Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game News SEGALives

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REZtron Ltd., have announced its move into London’s club scene with its first Friday night pop-up retrotainment at the most immersive (and sexiest) venue to date, BonBonniere club in the heart of Mayfair…

Guests will be transported into the sexy golden era of SEGA gaming, mixed with drinks, networking,music,sprites,vectors,polygons,3D,CRT TVs, projector screens, sexy LEDs and much more…all under the roof of a sumptuous Tron-esque nightclub for to indulge all of your senses…

The interior is inspired by the infamous Fabergé Egg which paints the perfect backdrop for a timeless, priceless and exquisite experience.The enchanted sweet shop will sweep you into a state of youthful bliss dusted with elegance.

Attendees will also be given the chance to entertain the crowd by showing off their gaming/music skills on the artistic electro-trance fuelled game Rez via the SEGA Dreamcast, whist standing inside a Fabergé Egg DJ Booth.

The LED fuelled retrotainment will take place on Friday 10th April,6pm til 11pm. The FREE tickets can be registered through Eventbrite.

It will be a night of 8-16-32-128-BIT retrotainment like no other…

Further details on REZtron’s upcoming events or for corporate bookings please visit  reztron.co.uk  or email logan@reztron.co.uk

Train2Game News Audio localisation software

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Tsugi is pleased to announce the release of Alto, a new software for game audio localization.

As games grow bigger and become more complex, the amount of dialog they require increases dramatically. Once localized, it is not rare for a game to ship with thousands or tens of thousands of voice lines. How to make sure that all these files are in the right format, at the right level and that nothing is missing, in all languages? Checking thousands of recordings manually is time-consuming and error-prone, when not impossible.

Enter Alto. Whatever your naming convention or file hierarchy is, Alto analyzes your localized dialog files and compares them with the reference language, reporting any mistake. Alto can also import the lines from an Excel sheet, or synchronize with game audio projects from middleware such as Wwise, FMOD and ADX2.

Not only does Alto check for missing or misnamed files, but it will also make sure that the audio format of each file is correct (sample rate, bit depth, number of channels), compare the average and peak loudness, the duration, leading or trailing silence of the files, and even the timbre of the voices!

Alto generates complete error reports and statistics (in XML, HTML, PDF or Excel format) that you can then give to your client or manager. Try it for free; you will not believe the time you will save, all the small (and sometimes bigger) mistakes you will find, and the peace of mind it will give you!

You can find out more and try your free trial at www.tsugi-studio.com

Train2Game News Student in Wales on Sunday

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A few days ago a story was posted about Train2Game student, Sean Kelly, who studies whilst protecting ships from Pirates. This story had now been picked up and published in the Wales on Sunday Newspaper.

You can view the newspaper article in the link below

Wales on Sunday T2G 2015 March

Train2Game News G-TECHEAD

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The world’s only rear-vision heads-up display helmet manufacturer, Reevu, are developing another world first: G-TECHEAD – a fully immersive sound, feeling and visual experience in a gaming headset. G-TECHEAD is a revolutionary development in immersive headsets.

With a decade of experience in pioneering the safe delivery of data to the near eye area in their motorsports helmet range, Reevu have decided to employ their expertise in other market sectors.

The G-TECHEAD is a fully immersive concept product that will enable the owner to insert their device into the helmet through its interchangeable carrier. The devices can then be viewed across the optical cassette, delivering high definition images to the curved mirrored visor in front of the user’s eyes, using their own visual systems instead of trying to replicate the phenomena with varying results. The invention overcomes the issue of having to use strong lenses close to the eye or the projection of light directly onto the retina due to Reevu’s patented binocular optical system that reflects the image over its focal length onto the wide-angle curved visor. The headset will create a fully immersive world with vibration, high definition sound and visual display, designed to fit within an encapsulated article of headgear. The environment will enable the user to game for periods without detrimentally interfering with the natural human interface, something that gamers will appreciate.

Markus S, head of development comments: “Safely  developing optical systems in helmets  has led us to understand that a number of other sectors could benefit from our expertise

“After reviewing videos of concept augmented reality designs that show  head-up display systems, we feel there is a better, safer way to reach that goal”

Extensive research into human interface visual systems has enabled the company to develop an un-paralleled understanding of the science.

Reevu are currently in talks with a number of tech companies about the development and are currently developing the prototype and media interest so that the project can be launched on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter for late summer 2015, with a proposed production date in 2016 and retail price of $299.

