Train2Game News Warhammer 40,000 Tactical Objectives app out now

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Former Train2Game students now professional developers launch official Games Workshop app just in time for Christmas

Independent Video Games and Apps developer, Derp Studios, today release its tactical objectives app created with Games Workshop to accompany the Warhammer 40,000 board game. The team which includes Train2Game students has been working with Games Workshop to create the app.

The app has been designed to assist in playing the latest version of the popular table top game, offering a digital version of tactical objectives cards which previously were only available on limited edition print runs. This is one of the first ever official licensed hobby apps which supports the Warhammer 40,000 table-top game.

Chris Ledger, CEO and Lead Designer of Derp Studios; “The Warhammer 40,000:  Tactical Objectives App is one of the first hobby Apps to directly support the Warhammer 40,000 table-top board game.  The aim of the App is to enable players who don’t have a physical copy of either the regular or faction based Tactical Objectives cards to be able to own their factions deck, since the physical copies are on limited print runs.”

“Players of Warhammer 40,000 (the tabletop wargame) will benefit from the app a lot with this being the digital version. We’ve added a couple of decks.  We’ll be constantly adding decks to the app and we do have a couple of features we want to add later on down the line too.” 

“Things are going well with the folks at Games Workshop.  Everyone’s pretty busy and they have a lot of cool stuff going on, especially on the video game licensing side. Games Workshop are really good work alongside with.  They’ve been really supportive and have provided a lot of assets for us to use.  So far it’s been nothing but positive and a really enjoyable experience!”

“The development process has been very challenging and had its ups and downs but we got there in the end.  For Derp Studios this app alone is a big milestone in the company!  I’m not sure what the future holds for more hobby apps within the Warhammer 40,000 IP, however if I’m unable to produce another hobby app then I’d happily make a small licensed video game for them.”

iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/warhammer-40-000-tactical/id990952051?ls=1&mt=8

Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.derpstudios.GWtacticalObjectives

Comments on the app:

Dale Platt “Most useful 40k gaming APP ever made”

Pork Chop Gaming “5* Tactical Objectives at your fingertips”

Website:  www.derpstudios.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/derpstudios
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/derpstudios

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Search for a Star 2016

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The Search For A Star & Rising Star student competitions are back for 2016, now open to both games coders and games artists.

Take part in one of the biggest industry-supported game dev competitions in the UK, showcasing your work in front of leading studios and getting a boost towards a career in games.

In 2015, 80% of students who qualified for the second round were able to get a games industry job on graduation. The competitions have a proven track record of improving the employability of those who enter, with the second stage development project even adding a published product to your portfolio.

The tests and challenges are tough, designed by industry professionals to mirror actual studio hiring processes, testing your talents while honing and developing your existing skills.

Prizes include opportunities for internships and jobs at leading UK games studios.

Learn more about the competitions, what to expect in each round, and enter at www.GradsInGames.com/competitions

Registrations are open from now until Wednesday 20th January 2016.

Train2Game News GTA Liberty City Stories on mobile

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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is now available on the latest iOS devices, and coming soon for Android and Amazon devices.

In Liberty City Stories, former trusted wise guy for the Leone crime family, Toni Cipriani returns home after spending time in hiding for killing a made man. Now, the streets of Liberty City are in turmoil, as warring families vie for control and the town begins to self-destruct under waves of political corruption, organized crime, drug trafficking and union strikes. Deranged hit men, morally depraved tycoons, cynical politicians and even his own mother stand in the way as Toni tries to bring the city under Leone family control.

Originally designed with mobile gameplay in mind, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories returns with enhancements including real time lighting and shadows, upgraded textures and art, greater draw distance, performance enhancements for touch-based gaming including updated analog steering and rebalanced targeting, cross-platform cloud saves via Social Club, support for Apple’s 3D touch and more.

In addition to cross-platform cloud saves, players who download Liberty City Stories and then sign in to Social Club within the app will unlock the bonus I HEART LC t-shirt with the same account used in Grand Theft Auto Online for PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC. Once you’ve signed in, the shirt will be available for free at any GTA Online clothing store.

