Category Archives: Student

Train2Game News 3D Scans to video game characters

Posted on by

image

3D graphics startup Uraniom has unveiled their new platform that turns raw 3D scans into playable video game avatars, giving life to the longstanding dream of millions of gamers.

Creating a 3D scan was once a complex and expensive operation. Today, the technology is widely available thanks to solutions such as the Occipital Structure Sensor, which already works with many mobile devices, the Intel® RealSense™ R200 which is about to be found in various flagship tablets, and lastly, in the future for regular smartphones with an app-based scanning approach by Dacuda. Uraniom is partnering with these leading 3D scanning companies to create playable life-like avatars.

“Until now, integrating a new video game character required the expertise and manual operation of a 3D specialist,” explains Nicolas Hériveaux, the Co-Founder and CTO of Uraniom. “To make matters worse, this process is completely different for each game because there is no industry standard. Our mission was to find out how we can transform a manual, time-consuming and expert-only operation into an automated, fast and easily-accessible process. I believe with our platform we have done just that.”

When the founding team of Uraniom began working on this project almost one year ago, the technical challenges seemed impossible to tackle. After months of prototyping and hundreds of scans tested on various games, the Uraniom team is excited to release their technology to the public.

Through the Uraniom platform, users now have the ability to add a 3D scan, create an avatar and integrate it into one of the compatible games. The new character will work with all of the game’s native animations and moves.

“We know how hard it is to develop a video game,” explains Loïc Ledoux, the Co-Founder and CEO of Uraniom. “From the very beginning, our goal was to avoid any interference with the workflow of game studios. Yet we still wanted to keep the avatar installation process as straightforward as possible for the users.”

The overwhelmingly positive feedback and excitement shown by testers of the early prototype have been highly encouraging for the Uraniom team. As it turns out, playing with a photorealistic digital copy of oneself in game allows for an unprecedented level of immersion.

Petr Benýšek, the CTO of Bohemia Interactive, who has been following the project very closely said that “this is a new turning point reached for the relation between the player and the game world”. He added that at Bohemia, “we always support our amazing community and love to see what people are able to create on top of our games. It’s been a pleasure to assist the Uraniom team who has used that capability to bring this exciting new technology to the whole Arma 3 community.”

Uraniom will showcase the platform at the Paris Games Week (October 28th to November 1st), and will release the public beta on November 13th. For more information visit: uraniom.co

Train2Game News Student studio on the hunt for Artists

Posted on by

image

Train2Game student Josh Procter and his friend William Marsden have created their own studio and are now on the hunt for artists to join them

Friends Josh and Will have created SVS games and released their first game.  They are now looking to recruit team members to work on the next seven titles they have planned.

Josh is currently studying Train2Game which has helped their collaboration. Both plan to use the studio to work together but also have individual aspirations in the games industry. They are interested in the creative side of gaming and love to come up with ideas.

Since releasing their first game, Marathon, both are really excited with what they created and what more they can do. They sort industry advice in creating Marathon and it was received well. The studio was created in 2015 but the pair have collaborated for some time. Both live in West Yorkshire.  

The guys are now on the lookout for artists to join the team as they have a growing list of games planned for the future. They are on the lookout for people who are: productive, passionate and have personality.

Train2Game interviewed the guys to hear about their projects

Please introduce yourselves, what course you are on and where you are from? 　

Josh: Hi. My name is Josh Procter. I’m from Bradford, West Yorkshire. I’m just on the back end of the T2G Designer course.

Will: My name is William Marsden, I’m from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. I graduated Teesside University in November 2014 with a BA in Computer Games Design (2:1)

What is the name of your studio and who are the members?

Will: Myself and Josh came together in early 2015 to form SVS Games.

Josh: Yeah. Me and Will have been working together for a while but officially SVS Games was created early 2015.

What was the idea behind the name of the studio?

Josh: SVS means Samurai vs Spartan. Because Will is totally into Murmillo fighting and I am a born Samurai with my years of sword training.

Will: Well it’s our aim to make the kinds of games that we both loved as kids. SVS Games is a way we can showcase our game development skills to attract potential employers, whilst still trying to make our mark on the Indie game world.

Are you enjoying Train2Game and are your studies going well?

Josh: I’ll field this. I’m loving the T2G course, but I’m a very busy guy. The only reason I haven’t finished yet!