“This invention  will revolutionize  head-up displays,  so that they overcome  a number of problems that occur at the human interface.” – Graham Steele ,Director Reevu.

Train2Game News GDC 2015

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UBM Tech Game Network’s 2015 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event serving professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, has set a record for event attendance, with more than 26,000 game industry professionals at last week’s conference in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

In 2016, the Game Developers Conference will be celebrating a major milestone with the 30th anniversary of the event. The organizers of the event have announced that GDC 2016 will return to the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18, 2016, with a call for submissions to open this summer.

GDC 2015 saw a huge surge of interest and developer engagement with Virtual Reality (VR) devices and platforms, with huge tech and game industry players including Sony, Oculus, Valve and HTC showcasing new technology months, even years before the products hit retail shelves. Following its debut at GDC 2014, Sony again showcased its Project Morpheus VR headset, while Valve and HTC partnered to show off their new co-developed Vive Virtual reality system, which uses new tracking hardware to offer 3D positioning, allowing users to be fully immersed in a 3D virtual world.

GDC 2015 once again reflected the changing shape of the videogame industry, with a dedicated summit track for the rapidly expanding field of eSports with talks from Riot Games, Blizzard Entertainment, MIT Game Lab and many others. Tied to the theme of videogame spectatorship, GDC has also expanded its focus on Community Management, with a dedicated summit that included talks on building, supporting and maintaining an engaged and respectful online community for gamers.

The Classic Games Postmortems shined a light on the development and inspiration for some of gaming’s most groundbreaking classics, including the seminal Star Control, Yars’ Revenge, Adventure and Loom. The dedicated Advocacy Track of GDC once again shined a light on the need for civil dialogue and engagement, and how developers can deal with issues of harassment in their field. A talk titled “Game Developer Harassment: How to Get Through,” presented by Elizabeth Sampat, Zoe Quinn, Neha Nair and Donna Prior, offered first-hand accounts of online and real-world harassment, invasions of privacy, and described personal experiences coping with hostile threats. The provocative and emotionally cathartic #1Reasontobe session returned to present a powerful panel on what it means to be a woman working in the video game medium and industry, interrupted throughout by thunderous applause.

The Expo Floor in the Moscone South Hall exhibited some of the biggest names in the tech and games industry, including Sony, Google, Qualcomm, Oculus, Valve, Microsoft and nearly 350 other top companies offering product demonstrations, networking and recruitment opportunities. The Moscone North Hall, across from the Expo Floor, housed the GDC Play floor, with additional exhibitors and sponsors showcasing playable games and apps from emerging developers in a low-cost venue. These exhibitors will show off their games to key distributors, potential business partners and investors. GDC Play was inspired by the success of the Independent Games Festival Pavilion, and similarly offers a dedicated space where developers can conduct meaningful business at GDC.

Beyond the business of games, GDC once again offered entertaining spaces for attendees looking to loosen up and have fun. These spaces included the Videogame History Museum, which presented “The History of Atari,” alt.ctrl.GDC explored cool and unusual control methods in games (i.e. foot pedals, briefcases and telephone receivers). The Indie MEGABOOTH Showcase featured a curated selection of the best and brightest indie games of the past year. iam8bit Productions hosted the “Wheel of Whimsy,” a collection of four unique games played by one lucky attendee each hour –PIXLatr, Cheat Code, Videogame Bingo or Name That Chiptune, and GDC hosted “Shut Up & Sit Down: A Lovely Tabletop Lounge,” a dedicated space for participants to try out some of the most fun tabletop games of the year together.

On Wednesday evening, GDC 2015 hosted the 17th annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards and the 15th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs) on Wednesday night, March 4. Outer Wilds from Team Outer Wilds won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize award of $30,000, as well as the award for Excellence in Design.  The Game Developers Choice Awards immediately followed the IGF Awards, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s epic open-world action title, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, took home the prize for Game of the Year, alongside the night’s other big winners, Monument Valley (winner for Innovation Award, Best Visual Art and Best Handheld/Mobile Game Awards), Destiny (winner of Best Technology) and HearthStone (winner of Best Design).

