Tag Archives: DR Studios

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game v1.1 update released

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Dragons’ Den: The Official Game – developed by Train2Game course providers DR Studios, under license from 2waytraffic, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company – has received its first update, changing a few elements of the game. They are listed below.

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game for iPhone and iPad is available to download from the Apple App store for £1.79. More information about Dragons’ Den: The Official Game can be found on the official website.

The following changes have been made to  Dragons’ Den: The Official Game v1.1

  • Increased number of inventions per game to 5
  • Double the players starting cash to £1,500,000
  • Added ‘Retire or ‘Continue’ buttons at the end of each game

After 5 inventions have been played through You will get the usual final ‘Outcome’ screen showing the outcome & final results table. The results table will NOT display the medals. In addition the player will see 2 buttons at the bottom of the screen

  • Next Episode
  • Retire

If the player decides to ‘Continue’ The game will roll into the next set of five inventions. Player retains their Dragon name.

If the player chooses to ‘Retire’ we will display the ‘ See you Next time on Dragons Den’ but will also display the final results table with the medals. Scores are updated on Open feint.

For the latest information about Dragons’ Den: The Official Game follow @dragonsdengame on Twitter, and ‘Like’ Dragons’ Den: The Official Game on Facebook. For a behind the scenes look how Dragons’ Den: The Official Game was made, see the developer interview with Lead Designer Mete Djemal

Robin Channon gives his thoughts on his Train2Game placement at DR Studios

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 Train2Game Game Design student Robin Channon spent 6 weeks on a work placement at DR Studios. Before he left, Train2Game Radio caught up with him to find how he found the placement and whichskills learned through Train2Game he’s used at DR Studios. The interview is available to listen to at www.audioboo.fm/train2game while the full transcript is below

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

Dragons Den: The Official Game launched on iPhone and iPad

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Train2Game course providers DR Studios, in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television’s formats arm, 2waytraffic, have launched the first ever mobile game to be based on hit reality TV show Dragons’ Den.

Designed for Apple devices, the Dragons’ Den game will launch internationally via the Apple App Store on April 21 2011, priced at $1.99/€1.99/£1.79 for iPhone and iPod Touch, and $2.99/€2.99/£2.79 for iPad.

The Dragons’ Den game will offer budding business minds the chance to experience what it’s like to be a Dragon by watching virtual pitches for real life inventions and working out the goldmines from the flops. The game also replicates the rivalry of the show as players compete against virtual Dragons for their chance to sign the next big deal.

Stephan Zingg, VP of Interactive and Consumer Products at 2waytraffic, said: “We are very proud to release the first mobile product based on this high profile show. Developing new ways for audiences to interact with their favourite television series is crucial to brand building and this game replicates the Dragons’ Den experience perfectly.”

Clive Robert, Managing Director of DR Studios, added:  “We’ve always been huge fans of the show, so the opportunity to create an official Dragons’ Den game was something we just had to do, we’re really looking forward to the launch of the game as we’ve created some really neat features but have stayed faithful to what Dragons’ Den is all about: entrepreneurialism at its very best.”

Dragon’s Den is a television brand distributed globally by 2waytraffic on behalf of Japanese creator NTV. More than 30 international versions of the television series have now been produced including in the UK, Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland and the US, where ABC has just launched its second season (known locally as Shark Tank). The format features entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists.

Other product lines developed by 2waytraffic for the Dragons’ Den format include books and board games.

Train2Game blog interview with Dragons’ Den: The Official Game Lead Designer Mete Djemal (Part 2 of 2)

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Dragons' Den: The Official Game

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game from DR Studios – under license from 2waytraffic, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, for iPhone and iPad is released in the near future. In the run up to its release, The Train2Game blog caught up with Lead Designer Mete Djemal to discuss features of Dragons’ Den: The Official Game, and give us an insight into the Game Development process behind the title.  

Below is the second part of a two part interview.  While part one is in this previous post on the Train2Game blog.