What do you hope to gain from taking the course?

Josh: Well, I personally want to write the games myself. And this has given me the skills to write better and create them. Which teams me and Will perfectly.

What is your dream in terms of working in the games industry?

Will: Well I have lots of ideas for pretty huge games. So ideally I’d want to be in a position where I can bring those ideas to life, a creative direction position seems the best position to do that.

Josh: I just really want to be the writing force behind those games. I’m an ideas man. I drift off and let myself come up with new ideas.

So what has it been like completing your first game?

Will: It has been fantastic, We have been working together to make some really involved design work for potential future games, I received some advice from a local Indie Developer to just release something small to get our names out there. Once it was out there and we got over the shock that something we had worked on was out there for everyone, the ball really started to roll and we’re well on the way to our next release.

Josh: It has been kick-butt honestly. I love working with Will and to be able to sit there after it was out, we both sort of looked at each other like “wow, we have a game for sale”
Big stuff man. Big stuff.

Can you tell us about Marathon, what were the challenges in creating this game?

Will: I think my biggest issue was keeping it small. Josh and I have this terrible problem where we keep trying to add too much to something and make more work for ourselves.

Josh: Me and Will cannot help adding more. We sat there with a product we were happy with and then went. LET’S DO MORE!
　
How has it been received?

Will: Actually pretty well considering it was just a quiet release by two guys who hadn’t really done anything before. I keep checking it and we have a nice steady stream of viewers and downloads. We are yet to have a negative comment, so I count that as a win.　

Josh: It’s going nice actually. Neither of us was expecting to make the next big thing. But we wanted to get our names out there and this game is a really nice little start.

Why did you choose to release on Windows?

Will: Honestly because it would be the quickest turnover from development to release. We’re currently looking at releasing on other platforms, including android via Google Play.

And what are you working on next, I hear you have another title in the pipeline?

Will: I like to stay busy and yeah, Josh and I are always working on something. I think the current count is at 6 or 7 games planned for the future or in development at the moment.

Josh: When we started, we had one MASSIVE game in the pipeline, with completed design documents and pitch documents. But we realized it’s far too big a project to start with. We came up with 3 small games to start with, which turned to 4 and so on. I think the count is 7 at the moment. But last night me and Will discussed another one.

And you are on the hunt for developers to join the team and assist with the project, artists and animators?

Will: Most definitely, Artists and Animators are always in demand in the games industry and we’re no different.
　
Josh: In the future, yeah I’d love to take on some new people! But I think we’re just starting out and maybe another one or two people to work with. They’d have to be into swords.

What are you looking for in new team members? What character traits?

Will: Someone who works hard, likes to swap and share ideas and someone who is above all else, passionate about gaming.
　
Josh: I think after years of work. I cannot stand people who half-arse jobs. I really don’t want to sound like a grumpy boss but people have to pull their weight. I just finished moving and lost my entire internet but I still did everything I could to push our projects forward.
Aside from that, they’d need a great personality and to have a laugh.

Is joining the studio a good opportunity, and why?

Will: I would definitely say so. Opportunities to work with other game developers is beneficial for everyone involved, we all share the work load and each get an equal share of the credit. Most employers look for people who have game development experience. The best way by far to do that is to release some games.

Josh: Exactly. I’d love to have some other people working with us. It’s always a good idea to make your own things. Think how indie developers get massive. It’s all about content and quality. You put your heart into a game and it might end up being the next big thing. I think for myself and Will, it’s not about getting famous or super rich, it’s about creating the games that people will lose themselves in. I can’t get over massive moments in games that I go back to thinking about years later. I still have the DmC3 cut scenes on my phone that I watch monthly.

What are the plans for the studio? 　

Will: We are both going to continue to working on games together until we catch the eye of an employer or we start making enough money to make a career of making games for SVS Games full time.

Josh: Keep releasing content. Keep having fun.

http://svsgames.itch.io/
Http:// joshprocterdesign.wix.com/joshprocterdesign
http://svsgamesmaster.wix.com/svsgames
www.train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News EGX Rezzed 2016 Tickets

Posted on by

image

EGX, producer of the UK’s premiere video games events, today announced that tickets for EGX Rezzed 2016 – in partnership once again with BAFTA– are now on sale.
  
