Polyphony Goes on Hiring Spree (hints at AI improvment, etc)

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sems4arsenal

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Polyphony Digital has been hard at work on Gran Turismo 7, and looks like the studio is pushing on the gas of development, going on a veritable hiring spree in search of new talent.

The studio posted opportunity ads for thirteen new positions, including AI Engineer, Online Engineer, Graphics Engineer, Game Engine Development Engineers, Game Script Engineers, Sound Development Engineer, Data Engineer, Test Build Engineer, Pipeline Tool Development Engineer, Mobile Application Engineer, In-House Tool Development Engineer, Vehicle Simulation Development Engineer and Physics Engine Development Engineer.
We can also glimpse a few interesting facts from the specific ads themselves:
  • - Polyphony wants to improve the situational awareness of AI drivers, and their reactions to the ever-changing conditions of the tracks, giving there a more human-like behavior.
    - Implementing specific regulations for racing series like GT, rally and NASCAR is mentioned, also for events and “mission races.”
    - Polyphony plans to implement a tool to render audio based on 3D space infomation.
    - The studio plans to implement a companion app on mobile that can interact with the series on PlayStation via the network.
    -The studio is collaborating with production sites around the world, and needs to develop communication tools to make the process smoother.
    - The use of GPU compute for physics is mentioned.


http://www.polyphony.co.jp/recruitment/index.html

Discuss
 
Huks
Nothing new here. These positions have been open since July, we've already discussed them before. (Though I don't think the news ever made the GTP front page.)
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Edit: you might be correct, the NeoGaf thread has been today so can't be sure.
Also agree if they're still hiring a 2016 release sounds like a pipe dream.
 
I remember that being discussed before but couldn't remember where it was. Last PD job opening news was last November. These seem to be the same jobs that popped up a few months ago.
 
GTPorsche
I remember that being discussed before but couldn't remember where it was. Last PD job opening news was last November. These seem to be the same jobs that popped up a few months ago.
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Yeah done some more digging, these are from July

The new NeoGaf thread is wrong I think, probably should lock this thread now. apologizes
 
GTPorsche
Wouldn't say always. They hire at various stages of development to fit their needs at the time.
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sems4arsenal
True but not by that much, the gpu compute part is interesting, Mark Cerny said there is a lot of potential for those who master it.
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They probably try to hire before there's an actual need. It takes time to find good staff. Most likely they keep a list on the website of all the positions where they want to expand, and as applications drop in they'll review them and hire when appropriate. There are no application dates mentioned, so it's probably an on-going gradual expansion and not related to GT7 per se. In fact, the recruitment sites were updated in 2009 and 2012, which is a year before GT5 and GT6 were released, so the site being updated this year doesn't have to mean that GT7 is several years away.

They hired at least 25 people in the time between GT5 and GT6, if the ending credits of each of the games is anything to go by, and yet on the recruitment site at the time there weren't more than 5-6 positions listed.

empl3.png


The biggest difference between the recruitment site now compared to the past is that the positions are more detailed and better describe what they want you to do. In the past they wrote "Software developer", which could be anything from AI to website. Now it's more specific: "Mobile Application Engineer", "Game Script Engineer", "Test Build Engineer", etc. So this hiring spree may look bigger than it actually is, just from splitting a few big generic positions into several smaller and more specific positions.
 
Kaz doesn't pay attention to the fans. ;)

That meme has never been true, and with these hiring notices, it seems that he's taking our requests to heart. As derogatory as this place has been concerning so many areas in GT5 and 6, it seems that Kaz and the team have picked up the gauntlet, and intend to show us what they can do on a seriously powerful system.
  • Vacuum cleaner sounds - may be a thing of the past. Certainly they have improved a lot. How much more?
  • Lame bot A.I. - perhaps bots that resemble human drivers, at least to the degree exhibited in RaceRoom? We shall see.
  • Lame, unexciting, uninvolving events - specific regulations for racing series?? Many of us have been asking for things along these lines. I've been asking for single player events to include mini racing seasons - or maybe not so mini - from various leagues, including at least some of the regulations. This could go all the way from enthusiast level racing meets all the way to FIA pro racing leagues. This is what I'm hoping to see.
  • The physics just can't stand up to even older PC racing sims - modern GPUs have all kinds of processing capacity for things like physics. If the team intends to use every processing capability PS4 can offer to make cars in GT7 behave much more realistically, this could mean we might possibly see GT7 performing roughly on par with PC sims. Another aspect many of us have been wanting to see.
As eran0004 posts above, PD has tended to go on hiring binges at different times, but notably in the year before the release of a Gran Turismo, something I hadn't caught. It doesn't necessarily mean that GT7 is due by holidays 2016, but that is Kazunori's targeted end date. If they get ambitious, that date might slip, but when GT5 got a release date, it only slipped by three days. GT6 was right on schedule.

