Train2Game Student Richard Scott-Jones has been featured in the Redhill and Reigate Life. Richard talks to the paper about attending the Game Jam world record attempt this weekend.
You can read the article here:
http://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/news/localnews/9920979.Redhill_games_industry_student_s_world_record_attempt/
I am looking forward to seeing you all there.
Valve is introducing a cost to post games on to its new Greenlight initiative. Valve will donate all money made this way to the charity Child’s Play.
Greenlight is a service for indie developers to upload there games and the Steam community chooses which game they want to see released on the digital distribution service. Child’s Play is a children’s charity created to help young people in hospital, by providing them with games and toys.
Valve has had to implement this fee to dissuade pranksters uploading fake and unapproved games. There have been phoney write ups uploaded to Greenlight and there was controversy yesterday when Steam had to take down a sex game submitted by an amateur developer.
Greenlight went live a few days ago and already 700 titles have been uploaded, making it very difficult to find any hidden gems amongst the fake titles.
Valve said “There is unfortunately a significant amount of noise and clutter being submitted, either as a joke or by fans not fully understanding the purpose of Greenlight,”
“The proceeds will be donated to Child’s Play. We have no interest in making money from this, but we do need to cut down the noise in the system.”
There are mixed feelings to charging for this service. Some believe it defeats the idea of Greenlight but others believe it’s a necessary charge to clean up the service making it easier to find games submitted by serious developers and students.
With the implementation of the fee, which is under £65, it has deterred many of the pranksters.
There are many notes on the forum with a number of views as to how to apply for a work placement. The reality is THIS is how the placement scheme is operated.
First you should visit student world and look at the openings available. The information within Student World explains you should apply in writing saying why you think you should be considered for the opening. Your application should include a CV.
GOOD LUCK
May we introduce an extra special lady who will be filming at the Gameathon, WELCOME Juliette.
Juliette’s credits include the Spirit of London Awards, YES Program (kids education) and even RARE, yes that RARE of Xbox fame. Her credits also span: Saatchi & Saatchi, San Miguel, Vivienne Westwood, Bloodhound (the car that goes 1000mph), Rimmel and Sky TV.
So if you would like to be considered so that Juliette can film your good side get in touch with Harry via BaseCamp.
Gaming record attempt
The University of Bedfordshire will host a world record attempt next month when a computing giant and an online college try to hold the largest game jam held in a single location.
Experts from Microsoft will team up with students from Train2Game which runs from September 14-16 at the university’s three computer labs at the Park Street campus.
They will form development teams and create Metro style videogames in 48 hours for Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system, which is scheduled for release on October 26.
The world record will be set with a target of 301 or more participants and representatives from The Guinness Book of World Records will be present to adjudicate the event.
Games completed during the record attempt deemed suitable for release will be available through the Windows Store. A judging process will then take place with gaming industry representatives choosing the best game of the show.
Carsten Maple, the university’s Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, said: “The university works closely with the games industry and is delighted to host this exciting, record breaking event.”
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More soon as we add them
The Guinness Book of World Records (for largest game jam in a single location) to be set at event organised by Microsoft and Train2Game
Luton, 01 August 2012: Microsoft Corp. will collaborate with online blended learning service Train2Game to set the world record for the largest game jam held in a single location, at the Microsoft and Train2Game Gameathon 2012.
Students on Train2Game courses will gather at the University of Bedfordshire from 14th September to 16th September 2012, forming development teams and creating Metro style videogames for Windows 8 in 48 hours. The world record will be set with a target of 301 or more participants. Representatives from The Guinness Book of World Records will adjudicate the event.
Microsoft experts will be on hand and the contestants will use Windows 8 software. Games completed during the record attempt deemed suitable for release will be available through the Windows Store. A judging process will take place with gaming industry representatives choosing a best game of the show.
“We’re teaming with Train2Game not only to set a world record, but also to support gaming development in the UK,” said John Richards, senior director, Windows Partners and Developers at Microsoft Corp. “We’re working with the students developing for Windows 8, as they are the future of the industry.”
