Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game News 2015 Women in Games Conference

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The fifth annual European Women in Games (WIG) Conference is to take place on Wednesday 2nd September at the University of Westminster. The conference continues to grow in both size and stature and this year’s event is expected to be the biggest yet.

As in previous years the day’s conference will comprise a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and the European Women in Games Hall of Fame Awards. The line-up of speakers and panellists will reflect the diverse talent that exists in the games industry. This year the focus will be on acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to get an entry-level position and for career progression in the games development industry. Speakers confirmed so far include Andy Payne Chairman of Ukie, Vicky Smalley CTO Small Jelly and Claire Tavernier Owner and MD StoryTech Life.

Women in Games is committed to ensuring that the conference is  as accessible as possible and therefore early bird ticket prices have been set at £50 to open it up to as many delegates as possible. Full price tickets will be £95. In addition the organisers are keen to stress that this is an inclusive event and male delegates are equally very welcome.

Women in Games has also had a makeover with a new logo and dropping Jobs from its title.

Announcing the conference details, CEO Jenny Richards-Stewart said “This year’s conference programme is shaping up to be our best yet, in terms of content which will help delegates’ fast track their careers in the games industry. We wanted to focus on practical subjects and have also introduced workshops covering the main disciplines of games development. As always we have tried to keep the ticket prices as low as possible so that it is within the reach of students, entry level delegates and those working for small start-ups and Indies. I am looking forward to revealing more details of the conference programme in due course. We will also be announcing some exciting initiatives from Women in Games over the next few weeks.”

For further details about the conference and to buy tickets please visit www.ewigconf.com

Train2Game News Big Data VR Challenge winner

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The winner of the Big Data VR challenge has been announced after they aided thousands in Bristol using virtual reality technology.

Epic Games, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, a biomedical research charity based in London, has concluded the Big Data VR Challenge, awarding $20,000 to LumaPie.

This international team created a VR visualization of study results of environmental and genetic factors that have shaped the development the lives of more than 14,000 residents of the city of Bristol. The Big Data VR Challenge brought together five teams over four months, resulting in an amazing combination of science and 3D design in virtual space, powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4.

“We thank all of the developers and researchers who dedicated their time and expertise to this competition,” said Epic Games Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. “This combination of hard science with the type of 3D development normally seen in the video game world will hopefully inspire new ways for visualization of data to evolve as VR becomes a part of our everyday life”

The Big Data VR Challenge brought together a large group of international developers and researchers for an incredible competition, using Unreal Engine 4 to unlock new ways to manipulate and interrogate the huge data sets that are now generated by many scientific studies. The goal was to give researchers the unique ability to manage, manipulate and effectively present huge amounts of data in real time, a problem that has been confounding the science community for years. While the Big Data VR Challenge has concluded, this effort marks the beginning of scientific advances that will continue with collaborations between Unreal Engine developers and leading-edge researchers.

“All the teams created solutions that address the hurdles of analyzing large data sets in new and ingenious ways,” said Mike Gamble, European Territory Manager, Epic Games. “LumaPie in particular have built a brilliant VR application that solves the challenge. They kicked it into the goal.”

LumaPie is made up of the creative studio Masters of Pie and 3D software development consultancy Lumacode. For ALSPAC Children of the 90s data, the team successfully created a fully functional, scalable VR visualization for the world-leading study, exploiting the advantages of both Unreal Engine 4 and VR to create an immersive environment built from the data itself. Within their end-to-end solution, users have full control with the VR space, intuitively interacting with and manipulating the data to aid research, whether working alone or with several others via multi-user support.

“LumaPie has delivered an interactive simulation with tangible outputs that can be applied and adapted to other studies as well. The results of this challenge are what we were hoping for and so much more,” said Iain Dodgeon, Creative Partnerships Manager at Wellcome Trust.

Additional research initiatives addressed by the four-month competition include the Casebooks Project, which examined 80,000 medical records taken four centuries ago, and genome browsers, by way of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. The other teams and projects included:

·         HammerheadVR on genome browsers — Hammerhead’s project compared fruit fly and human DNA, overlaying genomes in VR to show how the same genes across the two species can be mapped to discover which genetic markers potentially cause cancer

·         Skip the Intro on the Casebooks Project — Skip the Intro created a calming and colourful solution for the Casebooks Project, guiding the user through interactive tunnels of light that illuminate connections and patterns.