Train2Game News Razer Cortex Gamecaster

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Razer™, a world leader in connected devices and software for gamers, today announced Razer Cortex: Gamecaster the most intuitive live-streaming software dedicated to gamers.

Users will be able to live broadcast their gaming sessions to networks such as Azubu, Twitch, and YouTube Live. Razer Cortex: Gamecaster enters its closed beta phase on December 16 and will be fully available to the public on January 28.

Gamecaster is integrated into the Razer Cortex free gaming software and will be rolled out to the 10 million Razer Cortex users in an update at the end of the closed beta.

A simple and discrete in-game interface allows gamers to initiate streaming in a few steps without having to worry about intricate configurations thanks to self-adjusting auto settings that take into account the user’s hardware and internet bandwidth for an optimal broadcast.

Razer Cortex: Gamecaster doesn’t require any technical knowledge to operate, making it an incredibly accessible live-streaming software designed specifically for gamers. Hotkey combinations grant instant access to core features such as broadcasting, local recording, saving a screenshot or switching on a webcam at any moment during a play session.

Razer Cortex: Gamecaster is the latest entry into Razer’s suite of products for streamers, sitting alongside the Razer Seiren microphone and the upcoming Intel RealSense supported webcam for streamers.

From the December 16 to January 28 users can sign up for the closed beta of the new feature to become the first gamers to try out the easiest live streaming software designed specifically for gamers.

To sign up for the beta users simply need to head over to www.razerzone.com/cortex/gamecaster/beta and sign up using their Razer ID Credentials. The first 5,000 users to sign up will be granted instant access, with successive waves of tester slots being opened up during the course of the closed beta.

Gamecaster will allow users to broadcast gameplay free of charge and watermarks at resolutions of up to 720p. Streaming above 720p is also made available to free users with an unobtrusive Razer watermark showing up on their broadcast.

The paid Pro version of Razer Cortex: Gamecaster unlocks all features including watermark free broadcasting at any resolution, webcam green screen effect, onscreen annotations, in-game Twitch chat and more.

“Gamers are coming up to be some of the best content creators on the internet with followings over the tens of millions of fans,” Says Min-Liang Tan, Razer Co-founder and CEO. “With Razer Cortex: Gamecaster we truly offer the easiest to use solution for the gamer who wants to take the first steps into live broadcasting and building a following of their own.”

Train2Game News Loot Crate and Operation Supply Drop team up

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Loot Crate, the company behind the popular Loot Crate and Level Up monthly subscription services for geeks, gamers and pop culture lovers, is proud to enter its first partnership with military charity Operation Supply Drop (OSD) – the world’s most generationally relevant support organization for veterans and active duty military.

Understanding that the holidays can be especially hard for military members and their families, Loot Crate has donated 2,000 crates, including its new premium Call of Duty®: Black Ops III Limited Edition Crate, for military holiday parties in select U.S. cities and overseas “Supply Drops” (video game themed care packages). Significantly additional Loot Crate donations are planned for 2016.

Loot Crate’s themed mystery boxes contain collectibles, apparel, gadgets, art and other epic gear from the hottest entertainment and consumer product companies in the world, including Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, DC, Star Trek, Nintendo, Hasbro, Mattel, Minecraft and many more. Each month’s theme features a mix of the best in pop culture. Past themes include: Galaxy, Time, Cyber, Heroes, Villains, Unite and more. Each crate includes 4-7 items (many of which are exclusively manufactured for Loot Crate), with an average combined retail value of $45. Most recently, Loot Crate unveiled several new Limited Edition crates to celebrate some of the biggest brands in the world, including Star Wars™, Call of Duty®: Black Ops III, Mass Effect, Fallout 4 and Doctor Who.

“At Loot Crate, we strive every day to curate a collection of products that elicits surprise, joy, and just plain fun,” said Jacob Shin, VP of Marketing at Loot Crate. “Through our new partnership with Operation Supply Drop, we hope to bring that same experience to both veterans and active military, who sacrifice so much for all of us.”

