Tag Archives: Eurogamer

Train2Game’s Eurogamer 2011 Competition winner!

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Train2Game are pleased to announce that Train2Game Designer student Kren Cooper is the winner of our Eurogamer competition!

Kren’s excellent photo of him showing off his blinding Train2Game t-shirt at the Eurogamer Expo has gained a whopping 668 ‘likes’ on Facebook, netting him a brand new iPad2!

Well done Kren, your iPad2 will be with you soon!

Find out more about Kren in his interview with the Train2Game blog earlier this year.

Train2Game Game Designers still have time to enter the Train2Game Design Constructor competition for an Apple iPod Touch. The competition closes on Sunday.

Train2Game interview: Valve’s Chet Faliszek on CS:GO

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Train2Game attended the Eurogamer Expo, and during our time there we had a chat with Valve Software writer Chet Faliszek about Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In an in depth interview, Faliszek discusses the reasons for making CS: GO, bringing the PC title to consoles,  the importance of beta testing and much more.

The Valve Software writer also tells the Train2Game blog how important modding can be as part of finding work in the games industry.

Read the interview below, on Train2Game’s Scribd page, or listen to it via Train2Game Radio.

We’re over ten years on from the original Counter-Strike, why is the time right for CS: GO now?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive started because we were actually originally just going to do a port of Counter-Strike: Source for XBLA. Internally we started playing it a lot and released that ‘Oh, this is a lot of fun’ We forgot how much fun this translates over to the 360 now we’ve got really good at this, so we should make a bigger investment, a full game and expand out what it is.

What are the main Game Design changes that have been made to CS: GO?

One of the cool things with Counter-Strike is it’s been around for so long, that there’s a lot of feedback we can get about what works and what doesn’t work. So we’ve taken a look at 1.6, we’ve taken a look at Counter-Strike: Source, we’ve kind of taken the best of both worlds and we think we’ve created the best version of Counter-Strike.

Which modes will be available in the upcoming game?

We’re going to have the classic bomb planting and hostage and rescue, and were also going to have – again looking back to the community, they had worked on gun game – and so we’re incorporating gun game directly into what we call ‘Arsenal modes.’  We have two of those modes; one is Demolition and that’s about bomb planting and team based Gun Game. And then we also have Arms Race which is the classic Gun Game where every kill you get, you get a new gun and then eventually you get to the knife round.

How difficult has  it been to bring what’s fundamentally a PC game onto consoles?

We don’t really ever look at games that way. As a company, as gamers ourselves, we play on too many different platforms just to think of a game being that anymore. I mean, I play Left4Dead on console as much as I play it on PC, so you know, I think we’ve become accustomed to that.

It’s been fun watching people jump down here and say ‘Oh man, I can’t believe you don’t have keyboard and mouse here,’ and then they play on the PS3 and go ‘Oh yeah, that works pretty well.’

It’s had a good reaction from the hardcore Counter-Strike fans then?

Yeah, actually what’s really funny is at PAX back in Seattle, we were showing it on the 360 and we had a pro-gaming website come in really dissing that we had it on the 360. And they sat down and ran over everybody and they loved it.

Is there a mode for players who might be new to Counter-Strike, but don’t want to get run over by veteran players?

Well actually in all of our modes we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen, but we have the Social Mode which you’re seeing here. You get all the weapons, there’s no friendly fire, all talk is on and it’s a place to have fun with your friends and you’re talking about your girlfriend’s or what you’re talking about on TV while you’re playing the game.

But also there’s also a skill based mode which is all about the skill based matchmaking, so that’ll always make sure you’re having a competitive game without getting owned by someone who’s been playing for  ten years and is tonnes better than you – they’re going to be playing against different people than you will.

You’re giving out beta keys here, how important is that phase in the development of a game?

It’s really important to us because we’re going to let that drive the release date, because we’re really looking to get the feedback from the community over the changes we’ve made. We’ve brought over some stuff that was good from Counter-Strike: Source and we’ve brought over some stuff that was good from 1.6, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the communities react.

Already we’ve got some positive feedback from some of the pros, but we’re telling the communities it’s not going to be either, it’s going to be something new so let’s play it, let’s give feedback and let’s go from there.

