Monthly Archives: January 2012

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA 12 top again as two Zumba titles make top ten

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Train2Game students have got used to seeing FIFA 12 from EA Sports at the top of the charts, and it remains there for the fourth consecutive time in a week when two Zimba Fitness titles make the top ten.

It’s the sixth time FIFA 12, which as reported by the Train2Game blog was the UK’s third ever biggest launch when it was released,has taken top spot and it’s certainly not proving easy for any other title to dislodge it.

Just Dance 3 moves up two spots to No.2, with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim also raises two to take No.3 Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 slip to No.4 and No.5 respectively.

Zumba Fitness remains at No.6, while Zumba Fitness 2 enters the top ten at No.7. As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, Zumba Fitness dominated the charts last summer.

RAGE moves up one to No.8, and Train2Game students can read our interview with its Creative Director Tim Willits here on The Train2Game Blog.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations moves up one to No.9, while Need For Speed: The Run drops three to complete the top ten.

Ubisoft’s Kinect title Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012’ has been out since November but makes its top 40 debut at No.12.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 14th January 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA 12 (EA)
2. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
4. Battlefield 3 (EA)
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
6. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
7. Zumba Fitness 2 (505 Games)
8. RAGE (Bethesda)
9. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
10. Need For Speed: The Run (EA)

As Train2Game students will know, January tends to be a quiet period for the games industry, and there are no major releases this week.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on FIFA’s continued dominance? And what do you make of two Zumba Fitness titles inside the top ten?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track]

Train2Game student Fee Stewart on RTI FM

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Train2Game Art & Animation student Fee Stewart recently appeared as a guest on RTI FM to talk about Train2Game.

The mum of three told Postcard from Poprad about her experiences with Train2Game and what she’s been working on as part of a Train2Game student placement at award winning independent game developer Radiation Burn.

Train2Game students can listen to Fee’s interview here.

Fee also presents Train2Game student video diaries, you can see the latest right here on The Train2Game Blog.

As usual, feel free to leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on The Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Minecraft 1.1 update released

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Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft may have been officially released, but that doesn’t mean game development has stopped, with Mojang releasing update 1.1. for their hugely popular title.

The updates, posted on the Mojang Blog, include improvements to bows, new recipies, and sheep now being able to regrow their wool. Minecraft update 1.1 also fixes a number of bugs. It just goes to show that even when a game is released, the game design process isn’t finished.

Train2Game students can watch the video from Mojang below, which describes all of the new updates.

As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, Jen Bergensten is now Minecraft lead designer, having taken over from creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson last month.

For more about the indie sensation that is Minecraft, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Minecraft update? How important is it for developers to keep working on games, even after they’re released?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Concept art is “base of all gaming production” says Jagex Art Director

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Train2Game Art & Animation students who find work in the industry will see their concept art become an essential base to the whole game development process.

That can be taken from comments made by Jagex Art Director Pascal Blanche in an interview with Develop Online. Cambridge based Jagex are the studio behind browser based MMO RuneScape.

“I saw the role of concept art growing up during all those years, and becoming the base of all gaming production. It has become essential for game design, art design and production design as well.” he replied about the evolution of concept art’s role in game development.

Blanche also said the role of a game artist has evolved.

“Most concept artists now are used to creating speed-paintings and thumbnails to get a rough idea pretty fast.” he said.

“The needs of the production to an extent created the hybrid artists they’ve now become. Some concept artists are even good at storyboarding or illustrations, using other tools to create better and faster results such as Sketchup and Zbrush.” Blanche added.

The full interview with the Jagex Art Director is here on Develop Online, and it makes an interesting read for Train2Game Artist & Animators. It’s also accompanied by some fantastic concept art.

Click here for more information about the Train2Game Art & Animation course.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Blanche’s comments? Is concept art the base game development?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Develop]

Train2Game news: Sony believe 3DS sales show market for handheld consoles

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PlayStation VitaTrain2Game forum users are eagerly looking forward to the PlayStation Vita arriving in the UK next month, and Sony believe that despite it suffering a slow start to sales in Japan, there’s still a market for dedicated handhand consoles.

That’s despite others, such as EA’s Peter Moore, questioning their relevance due to the success of smartphones.

So why are SCEE so confident that the PlayStation Vita will be success? Because the Nintendo 3DS sold well over Christmas, despite a similar slow start at launch.

“One of the encouraging things about 3DS’ sales performance at Christmas is that it is confounding the naysayers who say that there is no room in the market for a dedicated handheld gaming device,” SCEE President and CEO Jim Ryan told MCV.

“And to that extent we were encouraged by how 3DS did over the last month.

