Monthly Archives: November 2011

Train2Game news: Uncharted 3 director on story vs. gameplay

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Train2Game blog readers may see Uncharted 3 as one of the most impressive, story driven games on the PlayStation 3, but some out there criticise it for its linearity when compared with RPGs and other open titles.

Developer Naughty Dog has responded to those criticisms by stating the Uncharted series storyline is more important to them than gameplay.

“That’s not really our genre,” Uncharted 3 creative director Amy Hennig told Gametrailers. “We like those kind of games, as players and fans of other games, but for the action-adventure – especially the pulp-adventure genre – that doesn’t really make sense.”

“It’s about having a very clear, linear story arc that doesn’t allow for a lot of the dilution that is created by player choice in some cases. We always call it ‘wide linear’ – within the path that we give you you have a lot of choice within it, it’s not just hit this button, and this button, and this button.” she added.

Despite the tight nature of Uncharted 3’s story, the Train2Game blog has previously reported that Naughty Dog say they make up a lot of the game as they go along.

Train2Game students interested in how Uncharted 3’s script is written  and performed should check out this behind the scenes look on the Train2Game blog.

For more on games writing, check out the huge Train2Game blog interview with Deus Ex: Human Revolution writer James Swallow.

Away from game design, Naughty Dog believes the PlayStation 4 is needed for the next big leap in graphical improvements.

So Train2Game, what do you make of Naughty Dog’s comments on storyline being more important than gameplay for Uncharted 3?

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

[Source: Industry Gamers]

Train2Game and Epic Games to Host ‘Make Something Unreal Live’ at Gadget Show Live

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Train2Game and Epic Games have announced Make Something Unreal Live, an unprecedented event that’ll take place over six months and conclude at Gadget Show Live 2012.

The winner of Make Something Unreal Live will receive a commercial Unreal Engine 3 license for iOS.

Winners of the Train2Game and Epic Game Jam, happening November 4-6 at the University of Bedfordshire, will compete in the event next April. In both competitions, all games will be developed for iOS devices using Epic’s Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3 which has been installed on more than 1 million unique machines.

Following this week’s game jam, development teams will benefit from a six-month incubation period in which a range of senior industry veterans will nurture projects by reviewing key milestones, providing guidance and shaping scope. During this time, talent will prepare for the final showdown at the Gadget Show Live, where more than 100,000 attendees will watch them bring to life Unreal Engine 3-powered creations in real time.

“We are looking forward to working with Epic Games and Train2Game to bring a completely new element into the Games Zone at GSL 2012,” said Gadget Show Live Event Director Matt Hodgins.

“A huge number of our visitors are into gaming, and will undoubtedly be excited to see how new games are developed and brought to life at the event.”

“Once they’re out there in the real world, our students will flourish based on their ability to create fantastic experiences under pressure,” said Train2Game Course Director, Tony Bickley,

“This is one of the best opportunities they’ve had so far to prove themselves and create something they can be proud of that will springboard their burgeoning careers in gaming.”

“In a mere five days, these developers will kickstart their careers in an intense competition that will ultimately result in one team walking away a professional studio, with a full source Unreal Engine 3 license for iOS in hand,” said Mike Gamble, European territory manager, Epic Games.

Epic Games is known for its legendary Make Something Unreal Contest game development competitions, which utilize the Unreal Engine 3 toolset and reward grand prize winners with a commercial license granting full access to Epic’s high-end game engine technology. The $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest concluded in 2010, with multiple teams going on to release commercial games based on projects made for the competition.  Developed by grand prize-winning team KTX Software and published by THQ, “ The Haunted: Hells Reach” was released for PC on October 24.

Tickets for The Gadget Show Live are now on sale at  www.gadgetshowlive.net. For more information about this weekend’s Train2Game and Epic Game Jam, see the official website.

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

Train2Game news: New Skyrim trailer offers behind the scenes insights

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Train2Game students can get an exclusive look behind the scenes of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in an exclusive documentary that comes with the Collector’s Edition of the game.

However, those Train2Game students who won’t be able to get their hands on a collector’s edition of Skyrim can get a taste of the ‘Behind the Wall: The Making of Skyrim documentary’ in an extended trailer at the bottom of this Train2Game blog post.

The Bethesda team discuss various behind the scenes information about Skyrim, including the challenges of building such a huge open world title. Indeed, The Making of trailer reveals The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim features no less than 315 places to explore, a number that includes all of the exterior locations and all of the dungeons.

All of these need to be massively detailed because “you don’t know what the player is going to do”

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, the Skyrim Creation Kit will allow enthusiasts including Train2Game students to create their own content for what’s already a huge game.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, winner of the ‘One to Watch’ award at the Golden Joysticks, will be released for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on 11th November.

So Train2Game, does the prospect of a Making of documentary tempt you into purchasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collector’s Edition? What feature of the game are you most interested in?

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

Train2Game news: Guillermo del Toro – video games ‘One of the peaks of human narrative’

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Train2Game students, especially those who read our recent interview with Deus Ex: Human Revolution writer James Swallow, will be aware of how powerful narrative in video games can be.

Now, it isn’t only games industry veterans espousing the potential of games as a storytelling medium, but well respected film director Guillermo del Toro.

“Video games are no doubt the bridge to the future of genre narrative,” he said on the latest Irrational Games interview podcast.

“You’re not going to see the narratives of, let’s say, a [Pedro] Almodovar or an indie film maker wane; they’re going to stay, but big, genre, artistically-challenging, brilliantly-done storytelling.  Holy shit, there’s a lot you can do in games that you’d never even dream of doing in movies, or TV, or comics.”

“Films are fantastic. They are one of the peaks of human narrative. Now, and I’m sorry to break the news to the movie industry, but so is the video game.” del Toro added.

And the Pan’s Labyrinth director believes video games will improve massively within the next decade.

“The video game – not all of them right now – but the video games we’ll be playing in 2020 will be f***ing masterpieces,” said del Toro.  “Many masterpieces.”

He also discussed the differences between directing a film and directing a video game, arguing it’s only possible to produce the latter if you have a true passion for medium, a passion that all Train2Game students no doubt have!

“It’s not a medium where you are going to wander if you’re just an interested observer,” said Del Tero  “You have to be a gamer to completely absorb the possibility of narrative in games with their own f***ing set of rules. The mistake you have many times is you have a filmmaker who says ‘oh there’s money in video games, I’m going to go make a video game’. No.”

“You need to truly have a passion, and even a layman understanding of the medium or you will be completely pummeled by the process,” he added

The Irrational Games podcast featuring Bioshock Creative Director Ken Levine speaking to Guillermo del Toro will be of huge interest to Train2Game students and can be listened to here.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, del Tero is currently working with THQ on a three part video game series, Insane, due for release in 2013.

So Train2Game, what do you make of del Tero’s comments? Does it offer any encouragement to you as a Train2Game student?

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

[Source: Industry Gamers]