Category Archives: Jobs

Train2Game News Derp Studios release Warhammer app

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Train2Game students create licensed Tactical Objectives App for Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 table-top game

Derp Studios to release officially licensed App to accompany latest version of popular sci-fi battle game

Independent Video Games and Apps developer, Derp Studios, has created a tactical objectives App to accompany the Warhammer 40,000 board game. The team which includes Train2Game students has been working with Games Workshop to create the App.

The App has been designed to assist in playing the latest version of the popular table top game, offering a digital version of tactical objectives cards which previously were only available on limited edition print runs. This is one of the first ever officially licensed Tactical Objectives Apps which supports the Warhammer 40,000 board game.

Derp Studios join prestigious companies already working with Games Workshop and Warhammer. Games publisher THQ are an official licensee of the popular brand. The company also creates a series of figures based on JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in association with Warner Brothers.

Games Workshop was founded in 1975 in Nottingham is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The incredibly successful UK based company declared revenues of £119.1m in May 2015 for the previous fiscal year.

Train2Game spoke with Derp Studios CEO, Chris Ledger, about the App and working with this incredibly popular brand.

Derp Studios

Chris Ledger, CEO and Lead Designer of Derp Studios, “Derp Studios was formed late 2011 during Make Something Unreal Live 2012 hosted by Train2Game and Epic Games, where we developed a mobile title based on the Fighting Fantasy IP.  Since then we’ve done a couple of self-funded projects and most recently we have become Games Workshop Licensees!”

“The team is made up of core team members and contributors, some Train2Game and some not associated. Both Max Dymond and I are Train2Game students. Max is studying the Art and Animation course and I studied Game Design. I quite enjoyed my course.  It was documentation heavy and there was plenty to keep me going.  I haven’t technically finished the course as of yet since I’ve been running my own studio, however the course definitely helped show the ropes. Applying that knowledge to the real world has certainly got me places. Also, to those students that are torn between study and finding a job in the industry, its okay to put the course on hold, its flexible learning and you can always come back to it.”

Creation of the App

“The Warhammer 40,000:  Tactical Objectives App is one of the first hobby Apps to directly support the Warhammer 40,000 table-top board game.  The aim of the App is to enable players who don’t have a physical copy of either the regular or faction based Tactical Objectives cards to be able to own their factions deck, since the physical copies are on limited print runs. So the app is fairly niche as it appeals to Warhammer 40,000 table-top players, however that doesn’t mean the target audience is small in any way!”

“A few other companies have tried their hands at hobby apps with their own IP’s and there are a few third party apps as well like army list builders and dice rollers being the most common.  Some have worked out well, others not so well.  The WH40k: Tactical Objectives app is the equivalent to the game’s physical tactical objective cards in every way, only digitalised and the maths calculated for you when you score points, draw, discard and achieve objectives.”

“Originally players had to roll 2 D6 (or a D66, two 6 sided dice), to generate objectives from the rulebook each turn.  You had to re-roll any duplicate objectives though which could get frustrating and you then had to make a note of which ones you had.  The physical cards sped that process up and the app further speeds things up by calculating points and adhering to parameters, as well as meeting the demand of players wanting faction based tactical objectives, which as I mentioned before are on limited print cycles.”

“I got sick of rolling D66’s and I used my uber documentation skills and fortunate position in running my own game dev team to write up some high concepts and pitches, which I then sent off to the Games Workshop licensing team who loved the idea.”

“So for all you game designers/app designers out there.  Documentation is still important!  Don’t shrug it off as it can get you places!”

Games Workshop/Warhammer 40,000

“The relationship with Games Workshop began during the beginning of Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition which was released at the end of last year (2014).  The Maelstrom of War missions were the thing everyone was playing (and are still playing today).  I wanted to get myself some regular tactical objective cards but they sold out like hot cakes, especially since they were only a fiver.”

“Games Workshop are really good work alongside with.  They’ve been really supportive and have provided a lot of assets for us to use.  So far it’s been nothing but positive and a really enjoyable experience!”

“We get given digital assets for use in the app which have been originally made for print runs.  So when we get some huge art pieces, I usually sit there mesmerised by all the detail.”

