Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game news: Unreal Engine 4 reveal later this year

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The Samaritan Train2Game blog imageTrain2Game students will get to see Unreal Engine 4 later this year. That’s according to Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein who not only said Unreal Engine 4 is scheduled for a reveal in 2012, but hinted that it’s already in the process of running on next-gen consoles.

“People are going to be shocked later this year when they see Unreal Engine 4 and how much more profound an effect it will have,” Rein told G4TV.

And while the development kit for Unreal Engine 3 took years before being given to indie studios and modders, The Train2Game Blog has previously reported that Unreal Engine 4 will be available to the public much sooner than the current version was.

You might remember that Epic showed off their impresive Samaritan tech demo, a glimpse of what could be possible with next gen systems, at last year’s Game Developers Conference, which you can see right here on The Train2Game Blog

And while there’s no guarantee that an Unreal Engine running on a next gen console would look like that, Rein reportedly said Unreal Engine 4 is running on “systems we can’t name yet,” which could potentially signal a next generation Xbox console. Alternatively, it could be the Nintendo Wii U, scheduled for release later this year.

For more about Epic Games, the Unreal Development Kit and that Samaritan tech demo, see The Train2Game Blog interview with Epic European Territory Manager Mike Gamble, who was speaking to us at the Train2Game & Epic Game Jam.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Unreal Engine 4 being revealed this year? Could it already be in the works for next-gen consoles?

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

[Source: NowGamer]

Train2Game news: There are too many gaming platforms says Epic CEO Tim Sweeney

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Train2Game students may end up developing for only a small handful of gaming platforms if Epic CEO Tim Sweeney’s predictions come true.

Speaking at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, he said that consumers currently have a lot of choice about which platforms to play games on, but only three or four of these will “win” depending on the choices their producers make.

“This is too many platforms. We’re seeing now iPad sales have surpassed the sales of PCs. This is a real revelation, this is a product that wasn’t invented until a few years ago and its basically supplanting personal computers.” said Sweeney, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

“Over time these platforms will be whittled down to a competing set of platforms to maybe three winners worldwide across everything – computers, game platforms, smartphones… We should expect a lot of consolidation here and winners and losers according to who picks the right directions and executes successfully,” he said

And the Epic CEO pointed out that systems such as the iPad are only just starting to scrape the surface of their potential as a gaming platform.

“There are a lot of technical challenges. We’ve barely scratched the surface of the consumer implications, what we can do with an iPad or iPhone today is limited by our experience of our computers and history. When a whole new generation of kids is raised with these devices pervasively around us it’s going to lead to entirely new worlds.” said Sweeney, who believes the best days of the games industry are yet to come.

“I see a bright future for technology and its implications on games. The ability of game developers to exploit another thousand-fold increase in computing power on future generations of platforms. Some of it will be consoles, some of it PC and some of it tablets. The form factor we can’t predict, but the opportunity is there. Our industry’s brightest days are yet to come.” he added.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the idea that there are too many platforms on the market? What do you think the future holds?

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

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Bethesda internal Skyrim Game Jam video showcases potential DLC

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Train2Game students who took part in last year’s Train2Game & Epic Game Jam, and Train2Game student fans of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be very interested in this new video from Bethesda.

It demonstrates the Skyrim development team created when they had their own week long internal game jam in which the only rules were “Do anything you want, and add it to the game.” Additions included new weapons, new creatures, new abilities, a really, really, giant mud crab and much more.

And speaking before the video was shown at the D.I.C.E summit, Bethesda’s Todd Howard hinted that some of the Game Jam creations could be added to Skyrim as DLC or free updates in future. Train2Game students can watch the video below to see what Bethesda created during their week long Game Jam.

Of course, as reported by The Train2Game Blog, the recently released Skyrim mod tools allow anyone to create their own additions to the Bethesda game.

Train2Game has held two 48 hour long Game Jams for Train2Game students, with the four winning teams at the Train2Game & Epic Game Jam, moving onto a Make Something Unreal Live at The Gadget Show Live, where they have the opportunity to win a fully licensed UDK Ios development kit.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Skyrim Game Jam? How important do you think such things can be to both game development, and improving as a game developer?

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

[Source: Joystiq]

Train2Game news: High console prices are why consumers are turning to free-to-play

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Train2Game students will be aware of the rise of free-to-play titles, and according to one industry observer, the success of that model is due to the high price of console games.

“It removes the risk from the consumer,” CEO of mobile company Addmired Gabriel Leydon told 2012 D.I.C.E summit in Las Vegas about free-to-play.