Running from 7-9th April 2016, EGX Rezzed will build on the enormous success of this year’s event where over 12,000 gamers arrived to play more than 150 PC, console, virtual reality and board games from the likes of PlayStation, Xbox and Blizzard. Further developing the highly popular informal format, EGX Rezzed 2016 will feature more playable AAA and indie games, more Developer and Rezzed Sessions, more after show activities, more devs on the show floor and more free gaming stuff. Over 15,000 visitors are expected to attend.
  
All the headline features will be present, including the highly successful GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair. In 2015 49 Ukie Video Games Ambassadors and BAFTA Crew Games members, plus 8 games industry execs and many exhibitors advised the next generation of games industry professionals – including many school, college and university students – on how to land a career in games.
  
Visitors to EGX Rezzed 2015 were delighted with the show’s new home at the superb Tobacco Dock, London, reporting the highest ever satisfaction levels of any EGX event. Not only will the venue play host to EGX Rezzed 2016, BAFTA’s headline British Academy Games Awards will bring a touch of red carpet glitz and glamour to the event on Thursday 7th April.

“We can’t wait to return to London’s Tobacco Dock with an upgraded EGX Rezzed 2016”, said Matt Styles, Event Director. “Visitors and exhibitors loved the new and fascinating venue, especially the wonderful sense of gaming community it created. We’ll be building on the success of 2015’s Developer Sessions, which were a revelation. Valve dev Chet Faliszek’s Future of Virtual Reality and PlayTonic’s Yooka-Laylee announcement attracted record-breaking crowds both at the show and online. Developers and publishers are increasingly finding EGX Rezzed the ideal platform for their exclusive announcements”.
  
Starting from just £10, tickets are available to buy now from the new EGX Rezzed website (www.egx.net/rezzed/tickets). A variety of day and full event passes are available:

●        Thursday day ticket – £10 (lower price as the Developer Sessions begin Friday 8th April)
●        Friday and Saturday day ticket – £13.50
●        Early entry day ticket – £20
●        Three day Super Pass – £30

For the latest information, exclusive content and free giveaways please follow, like and subscribe to our channels:
  
EGX Rezzed event newsletter: www.egx.net/rezzed

Train2Game News Chance to create next Warhammer

Posted on by

image

Train2Game student seeking support to create table top strategy war game

Avid gamer Aaron Newton, 27, lives in The West Midlands, he’s currently embarked on a Train2Game course but also wants to create his own board game. He’s now reaching out to find people to assist with his project and is urgently on the lookout for artists. Aaron has big plans and has already created the game’s gameplay, strategy elements and factions.

The game is currently in the development stages; Aaron is confirming game play with his local war gaming group and deciding which elements to incorporate into the final game. He was working in a team of three but unfortunately his previous team have had to concentrate on other projects, his plan is to now recruit new team members to help make his idea a reality.

The game is inspired by Aaron’s love of military history and his time in the army. Two types of faction have been created, Empire of Gaia and The Maulini Dominion. The plan is to have three types of gameplay in one; Skirmish, Ground and Space, allowing players to approach the game with as complex or simple strategies as they wish.

Aaron now has extensive briefs in place but needs people to come in and make them happen. There’s a planned Kickstarter and the opportunity is open to anyone looking to gain experience and develop their portfolio to join him.

Aaron Newton, Train2Game student; ‘The game is currently in the early development stages, the first draft of the core rules and faction specifics are done and I am getting them looked at and checked by a local war-gaming club to see if they are easy to follow and will add more when I get the ok. I decided to do more of an invasion game so that players have if they desire the option of incorporating the ground and space battle concepts into a game.’

‘The game itself is technically a three in one having; ground, space and skirmish, rule sets. The overall design is that the rules cover everything lightly giving wiggle room so players can make simple or as complex strategies as they wish. The game with also have books and PDF releases to flesh out the lore and give players more of an idea to why certain peoples fight, how battles where won etc.’

‘The game is a table wargame that is will be marketed as an invasion game. The two main factions are the Empire of Gaia who are led by The Empress and the Legartums (Generals), the empire is heavily based on the Roman Empire so there is a regimented military, a religion with the empress as the figure head, slaves, and gladiators. The second faction is The Maulini Dominion who are the tattered remains of various other destroyed races, they are led by Lord Hyperion Maul who was previously the Commandium Milartus (Over all head of the Military Forces) for the Empire until a great betrayal happened.’
 
