The Train2Game team has searched around and found some of the exciting news from this week.
343 Industries, who recently released Halo 4, have said that they are in early stages of developing a new Halo. Frank O’Connor, the franchise development director for Halo, said that “a lot of people at 343 are already prototyping ideas and software and art for future Halo products”. Many within the 343 Industries studio are still working on post launch content for Halo 4.
Sega has revealed a new partnership with Games Workshop which will see Total War developer Creative Assembly making multiple titles set in the Warhammer fantasy universe. Creative Assembly studio director Tim Heaton said: “With this year being our 25th anniversary, it seems fitting for us to embark on such a dream project with such a well-established partner. The incredibly rich and detailed Warhammer world is something we grew up with, and has left an indelible imprint on us as both designers and gamers.”
Sony Pictures Consumer Products has teamed up with Capcom-owned developer Beeline Interactive to produce an Android and iOS Ghostbusters game, targeting an ‘early 2013’ release. The new Ghostbusters will be a ‘freemium’ title based on the popular eighties movies. The players will play the role of “a fledgling Ghostbuster. Who ya gunna call?
UK celebrity, chat show host and film critic Jonathan Ross has opened a new game development studio named Hotsauce Interactive, based in Candem, North London. The outfit is part of Ross’ TV production company Hotsauce, and has already released its debut game, Cacha Cacha Aliens for iOS. It is understood that Hotsauce Interactive is staffed by a number of experienced developers and the studio may look into releasing games on hand-held and console in the future.
Customers of Valve’s Steam digital distribution service can now play their PC games on a TV. The much anticipated Big Picture mode has been in beta for some time, but has only now seen public release. Big Picture is designed to be compatible with gamepads, but also supports the use of a Mouse and Keyboard. To celebrate, Valve has placed over thirty “controller-friendly” games on sale.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 made $1 billion a day quicker than Modern Warfare 3, Activision has announced. That’s $1 billion in worldwide retail sales in 15 days since launch, based on Chart-Track and internal figures. Modern Warfare 3 took 16 days to cross the $1 billion mark. For comparison, James Cameron’s Avatar made $1 billion in 17 days. Since launch, more than 150 million hours have been logged online playing the game on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
Kickstarter’s United Kingdom operation has reached £2,069,164 in pledges since its launch late in October. 45,799 backers contributed to the £2 million, with 30 projects having successfully ended their funding drive out of 407 launched. Of those backers, 39 percent came from the UK.
Position Overview:The animator will need to create and deliver top-quality animation from in-game content to in-game cinematics. With the focus on quality, the candidate will need to use various techniques from hand-keyed animation to motion capture to deliver the desired results as set by the animation and project leads. The right candidate will need to be exceptionally skilled and it’s important that they are a motivated team player.
Key responsibilities:
Full responsibility of producing high quality animation for in-game animations and cinematics as set by the animation lead.
Deliver work in the required time.
Make sure all work is implemented correctly, providing feedback to other members of the production team so all issues are driven to closure.
Reports to the Lead Animator
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Have an excellent understanding of animation principles – timing, weight and staging
Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic and a team player
Good knowledge of a 3D package (Motionbuilder, Maya, Max, XSI)
Good knowledge of human and animal anatomy
A strong passion and enthusiasm for animation and video games
CONTENT DEVELOPER – (GAMES STUDIO) – CAMBRIDGEWe are seeking a Content Developer to brainstorm and create new MMO game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills etc.) for one of world’s largest independent Online Games Studios.
With 3 Guinness world records; a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (2011) a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 (2010); a Sunday Times Top 100 company to work for (2008) and countless other awards to their name, this multi-award winning business employ over 450 people and sit at the very forefront of the online games industry, developing and publishing mini games and leading titles interacted by millions worldwide!
Pivotal in creating new game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills, etc.) you will work with graphic artists, testers and other professionals to produce the best content possible. You should be the type of Content Developer who can write high quality code (using an internal scripting language), communicate complex ideas effectively and cope with the thrilling challenges of releasing new game elements several times per month.
In short, this role would suit a passionate gamer (ideally role playing games) with strong creative skills and a deep motivation to create games.
