Train2Game news: Modern Warfare 3’s engine “is a Porsche”

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Train2Game students will obviously be aware that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is likely to be the biggest selling game of the year.

The title, being worked on by three different studios, is likely to receive a heavy marketing push and be snapped up by millions of gamers.

However, some have commented that the Call of Duty engine hasn’t aged well. Speaking in an interview with CVG, Sledgehammer Games Glen Schofield responded to this criticism.

“Well I’ll tell you one thing, I’ve worked on a lot of engines over my lifetime and spent a lot of time putting graphics in to them and this thing is a Porsche,”

“And what I mean by that is that it is stream-lined, everything in it is perfectly freaking clean. You can tell it’s been worked on for years. It’s easy to upgrade.” said the Managaing Director of one of the three studios working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

And Schofield argues that Modern Warfare 3 is a lot more detailed and a lot better looking that its predecessors.

“Modern Warfare 3’s levels now are so much bigger than the old ones because they go more vertically, they have a bigger footprint and on top of that, higher fidelity, more textures and a lot more detail” he said

“If you put Modern Warfare 2 next to Modern Warfare 3 you would see a huge difference. Look at all the character models, look at all the gun models, look at the reflections, look at the water.”

“There is so much that we’ve added, so when someone says ‘cut and paste’, I don’t even want to talk to them because they don’t know. They just don’t know. They have no idea.” added the Sledgehammer man.

Last week, the Train2Game reported that Schofield said tweaks to Modern Warfare 3’s game design mean it’s the “most accessible” Call of Duty yet.

Train2Game students can get a behind the scenes insight into development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 here on the Train2Game blog.

What are your thoughts on the Call of Duty engine? Do you believe Modern Warfare 3 looks dated? And should the developer be responding to its critics?

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

[Source: CVG]

Train2Game news: Uncharted needs PS4 for next big improvements

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Train2Game students are living in time when video games look better than ever, with the Uncharted series being some of the best looking titles of the lot.

And while the upcoming Uncharted 3 is graphically improved over its predecessor, developers Naughty Dog say the jump isn’t as big as it was between Uncharted 2 and the original. They believe a next generation console is needed in order to recreate this level of improvement.

Speaking to Spong, Game Director Justin Richmond revealed that changes to the Uncharted’s engine have been tweaks rather than massive upgrades.

“Uncharted 3 isn’t just an incremental update – we did change lots and lots of things – but graphically speaking, it’s not going to have the same gap, it was never going to happen.” he said.

And the Uncharted 3 Game Director believes we won’t see another huge jump on the PlayStation 3, hinting that we’ll only see a similar boost when Sony release a next-generation console.

“The way we made it, how much of the PS3’s power we were using… that huge gap that you saw between Uncharted 1 and 2 is the kind of thing that really only happens once per generation. We pushed it really hard.” said Richmond.

Train2Game students may be interested to find out that Naughty Dog only managed to make improvements to Uncharted 3 by re-writing the engine, and it’s something they’d prefer to do only once per console cycle.

“Uncharted 2 to 3 is still a jump, but it’s a narrower jump. And going forward, it depends on what we do. There are always ways to improve stuff, always ways we can pull out more stops… like changing optimisations, changing streaming animations, getting more polygons on screen, progressive mesh,” Richmond said.

“But I don’t think you’ll ever see that same jump again, at least on a PlayStation 3. There was just so much power left over in the PS3 when we made Uncharted 1, that we figured out how to use and really took it to town when developing Uncharted 2.” the Uncharted 3 Game Director concluded.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, the Uncharted 3 have a something of a “make it up as we go along” thing when it comes to game design.

Meanwhile, Train2Game students interested in how Uncharted 3’s script is written and performed should check out this behind the scenes look on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Richmond’s comments? Do you believe a new console is needed in order to make another leap forward? Does that leap need to be made?

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

[Source: Spong]

Train2Game news: Indie devs have “far more opportunities these days” say Team 17

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Train2Game students looking to form their own indie studios will certainly be buoyed by this; there are more opportunities than ever to break into the industry thanks to digital distribution.

