College says I need these... Any other helpful programs?

That is A LOT of software to learn in one year. If they told you you need it, I be concerned as the total price is almost five figures. Will they be supplying you the software?

For a designer, I would say Unity and Flash would be your main focus or GameMaker for a slightly easier route into making games as both Flash and Unity require you to know how to program to a degree.

I just use Blender and Gimp. Autodesk Maya is a common 3D modeling and animation package, but it incredibly expensive ($3000+ last time I checked)

The price of a normal one machine license from Autodesk is in the thousands, but you can get student licenses which are approximately 500$. In my last year of my Animation course I bought Softimage at Studica.ca for 600$. Not only that, but you can most likely access the computer labs anytime you need them, which is convenient if you live on campus or close to the school.

Besides those softwares, the only other software I can see that you will meet in your program that you could look into is Adobe Premiere or Encore for post production video editing.

Besides that, you seem to be well on your way. Any other software will be very similar to the ones you are looking at now, it's just a matter of simply learning the interface and shortcuts for that program.

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Original post by yaustar That is A LOT of software to learn in one year. If they told you you need it, I be concerned as the total price is almost five figures. Will they be supplying you the software? For a designer, I would say Unity and Flash would be your main focus or GameMaker for a slightly easier route into making games as both Flash and Unity require you to know how to program to a degree.

Yes, you may buy the software from them.
I don't need to master all these programs in the course of one year, but they will be getting into all the basics of what they do and how they play in the Game Designing world.

Total costs for software/books - $7000 (est.) 3 year program (Bachelors)

I would imagine they would supply you with the software on the school's machines. If they expect you to purchase it yourself, you should probably withdraw now. The utility of spending money on that kind of tool-focused education is, in my mind, questionable anyhow. If they're expecting you to front that much of the bill directly (rather than at least encoding it into your tuition), I'd consider it a scam.

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I'm just trying to get a jest of what's all out there, I don't want to limit my options.

The word is "gist," by the way.

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Original post by jpetrie I would imagine they would supply you with the software on the school's machines. If they expect you to purchase it yourself, you should probably withdraw now. The utility of spending money on that kind of tool-focused education is, in my mind, questionable anyhow. If they're expecting you to front that much of the bill directly (rather than at least encoding it into your tuition), I'd consider it a scam. Quote: I'm just trying to get a jest of what's all out there, I don't want to limit my options. The word is "gist," by the way.

It's a credited school and the only reason they want you to have to software is so you can put it on your laptop. Any other school I've looked into near me is nearly 10k+ more. The school may provide you with a laptop, but I would prefer to buy my own.

Yes, I'm that stupid to invest time and money to a non-credited school. (Sarcasm)

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Original post by eloadrin The price of a normal one machine license from Autodesk is in the thousands, but you can get student licenses which are approximately 500$. In my last year of my Animation course I bought Softimage at Studica.ca for 600$. Not only that, but you can most likely access the computer labs anytime you need them, which is convenient if you live on campus or close to the school. Besides those softwares, the only other software I can see that you will meet in your program that you could look into is Adobe Premiere or Encore for post production video editing. Besides that, you seem to be well on your way. Any other software will be very similar to the ones you are looking at now, it's just a matter of simply learning the interface and shortcuts for that program.

Thanks for the link! It's a lot cheaper than store prices and a bit cheaper than the school prices. Saved me some money.

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It's a credited school

Note that many schools -- including my alma mater -- simply go about saying that they are "accredited." They do this because the vast majority of the population, yourself included it seems, don't know what that means and assume that a school must be accredited to be worth attending. Alas, this is not the case.

To claim accreditation, an educational institution must meet the requirements set forth by some organization that grants the credentials in question. There are many such organization, both public and private. Some accreditation is done by your local, state or federal government. Some accreditation is done by private consortiums. Not all "accredited" schools were judged equally or by the some criteria to receive that accreditation -- Ivy league universities, for example, tend to have all their various sub-colleges accredited by particular domain-specific accreditation boards. Collins is certified by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, which is not the same institution that accredits the computer science degrees for schools like Carnegie Mellon.

This is not necessarily good or bad, note. Basically all it means is that accreditation isn't usually a worthwhile metric for anything.

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the only reason they want you to have to software is so you can put it on your laptop

Note that most educational licenses would permit this anyhow, even if the school purchases the license for you. I'm still quite skeptical, although perhaps at this point it's not worth raising the issue since you've already enrolled. I just want you to have a realistic expectation of the kind of thing you're getting yourself into -- it sounds like they might have won you over with their marketing rhetoric at some point along the line.

My advice to you would be to keep in mind that the tools you use are largely irrelevant. While you might learn the tools that are in use today or were in use a few years ago, don't place too much weight there -- instead, focus your efforts on the classes that are more theoretical in nature, and/or spend your time really trying to dig in to the why and the fundamental underlying concepts of the tools that you're being taught. Don't just learn the hot keys to select and manipulate vertices in Max, learn what that really means to the underlying mesh on a fundamental level. That will help you weather transitions from one tool to another. Professional studios will care less about the tools you know and more about your ability to adapt to new tools. Most will assume that if you know Max, you could learn how to model in Maya, just like (for programmers) it would be assumed that if you know C++ you could pick up other C-like languages relatively quickly. Or the other way around, et cetera.

