Category Archives: Games Artist and Animator

Train2Game’s Clive Robert to speak at Edinburgh Interactive

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Train2Game‘s Clive Robert will be part of a panel discussion  about how to get into the games industry at Edinburgh Interactive next month.

The summary of the talk as stated on the Edinburgh Interactive website states:

“Whilst big UK teams producing huge ‘AAA’ games are most certainly in decline, the future is still incredibly bright;

Micro teams, new business models, new analytics, low barriers to entry and improving games education are all great news for graduates and whomever else that want to be a part of this great industry. Those who are driven and prepared to show a little entrepreneurial flair have many more options than just cutting, pasting, tweaking and mailing their cv’s.”

Clive Robert will be speaking alongside game industry legend Ian Livingstone and Ken Fee, MProf Programme Tutor and Lecturer at The University of Abertay Dundee. The session, Games Industry overview & How to get in to the Games Industry, takes place on Thursday 10th August.

It’s the first in a whole host of talks that could be very useful to any Train2Game students who can confidently get to the free, public event in Edinburgh.

“The Public programme will take place in the Great Scottish Hall at The Radisson Blu Hotel on the 11th & 12th August.  Seats are limited so we recommend getting to the venue early where seating will be on a first come, first served basis.” is the advice on the official website.

For more information visit the Edinburgh Interactive homepage.  More information about Clive is available on the Train2Game official website.

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

Train2Game students are probably sick of hearing this…Zumba Fitness No.1 again

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Train2Game students must be waiting for the summer lull to end,  but in the meantime Zumba Fitness continues to the dominate the UK charts with a sixth consecutive No.1. The dance game has spent a total of nine weeks in the top spot.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel enters at No.2, despite a plethora of negative reviews, while poor ratings also have no effect on Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2 which rises from No.7 to No. 3 in its second week in the charts.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean moves up one to No.4, switching places with Call of Duty: Black Ops which drops to No.5. in its 35th week on sale. The Train2Game blog previously reported that Black Ops was the top selling game of last year, and more than six months on its still going strong.

Price cuts see Dungeon Siege III re-enter the top ten at No.6, while Dirt 3 drops  four spots to No.7. Movie tie-in Cars 2 debuts at No.8, FIFA 11 re-enters the top ten at No.8, while LEGO Star Wars III: The  Clone Wars drops to No.10.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon and former No.1 – as reported by the Train2Game blog – Brink, both leave the top ten.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 23rd July 2011 is therefore as follows:

  1. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
  2. Call of Juarez: The Cartel (Ubisoft)
  3. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (EA)
  4. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean (Disney)
  5. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
  6. Dungeon Siege III (Square Enix)
  7.  Dirt 3 (Codemasters)
  8. Cars 2 (Disney)
  9. FIFA 11 (EA)
  10. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (LucasArts)

There are no major releases this week.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on this week’s chart? What does the fact games with low review scores are doing so well?

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

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track]

Train2Game Course Director Tony Bickley speaks to Train2Game Radio at the Develop Conference

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Train2Game featured prominently at this year’s Develop Conference, with a stand promoting students on the courses.

Towards the end of the show, the Train2Game blog caught up with Train2Game Course Directly Tony Bickley to find out how successful Train2Game’s time at Develop 2011 had been.

The interview is also available to listen to at www.audioboo.fm/train2game

 

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

Train2Game students could see L.A. Noire tech in Grand Theft Auto V

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Grand Theft Auto V could feature the extremely impressive facial art & animation techniques originally used in L.A. Noire. (Train2Game students can remind themselves about the motion capture here on the Train2Game blog)

That’s according to  Team Bondi co-founder Brendan McNamara in an interview with PSM3.

“Yeah, I think they’re looking at it for every game. As much as LA Noire is a huge game, Grand Theft Auto is incredibly huge, so you’ve got all the problems of how big the cast would be and how many lines would you have to record and all that kind of stuff.

“Obviously we’d like them to, and they’re more than welcome to use MotionScan, but if they decide it’s not right for that and want to use it for another game, then that’s fine too.

“I think it brings a level of humanity to the experience that means people will – in the first few minutes – start relating to the characters on screen. They don’t have to make that decision about ‘whether I like this guy’ or ‘do I actually believe them? – but they can make all the like or dislike decisions based on the actor’s performance.

“Rockstar will make those decisions. They generally make the right decisions in terms of what they do for their games.”

The prospect of motion capture in Grand Theft Auto V is no doubt an intriguing prospect, both to Train2Game Art & Animation students, and everyone else.