“The consumer pays nothing to try out the game. I want the consumer to play for months without paying. Good free to play encourages players to stay and that’s where the longevity is, because the risk of an online pass, consoles that can’t play used games, DLC and all this stuff, after I’ve paid $70; why would do I do that? I can play lots of great games that are free.” he said.

“Free-to-play is the MP3 of the video game industry and it will destroy all business models and it removes the risk for the consumer,” Leydon added.

Rock Hippo Productions, publishers of free-to-play multiplayer combat title Brawl Busters recently told The Train2Game Blog that the free-to-play model allows games to reach a bigger audience.

“As you know, the free-to-play market is having a big impact right now, and there’s a good reason for that. We’re able to reach a much larger audience for our games and the players can decide how much their experience is worth.” Rock Hippo’s Flavio Caracas told The Train2Game Blog.

Read the full Train2Game Blog Brawl Busters interview here.

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 about the trend of free-to-play, keep reading The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, do you agree with Leydon? Are the high prices of games the reason why free-to-play is becoming more popular?

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

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Double Fine turns to crowd funding for new project, reaches $400,000 goal in hours

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Train2Game students should find this news very interesting. Double Fine, the studio of adventure game veteran Tim Schafer have turned to Kickstarter – the crowd funding service for creative projects – in order to develop a brand new game.

The adventure game from the man behind the Monkey Island series, has reached the $400,000 needed to fund the project in just a matter of hours.

Members of the public can use Kickstarter to fund indie game projects, with studios, including Double Fine, offering incentives to those who pledge certain amounts.

“Crowd-sourced fundraising sites like Kickstarter have been an incredible boon to the independent development community,” said Schafer.

“They democratize the process by allowing consumers to support the games they want to see developed and give the developers the freedom to experiment, take risks, and design without anyone else compromising their vision.”

“It’s the kind of creative luxury that most major, established studios simply can’t afford. At least, not until now.”

What Train2Game student may be particularly interested in is that Schafer has committed to using the funds not only to make a brand new, old school adventure game, but also to make monthly behind the scenes documentaries showcasing the game development process.

“There’s an unprecedented opportunity to show the public what game development of this calibre looks like from the inside,” he said

“This documentary series will strive to make the viewer as much a part of the process as possible by showing a game grow from start to finish, with all the passion, humour, and heartbreak that happens along the way.”

“Double Fine is committed to total transparency with this project, ensuring it is one of the most honest depictions of game development ever conceived.” Schafter added.

For more information about the Double Fine project, and the awards available to backers, visit the Double Fine adventure Kickstarter project page.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Double Fine turning to Kickstarter? Would you consider using the model? Will you donate to Double Fine?

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

Train2Game students share views on pre-owned games market

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Train2Game students recently saw The Train2Game Blog post about Volition Game Designer Jameson Durall speaking out against pre-owned games, in which he welcomed the idea of a console that doesn’t play second hand titles.

Train2Game students had a variety of different opinions on the matter – as evident on the Train2Game Facebook page – but a common thread was banning the next Xbox console from playing pre-owned games would only work if games were sold at a lower price.

“That’s perfectly fine if they make games cheaper to buy in the first place. £20-£30 would prob sell more units, would stop trading and would also cut down on file sharing!” Train2Game student Rob Farmer replied.

And Train2Game student Craig License agreed, adding that it’s already happening with PCs and people already familiar with it.

“This happened with PCs years ago with the likes of CD keys and DRM. People will be pissed to start but over time they’ll get used to it. To counter this they do either need to lower the initial game price so more people will buy them or just have constant sales and discounts on games, like Steam does.” he said.

Meanwhile, Train2Game student John Esslemont thinks game developers would benefit from extra sales of games.

“I think this is an amazing idea. Just think of the better experiences we can have if the developers receive that extra cash and we are not talking 1000’s we’re talking millions.” he posted on the Train2Game Facebook page debate.

However, it was Train2Game student Leigh Radmore who offered a more radicial solution to developers losing revenue through second hand sales, suggesting that retailers should be required to hand over royalties to compensate studios lost revenue

“There is always going to be a massive divide between the industry and the consumers when it comes to the second hand market.” he said

“Whatever action is taken, whether it be to keep going along with how it is now which hurts development investment, or to increase the measure’s devised to force the consumer to buy new, the only ones that are getting anything out of it are the retailers in the middle.” Leigh continued.

“How about, instead of alienating the consumer, go after the retailers that are making all the profit on someone else’s work? How about licencing them or pushing for sales royalties?” the Train2Game student added.

