The Good News Thread

[Patr1ck]

I learned by myself because I needed to go to the store. Stalled twice on my way. Not once on the way back. It's so damn easy. It only took a couple of days before each shift took only a split second. Clutch in, shift, push has gaspedal, clutch out. You just have to learn the timing for the gears. The hardest part when you are first learning is getting the car moving from a stop. If you ever feel the car getting ready to stall, just push the clutch in.

[shadowgrin]

im gonna get someone to help me remember/learn how to drive a manual transmission this weekend.

And you consider yourself a man?

i legally am not allowed to drive stick...

If you were allowed to, that would make people who know how to drive stick really look like pussies, even more so with Qballer.

[x-uNdErRaTeD-z]

So. I don't know how to manual drive, so that makes me a pussy? Ignorant fuck.

[J@3]

Calm down auto boy

[x-uNdErRaTeD-z]

I know. I've had a bad day today. I'm unleashing my anger on Mr.Green. I can bet with someone that he'll come up with something smart and I'll look like a dumbass. I'm ready Shad, don't spare me like Zanshadow.

[[Q]]

Qballer, congrats, better a job than none at all

thank you, i'm actually pretty excited since i haven't done much recently in my graphic design internship

and well, i never really had too many opportunities to learn when i was younger and as i got older i never really had a reason to learn until now, and a couple weeks ago i watched a youtube video on how to do it

since i'm only parking cars, i probably won't get up into 2nd or 3rd gear so i should really focus on how to start & stop

[J@3]

I know. I've had a bad day today. I'm unleashing my anger on Mr.Green. I can bet with someone that he'll come up with something smart and I'll look like a dumbass. I'm ready Shad, don't spare me like Zanshadow.

I don't mind people arguing and shit but just try to avoid the overly aggressive name calling.

[Andrew]

Congrats Q, good to hear you can try for a transfer in the not too distant future as well.

[el badman]

I learned by myself because I needed to go to the store. Stalled twice on my way. Not once on the way back. It's so damn easy. It only took a couple of days before each shift took only a split second. Clutch in, shift, push has gaspedal, clutch out. You just have to learn the timing for the gears. The hardest part when you are first learning is getting the car moving from a stop. If you ever feel the car getting ready to stall, just push the clutch in.

I've learned to drive on cars with manual transmission, but I can't see myself ever going back to that. If you're not gonna drive a badass car and are not passionate about driving in general, I can't even see the point of having to deal with a fucking stick. Shifting is a just a chore for me...

[Axel The Great]

I've driven on manual transmission before, few months ago. Had a bit of a struggle with it; changing speeds and multi-tasking with the clutch and stick were somewhat difficult, but with practice, I think I'll get it right one day when I get my driver's license in three months. Excited about getting to drive any luxury cars, Q?

[[Q]]

haha hell yeah. i didn't get to the hotel for high-end visitors, so sportscars may be out of the question, but i should be able to drive some luxury cars.

[koberulz]

The hardest part when you are first learning is getting the car moving from a stop.

I had a particularly fun experience with this when I was first learning to drive. Stopped on a slope. Not much margin for error, since gravity didn't care about the cars behind me. Of which there were several by the time I'd stalled the car three or four times.

One guy didn't particularly enjoy having his time wasted, pulled out and went around. Though he did have the time to roll down the window, give me the finger and yell at me as he went past.

[NovU]

Ahh... This reminds of days when I had to learn stick with my 350Z. Was such a bad ass looking car and I stalled the car 2 or 3 times just to park at this coffee shop parking lot. Bystanders laughed at me, was bit embarrassing.

I actually want to go back to driving stick. Was so much fun driving and keeps you awake even in the traffic. Cornering to speeding, you are in the full control all the time.