To qualify… We are seeking a Content Developer who can demonstrate:
Good programming or game scripting skills (basic C++ or Java or game scripting).
Proven track record of content development within the games industry.
Good creative writing skills and imaginative storyline ideas.
Clear understanding of game design terminology and realistic game design ideas.
Very strong and proven communication skills.
Experience of working to deadlines and in a project based environment.
Keen interest in role playing games.
Prior experience of writing quests (levels) for RPGs, MUDs or similar is advantageous, as is experience of multiple MMORPGs/online games and a technical degree, however this isn’t essential if good programming and/or scripting skills can be demonstrated.
Joining a team of talented and enthusiastic people you will get to work with one of the largest independent games Studios in the World so expect a great working environment and superb benefits to match, including: Bonuses, private healthcare, flexible working, gym membership and loads more.
Feral Interactive, a publisher and developer of “Triple-A” Macintosh Games are in the process of expanding their internal development team for both Mac and iPhone based games.As part of this recruitment, we are seeking a number of new and recent graduates to fill several development roles. Joining a small and agile international company, the successful candidates will quickly become key members of our team.
Full training and support will be provided for what will be an exciting, rewarding and varied career in the games industry.
Requirements
A new or recent graduate
Achieved or projected to achieve a 1st class or an upper second class degree in a technical discipline
Strong C/C++ skills
Up to 3 years software development experience
Can demonstrate a strong work ethic and ability to be productive without direct supervision
Position Overview:The Games Tester position is a responsible job; reporting bugs and providing quality feedback for our titles in development.These fixed term contracts are for our established Total Warteam, testing our project currently in development.
Test games in development for software bugs
Enter bugs clearly and accurately into our bug database
Verify and recreate bugs as required
Report additional balancing, design and accessibility problems
Specific support and general roles available
Essential
A clear understanding of QA process
A keen enthusiasm for gaming
Good communication and reporting skills
Driven and flexible approach
Desirable
A clear understanding of QA process
A keen enthusiasm for gaming
Good communication and reporting skills
Driven and flexible approach
Experience of testing one full shipped title
A good understanding of Strategy games (Total War)
Games industry related degree (e.g. audio, art, design, etc.) or expertise in a specific game area is an asset (e.g. audio, technical, PC hardware, design or scripting etc.)
Fluent in one or more of the following languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish
This is going to be another regular blog where I post up the latest jobs from around the games industry. Making it easier for you to find the jobs you want.
ART
CREATIVE ASSEMBLY are looking for an Animator. The job is based in Horsham.
Key responsibilities:
Full responsibility of producing high quality animation for in-game animations and cinematics as set by the animation lead.
Deliver work in the required time.
Make sure all work is implemented correctly, providing feedback to other members of the production team so all issues are driven to closure.
Reports to the Lead Animator
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Have an excellent understanding of animation principles – timing, weight and staging
Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic and a team player
Good knowledge of a 3D package (Motionbuilder, Maya, Max, XSI)
Good knowledge of human and animal anatomy
A strong passion and enthusiasm for animation and video games
Critical analysis and problem solving
Futurlab is looking for a Junior Artist for their studio in Brighton. As Junior Artist you will be assisting the Lead Artist in the creation of both 2D and 3D game assets. You will be working closely with all other members of the team to ensure high standards of presentation are maintained across each project.
Requirements:
Exceptional 2D draftsmanship essential.
Strong ability in 3D modeling and texturing a plus.
Animation, lighting and rendering skills a plus.
General understanding of game design and development.
Ability to work both individually and in a small team.
Excellent communication skills with a friendly and positive demeanor.
Self motivating and diligent.
You must also be excited about working in the sci-fi genre!
SEGA is looking for a junior developer for their studio in central London
Key Responsibilities:
Learn and help develop various areas of the game on handheld platforms
Work with Senior Developers and increase skill set
Help analyse existing projects and improve upon them.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Experience in C/C++
Comfortable with game design and implementation
Examples of own demos, with source code, very beneficial.