There has been no official announcement regarding Grand Theft Auto V, but increasing rumours suggest that we’ll glimpses of it in the not too distant future.

Indeed, as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, analysts believe Grand Theft Auto V will arrive next year.

So Train2Game, do you think GTA V could benefit from motion capture? Do you believe it’ll be in the game?

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

[Source:  Develop Online]

Train2Game Art & Animation student Piers Duplock from Leamington speaks to Train2Game Radio

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Piers Duplock is studying to become a Game Artist & Animator with Train2Game. Train2Game Radio caught up with him to find out why he chose to study with Train2Game, how he’s finding the course and how he balances it around a job at Codemasters.

Listen to the interview at http://audioboo.fm/train2game

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

Train2Game students read this! Valve on playtesting during game development

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 They're waiting for you Gordon, in the test chamber...

Train2Game students, particularly the QA Testers, will know of the importance of testing during a games development.

Now, in an interview with GameSpot, Valve has revealed that they believe playtesting to be the most important part of game development.

“For us, playtesting is the most important part of the game development process,” experimental psychologist and Valve’s playtesting lead Mike Ambinder told GameSpot.

“It’s not something we save for the end of the development, or use as a quality assessment or balancing tool. It is the dominant factor that shapes our decisions about what to release and when to release it.”

It’s a statement that Train2Game students who haven’t already been testing games throughout their development should really take on board.

Valve uses something called ‘bio-feedback metrics’ as part of the testing process. It features standard observed play sessions and surveys, but also involves tracking eye-movement with monitor-mounted cameras; monitoring heart rates; and even skin conductivity tests.

Valve use all of these to determine the players enjoyment of the game.

“We became interested in the use of biofeedback both as a playtesting methodology and as potential user input to gameplay because the idea of quantifying emotion or player sentiment seems to have utility,” said Ambinder.

“On the playtesting side, recording more objective measurements of player sentiment is always desired. People sometimes have a hard time explaining how they felt about various things, and memories of feelings and events can become conflated.

“Conversely, if you have a more objective measurement of arousal or engagement, you can get a clearer picture for how people are emotionally consuming your game.”

Last week, the Train2Game blog reported that Valve’s Steam service is ‘essential’ for indie developers.

So Train2Game, how important do you believe playtesting is to the game development process? How would you go about it?

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

[Source: GameSpot]

Train2Game / Game Horizon Developer Drinks

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  • Opportunity for students to meet industry professionals and discuss course details
  • Developer drinks on Tuesday 19 July gives developers access to hot new industry talent

Train2Game, provider of games industry training courses, today announces details of its participation in the 2011 Develop Conference, including its first ever ‘Guru Bar’ on stand B12 – giving those interested in the games industry a forum to interact with key figures and ask questions about training, career development and the community at large.

For developers eager to wind down after a long day marching the floors of the show, Train2Game will also be teaming up with leading games business network, GameHorizon, to host an evening of drinks at Alfresco, a Brighton seafront bar. Here, developers are invited to meet future industry talent and rising stars of the course, as well as get more information on how to get involved with placement programmes.

Key facts of the placement schemes follow below:

  • The placement schemes operate across the all Train2Game courses – Artists, Animators, Developers, Designers and QA.
  • Developer placements programmes are subsidised by Train2Game and can range for periods of 2 – 6 months.
  • Developers can choose from the top performers to suit their needs

Tony Bickley, Course Director at Train2Game sees events like Develop as the perfect place for the present and future of the games industry to collide: “While it’s easier than ever to connect online, there’s no replacement for meeting your peers face to face, both when on the hunt for new talent or considering a route into the industry. It’s the same logic which fuels our courses – substantial relationships and interaction online supported by face time wherever possible.”

Train2Game is a blended-learning organisation designed to fast track the best, most ambitious and motivated students into the games industry through comprehensive, expert-supervised courses. A big part of this is co-ordinating with the best developers in the country and providing top tier talented graduates for placements in the workplace.

Train2Game Guru Bar Details
Date: Weds 20 – Thurs 21 July
Venue: Develop Expo, Stand B12
Hilton Metropole, Brighton
Attendance is free, please RSVP at the Develop 2011 front desk

Train2Game/ Game Horizon Developer Drinks
Date: Tuesday 19th July
Time: 17:00 – 19:00
Venue: Alfresco,
The Milkmaid Pavilion,
Kings Road Arches,
Brighton,
BN1 2LN

Train2Game news: Steam ‘essential’ for indie devs say Mode 7 Games

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Frozen Synapse by Mode 7 Games is published through Steam

Train2Game students with plans to develop PC games will almost certainly be familiar with Steam, the digital distribution service from Half-Life, Portal and Team Fortress 2 developer, Valve.

