Category Archives: Student

Train2Game news: High console prices are why consumers are turning to free-to-play

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Train2Game students will be aware of the rise of free-to-play titles, and according to one industry observer, the success of that model is due to the high price of console games.

“It removes the risk from the consumer,” CEO of mobile company Addmired Gabriel Leydon told 2012 D.I.C.E summit in Las Vegas about free-to-play.

“The consumer pays nothing to try out the game. I want the consumer to play for months without paying. Good free to play encourages players to stay and that’s where the longevity is, because the risk of an online pass, consoles that can’t play used games, DLC and all this stuff, after I’ve paid $70; why would do I do that? I can play lots of great games that are free.” he said.

“Free-to-play is the MP3 of the video game industry and it will destroy all business models and it removes the risk for the consumer,” Leydon added.

Rock Hippo Productions, publishers of free-to-play multiplayer combat title Brawl Busters recently told The Train2Game Blog that the free-to-play model allows games to reach a bigger audience.

“As you know, the free-to-play market is having a big impact right now, and there’s a good reason for that. We’re able to reach a much larger audience for our games and the players can decide how much their experience is worth.” Rock Hippo’s Flavio Caracas told The Train2Game Blog.

Read the full Train2Game Blog Brawl Busters interview here.

MMOs including Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Star Trek Online and, as reported by The Train2Game Blog, even Everquest are among those which have switched to a free-to-play model, each with a varying degree of success.

For the latest news about the trend of free-to-play, keep reading The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, do you agree with Leydon? Are the high prices of games the reason why free-to-play is becoming more popular?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Double Fine turns to crowd funding for new project, reaches $400,000 goal in hours

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Train2Game students should find this news very interesting. Double Fine, the studio of adventure game veteran Tim Schafer have turned to Kickstarter – the crowd funding service for creative projects – in order to develop a brand new game.

The adventure game from the man behind the Monkey Island series, has reached the $400,000 needed to fund the project in just a matter of hours.

Members of the public can use Kickstarter to fund indie game projects, with studios, including Double Fine, offering incentives to those who pledge certain amounts.

“Crowd-sourced fundraising sites like Kickstarter have been an incredible boon to the independent development community,” said Schafer.

“They democratize the process by allowing consumers to support the games they want to see developed and give the developers the freedom to experiment, take risks, and design without anyone else compromising their vision.”

“It’s the kind of creative luxury that most major, established studios simply can’t afford. At least, not until now.”

What Train2Game student may be particularly interested in is that Schafer has committed to using the funds not only to make a brand new, old school adventure game, but also to make monthly behind the scenes documentaries showcasing the game development process.

“There’s an unprecedented opportunity to show the public what game development of this calibre looks like from the inside,” he said

“This documentary series will strive to make the viewer as much a part of the process as possible by showing a game grow from start to finish, with all the passion, humour, and heartbreak that happens along the way.”

“Double Fine is committed to total transparency with this project, ensuring it is one of the most honest depictions of game development ever conceived.” Schafter added.

For more information about the Double Fine project, and the awards available to backers, visit the Double Fine adventure Kickstarter project page.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Double Fine turning to Kickstarter? Would you consider using the model? Will you donate to Double Fine?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game Forum.

Train2Game students share views on pre-owned games market

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Train2Game students recently saw The Train2Game Blog post about Volition Game Designer Jameson Durall speaking out against pre-owned games, in which he welcomed the idea of a console that doesn’t play second hand titles.

Train2Game students had a variety of different opinions on the matter – as evident on the Train2Game Facebook page – but a common thread was banning the next Xbox console from playing pre-owned games would only work if games were sold at a lower price.

“That’s perfectly fine if they make games cheaper to buy in the first place. £20-£30 would prob sell more units, would stop trading and would also cut down on file sharing!” Train2Game student Rob Farmer replied.

And Train2Game student Craig License agreed, adding that it’s already happening with PCs and people already familiar with it.

“This happened with PCs years ago with the likes of CD keys and DRM. People will be pissed to start but over time they’ll get used to it. To counter this they do either need to lower the initial game price so more people will buy them or just have constant sales and discounts on games, like Steam does.” he said.

Meanwhile, Train2Game student John Esslemont thinks game developers would benefit from extra sales of games.

“I think this is an amazing idea. Just think of the better experiences we can have if the developers receive that extra cash and we are not talking 1000’s we’re talking millions.” he posted on the Train2Game Facebook page debate.

