Developers, players, the ever closing gap between them… and hats.

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In the old days, the world of video games was an ever so simple place. The Games Developers, Games Designers and Games Artists made the games whilst we, the consumers bought and played them. The growing influence of the Internet in the 1990’s started to change this traditional pattern, and creating mods of existing games became popular among PC gamers. For example Counter-Strike is one of the most popular shooters in the history of online gaming, yet it started life as a modification for Half-Life. It went on to spawn numerous other incarnations including Counter Strike: Source and has sold very successfully since its release in 2004.

So, we’ve established that it’s possible for modders to use existing engines to produce extremely successful games. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or indeed the know how needed to build games (Naturally, a Train2Game course can help you work around these barriers.) However, now in 2010, it’s never been easier for a budding Games Designer, Games Developer or Games Artist to get involved with the production of a big name title, and Team Fortress 2 is the best example of this.

“Why is that?” I hear you ask. Well, the guys at Valve are extremely keen for the Team Fortress 2 community to get involved with the ongoing development of the game – for those unfamiliar with TF2 it has received free rolling updates since its release at the end of 2007. Hats for the in-game characters were introduced in 2009, and in March this year, Valve asked players to contribute their own ideas for in-game items. They received a massive response and shortly afterwards several budding designers were rewarded by seeing their work (re: mostly designs for hats) become part of official Team Fortress 2 universe. A second round of community updates has been applied today too!

So now you might be saying “Hats are silly, why do people care so much about them?” Well they don’t want them to give them an in game advantage that’s for sure; the hats are purely there for aesthetic reasons. But these comic creations allow players to add an aspect of individuality to themselves in-game and as a result are highly desired. The community I play with probably talk about hats as much as they do about the actual game they’re playing in!

With these hats being regarded so highly, the lucky few people who’ve had their designs adopted officially by Valve for Team Fortress 2 will have been seen – and perhaps fetchingly sported – by millions of players.

One TF2 fan called Mister Royzo has gone so far as to release his own (for now) unofficial update containing new skins for a number of the current in-game hats and weapons.  So as of yet, these aren’t hats in their own right but just replace others. BUT apparently Valve have taken a liking to what they’ve seen, so is it possible we could soon end up with the first fan-made official Team Fortress 2 update? Possibly…after all with Valve (hopefully!) soon to be releasing the long awaited Engineer update, all of the games nine classes will have been covered so perhaps fans will be invited to submit their own suggestions for entire updates.

If this does indeed happen, the gap between developers and players will be even further reduced and there arguably will have never been a better time anyone, including T2G students, to get their first big break in the industry.

A PSN ‘Gold Service’ could benefit indie developers (like Train2Game students…)

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With the E3 expo just around the corner, it’s now that time of year when games industry rumours are appearing thick and fast. We’ve already heard that GTA V might be making an appearance, but E3 isn’t just an event for developers to show off their shiny new games…they also use it to reveal a variety of other games related innovations.  The Project Natal and PlayStation Move control systems are probably going to be the headliners in this department, but there are reports that an announcement about a Premium Service for the PlayStation Network will prominent on the undercard.

Now, usually rumours about this sort of thing can be labelled under the banner of ‘wild speculation’ However, this information has originated from the well-respected VG247, and as a result has been taken very seriously by the video games press. So, what’s actually going on with this story?

Well, VG247 claim that a ‘highly placed source’ says Sony is set to unveil a premium subscription gold service for the PlayStation network that will cost “less than £50 per year”.

Cynics may suggest that Sony are merely attempting to imitate the success of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service, while some PlayStation gamers will no doubt have concerns that they’ll have to play for the privilege of playing their favourite games online.  Well, it seems that PS3 users have nothing to fear in that department as the report says

“Nothing planned will impact the service’s current free aspects.”

Or to put it bluntly, you’ll still be able to play, say Modern Warfare 2, online without having to pay extra. (Unless you’re happy to give Activision money for extra DLC maps anyway)

Of course, details of what this proposed Premium Service would involve are sketchy at the moment, but it’s likely Sony has something up their sleeves.

What we do know is that according to VG247, the PSN Gold subscribers would get one free PSN game a month from a choice of “two to four” every month. Their source adds:

“If you work it out, PSN games cost an average of £6-9 each, so over a year you’re basically going to be breaking even,”

For those unfamiliar with PSN games, they’re games that are bought and downloaded from the online PlayStation Store for both the PS3 and PSP consoles.  These games started out as mainly re-releases of classics from the original PlayStation, but now there are more and more independent games available from the online store. Independent games available include the highly successful Flower which has won varies titles including Best Independent Game at the 2009 Video Game Awards.

