Category Archives: Games Artist and Animator

Train2Game News: Chimpact competition!

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ChimpactIt could be you! Realise your dream of creating the next big gaming character

Yippee! Entertainment launches competition to design a chimp to join Chuck’s family in Chimpact

Calling all: crayonists, felt tippers, doodlers, painters, artists, designers, games animation enthusiasts and children who like to draw on their parent’s walls. Yippee! Entertainment is launching a competition to design a character to feature in the Windows version of its on-going games series; Chimpact. Entries are required to create a chimp similar to those in the game and any level of artistic ability will be considered for the top prize.

The competition is open from the 25th February to the 12th April. The final judging decision will be made on the 3rd May. Entrants can be submitted in physical form in the UK or digitally; drawings, photos or any type of picture, will be accepted. Though in the US, only digital images can be submitted via the competition’s website.

The competition is open to all ages and backgrounds: enthusiasts, students, gamers, artists, children of any age and even grandparents, anyone in the UK and the US can enter. Winning entries will be chosen from both the UK and the US and will appear in respective versions of the game. The winners will be decided by the Yippee! Entertainment team and the judging criteria will include: Originality, Use of Colour and costume design.

The winning competition entries will be created by the Yippee Entertainment team and put into future versions of Chimpact on Windows 8 and Windows Phone via an update. The UK based winner will have the opportunity to visit the Yippee! Entertainment studio in Manchester, to see how the game is made and to meet the team.

Full details of the competition and submit your entry, here: www.chimpact.com/competition

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chimpact

Twitter: @chimpact_chuck

Chimpact is currently available on the Windows 8 store here

Train2Game News: Train2Game Student’s game on Kickstarter

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ScavengersTrain2Game Student, Robert Ramsay, has been working on a game with London games studio, Boss Level. You can now support the game and your fellow student on Kickstarter.

Boss Level, a digital gaming startup, based in the Dalston area of London, today announced their Kickstarter campaign to fund the beta phase of their upcoming title Scavengers. Scavengers is a turn-based strategy game in the style of X-Com, playable directly through a web browser across PCs, mobiles, tablets and Smart TVs without plug-ins. However, what truly distinguishes Scavengers is that despite playing across these myriad platforms with their different screen sizes and input methods, players will be playing exactly the same game, no matter where they are. This true cross-platform functionality is highlighted by the ability of players on different platforms to play against each other at the same time, a feat not yet achieved by any other games on the market.

Nick Brown, CEO of Boss Level, said “We’re really excited about finally bringing Scavengers to the wider public, both for them to play it, but even more importantly, for them to contribute to it. Scavengers really is a world first in that no matter where you play the game and on what platform, you will be able to play exactly the SAME game with everybody else in the world at the same time. We hope that this Kickstarter campaign is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to working with our players as collectively we build a massively fun and engaging shared experience that is open to all.”

The crowd-funding approach of Kickstarter perfectly incorporates the ethos of Scavengers as being “open-to-all” whether it be via contributing or playing. The Kickstarter “rewards” on offer thank pledgers by enabling them to design large aspects of the game and the Boss Level team are excited to see the level of creativity they expect this to release. In addition, the successful conclusion of the beta stage will see the release of the Editor through which players will be able to freely mod large sections of the game’s graphic, audio and map assets and then distribute these assets via social media. Finally Scavengers is also entirely free-to-play further ensuring one of the most open player bases ever, requiring as it does no up-front purchases of hardware, software or licences to access the game.

Robert Ramsay, from Paisley, has been working at the studio for 10 months as a Graphics Artist. He got the position when he showed the studio his impressive art and the speed and skill he utilised when making 3D models, which proved that he would be confident in the position. When Robert was asked about working on the game he said “I can see how I would approach this game, I know what styles to research and what my job would entail. Talking to Nick, the Boss, we agreed upon various aspects of the sprites and scenery, the angles that things would be viewed at and the types of colouring and tones that would make the game stand out.”

Robert was also asked to implement a workflow for creating and importing the assets because this being a new technology, nobody had really done this before. This was challenging but ultimately fun and really allowed him to draw on the diverse skills he’d picked up over the lifetime of the course.