·         Pi and Power on genome browsers — Pi and Power presented an intuitive way to interrogate genomics data through the use of head tracking, using motion to produce colourful patterns that correspond to variations of genetic parameters.

·         Opaque Multimedia on ALSPAC Children of the 90s — Opaque Multimedia built a shared, collaborative environment utilising virtual librarians (or “data buddies”) to analyze data from the Children of the 90s genetics study.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 20.07.15

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Rory McIlroy PGA TourThe petrol heads have been beaten by the golf lovers this week in the charts as Rory McIlroy PGA Tour has taken the number one spot. The only other new edition to the charts is God of War 3 remastered which is number nine.

All formats

Week ending 18 July 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 RORY MCILROY PGA TOUR EA SPORTS –
2 F1 2015 CODEMASTERS 1
3 BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 2
4 LEGO JURASSIC WORLD WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 3
5 – GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 5
6 DESTINY ACTIVISION 10
7 CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 9
8 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 4
9 GOD OF WAR III: REMASTERED SONY COMPUTER ENT. –
10 THE WITCHER III: WILD HUNT BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT 6
11 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 8
12 FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 11
13 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 7
14 FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 17
15 – HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION MICROSOFT 15
16 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 19
17 DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY 13
18 DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
19 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 20
20 FARMING SIMULATOR 15 FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE 14
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2015 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Indie Game Making Contest Celeb Judges

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The Indie Game Making Contest (http://contest.gamedevfort.com), whose prize pool is connected with the Humble Game Making Bundle (www.HumbleBundle.com ) is ready to announce both new products in the bundle and the addition of critically acclaimed Extra Credits (https://t.co/6fxGray4c4) as celebrity judges for the event. So put on your developer hat and enter to win thousands of dollars across 21 or more prizes!

The success of the bundle, which has passed 1 million in gross sales, has unlocked new software including Play Canvas and Pro Motion 6.5. Not only does each bundle purchase help charity, but a percent of the developer cut goes to the contest as well, making the prizes higher every day. The grand prize at the midway point currently stands at over $20,000 USD, in addition to non-cash benefits such as promotional and production aid by Degica, whose sponsoring the event.

In addition to these great prizes and charities, Daniel Emmons joins the panel of guest judges. Daniel is part of the Extra Credits team, focused on the acclaimed Design Club, which hosts a twitch live stream event 4 times a week at http://www.twitch.tv/extracredits in addition to their work on the main Youtube Channel at https://t.co/6fxGray4c4. Daniel joins Ed Greenwood, author of Forgotten Realms, ex-fragdoll Kimberly “Sabre” Weigend, and last year’s winner, Team Isolation, creators of Remnants of Isolation, which is available on Steam at http://store.steampowered.com/app/360010/.

So get involved! Head over to www.HumbleBundle.com , get all the goodies you need, and enter the IGMC at http://contest.gamedevfort.com/ for your chance to win big prizes and free promotion of your games.

Train2Game News World Cyber Arena brings eSports to Europe

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The World Cyber Arena, an international organizer of eSports tournaments, today announces their entry into the European market aiming to strengthen eSports as a global industry.

Aside from the European qualifier, the WCA tournament is also holding qualifiers in the United States and China, with the finals held in the Chinese city of Yinchuan.

Top European teams and pro gamers will compete in Heroes of the Storm, Warcraft III, Hearthstone, Dota 2, and Crossfire to fight for an overall prize money of sixteen million US Dollars.

The players will kick-off the tournament on July 21 in the online Pro Qualifiers to land a spot in the next tournament phase at this year’s gamescom in Cologne. At gamescom they will not only fight for the European prize money but also for their invitation to the finals in China.

The European Pro Qualifiers in Dota 2 and Crossfire will be held after gamescom. All matches of the EU qualifier phase will be broadcasted live from the Berlin-based studios of Freaks 4U Gaming.

Prominent commentators and analysts for all games, including Thomas “Khaldor” Kilian, Jökull “Kaldi” Jóhannsson, and Jannes “Neo” Tjarks will be part of the production.

Gamers and fans can follow the matches on their home screens via Twitch TV or in person at the official gamescom WCA booth in hall 5.2, booth A-019.

