Category Archives: Student

Train2Game News: A new ‘World’ has arrived

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Steve Ballmer at the Windows 8 launch

Windows 8 is here. After many months of building anticipation the new Microsoft operating system has arrived.

Today saw the launch of the Windows 8 operating system, the Microsoft Surface tablet running the system and the Windows store.

Unlike previous versions of Windows, this one is designed for an array of different devices, including: PCs, notebooks, tablet computers and smartphones. It is built for a new generation of touchscreen devices, rather than the traditional PC and mouse.

Windows 8 has better battery life, faster boot time, a smaller memory footprint and has undergone 1.2bn hours of pre-release testing.

Windows have said that more than one thousand new PCs have been certified for Windows 8, with some being more affordable than several, already available, tablet computers. Many of the new PCs running the new operating system will have touchscreen ability, for users that want to control there PC with the swipe of a finger, instead of using a mouse.

Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft chief executive, says “Windows 8 PCs will be the best PCs ever, as the company faces down competition in tablets and smartphones from Apple and Google.

“Windows 8 shatters perceptions of what a PC really is and is a bold and innovative break from past Windows versions.

“Welcome to the world of Windows 8.”

Every Windows 8 device will come with the Windows store available and developers are adding hundreds of apps to it every day. The store has launched with an initial one thousand five hundred apps.

At the September world record winning Game Jam, the students who participated, worked on Windows 8 and a number of those apps are being released to the store. A list of all the student apps will be announced this coming Monday.

Train2Game News: Games help Rage Control

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A video game has been developed to help young people tackle their anger management issues.

Rage Control uses a device placed on a child’s finger to monitor heart rate – if it gets too high, they lose the ability to shoot at enemy spaceships. The player must control their emotions to do well in the game.

Researchers said the game led to significant decreases in anger in the children studied.

The study compared two groups of nine to 17 year olds. Both groups received standard anger management treatments but the second group also spent 15 minutes playing Rage Control at the end of their session.

The study showed that after five sessions, the children who had played the game were better at keeping their heart rate down and they showed lower scores on a recognised rating scale for severity of anger issues.

The lead author of the study, Peter Ducharme, said he hoped that children playing the game would be able to apply the same calming techniques to other areas of life.

Mr Ducharme said “Kids reported feeling better control of their emotions when encountering day-to-day frustrations on the unit

“While this was a pilot study, and we weren’t able to follow the kids after they were discharged, we think the game will help them control their emotions in other environments.”

The next step in the study is to develop toys for younger children that have the same principle. For example racing cars that stop if a child gets too excited or a cooperative building block game that becomes more wobbly if the child’s heart rate goes up.

This is another excellent example of just how the games industry can help all people of the world. With people creating games like Rage Control and charities such as SpecialEffect, the world can not question the good the games industry can do

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 24.10.12

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Steams Workshop, which is used to create content for games such as Team Fortress 2 and Skyrim, has turned one. The user created content has subsequently earned “millions of dollars” for their creators and Steam themselves.

The Greatest Video Game Music 2, the follow-up to the best-selling video game album of all time, will be released worldwide on Nov 6 and has been performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra. The digital soundtrack album will include 17 new orchestral renditions of video game theme songs like Halo, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and the ever-so classic Final Fantasy VII.

Following the success of Borderlands 2, an iOS spin-off has been confirmed with a release date of October 31. The game sees you play as the original 4 vault hunters from the first Borderlands in a wave-based survival game. Additionally, in true Borderlands style you can earn experience and level up your characters, unlocking new skills and abilities with each character having their own set of unique skills and abilities.

The first reviews of Hitman: Absolution have surface in Official Playstation Magazine UK and Official Xbox Magazine. Both magazines gave the game 9 out of 10. OPM said “This is the peak of the series so far” and OXM said “it a triumph of stealth and sandbox design that retains everything that fans have ever loved about the series”.

Wish Studios, a newly formed studio in Brighton, is working with Sony to develop a new IP. While other details about the partnership remain shrouded in secrecy, the status of Wish’s new client will likely serve as a significant help to the recently founded start-up’s presence in the industry.

A report by Google has said that over 50% of people use their tablet for gaming. The only activity performed more than gaming on a tablet is checking emails. The study, which was commissioned and published by Google, found that 51.5 per cent of its participants used their tablet for gaming in a two-week period.

The new dashboard for the Xbox was launched yesterday. It includes an internet explorer app giving the console a browser and the newly launched Xbox music which is similar to that of Spotify. The update also saw the removal of the Twitter and Facebook apps.