You can support Robert and Boss Level in their creation of Scavengers by donating to the Kickstarter which you can find, here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/428530696/scavengers-beta

If you want to find out more about the game, go to: www.playscavengers.com

Train2Game News: Microsoft offers points for Windows Store apps

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W8CompThis is another great opportunity for Train2Game students who have a game idea and just want an excuse to get working on it! From now until 30 April, Microsoft will give you points towards a prize of your choice for every app you upload to the Windows Store.

Who is eligible to participate in the UK App Builder Reward Programme?

Open to individuals who are eighteen years or over at the date of entry and who have the applicable UK Windows Store and/or Windows Phone Developer Account.

What is the timeframe of the UK App Builder Reward Programme?

The programme is open for apps that are published between Monday 4th Feb 2013 to Tuesday 30th April 2013. App builders will have up to Sunday 19th May 2013 to claim points for their app(s) (see the “How Do I Claim My Points” section). The points must be redeemed for rewards by Tuesday 31st May 2013 (see the “Redeeming Points For Rewards” section).

What apps are eligible for the UK App Builder Reward Programme?

Windows Store and Windows Phone apps published between Monday 4th Feb and Tuesday 30th April 2013 are eligible for the programme. Furthermore, in order to earn points for your app, it must certain requirements. Click here for full details.

How do I earn the additional bonus point by incorporating Windows Azure Services:

  • Compute – Web/Worker Role, Azure Mobile Services and Azure Media Services.
  • Storage – Blobs, Tables, Queries.
  • Database – Windows Azure SQL Database

To validate that you are using one of the Windows Azure Services, please provide your Windows Azure Subscription ID and Live ID so this can be verified when you are claiming your apps for points.

How do I claim my points?

  • Firstly, develop and publish your Windows Store and/or Windows Phone app.
  • Secondly, register and sign in to the UK App Builder Reward Programme
  • Then, submit your app in the ‘claim points’ section. Be sure to include the name, URL of your app. In order to claim bonus points, be sure to include your Windows Azure details and/or existing Windows Phone or Windows Store app details if ported.

What happens to the points that I don’t use?

Any unused and remaining points earned in this reward programme that are not used before Friday 31st May cannot be carried forward to any future reward programmes and will, therefore, be lost. So, make sure you use your points before the programme finishes. App builders will have up to Sunday 14th April 2013 to claim points for their app(s). The points must be redeemed for rewards by Sunday 28th April 2013.

How do I ensure the points I claim are updated on the UK App Builder Reward Programme?

To ensure that your points are allocated effectively and efficiently, please ensure that you accurately input your Windows Store and/or Windows Phone developer details (publisher details, full name, and email according to the developer account).

When will I receive my points once I have claimed them on the website?

Please note that processing time is not immediate and not in real time. Points will be awarded after 5-10 working days. We will do our best to turn this around as soon as possible. But please bear with us and only contact us if you have not received your points after 10 working days you have claimed your point online. As outlined before, you can help by ensuring your publisher name, for the Windows Store and/or Windows Phone details are correct.

What is the maximum number of points I can earn?

There is no maximum in the number of points you can earn but all points earned must be redeemed by 31st May, and, there is a maximum number of points we have on offer for each point category. See below for the maximum of points we will allocate to each category.

General Points for Apps
Publish a Windows Store App 50 Points
Maximum of 60,000 points available across the whole rewards programme.
Publish a Windows Phone App 25 Points
Maximum of 12,500 points available across the whole rewards programme.
Bonus Points
Your Windows Store or Phone App incorporate one or more Windows Azure Services 25 Points
Maximum of 12,500 points available across the whole rewards programme.
Your app Windows Store app is ported from Windows Phone or Windows Phone app is ported from Windows Store. 25 Points
Maximum of 12,500 bonus points available across the whole rewards programme for WP>W8.
Maximum of 6,250 bonus points available across the whole rewards programme for W8>WP.

When will I receive my reward once I have redeemed my points?

You will receive your reward within 6 weeks of redeeming your points

What if I am a Windows Store or Windows Phone developer residing outside of the UK?

Sorry, but this programme is available to residents in the UK only (Northern Ireland excluded).

Is there a discussion forum I can join?

Yes, join us on the UK App Builder LinkedIn group here http://linkd.in/ukw8apps.

I have more questions, who can I ask?

Please email us on enquiries@my-rewards.com.

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 20.02.13

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Train2Game is again bringing you jobs from all across the games industry in the hopes that you will take that all important first step in to the industry.