However, Ryan doesn’t see the Nintendo 3DS, or the increasing rise of smartphones as competition for the PlayStation Vita.

“There are two distinct markets,” he said.

“The quality, the immersiveness, the richness of the experience that we believe we are going to offer on Vita, way exceeds anything that we believe to be available on any smartphone.” Ryan added.

As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, Sony are marketing the PlayStation Vita towards hardcore gamers.  “I believe if you care about games you’re going to want a Vita.” Sony Worldwide Studios European senior VP Michael Denny has previously said.

The PlayStation Vita launches in the UK on 22nd February.

Upcoming PlayStation Vita titles include LittleBigPlanet, which as previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, is being developed by UK studio Double Eleven.  Train2Game student Darren Price started a Train2Game work placement with the studio towards the end of last year, you can read his diary here on The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Ryan’s comments? Is there still a big market for handheld consoles? Are you after a PlayStation Vita?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: MCV]

Train2Game news: Dead Space 2 designer offers advice on getting into the industry

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Dead Space 2 Train2Game blog imageTrain2Game game designers should definitely be interested in this, as Dead Space 2 Combat & Control Designer Brian Bartram offers advice on how to get into the industry.

In an EA feature titled Breaking into the Industry, the Visceral Games man says experimenting with game engines and modding are great ways for aspiring game designers – such as Train2Game students – to practice their skills.

The Train2Game Blog regularly posts about the benefits of modding.

“The best advice is to give it a try. Download a game engine and try building your own levels, modifying existing games, and creating original content.” Bartram told EA’s The Beat.

“There are many communities online for people who are creating games of all types. Game engines like Unity, Unreal, Torque, and Panda3D all make good starting places.”

It was the Unreal Development Kit that Train2Game students used to produced games at last November’s Train2Game & Epic Game Jam.

The Dead Space 2 Combat & Control Designer added that creating user generated content – in using games such as Team Fortress 2, LittleBigPlanet 2  or Infamous 2 for example – is also a great way to gain experience with game design.

“Creating multi-player maps for games is another channel. Some games allow you to create “user generated content,” and I advise aspiring designers to give them a try.” Said Bartram, who also suggested designing board games is a good idea.

“ Another thing that many System Designers do in their spare time is create board games, card games, and other “analog games.” I highly recommend Stone Librande’s speech from GDC entitled “15 Games In 15 Years.” (Which you can read here)

Bartam’s advice is similar to that given to The Train2Game Blog by Red Faction: Armageddon game designer Jameson Durall in an interview last year.

It might be lengthy, but EA’s interview with The Dead Space 2 Combat & Control Designer provides an excellent behind the scenes insight into the industry. You can read it in full here.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Bartram’s advice? Do you produce your own user-generated content?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: EA]

Train2Game news: Free-to-play Ghost Recon Online will be AAA quality say Ubisoft

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Train2Game students will be aware that some see free-to-play games as somewhat controversial, or perhaps not as well developed as AAA titles.

However, Ubisoft believe that their upcoming free-to-play title Ghost Recon Online will change these perceptions. Train2Game students can apply to be part of the beta test here.

“As a player, it’s difficult for me to accept that business models are relevant criteria to judge the quality of a video game.” Ubisoft’s Thomas Seris told [a]list.

“Some MMOs switched from a subscription to a free-to-play model, so it’s purely a perception issue. Because of this, Free is sometimes synonymous with low quality products, games that publishers cannot charge for.” he said

“The real question is to understand how the free-to-play model is impacting gameplay. The development philosophy behind Ghost Recon Online is to ensure payers are not given a specific advantage over players. This is great, because the game is all about competition, and it requires fairness. As a consequence, Ubisoft Singapore is focusing on providing players with a great AAA Ghost Recon game, regardless of the way it generates revenue.”

“We simply won’t hide from our free-to-play nature and this message will be prominent in our campaign.” Seris continued.

He added that Ghost Recon Online would get the same PR push as any other title in the series.

“We’re also looking forward to leveraging a franchise history made of various memorable extremely well-reviewed games. Ultimately, the promotional support behind the game, the quality of PR and advertising assets, or just simply the type of campaign behind Ghost Recon Online will definitely be on par with a AAA boxed product campaign.” said Seris.

The Train2Game Blog spoke to Ubisoft about their upcoming title Ghost Recon: Future Solder at GamesCom last year. Find out more about it here on The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Ghost Recon Online? Will it be able to match the experience of a AAA title? And what are your thoughts on free-to-play in general?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Industry Gamers]

Train2Game news: Two UK studios nominated for Writers Guild of America awards

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Train2Game blog Brink imageTrain2Game students may be pleased to learn that two UK developed video games are among this year’s nominees for the annual Writers Guild of America Awards. As the name suggests, the awards are usually dominated by American games, but not this year.