“As with every year, GDC offered a glimpse into the future of gaming, but still honored the history of the industry. This year’s success is a testament to the hard work of the staff, volunteers, speakers, indies and students who maintained a fun and safe environment for everyone at the show. As the conference enters its 30th year, we reflect on the tremendous growth in the medium of video games, and we’re thankful for the friendly faces, engrossing debates and friendly discussions we’ve had along the way,” said Meggan Scavio, general manager of the Game Developers Conference. “After all the software and hardware demos, networking over drinks, and lively sessions, it’s good to meet with the people who bring life to the most popular form of entertainment in the 21st century, and to discuss how to make these amazing games even better in the years to come.”

More information on Game Developers Conference 2015, as well as the other GDC events throughout 2015 – including GDC Europe and GDC China – will be available at www.gdconf.com

Train2Game News UK Game Charts – 10.03.15

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dying lightA very quiet chart this week with Dying Light remaining at number one. There is only new game in the charts this week which is Sold Out’s Zombie Trilogy at number eight.

All formats

Week ending 7 March 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 1
2 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 5
3 FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 6
4 CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 2
5 DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE BANDAI NAMCO GAMES 3
6 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 9
7 THE ORDER: 1886 SONY COMPUTER ENT. 4
8 ZOMBIE ARMY TRILOGY SOLD OUT SALES & MARKETING –
9 EVOLVE 2K GAMES 8
10 – MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 10
11 FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 7
12 DESTINY ACTIVISION 11
13 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 17
14 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 19
15 FORZA HORIZON 2 MICROSOFT 12
16 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK 3D NINTENDO 14
17 DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY 16
18 SAINTS ROW IV RE-ELECTED/GAT OUT OF HELL DEEP SILVER –
19 THE CREW UBISOFT 18
20 ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY UBISOFT 13
< 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 EGX 2015 Tickets

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Gamer Network, the world’s leading network of independent video games websites and producer of the UK’s premiere video games events, today announced that tickets for this year’s EGX – powered by Virgin Media – will go on sale at 11:00 GMT (12:00 CET) on Friday 20th March.

Now in its 8th year, EGX 2015 – held at the NEC from 24-27th September – will be the UK’s largest ever games event with upwards of 80,000 attendees expected. A cornerstone of the video games calendar, EGX features high profile game announcements, playable PC, console and indie games, developer sessions from leading industry spokespeople, and the GamesIndustry Fair – where the next-generation of games industry professionals can find a career in this highly successful industry.

EGX is working closely with Yogscast in 2015. The famous YouTube creators will be bringing their signature personality to the event. In addition to meeting fans and producing EGX content, Yogscast will also be teaching budding YouTube creators the tricks-of-the-trade.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the UK’s number one games event”,  said Mark Turpin, CEO of Yogscast. “This year at EGX the Yogscast team will be producing extensive content, meeting fans and passing on our YouTube skill and knowledge”.

David Lilley, Managing Director of Gamer Events, added; “This year’s EGX will be the biggest games event in UK history, both in terms of scale and scope. For consumers this means over 1000 screens of playable games, a boatload of insightful developer sessions, upwards of 10 headline features such as Yogscast’s showing, eSports, cosplay and more. For exhibitors, EGX offers the perfect platform to engage with customers, announce products and showcase the latest game developments. We’re very excited about our new home at the NEC, which means EGX is now in the perfect location; the heart of the UK”.

Tickets will go on sale on the EGX website (www.egx.net ) at 11:00 GMT (12:00 CET) on Friday 20th March.

For the latest information and exclusive content and giveaway please visit, follow, like and subscribe to our channels:

EGX 2015 event website: www.egx.net

Train2Game News Rock Band 4

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Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today an agreement with Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. to launch  Rock Band 4, the next generation of the award-winning social and interactive music-gaming platform, later this year for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Mad Catz will develop and manufacture a new generation of wireless  Rock Band 4 music game controllers.  The launch products include:

-Band-in-a-Box Bundle, which includes the  Rock Band 4 game, a Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller, a Wireless Drum Kit Controller and a Microphone.

-Guitar Bundle, which includes the  Rock Band 4 game and a Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller. 

To celebrate the announcement of  Rock Band 4,  Harmonix are offering a special edition, Wireless Stratocaster Guitar Controller, featuring custom artwork of “Gabe” from the immensely popular Penny Arcade webcomic.  This limited-edition collectible is only available for on-site pre-orders at the Harmonix booth during the PAX East video game festival.

“We are very excited to bring the band back together, and re-team with Harmonix to deliver the next installment of the legendary  Rock Band franchise to a new generation of consoles,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz.  “Harmonix understands music gaming better than anyone, and we are confident that the unrivalled music selection and next generation features will prove incredibly enticing to passionate gamers and music fans alike.”