Now, with the prospect of Sony offering a ‘set menu’ of PSN games for Gold subscribers, it’s entirely possible that some of these will be independent games. So, with these games being available for ‘free’ as part of the subscription fee, we could see PlayStation users take chances on buying independent games rather than just going for something they already played and finished ten years ago.

Essentially, it’s unlikely there has been a better time for a Train2Game student to try and get into the industry. Digital downloads are getting more and more popular and with innovations like Steam, Indie Bundles and the possibility of independent games being heavily pushed on the PlayStation Network, it means there are plenty of places available for Games designers, developers and artists to demonstrate and distribute their work.

Of course, we’ll need to wait until E3 to see what Sony actually reveal, but if free independent games are part of any package then excellent news. If they aren’t then fine, it’s not a massive problem because plenty of independent games sell well on the PlayStation store. Whatever happens, the future seems very bright for the games industry and who knows, maybe in the future a Train2Game graduate will make a huge announcement at the biggest games expo of them all.

Nintendo 3DS to have ‘enhanced anti-piracy measures’

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So, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has confirmed that the new 3D visuals of the upcoming 3DS handheld console will in fact be able to be turned off if the owner so desires. Apparently, the reasoning behind this is due to concerns the 3DS could have on people’s eyesight! Now, as someone who already has terrible eye’s this is somewhat of a relief, as is the fact the 3DS won’t actually require the user to wear special 3D glasses. Spectacle wearers are kind of shunned by 3D films and television aren’t they? As if the lives of the visually challenged aren’t hard enough with THAT crushing disappointment too.

But being able to easily turn off 3D wasn’t the only thing that was revealed by Mr Iwata, oh no… there’s more! He also revealed that the new machine will include enhanced anti-piracy measures, in order to combat the harmful effect illegal copies can have on software sales.  Now, I’m sure games developers, designers and artists worldwide are more interested in this little announcement than the being able to turn the 3D off thing.

Games piracy is more common than you’d think with millions of people illegally downloading games that the majority of us are more than happy to pay for. Unfortunately it costs the games industry billions a year. As a Train2Game student you wouldn’t want to work hard but then miss out on reaping the rewards of all your efforts now, would you? You’ll also need to make sure you copyright your work for a little bit of extra protection. Of course you may be more than happy to give away some of your games for free but only as a legal download in order to help you gain a foothold in the industry.

We don’t yet actually know what Nintendo will be doing to improve the anti-piracy capabilities of the 3DS and to be honest, nobody outside the company may ever find out. Mr Iwata didn’t explain any specifics, saying that by doing so he’d give “hints” to pirates…which is fair enough I suppose!

There’s no specific release date for the 3DS yet, but we can probably expect more to be revealed at next month’s E3 expo.

Will the future come in small episodic chunks?

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In a world where we’re seeing digital distribution becoming an increasingly popular way to buy video games, some developers are already altering the way they produce titles.  But firstly, what is an episodic game? Well, it’s a video game produced and sold in small units that build into a recognizable series as opposed to a single massive game. Basically a game could be released over five instalments with each one of these costing say between £5 and £10. Eventually, and when the gamer buys the episodes, they’ll end up with the full game.

Ok, so some of you are probably now saying ‘What’s the point of that? I want to play full games, not just little instalments of them!” And yes that’s a very valid point, after all Modern Warfare 2 wouldn’t have been as successful if it was released with an unfinished campaign mode right? But, episodic content does offer advantages! For a start it provides people with cheap games….you’re more likely to buy a game for under a tenner on impulse than a £40 one, yeah? It also makes things easier for developers and designers, providing them with deadlines in small manageable chunks! Though someone try telling that to Valve…can we have Half Life 2: Episode 3 yet please?

There have been a number of successful – mainly digitally downloadable – episodic games in recent years with Tales of Monkey Island featuring prominently among them. We also five episodes of an episodic Sam & Max title scheduled for release this year from Telltale Games who are well known for producing quality titles that come in little monthly chunks.

Now Telltale have revealed a new scheme which could both further develop the concept of episodic gaming via digital download and benefit Train2Game students aspiring to get their first big break in the industry. The developers will soon be using their skills to create pilots which if sell successfully could be made into full games.

Telltale’s CEO, Dan Connors says this concept is ““excellent way to expand the boundaries of interactive entertainment and gaming by bringing audiences unique and interesting content they might not see otherwise.”