Valve Software has a reputation for hiring modders, is modding therefore a good way for a budding game developer to get noticed?

It’s a really good way for someone to get noticed because it shows that you’re able. Normally modders have to work as a team and that’s important, and they also have to be able to finish something and that’s really important. So those two things together are a really good way to demonstrate that you’re ready to work in the industry.

What other advice would you give to someone looking to work in the games industry?

Make sure you’re doing something.  Do whatever you’re doing, like we (at Valve) weren’t necessarily writing for games when Gabe (Newell) tapped us, but do whatever you do as well as you can and with a view as to what your eventual goal will be.

Anything else you’d like to add about CS: GO?

We’re going to have the beta starting in October, check it out. We think it’s the best version of Counter-Strike there is, and you can help us make it the best version.

Thanks for your time.

The CS:GO beta begins in October, with a Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC released scheduled for early 2012.

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

For more information about Train2Game, go to www.train2game.com

Train2Game news: THQ say future consoles won’t use discs

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Train2Game students who like to collect boxed games may find this a little hard to take, but the future of games consoles won’t involve discs.

That’s according to THQ CEO Brian Farrell who made the prediction during his keynote presentation at Cloud Gaming USA.

But it could be a good thing for Train2Game students, the game developers of the future, because according to Farrell the lack of a disc drive “will result in a lower cost for the hardware manufacturer, which will result in a lower cost to consumers and therefore a lower entry point, thus driving more mass market adoption.”

In addition to allowing more people to play games, the THQ CEO believes that any future consoles with no disc drive will generate more revenue for game developers.

“No physical goods cost for game makers. No inventory, no markdowns, and all the money spent by the consumer would go to the developer or publisher.” said Farrell.

Farrell also believes that cloud gaming will be beneficial for gaming communities

“Our games are always on and our players are always connected….We have the opportunity to interact with players in new ways that can be reactive to their desires, play habits, and buying habits.”

“The box, ship and done model is transitioning to: observe, measure, and modify, a games as a service model where direct consumer feedback allows the ability to operate in this always on, always connected environment.” he told Cloud Gaming USA.

Train2Game students will have the opportunity to try out cloud gaming for themselves at the upcoming Eurogamer Expo. As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, OnLive will be at the event and Train2Game students could get their hands on a free OnLive system to take home.

Of course, Train2Game will be highly visible at the Eurogamer Expo too, and are giving Train2Game students the opportunity to win an iPad 2 complete with an i OS developer account.

So Train2Game, what do you make of Farrell’s predictions? Do you think there will be consoles that don’t use discs in future? Is cloud gaming the way forward?

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

Train2Game news: ‘Digital revolution’ encourages creativity say Ninja Theory

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Train2Game students will be aware that when compared to the traditional retail model, digital distribution provides game developers with a better opportunity to get their titles out there.

Not only does the digital business model knock down the wall of needing a publisher, it also arguably allows developers to take more risks when developing the games. Both of these could potentially be advantageous to Train2Game students.

Indeed, as reported by the Train2Game blog, indie developer Mode 7 Games believes the Steam digital distribution service is ‘essential’ for indie developers.

And in a recent interview, Ninja Theory  Creative chief, Tameem Antoniades also praised digital distribution model, stating it’s good for creativity in the games industry.

“There’s always an opportunity between projects to explore things, a lot of team members are hobbyists, they create their own iPhone games and things like that so I can see us kind of taking a punt with that. It can’t come soon enough” Antoniades told GamesIndustry.biz

For more on iPhone development, see the recent Train2Game interview with indie studio Hogrocket. They recently released their first game for the platform, Tiny Wings.

The Ninja Theory Chief Designer suggested that the traditional retail model is on the way out, and that it’s a positive thing for game developers.

“The whole digital revolution is happening now and it can’t come soon enough. The model we’re under, the big retail model, is creaking” he said,  before arguing that need for games to be successful at retail in its current is stifling creativity because consumers don’t want to spend large amounts of money on an unknown entity.

“It’s such an opportunity for fun creative games to reach a target audience, there’s this stranglehold that the AAA retail model has which I think is just crushing innovation and access to creative content.”