“I have recently visited their HQ in Nottingham, which is also home to Warhammer World, a museum of over 200,000 miniatures, featuring some MASSIVE insanely detailed dioramas.  Also the fact Black Library, Games Workshop and Forgeworld and a massive gaming hall are all in the same room, I was truly the definition of a kid in a candy store.  My wallet is still burning.  On the plus side, my Tau Empire army has some awesome Forgeworld models in it now!”

What’s next

“For Derp Studios this app alone is a big milestone in the company!  I’m not sure what the future holds for more hobby apps within the Warhammer 40,000 IP, however if I’m unable to produce another hobby app then I’d happily make a small licensed video game for them.”

“The app is nearly finished; it’s just being polished up lots and constant testing of in app purchases and things like that. It’s released later this quarter.”

“I’d like to keep working alongside Games Workshop.  They really appreciate what we’re doing and we’re extremely grateful for being accepted as licensees. I have some ideas of what I would like to do but nothing solid at the moment.”

“I’m always writing down designs and ideas and to keep my skills sharp in Unreal Engine 4 I usually dabble with reconstructing a Dire Consequences remake, which I’m pretty pleased about.”

Website:  www.derpstudios.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/derpstudios
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/derpstudios

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com

Train2game News Streamframe project management available worldwide

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Streamline Media Group announced today that its new proprietary cloud-based project management platform specifically designed for video game development, Streamframe, is now commercially available to users globally.

During its testing phase Streamframe has already served an integral part for thousands of developers creating games worldwide. For more information and to start using Streamframe, visit: www.streamframe.com

“The complexity of game development has moved beyond spreadsheets and one-dimensional systems”, said Alexander Fernandez, CEO of Streamline Media Group. “Teams today need a unified development platform that brings together art, code, production and administration into one place so that they can have a holistic view of their project and its effect upon the organization. Streamframe does just that while also tracking all the individual changes taking place during the course of development. For the first time teams are able to get a general overview and immediately deep dive into the state of play.”

Streamframe builds projects quickly through a sophisticated framework that incorporates tracking of resources, time and finances. Teams collaborate, manage clients, feedback and workflows all through a socially powered interface. Clients stay informed on every aspect of a project whenever they want by simply logging into Streamframe’s Client access to view project status. The ability to implement any necessary changes to development quickly and seamlessly leads to a massive reduction in turnaround times. While most project management tools are static, Streamframe is highly responsive and allows on-the-fly adjustments to free creativity and prevent lags in project timelines.

To register and learn more about Steamframe visit: www.streamframe.com

Train2Game News Introducing Heresy Studios

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Train2Game catch-up with Steven Herod CEO of student studio

This week Tain2Game spoke with Steven Herod in regards to his student studio Heresy Studios. Heresy is a student studio, made up a majority of Train2Game students. It’s working on multiple projects and operating an ‘all welcome’ policy when it comes to recruiting new team members.

The team are great advocates of ‘learning through doing’ and have recruited many team members through the offer of creating portfolio content. Train2Game spoke to Steven about what the team are currently working on, recruitment and what Heresy has planned in the future.

Steven Herod, CEO, Heresy Games: “I’m classed as the team leader/boss but within the group I have four team leaders, Chris is Team Leader on the frosty Pigeon project, Jason is running the House project, Myself and Valo are running Ming In Space Project, Mauro and Heather are running Desert Raiders (Newest addition to the list).”

“We came together, well let me start from the beginning, I started the course and made that first game on construct 2, Asteroid dodger game, And I thought about how to expand it and make is an actual decent game, Me and My bestfriend (Cara, She quit XD), started to the make the group.”

“As I was getting really eager to make something happen and Cara basically put it all off I started asking around the forum for some people to work with me, that’s where I got Heather to join. She spent most her weekends working on the logo, different panda images etc. She became a very valuable member.”

“At the same time I was talking to an artist called slinkydink (Not her real name) and she was supposed to help with the company logo (heather’s logo was for the actual game), Slinky kept putting it off and it never got done BUT she set up a TeamSpeak channel and started inviting people from the course.”

“This is where we got one of our artists: Vampii (Not her real name, She’s really called Nair) So Nair has been doing some concept art ideas, different animal images etc. and she introduced me to Mauro (Her son’s godmother’s son or something like that) and he immediately started on some artwork too.”