Creative Assembly are looking for a games tester. The job is based at their studio in Horsham. These fixed term contracts are for our established Total War team, testing our project currently in development
Requirements
Test games in development for software bugs
Enter bugs clearly and accurately into our bug database
Verify and recreate bugs as required
Report additional balancing, design and accessibility problems
Total War studio The Creative Assembly will be hosting a developer session at PC and indie games show Rezzed, which is sure to be of interest to anyone on a Train2Gamecourse.
The presentation will celebrate the studio’s 25 year history and will feature an exclusive first look at the future of Total War.
“This year, The Creative Assembly is celebrating a quarter of a century making games,” said Total War lead designer James Russell.
“I’ll be at Rezzed giving a talk on the making of the Total War series, and showing a sneak peek of what we’re doing next. Exciting times – see you there!”
Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July with day the price of day tickets £12, or £20 for both days. There’s more information here.
Other games available to see at Rezzed include Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and more, in addition to a number of developer sessions.
Get behind the scenes of Total War Battles: Shogun, the mobile adaptation of the PC strategy series in a developer diary from The Creative Assembly and SEGA.
Total War Battles: Shogun- Dev Diary #1 sees senior designers Renauld Charpentier and Xu Xiaojun, lead artist Nick Farley and lead programmer Mattijs van Delden discuss the challenges of adapting Total War to mobile, while still ensuring it’s still a “real strategy game.”
For example, the UI needs to be adjusted for a touchscreen, while the art needs to be bright and easily recognisable to distinguish between different types of unit.
Watch the Total War Battles: Shogun developer diary below, right here on The Train2Game Blog.
Total War Battles: Shogun is available now for iOS and is coming soon for Android.
Train2Gamestudents can now buy tickets for Rezzed, the new PC and indie games expo that’s hitting Brighton in July.
The event by Eurogamer.net and Rock, Paper, Shotgun will offer gamers their first chance to go hands-on with many upcoming PC games including Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox Software. You’ll also be able to discover new indie titles in The Leftfield Collection, sponsored by SEGA.
Developers including Total War producers Creative Assembly and Project Zomboid creators The Indie Stone will also be on hand to show their work to the public and take questions in Developer Sessions, which are sure to be of interest to Train2Game students.
Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July with tickets on sale at http://www.rezzedgameshow.com/
“Following last year’s hugely successful fourth Eurogamer Expo, we’re broadening our horizons for 2012 by introducing a new summer event to highlight the best of PC and indie games,” said Rupert Loman, Managing Director of organiser Eurogamer Network Ltd.
“PC and indie games are enjoying huge success now after years in the ascendancy and we want to draw more attention to that fact and give people the opportunity to get up close to the biggest names and games before they’re released.”
More games, speakers and activities will be announced in the run up to the show, with more information available on the official Rezzed website.
Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for more news about Rezzed.
SEGA has released a brand new trailer for Shogun 2: Total War. The new Story Trailer shows the background behind the battles that’ll take place during Shogun 2: Total War.
The narrator tells us that 15th century was a ‘Dark time in Japanese history’ with the fall of the Shogun that ruled all of Japan leading to ten legendary warlords doing battle to follow in his footsteps. Of course, only one man can become the Shogun of Japan, and Shogun 2: Total War places you in the Samurai Armour of a Warlord with this goal.
You can see the beautifully crafted Shogun 2: Total War trailer curtsey of IGN below.
Shogun 2: Total War doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’ll come sometime during 2011. Shogun 2: Total War creator Mike Simpson told the audience at the games’ Eurogamer Developer Session that it’ll only be released when it’s suitability playable.
So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Shogun 2: Total War Story Mode trailer? Is Shogun 2: Total War a game you’re looking forward to? And are you impressed by the unique art style that features in the Shogun 2: Total War Story Trailer?
The Eurogamer Expo offered us numerous treats in the form of games to play, but there were also plenty of Developer Sessions. These talks involved top industry experts not only showing off footage of games, many of which aren’t released until well into next year, but also gave the audiences a fantastic insight into the world of full-time video games development. If any Train2Game students braved queues and made it into any of the developer sessions, it was worth it!