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Original post by jpetrie Quote: It's a credited school Note that many schools -- including my alma mater -- simply go about saying that they are "accredited." They do this because the vast majority of the population, yourself included it seems, don't know what that means and assume that a school must be accredited to be worth attending. Alas, this is not the case. To claim accreditation, an educational institution must meet the requirements set forth by some organization that grants the credentials in question. There are many such organization, both public and private. Some accreditation is done by your local, state or federal government. Some accreditation is done by private consortiums. Not all "accredited" schools were judged equally or by the some criteria to receive that accreditation -- Ivy league universities, for example, tend to have all their various sub-colleges accredited by particular domain-specific accreditation boards. Collins is certified by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, which is not the same institution that accredits the computer science degrees for schools like Carnegie Mellon. This is not necessarily good or bad, note. Basically all it means is that accreditation isn't usually a worthwhile metric for anything. Quote: the only reason they want you to have to software is so you can put it on your laptop Note that most educational licenses would permit this anyhow, even if the school purchases the license for you. I'm still quite skeptical, although perhaps at this point it's not worth raising the issue since you've already enrolled. I just want you to have a realistic expectation of the kind of thing you're getting yourself into -- it sounds like they might have won you over with their marketing rhetoric at some point along the line.

I've done my research on the school and am very familiar with the ACCSC. All I asked is for advice on software. Instead I got a wall of text from a moderator telling me how the school I'm going to attend is a scam. Thanks buddy! I really appreciate it. The degree is technically in "Computer Science" as well. Their game course used to be split into two separate courses, but they combined them recently to allow a single degree pursued in the field.

Sorry, but you posted in an open discussion board. If you don't want unsolicited advice, don't post. You don't own the thread and don't have a say in how the discussion evolves.

Furthermore, there is absolutely no need for the snarky comments. I have been to a school like yours as well as interviewed, worked with, and mentored several students of similar schools and it is from that position that I offer advice based on my (overall negative, unfortunately) experiences in the domain. You're perfectly free to ignore my advice should you feel it does not apply to you, or if you disagree, or whatever.

But you're not free to display the kind of snippy, entitled attitude that you have displayed in your last post. More users than yourself will read this thread and they might care about other people's concerns, even if you don't. A simple "thanks, but I've made my choice and I'm comfortable with it," would suffice for stemming further discussion on the merits of the school, most likely.

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Original post by Fredalbob Quote: Original post by jpetrie Quote: It's a credited school Note that many schools -- including my alma mater -- simply go about saying that they are "accredited." They do this because the vast majority of the population, yourself included it seems, don't know what that means and assume that a school must be accredited to be worth attending. Alas, this is not the case. To claim accreditation, an educational institution must meet the requirements set forth by some organization that grants the credentials in question. There are many such organization, both public and private. Some accreditation is done by your local, state or federal government. Some accreditation is done by private consortiums. Not all "accredited" schools were judged equally or by the some criteria to receive that accreditation -- Ivy league universities, for example, tend to have all their various sub-colleges accredited by particular domain-specific accreditation boards. Collins is certified by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, which is not the same institution that accredits the computer science degrees for schools like Carnegie Mellon. This is not necessarily good or bad, note. Basically all it means is that accreditation isn't usually a worthwhile metric for anything. Quote: the only reason they want you to have to software is so you can put it on your laptop Note that most educational licenses would permit this anyhow, even if the school purchases the license for you. I'm still quite skeptical, although perhaps at this point it's not worth raising the issue since you've already enrolled. I just want you to have a realistic expectation of the kind of thing you're getting yourself into -- it sounds like they might have won you over with their marketing rhetoric at some point along the line. I've done my research on the school and am very familiar with the ACCSC. All I asked is for advice on software. Instead I got a wall of text from a moderator telling me how the school I'm going to attend is a scam. Thanks buddy! I really appreciate it. The degree is technically in "Computer Science" as well. Their game course used to be split into two separate courses, but they combined them recently to allow a single degree pursued in the field.

I think he's trying to say "Pirate the software, you won't be using most of it anyway"

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Original post by jpetrie Sorry, but you posted in an open discussion board. If you don't want unsolicited advice, don't post. You don't own the thread and don't have a say in how the discussion evolves. Furthermore, there is absolutely no need for the snarky comments. I have been to a school like yours as well as interviewed, worked with, and mentored several students of similar schools and it is from that position that I offer advice based on my (overall negative, unfortunately) experiences in the domain. You're perfectly free to ignore my advice should you feel it does not apply to you, or if you disagree, or whatever. But you're not free to display the kind of snippy, entitled attitude that you have displayed in your last post. More users than yourself will read this thread and they might care about other people's concerns, even if you don't.

COMATMEBRO

i suggest maya for your modeling. 3dsmax was a great tool for game modeling but i think maya has taken over...?
students get 1 year free with it. autodesk is very kind to students, they open their software usually for one year. Once you start Maya it will be hard to try anything else. I love the interface they have.

