Category Archives: Games Developer

Train2Game news: Bungie co-founder “a little nervous” about Microsoft developing Halo 4

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Train2Game Blog readers will probably be aware that Bungie, developers of Halo, have stepped away from shooter.

The series is now in the hands of Microsoft studio 343. They produced last year Halo Anniversary, which you can read more about in this Train2Game Blog interview producers Dan Ayoub and Producer Dennis Ries.

It’s 343 who’ll be developing Halo 4, but Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian – now working on mobile games – is confident with Microsoft, Halo 4 is in safe hands.

“It’s so crazy in an interesting way. I’ve been an observer for a while now. So much has gone on with the franchise. I will say the encouraging thing is that I know a lot of the folks at Microsoft working on it and they are great people,” he told GameSpot.

“I’m very hopeful that the team there is very fantastic. They are certainly treating it with a lot of care and respect. And applying the resources you’d like to see applied to a franchise like that. I’m hopeful that it will continue to bring the high production value and cool experiences it’s known for.”

However, Seropian added that even though he was “a little nervous” with what 343 could do with Halo 4, he’d be surprised if wasn’t a success.

“I don’t think I can be anything other than hopeful that it will be great. We’ll see. Halo is one of the crown jewels in the Microsoft gaming IP, if not the crown jewel, so you would expect nothing less than for them to take the time needed and apply the resources needed to make it great. I would be pretty surprised if they wiffed it.” he said.

“Maybe it will bring a fresh perspective, and that’s so hard because there’s so many fans that are used to a particular thing that bringing something new is often…it’s hard to bring something new to a franchise that’s so established. I’m looking forward to it.” the Halo creator concluded.

The full interview in-which the Bungie co-founder discusses his new mobile studio and much more can be read on GameSpot.

What are your thoughts on Halo being under the stewardship of a new developer? And what are your hopes for the series?

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

Train2Game news: Unreal Engine 4 to be previewed at GDC

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The Samaritan Train2Game blog imageTrain2Game students are preparing to use Epic’s Unreal Engine for iOS to make games as part of Make Something Unreal Live at The Gadget Show but meanwhile, Epic are getting ready to show off Unreal Engine 4.

They’ll be previewing the next-gen technology behind closed doors to “select licensees, partners and prospective customers.” at GDC in San Francisco. The Game Developers Conference takes place March 5th to 9th.

It was earlier this month that The Train2Game Blog reported that Unreal Engine 4 would be shown off this year.

“People are going to be shocked later this year when they see Unreal Engine 4 and how much more profound an effect it will have,” said Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein.

It was at last year’s GDC that Epic Games first revealed the highly impressive Samaritan tech demo, which you can watch here on The Train2Game Blog. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the power of ten Xbox 360 consoles would be required to recreate the visuals.

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

What are your hopes for Unreal Engine 4?

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

Train2Game news: UK Charts – PS Vita Uncharted Golden Abyss takes No.1

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Train2Game students see PlayStation Vita games Uncharted: Golden Abyss and FIFA Football storm the charts following the launch of Sony’s handheld console in the UK.

Sony’s own Uncharted: Golden Abyss is therefore the first PlayStation Vita title to take No.1 in the UKIE Games Charts, and it’s followed in No.2 by another Vita launch title, FIFA Football. The two games account for half of all PlayStation Vita game sales this week.

UFC Undisputed 3, which as reported by The Train2Game Blog took top spot last week,  has to settled for No.3, while FIFA 12 slips to No.4. Rayman: Origins jumps 31 places to re-enter the top ten at No.5, thanks to the release of the PlayStation Vita version.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games drops two to No.6, with multiplatform title Syndicate the highest non-Vita new entry at No.7.  FPS rivals Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 slip to No.8 and No.9 respectively, while former No.1 Final Fantasy XIII-2 completes the top ten.

Three new entries make the top twenty, with Wipeout 2048 for PlayStation Vita at No.11, Nintendo Wii RPG The Last Story at No.15, and Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition taking No.17. SEGA’s new release Binary Domain only manages No.35 in its first week on sale.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 25th February 2012 is therefore as follows:

1: Uncharted: Golden Abyss – Sony
2: FIFA Football – EA
3: Activision UFC Undisputed 3 – THQ
4: FIFA 12 – EA
5: Rayman: Origins – Ubisoft
6: Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games –
7: Syndicate – EA
8: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 –Activision
9: Battlefield 3 – EA
10: Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Square Enix

New releases for the upcoming week include SSX, Mario Party 9 and Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition.

What are your thoughts on Vita titles storming this week’s charts? Is it good news for Sony? And what will be No.1 next week?

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

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

Train2Game news: Criterion Games holding student open day

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Train2Game students have the chance to get behind the scenes at Burnout and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit developers Criterion thanks to a competition from the studio.

30 lucky winners will to find out what it’s like to work for the Guildford based game developer, and with activities including interactive sessions and a proto-type competition, the winners of which will be awarded with work experience placements.

Anyone who gets to visit Criterion will surely find it extremely interesting, and potentially useful for securing that all important first job in the industry.

To enter the Criterion Games open day competition, visit their official website and answer the questions explaining why you want a work experience placement at the Burnout studio.

The competition closes 9th March, with winners attending the open day on Thursday 12th April.

Good luck to any Train2Game students who enter!

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

Train2Game news: Auto Club Revolution beta keys up for grabs

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to beta test Auto Club Revolution, the online racing game from Gateshead based studio Eutechnyx.

The Train2Game Blog published a video interview with Eutechnyx Lead Programmer Dave Hawes in November last year.

Auto Club Revolution will let players race online, complete single player challenges and own, customise and upgrade their own officially licensed cars.

Those interesting in receiving an Auto Club Revolution beta key should visit autoclubrevolution.com and follow the instructions. Eutechnyx will be sending out a batch of beta keys in the near future.

Earlier this month, The Train2Game Blog reported that Eutechnyx are teaming up with fellow racing studio Brain in a Jar to work on an as of yet unannounced project.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills. Not only that, but in an interview with the Train2Game blog, Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester Karl Tars said that beta testing is potentially a way to get into the industry.

And in a recent interview with The Train2Game Blog, Brawl Busters developers Rock Hippo told us that beta testing is “crucial” to the game development process.

What are your initial thoughts on Auto Club Revolution? Will you be registering for an Auto Club Revolution beta key?

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

Train2Game news: Epic’s Samaritan tech demo needs power of ten Xbox 360s

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The Samaritan Train2Game blog imageTrain2Game students might be familiar with Epic Games Samaritan tech demo which showcases what it could be possible for games to look like in future.

If you need reminding about the impressive the Unreal Engine powered demo, watch it here on The Train2Game Blog.

The power needed to run the Samaritan? 2.5 teraFLOPS is what Develop Online reports Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney told a D.I.C.E. Summit audience. That’s ten times the power of the current Xbox 360 console, which operates at a maximum of 0.25 terraFLOPS.

The next generation of consoles is therefore going to have to provide a massive leap forward if they want to be able to run anything like Epic’s Samaritan tech demo in future.

We’ve no idea what specifications would be required for Unreal Engine 4 to run the demo, but at least we’ll get a hint as to what it’s capable of later this year.

“People are going to be shocked later this year when they see Unreal Engine 4 and how much more profound an effect it will have,” Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein said last week.

It’s reported that Unreal Engine 4 will arrive in 2014.

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

What are your thoughts on the power needed to run the Unreal Engine demo? How long do you think it’ll be before consoles are capable of that amount of power?

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

[Source: Develop]

Train2Game news: Bethesda’s Skyrim Creation Kit tutorials can get you started with modding

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Skyrim Dragon Fight screenshotTrain2Game Blog readers may have seen this post last week about official mod tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, finally being released.

While there are number of Train2Game forum users that are already trying their hands at making mods for Skyrim using the Bethesda Creation Kit, there may be those among you that have no idea where to begin with using the tools.

Fortunately, Bethesda has released tutorial videos for absolute beginners that provide help with using the Skyrim mod tools. There are three so far, with part one available to watch below.

The Skyrim Creation Kit Tutorial series is designed for modders, but it’s sure to be an interesting watch for anyone interested in how Bethesda made the latest Elder Scrolls title.

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

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

And for those interested in what goes on behind the scenes at Bethesda, see this post featuring a video that shows what the team did with their internal week long game jam.

So, what do you make of the Creation Kit tutorials? Or have you already begun to make mods?

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

Train2Game news: What should we ask Hironobu Sakaguchi at The Last Story Q&A on Thursday?

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Train2Game students may have seen this post at the start of the month about the upcoming BAFTA Q&A session with Final Fantasy developer Hironobu Sakaguchi.

In addition to hearing the games industry veteran discuss The Last Story, the audience will be able to ask Sakaguchi almost anything and he could therefore potentially provide advice to Train2Game students about getting that first job in the industry.

Unfortunately, this unique opportunity to question Sakaguchi is now sold out.  However, The Train2Game Blog will be attending the BAFTA Q&A on Thursday.

So if you’ve got anything you’d like to ask about Final Fantasy, The Last Story, game development or the industry in general, leave your questions here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Also, let us know if you’re actually going to be attending the event!

You can still purchase tickets to next Monday’s BAFTA Games Question Time, which gives the audience the opportunity to ask a panel of experts questions about the industry.

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

Train2Game news: Unreal Engine 4 reveal later this year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Source: NowGamer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Source: Joystiq]