Judging by the size of the queue to see it, the Shogun 2: Total War developer session with creator Mike Simpson, was one of the most popular of the Eurogamer Expo. Naturally The Creative Assembly man didn’t disappoint, offering fantastic insights into the history of the Total War series, the development of the game, and what new features we can expect from Shogun 2: Total War.
For those who may be unfamiliar with Total War, it’s a series of strategy games that combine turn based and real time features, produced by Sussex based developers The Creative Assembly. Each game in the Total War series has been based on a specific period of history with emphasis on units, weapons and scenarios that are true of the era. The Total War series is exclusive to the PC and each game, beginning with of Shogun: Total War in 1999, has been highly successful.
But how did the critically acclaimed Total War series begin? Mike Simpson was entirely truthful with the conference hall when he said Shogun: Total War began “by accident.”
The Creative Assembly originally wanted to develop an RPG based around ancient Chinese novel, Monkey: Journey to the West. (Yes, the very same text that inspired Enslaved: Odyssey to the West!) However, development of this idea proved difficult, so The Creative Assembly decided to go for a different angle.
Mike Simpson freely admitted that the main idea behind Shogun: Total War, was to produce a Command & Conquer clone and base it in Sengoku period Japan. The production took another turn when the 3D effects card became available, allowing the developers to design Shogun: Total War in an entirely 3D landscape. The strategy game, based around warring clans and with the aim of uniting the whole of Japan, was released in June 2000 and became a massive success. The Total War idea evolved over a decade with the release of Medieval: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval 2: Total War, and Empire: Total War. Each game was a historically accurate representation of the era it was based in.
Now, ten years on from the game that started it all, Creative Assembly are developing a true sequel to Shogun: Total War. But why now, why develop Shogun 2: Total War at this stage? Mike Simpson gave a simple answer, because they wanted to! Feudal Japan is the studios favourite historical era and they feel there is fan interest in a Shogun 2: Total War game.
Those attending the Shogun 2: Total War developer session were treated to information about new features in the game. These included a new skills and experience system used for upgrading units, and unique Battlefield Heroes, single powerful characters who are upgraded through an RPG style level up system. Mike Simpson also told the audience about the introduction of siege battles into Shogun 2: Total War, catering for the unique design of feudal Japanese castles. Shogun 2: Total War will also feature “something revolutionary” when it comes to multiplayer, with The Creative Assembly keeping their cards very close to their chest with this one. The new features for Shogun 2 definitely look like they’ll expand on the already excellent gameplay of the Total War series. As Mike Simpson pointed out, every feature in Shogun 2: Total War will be based on a total of 14 years of coding and development.
We got a look at a Shogun 2: Total War gameplay demo on the halls big screen, and visually it looks very impressive. Weather and environment are set to play a big role in Shogun 2: Total War battles, which can change dynamics for the up to 56,000 soldiers that can be involved. Simpson talked us through a battle between two of the nine Shogun 2: Total War factions and demonstrated how different units, abilities and tactics will be essential in the quest to unite 16th century Japan. Naval battles will also be a part of Shogun 2: Total War and the audience got an exclusive look at some of the new units.
Of course, Shogun 2 isn’t all about real time strategy, with turn based decision making also making up a massive part of Total War games. This part of Shogun 2: Total war takes place on a fully 3D and rather beautiful map of the game world. Naturally, the aim is that your faction starts off in one corner of the country, before eventually exploring the rest of the game world and becoming the Shogun of all of Japan.
During the turn based part of Shogun 2: Total War, you can attempt to gain the upper hand over your enemies by sending individual characters including Ninjas and Geishas to take out enemy generals, or sabotage towns. These ‘events’ now have their own movies, two of which Mike Simpson showed the hall. You can watch the Shogun 2: Total War (rather bumbling)Ninja Assassination event video below, and get yourself a look at the new 3D world in the process. Creative Assembly’s community manager Kieron Brigde talks us through it.
Mike Simpson says there’s no specific release date of Shogun 2: Total War as of yet, because the game will only be released when it’s suitably playable. However, we can probably expect Shogun 2: Total War to arrive on the PC sometime during 2011.
So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Shogun 2: Total War? Are you a fan of the Total War series? If so what do you think about the new features? And what do you think about the early development of the series?
The Train2Game Blog 