[[Q]]

so i had my orientation at disneyland today. i am actually really excited to start working, driving cars and getting $$$.

came home to an email from Blizzard, where i applied a month ago when i was still jobless. They must've been impressed with my amazing NBA Live 10 game analysis [/sarcasm] and my involvement with what I claimed to be the "largest NBA video game community" so they want to give me a 30 minute phone interview for a game tester job. the only problem is, i've already been hired at disneyland. i mean, i already have the job and start training on Tuesday. with a phone interview, there's no guarantee they'll even hire me, so i don't even have the job yet.

pros: -potential to move up into a position I enjoy (art director, or something like that) if they like me enough. becoming an art or creative director is definitely a career goal of mine, but seems like you need at least 5 yrs of relevant experience to get to that point, and i don't have any experience. catch-22, in order to get experience, you need experience.
-career in gaming
-job location is relatively close, but disneyland is a bit closer to me.

cons: -temporary, full-time position so there's no way i could work at blizzard if they want me AND keep my disney job. it's gonna have to be one or the other if i get chosen for the job, and i don't really want to waste their time (it could also burn some bridges if i choose to apply again in the future)
-again, it's temporary so there's no guarantee that I will still be working there in a few months, and the rent ain't gonna pay itself.
-potentially i could make more money working at disney at this time
-also, Disney has their own video game studios (although probably not in Orange County where Blizzard is located) so it's possible (but a longer shot) for me to move into a creative job within the company from a hotel valet
-there could be (probably are?) a lot of people vying for a game tester job, so competition may be fierce, and i have no experience playing any of their games from the last 12-14 years. that could put me at a huge disadvantage when i get compared to someone who is a hardcore WoW addict.

really confused and not sure what to do about this. any ideas or thoughts? my friends are jealous that i was contacted by a video game company and encouraged me to do the phone interview

[deihatein]

I'd say I would still take the chance for the phone interview. I mean it's an opportunity to even get big bucks, so why not take it. That's just my opinion though.

[benji]

I mean it's an opportunity to even get big bucks

Game testers don't make shit and hate their jobs. They only do it out of the generally delusional hope they will move up.

And gaming in general is not a way to make "big bucks" for 99% of the people involved. Unless you're some kind of god, incredibly lucky, and willing to never sleep for months on end.

This does not mean Q may not be one of those who do move up.

i have no experience playing any of their games from the last 12-14 year

Both of them?

And Disney is mostly getting out of the "standard" gaming business for Facebook/mobile gaming. They have been savaging all their standard studios for the last year with job cuts or making them switch over.

[[Q]]

thanks for the input, mr. bailey. i will keep that in mind

[benji]

Most people don't understand what game testers do. You don't just sit around with snacks playing games and giving feedback if you're a paid position. (Not that you aren't given opportunities for feedback.)

Instead you get a big checklist of things you have to repeat over and over like "load, save, reload, save" and "jump around the level" and "slash at this wall 9000 times" and so on. (A company like Blizzard probably automates a lot of this by having the computer just do it, but many places this is still done a lot by hand.) Or you get "there's a bug with the grenade launcher, try to recreate it as many times as possible" and stuff like that. If you get freedom to play the game, it's mostly of the "try and break it" method than being allowed to just play through and say "tighten up the graphics on level three" or "adjust the damage ratio on the laser beams."

That's why it's temporary, and that's why so few people move up. Most people think I'M GOING TO WORK IN GAMES and then quit after a month because they can't do it. If you survive over the years that's when you start to move up in production because you've proven yourself.

It's said the best way to never want to play video games ever again is to work for long periods in QA.

[[Q]]

yeah i went to a workshop where someone who worked at blizzard spoke about different jobs at their company and he said testing is like you said "trying to break the game" and repeating tasks over and over again.

[Lean]

Pacquiao won, IT'S A GOOD NEWS DAMN IT!

[shadowgrin]

The only best part was Manny Pacquiao's expression as he was being interviewed by Ines Sainz.

[koberulz]

The only best part

Can there be multiple best parts?

[shadowgrin]

When some are really significant but only one is really important? Best of the best, which also happens to be a really cool movie?

[Andrew]

I'd at least do the phone interview Q, while keeping what Ben said in mind. Don't throw away the Disney job and risk ending up with nothing of course, but as far as a 30 minute phone interview goes, why not? If you end up getting the Blizzard job and you feel like it's something you still want to do, go that way. If not, move on with the Disney job.

[Oznogrd]

So me and the g/f are now me and the fiancee. I proposed this morning, she said yes, and our families are good with it. I'm ecstatic despite the fact we're watiing awhile for the actual marriage and its gonna be a long engagement.