It’s been a while since we did our last batch, but with the games business having blossomed into a hotbed of ongoing recruitment, it seems like a peachy time to bring back Rare’s in-house staff profiles. Hopefully these will prove informative for those hoping to get into a particular line of work, but also entertaining enough to be worth a read for anyone interested in Rare or a general industry career.
In this edition: Ian Bolton, Network Programmer. If you make sure you’re connected…
Rare: What’s your background and how did you arrive at Rare?
Ian Bolton: I joined Rare as a graduate after studying Computer Science at Bath University. My course was four years with the third year spent on placement at a software company in Bradford-on-Avon. It was here that I gained an interest in network programming after working on client/server C code for communicating with the hardware that tested telephone lines.
Have you found yourself doing the job you always thought you’d do?
I always thought I would be a programmer after gaining an interest in computers from an early age, but I did not think I would specifically be a computer games programmer. Despite my love of games, the games industry looked too difficult to get into and I chose to do Computer Science rather than any of the dedicated game programming courses. When I applied to Rare I thought nothing would probably come of it, so when I was given the offer I immediately accepted over another offer I had for a financial programming job in London.
What are your main responsibilities on the average game?
My main responsibilities are usually to oversee the development of the online multiplayer and Xbox LIVE features on a game. This involves maintaining and developing the network code at the game engine level and working closely with the game teams to help meet their requirements for synchronous play. Xbox LIVE covers a wide area and I am usually involved in most aspects of it, for example the matchmaking, parties, invites, voice and video chat, achievements, leaderboards, and rich presence.
Which Rare games have you worked on, and what’s been your biggest achievement?
I have worked on Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Piñata, Kinect Sports, and Kinect Sports: Season Two. My biggest achievement was implementing the online co-operative mode for PDZ on a codebase that was not designed for online play, and having it done for the launch of the game on a new console.
What do you see as the top perk of working for Rare?
The best perk is being able to show family and friends the latest game you have released and which areas you have worked on at Christmas time. Getting free copies of every first party release and discounted Microsoft products is also a pretty good perk!
What do you find most exciting about your job?
Solving a difficult technical challenge and seeing a game come together into a finished product are two of the things I enjoy most about my job. It is particularly satisfying to engineer a system from the ground up and to see it used successfully to implement a game feature. It is also an exciting time when we release a new game and the reviews start to come in.
How would you describe your fellow workers in five words?
Intelligent, creative, dedicated, friendly, and meticulous.
What are some of the challenges you face as a Network Programmer?
One of the biggest challenges is to get design and software thinking about the online modes early on and prevent them from making assumptions that would only be valid with local players or when latency is not an issue. This is particularly a problem for gameplay issues that are timing-based or involve close interactions with other players, for example determining who is first over the line in a race.
Favourite Rare game, favourite Xbox 360 game and favourite game of all time?
My favourite Rare game is a close one between Perfect Dark Zero and Viva Piñata. Both of which I worked on and spent the most amount of time playing after release. The favourite game of mine that I played on 360 was probably Mass Effect, and favourite game of all time has to be Half-Life.
Any good (printable) anecdotes or memories from within the walls of Rare?
At the first Rare Christmas party I attended as a recent starter I mistook Chris Stamper for a hired barman and ordered a Bombay Sapphire Gin and tonic from him as you would with a barman. I remember thinking that he was not the best barman in the world since he seemed very unsure on how to make one. It was some time later when that same ‘barman’ was giving a speech to the company that I realised who he was!
What is the future of online gaming as you see it?
Console games are increasingly becoming more connected and social experiences and I can see this continuing and being an important part of games in the future. Kinect Sports: Season Two was one of our most connected games yet, and featured an offline Challenge system, video clip uploads to the KinectShare website, online multiplayer with video chat, and a Facebook app.
Online multiplayer can also evolve and we have already seen games start to move away from the traditional create, search, join system and instead use traits or skill-based matchmaking to find better quality matches for the player. The mobile app market has also helped to drive new ways of playing games online with asynchronous turn-based or companion apps that can do things such as unlock new items in the main game.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying for a role similar to yours?
My advice would probably be to try writing a simple two-player networked game or to try adding networking to an existing single-player game. Having experience of how to solve common networking problems in games is the best prep you could do. For example, what data would you send over the network to other players to synchronise player movement in an FPS game? To answer this you could also look through the source code for something like Quake which is freely available, or read through the Source engine developer portal, for example. A strong technical knowledge is also a big help, so polish up on those C++ skills before applying!
Previously in Rare Life:
James Thomas, Gameplay Engineer
Gavin Price, Designer
Steve Mayles, Character Artist
Rich Nguyen, Tools Engineer
Weighing up a career in the games biz? What roles would you like to see covered in future Rare Life columns? Drop us a line and let us know.