DEVELOPER

Job Title Tools Programmer – Runescape MMO
Job Category Programming
Skills Required Tools
Location Cambridge, UK & Europe
Job Description Jagex Ltd, the UK’s leading independent online games studio, is looking for bright and passionate programmers who want to work with cutting edge technology to join our Tools Department. Joining the Jagex Technologies team, you would be developing new in-house tools to support our content development and graphics teams while also working with our code libraries, scripting language and game engine.

Key Duties Include:

  • Develop and maintain bespoke content creation tools using Java to the highest standards
  • Enhance and improve the game engine
  • Research new technology, platforms, techniques and ideas
  • Enhance both the tools team libraries and the game engine libraries
  • Act as lead on project, overseeing design and development

Essential Requirements:

  • High level knowledge of Java, C++ and object orientated programming techniques
  • Strong understanding of computer graphics or computer animation technologies
  • Strong understanding and appreciation of code design philosophies
  • Strong academic background at degree level or equivalent
  • Good industry track record, which may include previously published products, or tools development experience
  • The ability to think creatively to solve coding problems and to demonstrate a high degree of initiative, determination and flexibility

Desirable Requirements:

  • Knowledge of other platforms including, but not limited to, Mac OS, Linux, WII, PS3 and Xbox
  • Good understanding of GUIs and tools
  • Experience of working on network and MMO games
  • Experience as a lead programmer

You can apply, here.

DESIGN

Game Designer – UX (Runescape)

Jagex Ltd, the UK’s largest developer and publisher of online games, is looking for an exceptional individual to play a major role in shaping the world renowned RuneScape.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the UX design of key game features; guiding the production of their systems and content from original concept, to creation & prototyping, through final polish and community feedback.

This amazing opportunity to be a key contributor to a world class MMO from a successful and stable developer/publisher demands high levels of expertise, experience, passion and commitment.

Key Duties Include:

  • Channel the lead designer’s creative vision and management’s product strategy into everyday project development.
  • Support the creative process by producing UX design deliverables (wireframes, mockups, prototypes) of varying fidelity, used to communicate the desired experience
  • Use of industry best practice, heuristics and user testing to evaluate to relative usability of products
  • Set aims, use collaborative design and give feedback to ensure all projects achieve the best quality, stay within scope and are coherent with the wider game.
  • Design experiences, structural features and creative processes. Create and maintain high quality documentation.
  • Lead the creation of large, complex or multi-part features. Coordinate across development disciplines to prototype, implement and refine game content.
  • Be an expert on design practice and maintain awareness of the games industry and the online games market.
  • Be a mentor by giving support and guidance to the wider team

Essential Requirements:

  • Proven and demonstrable expertise in game systems design, including creativity, technical aptitude, commercial awareness and MMO genre knowledge.
  • Must have sound creative judgment and a solid understanding of broad UX design principles including interface design, usability, balancing and analytics.
  • Demonstrate exemplary UX design skills and knowledge
  • Strong communication & people skills. Able to work effectively with a diverse team, to give insightful feedback, to be able to write design specifications to high standard and able to verbally articulate ideas with passion, clarity and confidence.
  • A good general technical proficiency with game construction. Experience in game scripting, coding or development tools is also very beneficial.
  • Driven, organized and reliable. A positive attitude, steady under pressure, adapts to constructive feedback. Works in a thorough, timely and considerate manner.
  • A love of games & design, a broad knowledge of gameplay styles and an expansive yet insightful understanding of game mechanics.

You can apply, here.

ART

Job Title 2D Artist for Smartphone Games – London
Job Category Art / Animation
Skills Required 2D / Concept / Texture Artist
Location Hammersmith, London, UK & Europe
Job Description Capcom, Beeline is currently seeking a talented 2D graphic designer and animator to join our London studio. The successful candidate will work with the Lead Graphic Designer and Producer to design, create and animate graphical content for freemium social games.

Required Skills:

  • Ability to design appealing and original 2D game content.
  • Highly skilled in 2D animation.
  • High proficiency with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator (or similar software).
  • Experience with isometric perspective.

Desired Skills

  • Adobe/Macromedia Flash.
  • Previous experience with graphics for mobile devices.
  • Previous experience working with a game development team or similar.
  • Audio experience; proficient with audio editing software.
  • 3D modelling/animation skills: Maya or Blender.

