Category Archives: Microsoft

Train2Game News: Microsoft offers points for Windows Store apps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do I claim my points?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is the maximum number of points I can earn?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is there a discussion forum I can join?

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

I have more questions, who can I ask?

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

Train2Game News: Train2Game radio talks to Terri Mardel

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Terri MardelI got the pleasure of talking to Terri Mardel last week about her work with Road Hog Games. She tells me about how her love of gaming grew from being a young child and the work she does with Road Hog.

You can listen to the interview here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1222192-train2game-student-terri-mardel-speaks-to-mark-on-t2g-radio

Or read the transcript below

Hello my name’s Terri Mardel, I’m on the Designer course and I’m from St Albans.

Hiya Terri, how you doing?
I’m OK thank you

Good! So what’s your story? What are the past experiences that have shaped your life to who you are now?
Well I have been a gamer since my Dad introduced me to games, say from about the age of 6. 5, 6, 7 maybe. I have very early memories of a sports game on a Spectrum which involved wiggling a joystick really fast. I think from there I’ve always played games. I had a Master System in my bedroom and I used to love playing Sonic and stuff like that, so I’d say it’s something I’ve grown up with and at the moment I work in Blockbuster so I’m constantly trying all the news games out and I’ve just loved games my whole life! Then a couple of years ago, I saw an advert in the paper about Train2Game and I was like “Yeah, why don’t I make games?”

Excellent! So you are quite a fan of the old classic games then?
Yeah, yeah as I say, I have very good memories of childhood, spent in my bedroom playing on Sonic and Alex Kidd and various other games like that!

So you’re now part of Road Hog Games, how did you get involved with that?
Well me, Gareth and Izzi all met at the Game Jam. I’d actually been talking to Gareth before hand, we met over the forums and stuff but the three of us met face to face at the Game Jam and we decided we work together so well that we were going to carry on afterwards and so its just grown from there really!

So What is it you do for Road Hog Games?
I’m the design director, that’s my official title, and basically myself and with Gareth’s input as well we basically design the games and come up with the story lines and all the attributes and features that we want to have. Then communicate that to Izzi the developer and Amy the artist and then it all comes together to make a game!

With Road Hog Games, you are working on Little Green Dude, what was the idea behind that?
It actually came out of wanting to make a game quick sharp and Gareth came up with the idea of doing like a Pong style game and then from there I suggested elements of other games that we could then bring in to make it more interesting, instead of just a single Pong game and its grown from there!

So it was quite a lot of influence from all those classic games you used to play then?
Yeah, yeah! There’s quite a few games I’ve designed through the course and for other things which are based on mechanics in games which I used to love as a kid.

So I know that Road Hog Games has input from an industry veteran, what’s it like working with him?
It’s really good! Just the wealth  of experience and knowledge that he has and that he is willing to impart that on us, it’s just amazing!  

You’re learning a lot from him then?
Yeah!

What is your greatest ambition in your personal career?
Wow, uh, one of several! I guess I’d like to create the next million dollar franchise, character and story behind it. I’d like Road Hog to take off and make something of ourselves that way. There’s tons of dreams!

Always good to dream big! Well I think that’s all we have time for today Terri, so thank you very much!
Ok then!

Train2Game News: Next Xbox could eliminate pre-owned games

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XBOX720One of the latest reports to come out in regards to the next Xbox suggests that you will need a constant internet connection to play games.

The report announces that Microsoft will move to make Xbox Live an integral rather than optional feature of the next Xbox, with retail games being made available for download. Physical boxed titles will remain on sale in shops via 50GB Blu-ray discs, but “activation codes” will require verification online, the report adds. Once verified, discs will have no function beyond the initial users – effectively eliminating the second-hand games market as it’s currently known.

The information is said to come from sources with first-hand experience of Microsoft’s next generation console.

“Given its experience with 70 million-plus 360 console stats, Microsoft has accumulated enough user data to make the decision to go online-only with its successive hardware one that adds up,” the report states.

“Microsoft’s hand has been guided by the PC gaming landscape, and viewed through a particular lens it makes sense, even if unbelievers will take some convincing.

“Ultimately, Microsoft has asked itself a simple question: who wants to play games on a next-generation Xbox and yet doesn’t have access to the internet? The answer: not enough to make a considerable difference.”