“As a retired veteran and avid gamer, it is amazing to see the support that companies like Loot Crate provide active duty military and veterans globally. We are well aware of how much joy receiving a box of goodies brings to veterans and those deployed in service of their country,” said Ray Whitaker, Chief Operating Officer of Operation Supply Drop. “Having consistently delivered amazing surprises in their crates, this partnership with Loot Crate will allow us to further brighten the days of those recovering from military service related injuries and an invaluable respite to those servicemen and women deployed in high stress environments.”

2,000 Loot Crates have been handed out to military members and their families at seven Operation Supply Drop events through this holiday season. For more information, please visit www.operationsupplydrop.org

Train2Game News Emotional Games Awards 2016

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The call for entries for the Emotional Games Awards in 2016 has been announced.

The Emotional Games Awards will take place in Laval, France on Friday 12th of February 2016. Developers and publishers from around the world are asked to submit their games until 6 January 2016.

Any game is eligible as long as it has been, or will be, released on the market between 1 January 2014 – Q1 2016. All entries should be made via the Entry site, which opens on Friday 11 December 2015: http://www.emotionalgamesawards.com/

Entry deadline is Tuesday 6 January (23.59 CET). Following this date the entry site will be closed.

For further information on the Awards and its rules and fees, visit our website   http://www.emotionalgamesawards.com/

List of the 8 categories:

·          BEST EMOTIONAL GAME 
·          BEST EMOTIONAL ARTISTIC GAME ACHIEVEMENT
·          BEST EMOTIONAL GAME DESIGN
·          BEST EMOTIONAL VR GAME 
·          BEST EMOTIONAL MOBILE & HANDHELD
·          BEST EMOTIONAL MULTIPLAYER GAME
·          BEST EMOTIONAL MUSIC 
·          BEST EMOTIONAL INDIE GAME

Please note that one game can be entered in to a maximum of 4 categories.

Train2Game News GameDev Market Christmas Bundle

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GameDev Market, the online marketplace for game development assets, has launched its first ever bundle of game assets and, in fitting with the festive season, will be donating all proceeds from the sale of the bundle to charity.

The asset bundle will be available on the site from December 14th-28th, with all sales being split between two charities, Child’s Play and AbleGamers. Child’s Play work to improve the lives of children with toys and games in their worldwide network of hospitals, whilst AbleGamers aims to improve the overall quality of life for those with disabilities through the power of video games.

The total value of the assets included in the bundle is $356 and at a cost of just $29, the bundle offers game developers the chance to get their hands on a wide variety of assets at more than 90% discount, while at the same time knowing that their purchase is helping to raise money for charity. With a diverse selection of items in the bundle, including 2D, 3D, GUI and Audio assets, there should be something to interest all developers. Take a look at the full bundle here – https://www.gamedevmarket.net/bundle/charity/ .

“With both charities being closely associated with the games industry, we feel they are the perfect fit for our first ever charity fundraiser,” says Liam McElroy, managing director. “They’re both great causes, and we’re glad to have the chance to help out. We hope this bundle will allow us to give something back to a community that has kindly supported us over the last 18 months.”

GameDev Market first launched in June 2014, and has since become home to over 10,000 game developers and asset creators in over 100 countries.  For more information or to join GameDev Market visit www.gamedevmarket.net , follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gameresources and join them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gamedevmarket .

Train2Game News Learn to Program with Minecraft

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Minecraft is the most popular game in PC history, with hundreds of millions of players, and it’s now a gateway into the programming world.

In a novel approach to teaching programming, a new book from No Starch Press, Learn to Program with Minecraft ($29.95, Dec. 2015, 320 pp.) uses Minecraft to introduce fans to the beginner-friendly Python language. Readers learn how to build dazzling creations and unlock a whole new realm of Minecraft, all while learning practical programming skills.

This hands-on approach to programming is filled with fun, step-by-step directions designed to make things clear for readers of all ages and experience levels.