“This is when I decided Ming In Space is going to be huge and 3D XD, So this prompted me to recruit like crazy,  Whilst all of this was happening I was a part of a Train2Game developers group on Skype which was set up by one of the students, (Think its Richard S) and I’ve grabbed a couple of developers from there, One of whom is Valo (He’s done some unity terrains and is really taking to this teamwork business ideas).”

“One night I stayed up until about 5am messaging a lot of people on Train2Game course that had posted about working on projects etc. And we’ve got ourselves a nice range of QA Level Designs and just Designers too, many of whom are on the About Us section of the website but since we’ve increased in numbers I need to update that. There are many members I could write about but then you’d just be here for ages XD”

“I feel we all work extremely well together, most of us have the course in common (This is my recruitment selling point, I can say that because we’ll from the course we can all help when it comes to coursework except from the projects later on because I don’t think we can help but none of us are at this stage yet.)

“We’re always accepting new members to be honest, although it might sound stupid to accept endless amount of members its actually quite smart. Some people won’t be here for the actual studios set up, some members just want some portfolio work, some people just want to be a part of something. By accepting every member possibly it allows me to manage several different projects and elect team leaders for each project, and when we release these projects, we will see who’s done what, who we want for the founding party of the company and who is not pulling their weight (If we find anyone not really pulling their weight we will address this formally, maybe see if they want to work on another project and find out what exactly they want, If they don’t want to be a part of it then we’ll suggest they stay as a background member until they time or something like that).”

“Not all of our members are Train2Game. An old best friend/neighbour is mad on gaming so immediately I’ve got him involved and some of his arty friends involved so I’m teaching them about Unity, (Can’t teach them construct2 very well without them having the licence to release stuff but I’ll buy them that in the future.)”

“But in terms of living in different locations, The campus forum, Facebook, Skype and TeamSpeak solve that right away, also drop box is key here too, Naturally it can be difficult explaining things without being able to sit next to someone as say look at that there BUT Skype has screenshare :P”

“In my opinion, The Train2Game course has been fantastic so far, (Little hiccup with TIGA but if they don’t want to accredit us then fine, I’ll be successful without them :P.) But in terms of the actual course, the work I’m really enjoying it, I’m super looking forward to my projects at the end, The TMA’s could maybe be a bit harder than multiple choice questions but on the other hand they are just checkpoints really so I’ll see what the projects are like,, ABSOLUTELY love the Unity book, It’s got everything in it!!”

“Long term goals, Be Bigger than Microsoft, XD, Or own Microsoft,, Whichever comes first, but no, seriously I’m going to open and run a studios in Manchester and Mauro is going to run the studios in London. We’re going to be the best game developers ever and we will owe each other for our success. Like I said though, some people aren’t here for the long run, I know some people just want some money and portfolio work which when they get this and leave we’ll keep their info for when we’re a huge success and they want to come back, and we’ll either welcome them back with open arms or assign them to the mail room (Depends how they left).”

“By making actual games instead of brainstorming and saying that’s cool has really given such a better understanding of how to make the games, what is needed, and how to improve. An example is for a Construct 2 mess around project I made a level select screen, it didn’t really thrill me but then because I had learnt it in Train2Game I used an array to set it up and BAM much better, So using that example project I’ve shown some people and they’ve adapted their ways and Chris even said that without actually making the level select screen he had no idea how it really worked (If you understand?)”

“We want to release at least 1 game by Christmas (It’s doable) but if not then March is the ultimate final deadline. Ambitions for the games; Ming in Space is going to be a best seller, the mobile games will do extremely well and help us fund the studios, Project 64 is going to be the killer.”

“The kickstarter project: That’s For Ming In Space as you probably know, it was an idea to attempt to get some funding for that game but also to test out what we need for funding, like I don’t think we’ll get a backer on there this time around because we’re so new to it, but by doing it with a semi ready project we get the understanding of what we need for the next crowd funding. Fingers crossed we get a backer for it BUT who knows??”

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com

Train2Game News Peterborough hosts CityLAN event

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Peterborough is set to be transformed into a mecca for UK gamers this August as 20,000 people descend on the inaugural  CityLAN event in the city, featuring some of the biggest stars in European gaming.