‘The game is designed to be played on the two fronts at the same time but can be played separately, when certain objectives are met devastating tactics can be used for example. If a player’s fleet can get there flagship into firing range they can launch orbital strikes against enemy ground forces. Orbital strikes are defendable by the opponents orbital defence grid however if the player’s ground forces also take control and destroy the defence grid the opponent can’t the defend orbital strikes.’ ‘For players that just want to have a quick game there will be the ‘strike team’ mode which is the skirmish portion of the game.’

‘As for back story The Empire of Gaia is led by an immortal Empress who have been ruling longer than recorded history, there are no records of anything before she came to power. Her power increases as more people worship her as a goddess and the lusts for more and more power. The Maulini Dominion is led by the former Commandium Milartus (Overall military Commander of the Empire) Hyperion Maul who after he is betrayed by The Empire leads his battleground ‘Taedio Ferciae Rapaces’ (the defiant Wolves) against The Empire and then the last races the live free join him under the banner of the dominion and crown him The Void King.’

‘The inspiration for the factions comes from my love of history and especially military history. The Empire of Gaia is modelled of the Roman Empire following its cultures and military characteristics as well as the doctrine of the worlds are there’s for the taking. The Maulini Dominion is more of a coalition of independent peoples rising up against the tyranny of The Empire.’

‘The gameplay and strategies I came up with quite easily it was finding a way that they would work together that was the issue but being an experienced wargamer I have found something I think works well, being ex-army and a lover of military history I used my knowledge of battles to work out different tactics and also being a fan of sci-fi means I found quite easy to incorporate the two together.’

‘Naturally I am a big fan of Warhammer and I suppose there are some similarities to the Horus heresy era game but in my opinion I take it into more detail regarding the reasoning what each faction wants, the units within the game aren’t super human space marines they are men and women who fight for what they believe in whether that be The Goddess Empress or The King of the Void Hyperion Maul.’

‘Initially I had a couple of guys helping me but they due to other commitments have had to leave the project so it is just me at present and I am doing my best to keep going with. In terms of artwork there isn’t any at present but I have the designs briefs of all the units and characters.’

‘The plan for the game is that it will be seen as a genuine alternative to Warhammer 40k with the design and release of more units, character, battlegroups and maybe factions. Mainly the hope is that in 25/30 years’ time the game is still be around as has made a dedicated fan base of its own.’

‘In the short term my opinion of success I hope that if I can get some people who are willing to be involved in effect donating their time to initially to beef up their portfolio as I am working while doing the planning myself there is no money to pay for outside help, so I am hoping members of the student body would like to get involved naturally when the website and games Kickstarter go live and concept and 3d model used the person involved will be credited for its design.

For more information contact the Train2Game blog or email Aaron directly on amnewton66@gmail.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Age of Algorithms

Posted on by

image

The first of a portfolio of free online courses commissioned by Creative Skillset is now open for business.

Age of Algorithms, developed by London Geometry (LG), aims to equip professionals working in the Creative Industries with the necessary maths skills to enhance and advance their careers by working more effectively in technical environments. In addition, the game is attractive to anyone wishing to brush up and refresh their existing maths training and also has a wide appeal.

Set in a medieval environment, this 2D physics-based game sees the player firing cannonballs to hit balanced and stacked targets aided by the maths they learn in the game. Hints and tips allow players to progress quickly into the game with the levels getting gradually harder as the puzzle-like equations become more complex. Topics covered within the game include: triangle geometry, angles, trigonometry, radians, vectors, velocity displacement and projectile trajectories.

Developed in Unity, Age of Algorithms is a browser-based casual maths game for Internet Explorer (PC), Firefox (PC/Mac) and Safari (Mac).

Sue Harrison, e-Learning Project Manager at Creative Skillset says, “Our learning resources have to be engaging, interactive, fun and above all relevant in the spaces that we know professionals from the Creative Industries inhabit as well as producing a product for a wider audience. Age of Algorithms serves that core audience”.

Professor William Latham, Founding Director at London  Geometry says, “In Age of Algorithms we are pushing the boundaries of education by integrating maths learning into the domain of a physics-based casual game. We are combining fun and learning”.
Creative Skillset will roll out further free online courses in the coming weeks and months with content on film making for the web, brand storytelling, fashion, animation, creative collaboration, commercial photography, film production, and visual effects.