“If you’re paying that much for a game, you don’t want to take chances. You want everything to be there, all the feature sets. You want it to be a known experience, guaranteed fun. That’s not healthy.”

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Ninja Theory’s original IP Enslaved: Odyssey to the West failed to be particularly successful at retail, with publisher Namco Bandai suggesting poor release timing was to blame.

Even if Enslaved wasn’t very successful, Train2Game students would do well to read about the Enslaved Developer Session with Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades at last years’ Eurogamer Expo. Expect more insight into how game developers operate as Train2Game will be reporting from the 2011 expo later this month

What are your thoughts on the comments from Antonides? Do you agree that digital distribution encourages creativity? Would an all digital model be good for the industry?

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

[Source: GI.biz]

Train2Game competition: Codebox #1 – calling all coders!

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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’.

All the information you need to enter is on the Competition thread on the Train2Game forum.

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.

The prize: The awesome Asus nVIDIA 3D GeForce GTX 560 TI DirectCu II TOP Graphics Card (1GB) worth nearly £200.00!

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.

Good luck!


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Train2Game monthly student competitions

			
						

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Train2Game Competition prize - NVIDIA Graphics card


Train2Game are running one student competition per month, this month it’s the turn of the coders!


Are you a coder on Train2Game’s Developer course? If yes, then this month’s feature competition is for you!


The prize: The awesome Asus nVIDIA 3D GeForce GTX 560 TI DirectCu II TOP Graphics Card (1GB) worth nearly £200.00!


AND two runners up will also each receive a pair of tickets to the Eurogamer.

That’s got to be worth a little of your time!


What do you have to do? Check the Train2Game forum on Monday, August 29th when we will post up the problem that we’d like you to solve!

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Shogun 2: Total War story trailer

			
						

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Shogun 2 Total War


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.


You can read everything that Simpson had to say about Shogun 2: Total War in the Train2Game write up of the games’ Eurogamer developer session. Alternatively, if you have a spare 43 minutes on your hands, you can watch the whole Shogun 2: Total War Developer Session on the Eurogamer website.


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?


You can leave your thoughts about Shogun 2: Total War here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Eurogamer Expo: Enslaved Developer Session with Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades

			
						

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Enslaved: Odyssey to the West hits the shelves today, and after getting a decent hands on with it at Eurogamer, I hope its successful title for developers Ninja Theory. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has been received positively by the gaming press, and arguably rightly so given the effort that Ninja Theory went through to produce their latest title.


Ninja Theory Chief Designer and the main man behind Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Tameem Antoniades hosted a Sunday developer session at the Eurogamer Expo, and it was very interesting indeed. The session provided a massive insight into the development and production of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and was well received by the audience. Many who attended the Ninja Theory developer session had been queuing for up to an hour, but the wait was surely worth it!


Tameem Antoniades provided a very interesting talk, which would have been useful to any Train2Game student. However, if you didn’t manage to make it to the Ninja Theory developer session, fear not, for I was there. So here’s a look at the development of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.


For those unfamiliar with Ninja Theory, they’re a development studio based in Cambridge, and were responsible for the highly acclaimed, PlayStation 3 exclusive, Heavenly Sword back in 2007. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is their first multiplatform title but it looks set to improve upon the already excellent story telling of Heavenly Sword. Ninja Theory’s next title will be DmC, a reboot of the Devil May Cry series.


But for the past three years, the main focus of Ninja Theory has been on producing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. To start the Eurogamer developer session, Tameem explained that the original concept of Enslaved was to produce a game based on “a buddy road movie” exploring the relationship between two main characters.


But of course, an idea alone can’t make a game, so what Ninja Theory did next was to produce a concept trailer. Tameem explained that this trailer was pieced together by Ninja Theory, using various clips from unrelated films and TV programmes to show the main themes behind Enslaved.


The concept trailer is three years old, and we in the audience were lucky enough to be the first people to see it in public. The trailer was very cinematic, and full of robots, martial arts and Eastern themes. At this point the game was called Monkey: Journey to the West, but needed to be changed to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West for copyright reasons.




