Monthly Archives: October 2011

Train2Game news: Blitz open registration for student open days

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Train2Game students could get the opportunity to attend Blitz Game Studios open days next year.

The studio has set the dates and opened registration for the open days at their Leamington Spa HQ which are “intended for anyone who wants to work in game development” and will take place on March 2nd, 23rd and 30th 2012.

Train2Game students interested in attending a Blitz Open Day will have to apply via the official website and follow a series of instructions.

Anyone interested in attending will also have to submit an example of their work, following the relevant briefs depending on whether they’re a game designer, game developer or game artist & animator.

The closing date for submitting applications in 9th January 2012, so there’s some time yet.

“Not only are we offering students from many different disciplines the chance to visit a successful games studio and talk to real game developers about what they do and how they do it,” said Blitz senior events and education coordinator Kim Blake.

“It’s also a great way to publicise the fantastic work produced by the creative industries in the UK and the importance of next gen skills to the UK economy.”

For more information about what the Blitz Open Days involve, see the official website.

Good luck to any Train2Game students who attempt to win a place at the event!

As usual, leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Modern Warfare 3 design tweaks – ‘most accessible’ Call of Duty

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Call of Duty has a strong following amongst Train2Game students, many of whom will be keen to hear how Sledgehammer – one of three studios behind Modern Warfare 3 – believe their game design tweaks make the latest offering most accessible title in the series yet.

“One of the things we did consciously was to use the levels in multiplayer and put them in Survival mode,” Sledgehammer Games general manager Glen Schofield told CVG.

“That was to try and create this bridge so that people who do play single player, who are maybe a little intimidated by multiplayer, will sit down with a buddy and play co-op and go ‘wow, that’s cool. I’m really getting to know this level. I get the upgrade system now, I get it all.’ And then they could jump into multiplayer.”

Schofield was asked if this meant Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was easier to get stuck into than previous games in the series.

“Absolutely. Then if you think about adding Call of Duty Elite to it, if you want to jump into multiplayer after you learn Spec-Ops and just use your friends list to play, then you’re given a higher level of comfort.” he replied.

“It’s one of the things we’ve been hearing: ‘I don’t want to jump into a game with a bunch of teenagers and get trash talked all the time. I want to actually have fun and get in there.’ And a lot of people like that type of gameplay, but we’re trying to make it so you can customise it for yourself.” the Sledgehammer general manager concluded.

Customisation appears to be a key theme of Modern Warfare 3, with the Train2Game blog previously reporting that game modes produced by Call of Duty Elite subscribers could be made available to all players.

Train2Game students can get a behind the scenes insight into development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sledgehammer’s tweaks to multiplayer game design? Will it help make Call of Duty: Modern Warfare more accessible? Do you welcome it?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: CVG]

Train2Game Blog gets new look & new features!

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To celebrate the redesign of the Train2Game blog, we’re offering Train2Game students a brand new feature that’ll allow you more interaction with us than ever before.

Train2Game students can now email their suggestions for blog posts, interviews and even their own personal stories to suggestionbox@train2game.com

If you’ve got an idea for a piece of news you think we should cover, or a favourite game developer you want the Train2Game blog to try and get an interview with, just let us know.

We hope you enjoy the new look of the Train2Game blog, and we look forward to bringing you even more excellent content in future.

Thanks

Danny P

Train2Game Blog Editor

 

Train2Game news: Sony – ‘Time still not right’ for download only consoles

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Train2Game students will be aware of the growth of digital distribution in the games industry, with games available to download via services including Xbox LIVE, PSN and Steam.

And while the Train2Game blog has previously reported that some believe future consoles won’t use discs at all, Sony don’t believe this will happen any time soon.

“We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right],” SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida told Edge in an interview about the PlayStation Vita

Sony officially revealed their new handheld console at E3 earlier this year.

Yoshida said that current internet connections mean that it’s not yet time for a console to go digital only. This is despite Sony attempting a download only console with the PSP Go.

“So we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform. Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection.”

Yoshida added that some consumers will appreciate being able to go to a retailer and pick up a physical copy of a game.

“Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.”

Sony are also aware that downloads haven’t taken off in every part of the globe.

“There are consumers in parts of the world – this is a global device – where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced,” added SCEE CEO Jim Ryan.

Last month, the Train2Game blog reported that Crytek don’t believe that the industry is ready for digital distribution via cloud gaming.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sony’s remarks about digital distribution? Can you see consoles going download only?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Edge via Industry Gamers]

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA 12 still dominating

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Train2Game blog readers saw FIFA 12 storm to the top of the charts last week, with a record breaking performance. And while it may not have sold as many copies this time around, FIFA 12 has still had the 13th highest ever weekly sales for a game in the UK and remains at No.1.

It means that RAGE from id Software debuts at No.2, with another new entry in the form of Dark Souls following at No.3. Xbox 360 exclusive and former chart topper Gears of War 3 slips down to No.4, with F1 2011 at No.5 having dropped two places.

Zumba Fitness continues to feature in the top ten, following a long spell at No.1 during the summer, and is at No.6 this week, one spot ahead of another former No.1, Dead Island.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution slips to No.8, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is No.9 for the third week in a row, while Resistance 3 climbs up three places to complete the top ten.

NBA 2K12 reaches No.12 in its first week, while El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron debuts in the top 40 at 39, a month after its release.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 8th October 2011 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA 12 (EA)
2. Rage (Bethesda)
3. Dark Souls (Namco Bandai)
4. Gears of War 3 (Microsoft)
5. F1 2011 (Codemasters)
6. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
7. Dead Island (Deep Silver)
8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix)
9. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean (Disney)
10. Resistance 3 (Sony)

Releases this week include PES 2012, Forza 4 and Just Dance 3.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on FIFA 12’s continuing success? Will it be dislodged by any of this week’s new releases? And have you been playing RAGE or Dark Souls?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Ch

Train2Game news: Gamers misunderstand meaning of ‘beta test’ say DICE

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Train2Game students – at least a few of them are – are likely to involved with the current Battlefield 3 beta, which a runs through to 10th October.