To start the free online course, register now on the Age of Algorithms website www.ageofalgo.com

Train2Game News UKIE Student Conference

Posted on by

image

Epic Games and Flix Interactive to sponsor Ukie’s second annual Student Conference. Over 20 top UK games businesses confirmed to speak.

Ukie’s free one-day conference will take place on Wed 21st October and will take over the University’s games campus. The conference will bring together over 200 students to hear from leading games industry professionals, to give advice and support to those wanting to enter different professions in the sector.

The conference includes more content this year, with Staffordshire using their Epic Games Centre for one-to-one career and CV advice in addition to two lecture theatre talk spaces.

Ukie has also extended the conference to include more expert talks from industry insiders. Students and speakers will attend a networking drinks reception following the day’s activity.

Talks will cover all areas of the industry, including development, marketing, PR, production, art and design, community management, start-ups, and game audio. Announcements of further content will be made as the conference approaches. 

Games companies confirmed to speak on the day already include:

Altered Gene
Arch Creatives
The Chinese Room
Coatsink Software
Dlala Studios
Flix Interactive
Indigo Pearl
Jagex
Kumotion
Microsoft
Mobile Mavericks
NextGen Skills Academy
Pixel Blast
Playstation Access
Polystream
Prospect Games
Purewal & Partners
State of Play
Team Junkfish
Toxic Games
Travellers’ Tales
Virtual Umbrella

The full listing of speakers and registration for free tickets can be found here.

CEO of Ukie, Dr Jo Twist, said, “Last year’s conference was a huge success and it is great to be returning to Staffordshire University with an even bigger line up of experts this year. The UK games industry is a competitive sector to break into and Ukie is committed to helping the next generation of games talent by connecting them with people who can help them understand the opportunities and options they have as they graduate, as well as what they should be doing to stand out from the crowd.”

David Edwards, Senior Lecturer in game design at Staffordshire University, added, “It’s great to be working with Ukie to bring the second Ukie Student Conference to Staffordshire University. Last year’s conference was a great success, with 20 speakers giving first hand advice to games students. The conference we’re planning this year should be even better. Students will get the chance to see some of the UK’s best known developers discuss how they can enhance their prospects for a career in the games industry. The free conference at our Stafford Campus will also allow students to talk with speakers at the evening’s networking drinks.”

European Territory Manager at Epic Games, Mike Gamble, said, “Supporting the Staffordshire University and Ukie Student Conference is one way we’re helping students gain instrumental knowledge and make connections. Raising up the next generation of developers is critical to the long-term health of our industry.”

John Tearle, Founder of Flix Interactive, added, “Supporting educational facilities in producing quality course content ensures a positive future for new talent in the UK industry. The key benefit of the conference is that expertise and advice is on-hand for students, lecturers and graduates to talk directly with the people providing the career opportunities. It is great to be working once again with Ukie and Staffs University to help support the conference and build the talent of the future.”

Train2Game News Student looking to swap the broom for the paintbrush

Posted on by

image

Michael Bird is a supervisor at an industrial cleaning firm but his dream is to ditch the cleaning and move into creating art in videogames

Since finishing the Art and Animation course with Train2Game Michael – who is 41 and lives in Kettering – has been on the hunt for a job in games but not had any luck so far. He firmly believes that given the first chance at a studio, he could develop into a great asset for any company.

Michael is from a family of artists, his father is a traditional artist and his mother is a colourist. Michael trained in sculpture and art before moving into video games.

He had a really positive experience with Train2Game and now wants to go professional. He’s now contributing to student studios and also created his own website to show off his work.

‘My name is Michael Bird I am an Artist, Animator. I have spent the last five years or so dedicating my creativeness to the gaming world with the dream of one day being able to work within a gaming studio and help make the games that are yet to come.’

‘I finished my Train2Game course in May last year. I would say that the overall experience with Train2Game was good; they always tried their best to help me with any issues or problem that I may have had. They wouldn’t tell me how to do it instead they would guide me in the right direction so you would end up learning what I needed to know myself, in truth I saw this as a better way to find the solution to whatever it was that I needed help with.’