We then got to see another trailer for Enslaved, and this too was a first public viewing. In order to try and get a publisher on board, Ninja Theory produced a CGI trailer for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. This was produced almost three years ago and shows that the original concept of Enslaved was a lot darker than the game that’s been released today, but it was very impressive nonetheless. Tameem Antoniades stressed the importance of game studios producing good concept trailers, explaining that “Better trailers are more likely to be signed up” If that isn’t sound advice for Train2Game students, I don’t know what is!


The Ninja Theory Chief Designer then went on to discuss developing the art style of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, complete with plenty of images to illustrate the changes that occurred during development.


In the beginning, Monkey looked a lot more like a primate, with Tameem explaining that the character was originally based on a Gorilla in Barcelona zoo. The concept art for Trip was rather different to the somewhat innocent character in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. The original designers were darker, more gothic, some would say sexier: the concept designs of Trip in a very low top raised many an eyebrow.


Tameem explained that when Ninja Theory were casting for the role of Trip, they sent this concept out work to agencies in order to get women who actually looked like the character. However, the developers were surprised when 40 girls turned up, in costume, in the same outfit as the rather oddly dressed Trip! Who knew that actresses were so enthusiastic about playing roles in games?


Next, we were shown concept art for locations in Enslaved, and once again these looked very impressive. Tameem was keen to explain how Ninja Theory wanted the concept art to be evocative. Of course the next step was to take the concept art and put it in a 3D environment. These art style tests involved creating 3D landscapes with cameras panning all around them in order to make sure they had the right feel for developing further. All this effort before even a single game level is produced!


We also got to see some exclusive character style and animation tests that were produced early in the development of Enslaved.  Tameem explained that this was much like casting the characters, with every movement they make in-game based on these original tests. Naturally, Monkey’s movement style is rather beast like with his own distinct style of running and jumping. Meanwhile, a more comic character in the form of Pigsy is slower, and bumbles a lot more. Still, in these basic tests it was entirely possible to see that the characters were already taking shape…and that was before the actors got involved.




Ninja Theory are well known for their use of actors and motion capture in games and Enslaved is no different. We got to see yet another exclusive video showing Andy Serkis – who plays Monkey – performing tests for motion capture in order to research facial movements. This involved the actor spouting random lines, most of which made no sense whatsoever! Tameem explained that when it comes to the characters faces, the only thing that’s added artificially is the eyes.


We also got to see plenty of clips showing the actors doing what they do best, acting! It was amazing to see how the main actors were interacting with each other, and items around them, then seeing their movements translated perfectly onto the characters in the in-game world. Motion capture in games surely has to be the way forward. The acting in Enslaved could equal that of any film.


Tameem closed the Eurogamer developer session by discussing writing for Enslaved, and the influence of Hollywood screen writer Alex Garland. We were shown an early scene from the game in which Monkey and Trip needed to get over a bridge. The dialogue went on for awhile, and Tameem explained how Garland pointed how scenes, in both films and games, should conform to “one scene for one purpose” We then got to see the final cut of the scene, with flowed a lot better than the original version. Apparently, Antoniades and Garland then repeated this process for most scenes in the game.


As you can clearly see, a lot of work went into producing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, with development from concept to release taking three years. If you want to learn even more about the game, you can take a look at this developer diary from Ninja Theory.


Still not had your lust for information from developers tended to? Then why not read about the Shogun 2: Total War developer session from Mike Simpson of The Creative Assembly.


So, what are your thoughts on the Enslaved developer session? Does it provide you with a better insight into how games production works? Has it made you keener to produce games?


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

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Fallout: New Vegas  developer diary #3 – Art Direction

			
						

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Here’s Fallout: New Vegas developer diary number three from Obsidian Entertainment. This time around the main focus of the developer diary is on the art direction of Fallout: New Vegas. This Fallout: New Vegas developer diary is definitely one for Train2Game Art & Animation students!


The developers explain how they make sure that Fallout: New Vegas holds onto the weird 1950’s setting of the post-nuclear world while still adding Las Vegas glamour to the game. There’s a lot of talk about making sure that when exploring the world of Fallout: New Vegas, that the player will feel as if there in the Rat Pack era of the 1950’s.