And while Train2Game students – especially the QA Testers – will understand that beta tests are an important part of game development, there filtering out bugs and tweaking gameplay, it seems gamers in general are less aware of this!

Some have criticised the bugs that have appeared while playing Battlefield, or the fact that’s only one map, but according DICE’s Patrick Liu, it’s because these people don’t get the reasons for an open beta.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding of the term ‘beta test’!” the Battlefield 3 producer told The Guardian.

“We ran the alpha tests with a rush map and we wanted to have some sort of reference so we could compare results – so we needed to have more-or-less the same map.”

“But we do understand the concerns that we didn’t show a conquest map, but we have demoed Caspian Border, and we did run a conquest map as a limited PC-only test.

According to Liu, one of the main reasons for the Battlefield 3 beta test is to make sure the backend systems work when the game is release.

“He just wanted to know it wouldn’t crash and burn at launch” he said.

“It was horrible with Battlefield 1943 – it sold ten times the numbers we thought it would, and it was down for three or four days which is really bad. We don’t want to go through that again.”

As reported by the Train2Game blog, DICE have stated that positive feedback from the open beta is helping them tweak the multiplayer aspect of Battlefield 3.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Liu’s comments? Do gamers misunderstand the meaning of a beta test? And have you been testing Battlefield 3?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game competition: Design Constructor #1 – October 2011 – Calling all designers!

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Train2Game Game Designers have a chance to win an Apple iPod touch 8GB – 4th Generation, plus a Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus iPod/iPhone speaker dock in the newest Train2Game competition.

We will need you to go to Student World to read the Terms and Conditions, they can be found in the ‘classroom section’.

The competition is to create the story and mechanics of an in-game character that is ‘extensible.’

Extensibility is a design principle where the implementation takes into consideration future growth. It is a systemic measure of the ability to extend a system (in this case, a character) and the level of effort required to implement the extension.

Extensions can be through the addition of new functionality or through modification of existing functionality. The central theme is to provide for change and evolution.

For full details about the rules and how to enter, see the competition thread on the Train2Game forum.

Good Luck!

Train2Game news: BAFTA announces new award categories for debut, online gaming and performing talent

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Train2Game students will be aware of the increasing popularity of online brower based games, which has seen industry giants attempt to grab a piece of the action.

Now BAFTA are set to recognise the importance of browser based games from next year, with Online – Browser one of four new categories for the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.

The other categories new for 2012 are Debut and Performer and Online – Multiplayer.  Debut will reward the best game from a new game development studio that releases its first title in 2011, with the idea of rewarding the work of new studios. Perhaps a Train2Game student could potentially win this one in future?

The Performer award will recognise “excellence in performance featured in a game,” which could include anything from voice work to motion capture.  Meanwhile, Online – Multiplayer will be awarded to “the best online multiplayer games experience,”

“BAFTA annually reviews its Awards categories to ensure they remain relevant and valued within the industry,” said Chairman of BAFTA’s Video Games Committee, Ray Maguire.

“Over the last year, we have witnessed the increased sophistication and popularity of online gaming, and so our two new Online categories will ensure the scope of creative work in this area is being properly recognised.”

“We are equally delighted to begin recognising the performance aspect within games, as we do for film and television, which further demonstrates the common ground between the industries.”

“Debut Game is another important addition this year, which reflects the changing game-development landscape and the rise of new, independent studios.” he added.

The GAME British Academy Video Games Awards will take place on Friday 16 March 2012. As reported by the Train2Game blog, Heavy Rain was the big winner at this year’s ceremony, taking three awards.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the new categories? And who do you think currently deserves to be nominated?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Behind the scenes of Batman: Arkham City

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Train2Game may be aware that Batman: Arkham City is released later this month. If early reviews are to be believed, the follow up to the highly successful Arkham Asylum from British studio Rocksteady looks to even more impressive that it’s predecessor.

Of course, developing Arkham City was far from a simple process and Game Director Sefton Hill has discussed some of the challenges.

“Creating Arkham City has been a tremendous technical undertaking.” he told Eurogamer.

Hill described down developing the title required an immense effort from everyone at Rocksteady.

“Our engine teams, optimisation teams, art teams and design teams have had to do a phenomenal amount of work to get this game to run and optimise it and run at a solid 30 frames a second throughout, while creating such a richly detailed city. So it’s definitely not easy.” said the Batman: Arkham City Game Director.

He praised the technical team in particular for doing a great job, doing whatever the rest of the team needed.

“Huge credit to the technical team, who said, look, we’ll make it happen. You design the best game you can think of and we will work hard to make that happen.” said Hill.

“Those guys did a phenomenal job with that. All credit to them because there are a lot of technical achievements in there we’d never done before and taken on.” he added.

Train2Game students can get an insight into the game design process behind Batman: Arkham City here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the work behind Arkham City? Is a game that you’re looking forward to?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer]

Train2Game student Fabiano Dias video diary No.2

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Train2Game student Fabiano Dias has posted his second Train2Game student video diary. In this installment, Fabiano talks about passing his first exam and gives us an insight into his course. He also discusses some of the challenges of the Train2Game Art & Animation course and offers advice to other Train2Game students.

Watch Fabiano’s latest Train2Game student diary on the Official Train2Game YouTube channel, or below here on the Train2Game blog.

See Fabiano’s first Train2Game video diary here.