In an interesting collaboration, a new mod was made for the MMO World of Warcraft which sees the newly introduced pet battles become Pokemon battles. The aptly name WOWkemon sees a short tutorial by Professor Birch describing the Pokémon-ified battle screens and ability menus with the familiar sounds, screen effects, and even the font closely resembling the style of the handheld game legend.

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 24.10.12

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ART

Creative Assembly

Job Title Animator
Skills Required Animator
Location UK & Europe
Job Description Position Overview:The animator will need to create and deliver top-quality animation from in-game content to in-game cinematics. With the focus on quality, the candidate will need to use various techniques from hand-keyed animation to motion capture to deliver the desired results as set by the animation and project leads. The right candidate will need to be exceptionally skilled and it’s important that they are a motivated team player.

Key responsibilities:

  • Full responsibility of producing high quality animation for in-game animations and cinematics as set by the animation lead.
  • Deliver work in the required time.
  • Make sure all work is implemented correctly, providing feedback to other members of the production team so all issues are driven to closure.
  • Reports to the Lead Animator

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Have an excellent understanding of animation principles – timing, weight and staging
  • Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic and a team player
  • Good knowledge of a 3D package (Motionbuilder, Maya, Max, XSI)
  • Good knowledge of human and animal anatomy
  • A strong passion and enthusiasm for animation and video games
  • Critical analysis and problem solving

You can apply HERE.

Developer

Jagex

Job Title Content Developer – (Games Studio) – Cambridge
Skills Required Lead Programmer, Java / Browser, Gameplay, Graphics / Engine, Build Engineer, Core Technology
Location Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (CB1), Cambridge
Job Description CONTENT DEVELOPER – (GAMES STUDIO) – CAMBRIDGEWe are seeking a Content Developer to brainstorm and create new MMO game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills etc.) for one of world’s largest independent Online Games Studios.

With 3 Guinness world records; a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (2011) a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 (2010); a Sunday Times Top 100 company to work for (2008) and countless other awards to their name, this multi-award winning business employ over 450 people and sit at the very forefront of the online games industry, developing and publishing mini games and leading titles interacted by millions worldwide!

Pivotal in creating new game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills, etc.) you will work with graphic artists, testers and other professionals to produce the best content possible.  You should be the type of Content Developer who can write high quality code (using an internal scripting language), communicate complex ideas effectively and cope with the thrilling challenges of releasing new game elements several times per month.

In short, this role would suit a passionate gamer (ideally role playing games) with strong creative skills and a deep motivation to create games.

To qualify… We are seeking a Content Developer who can demonstrate:

  • Good programming or game scripting skills (basic C++ or Java or game scripting).
  • Proven track record of content development within the games industry.
  • Good creative writing skills and imaginative storyline ideas.
  • Clear understanding of game design terminology and realistic game design ideas.
  • Very strong and proven communication skills.
  • Experience of working to deadlines and in a project based environment.
  • Keen interest in role playing games.

Prior experience of writing quests (levels) for RPGs, MUDs or similar is advantageous, as is experience of multiple MMORPGs/online games and a technical degree, however this isn’t essential if good programming and/or scripting skills can be demonstrated.

Joining a team of talented and enthusiastic people you will get to work with one of the largest independent games Studios in the World so expect a great working environment and superb benefits to match, including: Bonuses, private healthcare, flexible working, gym membership and loads more.

You can apply HERE.

Feral Interactive

Job Title Junior Developer
Skills Required Gameplay, Graduate Programmer, Mac / OSX
Location South East
Job Description Feral Interactive, a publisher and developer of “Triple-A” Macintosh Games are in the process of expanding their internal development team for both Mac and iPhone based games.As part of this recruitment, we are seeking a number of new and recent graduates to fill several development roles. Joining a small and agile international company, the successful candidates will quickly become key members of our team.

Full training and support will be provided for what will be an exciting, rewarding and varied career in the games industry.

Requirements

  • A new or recent graduate
  • Achieved or projected to achieve a 1st class or an upper second class degree in a technical discipline
  • Strong C/C++ skills
  • Up to 3 years software development experience
  • Can demonstrate a strong work ethic and ability to be productive without direct supervision
  • Good problem solving ability
  • Resourcefulness
  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work as part of a growing team
  • Well organized and self disciplined

Also advantageous

  • 3D programming skills
  • Macintosh experience
  • Objective C and C#
  • An interest in gaming

You can apply by emailing a CV to recruiting@feralinteractive.com

QA

Creative Assembly

Job Title Games Tester
Skills Required QA Tester
Location UK & Europe
Job Description Position Overview:The Games Tester position is a responsible job; reporting bugs and providing quality feedback for our titles in development.These fixed term contracts are for our established Total Warteam, testing our project currently in development.