Daniel Sussman, Product Manager for Harmonix commented, “The creative energy and excitement at the studio right now is at an all-time high. We’re thrilled to have Mad Catz as an important partner as we move the franchise to a new generation of consoles, and we can’t wait to show our fans how we’re evolving the gameplay they love.”

Rock Band 4 brings the critically-acclaimed franchise to a new generation of consoles, focusing on the features and gameplay that people love, and expanding the franchise in innovative ways informed by how fans play and what they want.  In addition to a killer on-disc soundtrack,  Rock Band 4 will support the over 2000 tracks released since the 2007 debut of the original  Rock Band, accounting for more than 500 of rock music’s most legendary artists.

In addition, players who have purchased or downloaded music on last-generation consoles will be able to download and play those tracks on their new platforms at no additional charge.  Hundreds of tracks will be available at launch, with more back catalog music – and new tracks – added regularly after launch.

For more information on  Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems, visit:  http://www.harmonixmusic.com/games/rock-band/

Train2Game News FaceFX

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OC3 Entertainment, the leader in audio-based facial animation technology for the gaming industry, announces an integration of the FaceFX Runtime with Unreal Engine 4.

The combined solution will create a streamlined process for creating talking characters in Epic Games’ award winning engine and will be available free of charge for non-commercial projects and indie games. Interested developers can sign up at https://unreal.facefx.com to get additional information.

The FaceFX Runtime is an optimized playback engine for facial animation data and is currently in-use by several high-profile UE4 games. The integration, developed in cooperation with YAGER embeds compressed facial animation data generated by FaceFX Studio into the Unreal package system and plays it back in synchronization with recorded audio files.

The FaceFX Runtime will be available free of charge to non-commercial projects and commercial projects earning less than $500,000. A license to FaceFX Studio Professional ($899) will be required to generate the facial animation data.

“Some of the best developers in the world are using the FaceFX Runtime with Unreal Engine 4.” Says Jamie Redmond, CTO of OC3 Entertainment. “We are very excited that the same technology will be available to all UE4 developers regardless of size.”

Train2Game News Raptr colloborates with Intel

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Raptr, a leading provider of optimization utilities for PC gamers, today announced a collaboration with Intel to provide PC gamers worldwide who are playing on Intel Graphics-based personal computers with a suite of lightweight, powerful tools for improving the performance of their gaming hardware and software.

As of today, the Raptr application provides game optimization, hardware-accelerated gameplay recording and streaming, and automated driver detection for the more than half a billion PCs that include Intel Graphics technology released in the past three years.

“Our relationship with Intel brings us the resources and expertise to fulfill our vision of providing every PC gamer with the simplest way to have a fast, beautiful, hassle-free gaming experience,” said Dennis Fong, founder and CEO of Raptr. “This collaboration also increases our development, distribution and marketing capabilities and gives us the opportunity to expand both our user base and the services we deliver to them.”

“As a leading supplier of graphics to the PC market, Intel is excited to partner with Raptr to bring their best-in-class optimization technology to our users,” said Navin Shenoy, Intel Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Client Platforms. “Intel and Raptr share a common goal of making the PC gaming experience simple and fun for as many users as possible.”

Raptr’s unique approach to game optimizations starts with access to Intel’s and AMD’s internal, lab-tested performance databases, sampled from hundreds of the most popular games across a comprehensive range of system configurations. The application of machine learning and real-world telemetry data from the tens of millions of Raptr users’ PCs further refines the accuracy of recommendations, giving players instant, precise settings that unlock the full potential of their particular system configuration. Given the frequency of driver and game updates designed to improve game performance, this machine learning-driven approach gives consumers a solution that improves and evolves in real-time.

Furthermore, Raptr has added support for Intel Quick Sync technology, which enables users with Intel-based systems to record and stream video of their gameplay while minimizing the impact on system performance via hardware accelerated video encoding. Raptr’s gameplay recording technology allows gamers to easily capture and share video of their epic gaming moments in multiple ways – even after they’ve occurred – while maintaining the preferred framerate and resolution.

Through relationships with Intel and AMD, and additional support for Nvidia graphics hardware, Raptr now provides game optimizations, driver updates and ultra-efficient gameplay recording and streaming tools for nearly 100 percent of the global PC market. Raptr also disclosed that, based on data gathered from its tens of millions of users, nearly 90 percent of PC gamers worldwide are running their games at less than optimum performance settings.