[SnowTroll]

Primordiax had a lot of potential, but it also seemed to have a few design flaws, at least in my limited opinion. It's probably good to iron out some of the kinks and get everything shipshape before opening it up again, but really, how comitted are you to opening a second mud? Threshold is already a robust mud. It's tough to make a second equally robust mud that's "different," especially based on the same world/mythology (but then the IRE people managed to repackage substantially the same game a few times, so why not?) I dare say most of the current Threshold players would tell you that if you come up with something cool, new, and different to add it to Threshold instead. Honestly, unless you're into a second mud on principle, I'd give it even odds that you're going to quickly determine that simple browser-based, Coin n Carry type games appeal to a much broader audience, and are a much bigger generator of company awareness and revenue, while mud players are a tiny crowd. If you really get into a second mud, three quarters of its players are going to be people who play your first mud, not new business.

Honestly, it's always shocked me (in a good way) that Threshold ended up making enough money for you to eat. It's a great mud, but there are a lot of good muds out there. Looking back, I think I've always underestimated mud players. Somehow, enough hardcore mud addicts part with enough optional money to pay your mortgage, feed your family, pay the rent on your office, and pay a few employees to boot. I don't care how many players a mud has, 10, 50, 100 dollars here and there from a small percentage of them can't possibly add up to enough to eat. There've got to be some absolutely sick people in the mix who've been computer gaming since birth, finally finished school and got jobs, and suddenly realized, "Hey! Now that I make 40-150k a year, I have thousands of extra dollars I'm not using to buy groceries or rent my apartment. Let's buff up the mud character I play each night when I get home."

Anyway, to Camlorn: I'm not a computer guy. I'm a patent attorney, actually, so I'm tangentially involved with the tech sector, just as a service provider rather than somebody who's actually useful at making things other people want. I'm really computer savvy and have a knack for picking things up quickly, but I never considered the industry and can't even program a webpage, much less a game. Honestly, both computer science and electrical/computer engineering are the places to be right now. Software and telecommunications are really big, especially wireless technology. Semiconductors are doing okay, too. Chemistry/chemical engineering are okay if you get an advanced degree and luck into a position with an oil company along the gulf coast, or with an electronics manufacturer who needs a chemical guy. Other engineering degrees (mechanical, aeorspace, etc.) depend on where you live and the companies around you. Mechanical is pretty widely accepted for most manufacturers. The biological sciences are worthless degrees, biochemistry, too, unless you get a PhD and luck into the right position with a university lab or a pharmaceutical company. Most of those are in the northeast.

As a CS guy, be flexible about location and relocate if you have a good opportunity. Everywhere in California, and a few hotspots in Texas (mostly Austin, but a few other cities) are great for computer people. But big companies have offices all over. If your grades are good and you get some dynomite internships under your belt, you want to go to a big, reputable company with decent insurance that matches a bunch of money in your 401k, and dig in your heels. Don't end up with some tiny, start-up, niche software company if you can help it. Half of those fail.