No matter how you look at this information, it can only mean good things for Gran Turismo and its fans. And maybe even some folk from around here. ;)
 
Tenacious D
Kaz doesn't pay attention to the fans. ;)

That meme has never been true, and with these hiring notices, it seems that he's taking our requests to heart. As derogatory as this place has been concerning so many areas in GT5 and 6, it seems that Kaz and the team have picked up the gauntlet, and intend to show us what they can do on a seriously powerful system.
  • Vacuum cleaner sounds - may be a thing of the past. Certainly they have improved a lot. How much more?
  • Lame bot A.I. - perhaps bots that resemble human drivers, at least to the degree exhibited in RaceRoom? We shall see.
  • Lame, unexciting, uninvolving events - specific regulations for racing series?? Many of us have been asking for things along these lines. I've been asking for single player events to include mini racing seasons - or maybe not so mini - from various leagues, including at least some of the regulations. This could go all the way from enthusiast level racing meets all the way to FIA pro racing leagues. This is what I'm hoping to see.
  • The physics just can't stand up to even older PC racing sims - modern GPUs have all kinds of processing capacity for things like physics. If the team intends to use every processing capability PS4 can offer to make cars in GT7 behave much more realistically, this could mean we might possibly see GT7 performing roughly on par with PC sims. Another aspect many of us have been wanting to see.
As eran0004 posts above, PD has tended to go on hiring binges at different times, but notably in the year before the release of a Gran Turismo, something I hadn't caught. It doesn't necessarily mean that GT7 is due by holidays 2016, but that is Kazunori's targeted end date. If they get ambitious, that date might slip, but when GT5 got a release date, it only slipped by three days. GT6 was right on schedule.

No matter how you look at this information, it can only mean good things for Gran Turismo and its fans. And maybe even some folk from around here. ;)
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Hearing this really restores my faith in Gran Turismo. Kaz has never been that dodgy, he's a sensible guy who has delivered on many promises (forget the course maker) and every game has been brilliant for me. I can see and feel the passion that has gone in to GT - no wonder why it's the most popular racer even with all this competition. Come on, that has to be worthy of something, right?
 
It sounds good that they're still looking to expand these departments. It raises my hope that they might actually have acknowledged the biggest downfalls of the last couple of GT games. Any racing franchise improving is good for fans, as it forces the others to continue improving too. Perhaps the realism of Pcars, and the fact that T10 have listened to fans and put night/wet races into FM6 along with an amazing car list, and the impending release on PS4 of AC, have all caught the attention of PD, and forced them to finally up their game, and stop resting on their laurels. We can only hope!

With that said, I got burnt so badly by the last two GT games that it'll take some solid proof of improvements to make me buy GT7 at release. I will no doubt buy it second hand if it looks like more of the same as the last two. I don't think I'll pre-order a GT game again unless somehow they pull off such an amazing game that it looks like it'll completely blow the competition out of the water, and I'm more than a little skeptical of that happening :lol:
 
Tenacious D
As eran0004 posts above, PD has tended to go on hiring binges at different times, but notably in the year before the release of a Gran Turismo, something I hadn't caught. It doesn't necessarily mean that GT7 is due by holidays 2016, but that is Kazunori's targeted end date. If they get ambitious, that date might slip, but when GT5 got a release date, it only slipped by three days. GT6 was right on schedule.
Click to expand...

The recruitment site being updated a year before GT5 and GT6 were released could just be coincidences. It doesn't have to mean that GT7 is scheduled for next year, but it also doesn't have to mean that it's not scheduled for next year. Basically, it doesn't have to mean anything.

It's possible that they do these updates to the site when they're about to start on a new project, so the 2009 update could be in preparation for the GT6 development and the 2012 update in preparation for the GT7 development. If that is the case, then the recent update to the site could be in preparation for GT8.
 
CLowndes888
Hearing this really restores my faith in Gran Turismo. Kaz has never been that dodgy, he's a sensible guy who has delivered on many promises (forget the course maker) and every game has been brilliant for me. I can see and feel the passion that has gone in to GT - no wonder why it's the most popular racer even with all this competition. Come on, that has to be worthy of something, right?
Click to expand...
Johnnypenso
Kaz Q&A Forum

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GT6 has a lot of flaws but i really like it. If PD uses GT6 has a base (wich is what they probably are doing) and improve from there then i'm confident that the next GT will be great. They have given us proof that they are indeed improving the sound department , so i assume that they are working hard on other parts of the game too.

I'm excited about the next GT 👍
 

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