How pleased are you with what Dragons’ Den: The Official Game has to offer?

Overall I think we’ve actually delivered quite a good experience with Dragons’ Den: The Official Game.  We’ve got really good 3D graphics, the official music from the television programme, it’s very atmospheric and has got a very similar pace to the show in the way that the entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to the Dragons then you decide whether or not you want to invest.  To help with this you get a brief description of the invention giving you an idea of what it is and then it goes round each Dragon who decides whether they want to invest.  In Dragons’ Den: The Official Game we’ve created a nice investment system where you can control both the stake and the amount of money want to invest.

We also added a timer into the actual investment, so rather than it being open and allowing the player as much time as they want to decide, they’ve got a limited amount of time in which to decide whether or not they want to invest or not which keeps Dragons’ Den: The Official Game very interesting!

The Dragons’ Den: The Official Game  scoring system which adds all scores to a worldwide leaderboard listing the top Dragons – the millionaires – so each time you make money it’s added to your accumulated Dragons’ Den: The Official Game d all-time score.

How have you tried to capture the true feel of the show?

In the dialogue we’ve actually managed to retain the humour and feel of the TV show. All of the Dragons have different personalities, you’ve got some who are really aggressive, and like to criticise the inventors if they think the idea is rubbish! So we’ve kept that in Dragons’ Den: The Official Game with each Dragon having their own personality and biography for the player to read – when you select your Dragon you can choose on the personality type. In Dragons’ Den: The Official Game we’ve kept the humour in too.  Of course, the catchphrases of the TV show are “I’m in” and “I’m out” so we’ve retained those and other prominent phrases in there.

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game  faithfully captures the look and feel of the TV show, as a player it puts you in the seat of an actual Dragon.

You’ll recognise them as you play Dragons’ Den: The Official Game, and within the dialogue you can say ‘Hey, that’s like that particular Dragon from the TV show ’ or ‘That’s a particular dragon viewers like’

Tell us about the inventions

The fun for the player is wanting to see what inventions are coming up next and it’s the guess work. Sometimes in Dragons’ Den: The Official Game and invention will sound like a really wacky idea and the player things ‘Actually, that could work’ so you’ll invest, get an outcome at the end and actually see what the real inventions actually were in a sort of historical factor.  We reveal at the end of the game the true name of the invention and how well it did in the grand scheme of things, so in Dragons’ Den: The Official Game you get to see whether it was a successful invention or not. So there’s aspect of the game as well, actually wanting to see what happened to the inventions.

What were the biggest challenges in development?

A big issue with The Dragons’ Den: The Official Game is that as licensed game, the challenge is trying to keep it faithful to the actual content of the license and I think we’ve managed to do that; we’ve got the look and feel down really well, while the Dragons’ aren’t the ones from the TV show you still believe in these characters, that these people would actually be Dragons.

And finally, what are the main selling points of Dragons’ Den: The Official Game?

We’re very proud of the high quality graphics and audio within Dragons’ Den: The Official Game. When you see it you’ll think ‘This is Dragons’ Den’ as it feels like you’re actually playing the TV show. We’ve got full 3D characters, 120 unique inventions. Dragons’ Den: The Official Game has a realistic finance model, the social aspect of the game – being able to play with up to five people – it’s almost got a board game element to it.

For Dragons’ Den Fans, people who are fans of the show will really like Dragons’ Den: The Official Game. Even non-fans will get something out of it as a good, interactive experience. It’s really suited to the iPhone as a game you can play in bite size chunks and with scores being constantly updated you’re able to compete with other players around the world to try and become the top Dragon.

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game is a DR Studios/2Way Traffic production and is released for the iPhone and iPad in the very near future. For more information visit www.dragonsdengame.co.uk 

Train2Game blog interview with Dragons’ Den: The Official Game Lead Designer Mete Djemal (Part 1 of 2)

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Dragons’ Den: The Official Game from DR Studios – under license from 2waytraffic, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, for iPhone and iPad is released just days away on Thursday 21st April. In the run up to its release, The Train2Game blog caught up with Lead Designer Mete Djemal to discuss features of Dragons’ Den: The Official Game, and give us an insight into the Game Development process behind the title.  Below is part one of a two part interview.