Held at the ABAX Stadium (home to Peterborough Football club) and Future Business Centre the event will feature key players in the European Gaming League (EGL) and UbiSoft Lead Game Designer Tim Browne (currently developing the new Assassin’s Creed Syndicate), who will join via video link from France to deliver a keynote address.

Other attendees include renowned Peterborough e-Gamer Ash Dubh who has close to 500,000 YouTube subscribers and Dr Mata Haggis, Professor of Creative and Entertainment Games at Breda University of Applies Sciences in The Netherlands.

There will also be a strong focus on careers in technology, with an active push to engage with students and younger people. Local organisation Digital People in Peterborough (DPiP) will be using hardware from robotics firm Arduino to teach visitors how to build a robot as part of this section of the event. There will be further talks and Q&As on computing, app design and development and wearable technology.

With a exhibitors, gamers and attendees alike expected to gobble through terabytes of data between August 20th and 23rd, CityLAN is being powered by four dedicated, pure fibre gigabit speed network connections provided by  CityFibre. The connections are part of CityFibre’s recently completed 90km network installation in Peterborough called the Peterborough CORE.

Along with hundreds of gaming demos, live play sessions and high profile exhibits, all reliant on a strong network connection, live gaming sessions, streamed speaker slots and demonstrations will be live-streamed to a big screen in Cathedral Square in Peterborough city centre and around the world.

Both CityLAN and CityFibre have worked in close partnership and consultation to ensure the network is able to support all the demands of running an event that is amongst the most data hungry in the world. An experienced team of engineers will closely monitor the connections throughout the event.

Terry Harris, Director at CityLAN said: “Bringing an event of this size to Peterborough is massively exciting. Some of the names attending are superstars in their own right and there is a huge appetite from the British gaming community to attend.

“Having CityFibre as a partner is something we are most thankful for – as many gamers know exceptional Internet and ultra-low latency is a must and with so many people in attendance a robust connection is one of  the most important ingredient to CityLANs success. We’re confident all our attendees – from gamers to those watching key note addresses from overseas will enjoy a high quality experience throughout.”

CityFibre City Development Manager, Andrew Starnes added: “ We’ve been turning Peterborough into a ‘Gigabit City’ and the response we’ve had from local businesses shows just how digitally focused this region is. We’re very proud to be able to bring these dedicated lines, which will provide some of the fastest speeds in the world, to the CityLAN event to ensure it’s a true Gigabit Games.”

To find out more and book tickets go to http://www.citylan.co.uk/live/

Train2Game News Uth702 offers aid to studios

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A small company made up of game industry veterans are offering to help up coming studios with promotion and fuctionality.

Uth702, Inc. invites all game developers and companies to partner up in promoting ongoing and upcoming games across all regions.

Uth702 is an outsourcing company specializing in game service for mobile games, online PC games, and other platforms. While the company started only in 2014, the small team consists of experienced specialists in the gaming industry. With a crew of more than 10 years of working experience in game service, the team offers a wide range of services which can be beneficial in the maintenance, management, and marketing of a game.

Uth702 offers a wide range of services, depending on the project’s needs. The company possesses flexibility and personalized plans to maximize results. Services offered include, but are not limited to Viral Marketing Support, Customer Support, Events and Community Management, and Social Media Management.

A spokesperson for the company said “We maintain consumer awareness and satisfaction ahead of anything else. Every project we handle, we make it a priority on consumers to give them the best gaming experience possible.”

For game companies who are interested with the offered services, you may go to the website.

Train2Game News Gamer Network adds Mod and Indie Databases

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Gamer Network, the world’s leading network of independent video games websites and producer of the UK’s premiere video games events, today announced that immensely popular developer-driven database sites Mod DB and Indie DB are joining the network.
 
Starting 13 years ago in response to a need to organise the fledgling modding community, Mod DB is the world’s leading modding website – with over 29 million monthly pageviews – dedicated to supporting the independent development of mods, add-ons and downloadable content (DLC). As the site puts it, the aim of Mod DB is to “unite developers, players and their ideas, empowering them to shape the games we play”.

With increasing numbers of mod developers adding profiles to Mod DB to promote their indie games, Indie DB was created to provide a home for the growing indie game community. As the site puts it, the aim of Indie DB is to “connect independent developers of games with players, from the day they start developing their game to the day they release it”.