  • Test games in development for  software bugs
  • Enter bugs clearly and accurately into our bug database
  • Verify and recreate bugs as required
  • Report additional balancing, design and accessibility problems
  • Specific support and general roles available

Essential

  • A clear understanding of QA process
  • A keen enthusiasm for gaming
  • Good communication and  reporting skills
  • Driven and flexible approach

Desirable

  • A clear understanding of QA process
  • A keen enthusiasm for gaming
  • Good communication and  reporting skills
  • Driven and flexible approach
  • Experience of testing one full shipped title
  • A good  understanding of Strategy games (Total War)
  • Games industry related degree (e.g. audio, art, design, etc.) or expertise in a specific  game area is an asset (e.g. audio, technical, PC hardware, design or scripting etc.)
  • Fluent in one or more of the following languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish
  • Strong technical knowledge/skills (e.g. programming, scripting)

You can apply HERE.

Train2Game News: DR Student Diaries – 22.10.12

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The latest student diaries from Craig Moore, Matty Wyett-Simmonds, Ezekiel Morris and Amanda Blatch can be found in the link below.There has been more hard work and the return of an old friend.

Train2Game Student Diaries Dateline 22 October 2012

Train2Game News: Dan Gent on BBC Radio

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A teenager from Alferton who is paralysed from the shoulders down after a car accident is now fulfilling his dream to be a games designer. 17 year old Daniel Gent has been Tetraplegic for nearly 3 years but with a lot of determination and the help of voice recognition technology he is following a distance learning programme through Train2Game and is already making his own games.

BBC Radio Derby’s Emma Wotts went to meet Daniel and he told her how difficult life was after the accident.

Daniel: My thoughts in my head for the first 6 months weren’t that great. I wasn’t myself, I didn’t know what my future was. It was hard to decide after my accident. I could feel more now than I could before but at the time I didn’t really see a future. Breaking my neck in three places made me think it would be impossible. Meeting people with similar injuries and how they carried on and how they were getting on with their life made me want to push towards something and carry on with my family. Not living off the Government but supply, supporting and giving my family what they need.

 

Emma: What do you think that turning point was? What was that moment when you thought, I need to do something?

Daniel: It was more when I was first introduced to my daughter at the time when my partner was pregnant I didn’t really see a future, I couldn’t see myself as being a father. I didn’t really want her to have a Dad that was, as I am paralysed from the neck down. When I first met her it kinda changed everything, I wanted to be the dad that every dad wants to be.

 

Emma: And hopefully now you will be able to earn money or be able to provide for your family. How important is this to you?

Daniel: It’s going to change a lot of things, I get quite a lot of depression and feeling down but when these things happen such as the game jam when I went to that it changes a lot of your perspectives on life and it just made me want to carry on doing what I am doing. I just see it as a dream working with certain people such as Microsoft and meeting the people I did. It never would of happened without Train2Game.

 

Emma: How do you feel now about the future?

Daniel: Now I see it being a lot brighter and a lot more doors are opening from all wider areas, it’s going to change a lot of things. I can see my future well worth staying around for. I can just say it has given me a reason to carry on.

 

Emma: What would you say to anyone else who has been through what you have who thought they wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything in the future. Someone who’s really down about their life as you did just 3 years ago. What would you say to them?

Daniel: Whether you are disabled or if you suffer from depression you are going to go through a lot of doors and sometimes it isn’t going to be what you want but you will find that right door and everything is going to open up and you’ll see the future is a lot different. It’s not going to come to you naturally. You aren’t going to wake up in the morning and it’s going to be there. You’ve got to go out there and grab it as you can. I would say volunteering for anything you can just to get yourself motivated and take your mind off things. I found that a lot more useful, being active and going out more. If you are inside then that is where it is mostly going to depress you. Life is not going to be easy but you can make it easy.

Broadcast on BBC Radio Derby 18 October 2012 – audio available via http://audioboo.fm/train2game

www.train2game.com

 

Train2Game News: Steam Greenlights concepts

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Valve has introduced a new area to Greenlight where developers can upload concepts and get feedback from the public.

Concepts are free to post for feedback but won’t be distributed. The idea is to get opinions from the community. Examples of concepts already uploaded are Portal expansion Afterword, Elevator Engineer, Savegame Explorer, first/third-person logic shooter B.R.I.S.k, Vertex Wars and more.

This is a good place to see how a game idea would do out on the market which can be invaluable information. It can stop you working on a part of a game that might not be so popular with the paying public, giving you more time to concentrate on another part that is popular.

In addition Steam now allows software to be submitted to Greenlight. It follows the same rules as games do on Greenlight. That is, there’s a submission fee ($100) and the community votes whether they want to see the app/software released on Steam.