Ok so you Train2Game students may not work for a developer yet, but the concept of episodic gaming could very well provide you with your first role in the industry.  Of course, you’re bound to be a very busy person but if you could produce say a pilot that was a few hours long then get it out there on the internet…and someone likes it, it could very well be the catalyst you need to start your career. There’s never been an easier time to get something out there, especially through the use of digital distribution.

And the use of digital distribution is bound to only get bigger, especially with a certain free and episodic Doctor Who adventure game on the horizon. Yes, it’s going to be free but it could also be the most popular episodic game to date!

So, what do you think? Is episodic gaming the way forward?

Starcraft II release date revealed.

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Activision Blizzard have confirmed that their long delayed RTS Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty will finally be released on July 27th. The game will be released both as a digital download and on the stores of your local games retailer.

The first full sequel to the original Starcraft has been a long time coming; after all it was released 12 years ago. That’s during the last millennium for crying out loud! That was back in the day before Blizzard became a part of Activision too so, you know, ages ago.

Starcraft II was originally scheduled to be released last year but a statement was released in August saying it would arrive in the “First half of 2010” Well…I suppose July isn’t that far into the second half of the year. So, why such a long delay?

Well, the simple answer is that it takes a long time to properly develop a game to perfection, something that all Train2Game students I’m sure know already! None of you would want to release an unfinished, buggy game on the world now would you? No, you’re all of course aware that games development takes a long, long time.

At least the delay meant that Activision Blizzard, along with some lucky gamers, had plenty of time to test Starcraft II in a closed Beta, allowing them to refine many aspects of the game. There have been plenty of Starcraft II previews which have generally been positive so all this extra testing due to the delay can only have made it better right? Blizzard have also upgraded their Battle.net online gaming service to include new features such as voice chat, cloud file storage and stat-tracking.

So, the wait that spanned over two millennia is now almost over. Do you think it’s going to be worth it?

Are indie developers leading the way when it comes to combating piracy?

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Gaming is an expensive pastime and almost always has been.  One of the first commercially available 3D release was Virtua Racing, which may have looked awful by today’s standards but in 1994 it was the height of technology and cost almost £50. Nowadays, if you look in the right places, you can pick up new releases for around £35, although some games will still get you back over £50 – Call of Duty: Black Ops has apparently got an RRP of £54.99.

Of course, there are those among us who don’t pay for games… the pirates but not ones with eye patches and swords, oh no, but the people who download brand new games illegally without paying for them. Ideas like DRM or even the Digital Economy Bill are being implemented in an attempt to crackdown on piracy but will it ever be stopped once and for all? Unlikely. A worrying prospect for Train2Game students who no doubt would much rather receive royalties for their games rather than have them downloaded illegally and receive nothing!

Now, legendary developer Charles Cecil – who’s currently working on free Doctor Who adventure games for the BBC – says piracy is “nature’s way of turning around and saying games are too expensive and the way that they are distributed is not ideal.” He suggests that an iTunes style of digital distribution could work in the future for games developers and go someway to preventing illegal downloads. Steam has gone some way towards this, but Cecil is correct about the simplicity of iTunes.

Meanwhile, Indie developers Wolfire, are currently allowing you to buy five games, including the highly acclaimed World of Goo for…get this, any price you want to pay! If you really wanted, you could give humble 1p, you could give them a grand if you so desired. The current average contribution people are handing over at the time of writing is $7.90 or about £5.20 in the Queen’s Stirling. Sure it may not be that much but the game’s are being distributed to a wide audience and the developer’s are at least getting some cash for all their hard work.

Sure, you probably won’t get major multinational developers like Activision or Square-Enix giving away the next Modern Warfare or Final Fantasy for whatever price you’re willing to pay, but this system could provide dividends for the indie developers of the future, today’s current Train2Game students. There will still be people who will pay as little as possible for their games for sure, but on the other hand there will always be more generous people who’ll hand over larger amounts for the products.

With digital distribution becoming more and more popular there’s now more scope than ever for an independent developer to get their work out there and have it played by thousands, or hundreds of thousands or maybe even millions of people! So not only could creating a highly popular indie game provide you with enough money to pay the rent, it’ll also look excellent in any developer’s portfolio.

So go on my fellow gamers, support indie developers! Not only can you help stop the pirates, but you’ll also get a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside when you do.