Profile

  • High creativity and attention to detail.
  • Strong background in sketching, drawing and illustration.
  • Ability to work within a schedule.
  • Genuine passion for the video games industry, design and animation.
  • Team player with strong social and communication skills.
  • Willing to learn, cooperate with the developers and open to feedback.
  • Good English language skills.

Applicants must be able to start ASAP and will work from our studio in Hammersmith.

Please send applications with your portfolio to jobs@capcom.com

 

QA

Job Title QA Functional Tester
Job Category QA / Localisation
Skills Required QA Tester
Location UK & Europe
Job Description Pole To Win Europe Ltd. – Functional QA Testers wanted for video game testing!

Pole To Win Europe Ltd. is looking for motivated and responsible people to join us as Functional QA Testers.

Ideal candidates will have a very strong knowledge of video games, ranging from consoles, handheld consoles and mobile devices. The video games industry is a fast paced industry; the candidate should have knowledge of video games history, having experience on previous generation of hardware as well as understanding the current status of the industry and its future development.

As a Functional QA Tester you will be responsible for finding bugs in the video game that you are testing. You will be making sure that all bugs that you find are written and tracked in a bug database, which the development team will receive and then fix the issues that are present. You will then have to verify that the fix has been successful in a new build, or sent the issue back to the developers in order to ensure the correct fix has been made.

The Pole To Win group is a leading company in providing quality services to the games industry with over 18 years of experience. Our West London Studio opened in April 2012 and has been expanding ever since! This is an excellent opportunity to join our passionate team and pursue a career in the videogames industry with opportunities to move up within the company.

The position is open to any person based in or around London. Contract will be based on the length of the projects.

Required Skills

  • Excellent knowledge of the video games industry
  • Experience in playing video games on a variety of consoles
  • High level of written and spoken English
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
  • Good communication skills and able to work as part of a team

Preferred Skills

  • Excellent MS Office Skills
  • Previous experience with using Bug Databases
  • Understanding of games and game terminology
  • Understanding the roles of other areas of the industry
  • Previous experience of Functional Testing, although training will be given on site

Due to the number of applications we are only able to contact candidates who have successfully passed on to the interview stage, thank you for your understanding

You can apply by emailing info@poletowineurope.com

 

Train2Game News: Search for a Star, last chance to sign up!

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Aardvark Swift’s Search For A Star 2013 set to be the biggest year in the competition’s history

Students looking to showcase their work to the industry are joining Search For A Star competition in record numbers as registration closing date (the first of March) approaches.

Search For A Star the nationwide competition for student games developers and programmers will soon reach the final stages of its registration process. With 100 entries so far, this year will set the record for the most entries to the competition and is set to be the biggest year in the competition’s history. The final opportunity to register for the competition is the first of March.

Search for a Star is a nationwide competition designed to highlight and reward the UK’s most promising video games students. The competition spans the UK’s leading areas of higher education (universities, blended learning courses and colleges) and is an excellent chance to shine the spotlight on students studying video games related subjects (including computer science and computer games programming) and also highlight the UK’s leading courses.

The register and find out more about the competition go to www.aswift.com/searchforastar/

Daniel Collinson, last year’s Search For A Star Winner and now an employee at Sony Evolution, said: “I’m happy to hear that more and more people are interested in the Search for a Star competition. People who are passionate about getting into the industry MUST take part as it makes such a huge difference.

Even just taking part looks good on your CV as you are keen to try other things outside of your University modules. Employers want people that not only study hard, but demonstrate that they really are passionate and keen to get into the industry, this is done by doing personal projects in their spare time, taking part in game jams and of course competitions such as Search for a Star.

The competition will teach candidates the type of interviewing processes that real studios do. I personally never had a real interview before so the skills I learnt from the competition helped me land my dream job working for Sony Evolution. I will be following this year’s competition and can’t wait to see the games from stage 2, good luck to all, it’s a very nerve wrecking and exciting process.”

Created by Aardvark Swift the competition is contributed to by some of the UK Games Industry’s most respected video games developers. Included in the judging panel are representatives from: The Blast Furnace, Headstrong Games, Rockstar Leeds, Microsoft, Sony Evolution and many more.

All entrants receive CV and Portfolio advice from Aardvark Swift, up for grabs for the winners will not only be physical prizes provided by Microsoft but also internships at some of the most prestigious games developers in the UK, including: Sony Evolution, Exient and Boss Alien.