Train2Game News Humble Game Maker Bundle

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Axis Game Factory is pleased to announce it’s involvement in this summer’s Humble “Game Maker” Bundle that is currently running and will commence on July 21, 2015.

As a powerful development suite of software, AGFPRO is featured with six of it’s products in this year’s promotion and is participating in the Indie Game Dev Competition that is open to anyone from now until August 7, 2015. The Grand Prize pool continues to grow and is based on the total sales of the Humble “Game Maker” Bundle in addition to many other prizes for a variety of categories and genres.

AGFPRO is the ideal game creation software and is a comprehensive toolset, designed to provide game developers and enthusiasts alike with a powerful and rapid level creation, terrain and vegetation editing, lighting and atmosphere system that puts the power to create in anyone’s hands. AGFPRO is stand-alone, but also works seamlessly with the Unity 5 game engine, to allow developers the ability to sell a commercial product.

The Axis Game Factory products included in this massive promotion include the main application, AGFPRO v3.0, Premium, Voxel Sculpt DLC, Drone Kombat DLC, Zombie FPS DLC and the latest Zombie Survival Pack DLC. All of the add-on products expand the users player experience, allowing the option to either make casual and fun games that users can “Build, Play and Share” with friends or to take their creations into Unity and commercialize on their own.

The Humble “Game Maker” Bundle includes a huge array of products that include game creation software, DLC’s, add-ons, music, games and coupons/credits that total almost $2,000.00 USD in retail product. Gamers are encouraged to “get their gaming on” and make an original product based out of the many tools offered in this “pay what you want” bundle.

The contest can be found at http://www.contest.gamedevfort.com and will be judged by a variety of industry veterans and celebrity judges. Led by game publisher, Degica’s Global Director, Mitchell Scott, he adds, “Last years inaugural Indie Game Making Contest was an incredible success with a grand prize of $10,000 and over 800 entries. This year the prize is even bigger as it’s tied to sales of the Humble Game Making Bundle. It’s currently at $16,500 (and counting). We’re very excited to see what everyone comes up with for this years contest!”

Axis Game Factory’s AGFPRO, it’s suite of seven (7) DLC’s and latest stand alone application, GeoVox, empower developers to rapidly create game maps, sculpt terrain and design levels quickly and easily. With over 500 assets pre-stocked in the warehouse, along with 28 pre-set themes and simple maps, users can begin creating levels in literally minutes, making it the perfect software for any professional or gamer that want to start creating amazing game levels without having to program, model or animate. And by using stand out features such as “Scene-Linking” allow users to connect levels and expand their worlds together, “Co-op Collaboration” for up to 8 users in Premium, and using the “Game Packager” instantly allows users to share their creations as an .exe file and send to anyone to play for free makes this software suite a must-have in this expansive Humble “Game Maker” Bundle!

Train2Game News PLAY it! Manchester 2015

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Get your game face on this summer at the Museum of Science and Industry’s first ever gaming event, featuring some of the most popular video games of the past 30 years.

Running from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 9 August, PLAY it! Manchester – in partnership with leading gaming specialists Replay Events – is a hands-on celebration and immersive gaming experience for fun-loving visitors young and old alike.

From Pong and Pacman to Minecraft and Halo there is a game to suit beginners and experts, dads and daughters, multiplayers, retro fans and everybody else in between. Over 120 games and consoles are available to play during each 90 minute pre-bookable gaming session, which run at set times throughout this family friendly 16 day event.

Split into 6 different zones, featuring the most loved and popular games linked by theme, content and brand – from Minecraft, Atari and Lego to Wii, Megadrive and Nintendo, PLAY it! Manchester offers a unique opportunity to experience the very best in contemporary and retro gaming culture within the museum’s historic Great Western Warehouse, part of the oldest surviving passenger railways station in the world.

PLAY it! Manchester also plays tribute to Ocean Software, one of the most recognisable names in gaming. Established in Manchester in the 1980s, this globally renowned software development company are responsible for some of the world’s most iconic games produced for the Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga & ST, SNES and Mega Drive. A selection of these family favourites will be available to play throughout the event.

Visitors are also invited to experience life in the 1980s computer room, and take part in fun challenges, from freestyle BASIC programming to classic fondly-remembered educational games such as Granny’s Garden and PODD. Never before has a career in STEM, science technology, engineering and maths, promised so much fun.