Can you begin by telling us some basic information about the Dragons Den: The Official Game project and the challenges behind its production?

With Dragons Den: The Official Video Game, DR Studios were given the opportunity to take the Dragons’ Den License and create a video game. I think the main challenge was how we’d make a game out of a TV show that offered little in the way of an interactive experience on the face of it. But as we looked into it we actually thought it was a pretty good concept because you could actually play as a Dragon and be an investor; make money, lose money so it has that strategy element to it.

The first challenge developing Dragons Den: The Official Video Game was to create a realistic looking environment and the Dragons. We weren’t allowed to use the real likenesses of the Dragons so we had to create characters and we wanted the player to feel as if they were actually in the Den, so we studied a lot of footage of Dragons’ Den. The final result of Dragons Den: The Official Video Game was the creation of a full 3D Den. At first, it was going to be a 2D environment, with static characters and no 3D models, but after looking at it we decided we want to make the most real looking experience so we decided to go full 3D models and it really came from there.

What were the initial concepts behind Dragons Den: The Official Game and how did they develop during the course of the development?

The initial concept of Dragons Den: The Official Game was to create a game in which you play as a Dragon. As with the TV show, you’re presented with various inventions and crazy business ideas, and as a Dragon you choose to invest your money in some of these ideas.  We also decided it’d be better to use real world inventions rather than make believe ones so it’d keep Dragons Den: The Official Game more in fitting with the actual TV show and realistic.

So, one of the biggest challenges during the development of the game was to find enough real world inventions which required a lot of background research. We looked at all sorts of things with some of the inventions being over 100 years old before deciding on the best ones to include in Dragons Den: The Official Game.  We then had to write concepts and short descriptions of the inventions. The idea being we wanted to keep these vague, we didn’t want the player to know what the inventions actually were as that’d make the game too easy.

We therefore had to present these inventions in a way that kept the concept real so you could believe in the invention then at the same time keep it quite vague in terms of what it actually was. For example, the names of the inventions; we had to rename all of the inventions to keep it realistic but not give away the actual real concept, the real name of the actual invention. Dragons Den: The Official Game contains 120 inventions – more than originally planned.

Another challenge in the development of Dragons Den: The Official Game was designing the interactive experience in a way which it was fun for the user and made them want to come back and keep playing.  We went through various designs before deciding on the idea in which you as a player had a certain amount of money to invest in inventions and ideas.  The original idea was for the Dragons Den: The Official Game player to have an unlimited amount of money, but we wanted  a bit of jeopardy in there, so we decided to limit the amount of money the player would have so they’d have to think about which investments you want to invest in without blowing their money away on an invention that could be a complete disaster.

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game has a multiplayer mode, can you explain how that works?

When it comes to the social side, the multiplayer side, we felt that Dragons Den: The Official Game would be even more fun to play as a multiplayer game. As we have five Dragons in the game – like in the actual TV show – it can support up to five players in a turn based game. How this works is that each player takes it in turns to invest or not invest in an invention. The idea is that the players hide from the other players whether or not they’ve invested to keep other players guessing.

In Dragons Den: The Official Game – as in the TV show – you can also share the investment. So we decided that as a player, even in single player mode, if you don’t want to invest the full amount you can actually go in with another Dragon and invest a smaller percentage of the money.

Part 2 of the interview will be published later this week.

Dragons’ Den: The Official Game is a DR Studios/2Way Traffic production and is released for the iPhone and iPad on Thursday 21st April. For more information visit www.dragonsdengame.co.uk 

The 1st Train2Game Game Jam – Event Details

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Train2Game Game Jam Long Image

Train2Game, in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire and DR Studios, is hosting a 48 hour Game Jam. Bringing both students and non-students together for a weekend for a common goal – to make a great game.