The register for the competition and find out more about the competition go to www.aswift.com/searchforastar/

Train2Game News: New Facebook video channel for Developers

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Facebook Developers LiveFacebook have launched a new video channel which could be incredibly useful for Train2Game students.

Facebook has launched a video channel, known as Developers Live, to help developers stay up to date with the latest technology news and tutorials. The curated channel features live, recorded and interactive broadcasts.

Through this new channel, Facebook aims to give developers a central place to learn about the latest tools and to give them access to the product managers and engineers who created them.

Initially, Developers Live will cover:

• Mobile development – how to go deeper and grow your apps with Facebook

• Game development – how to build better games across web and mobile

• Websites and publishing – how to use Facebook to drive traffic

The first Developers Live event is schedule for February 19th and will feature Facebook’s director of product, Doug Purdy. Mr Purdy will discuss the top three things every mobile developer needs to know in 2013.

This could prove to be incredibly valuable for Train2Game students and give them insight in to what other Developers are thinking and working towards. I advice all Train2Game students to get involved with this new initiative.

If you would like to find out more you can visit Developers Live on Facebook

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 06.02.13

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Train2Game news is bringing you more jobs to try and help you make that all important first step in to the gaming industry.

DEVELOPER

Job Title Programmer – Hello Games
Job Category Programming
Skills Required Gameplay, Graphics / Engine
Location Guildford, UK & Europe

 
Job Description Hello Games, the bright new star of the indie scene, is hiring. It’s pretty awesome. Here’s the “job description” – make fun games, drink tea, win awards and talk nonsense. You can have total creative freedom too, if you want.

Hello Games is a tiny team and it’s going to stay that way. It’d be nice to become the next big thing though, which is going to take at least a couple more friends. This is your chance to become a big part of a small team with big ideas.

We’re looking for anyone who likes making games, and is awesome. Specifically we’re really interested in new fresh talent to fill the role below.

Programmers
We’re looking for enthusiastic programmers interested in owning a project from start to finish. Here’s some things we think you should have:

  • Examples of some previous games and side projects.
  • Good academic record, especially Maths.
  • Experienced in C++ and 3D programming.
  • A love of playing and making games
  • An interest in bringing existing games to new platforms

About Hello Games
Hello Games wants to make games that will put a stoopid grin on your face. They have set forth on a brave journey of discovery and adventure to bring some new, funky coloured pixels to the world.

Joe Danger was their first title, a triple A game developed by the talented team of four for XBLA and PSN. Since then they have been joined by some more talented people from around the globe. Together they will all unleash the charm and creativity that has been stopping them from sleeping at night.

And it’s only just begun. Drop what you’re doing and come join them!

Application Instructions
Please send CVs and portfolios to:
jobs@hellogames.co.uk

ART

Job Title Cinematic Animator – On-site or Remote – up to 220 EURO a day – Games
Job Category Art / Animation
Skills Required Animator
Location Germany
Job Description  

Location: On-site Frankfurt or Remote from home
Salary: Up to 220 EURO a day
Job Type: Contract from 10th Feb to 20th Feb 2013
Project: 1st Person Video Game Cinematic

My client is a specialist visual outsourcer to mainstream game developers as well the broadcast and feature film industry. As a result of a video game contract they are now looking to hire a Freelance Cinematic Animator to work either on-site in their Frankfurt studio or remotely from home. It is a short contract but an awesome project and there might be chance to work on future projects for the studio.

REQUIREMENTS / RESPONSIBILITIES:
You will be need to have experience of MotionBuilder and be responsible for layout of some cutscenes (prior to mocap). The cutscenes are first-person and the task is to block out the scenes and roughly animate the camera (which is supposed to be the head of the player).

A competitive day rate is on offer and the potential for work on other projects.

To ensure a speedy application please email your up to date CV in MS WORD FORMAT and Show Reel to officemanager@opmjobs.com or call me Jon direct on +44 (0) 1206 214425 if you have any queries.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

DESIGN

Game Designer

London

11 Month Contract

Start ASAP

£200 to £250 per day
STR are working closely with an award winning studio who are leading the way with interactive entertainment. Following this success and due to new exciting projects an excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced Games Designer to join their team starting as soon as possible within a long term contract.
Game Designers are expected to bring their creative skills to bear in a team environment to delight customers and raise the quality of the features and products they are working on. Ideally we are looking for experience across multiple platforms and Apps, able to translate high level vision into quality designs and prototypes. Previous work with sports apps is an advantage. You must be comfortable working within a fast paced, busy team who rapidly produce prototypes and deliver high quality work as expected.

