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Job position at MA - C++ programmer

matthew

matthew

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Sir Matt Copping
In case any programmers out there missed it, I see MA are recruiting a C++ programmer

http://www.mindark.com/career/current-positions/

Would be great to get a player to fill the role (presumably though one would have to give up playing if accepted for the role), it is a shame MA doesn't advertise these roles on the official planet forums.

The job description is an interesting read, it looks like MA aim to increase the active player base 10 fold within 5 years and there are 1 million registered accounts.


Good luck to anyone who makes an application :)
 
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Someone please take this job, keep your ear to the wall, and tell us all the dirty shady secrets of MA :wise:
 
I would imagine anyone taking this job would either not be allowed to play or would have to sign a pretty strong NDA.
 
matthew said:
Good luck to anyone who makes an application :)
Click to expand...

Conspiracy theory: MA doesn't want to hire anyone who's likely to arrive late or tired to work, because they did a late round of the rextellum waves ;)
 
You are encouraged to play when you work there.
But can't continue using your existing account.
 
Tempting... There sure are a few bugs I would like to go fix over there... ;)
 
I do want to live in Sweden, but I have a pretty cushy gig right now....
 
It is really tempting but I've moved on years ago and program for a hobby now. And rather rusted in the required fields. Hope they find someone with the passion. Lycka till!
 
It's encouraging to see they're looking for someone with excellent c++11/14 and STL knowledge!
if you're doing prior 2011 c++ programming you're doing it wrong! lambdas FTW!

now lets hope for:

if(newCoder && MA_happy)
loot++;
bugs--;
else
sadJohan=true;

Here's a bonus crash course by Microsoft:
https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/tra...ibrary-jump-start-8251?l=ixd4HMLfB_5405192806

They really make a point highlighting the benefits of 11(14 wasn't released) which I think is good as most courses you do in school or online won't even mention that there is a better way until you've covered all the basics and learned the crap ways;)
 
Someone please, please, please take this job and fix the order in which clipping is resolved on encountering a surface :eyecrazy:
 
I would like them to do a bit of "head hunting", maybe try to get some senior programmer from more established developers like Dice/EA in Stockholm or something like that. Getting someone that have worked with and have experience with big game-projects could not hurt them.
 
SoReal said:
I would imagine anyone taking this job would either not be allowed to play or would have to sign a pretty strong NDA.
Click to expand...
many player did go work at MA.
usually they sell their stuff because their avatar become under "control" , and they can not withdraw anymore.
evrything they do or say is chek...
usually after some month they stop speak with player , and lose contact...
 
Etopia said:
many player did go work at MA.
usually they sell their stuff because their avatar become under "control" , and they can not withdraw anymore.
evrything they do or say is chek...
usually after some month they stop speak with player , and lose contact...
Click to expand...
Yes, it's true.
MA employees are not allowed to be real 'participants'.
A good rule, but it also means that developers who started at 'players' quickly lose their touch with the player base.
 
Etopia said:
many player did go work at MA.
usually they sell their stuff because their avatar become under "control" , and they can not withdraw anymore.
evrything they do or say is chek...
usually after some month they stop speak with player , and lose contact...
Click to expand...

I remember learning in my psychology class in college, about how being in a group can change the way you think. I feel like a player might go in with good intentions of fixing the game, eventually they will succumb to the senior programmer's beliefs and thinking. And make more explosive bp.
 
psyche said:
I remember learning in my psychology class in college, about how being in a group can change the way you think. I feel like a player might go in with good intentions of fixing the game, eventually they will succumb to the senior programmer's beliefs and thinking. And make more explosive bp.
Click to expand...

^^^^ jepp. Seen it, done it, now on the "studying it" phase.

On an unrelated note, ja, I do one of the appropriate types of programming, but... not in C++. And porting my thought process into that particular language would be a lot of work. Of course, if appropriately compensated... nah I'm still enjoying being Lefty.
 
just imagine directx12 inside entropia *fat cat breathes heavily*
 
Vedder said:
Yes, it's true.
MA employees are not allowed to be real 'participants'.
A good rule, but it also means that developers who started at 'players' quickly lose their touch with the player base.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I personally feel that planet partner employees should be able to play but perhaps be forbidden withdraw and have low deposit limits, not sure about MA employees as they have more information about loot pool dynamics etc...
If the loot pool is based on random numbers then knowing how it works won't help you get more peds. Only if an employee knew the next mod merc had just been placed in the queue for looting could they steal an advantage by intensifying their hunting. In that case perhaps MA could put a lock on the account to prevent them gaining uber loots, in the same way that puny mobs are capped (i read somewhere if i remember rightly).

However playing is the only way for employees to get a feel for the dynamics and the community. One of the most important rules of business is "be your own customer" (again imo).
 
matthew said:
Agreed. I personally feel that planet partner employees should be able to play but perhaps be forbidden withdraw and have low deposit limits, not sure about MA employees as they have more information about loot pool dynamics etc...
If the loot pool is based on random numbers then knowing how it works won't help you get more peds. Only if an employee knew the next mod merc had just been placed in the queue for looting could they steal an advantage by intensifying their hunting. In that case perhaps MA could put a lock on the account to prevent them gaining uber loots, in the same way that puny mobs are capped (i read somewhere if i remember rightly).

