Allegro.cc - Online Community

Allegro.cc Forums » Off-Topic Ordeals » How do I find the ultimate games programmer?

This thread is locked; no one can reply to it. rss feed Print
 1   2   3   4 
How do I find the ultimate games programmer?
Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Hi everyone!

I'm coming to you for advise and hope perhaps you can help me?

My company is looking to recruit an additional games programmer to our team, but our standards are too high for this to prove an easy task :-) The usual routes of agencies, CV searches etc just do not work here!

So, after speaking to other chaps on the team who use this forum, I thought I would see if I could gleam any advise from its users? If I am looking in the wrong place - then just let me know but right now Im willing to try anything.

Anyway, to give you a little more info - we are looking to recruit a Java Games Programmer who will also fully design and develop their own games in house. Their final game projeocts shall be launched on our dedicated "Mini Games Site" which users will pay to play. Though I cannt name our company here, I can tell you that we are the UK's 3rd largest and most successful independent games development studio and are the creators of one of the worlds most popular and successful MMORPG's - this is our main product.

Additionally, this role offers an unrivaled amount of creative freedom. We are independent of publishers and purely an online games company, therefore we are safe from many of the problems currently faced by games studios, operating a NO overtime or crunch time culture and allowing our staff that truly creative freedom mentioned above.

Anyway, without this sounding too much like a sermon, does anyone have any ideas where I could start looking or if anyone here wants to know more, let me know.

I hope this yields some results :-)

Thanks!

Vanneto
Member #8,643
May 2007

There is no "ultimate games programmer". And if there would be such a thing. It would be me. But I don't do Java. My mother doesn't let me... Maybe, some day... With protection.

Quote:

... Though I cannot name our company here ...

Can I do that for you? Jagex.

In capitalist America bank robs you.

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Vanetto

Thanks for the comments - very "useful" ;D

Any actual advise that isn't thoroughly cheeky?

Vanneto
Member #8,643
May 2007

I am sure that someone will answer your question shortly... I think. Not so many people here at the moment. There are some Java programmers here and maybe even someone interested in a job you are offering ( certainly sounds interesting). :)

In capitalist America bank robs you.

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Ah thanks Vanneto

Fingers crossed - dont want to sound like a spammer but I genuinely hope that the right candidate is somewhere on these forums!

HoHo
Member #4,534
April 2004
avatar

If there is some part-time job I can do on some weekend days from another country I might consider it :)
Btw, why didn't you want to say what company it is? Jagex is a big one and saying that it is looking for workers should attract more potential workers than some anonymous thing nobody knows about.

__________
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is - Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut
MMORPG's...Many Men Online Role Playing Girls - Radagar
"Is Java REALLY slower? Does STL really bloat your exes? Find out with your friendly host, HoHo, and his benchmarking machine!" - Jakub Wasilewski

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Hi HoHo

Sadly this is a full time position only I am afraid :-( As much as we would love to offer part time work we simply cannot accommodate it. :-(

As for why i didn't mention Jagex initially - well I wanted to make sure you all realized I wasn't a spammer or looking for cheap advertising - I wanted interest in the role first, and then the company :-D

But now that its "out there" please do have a look on our website www.jagex.com under the vacancies section for more detailed info on the role!

Hope that makes sense! ;D

Steve++
Member #1,816
January 2002

If you want the ultimate games programmer, increase the money on offer by at least 100%.

GullRaDriel
Member #3,861
September 2003
avatar

And post the ultimate topic ;-)

"Code is like shit - it only smells if it is not yours"
Allegro Wiki, full of examples and articles !!

Thomas Harte
Member #33
April 2000
avatar

Quote:

If you want the ultimate games programmer, increase the money on offer by at least 100%.

It's already a bit more than I get paid in publishing...

As to the real topic of discussion, I have no idea. Try and get people you already trust to recommend others?

nonnus29
Member #2,606
August 2002
avatar

Are you looking for a UK'er? If I came to work for you I'd have to move across the pond.... But I have written a few applet games/demos in my day. I've been thinking about porting my game basic (see sig for my blog about it) from C to java and putting it in an applet so kids could write games online.

The games. Note none of these are complete games, demo would be more accurate.