You will be focused on creating and implementing detailed interactive design mechanics that are fun and innovative and deliver highly engaging consumer experiences.

Responsibilities will also require collaboration creatively with external partners, brands and content providers
Key skills and experience required:

Proven ability to design detailed mechanics from concept and prototype to production
To develop workable product designs from high level creative direction
To work as part of a team, with artists and programmers, to fine tune interactive mechanics
A deep understanding of production pipelines and experience with in-development tool-sets
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
High attention to detail
Knowledge of scripting or programming languages such as LUA, Kismet or XML and visualisation packages such as Visio or In Design
Passion for sports and interactive entertainment

On offer is a long term contract starting ASAP, full time Monday to Friday based on-site with our clients studios in London, easily commutable from many surrounding areas.

To apply please send your CV and Portfolio to cjacques@strgroup.co.uk or call Charlene Jacques on 02392 322362

QA

Job Title Embedded Tester
Job Category QA / Localisation
Skills Required QA Tester
Location Guildford
Job Description This is an excellent opportunity for a future high flying individual to join the 22cans team. We are seeking an embedded tester to work closely with our Development team on the production of Godus.

Key accountabilities
-Testing of games features in full partnership with the development team.
-Working closely with design and code to highlight weaknesses and areas for improvement during feature testing.
-Ensure the build remains stable, reporting of issues by verification testing and automated smoke testing.
– Meticulous logging and organisation of bugs .
– Generation of multiple test and bug reports.

Success Criteria
At least 1 game shipped in a similar role

Understanding of the software development process

Good understanding of mobile devices

Technical understanding of game features

Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills

Self-starter

Desired
Previous experience in QA is an advantage

Familiar with bug tracking software

Attitude and desire ‘to go far’ in the games industry

You can apply here.

Train2Game News: Train2Game reaches over 6000 fans

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Train2Game FBTrain2Game are very proud to announce that the official Train2Game Facebook page has now over 6000 fans!

This is an excellent indication of the rise of Train2Game and its continued recognition in the gaming industry.

A Train2Game spokesman said, “It’s an incredible day for Train2Game reaching 6,000 fans on Facebook.

“The growth is testament to two things; one being the amazing student community of Train2Game and the second the great news supplied to the Facebook fan page from www.train2game-news.co.uk. “

Train2Game would like to thank all of their fans, students and staff for this great success. They look forward to welcoming many more in to the Train2Game family with the continued rise of Train2Game and the gaming industry.

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs

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Train2Game is bringing you more industry jobs this week across all industry sections.

DEVELOPER

Job Title Programmers wanted for a AAA Game Studio – Multiple roles!
Job Category Programming
Skills Required Gameplay, Audio Programmer, Animation Programmer, Graduate Programmer
Location North West, UK & Europe
Job Description Do you want to work with a AAA Game studio that makes multiplatform games!?  This is your chance to work with a Studio that has been making great AAA games for the last 15 years!  It is an Award winning studio that has a great Location in the North West! The Studio is mainly looking for gameplay programmers however experience in other types of programming is a massive bonus.

They are looking for someone that has:

–          Excellent C++ programming skills
–          Must have Strong Mathematical ability
–          Familiarity with programming test code
–          Excellent oral and written communication skill in English
–          Must adhere to schedules and work well under pressure
–          Self-motivated

Team player with a very strong work ethic and cooperative attitude Previous professional experience with 3D action game development is also a big plus! The studio offers a very competitive salary with paid overtime as well as a bonus scheme!  If you or anyone you know is interested and would like further information or wish to apply please contact me Richard Balding via email: richard.balding@amiqus.com.

DESIGN

Job Title Technical Designer London – Contract until Sep’ 13
Job Category Game Design
Skills Required Game Design
Location South East
Job Description Location – London
Contract until September 2013
Day rates between £225 to £250

OPM are pleased to be offering an excellent opportunity to join one of the most successful international development and publishing houses at their London studio.
The company is looking for a Technical Designer to join their Central London studio.

The Task
To have a key role in integrating content from various disciplines creating gameplay based on design documentation and helping to improve the toolsets and pipelines.