‘I got into gaming art as a sort of natural progression to being a traditional artist as in using pencil, paints and clay. All my life I have been playing video games, from the modern masterpieces of today right the way back to the originals like Pong and Pac-Man, and everything in-between. It has always plagued my mind as to how it was done; those images that you see on the screen that excite the eye and make you want to play more. How do they do it, how I would love to find out and maybe see if I could do the same. It wasn’t until I got the flyer from Train2Game that I saw my chance to follow the dream of learning how to make what I had seen on the screen. So the opportunity that was presented was taken and I ran with it to a new horizon that has beckoned me for so long.’
 
‘Working with sculpture,  I think that it has helped me immensely as most of the time with gaming art you have to think in three dimensions as you would do when you sculpt. You get to understand movement, structure and how something should look from all sides. It’s like a 360 degree canvas where every point has to look right from every angle. So really what I create within a computer is just a digital version of what I would create in clay.’

‘To create something out of nothing never gets old to me be it stills or animation, they are both as exciting as each other. If a had to choose then it would have to be stills. More to the point of the environment and the props that populate it is it internal or external. . To create a beautiful game you need to create a beautiful environment to play that game in. You could create the best most iconic character in the world with the most stunning and realistic animation ever but if the gaming environment they live in isn’t believable then it will never work.’

‘Both my parents are artists in their own right. My father is a traditional artist where as my mother is more of a colourist. At first they thought I wasn’t serious but as time progressed they began to see that this was something that I craved with every ounce of my being. Sometimes they would say I should get a proper boring job and forget my dream but it never deterred me from this path to my true calling.’
 
‘I would love to say that my art is my job but unfortunately that is not the case yet. Despite the constant application for art positions within the gaming industry I have so far been unsuccessful in my efforts. All I want and need is that one person to take that chance on me. In the meantime bills have to be paid so I am a supervisor for an industrial cleaning company, but when I’m not working there I’m always creating pieces for my website michaelbird74.com it’s there to showcase my work for any potential employers.’
 
‘The last piece that I have only just finished was a Private Detective’s Office set in the style of 30’s America. It was more a case of being able to show that can create an interior set piece and fill it with relevant props and create the right mood with the lighting and textures. Since then I have two projects that will be starting on, one will be a Deep Forest Ruins scene and the other will be a Derelict Lighthouse. I haven’t decided which one I will start first so you will just have to wait and see by checking out the Work in Progress on my website.’
 
‘I think that Train2Game has taught me apart from the skills that I will need to fulfil my dreams, something that I will never stop learning as you can never know everything. Also I would say that they taught me to never give up no matter how hard and stressful it can get, there’s always a way to figure something out and make it better than you thought which in turn makes you better at what you do.’

‘What can I offer a professional studio? That is a difficult question as I could just put the usual things like my skills, my passion for gaming and so forth. In truth all I can offer is myself and what I have learnt from my life experience. How I see the world around me, how I have played so many games in my lifetime that they have all influenced the way I create my art, I have seen how the industry has grown and developed over the years to give me the foundation that has helped me to the stage that I am now. I have followed the way gaming itself has changed with the technology and it has made me realise that I can create anything and everything that I ever thought possible within a game as well as some that I could never have dreamed of. Just to have that power at my fingertips fills me with excitement and a driven determination to be the best gaming artist I can be. That’s what I can offer a professional studio, sounds a bit cheesy I know but it’s the best way I can describe it.’ 

‘In truth there is no one studio that I would like to work for or with, for me it’s all about creating beautiful game art, be it for a mobile, handheld or a AAA title. When I’m playing a game all I can think about is I really want to be the guy who build that, the guy who will spend hour after hour to get it looking and acting right so it fit the game. I often study the screen to figure out how they did it and see how I would go about creating it.’
 
‘I would say that my long term aims are to keep creating more and more stunning work, to learn new skills and improve what I already have, To maybe end up being a senior artist within a studio, that would be nice but for a start I just want to get my foot through the door and then see where it takes me. I will never stop doing what I love doing at the end of the day I’m an artist and the desire to create, build, sculpt, paint and draw will only die when I do. Being a videogame artist is where I see myself and I will do everything I possibly can to get there.’

Found out more about Michael’s work at michaelbird74.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News RPG Maker MV Preorder

Posted on by

image

Degica and Kadokawa Corporation are excited to announce that the latest version of RPG Maker is now available for pre-order on their website and Steam for 10% off.

