AGDC '08
Just a heads up. I'll be speaking at the Austin GDC this year in the Open Source Track, September 15th. The topic will be regarding the value and effectiveness of some of the major open source 3d engines out there (and of course I'm there to explain the virtues of that certain Java engine we all know and love.) If you are planning to attend the track, or Tuesday evening's party at the Alamo drafthouse, come find me and say hi. :)
Good luck guys
I'm sure many of you have seen the recent news about NCsoft's Austin layoffs. Unfortunately, that included many of the guys I used to work with as well as others that I had also come to admire and respect. With the even larger layoff from Midway's Austin studio, I'm guessing the current prospects of hunting for a job here in Austin in the game industry are not stellar. Fortunately these are very talented individuals, so I don't worry too much for them. All the best guys!
More about Ardor Labs
Back in June when I left NCsoft, I started Ardor Labs, a company dedicated to building and supporting projects and companies using 3d Java technology. I've kept things simple and plan to keep it that way in the future, using extra talent as projects demand and so forth. So far, we've managed to contribute to some pretty big projects involving large oil companies, hardware giants and more. (And like I said in my previous post, we are working heavily with jME on those projects, so that should say how much I believe in its current utility!)
There are more projects and ideas in the works as well and we will have to grow our talent pool at some point to keep up. Candidates would be top notch Java developers with some contracting and 3d experience under their belts. Drop me a line if you fit the description and would like to be considered on future projects.
It is a scary thing to make the jump to business owner, but if you've been reading this blog from the early days, you'll know this is not my first company. I am confident you'll be hearing a lot more from Ardor Labs in the near future. :)
There are more projects and ideas in the works as well and we will have to grow our talent pool at some point to keep up. Candidates would be top notch Java developers with some contracting and 3d experience under their belts. Drop me a line if you fit the description and would like to be considered on future projects.
It is a scary thing to make the jump to business owner, but if you've been reading this blog from the early days, you'll know this is not my first company. I am confident you'll be hearing a lot more from Ardor Labs in the near future. :)
At the end of the tour...
... when the road disappears... - TMBG
As you probably know, I've been developing the open source 3d Java engine, jMonkeyEngine for many years now. It has been a very good experience in most regards, though lots of work (just have a look at the commit logs or my forum message history.) I've worked hard on it because I really have believed in the dream of jME. I've represented it at several conferences, advocated its use in the gaming community and pressed larger companies to use it and donate work back to it. I have toiled many late nights on its inner workings, ensuring that the jMonkeyEngine continues to debunk the myth that Java is too slow or not capable enough for 3d games and applications. Of course it's an open source project which means no monetary pay (1) but at the same time it has been nice to me providing a good name in exchange for my work.
So yes, I'm very proud of my work on jMonkeyEngine and how far the technology has come. I never dreamed when I first became involved back in 2004 that things would progress so far. Today, I honestly believe that Java could be the next big gaming language, we just need something akin to XNA, etc. to make that happen. Right now though, I do not believe that can happen, or at least I am too tired to keep pushing past the hurdles to make it happen on this project. jME is good, but I think there are still many areas, even fundamental ones, that need to change for it to be a serious contender in the general 3d engine space. Who knows, maybe later on this project, or some other, I can see that dream realized.
What I'm trying to say is that I have recently discovered I'm ready for a break. To be clear I don't mean to stop working WITH jME, particularly at Ardor Labs, just not ON jME day to day. I'm sure the other developers will be happy to help with your patches and such though so keep them coming on the forums and issues board. I'll still be around too, so as always, feel free to give me a shout. The jME community is among the best in the world, and I have loved (and will continue to) working with them in one fashion or another.
And now, for my break... :)
1. You might point out there are donation links and a jme store, but I have no idea where that money goes.
EDIT: Really poor choice of words. Sorry, Mark. My point is there is no money in open source, even for something successful like jME. Mark tells me the money that comes in has barely covered hosting costs for jME, so guys... get those donations flowing!!
As you probably know, I've been developing the open source 3d Java engine, jMonkeyEngine for many years now. It has been a very good experience in most regards, though lots of work (just have a look at the commit logs or my forum message history.) I've worked hard on it because I really have believed in the dream of jME. I've represented it at several conferences, advocated its use in the gaming community and pressed larger companies to use it and donate work back to it. I have toiled many late nights on its inner workings, ensuring that the jMonkeyEngine continues to debunk the myth that Java is too slow or not capable enough for 3d games and applications. Of course it's an open source project which means no monetary pay (1) but at the same time it has been nice to me providing a good name in exchange for my work.
So yes, I'm very proud of my work on jMonkeyEngine and how far the technology has come. I never dreamed when I first became involved back in 2004 that things would progress so far. Today, I honestly believe that Java could be the next big gaming language, we just need something akin to XNA, etc. to make that happen. Right now though, I do not believe that can happen, or at least I am too tired to keep pushing past the hurdles to make it happen on this project. jME is good, but I think there are still many areas, even fundamental ones, that need to change for it to be a serious contender in the general 3d engine space. Who knows, maybe later on this project, or some other, I can see that dream realized.
What I'm trying to say is that I have recently discovered I'm ready for a break. To be clear I don't mean to stop working WITH jME, particularly at Ardor Labs, just not ON jME day to day. I'm sure the other developers will be happy to help with your patches and such though so keep them coming on the forums and issues board. I'll still be around too, so as always, feel free to give me a shout. The jME community is among the best in the world, and I have loved (and will continue to) working with them in one fashion or another.
And now, for my break... :)
EDIT: Really poor choice of words. Sorry, Mark. My point is there is no money in open source, even for something successful like jME. Mark tells me the money that comes in has barely covered hosting costs for jME, so guys... get those donations flowing!!
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