Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game news: Dungeonland developer diary discusses ‘designing for cooperation’

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Train2Game students can get a look behind the scenes of Paradox Interactive’s upcoming co-op dungeon crawler Dungeonland, thanks to developer diary number one from Critical Studio.

Posted on the Paradox Interactive forum, the Dungeonland developer diary entitled ‘designing for cooperation’ explains what the team want from the game they’re making.

“When we design at Critical we start by answering the question: “what experience do we want our players to have?”With Dungeonland, we wanted to create a hack and slash game where players would play together. And we really meant “together”: we wanted players to collaborate in a meaningful way, to constantly talk, shout, laugh and curse at each other as they play.”

The post also details building the prototype for Dungeonland, and how that went onto influence the game as it currently is. There’s also a rundown of what Critical Studio label as their pillars of game design. 

The Dungeonland developer diary should make fascinating reading for Train2Game students, and you can read it in full here on Paradox Interactive’s forum.

There’s more Paradox Interactive news here on The Train2Game Blog, including our in-depth interview on the development of King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame.

What are your thoughts on the Critical Studio’s developer diary? How about Dungeonland itself?

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

Train2Game news: Dungeon Defenders map contest offers prizes of your creation in game and $1000

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to take part in a map contest from Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment, which offers you the chance to see your creation become part of the game.

There’s also $1000 – around £620 – up for grabs for the winner, with second and third placed cash prizes also available. Trendy are encouraging “people of all experience” to enter the contest which provides Train2Game students with a perfect opportunity to showcase their skills.

The Dungeon Defenders development kit required to take part in the contest is downloadable on Steam for free, but you’ll also need a copy of the £9.99 full game. Full rules for the map design competition are available on the Trendy Entertainment forums, while this helpful guide will get you started designing maps.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday 21st June, so there’s plenty of time for Train2Game students new to Dungeon Defenders to get to grips with the development kit.

Modding and map creation is a great way for aspiring developers to practice building games,with Valve’s Chet Faliszek and id Sofware’s Tim Willits have both previously told The Train2Game Blog its a great way to showcase your skills to potential employers.

There’s much more about modding here on The Train2Game Blog.

So, will you enter the Dungeon Defenders contest?

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

Train2Game news: 40% of freemium players make in-game purchases

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Train2Game students are likely to be familiar with the rise of free-to-play titles, and new research suggests 40% of players will spend money on purchasing content. The majority of players who make payments will do so in their first month.

The report from NPD Group also suggests 84% of those who play trial versions of free-to-play titles will move on to play the full games.

“The majority of freemium gamers who opt to pay to upgrade their experience do so within the first month of playing a particular game,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst for The NPD Group. “When designing a game, it’s important to consider features that would drive quick conversion to pay.”

“Males and those ages 18 to 34 are traditionally seen as a big part of the core gamer audience, so it’s likely these groups are not quite as engaged with freemium because the gaming experience is quite different from what they are used to from the games they play on consoles, handhelds or PC’s,” continued Frazier.

“At a minimum, for these gamers a freemium game would provide a different experience, like a snack versus a full meal.” she concluded.

Earlier this year, Brawl Busters developer Rock Hippo told The Train2Game Blog that free-to-play allows them to reach a much larger audience.

Various browser based and PC games use a free-to-play model, while formerly subscription based MMOs including Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Star Trek Online and, as reported by The Train2Game Blog, even Everquest are among those which have switched to a free-to-play model, each with a varying degree of success.

For the latest news on free-to-play in game development, keep reading The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on the percentage of free-to-play players making in-game purchases? Is it a model you’d consider using?

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

Train2Game news: UK Charts – The Witcher 2 takes No.1

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Train2Game Blog readers see The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings take top spot in the UK Charts in its first week on sale for Xbox 360. 98% of this weeks’ sales of the RPG from CD Projeckt and Namco Bandai were for Xbox 360, with 2% of copies sold being last year’s PC version.

CD Projekt has called The Witcher 2 “The most complex and non-linear story ever told on Xbox 360,″ and you can find out much more about the game and its development in The Train2Game Blog interview with  CD Projekt Environment Artist Marek Ziemak.

The Witcher 2 knocks last weeks’ chart topper FIFA Street down to No.2, with FIFA 12 and Kinect Star Wars non-movers at No.3 and No.4.Mass Effect 3 drops to No.5, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 slips one to No.6, ahead of EA’s FPS Battlefield 3 which also drops one spot to No.7.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, follows those above it by slipping one place to No.8, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a non-mover at No.9, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 drops four to complete the top ten.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 21st April 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition (Namco Bandai)
2. FIFA Street (EA)
3. FIFA 12 (EA)
4. Kinect Star Wars (Microsoft)
5. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (EA)
7. Battlefield 3 (EA)
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
9. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)

New releases this week include Prototype 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

What are your thoughts on The Witcher 2 taking top spot? Are you playing it? Is it well deserved?

