Train2Game news: Gabe Newell – Apple will make consoles ‘disappear’

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Train2Game students will be well aware of the impact Apple has had on the games industry, but they won’t stop with mobiles, they’ll make a move for the home console market too.

That’s according to Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, who made the comments to The Seattle Times.

“I suspect Apple will launch a living-room product that redefines people’s expectations really strongly and the notion of a separate console platform will disappear,” he said.

Newell’s comments echo those of owner of cloud gaming service Gaikai Dave Perry, who as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, believes the main threat to traditional consoles is actually Apple.

Newell however was critical of Apple, and other gaming platforms, accusing them of being too closed and stifling innovation.

I’m worried that the things that traditionally have been the source of a lot of innovation are going,” he said.

“There’s going to be an attempt to close those off so somebody will say, ‘I’m tired of competing with Google, I’m tired of competing with Facebook, I’ll apply a console model and exclude the competitors I don’t like from my world.’

“I consider Apple to be very closed,” Newell added

“Let’s say you have a book business and you are charging 5 to 7 percent gross margins. You can’t exist in an Apple world because they want 30 percent and they don’t care that you only have 7 percent to play with.” he said.

Valve are currently working on CS:GO, and you can find out more about its development in an interview with writer Chet Faliszek here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, is Apple a threat to consoles? And what do you make of Newell’s comments about closed systems?

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

[Source: Seattle Times via Industry Gamers]

Train2Game news: League of Legends Game Director on Game Design – don’t be ‘too awesome’

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Train2Game Game Designers should definitely be interested in this; League of Legends design director Tom Cadwell has been discussing the common pitfalls of game design.

“Even though we know how to do good design, we still make mistakes a lot, you can set up processes that facilitate good decisions,” he said at his GDC Online talk in Texas.

“Once you know what the right behaviours are, it’s very possible to coach your peers or subordinates. Some of these pitfalls are human flaws, and it is possible that some people don’t manage those flaws well enough even though they’re great designers.”

Cadwell discussed something Train2Game Game Designers may be particularly interested, that is the concept that an idea is ‘too awesome’ to cut from a game and how this can damage development.

“We probably shouldn’t do it, but man, it’s too awesome,” is a dangerous thought said the League of Legends Game Director.

“Now you have a problem because you’re bending over backwards to do this thing that doesn’t fit.”

But he said that even if they know the feature doesn’t work, game designers won’t want to say so in order to avoid being ‘that guy’

“Now you’re all excited… And you don’t want to be the guy who’s being a buzzkill” said Cadwell

In order to prevent this from happening, he suggests “decisions are reviewed by peers or supervisors who are not interested parties, who weren’t at the kick-off.”

Cadwell added that if something costs a lot to do, is it really worth it?

“Structure process to assess cost to risk — it takes six times the engineering resources. Is it worth it?” he added.

The talk provides interesting reading for Train2Game Game Designers, with excerpts available on Gamasutra.

Reports of GDC Online have provided Train2Game students of all disciplines with a lot of fascinating information. Just yesterday the Train2Game blog revealed what Valve had to say about the importance of testing games.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Cadwell’s comments? Do you agree that things can be ‘too awesome’ to go in a game? Have you experienced it when producing games?

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

[Source: Gamasutra]

Train2Game news: Valve on playtesting

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Train2Game students, especially the QA Testers, will be aware of the importance of testing games in development.

In an interview with the Train2Game blog last month, Valve’s Chet Faliszek revealed that testingto be an important part Counter-Strike: Global Offensive development. Now other leading Valve developers have given further insight into how testing works at the studio.

Gamasutra report that speaking at GDC Online in Texas, Valve writer Erik Wolpaw said they take it very seriously. They start testing internally during game’s early development before bringing in testers from outside the studio.

“We definitely do playtest. We’ll ask people after they play to recount the story to us and gauge their comprehension of their experience…” he said.

Of course, Valve fans among the Train2Game community will know the developer like to put humour in their games. However, Wolpaw added that testing this aspect of game design can be difficult.

“Comedy stuff is tougher [to evaluate] because it’s more subjective and it’s really hard to gauge peoples’ reaction,” he said.

“Pretty much no one that played Portal 2 cracked a smile, but testers still said the game was funny. It’s hard to tell if a joke is failing or not.” Walpaw added.

Nonetheless, the testing process is useful to Valve and they’re happy to make changes if something isn’t working.

“We fail all the time, we just don’t advertise it too much,” said studio writer Marc Laidlaw.

Excerpts of the GDC Online Valve Q&A session can be found on Gamasutra and it should make interesting reading for Train2Game students, especially those on the Game Design course.