Whether you’re a family dropping in for a 90 minute session, a seasoned gamer making the most of PLAY it! Manchester’s full-day pass, or a night owl visiting the twice weekly adult-only evening sessions, there are plenty of opportunities to test your skills, show off to your kids or play something new for the first time. So come along and PLAY it!

PLAY it! Manchester runs from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 9 August at the Museum of Science and Industry as part of the museum’s summer programme.

PLAY it! Manchester is recommended for ages 6 +

Tickets are available to book now via www.mosi.org.uk/playit .

Subject to availability tickets may also be available to buy at the museum on the day.

Train2Game News Gamepedia shows huge PC growth

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The Gamepedia website has become home to a bastion of information for all types of games, including several blossoming Kickstarter titles.

With over half a billion people playing games on a daily basis and over three billion hours of video games being played every week—it’s no surprise that Gamepedia has over 20 million unique visitors each month.

Diehard PC fans want to show their passion for titles like Minecraft and creating online wikis help them reach that larger target audience of dedicated gamers. Minecraft has not only claimed the title of one of the most popular PC game available to date-but done so with no money spent on advertising or backing from a publisher. The popular sandbox title has now sold over 20 million copies worldwide and that number continues to grow steadily each day.

Ben Robinson, Wiki Director for Curse stated, “The great thing about the PC market is the accessibility for developers. Anyone with a PC and some free software can create a game and share it. While Sony and Microsoft are making strides to change this in the console sphere—they are still years behind. This accessibility allows for extremely innovative and unique creations.” 

As PC gaming continues to flourish, Gamepedia’s Wiki Directory becomes more expansive. For example, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft expansion Warlords of Draenor increased the game’s subscriber base to 7.4 million, and the World of Warcraft Wiki has grown to over include 317,106 articles on game features, lore, and in-game item information. With Minecraft’s rapid growth, there are over 38,866 articles on the Gamepedia Minecraft Wiki. What does this mean? That PC games continue to see explosive growth which is evident by the rapid increase in the number of wiki pages on Curse’s Gamepedia.

In addition to gaming news and information, Gamepedia hosts exciting contests, promotions, and giveaways. This week, the introduction of the Official Mad Max Wiki is being celebrated with a pre-order giveaway on social media, where Mad Max fans using the hashtag #MadMaxGame will have a chance to win one of three game pre-orders. To stay up-to-date on future giveaways, as well as the latest wikis and gaming news, visit  the official Gamepedia website.

Train2Game News Interview with resident Iron Man

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In recent weeks Train2Game has been documenting Sheldon Gilman’s pursuit to create the ultimate Iron Man suit.

He’s working on a collection of costumes and hopes to create a pair of Iron Man costumes for next year’s MCM Expo.

This week Train2Game caught up with Sheldon to hear more about the man inside the costume, including his professional and personal ambitions. 

Please tell us about yourself?
“My name is Sheldon Gilman, I am 35 and currently live in a small village called Redbourn in Hertfordshire with my wife and one year old daughter. I was originally born in Jamaica and moved to England with my parents when I was six months old. We lived in south London till I was seven then moved to Luton and now I live in Redbourn with my Wife and daughter.”

“I should also mention it was my very patient, loving and understanding wife who initially got me interested in cosplay and is constantly having to dodge Iron Man parts and tools that are all over the living room.” 

What cosplay does your wife enjoy, do you have photos of you both in cosplay?
I haven’t quite convinced Parveen to dress up yet but that’s soon to change as she’s told me she “MAY” consider dressing as Pocahontas next May. 

What is your regular job?
“I work in the IT department at Aldwyck Housing Group. A housing association.”

How much does the suit cost to create?
“Well I’ve never kept an accurate tally of how much it cost but my last suit was in the region of £200. This current suit, so far has cost me around £400 – £450 and there’s still more things I need to buy like electronics components and paint. However, when it’s completed, I expect it to have cost me £700 – £800.”

Would you ever sell a suit and if so, how much would one cost to buy?
“I definitely would sell my suits. I’d sell them in whole or in part (i.e. just the helmet) Prices would depend on detail. For a raw suit in foam, no paint, animatronics or electronics I’d say around £600 for a fibreglass suit all painted with full animatronics and electronics £1500.”