Myra Smallman, Course Director, Train2Game: “This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to work with one of the most respected technology companies in the world. Microsoft is a major player in the video games industry globally and being part of this relationship will be incredibly positive for Train2Game students when they look for employment in the future. The students taking part will also be world record holders, a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Ian Livingstone OBE is Life President of Eidos, co-founder of Games Workshop, co-author of the popular Fighting Fantasy novels and one of the most respected figures in the UK games industry.
He also judged the Train2Game and Epic Games Make Something Unreal Live contest, which saw Commando Kiwi and their Warlock of Firetop Mountain game named winners.
We sat down with Livingstone at Develop Conference, where the games industry legend discussed Make Something Unreal Live, the changing games industry and what it takes to be successful in it, his upcoming brand new Fighting Fantasy novel and more.
You were involved with Train2Game and Epic Games Make Something Unreal Live contest at The Gadget Show earlier this year, can you explain what your role was for those who weren’t there?
My involvement was to be supplier of the intellectual property, Steve Jackson and I allowing the whole initiative to use our intellectual property in terms of Fighting Fantasy. The development teams were able to use whichever titles they wanted – they used Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon, The Citadel of Chaos and Armies of Death – and imagine them in any way they wished to create a brand new game using Unreal Technology.
The winners of Make Something Unreal Live were Commando Kiwi with Warlock of Firetop Mountain, how is the game coming along ahead of its upcoming release?
The other part of our function was to help judge the final which was held at Gadget Show Live in Birmingham. That was really good because it was so close with deciding what game would be the winner, but in the end we decided on Warlock of Firetop Mountain because we felt that they’d achieved the most in an original way, a fun way, a very creative way and mostly importantly, something that’s a really fun game to play.
The team since then have been working hard, it’s incredible what they’ve been able to achieve effectively as a virtual team, only having met for one week to work together. Student teams with a lot of ambition, a lot of drive, a lot of creativity. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final game, and I’m sure it’ll be a very proud moment for them when they finally see Warlock of Firetop Mountain on the iStore.
The games are running using the Unreal Engine on an iPad which is a feat in itself, looking very good for what are mobile games.
Yes, it just shows their ability to develop fantastic content using a great piece of technology which is the Unreal Development Kit.
The future of iOS and mobile looks very bright, with analysts claiming it’ll overtake console gaming, or even make it obsolete. What are your thoughts on the issue?
Undoubtedly the smartphone is going to be the largest – or shall we say the biggest number in terms of being the most available platform – but that doesn’t mean for one second that Triple A console gaming is going to disappear, they’re going to live together.
And whilst the platforms of the consoles might change with their technology ended up embedded in a smart TV, or their business model might move from a premium to a freemium model, people will always want a very rich, cinematic, very visual gaming experience. Whilst at other times they’ll be happy to play games on their smartphones or social networks like Facebook, I think most core gamers will want that very rich, visual experience.
So, one is not going to be at the expense of the other; sometimes you want a big gaming experience, sometimes you just want a snack and some light entertainment like watching an indie film or watching a Hollywood movie.
You mentioned blockbuster games; many nowadays seem to focus on style over substance. But what do you think game designers can learn or adapt from old-school RPGs and board games?
You’ve got to create a strong storyline, a great narrative, have a great a great emotional engagement. But above all, with a game, the gameplay has to be fantastic because people will always buy a game which has great gameplay and poor graphics over something which has great graphics and poor gameplay. So when people ask what are the three most important things in a game? I will say gameplay, gameplay, gameplay.
You have a new Fighting Fantasy book on the way; firstly, can you tell us a bit about it, please? And secondly, why is now the right time for a new entry in the series?
Well, August 2012 is the 30th anniversary of Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and it just seems like yesterday when Steve Jackson and I saw it first appear on shelves at book shops around the country. Fighting Fantasy really touched a nerve at the time; pre-digital, the very first interactive entertainment albeit in book form, it resonated with a very wide population resulting in nearly 17 million copies of the series sold, translated to 28 languages.
I always wanted to celebrate the 30th anniversary, especially when nowadays so many people who grew up with those books, who are now in their late 30s or early 40s, and as soon as you mention Fighting Fantasy they sort of revert to childhood and have such fond memories. For me that’s very gratifying and almost humbling that people liked what Steve and I did way back when, and it’s still as relevant today as it was back then.