Of course, Valve aren’t the only game developers who value playtesting, with the Train2Game blog recently reporting that Bioware see it as a key part of developing Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Flower and Journey developers Thatgamecompany have also stated that testing is a crucial part of the game design process.

Find out more about the Train2Game QA Tester course here!

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the testing process at Valve? How important is it to get both an internal and external opinion on games in development?

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

[Source: Gamasutra]

Train2Game news: BAFTA Game Writers Panel 26th October (Updated)

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Train2Game Game Designers in the London area won’t want to miss out on the BAFTA Games Writers Panel later this month.

A panel of game writers will discuss ‘Players vs Characters’ and the idea that “Putting protagonists in the hands of a player kills traditional narrative concepts”

Speaking on The BAFTA Game Writers Panel are:

Jim Swallow (Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Killzone 2, Star Trek: Invasion)
Ed Stern (Brink)
Rhianna Pratchett (Mirror’s Edge, the Overlord series, Heavenly Sword)

The panel will be chaired by Andrew S Walsh who has experience as a writer and director on over 50 games including Prince of Persia, Harry Potter, and Medieval II: Total War.

They’ll also examine how ‘killers, combatants and characters doomed to die a thousand times can still play the hero’.  In addition to this they’ll discuss what games can take from television and films to make characters more engaging.

The event will take place at BAFTA in Central London at 7:00p.m. Wednesday 26th October. Interested Train2Game students can purchase a ticket for £5.

UPDATED: Train2Game students can attend the BAFTA Game Writers Panel for free, find out how here.

For more information, see the event page on the official BAFTA website.

The Train2Game blog published excerpts of an interview with Brink Writer Ed Stern earlier this year.

So Train2Game, will you attend the event? And what are your thoughts on the idea that putting protagonists in the hands of a player kills traditional narrative concepts

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

[Source: BAFTA] 

Train2Game news: The making of a Team Fortress 2 hat

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Train2Game Art & Animation students should find this interesting; a post on the Team Fortress 2 blog reveals the step by step process of building a hat.

For those unfamiliar with Team Fortress 2, players can customise their characters with hats and other accessories. And as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, many community created hats have made it into Team Fortress 2, with the creators earning money from the sales!

But anyway, The Making of a Skull Hat details the creation process from just a concept, to modelling, to adding a polygon mesh and texturing. It makes an interesting read for Train2Game Art & Animation students.

Valve are extremely open to community contributions in Team Fortress 2, and have keenly supported modders over the years, with many joining the development studio.

Indeed, speaking to 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 do you think about the process behind making a Team Fortress 2 hat? Would you consider making a submission?

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

[Source: Team Fortress 2 blog]

Train2Game news: Zynga building own social games site

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Train2Game students will no doubt be aware that Zynga’s games are heavily tied to Facebook, with the Train2Game blog previously reporting that at its peak Cityville had over 100 million users.

Allies & Empires also reached over 50 million users within weeks of launching, thanks to the Facebook platform.

Now however, Zynga wants to reduce their reliance on the social network, after the introduction of Facebook Credits saw a 95% drop in profits during the last financial quarter, and will start delivering games directly to consumers online or on mobile phones.

The social game developer has therefore revealed ‘Project Z,’ on Zynga.com, a gaming hub that’ll allow players to connect to games such as Farmville through their own portal rather than Facebook.

Games can be played across Project Z and Facebook as players will be allowed to use the same username and will feature familiar social features.

“Project Z is a Facebook connect platform that leverages your Facebook friends to play in an environment tailored with just your friends,” said Zynga COO John Schappert said at the Zynga Unleashed event in San Francisco.

“We learn a lot more about our players, not just from stats but from talking to them, and this is what they wanted.”

“It’s a platform for a direct relationship with consumers, whether on the web or on mobile, to give you a whole sandbox and create socialness about the games and not just within the games,” Zynga chief executive Mark Pincus added.

The news comes the day after Facebook launched its iPad App, and as reported by the Train2Game blog, it means Facebook games can now be played on mobile devices.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Zynga’s move? What does it say about Facebook gaming? And what is the future of social media games?

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

[Source:  WSJ]

Train2Game students chance to join Crusader Kings II closed beta

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Train2Game students have an opportunity to be involved with the closed beta for Paradox Interactive’s upcoming Medieval strategy RPG Crusader Kings II.

The development team behind Crusader Kings II are the creative force behind Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron and Victoria.

Do you believe you have what it takes to be a Crusader King? Interested Train2Game students can apply to be a part of the Crusader Kings II closed beta here on the Paradox website.

Applications are open through to 17th October, with those chosen for the closed beta receiving confirmation the following week.

Beta testing is an excellent way for Train2Game students, especially those on the Games QA Tester course to practice their bug hunting skills.

