. After doing that "cool" job for a while,
there are cases where that company realizes (or changes) that your "cool"
job just isnt needed/wanted any longer and you get shuffled down to a
lower/pee-on job that does not utulize your ideas or string points. I know
this one all too well.
5) The industry alone is a huge detourant. Software *** companies like to
operate under thier own rules. There are a lot of "unwritten" rules that you
never knew until they spring them on you. Dont expect to see your families
for a few weeks during crunch weeks. Expect weird hours at times and even
wierder people, some without a brain at all, I swear.

Dont get me wrong. Im only pointing out some of the flaws. There are many,
many Pros as well.
1) Hours, who can say "I can go into work any time before 11am and leave at
any time after my 8 hours is complete"?
2) Not too many people get paid to sit in front of a computer and play the
game/sim they like so much.

Im sure there are a bunch more, but my fingers are getting tired and Im just
a negative guy that likes to point out the Cons to ideas. Good luck in your
venture

Those companies sound like a joke. I wouldnt even waste my***there.

Rik Anthrax
           -
     -
"trust the government?? what are you, some kind of moron?"

A couple of minor points:

The smaller startup companies often provide benefits like
"Stock Options". If they ever make any money, you might too ;)

Another thing is that smaller companies may look closer at
the additional costs and occasional bureaucratic
hassles of hiring foreign workers.

--
Matthew V. Jessick         Motorsims

Vehicle Dynamics Engineer  (972)910-8866 Ext.125, Fax: (972)910-8216

Thanks guys for all your points - keep 'em coming.

I also didn't mention in my first post that I am about to graduate with
a degree in Computing Science so it's really programming / design that
I'm looking at rather than just 'testing', though of course testing is
an integral part of Software Engineering.

I also live in England.

Thanks again.

Mark Hewitt