Here it is the first of the new Train2Game monthly competitions – this month is the turn of the coders. We will need you to go to Student World to read the Terms and Conditions, they can be found in the ‘classroom section’.
When submitting your entry you must confirm in the body of the email that you have read, understood and accept these Terms and Conditions.
Send your answers in to codeboxcompetition@drstudios.co.uk. Closing date for entries is Monday, September 12th. We will announce the winners the following week.
AND two runners up will also each receive a pair of tickets to the Eurogamer.
Due to the nature of floating point values, the exact result will be impossible to store in a double, so the winner will be the Search() function which comes the closest. In the event of identical results, the speed of the Search() function will be taken into account. In the event of identical speeds, the result will be drawn out of a hat. The decision of the judges will be final.
The launch coincidences with the Eurogamer Expo – which Train2Game will once again be attending – and OnLive will be giving out thousands of free game systems that’ll work on any TV.
OnLive will utterly transform gaming in the UK,” said OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman.
“No discs, big downloads or specialised hardware needed. OnLive gives you the latest games instantly, anytime, anywhere on HDTV, PC, Mac, as well as iPad, Android tablets.
High-performance gaming as accessible as streaming video, with unique social features such as massive spectating with voice chat and Facebook integration.”
“The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced,” he said at the E3 app launch..
“The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming.”
There are however, as the Train2Game blog has previously reported, concerns about latency when it comes to cloud based gaming. A reliable internet connection will of course be needed to connect to servers, which could be very far away.
But is cloud gaming a threat to traditional consoles? As reported by the Train2Game blog, yesterday, Gaikai’s Dave Perry doesn’t believe so.
“We don’t think we’re a threat to console. I think the threat to consoles is actually Apple” Perry told GamesIndustry.biz.
Train2Game students will have the opportunity to check out OnLive and cloud gaming at the Eurogamer Expo which starts on September 22nd.
So Train2Game, are you tempted to try out OnLive? Do you believe it could change how the industry works?
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?
Of course, the Eurogamer Expo was a busy event so I needed to wait until almost the end of the show on Sunday before getting to spend quality time with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, but boy, was it worth it. It provided me with probably the best 30 minutes of my entire Eurogamer Experience.
Be warned, if you plan on purchasing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West in the near future, don’t want to know what happens in the first two chapters, you should read no further. Here be spoilers.
For those unfamiliar with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, its an action adventure game developed by Cambridge based developers Ninja Theory. It’s loosely based upon the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West, but with a futuristic adaptation to the classic tale. The story focuses around two characters, a man named Monkey and a woman called Trip. Monkey provides the player controlled muscle of the partnership while Trip provides the brains. However, this is a forced partnership with Trip having placed a Slavers headband on Monkey in order for him to help her travel across a post-apocalyptic North America and get home. Monkey is therefore compelled to aid Trip, because so long as he wears the head band, if she dies, he dies.
But, this isn’t how the game starts and when Chapter 1 begins Monkey and Trip don’t know each other. However, they’re both trapped inside pods on a slave airship and through Monkey’s eyes we see Trip escaping thanks to her technological skills. Soon problems start within the airship and Monkey is able to escape from his broken pod, thus putting the player in control of the main character.
With explosions throughout the airship, and clever camera angles, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West immediately feels like a cinematic experience. The opening section is more or less a tutorial explaining how to run, climb and jump through a variety of increasingly dangerous sections of the ship. Monkey is following Trip at this point but unaware of who Monkey is, Trip is closing doors behind her, thus forcing Monkey to jump and climb around the ship.
Combat is also introduced in Chapter One of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West through a series of battles with Mechs. The controls are simple but combat is satisfying enough. Monkey can employ a mix of heavy, light, ranged and counter attacks. However, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West isn’t a mindless hack and slash affair, and you’ll need to be tactical in order to succeed. Beat a mech during battle and Monkey can finish them with one of many nice finishers that will be seen from a variety of different angles.
After fighting off some more Mechs, and some more fast paced climbing and jumping, Monkey escapes the airship…through clinging to the outside of Trips’s escape pod.