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

Train2Game news: Valve employee handbook offers great insight into life at the company

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Train2Game students can get a great insight into what life is like for those working at Valve Software, thanks to the publication of a guidebook for new employees.

Dubbed ‘A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when there’s no one there telling you what to do,’ the Valve employee guidebook offers advice on everything from settling into the company, to deciding what projects to work on in the company’s manageress structure  to how to move your desk.

The handbook ends with an amusing glossary of people in terms detailing how Valve co-founder Gabe Newell is “Of all the people at this company who aren’t your boss, Gabe is the MOST not your boss, if you know what we’re saying.”

The Valve employee handbook is a fascinating read, and you can see it for yourself right here.

Perhaps you can take a small step towards working at Valve by taking in Gabe Newell’s advice to aspiring game developers here on The Train2Game Blog.

Keep up to date with the latest news from Valve here.

What are your thoughts on the Valve employee handbook? Does it inspire you?

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

Train2Game news: Animation can be better than dialogue in games writing says Chris Avellone

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Game designers often make the mistake of using dialogue to in games writing, when animation can be better than words. That’s according to Obsidian Entertainment Creative Director Chris Avellone, whose credits include Fallout 2, Neverwinter Nights and Fallout: New Vegas.

Speaking to TheCriticalBit, Avellone said a common problem for game designers is “Lack of scriptwriting experience and brevity when doing a voiced game,” before adding  something a simple animation such as a shrug can have a better impact than dialogue.

“Not being aware that “tone” and emphasis on a word can help you edit out 2-3 extra sentences of foreshadowing – or not realizing that being able to call an “eye roll” or “shrug” animation is often better than any spoken response” he said, citing Uncharted writer Amy Hennig as a master of it.

Avellone is currently helping with InXile’s Kickstarter funded Wasteland 2. ‘The Godfather of post-apocalyptic RPGs’ raised almost $3 million in backing for the project.

You can get advice on getting into the games industry from the Obsidian Entertainment Creative Director here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are views on Avellone’s comments on the use of animation in games writing? Is it something that’s overlooked? What games do you think best use animation in story telling?

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

[Source: Beefjack] 

Train2Game news: Diablo III enters open beta weekend

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Train2Game students can play Diablo III this weekend, as Blizzard has announced an open beta will be active from today through until Monday. The purpose of the Diablo III open beta is to stress test the servers ahead of next month’s release.

Those interested in taking part in this weekend’s Diablo III open beta need to log in to or create their Battle.net account at http://www.battle.net/, then download the game client from here. Diablo III beta testers can team up with friends and play all of the game’s five classes up to Level 13. A full FAQ on the beta is on Battlenet.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills. In a recent interview with The Train2Game Blog, Brawl Busters developers Rock Hippo told us that beta testing is “crucial” to the game development process.

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, keep reading the Train2Game blog.

Are you looking forward to Diablo III? Will you be taking part in the open beta this weekend?

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

Train2Game Gadget Show Live interview: Commando Kiwi artist Cat Forsyth

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Train2Game student teams recently took part in Make Something Unreal Live at The Gadget Show, a contest in association with Epic Games that saw winners Commando Kiwi walk away with a fully licensed Unreal Development for Ios. Their winning title was a game based on Fighting Fantasy book The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

During the course of the show, Train2Game news spoke to art & animation student and Commando Kiwi member Cat Forsyth. In an interview that was recorded before the winners were announced, she told us how she was finding the experience, and even mentions the possibility of a job offer!

Read the interview here, or listen via Train2Game Radio. Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Cat, can you tell me what course you’re on, please?

I’m on the Train2Game Art & Animation course, and I’ve been doing it for about a year.

And how did you get into that?

I was actually a jeweller beforehand by trade, business was beginning to get a bit slow, so I decided to take the opportunity for the Train2Game course advertised, and I applied for the Art & Animation course,  and here I am now.

And how are you finding the course so far?

I’m enjoying the course very much. Unfortunately, because of The Gadget Show, I haven’t actually done anything in several months, but fingers crossed when the dust settles after this event, I’ll get back onto it.

How did Commando Kiwi, the team that you’re on, come about?

We went to the Train2Game & Epic Game Jam in November last year. None of us had met each other before and we got put together as a team, came up with the name Commando Kiwi, and that’s where we started.

What’s your role on the team?

I’m the UI Artist for the team, I’m predominantly doing the user interface, graphics, buttons, things like that.

So what’s been happening over the last few days?