Both sites were established on the premise of user-generated content, with the content creators themselves being the driving force behind updates. On Indie DB, for example, developers have control of the site, allowing them to share details and behind the scenes insight about the games they are creating, in the form of news, images, videos and downloads. Almost all the site’s content is posted by the games’ creators. Perfectly complementing the editorial-based content of the rest of the network, Mod DB and Indie DB’s mission to empower developers to submit content has established two continuously growing and highly loyal communities.

The addition of Indie DB to the Gamer Network family bolsters the already world-class indie support the company provides. Gamers can stay up-to-date with indie games across the network of editorial sites – including RockPaperShotgun.com – then play the games at the indie-focussed EGX Rezzed event in the spring, plus the huge indie area of EGX in the autumn. In addition, Gamer Network’s in-house creative agency Gamer Creative and crowdfunded collector’s edition arm Gamer’s Edition heavily support independent developers by promoting their brands through advertising creative and merchandise.

“As a loyal reader of RockPaperShotgun.com and GamesIndustry.biz, I’ve long admired Gamer Network’s close relationship with gamers and developers”. Said Scott Reismanis, founder of Mod DB and Indie DB. “We’ve always worked hard to bridge that gap, and give creators a voice and community they can share their work on. This partnership allows us to focus on that aim, whilst working with a network that understands the needs of developers of all sizes”.

Rupert Loman, CEO of Gamer Network, added, “We’ve been fans of Mod DB and Indie DB for a long time so we’re delighted to welcome them to the Gamer Network family. The PC, indie and modding communities are at the forefront of our industry and as a company we’re committed to supporting their growth – we can’t wait to help develop the websites in partnership with Scott over the coming years”.

Mod DB is available at www.moddb.com

Indie DB can be reached at www.indiedb.com

Train2Game News 2015 Women in Games Conference

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The fifth annual European Women in Games (WIG) Conference is to take place on Wednesday 2nd September at the University of Westminster. The conference continues to grow in both size and stature and this year’s event is expected to be the biggest yet.

As in previous years the day’s conference will comprise a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and the European Women in Games Hall of Fame Awards. The line-up of speakers and panellists will reflect the diverse talent that exists in the games industry. This year the focus will be on acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to get an entry-level position and for career progression in the games development industry. Speakers confirmed so far include Andy Payne Chairman of Ukie, Vicky Smalley CTO Small Jelly and Claire Tavernier Owner and MD StoryTech Life.

Women in Games is committed to ensuring that the conference is  as accessible as possible and therefore early bird ticket prices have been set at £50 to open it up to as many delegates as possible. Full price tickets will be £95. In addition the organisers are keen to stress that this is an inclusive event and male delegates are equally very welcome.

Women in Games has also had a makeover with a new logo and dropping Jobs from its title.

Announcing the conference details, CEO Jenny Richards-Stewart said “This year’s conference programme is shaping up to be our best yet, in terms of content which will help delegates’ fast track their careers in the games industry. We wanted to focus on practical subjects and have also introduced workshops covering the main disciplines of games development. As always we have tried to keep the ticket prices as low as possible so that it is within the reach of students, entry level delegates and those working for small start-ups and Indies. I am looking forward to revealing more details of the conference programme in due course. We will also be announcing some exciting initiatives from Women in Games over the next few weeks.”

For further details about the conference and to buy tickets please visit www.ewigconf.com

Train2Game News Indie Game Making Contest Celeb Judges

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The Indie Game Making Contest (http://contest.gamedevfort.com), whose prize pool is connected with the Humble Game Making Bundle (www.HumbleBundle.com ) is ready to announce both new products in the bundle and the addition of critically acclaimed Extra Credits (https://t.co/6fxGray4c4) as celebrity judges for the event. So put on your developer hat and enter to win thousands of dollars across 21 or more prizes!

The success of the bundle, which has passed 1 million in gross sales, has unlocked new software including Play Canvas and Pro Motion 6.5. Not only does each bundle purchase help charity, but a percent of the developer cut goes to the contest as well, making the prizes higher every day. The grand prize at the midway point currently stands at over $20,000 USD, in addition to non-cash benefits such as promotional and production aid by Degica, whose sponsoring the event.