RPG Maker MV is the successor to RPG Maker VX Ace (one of the highest selling software titles on Steam). It provides many new enhancements and features including:

    -Mac Support: You can now create RPGs on the Macintosh!

    -Multiple Device Deployment: You can now release your RPG Maker Games on the following platforms:
        Windows (EXE)
        MacOSX (APP)
        Android (APK)
        iOS (IPA)
        HTML5 for Web Browsers

    -Battle Modes: You can now choose to use either the classic Front View, or the heavily requested and more modern Side View battle system.

    -Mouse & Touch Input support: Tired of playing your game with a keyboard? You can now play your RPG via touchscreen or mouse.

    -LARGER Database : Support for twice as many items as VX Ace for a grand total of 2,000

    -THREE Layers for drawing complex maps, with an intuitive interface that automatically selects the correct layer for you.

    -Higher Screen Resolution: With all assets being made 1.5 times larger, the default resolution is increased to 816×624, allowing for more detailed games.

    -Complete English Support, community and forums!

The pre-order starts September 30th and will run until the game launches on October 23rd.

In addition to a 10% discount, people who preorder will also receive 2 brand new resource packs free:

The Cover Art Characters Pack
For the first time in RPG Maker history, an official set of resources featuring RPG Maker MV cover art characters is available! Featuring a brand new main party and brimming with bonus material, this pack includes the essentials to build the perfect character party.

The Essentials Add-On
From expertly-composed original music to clever tileset add-ons and emotion-packed character facesets, this pack includes material that enhances the standard RPG Maker MV resources and really lets your projects shine.

RPG Maker MV Preorder Page: http://preorder.rpgmakerweb.com/rpg-maker-mv

Steam Preorder Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/363890

Train2Game News Student launches Gamatier

Posted on by

image

Leasing online and mobile games with real time management tools is the future of games distribution

Gamatier is a brand new product that lets online and mobile games Publishers and Developers lease games, alongside options to buy. Listing hundreds of different titles, Gamatier will offer bespoke usage options to suit both parties, with Publishers able to decide how they want to access to a game and Developers able to retain ownership.

Publishers and Developers can now lease and manage games for use on Android through the platform, with iOS, Windows and online, arriving soon. The platform and embedded SDK are completely changing the traditional model of selling games, empowering both Publishers and Developers with real time management, advertising, analytics and distribution tools.

The website and SDK have been created by a UK Development team who studied with Games Development course provider Train2Game. Their aim is to create a more effective way of distributing and managing online games. The applications of Gamatier are huge for the games industry. The platform has now launched, the team are planning rapid expansion and currently seeking investment to take the platform to the next level.

John Esslemont, Founder, Gamatier “I have been selling games for a long time and that’s how I came up with Gamatier. I was getting frustrated because once I’d developed a game and given it to a Publisher, it was gone and no longer owned my creation. There was no platform for management; it was bad news for a Developer, often not getting a share of a product’s success.”

“That’s when I created Gamatier; I wanted to give Developers the power to keep making money from their games after they were released. I came up with the concept of leasing games through an online platform. Why sell your game when leasing will let you retain ownership of the IP and you can continue to control your product?”

“Using Gamatier there are huge benefits for Publishers too, they have a store filled with games that they can choose from and many options of how they want to buy or lease games. Leasing allows for reduced initial outlay and management of further investment in a game. The options available to Publishers allow the most effective way to gain revenue based on analytics and implement changes using the platform in real time, such as: exclusive leasing, advertising and other monetisation options.”

“The unique SDK we’ve developed provides extensive, innovative and intuitive options and services, which integrate into our hosting platform. Developers retain ownership of their title and how it is used. Publishers who buy or lease games achieve control over the games ads, analytics, branding, in house ads and lots more via our real-time dashboard.”

“One thing that has been essential to getting Gamatier off the ground is Train2Game; we would not be making our dreams come true if not for its guidance. We think the Gamatier method of leasing games is more efficient, manageable and cost effective. We predict our product will dramatically change how Publishers and Developers buy and sell games.”

www.gamatier.com
www.train2game.com
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Iron Man Suit part 3

Posted on by

image

Third instalment of Sheldon Gilman’s journey as he strives to create the ultimate Iron Man suit.