However, it was Train2Game student Leigh Radmore who offered a more radicial solution to developers losing revenue through second hand sales, suggesting that retailers should be required to hand over royalties to compensate studios lost revenue

“There is always going to be a massive divide between the industry and the consumers when it comes to the second hand market.” he said

“Whatever action is taken, whether it be to keep going along with how it is now which hurts development investment, or to increase the measure’s devised to force the consumer to buy new, the only ones that are getting anything out of it are the retailers in the middle.” Leigh continued.

“How about, instead of alienating the consumer, go after the retailers that are making all the profit on someone else’s work? How about licencing them or pushing for sales royalties?” the Train2Game student added.

Have an opinion to share about pre-owned games? Leave it here on The Train2Game Blog, the Train2Game forum, or the Train2Game Facebook page.

Train2Game QA Tester Daniel Parkes February update with another 100% TMA

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Train2Game student Daniel Parkes has posted his first blog update of the year, and it brings good news; he’s achieved 100% in for his latest TMA on the Train2Game Game QA Tester course.

“Well as for my latest TMA mark I’m very happy to say I achieved 100%. I’m very happy with the way my course is going and very much looking forward to a new year with Train2Game” writes Daniel.

The Train2Game Games QA Tester also reveals how much time he spends working on his course, and talks about why he’s joining the beta testing programmes of various games.

Read Daniel Parkes latest post in full here on his blog.

You can find out about Train2Game Games QA Tester Daniel Parkes and his progress, right here on The Train2Game Blog. For more information about the Train2Game Games QA Tester course, see the official Train2Game website.

As usual, leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Official Skyrim mod tools now available via Steam

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Train2Game students can now get their hands on official modding tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  The Skyrim Creation Kit allows modders to create in-game assets using the same tools that developer Bethesda used to make the full-game.

The release of Skyrim modding tools also sees the Steam integrated Skyrim workshop go live, allowing Skyrim modders to create, download and upload mods more simply than ever before.

To celebrate the launch of the Skyrim Creation Kit, Bethesda has released a High Resolution Pack which is available to download through Steam. Valve have also released a Skyrim mod, Fall of the Space Core, Vol. 1 which sees Portal 2’s  Nolan North voiced Space Core join you in Skyrim.

Train2Game students can access the Skyrim workshop by visiting www.mods.elderscrolls.com

You can see the official Skyrim mod tools in action in the trailer below.

Much more information about the modding tools is available on The Elder Scrolls community page.

A number of Train2Game students have been lookingforward to making Skyrim mods using Bethesda’s Creation Kit, and if you can get involved too. See this thread on the Train2Game forum for more information.

The Train2Game Blog has previously shown you some of the stranger Skyrim mods, including ones that let you turn Dragons into My Little Pony or “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and a mod that turns Mudcrabs into Futurama’s Doctor Zoidberg.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest news about modding and how it could benefit you.

Will any Train2Game Blog readers be grabbing the Skyrim mod tools? Do you have any ideas for creations?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning producer on getting into the industry

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Train2Game students who want to get into the production side of the games industry could do worse than to take advice from someone working in that position for EA.

And in the latest post of EA’s ‘Breaking into the industry’ series, EA Partners Producer Benjamin Smith – who most recently worked on Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning – says that aspiring producers need to know why a game is good or bad, in addition to being good communicators.

“In Production, you should know what is and isn’t a good game at a mechanics level – not just a game level – because you need to understand why a particular game is good. But you should also be good at process. Organized. Articulate. This is a relationship job and a relationship business.” he responded to the question of what advice he’d give to aspiring producers.

The whole interview should be very interest to Train2Game students, and Smith even details how he began working for EA as a tester. Read the whole thing in full on the EA website.

The useful EA web series has already provided some great advice to Train2Game students, with Dead Space 2 game designer Brian Bartram, and EA Environment Artist Phillip Simmons both having previously shared their tips for breaking into the industry.

The Train2Game Blog recently spoke to UFC Undisupted 3 Senior Designer Wes Bunn, who also provided Train2Game students with advice on how to get a job in the games industry.

So, have you thought about becoming a Producer in future? What do you think of Smith’s advice?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: F2P reaches “a much larger audience” say Brawl Busters devs Rock Hippo

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Train2Game students will be aware of the increasingly popular free-to-play model of development, in which games are released for free then secure revenue through optional in-game purchases.

MMOs including Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Star Trek Online and, as reported by The Train2Game Blog, even Everquest have switched to a free-to-play model.

Brawl Busters, the recently released action combat title from Rock Hippo Productions, has adopted free-to-play from the outset, and in a soon to be published interview with The Train2Game Blog,  Marketing Manager Flavio Caracas says encourages many more people to try the game.