When Monkey comes round he discovers that Trip has placed the aforementioned Slavers headband on him, and as you’d imagine, he’s not best pleased. Its here we get our first taste of not only the relationship that’ll develop between Monkey and Trip, but also the quality of the acting in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. As you’ll know if you’ve watched one of Ninja Theory’s Enslaved developer diaries actors including Andy Serkis used motion capture to film the scenes together and they really do stand up against anything you’ll see in a film.
Of course, it helps that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West looks fantastic. The game may take place in a the warn torn, post apocalyptic environment of North America, but this isn’t yet another game filled with brown pallet after brown pallet. The second Chapter of Enslaved is filled with an assortment of bright colours as you make your way through a New York city which may have been partially destroyed by war, but that doesn’t prevent nature reclaiming the city.
Unfortunately, my busy schedule meant that shortly after starting Chapter 2, I needed to stop playing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. However, my taster was enough to convince me that it’s going to be a great game.
Later on in the week, I’ll give you an insight into the production of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West I gained by attending one of the Eurogamer Expo developer sessions.
In the meantime, you what are your thoughts about Enslaved: Odyssey to the West? Is it a game you will be buying? Or would you rather stick to franchises that you know? Maybe Enslaved is a game you’ll buy once the price drops?
Train2Game was at the Eurogamer Expo over the weekend and naturally so was I. During my time inside Earls Court not only did I get hands on time with a number of upcoming games, but I also attended some very interesting Developer Sessions.
Future blogs will go into much more detail about my impressions of the Eurogamer Expo, but here is a summary of what I saw, what I played, and some initial impressions of what I found out.
Killzone 3 looks good in 3D…probably.
The first game I played at the Eurogamer Expo was Killzone 3, which can probably be considered odd that I’ve not played a Killzone title before. (Though I did almost buy Killzone 2 once) The main attraction of Killzone 3 was not only an opportunity to play a game that’s not released until February 2011, but to experience a game in 3D for the first time.
I excitedly sat down, put the PlayStation 3 controller in my lap, then picked up the 3D glasses. Unfortunately, 3D glasses don’t fit over regular glasses, which marred my entire experience. My time spent playing Killzone 3 was effectively played in double vision! It’s bound to be a good game, but I couldn’t get to grips with Killzone 3 due to my need for regular glasses.
The Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer mode got its first public showing in the UK at the Eurogamer Expo and due to its popularity, I didn’t get much time to play the game. However, after watching others play the Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer mode, it’s clear that it certainly does bring something different to the multiplayer table. This isn’t just aiming weapons in the direction of your enemy and hoping for the best, it’s all about stealth and cunning as you try to take out one specific target. Expect more on Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood later this week.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is rather impressive.
As the evening arrived, the Eurogamer Expo started getting quieter so I was able to sit down and spend a good half hour playing Ninja Theory’s upcoming title Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I played through the first chapter and a half of the game, and this short introduction suggests that everything is fitting into place nicely. There’ll be a full article about my time playing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West later this week. And in addition to this you’ll see…
… insights into the development of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades provided and interesting Developer session about the production of Enslaved. He took us through how the game was made right from the basic concept, through character design, to script writing with Alex Garland and ‘filming’ the scenes using motion capture. Again, expect to see more about this later in the week.
Now of course this isn’t everything I experienced at the Eurogamer Expo, but is just a mere taster. In upcoming blogs not only can you expect to see more about these games, but also about others including Medal of Honor, Gears of War 3 and Marvel is Capcom 3.
In the meantime, what were your highlights of the Eurogamer Expo?
As usual, leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.
Ninja Theory has released a developer diary about their upcoming game, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and its essential viewing for Train2Game students. This Enslaved: Odyssey to the West developer diary is titled ‘Behind the game Part 1 : reinventing a legend’ and features the developers – including Director Andy Serkis – discussing the inspiration and story behind the game.
The ‘Chief Creative Ninja’ of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Tameem Antoniades, explains how the game is based on ‘Journey to the West’ a 400 year old Chinese novel. Antoniades also describes how they’ve taken the core concepts of the book, but put them in the updated setting of a post-apocalyptic North America, replacing magic with technology and demons with droids.
Meanwhile Andy Serkis – who is not only directing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, but also plays the role of Monkey – talks about how ambitious basing a game around two characters is, and how games will soon be on par with films when it comes to story telling.