SomeTrain2Game students were involved in last week’s Battlefield 3 beta, with developer DICE stating the open test was aiding with game development.

However, while many understood that one of the purposes of a beta is to find bugs, some players were unhappy about finding them. As reported by the Train2Game blog, DICE’s Patrick Liu said that these players had his understood the meaning of beta testing.

So Train2Game, will you attempt to take the opportunity to beta test Crusader Kings II? How often do you get involved with these events?

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

Train2Game news: Facebook iPad App launches, a reminder of social media gaming’s impact

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Train2Game students will be aware that the iPad has opened doors for game developers, and now it’ll be even easier to use the Apple device for gaming.

Now, the official Facebook iPad app has finally launched which will being tighter integration of social media games and applications.

The app allows Facebook games to be played in a full screen mode, and allows access to various games available to Facebook users on laptop and desktop computers.

The growth of social media gaming means that there’s a whole new platform for game developers to publish games on.

Indeed, as reported by the Train2Game blog, Civilization creator Sid Meier believes this means it’s a great time for the industry.

“I think now is one of the most exciting times to be a Game Designer” he said earlier this year.

“With the rapid growth of social network games there are new opportunities for smaller indie developers to make and distribute games, so we’re seeing a wider variety of games on all kinds of cool devices than ever before. That’s great for the whole industry.”

Meanwhile, Zynga Game Designer Brian Reynolds – who previously worked on Civilization II means the growth of social gaming is a good thing for game designers

“A Game Designer is actually more important on a social game than on a triple-A game because on a triple-A game you spend a lot of time making technology and tools and gigabytes worth of animations and things like that.” said Reynolds earlier this year.

“I can remember whole months going by where they didn’t need me to do any game design whereas on social games it’s a game designer’s paradise.”

The official Facebook iPad app is therefore surely a good thing for aspiring game developers as it makes playing social media games more accessible to more people.

Of course, the new Facebook app means that iPad users can also stay in touch with the Official Train2Game Facebook page even when they’re out!

What are your thoughts on the Facebook App for iPad and the growth of social media gaming?

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

Train2Game news: Blitz open registration for student open days

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Train2Game students could get the opportunity to attend Blitz Game Studios open days next year.

The studio has set the dates and opened registration for the open days at their Leamington Spa HQ which are “intended for anyone who wants to work in game development” and will take place on March 2nd, 23rd and 30th 2012.

Train2Game students interested in attending a Blitz Open Day will have to apply via the official website and follow a series of instructions.

Anyone interested in attending will also have to submit an example of their work, following the relevant briefs depending on whether they’re a game designer, game developer or game artist & animator.

The closing date for submitting applications in 9th January 2012, so there’s some time yet.

“Not only are we offering students from many different disciplines the chance to visit a successful games studio and talk to real game developers about what they do and how they do it,” said Blitz senior events and education coordinator Kim Blake.

“It’s also a great way to publicise the fantastic work produced by the creative industries in the UK and the importance of next gen skills to the UK economy.”

For more information about what the Blitz Open Days involve, see the official website.

Good luck to any Train2Game students who attempt to win a place at the event!

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

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game news: Modern Warfare 3 design tweaks – ‘most accessible’ Call of Duty

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Call of Duty has a strong following amongst Train2Game students, many of whom will be keen to hear how Sledgehammer – one of three studios behind Modern Warfare 3 – believe their game design tweaks make the latest offering most accessible title in the series yet.

“One of the things we did consciously was to use the levels in multiplayer and put them in Survival mode,” Sledgehammer Games general manager Glen Schofield told CVG.

“That was to try and create this bridge so that people who do play single player, who are maybe a little intimidated by multiplayer, will sit down with a buddy and play co-op and go ‘wow, that’s cool. I’m really getting to know this level. I get the upgrade system now, I get it all.’ And then they could jump into multiplayer.”

Schofield was asked if this meant Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was easier to get stuck into than previous games in the series.

“Absolutely. Then if you think about adding Call of Duty Elite to it, if you want to jump into multiplayer after you learn Spec-Ops and just use your friends list to play, then you’re given a higher level of comfort.” he replied.

“It’s one of the things we’ve been hearing: ‘I don’t want to jump into a game with a bunch of teenagers and get trash talked all the time. I want to actually have fun and get in there.’ And a lot of people like that type of gameplay, but we’re trying to make it so you can customise it for yourself.” the Sledgehammer general manager concluded.

Customisation appears to be a key theme of Modern Warfare 3, with the Train2Game blog previously reporting that game modes produced by Call of Duty Elite subscribers could be made available to all players.

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

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sledgehammer’s tweaks to multiplayer game design? Will it help make Call of Duty: Modern Warfare more accessible? Do you welcome it?

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

[Source: CVG]