Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game news: Zynga building own social games site

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Train2Game students will no doubt be aware that Zynga’s games are heavily tied to Facebook, with the Train2Game blog previously reporting that at its peak Cityville had over 100 million users.

Allies & Empires also reached over 50 million users within weeks of launching, thanks to the Facebook platform.

Now however, Zynga wants to reduce their reliance on the social network, after the introduction of Facebook Credits saw a 95% drop in profits during the last financial quarter, and will start delivering games directly to consumers online or on mobile phones.

The social game developer has therefore revealed ‘Project Z,’ on Zynga.com, a gaming hub that’ll allow players to connect to games such as Farmville through their own portal rather than Facebook.

Games can be played across Project Z and Facebook as players will be allowed to use the same username and will feature familiar social features.

“Project Z is a Facebook connect platform that leverages your Facebook friends to play in an environment tailored with just your friends,” said Zynga COO John Schappert said at the Zynga Unleashed event in San Francisco.

“We learn a lot more about our players, not just from stats but from talking to them, and this is what they wanted.”

“It’s a platform for a direct relationship with consumers, whether on the web or on mobile, to give you a whole sandbox and create socialness about the games and not just within the games,” Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus added.

The news comes the day after Facebook launched its iPad App, and as reported by the Train2Game blog, it means Facebook games can now be played on mobile devices.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Zynga’s move? What does it say about Facebook gaming? And what is the future of social media games?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum

[Source:  WSJ]

Train2Game students chance to join Crusader Kings II closed beta

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Train2Game students have an opportunity to be involved with the closed beta for Paradox Interactive’s upcoming Medieval strategy RPG Crusader Kings II.

The development team behind Crusader Kings II are the creative force behind Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron and Victoria.

Do you believe you have what it takes to be a Crusader King? Interested Train2Game students can apply to be a part of the Crusader Kings II closed beta here on the Paradox website.

Applications are open through to 17th October, with those chosen for the closed beta receiving confirmation the following week.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills.

SomeTrain2Game students were involved in last week’s Battlefield 3 beta, with developer DICE stating the open test was aiding with game development.

However, while many understood that one of the purposes of a beta is to find bugs, some players were unhappy about finding them. As reported by the Train2Game blog, DICE’s Patrick Liu said that these players had his understood the meaning of beta testing.

So Train2Game, will you attempt to take the opportunity to beta test Crusader Kings II? How often do you get involved with these events?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Blitz open registration for student open days

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Train2Game students could get the opportunity to attend Blitz Game Studios open days next year.

The studio has set the dates and opened registration for the open days at their Leamington Spa HQ which are “intended for anyone who wants to work in game development” and will take place on March 2nd, 23rd and 30th 2012.

Train2Game students interested in attending a Blitz Open Day will have to apply via the official website and follow a series of instructions.

Anyone interested in attending will also have to submit an example of their work, following the relevant briefs depending on whether they’re a game designer, game developer or game artist & animator.

The closing date for submitting applications in 9th January 2012, so there’s some time yet.

“Not only are we offering students from many different disciplines the chance to visit a successful games studio and talk to real game developers about what they do and how they do it,” said Blitz senior events and education coordinator Kim Blake.

“It’s also a great way to publicise the fantastic work produced by the creative industries in the UK and the importance of next gen skills to the UK economy.”

For more information about what the Blitz Open Days involve, see the official website.

Good luck to any Train2Game students who attempt to win a place at the event!

As usual, leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Modern Warfare 3 design tweaks – ‘most accessible’ Call of Duty

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Call of Duty has a strong following amongst Train2Game students, many of whom will be keen to hear how Sledgehammer – one of three studios behind Modern Warfare 3 – believe their game design tweaks make the latest offering most accessible title in the series yet.

“One of the things we did consciously was to use the levels in multiplayer and put them in Survival mode,” Sledgehammer Games general manager Glen Schofield told CVG.

“That was to try and create this bridge so that people who do play single player, who are maybe a little intimidated by multiplayer, will sit down with a buddy and play co-op and go ‘wow, that’s cool. I’m really getting to know this level. I get the upgrade system now, I get it all.’ And then they could jump into multiplayer.”

Schofield was asked if this meant Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was easier to get stuck into than previous games in the series.

“Absolutely. Then if you think about adding Call of Duty Elite to it, if you want to jump into multiplayer after you learn Spec-Ops and just use your friends list to play, then you’re given a higher level of comfort.” he replied.

“It’s one of the things we’ve been hearing: ‘I don’t want to jump into a game with a bunch of teenagers and get trash talked all the time. I want to actually have fun and get in there.’ And a lot of people like that type of gameplay, but we’re trying to make it so you can customise it for yourself.” the Sledgehammer general manager concluded.