Ninja Theory will certainly be hoping this is the case with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, having brought on board writer Alex Garland, whose works include The Beach and 28 Days Later. In addition to all of this, the developer diary features actress Lindsey Shaw, who plays the role of Trip, and it explains the basic story behind the game. You can watch the Enslaved: Odyssey to the West developer diary below. After that, you can watch a previous developer diary here.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 8th. However, you’ll be able to get your hands on a playable version of the game at the Eurogamer expo this weekend.
Train2Game will also be at Eurogamer, will be giving away the new PlayStation Move controller with a PlayStation 3 320GB slim.
To enter the prize draw, pick up an entry form at Stand 12 in the Career fair. We look forward to seeing you there.
So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Enslaved: Odyssey to the West developer diary? Is having high profile names such as Andy Serkis and Alex Garland a good thing for the games industry? And are you looking forward to the game?
You can leave your thoughts on Enslaved: Odyssey to the West here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.
F1 2010 has taken pole position in the GFK Chart-Track chart in its first week on sale, knocking Halo: Reach down to second place.
In an extremely impressive debut week, F1 2010 outsold second place Halo: Reach and third place Dead Rising 2 combined. The result makes F1 2010 the first Formula 1 game to top the charts for almost ten years when F1 2001 took the title. F1 2010 has sold more than ten times the Formula 1 game from 2001. Codemasters are sure to be popping open the champagne.
Microsoft’s Halo: Reach sees an 80% drop in sales from its hugely successful debut week and drops down to second position. The multiplatform Dead Rising 2 enters the chart in third, while the PC only Civilization V impressively makes its debut in fourth.
Sony PlayStation Move game Sports Champions drops three places to fifth in its second week on release. There’s another new entry at number six, with Activision Blizzard’s sixth Guitar Hero game, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock sneaking ahead of seventh placed Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Prince of Persia drops two places from fifth.
Mafia II and Toy Story 3 are the biggest losers inside the top ten, with both of the past chart toppers dropping five places each down to eighth and ninth respectively. The Collector’s Edition of online only Final Fantasy XIV takes tenth spot, with the standard edition set to be released in the coming week.
Red Dead Redemption drops from tenth to thirteenth, marking the first time Rockstars’ western has been outside the top ten since its release in May. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Just Dance and Kane & Lynch 2: Dogs also all drop out of the top ten.
The full GFK-Chart Track top ten for the week ending September 25th 2010 is as follows:
1. F1 2010 (Codemasters)
2. Halo: Reach (Microsoft)
3. Dead Rising 2 (Capcom)
4. Civilization V (2K)
5. Sports Champions (Sony)
6. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Activision)
7. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)
8. Mafia II (2K)
9. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
10. Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
If you’ve yet to try F1 2010 , you’ll be able to see it for yourself as the game will be playable at the Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, London this weekend.
Train2Game will be giving away the new PlayStation Move controller with a PlayStation 3 320GB slim at Eurogamer 2010.
To enter the prize draw, pick up a entry form at Stand 12 in the Career fair. We look forward to seeing you there.
So Train2Game, is it surprising to see F1 2010 knock Halo: Reach off the top step after only one week? Will Codemasters’ F1 2010 suffer a similar fate when FIFA 11 is release at the end of this week? And how do you think the other entries will fare?
Leave your thoughts on F1 2010, or any of the other games in the top ten, here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.
LittleBigPlanet 2 has been delayed until January 2011, developer Media Molecule have confirmed on their website. In post titled ‘Important news regarding the release date of LittleBigPlanet 2’ the Guildford based games designers say they are ‘truly sorry’
“LittleBigPlanet 2 is a crazy dream, a dream to allow players to make whatever kind of game they want, but also to play though a great adventure of drama and excitement, power-ups, and cinematics. But like all of the most ambitious ideas, it can be a considerable challenge to turn these dreams in fun games. We’ve all been working like powered-up space ninjas and we’re almost there, but because we love what we’ve made, and we love our little sack-friends, and most of all we love all our fans out there, we couldn’t let you all get together until we knew we were giving you the best experience imaginable.
Which is why we’ve taken the hard decision to delay the worldwide release of LittleBigPlanet 2, originally slated for later this year to January 2011.
