yeah, why just not make it clicketyclick through all the images without any layers gimmicks etc... a 5/12 etc number indicator would be good if it's super-easy to code though, since then it's easier for you to go back to a good image if you remember the number. 

Great idea! But I guess I won't have the time to make any new maps this year. I will become a father in few days :) 

Congratulations! :) 

until it happens :) 

Just had a look at Than's portfolio page.

Absolute rubbish, I would call it a triumph of form over function, except the form itself is pretty bland. The only thing that could make it worse is using F***h.

There are many things wrong with it as people seem to be pointing out, but the most prominent ones for me were:

- too big, horizontal scrolling, unneccessary vertical scrolling.

- blanking out the usual link destination in the IE window.

- menu items all over the page.

- no idea where the links are going

- no indicated order to the portfolio

- no information provided

Basically I was clicking on links with no idea whether I was being taken to a same-game map, a different-game map, a set of screenshots, a map page, a game page, a download link or anything. You seem to have designed it to be as user-irritating as possible, well done ^_^. 

I liked the page... 

You could get Vondur to design it. 

Environment art - you mean its not the geometry used in game maps? Cause from shots rouge leader maps look more like ~2-5k poly

If its game-related works portfolio, would make sens to provide pics of how it actually looked in game, not just the mesh. And did anybody mention your site is a dilup killer?

AFAIK some ppl like Sniper Elite, cause oddly enought humans like to errm... snipe.
But hero dressed as nazzi (but not German?) killing Soviet soldiers in Berlin? It like a game by neo-nazzis or what. 

maybe it shouldn't be hidden, but if you click on the main image, it goes onto the next one, regardless of set, so you can navigate the whole lot by clicking the main image until you get to the end.

The similar shots are there because 1. I like them and 2. The first few shots are supposed to be how the player enters the wreck - maybe I should put a shot of inside the engine that the player walks through to make it more obvious?

The image number idea is a good one. Maybe I will see if I can quickly put that in, along with the ability to open the image in a separate window, and made it more obvious that you can go through all the images just by clicking on the main one.

By the way, Blackdog, I read that page you linked and after making the changes earlier I think that have followed almost every rule written. Seriously. It's not as badly designed as you think considering the purpose of the site.

There are improvements, sure, but I think it's a good start, and I don't need to change it too much. If it doesn't help me get a job, then I'll make a new one, and be more aware of all the suggestions people have made for this one.

Anyway, thanks for the comments, everyone. Your responses have been really helpful.

Ankh: Well give that kid a keyboard and mouse! Teach him or her to map! I wonder how truely awesome someone could be at mapping if they started before they could walk.

Hmm, then again, imagine how antisocial they might turn out.

Anyway, good luck with the birth. 

Good then, if people viewing that site already have your resume, then it makes sense to omit it there - also the precaching is not a big deal then, since the ppl visiting that site will most likely have a big-ass connection in their offices.

Best of luck with your applications! 

The shots of Rogue on the net are ANCIENT. I'm surprised that Rebellion haven't released a few more. Anyway, some of the maps look higher detail than others. There is a map in a forest that is afaik 50k+ polys on screen for the env alone.

We used to have really stupid poly limits on Dredd (4-8k polys, which used the same engine, but a much older version of it. These days the tech at Rebellion is actually pretty decent, and the tools are REALLY good (if you like Max for modelling).

As for sniper, I found that occasionally it is ok, and at least the sniping aspect is quite satisfying, but overall it feels really second rate and devoid of polish.

Graphically it is horrible, although there are one or two nice areas and touches in the game. 95% is really quite hideous though :( 

now make site flash-based

just to piss off shambler :) 

I didnt know ps2 can chew that much
atleast most ps2 games look fairly low poly 

I forgot to reply to your comments about my stuff.

1. No in-game pics because I don't have the games I worked on, and in some cases I don't have the textures for the mesh I created. Rendering and photoshopping at least makes the images look good (imho).

Also, have you SEEN some of the games I worked on? Seriously, do I want to put images like that on my portfolio, or do I want to make the images look nice and presentable. Also, I think highlighting the work that I did is easier this way, since if I take a shot from the game, there is a lot of art that I didn't create.

Anyway, the wireframe images are there to hide the max+ps flash and show the stuff that I actually made at work, as well as showing that I can actually build tidy and efficient mesh.

2. Yes, it's a dialup killer, but it's intended to be looked at by people who are working in offices with fast connections. It's possible to hit stop and continue to browse the site normally, with each image loading as you navigate through them. I just wanted to minimise the delay for the people that will actually be considering employing me. 

god, I am really spamming this thread today. Sorry...

Some ps2 games look amazing. I don't know if this is because they have great tech, or just really good assets. The PoP games for instance, and God of War are examples that spring readily to mind.

PS2 can push a lot of polys, but it has very little memory, so you can't texture those polys with many textures. Either that or you can't have large textures. 

Pretty much what everyone else said about the portfolio - a bit big, it's rather overdesigned, simpler would be better. Not that I can talk because mine is certainly a big pile of overdesigned arse and badly needs rebuilding, as well as updating.

Where are you going to be applying for jobs by the way, back in the UK or in other exciting parts of the world? 

Did you overlap with Matt Newport at rebellion? Small world and all that. 

Regarding your assertion that most people are on high-res desktops, I think you're right. However, I also think most people don't run their web browsers in fullscreen, unless their desktop is 1024x768 or lower. 

Nearly everyone I know runs their browsers fullscreen, including myself, even at 1600x1200 or 1280*960/1024 and such. 

but here are the Quaddicted stats:
1024x768 45.79%
1280x1024 34.36%
800x600 6.85%
1152x864 5.33%
1600x1200 3.49%
If that helps you.

I like plain portfolios. Metl's is perfect for example. Just one site with all the info on it. 

Travail was announced at the last QExpo and with 8 months to go, it would be sweet to have our mod released. Much work is complete and the momentum is strong on this project. 

Hello my once-every-33-people brothers. 

I don't. Never. The only program I run in fullscreen is my IDE. Yeah. 

I run Opera full screen most of the time, and my res is pretty high (1920x1200, as I am always bragging).

I have the sidepanels visible most of the time, although this is to take up a the extra space for widescreen, because there certainly aren't many websites designed with that in mind.

Answers to questions:
Shallow: First Japan, then the UK if I can't get a job here. Might talk to the gf and see what she thinks of going to the US, since there are a lot of good jobs going there, and the pay is better, cost of living lower (like, what the fuck?)

MWH: No, I don't think so. I was there from October 2002 until June 2005 and don't remember that name. There was only one other Matt I remember, and his surname was not Newport. Was he a coder or artist? Did he work at Rebellion or 2000AD? 

Ok, I finally stopped pissing about with that damn portfolio and just applied for a job. I sent the link to the portfolio in the email, and I hope to god that the damn site works properly now.

Anyway, I added the ability to shift click an image and open it in a new window. I got fed up of messing about with it after that, so that's all I did.