That’s according to Yorkshire based Worms developer Team 17, who’ve been in the game development business for over 20 years.

“I actually think there are far more opportunities these days overall. If we were only talking about PSN, XBLA and Steam I’d tend to agree, but with the whole mobile and browser side thrown in, it’s bigger and better than the late ’80s.” Team 17 Managing Director Debbie Bestwick told The Guardian when asked if there are comparisons between today’s digital market and the bedroom coding days of the late 1980’s.

And Bestwick believes the rise of mobile gaming, on the iPhone in particular, means it’s actually easier for prospective game developers – such as Train2Game students – to enter the market.

“Digital distribution has removed manufacturing and physical distribution costs; hence the entry point is so much lower these days than back then” she said.

“If anything, the App Store reminds me more of the whole shareware scene in the ’80s, just shaken up and organised, and it is a great place to be.”

And in more good news for Train2Game students, the Team 17 Managing Director is optimistic about the future of the British game industry, “because right now we’ve got more platforms, bigger audiences, more direct to consumer sales channels and lower entry costs than ever before for all indie developers.”

“Our traditional market has changed forever with the introduction of smartphones, social gaming and digital store fronts” added Bestwick.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Bestwick’s comments? Do you believe it’s the best time there’s been to be an indie developer? Is self-publishing a model you can see yourself following?

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

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game news: Volition Design Director on how game designers can stand out

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Train2Game Game Designers, this is a must read blog post for you, as it contains some excellent advice on how to stand out as you try to break into the game industry.

The tips come from Volition Design Director Jameson Durall in an #altdevblogaday post titled ‘How Can Entry Level Game Designers Stand Out?’

If the name seems familiar to Train2Game blog readers, it might be because he spoke to us earlier this year about Red Faction: Armageddon, game design and getting into the industry.

Writing about what he likes to see when hiring a game designer, and as he previously told the Train2Game blog, being able to use editing tools is essential.

“While someone focusing on Game Design may not have a background in programming…scripting gameplay in an Editor like UDK or Unity is a must in my opinion.”

Of Course, Train2Game students have the opportunity to create games using UDK at the Train2Game & Epic Game Jam next month.

The Volition Design Director states that experience with UDK or another engine provides evidence of not only creating ideas, but also being able to create the actual product itself.

“I want to see that they have the ability to get in and do meaningful work to create content instead of just planning gameplay and expecting others to develop it.  Show me examples of gameplay situations that you designed and created and be ready to talk about why they are fun.”

Durall added that doing this is also a great way for aspiring game designers to practice their skills.

“This skill set also helps them prototype ideas early in development and create crude gameplay spaces to help get their gameplay ideas across.” he said.

The post makes excellent reading for Train2Game Game Design students, and contains plenty of helpful information on what a top game designer wants when looking to hire someone in an entry level position.

You can read Jameson Durall’s full post ‘How can entry level game designers stand out?’ on #altdevblogaday.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the Train2Game blog has reported on a game designer suggesting that using a development kit is a great way to get into the industry.

Valve’s Chet Faliszek told the Train2Game blog that modding is a great way to get noticed in the games industry, while in an interview at Gamescom, id Software Creative Director Tim Willits also told the Train2Game blog that modding is a “great way to get into the industry”

What are your thoughts on Durall’s advice on how to get an entry level game design role? Is it something you do already? Do you believe the upcoming Train2Game Game Jam could help this?

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

[Source: Altdevblogaday]

Train2Game news: UK Charts – Forza 4 powers past FIFA 12 for pole position

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After a record breaking debut week, as reported by the Train2Game blog, and a very successful second week on sale, FIFA 12 has narrowly lost its place at the top of the table and slips to No.2

It’s replaced by brand new racer Forza Motorsport 4, with the Xbox 360 exclusive pipping FIFA 12 to No.1 by just 700 sales. Forza claims the title of biggest launch week ever for an Xbox 360 racing game, and is one of seven new entries in this week’s top 20.

Just Dance 3 is the second highest new entry, with the Nintendo Wii version of the latest in the popular dance series making up over 90% of sales. Id Software’s Rage drops two places to No.4, with FIFA’s main rival PES 2012 reaching no.5 in its first week.