However playing is the only way for employees to get a feel for the dynamics and the community. One of the most important rules of business is "be your own customer" (again imo).
Click to expand...
Unless things have changed, MA employees are allowed to play, and actually encouraged to play. Maybe it's even mandatory in some positions. (I can't remember the details)

But, they are not allowed to play as 'real' participants. The can't withdraw, and they (in some cases) have special powers. I think I remember Marcos super gun dealing 500 dmg for 1 pec or something like that.
 
billairboy said:
I would like them to do a bit of "head hunting", maybe try to get some senior programmer from more established developers like Dice/EA in Stockholm or something like that. Getting someone that have worked with and have experience with big game-projects could not hurt them.
Click to expand...

Unless they're paid to join, i.e. way above normal rates, I doubt they'd stay more than a couple of months.

They should be more interested in a developer wrangler to stop them reintroducing bugs.
 
SpikeBlack said:
Unless they're paid to join, i.e. way above normal rates, I doubt they'd stay more than a couple of months.

They should be more interested in a developer wrangler to stop them reintroducing bugs.
Click to expand...

They could always offer the important staff some stocks/options in MA. But with MA doings so badly financially maybe that is not so tempting :silly2:
 
why not, in work i'm using different languages including c++, sql, db2 and nosql database (mongodb)

but well it has no sense to build a videogame in c++, come on
assembler rules !
well i assume you need more than 10lines of asm code to show a single char on a console screen
for example a tiny console videogame in asm :
mov ah, 35
mov al,04
int 21
mov ax, es
mov dx, bx
mov ds, ax
mov ah, 25
mov al, 13
int 21
mov ah, 4c
int 21
Click to expand...

that would be 10^79 asm lines of codes for a videogame like entropia
but it would be way fastest in execution than in c++
we can also use a powerfull language like the BF ie -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck

well it has to be said


seriously,
garci
 
garci said:
why not, in work i'm using different languages including c++, sql, db2 and nosql database (mongodb)

but well it has no sense to build a videogame in c++, come on
assembler rules !
well i assume you need more than 10lines of asm code to show a single char on a console screen
for example a tiny console videogame in asm :


that would be 10^79 asm lines of codes for a videogame like entropia
but it would be way fastest in execution than in c++
we can also use a powerfull language like the BF ie -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck

well it has to be said


seriously,
garci
Click to expand...

It's hard to beat c++ in efficiency and it's gotten a lot better with 11/14 and the standard library when it comes to usability.
although EU doesn't even run directx11 so I can't really say we're getting full efficiency anyway :laugh:

it's gotten better using memory now but a few years back the memory leaks were so bad my guess is MA was filling the heap and never learned to delete or pass exceptions ;)
 
garci said:
...
Click to expand...

My assembler is dusty but wasn't the interrupt 21h and not 21?

Anyway c++ is prefectly valid for video games (and everything else), it has a great balance of performance and abstraction. CryEngine is done in C++ and LUA so no mistery MA is asking for it.

I really dont get your point (did I miss some sarcasm?) :)
 
Angel O2 Mercer said:
My assembler is dusty but wasn't the interrupt 21h and not 21?

Anyway c++ is prefectly valid for video games (and everything else), it has a great balance of performance and abstraction. CryEngine is done in C++ and LUA so no mistery MA is asking for it.

I really dont get your point (did I miss some sarcasm?) :)
Click to expand...

in pure asm there's just numbers in hexa, so no letters behind numbers
videogames in c++ has a lot of inline assembler in them, especially for a 3d engine
the fastest language in execution is trully asm as you speak directly to the processor
for example for certain types of multiplications or divisions, you never do multi or div in asm, but you shift bits to the left or to the right using a carry return if needed

so you're true, it was a sarcastic post ! ;)
 
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garci said:
for example a tiny console videogame in asm :
Click to expand...
Well, as long as you run your x86 ASM code in 32/64 bit and flat memory space, it is not actually complex. I used to use assembler circa 1995 in win32 environment and it was simple and straightforward. However, at that time ASM compilers and x86 instruction set lacked in flexibility, especially in regards of addressing modes and macros in comparison with ancient PDP-11, and in case of PDP-11 it was relatively easy to make up OOP-like framework and have easy life.
The pinnacle of x86 asm programming was 64kb demo scene.
 
Pham said:
mov ah, 35
mov al,04
int 21
mov ax, es
mov dx, bx
mov ds, ax
mov ah, 25
mov al, 13
int 21
mov ah, 4c
int 21


Well, as long as you run your x86 ASM code in 32/64 bit and flat memory space, it is not actually complex. I used to use assembler circa 1995 in win32 environment and it was simple and straightforward. However, at that time ASM compilers and x86 instruction set lacked in flexibility, especially in regards of addressing modes and macros in comparison with ancient PDP-11, and in case of PDP-11 it was relatively easy to make up OOP-like framework and have easy life.
The pinnacle of x86 asm programming was 64kb demo scene.
Click to expand...

and what video game does this code in asm ?
 
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