I.Must.Get.PS.3.Now!!

Or when this little game titled Final Fantasy XIII is available here in North America. Just look at this trailer at the bottom and try to say "I don't want this game." I bet you'll fail miserably.

I know that this game is coming to Xbox360 outside of Japan, but as the devs kept telling us, it is simply out of question to include Japanese voice track on DVDs for this game. It does not have enough space to hold all that, unless dozens of discs are to be used.

This, and Korean subtitle is all I'm asking for. Or maybe, with PS3 being region free, I'll get an Asian copy that comes with Korean subtitle. Woo, just thinking about that makes me all giddy.

Following is the new FFXIII trailer shown at Tokyo Game Show 2009. It's long, beautiful, and dramatic. Enjoy~!

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | TGS 09: Japanese Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

PS. Watching this trailer makes me wonder, what if FFXIII was instead a movie, or DVD movie release like Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children? It'll take considerably less time to enjoy everything it has to offer, probably have better storytelling... Just a thought.

It's All About Skills

Here is a list of required/desired skills a game development company is looking for at this time. This list is for a Software Tool Developer position at one of the better known studios.

I post it up here as a reminder to myself how much work I really have. Working at a stable job, it's easy to forget what is out there, and how far behind I actually am. As this listing shows, I truly worth nothing.

I've got a loooong way to go, and I better get my act straight and start pushing myself forward towards my dream job...

Requirements/Skills

• EXCELLENT MATH SKILLS
• 3-5 years of professional games experience
• C++, C#, and C++/CLI expertise
• Experience in creating the following PC applications: level editor (actor
  placement, navigation meshes, particles, boundary regions, etc), art prototype
  catalogue/database, animation/cinematic editor, material/shader editor, plugins,
  build tools, data messaging tools, lighting tools
• Experience using the following technologies: Maya Plug-in API, SQL, OpenGL,
  CG/HLSL
  Ability to design, author, and maintain complex tools used in
  different parts of the production pipeline

Bonus Skills

• Experience using DCC applications (3DStudio/Maya/Photoshop/XSI/...)
• Knowledge of scripting languages (Python/MelScript/Lua/VBScript.)
• GUI art/design skills

A Confession

My name is Peter Park. I am a software engineer at a huge US defense contractor. I am getting paid pretty well, even more so with recent promotion to "Software Engineer" from a "Software Engineer Associate." My job security with this company is tremendously stable, even in this God-forsaken economy. And the work schedule is very flexible--I get every other Fridays off. The job also provides numerous benefits, like a retirement savings plan, health benefit, and even a corporate discount on my cell phone service.

And I am very unhappy with my work.

The work I do is extremely dull. It involves looking at documents for hours after hours. (For instance, for the past two months, all I've been working on are a mere couple of documents and nothing else. And I do mean absolutely nothing else.) My work here is a tiniest part of the overarching program. And the program, as a whole, moves at a glacial pace--it's a same damn aircraft for past 50 years. My typical day involves sitting, staring at the screen, typing in a few character, slacking, eating lunch at my desk all-day-long, and... that's about it. Not much of interaction with coworkers, impromptu meeting with my task lead or team lead, phone calls...

On top of this--probably the worst part of it all--no matter how hard I slack, no one (not even a manager) bothers to drop in and say that I need to step up and start performing! You might think that they may know how I'm working, and that someday, I will get hammered for this, but actually, I was commended for the work I've put into the team effort. ... So, apparently, they do think I'm working hard like a worker bee in my little cube.

Everyday at work, I constantly think about 'what if' scenarios: 'What if I chose different major at college?' 'What if I wasn't working as an engineer?' 'What if I was at a different, a smaller company?' I always think of a place where my work is more dynamic, challenging, busy, and where I get along well with my coworkers, probably making a few friends as well. (Most of the employees here are in their retirement years, and rest in their 40s or at least with families and kids. I feel so left out.) Sometimes, I even look up job listings at some companies I would like to work at... The only thing that's holding me off is the possibility that any other places may be just like this place where it's dull and slow with tons of red tapes and processes.

Clock is slowly ticking. With it, it's taking my life away. But I'm not too mad at it about this moment. I just want this day to end, so I can go home and enjoy my time away from this hole.

My name is Peter Park. And I am a slacker and a daydreamer.

Being Free

이젠 자존심을 좀 죽이고 원하는 것이 있으면 눈치보지 않고 그저 마음가는 대로 행동하고 싶다. 쪽팔린다고, 하찮은 것을 좋아하며 실실대는 것이 자존심 상한다고 정말 좋아하는 것을 마다하고 쿨 한척 하는건 더이상 건강에 나쁜것 같기도 하고, 답답하기도 하다. 이젠 더이상 주위 상관 안하고, 너무 깊히 생각하지 않고 그저 원하는 대로, 마음가는 대로 하며 살아가고 싶다...

솔직히 맨날 귀찮다, 게을러서 어쩐다 하지만, 정말 생각해 보면 나를 묶어두는 것은 게으름이 아니라 이놈의 존심인것 같다. 이쓸데없는 놈 때문에 노래방에서 노래도 잘 안부르고, 신나는 노래가 나와도 춤도 안추고, 보고있으면 어느새 실실 거리는 내 모습이 싫어서 괜한 최신 가수/아이돌 욕하고... 그러면서 알아듣지도 못하는, 재미없고 따분한 "명작" 영화를 찾아 본다거나 하는건 정말 위선적인 것 같다. (뭐, 그렇다고 지금까지 열광하던 것들이 사실은 그런 척 했다는건 아니다..)

앞으로는 너무 쪽팔려하거나 부끄러워 하지 않고, 내세울건 내놓고, 좋은건 좋아하며 시원시원하게 살고싶다.

PS. 결국 하고싶은 말은... 나도 소녀시대가 좋다는 말. ㅋㅋㅋ
요즘 매일같이 Genie를 보며 좋아라 하고있다.
심지어 소시가 나온 프로그램도 찾아 보고있다!!
ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ... 아, 자제해야지..

Commencement II

Being an irresponsible adult (it feels weird to use this word on myself), I always find myself slacking at my desk, each and every day at work. This is weird because after each unproductive work day, I always feel awful for what I've done, and make a promise with myself to put in more effort and be productive next day. Of course, such resolve doesn't last even a day; I return to work the next day, only to dive right into internet, and surf, surf, and surf a little more.

Well, at least I do feel bad about this, right? At least I'm not comfortable living like this. If I were, I'd be utterly hopeless.

But then again, I'm not really showing any sign of improvement. As soon as I get some work done, I fall back to slacking. I think I'm just waiting for something or someone to break me out of this poisonous habbit.

And I think I am about to get that medicine, soon.

The thing is, soon, I will be "loaned" to another team across the hall because of some complication at work. (Which, I have to say, was cause by my fickleness.) And that team is headed by some ex-military, hard-liner, white male ...guys, it looks like I will be put up to some harsh tasking. I will be given a task, a deadline, and nothing more. And by the deadline, I "better get it done," one of the more friendly guy tells me.

I guess it was more of how he said it to me that made me wary of what I'm about to get into--you know, the kind of heavy and forceful talk you hear coming out of military guys. Couple that with all the rumor I've heard about the team's lead being someone "hard to work with" (not because he's a weirdo, but because he's relentless about schedule and productivity) and you may know why I am troubled and became rather worried. (And I'm not expecting you to feel sorry about this. I'm not.)

The bottom line is, come next month, I'll be thrown into the light where I will no longer find some shadow to hide in and horse around. Well, I guess this is for the better; I will have to work harder, and probably this will carry me further than slacking hard.

The next chapter of my still young career is about to commence.