Category Archives: Student

Train2Game News Nick Clegg announces UCAS style vocational website

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Nick CleggThe government is to introduce a “UCAS style one stop online shop” for 16 year olds who don’t feel university is for them.

In a speech to schoolchildren in south London, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg announced the website will offer searches for college courses, apprenticeships and traineeships. It will be based on the website of university admissions body Ucas.

Mr Clegg said “Ultimately, I want to see this process become a rite of passage for every 16-year-old.

“At the moment, if you want to go to university, all the information you could ever need about how to do that is available to you via the Ucas website. You can research different universities and courses, check what A-level subjects and grades you need to get in and, of course, submit and check your application.

“So at 16, when a lot of you are having to choose whether you go to college, do an apprenticeship or train for a particular trade or occupation, we think it’s only right that you get the same guidance and support as those going to university.”

It’s a welcome reminder from the Deputy Prime Minister than traditional university is not the only route to a good career. There are other ways to achieve your dreams that you will now be supported through.

Train2Game News Future T Gaming looking for staff

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Train2GameTrain2Game student, Ed Turrall, is looking for other Train2Game students to join his student studio, Future T Gaming, to work on an interesting idea.

Ed is looking for voluntary Students who have a year or two experience on the course in their respective field. He has a big idea and wants students who would be committed and skilled enough to bring the idea to fruition.

The main objective of the game is to conquer and occupy a new and uninhabited planet in a solar system far away from Earth. The plan once you reach this planet is to make sure you have the necessary resources for your crew and passengers. You start by building Greenhouse buildings where you can then plant food and start working on the atmosphere of the planet.

The way you build and plant objects will depend on what level you are which basically means you can do as much as you want as things will be cheap and sell for a lot. For example, you plant and harvest Oranges or Apples, these will cost you around 5cc (colony coins) to plant but will sell for 20cc and also give you 50exp.

Ed said, “The game idea I have is to make a game like all of these farming games, which are nice, but seem too boring after a certain level is reached. What I want to do is change this way of gaming and bring a new kick into the era of farming games.”

There are a number of positions available for all areas of games development.

If you are interested in joining Ed and Future T Gaming, visit http://beta.train2game-online.com/teams/team.php?id=106&fb_source=message to find out more about the game and to get in touch with him.

You can email Ed with your CV and Portfolio at mail@edwardturrall.co.uk

Train2Game News New Autonomous Games Console

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OTON_WHITE_BKG2_logo_1Today, the EnGeniux OTON X autonomous game console is set to open beta signup to early adopters and developers to demo the console basic user interface (UI) on the EnGeniux OTON X test server.

The OTON X console is the first autonomous game console is being prepared for developer and early adopter release. The console has attributes similar to other upcoming autonomous devices such as cars and home automation systems; the only difference is that OTON self-creates games, without human input. The system creates games using a custom algorithm with preset design parameters and a sprite database to create custom game environments.

During the beta testing, the project will offer crowdfunded OTON X (developer units) to early adopters and developers. Systems will cost $99 for early bird units and $139 for standard units. These models will not have the built-in rear projector that will come with the final unit. Over one thousand users have signed up for OTON beta testing, with the list growing daily.

“We’re excited to let gamers, developers and media interact with the OTON UI because of its unique design layout,” says OTON X creator and project manager Derrick Samuels.

The goal of the beta is to gain feedback on the user interface and to move forward with adding more features. Interested parties can sign up for the OTON X UI beta at http://otonx.kickoffpages.com.

For more information on the OTON X visit http://www.otonx.com/

Train2Game News Sandbox Game Maker

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Sandbox ChurchPlatinum Arts Sandbox Game Maker is now on Steam Greenlight and needs your positive votes to become available for all.

The game maker features in game editing, coop editing, dynamic lighting, crossplatform support and advanced networking with the goal of adding visual scripting and many more features. Users will be able to rapidly create games of many different genres and require little to no prior coding experience. Sandbox is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and is based on the Cube 2 Engine.

The developer, Mike, originally started the Project in 2007 because he wanted the kids in his before and afterschool program to be able to create more than just 2D art on the computers, he wanted them to be able to create worlds and stories. He wanted them to be able to unleash their imaginations and walk around in what they created. Mike ended up releasing the project online and it ended up taking off and now is being used worldwide.

Mike said “The project is free and open source and will always have a free and open source version but to help fund the development and new features a Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight Project has been started to help fund a commercial version. The commercial version would be too intensive graphically for schools but I’m hoping to port over a lot of the core features so that everyone can benefit if the commercial version is a success.”

You can view a whole list of the features at http://www.sandboxgamemaker.com/

To support the project on Greenlight visit http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=229323214

Train2Game News: Xbox One update beta testers

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Xbox OneSome lucky Xbox One users may have the chance to beta test future updates. This would be incredibly helpful for Train2Game students on the QA Course.

The Xbox NewsWire states “Beginning today, Xbox is inviting select Xbox Live members to preview new features coming to Xbox One in a March system update and future system updates as they become available, asking them to provide valuable feedback before the updates are implemented worldwide. Selected participants will receive an Xbox Live message with a token to register. The next system update will begin rolling out next week to those who will preview the new features.

Once registered, participants will be able to test the early features included in the update and provide feedback on a private forum and can opt out of future waves.””