In addition to these great prizes and charities, Daniel Emmons joins the panel of guest judges. Daniel is part of the Extra Credits team, focused on the acclaimed Design Club, which hosts a twitch live stream event 4 times a week at http://www.twitch.tv/extracredits in addition to their work on the main Youtube Channel at https://t.co/6fxGray4c4. Daniel joins Ed Greenwood, author of Forgotten Realms, ex-fragdoll Kimberly “Sabre” Weigend, and last year’s winner, Team Isolation, creators of Remnants of Isolation, which is available on Steam at http://store.steampowered.com/app/360010/.

So get involved! Head over to www.HumbleBundle.com , get all the goodies you need, and enter the IGMC at http://contest.gamedevfort.com/ for your chance to win big prizes and free promotion of your games.

Train2Game News Interview with resident Iron Man

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In recent weeks Train2Game has been documenting Sheldon Gilman’s pursuit to create the ultimate Iron Man suit.

He’s working on a collection of costumes and hopes to create a pair of Iron Man costumes for next year’s MCM Expo.

This week Train2Game caught up with Sheldon to hear more about the man inside the costume, including his professional and personal ambitions. 

Please tell us about yourself?
“My name is Sheldon Gilman, I am 35 and currently live in a small village called Redbourn in Hertfordshire with my wife and one year old daughter. I was originally born in Jamaica and moved to England with my parents when I was six months old. We lived in south London till I was seven then moved to Luton and now I live in Redbourn with my Wife and daughter.”

“I should also mention it was my very patient, loving and understanding wife who initially got me interested in cosplay and is constantly having to dodge Iron Man parts and tools that are all over the living room.” 

What cosplay does your wife enjoy, do you have photos of you both in cosplay?
I haven’t quite convinced Parveen to dress up yet but that’s soon to change as she’s told me she “MAY” consider dressing as Pocahontas next May. 

What is your regular job?
“I work in the IT department at Aldwyck Housing Group. A housing association.”

How much does the suit cost to create?
“Well I’ve never kept an accurate tally of how much it cost but my last suit was in the region of £200. This current suit, so far has cost me around £400 – £450 and there’s still more things I need to buy like electronics components and paint. However, when it’s completed, I expect it to have cost me £700 – £800.”

Would you ever sell a suit and if so, how much would one cost to buy?
“I definitely would sell my suits. I’d sell them in whole or in part (i.e. just the helmet) Prices would depend on detail. For a raw suit in foam, no paint, animatronics or electronics I’d say around £600 for a fibreglass suit all painted with full animatronics and electronics £1500.”

When will your latest suit be finished?
“I have set my finish date for May next year because I want both the Iron man Mk 20 and the War Machine to be completed for the MCM Expo in London where myself and a few others visit twice a year.”

Do you have a photo in the suit you at MCM Expo last year?
“I attached a pic of me with Rob Ledsom at MCM a few years back. I have to admit I haven’t worn this suit to MCM Expo time. I have also attached a pic of me in my Assassins Creed/ Jango Fett mash-up Costume.”

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What does your daughter understand of what you are doing?
“My Daughter Inara is very curious little monkey and likes to be involved in whatever everyone else is doing. My friends at Armour up have made her first costume to wear at her fancy dress party later this month.”
 

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What do you have planned in the future?
“I plan on getting a large shed built in my back garden this summer so I can create more costumes. I have many in mind like Sam Wilson aka The Falcon from Captain America – The winter Soldier, Heimdall from Thor, Batman – Arkham Knight Armour, Jager Pilot Suits from Pacific Rim and some crossovers too like Iron C3PO and Iron Tron. I will most definitely need help with some of these so I will be working with my younger brother and a very good friend of mine who is starting her own company called Armour Up.”

Would you see costume design as a future career?
“Very much so! The course I’m doing is useful, in that it’s showing me design techniques that speed up my design process greatly. However, as I am pretty much a one-man-band, production would be slow. I’m currently working on Iron Man mark 20 and War Machine simultaneously, and hope to have them finished by May 2016. I also have a Heimdall costume to make by May 2016 so I’m already a very busy bee.”

Which course are you studying with Train2Game?
“I am studying Games Artist and Animator.”