The next Xbox, codename Durango, is said to utilise an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM but to date the consoles hard drive capacity is said to be undecided.

Both next-gen consoles are said to be set for release before this Christmas, although PS4 is unlikely to launch in Europe until “early 2014”.

Train2Game News: Gareth Brook having great success

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Gareth BrookTrain2Game Student Gareth Brook has had an excellent start to the year. He has had some individual success and team success with Road Hog Games.

Gareth Brook from Leeds, West Yorkshire, is a Train2Game student on the games design course who has recently started his own studio, Road Hog Games with fellow Train2Game students, Amy Methven, Terri Mardel, Matthew (Izzy) Greenwood, in addition he has enlisted Justin French to create audio and Jonathan Parker to do extra coding work. They are currently working on a project known as Little Green Dude.

Recently, Gareth and Road Hog Games had an article featured in the Yorkshire Post after getting financial support from Microsoft. This article caught the eye of a games industry veteran who is now aiding them in their journey to create Little Green Dude.

The industry veteran, who can only be known as Ian, has previously worked on titles such as Pure Football, Academy of Champions and Manhunt 2. He has been in the industry for over 14 years so he is bringing a wealth of knowledge to Road Hog Games.

In addition to the success his company is having, Gareth is also making strides in his personal career in to the gaming industry. He has recently uploaded a game template which is being used at an educational facility to aid in the teaching of computer games design and computer science.

Gareth said about his recent success “2013 is going to be a very exciting year, and I’m already proud of what I have achieved in a short period of time. Train2Game has provided fantastic support for all involved at our studio and since starting the course last April it has opened many doors for me. New ones are still opening!”

I wish Gareth and Road Hog Games the very best of luck with everything and I look forward to the games he produces.

If you want to find out more about Road Hog games you can like there Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/RoadHogGames

and if you would like to look at Gareth’s personal portfolio you can find that here, including the template he had made: www.gbrookdesign.com

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 30.01.13

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It’s time for another Train2Game mid-week round up!

As the Kickstarter draws to a close for the Gamestick console, images of the android gaming machine have been released. You can visit the Kickstarter site to view the console and add to the cause if it takes your interest. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/872297630/gamestick-the-most-portable-tv-games-console-ever

In previous Bioshock games, the moral decisions have been to choose whether the Little Sisters lived or died. In Bioshock Infinite, the decisions you have to make are more powerful and less commonplace. BioShock Infinite will still present plenty of moral quandaries, but these are not tied to a specific system that in turn determines what ending you’ll get.

Google is to provide UK schools with 15,000 free Raspberry Pi Model B computers. Qualifications awarding body OCR will also create free teaching and learning packs to go with each Raspberry Pi. Responding to the news, games industry veteran Ian Livingstone said: “Putting Raspberry Pis into the hands of children on this scale is potentially the most positive initiative to spur digital creativity since the advent of the BBC Micro in the 1980s.”

Lifetime Xbox 360 sales look certain to overtake those of current-gen leader Nintendo Wii in the UK. Microsoft’s console was less than 200,000 sales behind Wii at the end of December, having sold over four times more units than Wii in 2012. Nintendo UK confirmed before Christmas that around 8 million Wii consoles had been sold in the UK. Despite a reported 33% decline in video game console sales last year, Xbox 360 is said to have outsold its current-gen rivals by a “significant margin” in Britain during 2012. Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 remain the UK’s first and second best selling games consoles respectively, with Wii and Xbox 360 currently in third and fourth spots.

Temple Run 2 has been released for iOS and now Android. The sequel to the hit game has hit 20,000 downloads on iOS alone. Developed by Imangi Studios, the app rushed to the top of the free App charts on iOS in just eight hours, and also hit number three in the Top Grossing chart. In its first week on sale, Temple Run 2 racked up 210 million sessions and 1,775 years of gameplay.

Train2Game News: Rapid2D Competition

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Rapid2DRapid2D Launches TEN THOUSAND POUND App Competition!

But that’s not all; there will also be runners up prizes of Xbox 360 consoles and bundles taking the total prize fund way beyond £10,000

Windows 8, has teamed up with industry sponsor Microsoft Corp. to launch an app competition with a first prize of £10,000.