Splash Damage Lead Writer Ed Stern is nominated for his work on Brink. You can find out how he wrote Brink in last November’s huge interview, right here on The Train2Game Blog. You can also listen to Stern speaking about games writing as part of a BAFTA panel here.

London based Rocksteady Studios win a nomination for their work on writing Batman: Arkham City, while Canadian studio Ubisoft Montreal is nominated for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

Mortal Kombat and Uncharted 3 complete the list of nominees for the awards which take place in Los Angeles on 19th February. The full list of nominations is below.

  • Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Story by Alexandre Amancio, Jean Guesdon, Corey May, Darby McDevitt; Multiplayer Story by Stéphane Blais, Richard Farrese, Jeffrey Yohalem; Lead Script Writer Darby McDevitt; Script Writers Richard Farrese, Nicholas Grimwood, Corey May, Jeffrey Yohalem; Greek and Turkish Ambient Dialogue Writer Vincenzo Beretta; Ubisoft
  • Batman: Arkham City, Lead Narrative Designer Paul Crocker; Story Written by Paul Dini, Paul Crocker and Sefton Hill; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
  • Brink, Lead Writer Edward Stern; Bethesda Softworks
  • Mortal Kombat, Story by John Vogel, Brian Chard, Dominic Cianciolo, Alexander Barrentine, Jon Greenberg; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
  • Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Written by Amy Hennig; Sony Computer Entertainment

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the WGA nominations? What does it say about British games writing?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or here on the Train2Game forum.


Train2Game news: Your chance to join The Settlers Online open beta

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to join the open beta for Ubisoft’s The Settlers Online, a browser based free-to-play strategy game set in the Settlers Universe.

The Settlers Online combines the game design of The Settlers franchise with new features designed specifically for a web based browser game.

The English language version of The Settlers Online European beta is now open, and interested Train2Game students can sign up via the game’s official website.

The Settlers is a beloved, enduring franchise which strategy players from all over the world enjoy and it’s exciting to be able to offer those fans a new way to interact with the Settlers Universe,” said Publishing Director Thomas Paincon.

“The success of the free-to-play model is very encouraging and with the rollout of the English language European Open Beta beginning today, we are very optimistic about the future of the Settlers Brand.”

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills. Not only that, but in an interview with the Train2Game blog, Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester Karl Tars said that beta testing is potentially a way to get into the industry.

The Train2Game Blog will be sure to keep you up to date with the latest beta testing opportunities.

So Train2Game, is The Settlers Online beta something you’ll be getting involved with?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on The Train2Game Forum.

Train2Game news: Bioshock Infinite creator Ken Levine on cutscenes in video game narrative

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Bioshock Infinite will be PS Move compatibleTrain2Game game designers in particular will know that sometimes, telling a story in a video game can be tough.

Many developers get around this with the use of cutscenes, but according to Bioshock: Infinite creator Ken Levine, if you need one to push the narrative of your game forward, then maybe you shouldn’t be telling the story at all.

“I don’t believe there’s any medium that doesn’t have its advantages and disadvantages relative to other media. You just have to play to the strengths of the medium as best as you can,” Levine told Gamasutra when asked about drama in first person games.

As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, the Bioshock creator has previously described first person games as the most immersive.

“I think what you lose in being able to pull the camera and show emotion, you gain in immersion, and you gain in mood”

“What you’re left with at that point is to then figure out what your strengths are in the medium, and making sure you leverage those strengths, and wherever you have to tell a story you say, ‘Okay, here’s a beat of story I need to tell. Here are the 15 tools I have to tell it, whether it’s animation, whether it’s something you write on the wall as graffiti, whether it’s a piece of art in the world, whether it’s A.I. talking to you in your ear, or it’s Elizabeth, those are the tools. What’s the best way to tell this piece of story?’

The Irrational Games boss added that game designers can’t make a game when they’re fighting against their toolset.

“And you sift through your toolbox and then find the best tool. And sometimes you go ‘Well, there’s no good way to tell that story. Maybe I should tell a different story.’ Then you change the story so it fits your toolset better. Whenever you find yourself fighting against your toolset, you’re not going to win that fight.”

Levine was speaking to Gamasutra as part of a huge interview about Bioshock: Infinite which many Train2Game students are sure to find fascinating.

There’s plenty more news about Bioshock: Infinite right here on The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Levine’s comments about narrative in video games? Is he underestimating the power of a cutscene?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Gamasutra]