Former No.1 Gears of War 3 drops to No.6, while Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls slips from No.3 to No.7 in its second week on sale. Long time chart topper Zumba Fitness continues to feature in the top ten, despite slipping to No.8

F1 2011 drops four places to No.9, while new entry Jonah Lomu Challenge from Alternative Software completes the top ten in its debut week.

New entries outside the top ten are Ace Combat : Assault Horizon from Namco Bandai at No.12, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record from Capcom at No.14, and Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure published by Activision at No.16.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 15th October 2011 is therefore as follows:

1. Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft)
2. FIFA 12 (EA)
3. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
4. Rage (Bethesda)
5. PES 2012 (Konami)
6. Gears of War 3 (Microsoft)
7. Dark Souls (Namco Bandai)
8. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
9. F1 2011 (Codemasters)
10. Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge (Alternative Software)

The upcoming week is a big one for new releases, with Batman: Arkham City and Football Manager 2012 both hitting the shelves.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the new look top ten? Is it a well deserved No.1 and No.3 for Forza Motorsport 4 and Just Dance 3? And is it inevitable that Batman: Arkham City will soar to the top next week?

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

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track]

Train2Game students can go to BAFTA’s Game Writers Panel for free

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Train2Game blog readers may have seen a post earlier this week about a special BAFTA game writers panel at the end of this month.

The event is £5 for members of the public, but Train2Game students can book their place on 26th October FOR FREE here.

The BAFTA event is free to attend for anyone studying or working in games and could provide Train2Game students with a great chance to meet people in the industry or at least hear their thoughts on game design during the Q&A.

The game writers panel will feature game designers, Jim Swallow Ed Stern, and Rhianna Pratchett as they discuss whether  “Putting protagonists in the hands of a player kills traditional narrative concepts,” and much more.

For more information, see the original Train2Game blog post, or the official BAFTA website.

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

Train2Game student advice from Trion Worlds on QA reports: write for an alien

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Train2Game Games QA Testing students should find this blog interesting, as it features some interesting advice from a Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester on how to write a great QA Report.

Trion Worlds are the developer behind MMO Rift and the upcoming strategy title End of Nations.

And in a soon to be published interview with the Train2Game blog, Karl Tars, Senior QA Tester at the Austin Studio has some great advice for Train2Game QA Testers about producing bug reports.

“Imagine you have an alien, they understand the language in some respects, but they don’t necessarily know a lot of the noun, they wouldn’t know what a fork this, they wouldn’t know what a knife is.”

“Now try and tell them how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when they don’t know what any of those things are.” Tars told the Train2Game blog.

The Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester argued that a well written, easy to follow bug report written by a QA Tester means that the developers can easily fix any issue that’s been found.

“You have to describe them being very descriptive and giving a good guide of exact steps and also including things like ‘it doesn’t work if you do this,” he said.

“So when the developer gets it they can just immediately go click, click, click, straight through your steps and ‘Oh there’s the issue, I can see it now, and now that I can see it on my machine I can fix it really easily.” Tars added.

The full interview with Trion Worlds Senior QA Tester Karl Tars, featuring an extensive insight into QA Testing and a look at upcoming title End of Nations, will be published on the Train2Game blog in the near future.

In the meantime, feel free to check out this post from earlier this week in which Valve discuss the importance of playtesting to game development.

Full details on the Train2Game Game QA Tester course are available here on the official Train2Game website.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Tars advice for writing bug reports? Will you take it on board?

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

Train2Game news: Team Fortress 2 community makes $2m from created items

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Train2Game blog readers will have previously read that since the introduction item store to Team Fortress 2, community item creators have been earning money for their work.

Now a year on since the Mann. Co store was introduced, Valve has revealed that community item creators have collectively earned over $2 million from selling the items in the virtual store.

They’ve also introduced an update called ‘Steam Workshop’ that’ll make it easier for community item creators to test, share and get feedback on their weapons, hats and items.

“The ‘Mann Co. Store’ represents an important new direction for games and game makers,” said Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell.