Aimed at start-ups and student studios, while being open to anyone to enter, teams will be required to submit apps to the Windows  Store. The judging will be based on overall app quality submitted by a studio/team.

Myra Smallman, of Rapid2D, also announced, “To create a level playing field for those who are just starting out in the industry, Rapid2D has produced a range of templates for use with our exciting new engine, all available for free to competition entrants.”

Anand Krishnan, Senior Director, Developer and Platform Group, Microsoft UK, added, “We are proud to support and sponsor this amazing initiative. It offers opportunities for hobby builders, students and startups to bring their ideas to life. We are excited to see what the next generation of developers, designers, artists and coders can do with the Rapid2D game engine.”

The competition will launch at 15.00pm (UK) on Wednesday 23rd January 2013 via the Rapid2D web site. The first of the 10 templates will also be made available at the same time as will the latest version of the Rapid2D engine, Rapid2D V1.2.

Registration via the Rapid2D website also opens 23rd January. The closing date for the collections of apps being published is 2nd April 2013.  All Apps which are to be considered for the competition must be submitted to the Windows Store for approval by 12 midnight on 2nd April 2013.

Rapid2D competition more

It is not a prerequisite of entry to use the Rapid2D engine – entrants can develop a Windows 8 game with any language or middleware platform, whilst we recommend the Rapid 2D engine to utilize the templates and accelerate the game app development.

Individuals can enter, but obviously teams can share the demanding workload

Full terms and conditions available via www.rapid2d.com , however entry is restricted to the UK.

Train2Game News: Monkeytastic action on Windows 8

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ChimpactTrain2Game has the pleasure of announcing an exciting new game coming to the Windows 8 and Windows mobile platform.

Chimpact, a brand new title which is taking the mobile market by storm is showing gamers and games developers what is possible on Windows 8 and Windows Phone. The Yippee! Entertainment team have created exclusive features for the latest version of the game, which highlight some of the unique tools developers can utilise when creating games for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

Gamers will now be able to play through the game, with orientation flipping to increase enjoyment and playability. They can play the game on their desktop, tablet and mobile, with the game being synched across devices, and their current game status updated on Window’s new tile desktop layout. You can also share your game status with friends through: data in text, html and image file formats.

In the game you meet the lovable chimp, Chuck as he springs into action throughout the jungle in this one-touch control game that’s filled with mischief and mayhem. The aim of the game is to collect bunches of bananas in each stage, as well as exploring every nook and cranny to find the hidden gems but beware the nasty jungle critters lurking where you least expect them.

You get the pleasure of discovering secret paths, avoiding obstacles and time your jumps to perfection in this gorgeous jungle adventure. Grab the bonus bananas on your way to enable special abilities in the shop, unlock new costumes and characters to play as one of the other characters in Chuck’s adorable family.

Game features

  • Simple, one-touch gameplay with universal appeal
  • Stunning visuals and character design
  • Four worlds to explore with 12 levels each.
  • Two different game modes to beat: Gem Quest and Totem Trail
  • Bananas and hidden gems to collect and achievements to unlock
  • Eight abilities and four cool chimps to unlock
  • Over 150 challenge medallions to earn
  • Available on all major mobile platforms
  • Exclusive content now available on Windows 8

Exclusive features to Windows 8 and Windows Phone

  • Dynamic landscape or portrait view – for Win8 tablets we still allow portrait mode as well as the new landscape mode and respond to orientation events to dynamically switch between them
  • Landscape mode – reworked levels, camera + rendering to support landscape view for desktop
  • Live tile update showing current game progress
  • Roaming save data – save data stored on cloud (if using Microsoft account) and automatically synced across laptop and tablet devices
  • Share current game status via the share charm (over 60 images, 50 different states – share data in text, html and image files formats)
  • Access in game options any time via Settings charm

As well as the new features Yippee! Entertainment will also be rolling out a PR push for the title on Windows 8 and Windows Mobile, including a major competition and other significant PR initiatives to be announced in the near future.

Mike Delves, Managing Director, Yippee! Entertainment said: “Adapting Chimpact for Windows 8 and Windows Phone we’ve started to see what is possible on these platforms, of particular interest is the ability to seamlessly sync across devices. This multiple platform gaming is going to be the future and Windows 8 and Windows Phone make developing for this market incredible simple. Gamers can now play Chimpact on mobile, tablet or desktop devices, and it’s all saved and backed up with cloud support from Microsoft.”