Now, Mode 7 Games, the team behind indie title Frozen Synapse, have praised Valve and the way they go about promoting indie games, while keeping a hands off approach.

“That’s one of the best things about Valve, they won’t say ‘you are doing this’ – which they could do very easily – they’ll say ‘this is the kind of thing we want to do, this is why, how do you want to go about it?’ It’s great, it lets you try stuff.” Mode 7 Games co-founder Paul Taylor told GI.biz.

“We’re doing some stuff on Steam that people don’t normally do, like the free key for a friend thing, or offering the soundtrack as a separate thing you can upgrade to.”

“They’re quite different, and Valve had to do some actual system-related stuff to allow us to do that. For an indie game that doesn’t have a lot of clout, they’re surprisingly flexible and that’s great.” He continued.

“When you’re a company with that much power and that size, you have to strike a balance between doing things that benefit you and things that create a good eco-system for everyone,”.

“I think they’re pretty good at that, and they think very seriously about it. It is astonishing just how important they are in terms of the PC. Steam is really essential for indie games at the moment.”

The recent Steam Sales will probably have helped many smaller studios sell their games too.

Of course this isn’t the first time the supportive nature of Valve has been mentioned on the Train2Game blog, regular readers will know that community developers receive revenue from in-game items they’ve produced for Team Fortress 2.

So Train2Game, do you agree that Steam is ‘essential’ for indie PC developers? Would you attempt to get a game on Valve’s distribution system?

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

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game event in Brighton 19th July

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 Train2Game has teamed up with GameHorizon teamed up to promote the best Train2Game students to UK games companies in an effort to get more out on industry experience placements!

Train2Game and GameHorizon will hold a series of events around the UK throughout the year, and will kick off with an evening event in Brighton to coincide with the Develop Conference on Tuesday 19th July from 17.00-19.00. 

If you are in Brighton on 19th July why not come along to Alfesco’s on Brighton Beach (opposite the Hilton Hotel) to find out more about the Train2Game placement scheme and how developers can benefit from having one of the top Train2Game students in their team

The event will be a good opportunity to meet some of the students and find out more about how the placement scheme works over an ice cold beer! It’s also a good opportunity for Train2Game students to meet developers!

As reported by the Train2Game blog, Train2Game partnered with GameHorizon earlier this year.

If you would like to attend the event please email Carri Cunliffe on info@gamehorizon.net  or 07881 833 443.

Date: 19th July
Time: 17.00 -19.00
Venue: Alfresco,The Milkmaid Pavilion, Kings Road Arches, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2LN
Cost: Free to attend but please RSVP

For more information see the GameHorizon website.

There will be a Train2Game exhibition stand in the Develop Conference Expo area from Wed 20th – Thurs 21st July where you can also find more information.

A ‘Guru Bar’ will also be available for Train2Game students to get advice from, for more information about this, head to the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Sony want industry support for indie devs

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Tran2Game students may be pleased with the latest comments to come from Sony; they are that the games industry should do more to support digital indie developers.

The comments come directly from Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida.

As an industry, we have to support those smaller teams, and let them try out their ideas, without doing so, the whole industry will stall, in terms of innovation.” he told Develop.

Speaking about how Sony have already provided digital platforms for indies with the PlayStation Network, Yoshida said

“Having the capability to sell their games on the network is key to giving those smaller teams an opportunity to come up with ideas, and sometimes invest their own money to come up with something special and have their projects meet with millions of users.”

Encouragement from one of the top people in the games industry is sure to please Train2Game students, but he isn’t alone in saying indies should be supported by bigger developers.

Earlier this year, the Train2Game blog reported that Peter Molyneux wants up and coming game developers to receive more support.

“I wish people in the press would focus on some of that up and coming talent, because there isn’t enough focus on it in my opinion” he said.

“People like Marcus Persson who did Minecraft, he’s a fantastic person to talk to, and I think Minecraft is a complete work of genius.”

People like Marcus – and there are some people in the social side – I feel there’s a real talent there. I think the triple AAA titles will continue to improve, but I dearly wish that things like the [Develop] 30 under 30, that pull people out of obscurity, were noticed a bit more.” Molyneux added.

So Train2Game, are you encouraged by Sony stating they want to support digital developers? Can you see yourself producing games for a Sony platform in future?

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

[Source: Develop]