Visual Studio. I got this for 20 bucks through my school. They have the academic Microsoft package thing so i get Microsoft software for either free or up to 20 bucks. You might want to question your school why the heck they are not doing that. I know there is the free visual studio which is a great start so you may not need to buy it until you really learn how to use it and want the full package. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/default

Photoshop, I would probably purchase this one. Get the school student discount. Make sure your school isn’t overpricing you or ripping you off. I dont like my schools bookstore (ripoff) so I would google around first for academic versions. Adobe is just awesome. Flash? really...well i guess their is a huge flash game community.....:/

ZBrush is cool.

Unity? really, its free.

As for other tools: look for free sound music making tools. There are some cool synthesizers that are free. Im at work so I dont have the links on me but if you google around you can find some neat stuff for your sound effects. Also Hydrogen for drum beat making. Adobe audition looks cool but there are tools to help that might compliment your game making and work good with your adobe audition software for finalizing.

You may want to look into some sort of version control - SVN? or Git?. They wont teach that in college. At least not mine. check out gittortoise or svntortoise, it sucks when you make changes and realize those changes really messed you up and you cant go back without doing all the work again. Or if you have a friend who wants to join you and you have to pass files back and forth. This will help. Its good to start early with it cause its awesome.

You may want to wait a couple of weeks. You may have friends that could help you with your budget if you know what i mean..........

your school should really provide anything they use in labs, so this is pretty dumb if they expect you to buy this expensive software.

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Original post by TacoGrande i suggest maya for your modeling. 3dsmax was a great tool for game modeling but i think maya has taken over...? students get 1 year free with it. autodesk is very kind to students, they open their software usually for one year. Once you start Maya it will be hard to try anything else. I love the interface they have. Visual Studio. I got this for 20 bucks through my school. They have the academic Microsoft package thing so i get Microsoft software for either free or up to 20 bucks. You might want to question your school why the heck they are not doing that. I know there is the free visual studio which is a great start so you may not need to buy it until you really learn how to use it and want the full package. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/default Photoshop, I would probably purchase this one. Get the school student discount. Make sure your school isn’t overpricing you or ripping you off. I dont like my schools bookstore (ripoff) so I would google around first for academic versions. Adobe is just awesome. Flash? really...well i guess their is a huge flash game community.....:/ ZBrush is cool. Unity? really, its free. As for other tools: look for free sound music making tools. There are some cool synthesizers that are free. Im at work so I dont have the links on me but if you google around you can find some neat stuff for your sound effects. Also Hydrogen for drum beat making. Adobe audition looks cool but there are tools to help that might compliment your game making and work good with your adobe audition software for finalizing. You may want to look into some sort of version control - SVN? or Git?. They wont teach that in college. At least not mine. check out gittortoise or svntortoise, it sucks when you make changes and realize those changes really messed you up and you cant go back without doing all the work again. Or if you have a friend who wants to join you and you have to pass files back and forth. This will help. Its good to start early with it cause its awesome. You may want to wait a couple of weeks. You may have friends that could help you with your budget if you know what i mean.......... your school should really provide anything they use in labs, so this is pretty dumb if they expect you to buy this expensive software.

There's Unity Pro as well, so I'm not sure if they want the pro or free version. :/
I sent an e-mail to my guidance counselor and asked about pricing. They did mention they had an educational discount for students enrolled. I'll check out Maya, even if the school isn't using it I may use it for future purposes.

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Original post by MichelPaulissen I think he's trying to say "Pirate the software, you won't be using most of it anyway"

No, that'd be all you. Suggesting software piracy in a community full of software developers just isn't appropriate for overwhelmingly obvious reasons.

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Original post by MaulingMonkey Quote: Original post by MichelPaulissen I think he's trying to say "Pirate the software, you won't be using most of it anyway" No, that'd be all you. Suggesting software piracy in a community full of software developers just isn't appropriate for overwhelmingly obvious reasons.

I'm sorry if that offended you. I meant to imply sarcasm/cynism.

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Original post by jpetrie My advice to you would be to keep in mind that the tools you use are largely irrelevant. While you might learn the tools that are in use today or were in use a few years ago, don't place too much weight there -- instead, focus your efforts on the classes that are more theoretical in nature, and/or spend your time really trying to dig in to the why and the fundamental underlying concepts of the tools that you're being taught.

I totally agree. It's how you use the tools at hand with your knowledge of the subject that affects your work, and not what tools. Although it is important to understand how your software works, in the end it's only to help speed up the creation process.

Sometimes counselors do not know much, I would recommend asking the head of the degree you are in, at my college there is the department chair which runs the department. Then there is the dean of the cs and is degrees. We go to the department chair for software needs, our counselor is horrible and does not know anything. just a suggestion.

I wouldnt go crazy and buy everything wait a week after classes start to see what is really needed. Most of the time professors dont even use the books they posted for students to buy.

good luck, maya is so fun, get books at the college library on it to help you out. The rigging and animation part can be tricky.

In university (I have master's degree) they didn't teach using design/drawing/whatever softwares at all. I can only recall Matlab. A lot of students were angry about it, but I just didn't get it. We ad learnt these anyway.