You can find out more about the game by going to www.chimpact.com

Train2Game News: PS4 and Xbox720 likely to be announced before E3

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PS and XboxTrain2Game has discovered that Microsoft and Sony may reveal their next generation of consoles prior to E3 which takes place in June.

Rumours published in the February edition of Game Informer suggests that both companies are working on a press conference that is to be held near the time of the Game Developers Conference in March.

Sources have confirmed that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 systems will be revealed before E3, though specific dates or events have not been finalised.

“We hear that both Sony and Microsoft are targeting special Apple-style press conferences to unveil their platforms near the Game Developers Conference in late March,” reads the Game Informer report.

“E3 in June may be the industry’s biggest event, but both companies want to give their systems their own limelight,” the piece adds.

Analyst Colin Sebastian of Baird Equity Research also suggested that the PS4 price and Xbox 720 price could be £225 to £275 if the prices are equal to the American predictions.

“Our checks suggest that next-generation console hardware will be largely built from ‘off the shelf’ high-end PC components, along with hybrid physical/digital distribution models, enhanced voice controls and motion sensing (Kinect integration with every Xbox), and broad multi-media capabilities,” Sebastian added.

“The cost of production and retail price points should be lower than prior console launches.”

Sebastian also estimated that the Xbox 720 release date is expected for November, while the PlayStation 4 release date may be later than November due to “early production issues”.

Train2Game News: Microsoft unveils new in your face technology

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IllumiroomLast year Train2Game brought you the news that Microsoft were working on a new technology to use your room as a screen for gaming. Today it was revealed they have reached that goal.

The idea of the technology is to project the bits of the game you don’t see on your TV, the periphery, onto the walls and furniture of your living room.

A small Microsoft Research team of four are credited with creating what is known as Illumiroom, and it is still only a proof-of-concept design. IllumiRoom pairs Kinect for Windows with a projector to achieve its results. The proof was shown by video at CES in Las Vegas.

“Our system uses the appearance and the geometry of the room (captured by Kinect) to adapt the projected visuals in real-time without any need to custom pre-process the graphics,” the MS Research team explained.

The video captured IllumiRoom running live rather than added it via special effects in post-production to give viewers their first taste. The videos show the cityscapes of shooters sprawl beyond the television. It shows bullets, sparks and fires spill out into the room giving a beautiful feeling of total immersion. My favourite part was seeing snowflakes cascading down the walls.

More detailed details are scheduled at the CHI 2013 event held in Paris on April 27.

You can enjoy the video below:

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 09.01.13

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Xerneas and YvetalThe first news in this weeks Train2Game Mid-Week round up is a follow up to the Pokémon news from yesterday. The two legendary creatures that are briefly seen in the trailer have been named. They are Xerneas and Yveltal.

Video games had the highest total amount pledged out of all other categories on Kickstarter last year.  561,574 backers made 1.3 pledges totaling $83 million. Out of 2,796 video game projects launched, 911 were funded. Video games had almost double the amount of pledges than Films, the second most successful category. They make up nearly a quarter of Kickstarter’s total backers and total money pledged.

Valve have given the first glimpses of  what could be, the media named Steam Box. Code-named “Piston”, the system is still in a development stage and Xi3Coporation states the system will be “optimized for computer game play on large HD televisions”. The specifications have not been released yet, but will be built on Xi3′s Modular Computer chassis which is grapefruit sized, and will support both Steam and their recently released Big Picture mode.

Following the demise of City Of Heroes last year, Missing Worlds Media have decided to create a new superhero MMO, currently named Project Phoenix. Their aim is to build a Superhero game from the ground up and take what was successful from past games and build on it with new technology. If you are missing the super being you created, this could be one to keep an eye on.

Microsoft have sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. The figure represents cumulative sales of Windows 8 including upgrades and sales to original equipment manufacturers for licensing. Windows 8 sales are following a similar trajectory to that seen with Windows 7, according to Windows chief marketing and financial officer Tami Reller. Microsoft also said that over 100 million apps were downloaded from the Windows Store in the two months following the digital distribution platform’s launch with Windows 8 and Windows RT. There are now more than 1,700 certified systems for Windows 8 and Windows RT.