Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Some teams or projects may identify their programmers by their specific area of
responsibility or specialty. Openings for the following programmer specialties have
been listed on the Internet. Each of these has its own distinct set of skills and respon-
sibilities.
Next Generation Console Programmer
PS2 Engine Programmer
Xbox/GameCube Console Programmer
Max Tools Programmer
Wireless Developer
PS2 Online Programmer
Special Effects Programmer
Junior (Script) Programmer
Build Engineer
For relatively small projects such as mobile games or Web-based leisure games, this
function might be performed by the same people who develop the code. For larger
efforts, such as PC games or MMORPGs, these activities are performed by one or
more people on the project who are subject matter experts and specialists.
Build engineer responsibilities may include the following:
1. Set up code and game asset libraries and file structures
2. Define and maintain build specifications for each release
3. Perform merges
4. Do builds
5. Do a “sanity test�? after a build
6. Document and publish release notes to the team
The last item is of particular interest to the testers. Check the release notes for impor-
tant clues as to where you should direct your test efforts. Some of the important infor-
mation testers can find in the release notes includes:
Which defects are supposed to be fixed in the new build.
What new code was added since the previous build.
What code changed since the previous build.
What build errors or warnings were issued by the compiler or linker.
How much memory (RAM and ROM) is being used by the game.