“By leveraging and extending the platform features of Steam, Team Fortress 2 has enabled a viable marketplace for independent content creators and significantly extended the gameplay experience in an incredibly short amount of time.”

Of course, this being Team Fortress 2, the Manniversary Update also sees the introduction of plenty of new hats. Train2Game students can find out about the modelling process behind Team Fortress 2 hats here on the Train2Game blog.

Team Fortress 2’s community tools could potentially allow Train2Game students to submit items to the game, make money and earn a reputation from their creation.

Valve have a reputation of being supportive of their community, and activity encourage modding using the Source SDK.

And in an interview with the Train2Game blog last month, Valve’s Chet Faliszek told us that modding is a really good way to get into the games industry.

“It’s a really good way for someone to get noticed because it shows that you’re able” he said.

“Normally modders have to work as a team and that’s important, and they also have to be able to finish something and that’s really important. So those two things together are a really good way to demonstrate that you’re ready to work in the industry.”

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Mann Co. Store? Is it a good way for game developers to get noticed?

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

[Source: Gamasutra]

Train2Game news: EA Sports – RPG elements have a place in sports games

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Train2Game students may have noticed RPG elements appearing in shooters, in recent years, with id Software’s RAGE being a very recent example. (See the Train2Game blog interview with RAGE Creative Director  Tim Willits here)

And while traditional RPG’s used to be a niche market, elements of the genre are appearing all over the place. EA Sports Vice-President Andrew Wilson believes that RPG elements could even invade sport simulation titles such as FIFA.

“I think it’s a part of it, certainly.” he said when asked by The Guardian if RPG is the future of sports games.

“I think the future of the sports sim is the fact that you can choose how you want to play it. That we allow you to play on any platform, at any time, at any price, anyway you want”.

Wilson emphasised the importance of choice when playing games.

“Some players are all about the manager mode. Some players want the online head-to-head. The future for us lies in not compartmentalising any of the experiences, but to build a world where players can add value to their gaming experiences however they like.”

Of course, as reported by the Train2Game blog, even without RPG elements, the latest instalment of the FIFA franchise has been incredibly successful and currently sits at the top of the charts.

But Wilson believes that the market is still very much open, with consumers much more willing to play a variety of games than they used to.

“There was a time where gamers either played sports games or they played RPGs.” said the EA Sports Vice-President.

“Now there’s a lot more crossover in the industry; there are plenty of FiFA players who are playing games such as Dragon Age as well.”

We’ve been listening to the feedback from our audience and they say they want more compelling experiences in their sports games.” Wilson added.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Wilson’s comments? Are RPG elements beginning to feature in more games? Do they need to be in sports titles?

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

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game students can question Uncharted 3 devs this weekend

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Train2Game students have the chance to question Uncharted 3 developers Naughty Dog and get their hands on the game at an exclusive event in London this Saturday.

The Naughty Dog team behind the Uncharted series will be hosting a developer session featuring a live walkthrough of the Desert Village section of the game.

It’s likely to give any Train2Game students who attend a great insight into the development of Uncharted 3 and what goes on behind the scenes at Naughty Dog.

Attendees will also get the chance to sample Uncharted 3’s single player campaign for the first time ever in the UK.

The Uncharted 3 developer session, a FREE event hosted by PlayStation Access, takes place this Saturday 15th October from 15:00-18:00 at The Union, 50 Greek Street, London, W1D 4EQ.

The venue will  apparently be transformed into the Pelican Inn in the upcoming Uncharted 3. There’s no need to register in advanced.

For more details about the Uncharted 3 developer session, Train2Game students should see the Facebook event page.

Earlier this month, the Train2Game reported that Uncharted 3’s lead designer said they made a lot of the game up as they went along!

Train2Game students can also check out this post that looks behind the scenes at Naughty Dog. Perhaps it’ll inspire someone to ask the Naughty Dog team a great question!

Uncharted 3 is released for PlayStation 3 next month.

So Train2Game, will you attend the Uncharted 3 developer session? What would you ask? And are you looking forward to the game?

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