Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
pricing plans, both of which of er much more storage than the basic
plan. They also remove the fairly visible banner ads for Wix which may
be undesirable, and which come with the free version. At about $10 per
month, however, the Combo plan is one of the pricier options.
Pro Tip: Websites of Notable
Composers and Sound
Designers
Check out these links to websites
of dif erent composers and sound
designers.
Squarespace
This website and service of er very professional templates that have
an extremely high quality look about them. It is also more extendible
than Wix for those who might like to use it as a blog or for using it to
sell products or services online. The editor is a bit clunkier to use than
Wix, but also of ers a lot more customization of look and feel. There
is no free option but they do allow you to try the service out for
14 days for free. After that the basic website plans are $10/ month
for 20 pages, and $20/month for the unlimited page individual plans.
Discounts are available if you purchase a year's worth at a time.
Steve Kirk
http://stevekirkpop.com/
The composer of the
Farmville
theme lets his music do the talking on a
basic website with simple links to MP3
clips in a variety of styles. Note that
he has both high-bandwidth links and
low-bandwidth links to accommodate
those with slower or older mobile
connections.
Website Hosting Considerations
Before deciding on a particular application or service for web pages,
you should compare the hosting limitations. Although many services
are free initially, they often come with upload restrictions and reduced
features, while paid versions of er expanded features. Although you can
theoretically store all your information in separately accessible server
locations and simply provide links on your web page, this practice
becomes potentially dii cult for some types of media in certain situations.
Jef Schmidt
http://jef -schmidt.com/
Jef Schmidt's site includes video
clips of multiple games for which
he designed sound, in addition to
of ering several video tutorials about
the basics of FMOD. His no-nonsense
direct approach to sound design can be
helpful.
The Importance of Networking
If you have ever seriously researched job openings in any i eld, you know
how vitally important networking is. To get work in an industry, you must
establish a set of contacts. Your reputation and your work quality are your
meal tickets, but they mean nothing unless colleagues in the industry know
about them. Chances are you will get most jobs through contacts you have
built up over the years. The following networking resources may be useful.
Roland Shaw
http://rolandshaw.wordpress.com/pc/
Roland Shaw's site is an excellent,
in-depth blog with a great tutorial
of FMOD and Wwise from a master
sound designer who uses both. A
bit fast-paced, Shaw's site features
sounds he designed for games and
a few references on how he created
these sounds and approached adaptive
mixing in each application.
Industry Organizations
Volunteering to do work for these various organizations can dei nitely
help you get connections and increase opportunities for you.
Enlightened self-interest is OK—just give back to the community while
helping yourself. This is a very natural thing to do, really. There are a
ton of organizations you can join and volunteer your time to in the
name of doing good works, giving back, and building your networks.