Responsibilities
• Create gameplay based on design documentation.
• Work with creative designers and programmer to help tweak gameplay systems.
• Integrate a variety of content from various disciplines.
• Analyse and assess potential risk factors in the design documentation.
• Act as a communication point between creative designers programmers and technical artists.
• Identify bottlenecks or improvements to the tool-chain and workflow.
• Documenting technical systems

Key Skills
• Analytical skills
• Methodical working practice
• A good understanding of technical design and game structure
• Experience using Photoshop 3DS Max or Maya
• Experience using visual design editors (Unreal Unity Hammer etc)
• Experience with scripting systems and/or state machine editors
• Experience with the Lua scripting language
• Experience with motion controllers and augmented reality systems

Catherine Cope| Design Consultant
Direct Line: + 44 (0) 1206 214416 | Email: catherine@opmjobs.com | Skype: catherine.cope.opm
LinkedIn – http://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherinecopeopm
Twitter – gamesdesignjobs

ART

Job Title Environment Artist
Job Category Art / Animation
Skills Required Environment Artist
Location Brighton
Job Description We are a small talented team of game developers based in the Brighton area. Our recent work includes Monkey Slam on iOS and converting CSR Racing to the Mac.

We are growing our studio to work on an exciting AAA mobile game with a well known publisher and are looking for a talented Environment Artist to come and work with us!

If you can prove the following we’d love to hear from you:

  • An excellent understanding of form, structure and silhouette in regard to modelling and composition.
  • Easy going attitude – being flexible with new ideas and most importantly open to direction and iteration.
  • Ability to communicate and work with coders, game and audio designers in a dynamic team environment.
  • Willing to help others and ask for help where needed.
  • Prepared to learn new tools during production.
  • Proactive in sharing info and assets.
  • A keen gamer and an appreciation of the visuals and user experience on all platforms from mobile to consoles.

Experience:

  • Ideally you’ll have at least 2 years game development experience in modelling and texturing environments although we would consider graduates with outstanding portfolios.
  • Strong artistic ability to visualise entire levels and detail with minimal concept art and direction.
  • Solid technical skills to manage assets that fit memory, design, and frame rate limitations.
  • Excellent polygonal modelling skills – able to generate clean and efficient models.
  • We make AAA quality games that have to be intuitive and slick. You would need to be hungry to make them even better!

Software:

  • Super skills in any of the following 3d apps – Maya, Max, XSI, Modo.
  • Excellent Photoshop skills.

Advantageous:

  • Knowledge of ZBrush or Mudbox.
  • Knowledge of Unity.

Applying:

All applicants will be asked to produce a portfolio. This role is for a short term contract initially between 5-6 months. We offer a competitive rate and an exciting, tight-knit working environment.

You can apply here.

QA

Capcom, Beeline is currently seeking a motivated QA Tester to join our London studio.The successful candidate will work with the QA team and the development team to ensure high quality bug free releases of our market leading games.

Required Skills:

  • Excellent attention to details, highly analytical
  • Self motivated with a professional work ethic
  • An excellent communicator both orally and written
  • Excellent organisational skills
  • Flexible (in regard to hours of work)
  • Proven decision making ability under pressure
  • Good understanding of business software applications (Excel, Word, Outlook)Familiarity with bug tracking software
  • Good command of the English language
  • Interest in games is essential

    Desired Skills:

  • Previous experience in gaming QA whether console or mobile phones is desirable but not essential

    Applicants must be able to start ASAP and will work from our studio in Hammersmith.

    Please send applications with your CV to jobs@capcom.com

 

Train2Game News: Train2Game Radio talks to Dan Rutter

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Dan and Vicki RutterTrain2Game radio got the pleasure of speaking to Dan Rutter about his new studio him and his wife have started, Turret Studios. They have a great game idea and a lot of ambition to get it done.

You can listen to part one of the radio interview here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1181723-train2game-student-dan-rutter-talks-to-mark1

and part two here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1181705-train2game-student-dan-rutter-talks-to-mark2

Or read the transcript below:

Hello my name is Dan, I am on the Art and Animation course and I live in Teddington.

Hi Dan, how you doing?
I’m fine Mark, how are you?