The next Xbox one update will improve multiplayer and party features ready for the release of the highly anticipated Titanfall.

So if you own an Xbox One keep an eye on your Xbox Live messages as you might just be lucky enough to be a part of the Xbox One’s future!

Train2Game News: Student taking part in GameBlast

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Ritchie DemicolSpecialEffect’s GameBlast charity event launches tomorrow and Train2Game student, Ritchie Demicol is taking part.

Ritchie, who has been a Train2Game student since February last year, will be playing the infamously difficult Dark Souls for 24 hours straight. This will be no easy task with the games frustrating difficulty level.

When asked why Ritchie decided to take part in the event he said “I decided to take part because I know it’s going to a great cause who design games and hardware for young children and adults who struggle to play video games due to certain disabilities. It will be a great help to those who can’t use move their body and have to use their eyes to control the game”

Ritchie begins his 24 hour marathon tomorrow and if you would like to support him and SpecialEffect you can donate by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/Ritchie-Demicol

Good luck Ritchie, you are supporting a fantastic charity!

Train2Game News: Student featured in Bristol Post

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Bristol PostTrain2Game student Sara Thornhill has been featured in the Bristol Post about what it’s like being a female in the games industry.

Congratulations Sara.

You can read the post below

Train2Game News: UKIE and Nesta mentoring

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UKIE LogoUkie, who bring games industry expertise and Nesta, who have years of experience of running successful creative industry mentoring schemes, have partnered to develop a mentoring scheme designed specifically for UK games businesses.

Building on the success of Nesta’s wider creative Business Mentor Network, the Video Game Mentoring Network has been set up by Ukie and Nesta to advise and nurture games businesses with an appetite for growth.

The scheme will be officially launched in April but games businesses are being invited to express their interest in being mentored now by contacting mentoring@ukie.org.uk

Businesses joining the games mentoring network will receive:

  • One-to-one business mentoring in the form of 10 two-hour sessions over a 6-12 month period

  • An induction workshop at the start of the programme to get the most out of your mentoring sessions

  • Workshops and events designed to meet other members of the wider Network

  • Coaching support – in addition to mentoring

Ukie and Nesta want businesses of all sizes to apply to be mentored, from start-ups who have been established for less than two years, to established and high growth potential business who are looking to scale. They are also calling on potential mentors to express and interest in being part of the scheme. The minimum criteria for applying are simply that you must be a registered business that:

  • Has made or sold a game in the UK in the last 12 months or have a game ready to bring to market in the next six months.

  • Or you can also be a business that has launched a product or service in the UK that supports the creation and selling of games within the last 12 months.

  • Being a Ukie member automatically qualifies you to apply.

Ukie CEO, Dr Jo Twist said: “This partnership with Nesta gives games businesses an amazing opportunity to get first hand expert advice from people with proven track records in the games industry. Mentoring is invaluable both for mentees and for mentors. Our industry is especially good at collaborating and sharing stories and experiences so we encourage all businesses to apply and be part of the network.”

Mentors for the programme are being selected from successful leaders in the games industry, with experience of working in a variety of businesses from creating their own successful independent development studios and publishing companies, to working at senior levels for multinational games businesses. Individuals can express interest in becoming a mentor by contacting mentoring@ukie.org.uk.

Train2Game News: Icey Monty launch second gaming site

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GamonautTrain2Game Student Studio Icey Monty has again expanded their online empire and have launched another new gaming site.

Joining their previous site www.shooter3dgames.com which is full of the best browser based shooter games they have now released www.gamonaut.com to house all styles of game and is a perfect house for their own games the studio releases.

Icey Monty has been going from strength to strength over the past year with getting work from Strongbow and releasing their gaming portals. They are a true inspiration for other Train2Game students and studios.

It seems nothing can stop this young studio from rising. Congratulations on the site launch guys.

Train2game News: Thief modding competition

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Square Enix and Amazon.com Inc., in collaboration with a host of gaming partners including AMD and the team behind The Dark Mod, today announced the ultimate THIEF mod contest in celebration of the upcoming reboot to one of the most renowned stealth franchises in gaming history.

Beginning today, the THIEF and modding communities are challenged to put their imagination to the test. Whether it’s creating a new heist for Garrett or reworking a classic level from the series, Square Enix and Amazon are looking for fans to submit entries in one of two categories; either a short video playthrough of a mod they’ve created, or a pitch for a mod they would like to create.

Once submitted, all entries will be voted on by the community, members of the Thief development team, and members of The Dark Mod team.

One winner from each of the two categories will be chosen and will receive a host of prizes from key partners, including:

o    A high-end gaming rig from AMD which includes an AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics card
o    An all-expenses paid trip to E3 2014 with Square Enix
o    Steam code for all Square Enix Games with the matching Prima Guide
o    A bundle of game development books on Kindle
o    An Amazon Kindle DX

In addition, every entrant to the competition will also receive a free digital version of Thief: Gold (1999) courtesy of Amazon.com.

For more information on how to enter and the full list of categories and prizes, visit www.amazon.com/thiefcontest

For information on how to create a mod, along with all the tools needed, visit TheDarkMod.com

Closing date for entries is April 14, 2014.

Full Terms and Conditions apply