Author Craig Richardson explains his book’s unique approach this way: “My book makes learning to program accessible and engaging for people of all ages. Parents and teachers know how valuable it is to learn how to program, but add the fun and creativity of Minecraft while giving your player superpowers, and who can resist?

Learn to Program with Minecraft shows readers how to take control of Minecraft with programming, and it’s really exciting for kids to see a pyramid or palace appear in their Minecraft world out of nothing more than a few lines of code.”

Readers of Learn to Program with Minecraft embark on a series of interactive and engaging missions as they learn how to:

·        Teleport their players using variables
·        Create palaces, pillars, pyramids, and pixel art using for loops
·        Stack blocks and build spectacular spires in record time with math
·        Unlock the chat feature and write secret messages to their friends
·        Blast craters, open secret passages, and cast spells to transform blocks
·        Duplicate entire villages, castles, and acres of Minecraft countryside

“Think of it this way,” says No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. “Learn to Program with Minecraft is the ideal alternative to those cost-prohibitive coding camps. Kids who read this book will pick up valuable programming skills and they won’t have to hide their favorite game behind a busy screen.” According to Pollock, “No Starch Press will never be a billion dollar startup ‘unicorn,’ but we’ll still change the world by creating books that open doors for kids everywhere.”

For parents looking to get kids interested in coding, and for Minecraft fans of any age, this hands-on guide is the perfect introduction to programming. The code in this book will run on Mac, Windows, and Raspberry Pi.

Learn to Program with Minecraft is available now in bookstores everywhere.

Train2Game News Bundle Stars Game Creation Sales

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Ever wanted to create your own games but don’t having any coding skills? Then Bundle Stars (bundlestars.com) has everything you could ever possibly need, in the brand new Ultimate Game Makers Bundle featuring RPG Maker, App Game Kit, Game Guru and Axis Game Factory. 

There’s never been a better time to create that killer game, with four of the greatest game making tools on the planet at your fingertips.

The Ultimate Game Makers Bundle puts game design in the hands of gamers. What’s more, with four different bundle tiers to choose from, users can purchase the specific content that best suits their game making needs.  This means that the Ultimate Game Makers Bundle is just as customisable as the games you can create.  From RPGs to First-Person Adventures, through the Ultimate Game Makers Bundle, gamers are free to create their own unique experiences and share them online.

The Ultimate Game Makers Bundle

·         Tier 1 – $2.99 (8 Titles) Saving 98%
Ø  Axis Game Factory AGFPRO v3
Ø  AGFPRO Fantasy Side-Scroller Player DLC
Ø  AGFPRO BattleMat Multi-Player DLC
Ø  GameGuru
Ø  GameGuru Mega Pack 1 DLC
Ø  GameGuru Mega Pack 2 DLC
Ø  RPG Maker XP
Ø  The Princess’ Heart (Game created through RPG Maker)

·         Tier 2 – $7.99 (11 Titles & all previous tiers) Saving 98%
Ø  AGFPRO v3 Premium
Ø  AGFPRO – Zombie Survival Pack + Zombie FPS Player DLC
Ø  GameGuru – Buildings Pack DLC
Ø  GameGuru – Fantasy Pack DLC
Ø  GameGuru – Death Valley DLC
Ø  RPG Maker VX Ace
Ø  RPG Maker: Old School Modern 2 Resource Pack DLC
Ø  RPG Maker: DS+ Expansion – Retro Sci-Fi DLC
Ø  RPG Maker: Modern Day Tiles Resource Pack DLC
Ø  RPG Maker: Survival Horror Music Pack
Ø  Last Word (Game created through RPG Maker)