Have an opinion to share about pre-owned games? Leave it here on The Train2Game Blog, the Train2Game forum, or the Train2Game Facebook page.

Train2Game news: Official Skyrim mod tools now available via Steam

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Train2Game students can now get their hands on official modding tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  The Skyrim Creation Kit allows modders to create in-game assets using the same tools that developer Bethesda used to make the full-game.

The release of Skyrim modding tools also sees the Steam integrated Skyrim workshop go live, allowing Skyrim modders to create, download and upload mods more simply than ever before.

To celebrate the launch of the Skyrim Creation Kit, Bethesda has released a High Resolution Pack which is available to download through Steam. Valve have also released a Skyrim mod, Fall of the Space Core, Vol. 1 which sees Portal 2’s  Nolan North voiced Space Core join you in Skyrim.

Train2Game students can access the Skyrim workshop by visiting www.mods.elderscrolls.com

You can see the official Skyrim mod tools in action in the trailer below.

Much more information about the modding tools is available on The Elder Scrolls community page.

A number of Train2Game students have been lookingforward to making Skyrim mods using Bethesda’s Creation Kit, and if you can get involved too. See this thread on the Train2Game forum for more information.

The Train2Game Blog has previously shown you some of the stranger Skyrim mods, including ones that let you turn Dragons into My Little Pony or “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and a mod that turns Mudcrabs into Futurama’s Doctor Zoidberg.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest news about modding and how it could benefit you.

Will any Train2Game Blog readers be grabbing the Skyrim mod tools? Do you have any ideas for creations?

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

Train2Game news: Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning producer on getting into the industry

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Train2Game students who want to get into the production side of the games industry could do worse than to take advice from someone working in that position for EA.

And in the latest post of EA’s ‘Breaking into the industry’ series, EA Partners Producer Benjamin Smith – who most recently worked on Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning – says that aspiring producers need to know why a game is good or bad, in addition to being good communicators.

“In Production, you should know what is and isn’t a good game at a mechanics level – not just a game level – because you need to understand why a particular game is good. But you should also be good at process. Organized. Articulate. This is a relationship job and a relationship business.” he responded to the question of what advice he’d give to aspiring producers.

The whole interview should be very interest to Train2Game students, and Smith even details how he began working for EA as a tester. Read the whole thing in full on the EA website.

The useful EA web series has already provided some great advice to Train2Game students, with Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons both having previously shared their tips for breaking into the industry.

The Train2Game Blog recently spoke to UFC Undisupted 3 Senior Designer Wes Bunn, who also provided Train2Game students with advice on how to get a job in the games industry.

So, have you thought about becoming a Producer in future? What do you think of Smith’s advice?

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

Train2Game news: F2P reaches “a much larger audience” say Brawl Busters devs Rock Hippo

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Train2Game students will be aware of the increasingly popular free-to-play model of development, in which games are released for free then secure revenue through optional in-game purchases.

MMOs including Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Star Trek Online and, as reported by The Train2Game Blog, even Everquest have switched to a free-to-play model.

Brawl Busters, the recently released action combat title from Rock Hippo Productions, has adopted free-to-play from the outset, and in a soon to be published interview with The Train2Game Blog,  Marketing Manager Flavio Caracas says encourages many more people to try the game.

“As you know, the free-to-play market is having a big impact right now, and there’s a good reason for that. We’re able to reach a much larger audience for our games and the players can decide how much their experience is worth.” he told The Train2Game Blog.

Caracas added that free-to-play will only become more significant to game developers in future.

“It can seem counter intuitive, but the results speak for themselves. I think that F2P will become increasingly important in the industry, but there will always room for different models.” he said.

Yesterday, The Train2Game Blog reported that the Brawl Busters studio thought that QA and beta testing is crucial to the game development process. The full Train2Game Blog interview with Rock Hippo Productions will be published shortly.

There’s much more about free-to-play here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on Brawl Busters being free-to-play? Is the most important thing for a developer to make as many people play their game as possible?

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

Train2Game news: Hawken closed beta open for registration

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to be a part of the closed beta for Hawken, the upcoming multiplayer mech combat FPS from indie studio Adhesive Games.

Hawken isn’t going to be released until 12th December 2012, but Train2Game students can sign up to be a part of the closed beta by registering details at https://playhawken.com/.

Adhesive Games have also announced that Hawken will be free-to-play. Want to know more about Hawken? Watch the trailer below.

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.

And 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, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your initial thoughts on Hawken? Will you be applying for a place in the closed beta?

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

[Source: PC Gamer]