So I decided to write a new one and the title is Blood of the Zombies. It’s also going to be available on iOS and Android, so hopefully it’ll appeal to ten year olds of today and ten year olds of the 1980s.
How do you go about the process of writing a Fighting Fantasy book?
It’s a very complicated process! It’s a nightmare in parts; it’s like writing several books at once, because you have to keep track of several different parts of the branching narrative. So, it’s effectively writing a computer programme, a flowchart where you allocate numbers as the path branches, and keep track of all the items you can find and the inventory and make sure everything balances in combat, making sure the monsters, there aren’t too many of them or they aren’t too hard to overcome.
So there’s a lot of balancing required, but at the same time it has to be story driven. So, it’s part book, part game, part puzzle, but hopefully Blood of the Zombies will resonate with today’s audiences and will be a worth inclusion in the series
Back to game development if there’s one piece of advice you could give those aspiring to break into the industry, what would it be?
Be true to yourself, do something that you want to do, make something original, be creative, express yourself in your own way and hopefully you’ll find an audience that appreciates what you do. If you spend your life copying other people, I suspect that will never lead to monetary success and nor will it satisfy your soul. So, be true to yourself, that’s the most important thing you can do.
Thanks for your time.
Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.
Gameplay, gameplay and gameplay are the three most important things for a video game to have.
That’s the view of games industry legend and co-author of the Fighting Fantasy series Ian Livingstone OBE who was speaking to The Train2Game Blog at Develop Conference 2012.
“You’ve got to create a strong storyline, a great narrative, have a great a great emotional engagement.” said Livingstone.
“But above all, with a game, the gameplay has to be fantastic because people will always buy a game which has great gameplay and poor graphics over something which has great graphics and poor gameplay.” he continued, emphasising the important of gameplay over graphics.
“So when people ask what are the three most important things in a game? I will say gameplay, gameplay, gameplay.”
Livingstone also suggested that being original and creative are key factors in becoming a successful game developer.
“Be true to yourself, do something that you want to do, make something original, be creative, express yourself in your own way and hopefully you’ll find an audience that appreciates what you’do.” he said.
“If you spend your life copying other people, I suspect that will never lead to monetary success and nor will it satisfy your soul. So, be true to yourself, that’s the most important thing you can do.” the Fighting Fantasy author added.
Ian Livingstone was one of a number of industry figures who aided in mentoring Train2Game students taking part in Make Something Unreal Live last April. The Games Workshop co-founder said he was “delighted” to be part of the initiative, which saw teams creating games based on Fighting Fantasy novels.
The full interview with Ian Livingstone, covering everything from Fighting Fantasy, to game design and Make Something Unreal Live will be published later today.
In the meantime, there’s more Ian Livingstone news here on The Train2Game Blog, while you can also catch up with last week’s Develop Conference coverage.
Do you agree with Livingstone that gameplay is by far the most important thing in making a good game?
Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or here on the Train2Game forum.
L.A. Noire production designer Simon Wood is hosting a BAFTA masterclass at the end of this month, giving you the chance to learn about game design, art & animation and more from the BAFTA-nominated former Rockstar man.
He’ll also be discussing his role on projects including The Getaway and L.A. Noire in what would be a very interesting event for Train2Game students to attend.
“Simon started as an Industrial designer before crossing over into films and working on The Phantom Menace, Tomorrow Never Dies and Thunderbirds. He then settled in as the Production Designer at Sony Europe (PlayStation) on The Getaway series.”
“Haven spoken extensively at conferences around the world, Simon will be describing his role on projects and then discussing ‘good art’, ‘good design’ and the creative processes as a whole.” reads the statement from BAFTA.
BAFTA Masterclass: Multiplatform Production Design with LA Noire BAFTA-Nominee Simon Wood takes place from 19:00 on Tuesday 31st July at The Hospital Club in central London. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit the BAFTA website.
There’s more about L.A. Noire and its impressive motion-captured facial animation here on The Train2Game Blog, while be sure to keep reading for the latest from BAFTA.
Will you be attending the production design masterclass?
Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.
BAFTA’s public events and online resources bring you closer to the creative talent behind your favourite games, films, and TV shows. Find out more at www.bafta.org/newsletter,www.facebook.com/bafta or twitter.com/baftagames
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