·         Tier 3 – $14.99 (10 Titles & all previous tiers) Saving 98%
Ø  GeoVox
Ø  App Game Kit: Easy + Instant Game Development
Ø  App Game Kit – Giant Asset Pack 1 DLC
Ø  The Official App Game Kit Tutorial Guide
Ø  RPG Maker: Zombie Survival Graphic Pack
Ø  RPG Maker: Frontier Works Futuristic Heroes and BGM DLC
Ø  RPG Maker: Always Sometimes Monsters Asset Pack DLC
Ø  RPG Maker: POP! Horror City
Ø  Edolie (Game created through RPG Maker)
Ø  Heroes of Legionwood (Game created through RPG Maker)

·         Tier 4 – $79.99 (3 Titles & all previous tiers) Saving 91%
Ø  RPG Maker MV
Ø  RPG Maker MV: Cover Art Characters Pack DLC
Ø  RPG Maker MV: Essentials Set
Ultimate Game Makers Bundle – Interesting Stats
·         All four tiers are worth a total value of over $800
·         The included software boasts over 4,000 total user reviews on Steam!
·         An 84% average Steam user rating!
·         All run on Windows, 12 are compatible with Mac, and 9 run on Linux.
·         Features 4 complete commercial Steam games created using RPG Maker.
·         7 unlock Steam Trading Cards.

All of the keys can be redeemed immediately upon purchase, using a free Steam account.  Available exclusively from Bundle Stars (http://www.bundlestars.com ) for a limited time only, the Ultimate Game Makers Bundle is an amazing deal for budding game designers.

Train2Game News Former Student Kickstarter

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Former Train2Game student looking for community support in create his venture capitalist game that teaches economics.

George Quentin has created a business and economic simulator and needs your help to complete the game. The game is currently in prototype stage to show the gaming mechanic is possible. George now needs help in making it a full title.

The game lets players create their own business and select options to make it the most productive. Skill and financial guile will let the player become a global mega capitalist and earn billions.

George would like feedback from professionals in economics and students who have an eye for games design. There are educational elements to the game. George and team are considering providing the game to educational institutions as a learning tool.

If you’re interested in creating the venture capitalists of the future, George is giving you the chance to work on the game with him. He’s looking for support staff as well as community feedback.

George:  ‘The original goal was just to see if can make a game that bonds business and economics, I wasn’t really sure where it would lead me but I just gave it a go, and over time it became a serious idea that I should pursue. I love games that are very data driven and strategic, especially when there are many variations and randomness in them.’

‘The game is prototype of an upcoming business and economic simulator. Your goal is to build your company from the ground up. Where you will be able to trade internationally, gain reputation and make as much money for your company to survive and sustain growth. I thought it would be best to have the gameplay element focused on business where you manage and control your company.’

‘I can see room for many improvements because the game has loads of potential. Only two people are working on the game but I would like more. The more we worked on it, the more we kept thinking it would be a great tool for learning and enhancing knowledge, where people will be able to challenge themselves, gain a better understanding of both subjects.’

‘There are many benefits for making this. Given that these are some of the most studied topics taught in schools, colleges and universities. It would be fascinating tool for not only pupils but the wider community. This tool will help pupils further their learning and allow them to practice or exercise their skills in these areas.’

‘I was being ambitious when starting this and the whole idea was to try and make a game that would stimulate the world which led me to economical are. I don’t have a background in economics but I am looking to get those with that background on board or even get any feedback as I can from them. I’m looking for both QA and students of courses if possible.’

‘I am looking for suggestions and feedback on how it can be made or improved.’

– Suggestions of other games where they use similar styles and strategies.
– Gamification feedback
– In-game features suggestions
– The things that could be added
– The things that should be removed
– How we can install some narratives
– What elements/features would be great for education

‘I am definitely looking for guidance and direction on how best it can be built. This prototype only tells our point of view of how business and economics is implemented in a game. so feedback from other people will really give us an insight of what we are missing, especially those with economics or business background.’

‘My ambition as a game maker is to continue to develop my skills and work on as many creative ideas. I am ready for any criticism. That is exactly what I want to hear. I am hoping everyone will be honest. It will really help to know what frustrates people in the game. After all it’s just a prototype.’

See the game here and let us know your feedback http://geo93.itch.io/globaleprototype

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com