Basically, we’ve sped up out working process; it’s a lot easier to work all together in one room. It’s a culmination of the last three or four months and we’re fine tuning things, tweaking things, making the game run smoother, things like that.

It must have been hard over the last few months, working towards this show and doing your studies at the same time.

A little bit, I think I sit on my computer until about 11 o’clock at night, that’s my life at the moment!

Hopefully this experience will help further your study and career path, do you think that’s going to be the case?

Yes, it’s a massive opportunity and I couldn’t imagine being where I am now six months ago. I’ve learned an awful lot, my skills have improved immeasurably, and I’ve had loads of opportunities meeting people, making contacts, learning. It’s been an invaluable opportunity.

How do you rate your chances here at Make Something Unreal Live?

I think the competition is quite good but I think that we’ve got a fair chance.

And you had an underhand interview happen here at the show?

Yes, I had an interview without knowing it. I got introduced to a gentleman who took my card, and fingers crossed after the event I can keep in contact with the possibility of a job.  It’s been very worthwhile.

Excellent, a fantastic opportunity. Thanks very much Cat.

For more information about Train2Game and Make Something Unreal Live visit www.train2game.com

Train2Game news: Codemasters launch Codemasters Racing publishing label

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British developer Codemasters has launched a new publishing label, Codemasters Racing, to provide “razor focus” on their racing franchises. The first game to be released under the Codemasters Racing name will be DiRT Showdown on Friday 25th May.

Other franchises that’ll be represented by the new label include official Formula 1 titles and the GRID series. Codemasters say it “will become a symbol of quality for racing gamers.”

“We have kept our reputation for delivering best-in-class racing games, and best-in-class racing games is now our razor focus going forward.” Codemasters chief of communications chief Rich Eddy told MCV.

“In racing, we are No.2 in Europe and that’s not good enough. We want to take racing games across multiple platforms and genres. So that players can play anytime, anywhere and on any device.

“Racing is our DNA, it is our heritage, it is our specialisation and it is our absolute focus going forward.” he concluded.

“To clarify Codemasters (as a name) is not “dead”, it remains the name of the company. We just have a new label called Codemasters Racing.” added Communications Manager Andy Gray on Twitter.

Codemasters have also announced a new service called RaceNet, a free extension for their games that will letplayers will be able to track their races, rewards and rivals. RaceNet will launch in BETA alongside the DiRT Showdown Demo on Tuesday 1st May.

There’s more Codemasters news on The Train2Game Blog, including last year’s interview with F1 2011 Chief Game Designer Steve Hood

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Codemasters new label? Is a focus on racing games a good move for them?

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

Train2Game news: Impossible for devs “to not get attached” to work even if it’s “not good” say Darksiders II team

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Train2Game students will get attached to the work they produce during game development, and might find it difficult to let something go if it needs to be significantly changed or dropped all together.

That’s according to Darksiders II creative director Joe Madureira and Vigil studio general manager David Adams who were speaking in an extensive interview with Gamasutra.

“You totally get attached to stuff… It usually comes to a series of painful realizations, where you try to fix it, and it’s still not good, and you try to fix it, and it’s still not good.” said Adams on getting “precious” with assets produced during game development.”

“And on your third or fourth time trying to fix it, you’re like, “It’s just something we can’t do”. For whatever reason, we don’t have the time to commit to it, or we don’t have the right people… But yeah, I don’t think it’s possible to not get attached to stuff; we’re human beings.” he said.

Darksiders II Creative Director Joe Madureira agreed, adding that developers need to compare what they’re doing by playing other games, even if it means you drop the idea afterwards.

“You just have to be honest about it, too, and play other games, and see how you measure up. And if something’s not good, we all know it; you can see it. Even if you worked on it for two months, it doesn’t really change the fact that it’s just not very good.” he said.

Madureira argues that learning to let go of your work is something you need to do when working in the games industry.

“Sometimes you do get really attached to something, and you’re sad to see it change, but… And there’s morale hits — there’s all that stuff that you mentioned — but it’s just part of working in games. I think the longer you work in games, the more you’re just cool with it.”

“I think people that just are fresh out of school, and super excited, sometimes get crushed by how hard it actually is. And once you’ve been doing it for a while, you just expect that stuff’s going to change at any given moment, even after we’ve worked on it for a long, long time.” the Darksiders II creative director concluded.

The full, four page interview exploring development of Darksiders II is on Gamasutra.

The comments from the Darksiders II team are similar to some made by Bioshock Infinite boss Ken Levine, who as previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, said “Everybody has to get comfortable with throwing their stuff away”

What are your thoughts on the comments from the Darksiders II team? Is it possible to not get attached to your work? Have you struggled to throw a concept away?

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