The Train2Game Game Jam will take place from the evening of Friday 25th through to Sunday 27th March.

If you like a challenge, and want to come together with other talented individuals this could be a perfect opportunity to push your skills and challenge your way of working. Participants will work concurrently along with industry professionals around a central theme, and you will have 48 hours to create a game.

If all goes well we will see some experimental prototypes that teams can continue to work on after the Jam. Many games developed in jams have become fully published games.

The Jam is Open Source, hardware and software agnostic and all projects are protected under a Creative Commons License. We encourage people to try out new ideas and push themselves within reason, everyone needs to eat and sleep and stay at their best!

More details about the Train2Game Game Jam are below and you can keep up to date with it on the Game Jam event page on Facebook.

Dates: 6pm Friday 25th March 2011 to 6pm Sunday 27th March 2011 (48 Hours)
Location: University of Bedfordshire

Format: Teams of 2 to 6 members
Participants: Existing Train2Game students (limited number), Non Train2Game students
Existing members of the games development industry are excluded from this event.
Age Limit: 17+

Cost: Free for existing Train2Game students
£35 per person for non Train2Game students
Provided: Bag, t-shirt plus extras (TBC) for every participant

Train2Game Game Jam FAQ

Do I have to be in a team already or can I come on my own?
The game jam is open to pre-organised teams and individuals alike. If you’re attending as an individual then one of our game jam crew will help you into a team that fits your skills as a programmer, artist or designer. On most game jams 50% of the participants are attending as individuals so it’s not uncommon.

Do I have to bring my own computer?
No. The University of Bedfordshire has kindly donated enough lab space to house everyone that wants to take part in the event. The computers in the lab are more than capable of running all the latest software required for modern games development. If you want to bring your own computer/laptop the university will clear some space in each lab for you to use, however, your computer will need to be PAT tested (safety check) before we will allow it into the event.

What software is commonly used?
Because of the short time scales there isn’t any option to be elaborate. Commonly games are built in Game Maker, Unity, Flash, HTML or XNA. The focus is on games design and game play rather than the excessive use of technology.

Do I need to have done a game jam before?
Not at all. The process under which the game jam is run is pretty straight forward, all you need to do is to be able to code, draw or design … and stay awake

Do I need to stay for the full 48 hours?
It is possible to come and go from the event once we have announced the theme and the jam has started although you need to discuss this with your team members right at the beginning, so they understand you’re going to not be there for a period and therefore are not relying on you for something in the time you’re not there.

What facilities are there for sleeping and eating?
There will be a quiet room set aside for sleeping. You need to bring a sleeping bag or quilt to use, as these are not provided. Food is provided at both the venue and in the area surrounding the University.

Can I bring a non-participating friend with me?
Yes. If you have friends or family that would like to attend and watch what’s going on and learn a little more about games development that’s fine.

What happens to the games at the end?

The games are made available for download for free on the internet.

How do I register?

Registration is not open just yet. Watch the forums, Facebook page and Twitter for the announcement that registration is open and how to register.

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game launches computer game QA course!

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Train2Game has officially launched the brand new Train2Game Quality Assurance course. The course, created by games developer DR Studios, is the fourth Train2Game course, and is available from 7th February 2011.

The QA course will teach students the many complex steps involved in the QA process, and its symbiotic relationship with the game development challenge as a whole. Methodologies, tools, processes and structures all form integral components within the course. The QA course is conceived and taught by industry experienced QA veterans who continue to push the boundaries of computer game development in today’s market.

Unique to the games industry, the QA course represents a ground breaking-induction model that has been specifically developed to support games development and the QA process of any technology oriented business. This course will provide students with not only specific games-related skills but also techniques that are transferable to other industries and business sectors.

Modules within the course range from basic QA through localisation, working with hardware manufacturers, focus group tests, planning test sessions and managing QA teams. Successful completion of this course will equip students with the knowledge and skills that today’s games industry demands from its QA specialists.