I’m great thank you buddy! So, tell me a bit about yourself. What’s your story and the past experiences that have shaped your life?
OK, I went to university studying Model Making for TV and Film. I came out of that with a degree, I’ve ended up working in the model making field, I’ve done some stuff for film and TV. I then moved in to Architecture but through all of that games have been a massive passion of mine and my wife. So I looked at the Train2Game course, applied in May 2 years ago now I think it was. Entered the Game Jam competition in November where we came in the top three, ended up going to the Gadget Show Live in April where we had some pretty good success. I mean, we didn’t win but it was a fantastic experience and I met loads of great people! I’ve been plodding on with the course since then and new year, new resolutions and new goals, decided to branch out and do something different this year.

Yeah and what was that?
My Wife and I have started our own company, Turret Studios, aiming to make apps for iOS and Android platforms using the Unity 4 engine.

Is it just Unity that you’re going to be using?
At the moment yes as it is the only engine we can find that enables you to make apps for iOS and Android, giving us as large a spread of the market as possible. We obviously loved using the Unreal Engine during the Game Jam but at the moment it only supports iOS. Whether the Unreal 4 engine will be any different, and I really hope it is because I do really enjoy using that.

Yeah, so what are you working on at the minute? If you can say
Yeah, we can. Our first game is called Digital Dojo and it’s kind of cross between Pokémon and Top Trumps. It’s a collectible type of game, the idea is you go around and scan the bar-code of an object and those numbers, from a pool of robot pieces, will generate a robot which you can level up and customize and then you can challenge your friends through Facebook and if you win you get points so you can upgrade your robot further.

That sounds quite fun!
Good!

I would be interested in that one. So is it just you and your wife working on it or have you got other people as well?
At the moment it’s just myself and my wife. I have a coder friend who goes by the name of Wurley who is giving some of his spare time to help work it out which is good, but we will be looking at trying to get some other students involved if possible. We actually have two competitions that we are going to launch, one is to design a robot character for the game and the other is to design an environment for them to fight in. All the details will be up on our website and you can download templates to sketch over the top of or Photoshop files with layers if you want to work digitally and then we will put them up on our website and let people do a poll so they vote for their favourites and hopefully those designs will end up in the game.

Very nice and what’s the website?
It’s http://www.turret-studios.com

Are you a registered company yet or are you still looking in to that?
Nope, we are a registered company. That paper work has been done.

You are?
Yup, so what I have recently done now is I have switched from full time work and have gone back to Free lancing as a Model Maker. So at the minute I am doing a lot of work for other companies just doing some technical drawings and laser cutting drawings just to bring in some cash that way, which enables us in to putting as much time as possible in to this to get it up and running.

Very nice and have you seen the new forum section that has gone up as well?
I had a browse around last night, I haven’t had a good rummage but I have noticed there have been a few changes.

Yeah like there is a new student studio section that you can apply for it and its only student studios that can post on that to get advice and get people talking, so that’s where you can put things like your competition.
That sounds fantastic! I’ll be doing that straight after this.

Excellent! So did you and your wife meet through gaming or was that something before?
My wife and I met at University. I was doing Model Making and she was doing Furniture and Applied Products but we soon found we were sat in front of the Playstation 2 back then playing SSX and all kinds of games which was quite good fun. We even had Little Big Planet wedding toppers at our wedding and our wedding cupcakes had Marshmallow space invaders on the top, so that’s how heavy in to games we are.

That sounds beautiful! That sounds like the kind of wedding I would like.
It was pretty awesome. Our favour boxes had Marvel Superhero candy sticks and penny sweets in.

So is your wife more the arts type like you or does she do other things as well?
She is very good with her Admin and things. She works in a job where she isn’t doing what she wants to do but it brings in money. In terms of the company and how she fits in to things, at the moment she is looking at learning coding, so she’s got some books and signed up to some courses as a long term goal and in the short term she is running all of our social media, the website and keeping the books, making sure things balance.

Very nice, is she going to get in to Train2Game as well do you think?
It’s definitely an option. It’s just trying to get some things set up and sorted and then try and find time for her to do that. She works quite long hours and works every other Saturday and things like that. So we will be looking in to that

So finally, what is your greatest ambition?
At the moment my greatest ambition is just to get that first app out there, hopefully succesful and what I would really love is to be stood on the train, look over some ones shoulder and see them playing our game. I think that would be fantastic!

That’s a beautiful idea
It’s a great idea, it’s kind of the app equivalent of walking in to a shop and seeing it on a shelf.

Excellent. Well I wish you all the luck with everything Dan
Thank you very much

My pleasure and thank you very much for talking to us today!
No trouble at all, cheers!