UnionJack vs the Rabid Demonic Sheep was a Ludum Dare entry:
http://www.geocities.com/nonnus29/unionjack/test.htm

http://www.allegro.cc/files/attachment/593605

This is 4k software renderer for Java 4k contest 2005 using Graphics.fillPolygon:
http://www.geocities.com/nonnus29/j4k_2005/demo.htm

http://www.allegro.cc/files/attachment/593606

This is another 4k software renderer using scanline filling. It's for a not-completed Java 4k 2006 entry:
No link because it never got to a playable state, ran out of room!
{"name":"sw4k_03.png","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/2\/d237a1e68fb102757c3a11d1f3af4bf9.png","w":386,"h":366,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/2\/d237a1e68fb102757c3a11d1f3af4bf9"}sw4k_03.png

This is a walk around demo for a rpg:
http://www.geocities.com/nonnus29/javademo/demo.htm

{"name":"593607","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/6\/d6dee9ed172a02dcfb680490a02fad70.png","w":399,"h":398,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/6\/d6dee9ed172a02dcfb680490a02fad70"}593607

Steve++
Member #1,816
January 2002

Nice work nonnus.

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Steve ++ - I agree with what you say - salary is somewhat negotiable...but (and I am sure you will raise your eyes to this) the pay off with this role comes from truely doing what you love for a living - we are looking for someone who codes mini games for a hobby and has done so all their life. To them, this is a golden job that they would do anything for - its just finding them that is hard :-)

Nonnus - these screenshots are very promising - I am impressed. Is there anyway we could talk more about this possibility - perhaps you could message me your email address and I could give you more information? Or just email me on careers@recruit.jagex.com and I will respond?

X-G
Member #856
December 2000
avatar

Okay, on a more serious note, not naming your company or your contacts isn't coming across as very... serious. I think people would appreciate more details. Especially since Jagex is a serious company with nothing to hide.

--
Since 2008-Jun-18, democracy in Sweden is dead. | 悪霊退散!悪霊退散!怨霊、物の怪、困った時は ドーマン!セーマン!ドーマン!セーマン! 直ぐに呼びましょう陰陽師レッツゴー!

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

X-G

In all fairness Ive been trying to be as careful as possible not to use names. I have however given our company web address and so all the information needed is on there, and I have encouraged people to look.

X-G
Member #856
December 2000
avatar

I'm sorry, what? Wanting more details about a prospective place of employment is considered inappropriate now?

--
Since 2008-Jun-18, democracy in Sweden is dead. | 悪霊退散!悪霊退散!怨霊、物の怪、困った時は ドーマン!セーマン!ドーマン!セーマン! 直ぐに呼びましょう陰陽師レッツゴー!

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

XG

Not at all, as I have already stated (you're quite a feisty one aren't you? are you interested at all?)

All the information is available on our website...in-case you missed it

WWW.JAGEX.COM

check out vacancies for more info about this position. And if you want more specific information then email me - is that reasonable now?

We have obviously viered off the point here, which I would very much like to get back to. There is no conspiracy or attempt at holding anything back - quite simply trying to find someone to fulfill a job they would enjoy!

Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
avatar

Don't mind the negative reactions. Most people who post on Allegro.cc that they are looking to hire people are just anonymous wannabes with no money. So while your initial intent to not disclose all the details was well intentioned, some people are bound to take it the wrong way from past experience.

Here's my seven year old contribution to the Java gaming: SPEED. But alas, I am not looking for a games programming job, a Java job, or a UK job. :-X

If I'm not mistaken, one of the long time a.cc members works for Jagex. I'd think that your current employees could refer you to needy ultimate games programmers.

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
avatar

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

Thanks Matt!

Shame indeed you are not looking for a games programming job, or a java job, or a UK job!

Keep up the good work!

nonnus29
Member #2,606
August 2002
avatar

Quote:

Is there anyway we could talk more about this possibility

No, I don't think I'll pursue this. Taking a 50% pay cut and moving overseas may have been appealing when I was younger, but now not so much. Plus I'm really not interested in game programming these days.

Good luck filling the position though!

Shov-UK
Member #9,191
October 2007

thanks for letting me know Nonnus :-)

Not even the best salesman could argue with that!

Neil Black
Member #7,867
October 2006
avatar

As someone who plays Runescape I would love to work for Jagex. But unfortunately I don't know Java... and I'm not a very good programmer... and I also have no interest in moving away from my home. But good luck with your search!

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
avatar

I'd be willing to move to the UK for a game programming job with Jagex, but sadly my knowledge of Java is limited, and so is my math knowledge... :-/ I have a college diploma (or technically two), but if you'd be willing to put me through university and develop these skills I'm sure we could come to some arrangement. ;)

Neil Black
Member #7,867
October 2006
avatar

Here at Western they force Java down our throats. Except, oddly enough, the intro class, which is Visual Basic.

 1   2   3   4 


Go to: