Category Archives: Games QA Tester

Train2Game news: Your chance to join Star Conflict closed beta

Posted on by
1

Train2Game students have the opportunity to join the closed beta for space themed action MMO Star Conflict, which begins today.

Star Conflict from Star Gem Inc is described as “a game in which anyone can feel like the pilot of a combat spaceship, take part in fierce wars between intergalactic factions that are struggling to obtain the mysterious artefacts of an ancient race and write your name in chronicles of the Universe.”

Train2Game students interested in participating in the Star Conflict closed beta can register at http://star-conflict.com/en/signup You can see Star Conflict in action in the teaser trailer below.

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

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, keep reading the Train2Game blog.

What are your thoughts on Star Conflict? Will you apply to be part of the closed beta?

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

Train2Game news: Auto Club Revolution enters open beta

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students now have the opportunity to take part in the open beta for Auto Club Revolution, an online racing game from Gateshead based studio Eutechnyx.

Auto Club Revolution will let players be part of an online community, completing in single player challenges and allowing them to own, customise and upgrade their own officially licensed cars. The open beta will allow players to begin their permanent collection of cars and different achievements.

Train2Game students can sign up for the open beta by visiting the Auto Club Revolution official website.

The Train2Game Blog published a video interview with Eutechnyx Lead Programmer Dave Hawes in November last year, in which he offers advice on getting into the industry.

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

Keep up with the latest Auto Club Revolution news here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your initial impressions of Auto Club Revolution? Will you be taking part in the open beta?

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

Train2Game interview: SoulCalibur V game director Daishi Odashima

Posted on by
7

Train2Game recently sat down for a chat with SoulCalibur V game director Daishi Odashima. In this interview with The Train2Game Blog, Odashima discusses development of SoulCalibur V, ongoing plans for DLC, the importance of community feedback and more. He also reveals what he thinks makes a good game designer!

Read the interview right here on The Train2Game Blog.

Tell us about your role as game director.

I’m game director for SoulCalibur V and I’ve been in the team since SoulCalibur III. On SoulCalibur IV I was a game designer, in charge of character designing in game design. In SoulCalibur V I’m the director.

How do you go about designing SoulCalibur V so that all the characters are balanced?

Basically, we see how the players play, and if the players feel that some characters are too strong then we would tone them down. Of course, if they’re too weak vice versa. For SoulCalibur V, we have chances for players to play before the game is out, where there isn’t a full roster of characters, but we have them play and get their feedback. We use that to balance our characters.

So, testing is a huge part of development before the game is released?

It is an important thing but it isn’t the only thing. Like if we receive feedback over a certain character being too strong, we test it in our own development, we play against each other and sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree but the final decisions I make. So if I feel [a character] is too strong, then it’ll be balanced.

In the latest update, some characters have been tweaked following user feedback. How important is community feedback, and will that continue to be important for SoulCalibur V?

It’s really important because in our development we only have less than ten people balancing the character. On the other hand you have more than a million, maybe two or three million, playing and they upload their tournament videos, they write opinions on forums and of course we check all that sort of stuff and it’s really important. But it’s not just taking their opinions, we have to gather them up and we have to come up with the final decision, so it’s really important.

Tell us about the plans for SoulCalibur V DLC.

There’s lots of DLC to come for SoulCalibur V to use in the creation mode, which should be coming every four weeks and there are tonnes of parts to come.

Speaking of creation mode, SoulCalibur V players have uploaded many costumes and characters, can you see yourself taking a community created costume and adding it as official DLC?

We look at them and we think that they’re interesting, but we don’t simply take them, we look after it. Also, we have lots of costume designs that weren’t used for SoulCalibur V that can maybe be used for SoulCalibur VI, and basically these designs are determined by the designers who have the final say.

What was the the reason for focusing SoulCalibur V’s story on two characters, rather than the whole roster?

Our first plan on the storyboard was that we had every characters story, and actually we do have it in the studio, but time-wise, man power-wise we weren’t able to do it and only one fourth of what we planned to do is in the game.  Actually, some of the voice-overs are already taken but haven’t been used, so we want to make use of it somehow, but we don’t know how that’s going to be.

What are you most proud of about SoulCalibur V?

I feel that SoulCalibur V is the best fighting tool in this world. For online mode, the lobby system is really made well, also we truly believe that after the character balancing patch it’s going to be a lot better, and I’m pretty sure that any people who are really competitive, or if you’re just starting a fighting game,  can enjoy SoulCalibur V as a fighting tool.

A bit about you now, how did you get started in the games industry?

I was invited by a friend to a QA section at another game developer. From there another friend at Namco, who was originally a SoulCalibur competitive player, invited me to the SoulCalibur team for character balancing, and well, here I am now.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the industry?

Well, my case was really special because I was invited as a specialist of SoulCalibur and this is a rare case. But what I think is important in becoming a game designer being able to describe what is happening within the game: what is fun, the logic behind it and also the communication skills to be able to explain this to other people.  Those skills are really needed to become a game designer.

Thanks for your time. 

As usual, leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum. Many more Train2Game interviews can be seen here. 

SoulCalibur V from Namco Bandai is out now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Train2Game news: End of Nations beta accepting sign-ups, begins soon

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students can now register to take part in the upcoming End of Nations beta test.

The free-to-play MMO RTS from Petroglyph and Trion Worlds is scheduled for release later this year, but you can become part of the closed beta by registering your interest at http://endofnations.com/en/beta/

You’ll need to sign up for a Trion Worlds account to take part in the closed beta which will begin during Spring.

There’s much more information about End of Nations in this interview with Senior QA Tester Karl Tars, who even suggested that beta testing can potentially provide decent opportunities for breaking into the industry. Watch the latest End of Nations trailer below.

We recently spoke to End of Nations senior producer Chris Lena, who offered advice on getting into the industry. There’s more End of Nations news right here on The Train2Game Blog.

We’ll keep you informed about the latest beta testing opportunities.

So Train2Game, will you be registering to become part of the End of Nations closed beta? What are your initial impressions of the game?

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

Train2Game news: How testing changed Journey after leaving producer ‘disappointed in mankind’

Posted on by
3

Train2Game students who want to see the impact testing can have on a game in development need look no further than PlayStation 3 title Journey.

Why? Because in an interview with Siliconera, Thatgamecompany’s Robin Hunicke reveals Journey previously allowed more physical interaction between players, but it resulted in them trying to kill each other, something that left her ‘disappointed in mankind’

“We were doing play tests, where we invited players to come in and play the game. However, instead of cooperating and building a relationship each other, the players just kept attacking each other and pushing each other into the pit.” said Hunicke.

“At the time, I was very disappointed in mankind; we designed all the settings so they will help each other, but they still just kill each other, as if they don’t have any morality at all.”

The Journey produced added that she spoke to a child psychologist about the issue.

“When these guys enter the game, it’s a virtual space–reality does continue into it. When that happens, they become kids, and don’t know what they’re doing is bad. In that situation, the best way to handle that isn’t to shout or hit them, but to offer feedback.”  she told her.

So Hunicke decided to remove physics from Journey to encourage players to co-operate rather than hinder each other.

“So when I went back to the prototype, we removed the physics so they couldn’t push each other into the pit.” she said.

The Train2Game Blog has previously reported on Thatgamecompany’s views that testing is an integral part of game development. You can also get an insight into life at the studio and the development of Journey in this developer diary.

So, what are your thoughts on the impact playtesting had on Journey? Is it something you often do with your own games?

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

Train2Game news: Hybrid closed beta accepting sign-ups for April test

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students have the opportunity to take part in the closed beta for Hybrid, the XBLA third person shooter from indie developer 5th Cell, the studio behind Scribblenauts.

To register your interest in becoming part of the Hybrid closed beta, visit the official site and enter your details.  Those who are successful in getting a place on the Hybrid closed beta will receive a beta key in-time for the April test. Train2Game students looking to take part in the Hybrid closed beta need an Xbox 360 and an Xbox Live Gold account.

Hybrid from 5th Cell is set in the near future and will feature a ‘massive online world war’ and ‘intense 3v3 air and ground combat’

The Train2Game Blog has previously posted this piece in which 5th Cell discover what makes an indie studio indie.

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

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, keep reading the Train2Game blog.

Will you register to take part in the Hybrid closed beta?

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

Train2Game interview: Neocore Games on the making of King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame – Part 1

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game recently caught up with Neocore Games, developer of King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame, an RTS and RPG hybrid that was released through Paradox Interactive earlier this year.

In an extensive interview, Neocore PR and Community Manager Orsolya Tóth discusses the story behind King Arthur series, the development of King Arthur II, the importance of digital distribution and much more.

Read Part 1 of our interview with Neocore Games right here on the Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game Scribd page. You can see part two of our two part interview here. 

Hi there, first of all, tell us a bit about Neocore Games?

Neocore Games is a computer and video game publishing and production company with a development studio located in Hungary. We are developing strategy games for PC since 2005, our previous titles are “Crusaders: Thy Kingdome Come”, “The Kings’ Crusade” and of course “King Arthur – The Role-playing Wargame” and the recently released “King Arthur II” which is naturally also a Role-playing Wargame.

For those new to the series, let us know about the original King Arthur.

King Arthur – The Role-playing Wargame is a strategy game with many RPG elements. It has a turn-based 3D campaign map with various locations that grant special traits, and huge real-time battles. King Arthur is set in the ancient South Britannia and your task is to unite the divided kingdoms. You are Arthur, the Once and Future King of all Britannia and you gather and lead your knights to achieve your goal. You can recruit various different types of troops, but there are also special unique units called heroes.

The quests, written by professional fantasy writers, play a very important role in the game because they represent the main storyline and the decisions you take on these quests determine your morality. Every decision affects your position on the Morality Chart, you can be a ruthless Tyrant or a Righteous ruler and you can follow the Old Faith or become a devout Christian. As you follow your morality path and get higher morality scores, you unlock special new spells and units.

King Arthur has a fantasy setting, so magic plays a very important role in the game including in the battles. Your heroes learn skills and spells during winter turns when all your enemies and also your own units are resting. In winter you also have to manage your economy and build your stronghold to collect the two resources, food and gold.

Did the extent of King Arthur’s success come as a surprise to Neocore Games?

A little bit, yes! But I have to admit that we did hope that it would amuse the community. We were already quite fascinated by the game’s story and the genre mix we created with all the new features such as the text-adventure quests or the Morality Chart.

King Arthur was well received by critics and gamers alike, so what changes and improvements have been made to King Arthur II?

There are several improvements we’ve made in King Arthur II based on the feedback we received from the players. The Campaign Map is twice as big as it used to be in King Arthur, as you have to unite the provinces of the Northern and Middle regions of Britannia as well. Scotland is also included.

We have a brand new, in-house developed engine called Coretech 3D 2. It can render up to 3000-4000 highly detailed soldiers at the same time on a highly detailed battlefield. Thanks to the new engine the army movement is also improved and the whole game is more stunning.

There are more various fantasy creatures in King Arthur II than in the first game. A great improvement is the dragons and other flying units both on the enemy’s and on your side, it means more tactical possibilities because they are fast and the battle has two levels, the air and the ground level. You can fly across the rivers, buildings and various other objects and you can fight in the air as well as on the ground at the same time.

In King Arthur II we are introducing a new, more balanced magic resistance and spell casting system. Every army has its own magic shield, which is affected by some spells, locations, unit skills and artifacts. First you have to decrease it for using your spells with low spell penetration. The casting time of the grandiose, lethal spells gives you the chance to defend yourself with the interruption of the caster hero.

We have several other improvements in King Arthur II like the new artifact management with the artifact forge, the upgradable locations, the brand new diplomacy or the Victory Locations, which give you global bonuses and spells, so you can use them now on the entire battlefield, not only around the VL. And there are many more improvements you should definitely check out in the game.

What are the main challenges in development in combing King Arthur II’s RTS and RPG elements of game design? How do heroes impact on battles?

The biggest challenge is finding the balance so the gameplay remains fluid and fresh.

King Arthur featured some epic monsters, have more been added to the sequel? If so, how did you go about deciding what to add?

There are a lot more monsters in King Arthur II. You will see some beasts reappearing from the first game, but we have added many new as well. When we decided what we wanted to add, we took into consideration the background and the story of the game, the dark fantasy setting and we stretched our imagination to the edges. And the new monsters were born.

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

Train2Game news: Go behind the scenes of Journey in thatgamecompany developer diary

Posted on by
1

Train2Game students can go behind the scenes of Journey in a developer diary from thatgamecompany.

Journey is a PlayStation 3 downloadable title, that sees plays go on a mystical adventure. In the world of Journey, it’s entirely possible to encounter others playing the game, but there’s no way of voice or text communication, and you’ll never know who they actually are.

The developer diary details the story behind Journey, how it came to have its distinct artistic style, why there is no communication and more.

Watch the video from thatgamecompany below, right here on The Train2Game Blog.

Journey is available now to PlayStation Plus subscribers and from 14th March if you’re not.

Thatgamecompany previously produced much praised indie title Flower, and as previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, studio co-founder Kellee Santiago says testing is an integral part of their game development.

So Train2Game, have you played Journey, if so what are your thoughts? And what insights have you gained from the developer diary?

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

Train2Game news: Line of Defense beta open for registration

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students have the opportunity to sign up for beta testing Line of Defense, an upcoming MMO shooter for PC from 3000AD.

Line of Defense is described as “A sci-fi MMOG in which thousands players fight for the control of various bases located on planets in the far reaches of space.”

To register your interest in becoming part of the Line of Defense beta test, register your details on the official website.

You can also watch a newly released official trailer below, right here on The Train2Game Blog.

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

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, keep reading the Train2Game blog.

What are your initial impressions of Line of Defense? Will you be registering to take part in the beta test?

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

Train2Game news: New Hawken trailer released, beta still open for registration

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game Blog readers may have seen last month’s post about FPS mech combat title Hawken accepting signups for a closed beta.

The Hawken trailer however, was a little dated, but now Adhesive Games have released a new video featuring more gameplay footage.  Watch it below right here on The Train2Game Blog.

Hawken is scheduled for release on 12th December 2012, and will be free-to-play.  There aren’t details about when the closed beta will take place yet, but those interested in taking part can register to do so on the Hawken website.

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.

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the new video? Will you be applying for a place in the closed beta?

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