“As you know, the free-to-play market is having a big impact right now, and there’s a good reason for that. We’re able to reach a much larger audience for our games and the players can decide how much their experience is worth.” he told The Train2Game Blog.

Caracas added that free-to-play will only become more significant to game developers in future.

“It can seem counter intuitive, but the results speak for themselves. I think that F2P will become increasingly important in the industry, but there will always room for different models.” he said.

Yesterday, The Train2Game Blog reported that the Brawl Busters studio thought that QA and beta testing is crucial to the game development process. The full Train2Game Blog interview with Rock Hippo Productions will be published shortly.

There’s much more about free-to-play here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on Brawl Busters being free-to-play? Is the most important thing for a developer to make as many people play their game as possible?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Hawken closed beta open for registration

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Train2Game students have the opportunity to be a part of the closed beta for Hawken, the upcoming multiplayer mech combat FPS from indie studio Adhesive Games.

Hawken isn’t going to be released until 12th December 2012, but Train2Game students can sign up to be a part of the closed beta by registering details at https://playhawken.com/.

Adhesive Games have also announced that Hawken will be free-to-play. Want to know more about Hawken? Watch the trailer below.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills. Not only that, but in an interview with the Train2Game blog, Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester Karl Tars said that beta testing is potentially a way to get into the industry.

And in a recent interview with The Train2Game Blog, Brawl Busters developers Rock Hippo told us that beta testing is “crucial” to the game development process.

For more on beta testing, how it’s useful for Train2Game students, and opportunities to get involved with it, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your initial thoughts on Hawken? Will you be applying for a place in the closed beta?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: PC Gamer]

Train2Game news: “Atari dream team” to develop for “the new arcade” iOS

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iPhone and iPad games are “the new arcade.” That’s according to games industry veteran  Seamus Blackley who’s brought together some of the original Atari game developers to build games for iOS.

Blackley co-wrote the proposal for the original Xbox console, and assembled the team behind it.

“This is the dream team from Atari,” he told VentureBeat.

“We are looking at the new arcade, and 99 cents on the iPhone is the new quarter. People are playing on all these new devices and are finding the joy of the arcade games.”

Blackley says his team, “”the Jedi Council of videogame design” want to create, quality, original games.

“We are carrying on where Atari left off, focusing on innovation in gameplay,” he said.

“We have to create a quality experience, hone it, and tweak the crap out of it so that you get the same level of gameplay that people demanded in the arcade era. It’s scary as sh*t if you don’t understand gameplay.” Blackley added.

The eleven Atari developers are going to be joined by a team of interns in a company that’ll consist of 30 employees in total. The studio is called Innovative Leisure.

Train2Game students will be aware of the rise of mobile gaming, and the opportunities it can bring.

The Train2Game Blog will certainly be keeping an eye on Blackley’s new studio.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Atari veterens developing iOS titles? Is i OS the new arcade?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer via VentureBeat]

Train2Game news: UK studios Eutechnyx and Brain in a Jar team up for new project

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Train2Game students may be interested to hear that two UK racing game developers have announced they’re working together on a single project.

The two studios are Brain in a Jar and Eutechnyx, both of which may already be familiar to regular Train2Game Blog readers.

Train2Game student Laurence Gee works full-time at Brain in a Jar, after being offered the job following a successful Train2Game work placement. Meanwhile, Eutechnyx’s Lead Programmer Dave Hawes featured in this Train2Game video interview last year.

The new project from Brain in a Jar and Eutechnyx will be announced later this year.

We’re very excited to be working with Eutechnyx on one of its biggest projects this year, as we’re keen to demonstrate the two pillars on which our company is founded on – great technology and intelligent staff scaling.”  said Brain in a Jar founder and director Carl Dalton.

“We’re proving that independent games development in the UK is still at the cutting edge and can adapt to the demands of the global games industry.” he concluded.

“We are actively looking for teams to work with us on a variety of projects, so we’re very pleased to be bringing Brain in a Jar on-board for one of our major pieces of work in 2012.” added Eutechnyx Executive Producer Dave Thompson.

“Despite its core size, the team has proven itself to be a highly skilled and competent developer and its skill in being able to scale its workforce according to work demands is a fabulous asset in the modern game development landscape.” he said

The Train2Game Blog will be sure to keep you up to date with the latest news from the combined project from Brain in a Jar and Eutechnyx. For previous news from Eutechnyx, see The Train2Game Blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on two independent UK studios working together on one project?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.