World Cup fever: Good for EA

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The FIFA World Cup is now just 37 days away and football fans are no doubt gearing up for one of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet. Supporters in the UK –  or at least in England, the only home nation to feature in the tournament – appear to be feeling the buzz already if the latest game charts are anything to go by, with 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa storming to the top of the UK charts in it’s first week. It’s an impressive feat in itself but perhaps even more so when you consider that it’s beaten off competition from Super Street Fighter IV which is certainly no pushover.

It’s the third time this year EA have topped the all format charts this year having already done so with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Mass Effect 2. Naturally successful sequels are big success stories, and can often be bigger than the originals, which isn’t only good news for companies such as EA, but also any of you on the Train2Game courses. Successful games generally mean big sequels with bigger budgets and therefore potentially new opportunities to ply your trade in the industry. Good ay?

EA say they’ve made hundred’s of improvements with FIFA World Cup looking better than FIFA 10 and apparently plays better too. It certainly sends a message to long time EA rivals Konami, who announced PES 2011 today. Imagine what EA can do with the time they still have available to produce FIFA 2011. You have to wonder how much more realistic both gameplay and graphics can get…the sky might very well be the limit for anyone looking at breaking into the games industry right about now. Things have come a long way in the next five years, and who knows what the next five will hold?

Well, no doubt there will be another FIFA World Cup game that could top the charts…roll on Brazil 2014!

Welcome to Steam Mac users!

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So, the date that Valve’s digital distribution service Steam will be released on Mac’s has finally been revealed. On May 12th, Apple users will finally be able to join PC gamer’s in spending countless hours not only playing classics such as Half Life 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2, but a wide variety of independent titles as well. (Perhaps one day Train2Game students will see their work released through Steam!)

So, what does the release of Steam on Apple systems actually mean? Well, firstly it’ll allow staunch Mac users – you probably know one…the ones that refuse to use Microsoft products – to play a wide variety of quality games. Now, I’m not a Mac user but some of my best friends are and on countless occasions I’ve had to hear them complain about either the lack of decent games available on Mac’s or the fact that they appear to be a lot more expensive than PC games. Hopefully the release of Steam on the Mac will leave these chaps with nice warm feeling in their tummies.

So, will the introduction of Steam onto Mac’s have any benefits for the traditional PC gamer? Well, if you only own a PC then probably not. But if you own say, both a PC and a MacBook, the digital distribution service means not only can you install your games on both systems, but it’ll also allow you to play on your PC then pick up where you left off on a Mac. It’s therefore probably a good thing that I don’t own a MacBook then…that’d cause another crippling addiction to Football Manager for sure.

Now, quickly moving on before I have a relapse:… Another that the introduction of Valve’s digital distribution service to a new system will have, is that Mac gamers will be able to play online along side their PC gaming counterparts. There won’t be any form of segregation, it’ll be Mac and PC owners living peacefully together  as they attempt to shoot each other in the virtual face. Sure, you might get the odd pro-Mac or anti-Microsoft spray in an online game,  but that’s hardly going to cause World War III. Or are some of you out there  that are really, really against including Mac users in your games?

So there you have it Mac users, you have just under two weeks to wait before you get to join the largest digital gaming community around. And PC gamers…make them feel welcome will you?

Ah Gordon Freeman, it’s good to see you…

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Wait a minute, I’m not called Gordon! Perhaps I’ve played a bit too much Half Life over the years… let’s start over.

Hi there! My name’s Danny and I write for Train2Game. I’m here because I’m very fond of gaming, which I’ve been doing I got a Master System when I was about 7 years old. Since then, I’ve owned a Mega Drive, various Game Boys, Playstation’s 1,2 and 3 and last but not least PC’s – I remember when 200 was considered to be a great ping, back in the day when Counter Strike was still just a Half Life mod. Ah memories…

Anyway, enough of my past endeavours, ‘What are you playing right now?’ I hear you ask, well I’ll tell you.

When it comes to my PS3, I’m currently ploughing my way through Final Fantasy XIII in addition to playing Batman: Arkham Asylum (Yes, I know I’ve been a little late joining that particular party)

My current PC favourites include Team Fortress 2, which I spend far too much time playing but that’s what happens when a game occasionally provides you with a free virtual hat! I’m a massive RPG enthusiast (re: geek) with Dragon Age: Origins still managing to occupy large portions of my time. I also occasionally play Football Manager…but as a recovering addict I know I shouldn’t be doing that!

Basically, I mostly enjoy action adventures, shooters, RPG’s and sports games….but every genre has top-notch games right? And I’ll be talking to you about all of them, along with discussing what’s happening in gaming industry.

I’m looking forward to it very much.