When will your latest suit be finished?
“I have set my finish date for May next year because I want both the Iron man Mk 20 and the War Machine to be completed for the MCM Expo in London where myself and a few others visit twice a year.”

Do you have a photo in the suit you at MCM Expo last year?
“I attached a pic of me with Rob Ledsom at MCM a few years back. I have to admit I haven’t worn this suit to MCM Expo time. I have also attached a pic of me in my Assassins Creed/ Jango Fett mash-up Costume.”

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What does your daughter understand of what you are doing?
“My Daughter Inara is very curious little monkey and likes to be involved in whatever everyone else is doing. My friends at Armour up have made her first costume to wear at her fancy dress party later this month.”
 

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What do you have planned in the future?
“I plan on getting a large shed built in my back garden this summer so I can create more costumes. I have many in mind like Sam Wilson aka The Falcon from Captain America – The winter Soldier, Heimdall from Thor, Batman – Arkham Knight Armour, Jager Pilot Suits from Pacific Rim and some crossovers too like Iron C3PO and Iron Tron. I will most definitely need help with some of these so I will be working with my younger brother and a very good friend of mine who is starting her own company called Armour Up.”

Would you see costume design as a future career?
“Very much so! The course I’m doing is useful, in that it’s showing me design techniques that speed up my design process greatly. However, as I am pretty much a one-man-band, production would be slow. I’m currently working on Iron Man mark 20 and War Machine simultaneously, and hope to have them finished by May 2016. I also have a Heimdall costume to make by May 2016 so I’m already a very busy bee.”

Which course are you studying with Train2Game?
“I am studying Games Artist and Animator.”

How are you finding the Train2Game course?
“The course is great! I actually started learning 3D animation on my own, watching YouTube videos and playing about with the different options in 3DS max but I thought it was time I got a qualification in the industry. The flexibility of the course has allowed me to continue working full-time, take care of my daughter all whilst studying to change to a career that I’d love.”

What are your thoughts on T2G?
“Train2Game have been a godsend. Courses of this type are very hard to find, As I work full time to support my family, I cannot afford to take three years out to get a bachelor’s degree from a normal university and no other university in this country has a program where you can study 3D animation totally from home, in your own time and get a portfolio as well as a recognised qualification out of it.”

Can you tell me more about your friend’s venture, Armour Up, and how you will be involved?
“I am getting James and Serena to write a few lines about what they do for you, but just briefly, they are both cosplayers. Alongside Serena’s regular job, she is an awesome seamstress and is very good at making period clothing. James and I both work for the same housing association but he is also a part time actor.”

“At the moment we’re just exchanging creative and business ideas and sharing expertise as I know nothing when it comes to cloth and Serena is eager to learn how to use the harder materials. James is the brains behind the operations and has good business head on his shoulders. He’s almost finished putting the Armour Up website together. I’ll update with more shortly.”

Further details of Sheldon’s project will follow on the Train2Game blog
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Train2Game News British Academy Games Awards 2016

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has today announced the call for entries for the British Academy Games Awards in 2016. The prestigious annual ceremony recognises and rewards the very best in games of the past year.

The 18 categories of the Awards encompass every element of games and highlight the accomplishments of the games industry over the past 12 months. Any game released in the UK is eligible to enter multiple categories within the Awards, a full list of which can be found on the BAFTA website, http://www.bafta.org/games/awards

Ensuring entry to the Awards remains accessible to all, developers and publishers may submit one free entry in the month of the game’s UK release. Games must have a release date between 1 January and 31 December 2015. The entry deadline is 9 December 2015.

Kelly Smith, Head of Television and Games at BAFTA, said: “This year’s British Academy Games Awards, held in March, was a great success. We broadened our categories to include Original Property and Persistent Game and we saw a broader range of winners than ever before. We are committed to celebrating the diversity and creativity of games as an art form, and we are proud to reflect such an innovative and fast-paced industry at our annual Awards. We look forward to the ceremony in 2016.”

The British Academy Games Awards will again be held at Tobacco Dock in 2016 where industry guests will enjoy a number of changes to the format of the evening, including the return to a more formal, sit-down dinner. Information on tickets will be announced at a later date.

For further information on the Awards and its rules and guidelines, visit http://awards.bafta.org/entry. Entries can be submitted here: https://entry.bafta.org