Category Archives: Train2Game

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Interesting BBC article on Game Jams Train2Game students should read

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The Train2Game Game Jam took place at the end of March, with many of the Train2Game students involved finding it an enjoyable and very useful experience.

You can even download the games created at the Train2Game Game Jam from the official Train2Game website.

Why is the Train2Game blog mentioning a Game Jam now? Well, there’s an extremely interesting article on the BBC News website that looks at a Game Jam in New York

It’s an interesting read for Train2Game students, both those who did and didn’t attend the Train2Game Game Jam back in March.

For more about Game Jams, and how they can be useful for game developers, see the Train2Game blog interview with Scottish Game Jam organiser Romana Khan.

A Train2Game blog interview with Mediatonic Director Paul Croft also re-enforces how taking part in a Game Jam can be useful for game developers.

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: BBC]

Story and Game Design the “final frontier” for games says Darkness II dev

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Train2Game Game Designers obviously want to make careers out of creating games and writing their stories, and according to one developer it’s this section of the industry that will grow most in future.

The Darkness was one video game that featured some emotional narrative Game Design, and developers Digital Extremes want this to continue in the upcoming sequel.

And speaking to CVG, Game Director Sheldon Carter believes Game Design and storytelling will become even more prominent in the future of video game development.

“I think it’s a progression that everyone’s going to get to eventually,” he said. “I’m not trying to say we’re ahead of the curve or anything like that, that’s just the choice we made for this game.

“I think story is the final frontier for games. We’re kind of getting there tech-wise. Mechanics-wise it’s cool that we’re innovating but it’s still in the basic same themes. I think story is eventually where we’ll all end up going.”

Upcoming games that also focus on the Game Design Narrative include Uncharted 3 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. For more on the writing and Game Design behind Uncharted 3, see the Train2Game blog.

Interested Train2Game students can also see a post that goes into great depth about the Game Design process behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

So Train2Game, is Game Design the final frontier? How advanced can the stories get? And which games do you believe have particularly well written narratives?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: CVG]

Future of games industry “is here” says EA’s John Riccitiello

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With the reveal of the Wii U at Nintendo’s E3 press conference, as reported by the Train2Game blog, you can’t help but wonder when the next generation of consoles will arrive.

However, according to EA CEO John Riccitiello new hardware isn’t needed to keep the games industry moving forward.

“There’s never ‘enough’ innovation and we should always be setting the bar higher,” he told told Industry Gamers. “What I don’t agree with is the implication that we’re waiting for the hardware guys to transition to help us realize the innovation.”

“I think the greatest innovation in the history of gaming is occurring right now. It is happening in the cross-platform arena — where Publishers are linking the best IP from console to PC to mobile to social”

“This is hard to do, but it will change the way gamers interact with our IP.”

As reported by the Train2Game blog, mobile gaming is becoming a huge phenomenon.

Riccitiello believes the key to innovation lies in interconnectivity.

“The future is here, and centres on creating a 24/7/365 experience and community behind the games you love,”

“Big game franchises have evolved from the ‘one and done’ model that released a new 15 hour experience ever 12-24 months. Games have evolved from a thing that you buy, to a place you go.

” … Anytime, anyplace – you can play, track your scores and see what your friends are doing. That’s the future of gaming.”

So Train2Game, what do you think is the future of gaming? Where is the innovation going to come from? Or are you ready to leap to the next generation of consoles already?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Industry Gamers]

The latest Train2Game student placement diaries

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The latest batch of Train2Game student industry work placement diaries are now online for your reading pleasure.

Chris Robinson, William Alexander and Darren Price detail their experiences on placement at DR Studios, while Laurence Gee also provides an insight into working in the games industry during ‘crunch’ time.

Read about all of their experiences below or on the Official Train2Game Student Placement Diaries website. 

Potential QA Testing opportunities for Train2Game students

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Sports Interactive produce the Football Manager series

Here’s something for anyone studying with Train2Game, particularly those on the Game QA Tester course.

Football Manager developers Sports Interactive are looking for people to join their QA Testing department on a temporary basis to test Football Manager & Football Manager Handheld across PC, Mac, Sony PSP & Apple devices.

As the advert itself says, it’s the ultimate job for “someone looking to gain some experience in the games industry.”

The job specification as listed in the advert is as follows:

* You must be at least 16 years old to be considered for the role.
* You must be able to commute to our Central London office in the UK.
* You must be able to work Monday to Friday based on a 37.5 hour working week.
* You should expect to work some overtime when requested.
* You should be a dedicated gamer with a passion for Football Manager.
* You should be a keen football fan.
* You should be comfortable using a PC, Mac, Sony PSP or Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod.
* You should have great attention to detail with the ability to spot issues.
* You should have a good standard of written English.
* Previous experience in QA is welcomed, but not necessary.

For more information about the Game QA Tester roles at Sports Interactive, see the relevant thread on their forum.

And while this could provide a great opportunity for Train2Game students, it’s worth pointing about that the Sports Interactive QA Testing roles are in no way affiliated with Train2Game. However, they could potentially provide someone on a Train2Game course with hands on games industry experience.

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

EA admit Game Design of Dragon Age 2 drove Origins fans away

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Dragon Age 2 Publishers EA have admitted that “innovations” in the game cost them fans, and therefore providing a lesson to Train2Game students about Game Design.

While innovation is key to the games industry, the admission demonstrates that Train2Game students who produce games that are too far out there may risk unpopularity.

Many fans were disappointed with a particular Game Design element of Dragon Age 2 that reused the same locations multiple times.

“We were clearly disappointed with some of the response from the fanbase, because we want them to be as excited about it as we are,” EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau told Eurogamer.