How are you finding the Train2Game course?
“The course is great! I actually started learning 3D animation on my own, watching YouTube videos and playing about with the different options in 3DS max but I thought it was time I got a qualification in the industry. The flexibility of the course has allowed me to continue working full-time, take care of my daughter all whilst studying to change to a career that I’d love.”

What are your thoughts on T2G?
“Train2Game have been a godsend. Courses of this type are very hard to find, As I work full time to support my family, I cannot afford to take three years out to get a bachelor’s degree from a normal university and no other university in this country has a program where you can study 3D animation totally from home, in your own time and get a portfolio as well as a recognised qualification out of it.”

Can you tell me more about your friend’s venture, Armour Up, and how you will be involved?
“I am getting James and Serena to write a few lines about what they do for you, but just briefly, they are both cosplayers. Alongside Serena’s regular job, she is an awesome seamstress and is very good at making period clothing. James and I both work for the same housing association but he is also a part time actor.”

“At the moment we’re just exchanging creative and business ideas and sharing expertise as I know nothing when it comes to cloth and Serena is eager to learn how to use the harder materials. James is the brains behind the operations and has good business head on his shoulders. He’s almost finished putting the Armour Up website together. I’ll update with more shortly.”

Further details of Sheldon’s project will follow on the Train2Game blog
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com

Train2Game News UKIE on 2015 budget

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Today’s Budget was the first from the Chancellor of a majority Conservative government since 1996, and announcing a significant change in economic strategy with cuts to taxes and welfare and the introduction of a National Living Wage. You can read the full Budget speech and documents here.

With the Budget in March this year already having announced a £4 million Prototype Fund for the games industry, as well as further funding for the Skills Investment Fund, it is perhaps not surprising that today did not see any more direct announcements of support for games. However today’s announcements will still have an impact on all games companies.

Of most direct interest were the announcement on digital clusters. Ukie CEO Dr Jo Twist said in response:  “We welcome the new support for regional digital economy clusters outside of London.  Ukie will submit ambitious proposals to government supported by a major piece of research to influence the long-term Spending Round expected in November this year to support growth right across UK.”

Innovation across the country

In our letter to the Chancellor, Ukie called for investment in games hubs across the country. The government has taken steps toward this by announcing that they will work with existing clusters to find and support strengths in science and innovation. The Budget announced that “the government will invite universities, LEPs, businesses and cities to work with central government to map strengths and identify potential areas of strategic focus for different regions through a series of science and innovation audits”. Proposals generated from these discussions will be funded through announcements in the Comprehensive Spending Review that will be held in the autumn.

As a first step, the Budget also announced that the government will invest £23m in 6 “Next Generation Digital Economy Centres” over 6 sites – London, Swansea, Newcastle, Nottingham, York and Bath. These will attract match funding from the private sector to “exploit opportunities across sectors of the digital economy including the creative industries, finance, healthcare and education.”

We will be working closely with government to make sure these announcements have the best possible outcome for the games industry, especially in the clusters identified in the NESTA report.

Changes to Enterprise Investment Schemes

The March Budget proposed changes to ‘tax-advantaged venture capital schemes’ including SEIS, EIS and VCTs, which many games companies make use of. Following a consultation, which they have today published the government response to, they have confirmed several changes including:

    A new £20 million cap on the total risk finance that can be raised by a company under EIS or VCTs

    An increase in the employee limit for ‘knowledge intensive’ companies to 500 employees

    A new digital process for companies and investors using SEIS, EIS and the Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) by the end of 2016

Business Environment

The Chancellor announced some major changes which will have an impact on all businesses in the UK, including:

    Corporation Tax will be reduced to 19% in 2017 then 18% in 2020 – keeping it the lowest in the G7, and a reduction from the 28% rate that the coalition government inherited in 2010.

    A new mandatory National Living Wage will be introduced. It will apply to the over-25s from April 2016, rising from £7.20 an hour then to over £9 an hour by 2020.

    The Employment Allowance will go up from £2,000 to £3,000, raising the amount businesses can pay employees before they incur National Insurance contributions

    Three million new apprenticeships will be created, partially funded by a new ‘Apprenticeships Levy’ on all large employers. This levy can be recovered by companies that spend money on training.

    From September 2017, families with 3 and 4 year old children will receive 30 hours of free childcare – twice the current amount.