We know this will come as disappointing news for all you LittleBigPlanet fans, and believe us, we are disappointed too. We are a tight-knit team and we take enormous pride in our work, so to raise the bar we’ve set with the original LittleBigPlanet, a game that has been so embraced by all, we’ve agreed to allow ourselves a bit more time to deliver the experience that our great fans and community deserve. We are truly sorry, but hope you understand that we have to build the best possible game, as it is the foundation of our community.
On the upside, we are going to find a way to give more of you a taste of LittleBigPlanet 2 prior to launch, so stay tuned.
Thanks for your continued love and support, it won’t be long – we promise.”
There is however some good news, which is that you don’t necessarily have to wait until January to get your hands on LittleBigPlanet 2. Media Molecule demonstrating a playable version of LittleBigPlanet 2 at Eurogamer between October 1st and October 3rd.
Train2Game are also going to be at Eurogamer, and will be giving away the new PlayStation Move controller with a PlayStation 3 320GB slim at Eurogamer 2010.
To enter the prize draw pick up a entry form at Stand 12 in the Career fair. We look forward to seeing you there.
What are your thoughts on the delay of LittleBigPlanet 2? Has anyone pre-ordered it?
You can leave your thoughts about LittleBigPlanet 2 here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.
Fallout: New Vegas is probably one of the most anticipated games of the year, and naturally many of us are excited about the game from Obsidian. Chris Avellone is a Senior Designer working on Fallout: New Vegas, and he recently spoke to Planet Fallout about the latest instalment of the post-apocalyptic RPG which is released next month.
Naturally, we’re all very interested in Fallout: New Vegas, but Chris Avellone starts the interview talking about how he got into the games industry. Train2Game students feast your eyes on what he says below, because it could be very useful to your future career!
“I got into the industry through pen-and-paper gaming, notably Champions, where Bruce Harlick gave me my first shot at doing a published product. Writing for pen and paper games doesn’t really pay the bills, though, and the pay scale ended up being about 50 dollars every two months, which you can’t live on.
Then I heard a company called Interplay Productions were starting up their own Dungeons and Dragons division, and they asked if I wanted to come on board as a junior designer. My first reaction was, “you mean there’s a steady pay check for what I do?”, so I said sure, I’ll drive to California.
I met with the division director of Dragonplay (Mark O’ Green), he asked if I had any ideas for a Planescape RPG, I told him I’d start in the mortuary after the player died and the game would go from there. He hired me. Ever since, I’ve been working in design all the way up, out of Interplay and into my current job at Obsidian.
Advice for getting into the industry? That’s a long one, but here goes: One, always be persistent in applying – even if you get rejected from one game company once. Keep applying; get to know the people there. Generally what happens at game companies is they find themselves in crunch or badly needing employees at a certain time and then they will go back to the resumes and look for someone urgently. Those battlefield promotions can get you into the industry pretty fast. Also when applying at a game company, always choose the game company that you actually want to work for.
I know some people think “I need to start in a crap designer job” or making My Little Pony or whatever before I can get into the job I really want to do. My recommendation is apply to the places you want to work at first don’t worry about the consequences or requirements. A good cover letter and a good resume can sell an applicant who thinks they may not meet all the requirements.
When hiring at Obsidian, we look for people that did a lot of game building on their off duty time, if they’re members of mod communities, or have actually gone through the process of making a game – they’re able to answer questions and understand how the whole process works, more so than applicants that are more geared towards theory. It’s one of the reasons we hired Jorge Salgado (Oscuro’s Oblivion mod fame), and we’re glad we did.”
Of course, Avellone goes into plenty of detail about Fallout: New Vegas, and if you’re interested you can read about it over at Planet Fallout. Alternatively, you can watch the first part of the Fallout: New Vegas developer diaries. Fallout: New Vegas is released in Europe on October 22nd for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Can’t wait that long to get your hands on Fallout: New Vegas? A playable version will be available at the Eurogamer expo from October 1st and 3rd.
Train2Game will also be at Eurogamer, and will be giving away the new PlayStation Move controller with a PlayStation 3 320GB slim. To enter the prize draw pick up a entry form at Stand 12 in the Career fair. We look forward to seeing you there.
What are your thoughts about the advice from the Fallout: New Vegas senior designer? Do you find it helpful? And what feature about Fallout: New Vegas are you looking forward to the most?
The Train2Game Blog 