Train2Game student Sheldon Gilman has been documenting his journey to build the ultimate suit, updating the gaming community on his progress through the Train2Game blog.

So far Sheldon has completed three entries to the Train2Game blog, two updates on his progress and an interview at his home, the interview was then featured in his local newspaper.

In this third blog post, Sheldon discusses constructing his workshop in his garden, completing his faceplate, his new 3D printed which he will use to create gloves and other aspects of the suit.

Sheldon Gilman: “I took a week off work last week for my four year wedding anniversary and to do a bit more on this build. So just a quick summery of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks.”

“Recently I’ve been clearing the garden in order to make room for my 14ft workshop and I have finished the faceplate on the Mk20 and begun work on the completing the rest of the helmet. I have completed 95% of the upper body in card stock some parts are missing as I need to fabricate them from scratch out of foam 3D Printed or made using Pepakura. And last but not least. My new 3D printer has arrived, which means once I put it together and collaborate it, I can get started on the hands.”

“So, just a brief mention about my workshop, I have been in desperate need of one for a while as tools and parts have been littered all over my living room for quite some time now and my wife would love to have her dining room table back. This also isn’t good when you have a small toddler who wants to grab anything and everything within arm’s reach. So a “modest” 14” workshop will be built at the end of the garden where I can make as much noise and use as many loud and dangerous tools as I want. But before this can happen, the entire garden will need to be redesigned.”

“Now, moving on to the more Iron Man related news, I’ve finished the faceplate!”

image

“It took me roughly two-three evenings to get it sanded smooth enough for me to paint it and it came out exactly how I wanted it. The paints I used were bought from Halfords. I used your normal everyday grey primer to first. This allowed me to better see any imperfections and sand them down. I sprayed it again in primer and left it to dry before adding 3 coats of Starburst gold. Most people would be satisfied at this point and leave it there; however I wanted that metallic shine so I added three coats of clear paint. This made the metallic flakes in the paint really stand out. I have now been working on adding bondo to the main part of the helmet. This is a larger area so can be hard to get completely smooth.”

“I have also added resin to the rest of the upper body. All these parts are ready or will be ready for fibre glassing in the next week or so. Most of these parts are small and have minimal detail, which makes the fibre glassing stage easy and relatively quick. The torso on the other hand is large, and extremely complex. All the Nooks and crannies will be a pain to get right. There will be a lot of late nights and possibly a little crying as I struggle to complete this part of the build but it will all be worth it in the end.”

image

“While I was fibre glassing the parts, I noticed the jaw was not symmetrical. One side curves inwards while the other side curves outwards and for me, this will not do.”

“As this happened while I was applying the fibreglass the part is pretty much solid. Therefore I pretty much have two options at this point. I could either; scrap the part and start again (This time making sure to add extra support), or I could create the part on my new 3D printer. The advantage of this method would be that I could add the teeth in.” 

“And this brings me nicely onto my next update… So lately I have been driven to distraction as my new 3D printer arrived!”

“It’s a Prusa i3 from SunHokey. I ordered it through and it arrived from china in about a week. I chose this particular printer because it allowed me to print objects 200x200x180mm on a heated print bed. I could also print using different materials too this was great as my previous printer was woefully inadequate for the task.”

“My previous printer was a Printrbot Makers kit 2014 edition with an upgraded print bed.”

“While this printer was great to learn on and was capable of printing small things, I needed to print objects larger than what this printer could handle and when you print larger objects; a heated print bed really comes in handy.”

“This printer came in parts which I had to assemble myself. This took me about eight hours, however I’m sure I could have cut that time in half but household chores and family duties kind of took priority, as I’m sure you can all understand. I’ve been spending the rest of the time trying to configure it. SunHokey do a great job making some universal instructions to make it easier for you to configure the printer in a short amount of time, however fine tuning is needed to get those prints perfect.”

“In the next update, I should have completed the helmet. And be well on the way to fibre glassing the rest of this suit.”

“Over the past month or so, more and more people have been hearing about what I am doing here. Just last week I did an interview and a short video with my local newspaper. The article was in an edition of The Herts Advisor. Very excited and nervous about it. So logon to their website if you can and take a look.”

For further details of Sheldon’s project, follow on the Train2Game blog

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com