“We’re very proud of the game. We tried to innovate and do some different things with the combat system and some of the way we told story. For some fans it worked well. In fact, we brought a lot of new fans into the Dragon Age franchise.

“But to be honest, we lost some fans as well. They were not pleased with some of the innovations and things we’d done. We understand that and we’re listening.”

It’s not the first time the Train2Game blog has reported that fan feedback will be taken into consideration with the Dragon Age franchise. As reported by the Train2Game blog last month, Bioware admitted they’d be listening to fan complaints.

Some Train2Game students will no doubt be pleased that EA say they’ll listen to this criticism when it comes to developing Dragon Age 3.

“As we think about where we take the franchise next, we’re going to take that into consideration and really engage them,” Gibeau continued.

“Ray [Muzyka] and Greg [Zeschuk] have built a long career being close to their fanbase and understanding what they want.”

“If they do something in a direction that is innovative and fresh for some but not for others, they’ll take that into consideration as we think about the next design and where the game goes from here.”

Last year, the Train2Game blog highly praised Dragon Age: Origins, particularly when it came to Game Design.

For more on why Bioware decided to take Dragon Age II in the direction they did, see extracts of an interview with Mike Laidlaw on Game Design hereon the Train2Game blog.

How important do you believe it to be for developers to listen to fans? Where is the fine line between innovation and alienating fans?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer] 

Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft passes 2.5 million sales

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Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft has now passed over 2.5 million sales. The news was confirmed by Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson via Twitter.

“2.5 million sales! That’s as much as Diablo 1 and FarCry, according to Wikipedia.” he said.

The numbers aren’t bad at all for a game that’s still in it’s BETA testing period and, as reported by the Train2Game blog, Minecraft will be getting a full release later this year.

The game will also be appearing on a variety of systems, with the Train2Game blog previously mentioning that Minecraft will be appearing on the Xbox 360 with full Kinect support. The indie smash hit is also heading to smartphones, as reported by the Train2Game blog.

Minecraft is a testament to Train2Game students that you don’t need to be working for a huge studio to be successful in the industry, and that producing indie games could be the way forward.

Yesterday, the Train2Game blog revealed that the 1.7 patch will add Game Design and modding elements to Minecraft.

So Train2Game, why do you think Minecraft has been so successful? Does it inspire you? Are you still playing?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Analysts “unimpressed” by Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Design

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As reported by the Train2Game blog, Bioware have previously stated that World of Warcraft is a big influence on their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.

But a report from analysts Cowen and Company reports suggests the influence on Game Design may be too far reaching and in a negative way. It makes interesting reading for Train2Game students anticipating the Star Wars themed MMO.

“We got hands-on time with the game, and were largely unimpressed” reads the Cowen and Company post E3 report.

“Despite promises from EA/Bioware that the title represents a major step forward in MMO design, what we saw was essentially a World of Warcraft clone with Star Wars character skins and the Bioware RPG nice/nasty dialogue tree mechanism bolted on for non-player character conversations.”

The ‘Flashpoint’ dialogue tree mechanism is described in depth by Bioware in a Train2Game blog post from April this year.

Meanwhile, the Art & Animation of Star Wars: The Old Republic is described as “competent but hardly breathtaking.” Cowen and Company predict that the game won’t even see release this year.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, publishers EA state that Star Wars: The Old Republic needs 500,000 subscribers to become profitable.

Train2Game students can attempt to see Star Wars: The Old Republic for themselves by signing up to be a beta tester. More information about how to do that is available on the Train2Game forum.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Game Design of The Old Republic? Should it stick to the WoW formula or do something new? What would you like to see in the game?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: GamesIndustry.biz] 

Train2Game Art & Animation student David Sims speaks to Train2Game Radio

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David Sims is studying to become a Game Artist & Animator with Train2Game.  Train2Game Radio caught up with him to find out why he chose to study with Train2Game, how he’s finding the course and what he wants to achieve in a career in the games industry. Listen to the interview at www.audioboo.fm/train2game Discuss it here on the Train2Game forum.

Minecraft 1.7 patch to add “adventure” and modding to Train2Game forum user favourite

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The 1.7 patch for Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft is named the adventure update in what appears to be a move towards adding goals to the cult indie game.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Minecraft creator Notch suggested achievements might be introduced as a way of giving a narrative Game Design to the title. Writing on his blog, Notch says:

“We are working on Minecraft Beta 1.7, which I’m referring to as the “adventure update”. We’re keeping the details secret so people can get surprises. The idea with this update is to flesh out the game a bit, making it reward exploration and combat more.”

He also added that Mojang will be adding modding support to Minecraft in the near future.

“We’re starting the modding support on a small scale with 1.7. We’ll be giving the source code out to a very VERY small group of people before the release of 1.7. We’ll use those experiences to work out the final details, then we’ll get the modding api out as soon as possible after 1.7 has been released.”

As previously mentioned on the Train2Game blog, modding can potentially provide aspiring game developers with the hands on experience required to get into the games industry.

And in a recent Train2Game blog interview, Red Faction: Armageddon Lead Level Designer Jameson Durall also stressed the importance of modding for those who want to improve their skills.

If Minecraft modding becomes more widely available, it could be a dream for Train2Game students.

Notch also reveals the Xbox 360 and Xperia Play versions of Minecraft are both entirely new titles, which he’ll be working as a Game Designer on. He adds that he remains focused on the PC version of Minecraft.

For more information about Minecraft on the Xbox 360, see the Train2Game blog.

It’s worth remembering that despite still officially being in Beta, Minecraft has been downloaded over 2 million times.

So Train2Game, what do you want to see in the “adventure update”? Will it change the Game Design? And if given the opportunity, would you create Minecraft mods?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source:  The Word of Notch]