Customisation appears to be a key theme of Modern Warfare 3, with the Train2Game blog previously reporting that game modes produced by Call of Duty Elite subscribers could be made available to all players.

Train2Game students can get a behind the scenes insight into development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sledgehammer’s tweaks to multiplayer game design? Will it help make Call of Duty: Modern Warfare more accessible? Do you welcome it?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: CVG]

Train2Game news: Sony – ‘Time still not right’ for download only consoles

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Train2Game students will be aware of the growth of digital distribution in the games industry, with games available to download via services including Xbox LIVE, PSN and Steam.

And while the Train2Game blog has previously reported that some believe future consoles won’t use discs at all, Sony don’t believe this will happen any time soon.

“We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right],” SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida told Edge in an interview about the PlayStation Vita

Sony officially revealed their new handheld console at E3 earlier this year.

Yoshida said that current internet connections mean that it’s not yet time for a console to go digital only. This is despite Sony attempting a download only console with the PSP Go.

“So we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform. Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection.”

Yoshida added that some consumers will appreciate being able to go to a retailer and pick up a physical copy of a game.

“Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.”

Sony are also aware that downloads haven’t taken off in every part of the globe.

“There are consumers in parts of the world – this is a global device – where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced,” added SCEE CEO Jim Ryan.

Last month, the Train2Game blog reported that Crytek don’t believe that the industry is ready for digital distribution via cloud gaming.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sony’s remarks about digital distribution? Can you see consoles going download only?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Edge via Industry Gamers]

Train2Game news: Gamers misunderstand meaning of ‘beta test’ say DICE

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Train2Game students – at least a few of them are – are likely to involved with the current Battlefield 3 beta, which a runs through to 10th October.

And while Train2Game students – especially the QA Testers – will understand that beta tests are an important part of game development, there filtering out bugs and tweaking gameplay, it seems gamers in general are less aware of this!

Some have criticised the bugs that have appeared while playing Battlefield, or the fact that’s only one map, but according DICE’s Patrick Liu, it’s because these people don’t get the reasons for an open beta.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding of the term ‘beta test’!” the Battlefield 3 producer told The Guardian.

“We ran the alpha tests with a rush map and we wanted to have some sort of reference so we could compare results – so we needed to have more-or-less the same map.”

“But we do understand the concerns that we didn’t show a conquest map, but we have demoed Caspian Border, and we did run a conquest map as a limited PC-only test.

According to Liu, one of the main reasons for the Battlefield 3 beta test is to make sure the backend systems work when the game is release.

“He just wanted to know it wouldn’t crash and burn at launch” he said.

“It was horrible with Battlefield 1943 – it sold ten times the numbers we thought it would, and it was down for three or four days which is really bad. We don’t want to go through that again.”

As reported by the Train2Game blog, DICE have stated that positive feedback from the open beta is helping them tweak the multiplayer aspect of Battlefield 3.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Liu’s comments? Do gamers misunderstand the meaning of a beta test? And have you been testing Battlefield 3?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game news: Unreal Engine 3 comes to Flash

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Train2Game should find this very impressive; Unreal Engine 3 can now run in Flash.

The move was unveiled by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeny with a demonstration of Unreal Tournament III running in flash during a keynote address at Adobe’s MAX 2011 event.

Unreal Tournament III was released in 2008 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. What it means for Train2Game students is they’ll be able to play games with current generation graphics in web browers, TV’s with internet connections and social networks.

With UE3 and Flash, games built for high-end consoles can now run on the web or as Facebook apps, reaching an enormous userbase,” said Sweeny.

“This totally changes the playing field for developers who want to widely deploy and monetise their games.”

Indeed, Unreal’s move to Flash provides another avenue for Train2Game students to potentially develop games for.

“We’re excited that Epic Games is tapping into the latest capabilities in Adobe Flash Player 11 to power its Unreal Engine 3.” added, group product manager at Adobe Gaming Solutions Emmy Huang.

“As the console of the web, Flash is delivering immersive gaming experiences across screens and we’re thrilled to have Epic Games using Flash Player to deliver its blockbuster, premier 3D games on the web.”

As reported by the Train2Game blog, the Unreal Development Kit has received only one million downloads since its release.

Train2Game students will also get the opportunity to work with UDK at the Train2Game & Epic Game Jam next month. For more information, see the official Train2Game & Epic Game Jam website.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Unreal running in Flash? Is it an area you’d be tempted to work in? See Unreal running in Falsh for yourself below.

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or here on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Edge]