Steam Greenlight has been generally updated to show friends’ favourites and recent news on the home page, plus some other minor extras.

To date, thirty games have been ‘greenlit’ by Steam including the Half-Life mod Black Mesa and Project Zomboid. The only game to have been released from the service so far is McPixel.

Train2Game News: Games industry jobs – 17.10.12

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Developer

SEGA are looking for a mobile games engineer for their studio in the Midlands.

Studio Overview:
Hardlight is SEGA’s third UK based studio and is focused exclusively on creating high quality, innovative game experiences for mobile and handheld platforms.

The Studio comprises small, agile teams working on new IP & well-known SEGA IP. Project durations are 5-10 months, with their first projects due for late 2012.

The team follows an ethos of staying compact, agile and focused – combining talent from a variety of game genres and backgrounds, and welcomes applications from candidates of all levels of experience.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Work with other members of the team on creating high quality mobile titles
  • Implement game features in partnership with artists and designers
  • Learn and help develop various areas of features going into mobile handheld titles
  • Constantly develop your skillset and experience in the mobile space

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Development experience in C/C++
  • Experience developing titles for mobile devices (either independently or as part of a larger studio)
  • Comfortable with game design and implementation
  • Examples of own demos, with source code, very beneficial dependent on past professional experience

Pluses:

  • Passion for computer games highly advantageous
  • Development experience with C# or HTML5
  • Knowledge of OpenGL ES and other graphical development libraries

You can find out more HERE.

Art

Fullfat Games are looking for a UI Artist for their studio in Coventry.

Position Overview:
• This position involves designing and creating 2D Artwork and Graphics for the UI Interface as well as other 2D items on various mobile and console platforms, which include Wii, DS and iphone.

Key Responsibilities:
• Working with the entire Development team to design and implement focussed, practical solutions within a realistic time frame.
• Design Icons and logos within the style constraints of the product.
• Work efficiently and at a speed representative of the platform.
• To be responsible for all 2D art aspects of any given project
• Be able to create all levels of Art from palette controlled pixel sprites up to hi Res Marketing Assets.

Skills and Experience:
• Excellent 2D background, including ideally pixel work.
• Use of Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Willing to work with Engineers to work within the technical limitations of the platform.
• Self Organised and willing to participate in team meetings.
• The ability to draught out a variety of concepts styles at speed to fit within the design constraints before game assets are created.

You can find out more HERE.

 

QA

Fullfat games are looking for a Mobile Test Engineer for their studio in Coventry. They unfortunately had no information on the position on the website but you can email them and find out more from HERE.

Train2Game News: Matty Wyett-Simmonds – Week 45

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Week 45! Weeks are getting faster and faster I think. I’ve had a pretty awesome weekend as it was my birthday. I went out in Southampton for the night and hung out with some friends and my girlfriend flew down from Leeds as well which was cool! One of my birthday presents is a trip to Sea Life centre! Since I was only little I’ve always liked sharks, they’re awesome! Also it’s shark week there so bonus!

PlanetSide2 has been awesome too, Craig got a beta key as well now so we’ve been attempting to play it at the same time but Craig has a crappy computer at home and the servers are down every day during lunch time at work so I’ve still been playing on my own. If anyone actually has the beta come join in!

Not too much to say about work yet, sorry! It’s been the same as always, tight deadlines and what not. I had two late nights (10pm ish) and got my work done pretty quickly so that I could go home early on Friday to get home to Southampton. The release date for the current project is set and it’s very soon so you’ll all get your hands on it soon if you have a smart device of some sort. It’s a very tight deadline and we are probably going to be working nonstop to get everything done on time!

We have a new person coming to work for us soon that used to be here before, I think he’s jumping right in to this project asap which will be good! This project will be a bit bigger than My Sea Park hopefully, as it will be for a wider audience and a wider range of devices.

So yea, more late nights, more takeaway food and less sleep for me over the next month or so I think.

Til 46!

MattyWS

Train2Game News: Ezekiel Morris student diary – Week 18

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So what have I been doing this week? Well I’ve finished animating characters and now I’m going back to doing vector art again. The project manager wanted me and Amanda to change our roles, my task for this week was animating characters and Amanda’s task was to create character costumes in vector art, so we mixed up, she does one animation and I do one character costume.

Matty and I were helping Amanda to use the tools in Maya so hopefully she will pick it up, I will be there to guide her if she needs any help.

I was knackered working late on Wednesday and also Thursday but the end result is that all the animation for this week is completed and now I’m starting to create one costume for the character.

I know there’s a tight deadline coming soon but I feel confident that all my sprints will be done before the deadline hits. I’m glad that I’m getting my work done and I’m learning a lot since working at DR Studios.