The designers explain how they’ve given crown jewel of Fallout: New Vegas, which of course Las Vegas, its own distinct classic style, but have made sure make every location in the game world feel truly authentic be the architecture based on the 1950’s, or the earlier Wild West.


It sounds like the artists behind Fallout: New Vegas had a lot of fun designing the famous casinos, which each have their own individual themes. They go so far as to say the Fallout: New Vegas strip is one ‘big artistic playground.’ You can see the Fallout: New Vegas ‘Art Direction’ developer diary below.







The previous Fallout: New Vegas developer diaries are still available if you want a glimpse at how Obsidian handle Tech and Sound, or the story behind Fallout: New Vegas. You can also get a more in depth preview of Fallout: New Vegas in this article.


Of course, you can even get your hands on Fallout: New Vegas from today through to Sunday at the Eurogamer Expo. 


Train2Game is also 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.


Fallout: New Vegas is released in the UK on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 22nd.


So Train2Game, what you think about the artistic direction of Fallout: New Vegas? What would you add?


You can leave your comments on Fallout: New Vegas here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Eurogamer Expo preview (or what I want to play)

			
						

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It’s almost here. The third Eurogamer Expo takes place in London’s Earls Court this weekend, and this year it promises to be bigger and better than ever. Various games developers will be showing off titles, and allowing us gamers’ to get out hands on both current and yet to be released games. I’ll be attending the Eurogamer Expo on Sunday, so here’s a look at the games I’m most looking forward to getting my hands on.


 


Dragon Age 2


Dragon Age 2




Dragon Age: Origins was one of my top games of the last year, so I’m intrigued to see what Bioware are going to be offering with Dragon Age 2. All we’ve really seen in public about Dragon Age 2 is an impressive looking CGI trailer, with Bioware keeping fairly tight lipped about the game itself. What we do know is that rather than the player to choose every aspect of their character, the protagonist of Dragon Age 2 will be called Hawke and comes in a similar method to Mass Effects’ Comander Shepard. The gameplay has apparently been streamlined, allowing smoother gameplay on consoles. However, this has left traditional RPG fans on the PC worried that Dragon Age 2 will be a toned down, experience.


As a PC Gamer, and Dragon Age: Origins fan, I’m therefore very keen to see for myself how Dragon Age 2 is shaping up at Eurogamer. Dragon Age 2 is scheduled for release on March 11 2011.


Enslaved: Odyssey to the West


Enslaved-Odyssey-to-the-West




This action adventure game, from Ninja Theory draws loosely from 400 year old Chinese novel Journey to the West and it looks very impressive indeed. Not only that, but Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is written by the award winning Alex Garland and directed by actor Andy Serkis. The Lord of the Rings man, also voiced and performed the motion capture for Monkey, one of the two main characters in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. The other main character is a woman named Trip, who in order to get home, places a slavers headband on Monkey. If Trip dies, then Monkey dies, compelling him to guide her home.


The player therefore controls Monkey as he battles through stunning looking environments using both martial arts and weapons as the two protagonists’ journey to the west.  Fortunately for us, early reviews say that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West isn’t just one giant escort mission, and that Trip is rather useful in non combat situations.


Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is released on October 8th, but you can get your hands on it early at the Eurogamer expo. Alternatively, you can watch this developer diary!


Fallout: New Vegas


Fallout: New Vegas




Another title which I’m looking forward to seeing at the Eurogamer Expo is Fallout: New Vegas.  This Obsidian Entertainment developed semi-sequel to 2008’s Fallout 3 looks to be yet another impressive game available for consumers to test on the show floor. Fallout: New Vegas boasts a large number of new features, many of which are covered in this in depth looking at the upcoming title. You can also see Fallout: New Vegas in action in this developer diary from Obsidian.


Fallout New: Vegas is set for release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 22nd.


Of course, this is just a handful of the many games on show at the Eurogamer Expo, and the event features various other attractions including developer sessions, and an indie game arcade.


Train2Game will also be at Eurogamer, and we’ll 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.


Are you heading to Eurogamer this weekend? If so, what do you want to see?


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