Students study at home and can progress at their own pace during the course, so there is no need to give up current work commitments. They have’ hands-on’ practical time with industry tutors and a full support service is available seven days a week by phone or email. On completion, students will be awarded a Train2Game Quality Assurance Diploma.

Course Director, Tony Bickley of DR Studios, added, “There are many passionate gamers out there who would like to turn their enthusiasm into a living, and our new QA course is a great way of providing them with the skills and knowledge required to work in this exciting industry.”

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

Train2Game Christmas competition 2010 – The result

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The result is in!  After a very closely fought Christmas competition we finally have the winner, and it was very very close.  By a winning margin of just half a point, the victors are …. <drum roll> … Horizon Studios!

Congratulations to Marty and the rest of the gang at Horizon studios.  Everyone involved with the judging was impressed with the amount of work covered by the team in just 10 days and the game they developed was fun and was close to the competition brief.

Who did they pip by just half a point?   Rampage Designs!  Well done to Aaron and his crew, it was very tight between them and Horizon Studios.

“Firstly I just want to thank everyone who took part for their efforts.” said Dave Sharp of Train2Game.

“Mete, Rory and I enjoyed playing the games and overall the standard was very high.   We’re looking forward to working on the game now and bringing it to life on the iPad.  Everyone that submitted a game should be proud of their efforts, there were some good game ideas.  I hope the teams to can continue to develop the games they have started and take them forward.”

You can discuss the Train2Game Christmas competition result here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

How is Train2Game student Adam Gulliver finding his work placement at DR Studios?

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The top Train2Game students now get the opportunity to join established games studios on work placements as part of their Train2Game courses. The Train2Game blog caught up with Train2Game Games Design student Adam Gulliver to chat what about his work placement at DR Studios.

Train2Game: Hi Adam, what Train2Game course are you on and how are you finding it?

Adam Gulliver: I’m on the Train2Game Games Designer course and I’m finding it really useful, really good and I’m learning a lot of new skills.  But as it’s great to be gaining some experience of working in a games studio at the moment.

Train2Game: Why did you decide to take the Train2Game Games Designer course?

Adam Gulliver: Well, I really like playing games basically! So when I first saw the Train2Game course on a jobs website I rang the company and an advisor game to talk to me about it. It sounded really good so I decided to go for it.

Train2Game: What do you want to learn and achieve during your Train2Game work placement at DR Studios?

Adam Gulliver: I hoping to learn what it’s like working in a proper studio, so hopefully this experience will help me add to my portfolio and then get a permanent job in the games industry.

Train2Game: Is there anything in particular you’re working on during your work placement at DR Studios right now?

Adam Gulliver: It’s mainly some pitch documents with concepts, a lot of documentation basically!

Train2Game: Do you think your Train2Game work placement at DR Studios will provide you with helpful experience when it comes to finding a job in the games industry?

Adam Gulliver: Yes! You can’t really learn everything while working at home so you need to try to get some experience in a games studio environment and with people experienced when it comes to working in the games industry like at DR Studios.

Train2Game: You have your own thread on the Train2Game forum! How are you finding that, is it strange?

Adam Gulliver: Yeah it’s a bit weird having my own thread and people talking about me and people talking about. But I’m looking forward to telling them how enjoyable this placement is!

Train2Game: Thanks Adam.

Train2Game Christmas Competition now closed

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The Train2Game Christmas Competition is now closed.  The deadline for entries passed at 4pm on Monday 20th December with seven Train2Game student teams having submitted entries.

The DR Studios team will shortly be playing and assessing the seven games with the winning entry being revealed in January. The winning team will see there game – based around a postcode map of the UK – published on the iPad through DR Studios.

Anyone interested in seeing what the Train2Game student teams have developed can do so thanks to this thread from IndigoWhite on the Train2Game forum, which contains a link to all of the games in one torrent.

You can see the judging criteria for the Train2Game Christmas Competition, here on the Train2Game forum.

Of course, once the winners of the Train2Game Christmas Competition are announced, the results will be here on the Train2Game blog.