Tag Archives: Game Design

Train2Game news: Single player and MMO game design will converge says id Software Creative Director Tim Willits

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Train2Game Game Designers will build games in which MMO elements form part of the single player narrative.

At least that’ll be the case if the predictions of id Software’s Creative Director Tim Willits come true. In an interview with MCV, he discussed the future of narrative in games and believes social aspects will become an integral part.

“Storytelling is key in open world games, and then just the sheer variety of things you can do.” He told the industry publication.

“We have games like Skyrim, where there’s just SO much you can do: you can develop your character the way you want, you can develop the game the way you want and play it the way you want, and that’s a great trend I hope will continue to grow”

“But it’s the social aspect of games which is hugely important” Willits stated.

“In the future, I believe we will have many more games where the choices that you make in your single player game will affect games that other people play. Yes, we have massively multiplayer games now, but they’re so connected and tied-in and you’ll have a much more social component to many bigger games.”

And when asked if single player and multiplayer MMOs could converge over time, the RAGE Creative Director said he believed they would.”

“Yes. Just think of Fallout” he said. “If you went off to do something and you’re playing through and you made one faction more powerful.”

“Maybe, when your buddy gets there that faction still is. That’d just be cool! If things that you did in your game affected the universe, where you’re not necessarily directly competing, but different people’s outcomes are affected by what you do.”

The Train2Game blog was fortunate enough to speak to Tim Willits at Gamescom last month, and in an in-depth interview he discussed how id Software developed the different aspects of RAGE.

Willits also revealed that he believes modding is an excellent way for Train2Game students to get into the games industry. Train2Game students would therefore be wise to get their hands on the RAGE SDK which as reported by the Train2Game blog will be available following the games release!

Do you agree with Willits? Will single player games include MMO elements? Is it something that you’d like to see? And how will it impact on game design?

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

[Source: MCV]

Train2Game game designers could write for the ‘dominant story telling medium’

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Train2Game students could see their future work become part of the chief method of portraying stories. At least that’s the case according to the writer of Gears of War 3.

Video games are going to be the “dominant story telling medium” Karen Traviss told CVG.

And she believes that even if the game doesn’t have the greatest narrative in the world, it’s still the most compelling way of telling the story due to the players’ involvement.

“You get something out of it because you are acting on the story,” said Traviss.

“Even with games that don’t require you to make story choices you still engage with it in a different way so it’s a great stimulus to your mental processes as well. These are not brainless things,” she added.

It isn’t the first time Traviss has spoken about game design, with the Train2Game blog reporting last month that she believed ‘iconic’ games needed good writers. Her words split opinion of Train2Game students on the Train2Game forum.

And the Gears of War 3 writer isn’t the only one who believes storytelling in video games is going to become even more significant in future.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Darkness II Game Director Sheldon Carter believes that game design and narrative are only going to become stronger as video games try to break their “final frontier”

Far Cry 3 Narrative Director Jason Vandenberghe previously told the Train2Game blog that the use of actor and motion capture is also playing an increasingly significant part in video game story telling.

So Train2Game, do you think video games can become the most dominant story telling medium? What is going to help them achieve it?

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

[Source: CVG]

Train2Game student insight into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 development

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Many Train2Game students are looking forward to the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 later this year. The franchise is arguably the biggest in gaming and is predicted to beat the impressive sales records of the previous Call of Duty titles.

In an interview with The Guardian, Infinity Ward’s Mark Rubin discussed a lot about the development behind Modern Warfare 3, including some of the new features which may be of interest to Train2Game students.

From a development point of view, Infinity Ward has added the ability to make changes to the game simpler.

“One of the big things we’ve changed is the ability to alter the game post-launch. That doesn’t sound like a cool feature, it sounds simple – it’s like ‘why can’t you just release patches?” said Producer Mark Rubin.

“Well, games don’t work that way – you can patch some things, but for others, it’s a significant deal, patching is not broad enough to do everything in the game.”

So one behind-the-scenes feature allows us to update files, sometimes without even doing a full patch – we can just tweak things like weapon balance, which we could never do before” he explained

“In the past, we’d put out a game and realise, ‘hmm, that’s weapon’s really over-powered’ but there was nothing we could do about it. I mean, with twenty million people playing the game, you learn more in the ten minutes after release than you do in months of pre-launch playtesting. So that tech feature was a big thing for us.”

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 producer also explained how the game engine had to be changed in order for Infinity Ward to build big, sprawling cities instead of desert locations.

“And also for single-player, our engine is very performance orientated – it’s all about keeping 60 frames-per-second, it’s all about fluidity, the feel of the game; we want you to forget you’re even holding a controller, that’s the key goal.” said Rubin.

So then design came to us and said, we want to stop doing these little villages in Russia or the Middle East, we want to go big, we want to go to the places that people live in, we want it on the streets that people walk down when they go to work.

“But it’s not as simple as just ‘oh yeah, go build London’. There was a lot of engine re-writing in order to make a big city work in our environment, in our technology, and still work at 60FPS” he added.

The full interview makes an interesting read for Train2Game students and is available on The Guardian Games website.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, the most popular community created multiplayer modes could find their way into the full game.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the behind the scenes tweaks to Modern Warfare 3? Will it impact on the gameplay?

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

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game students can hear indies speak at GameCityNights

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Train2Game students in Nottinghamshire have a great opportunity to find out how an indie studio works for themselves at GameCityNights later this month.

In their latest monthly event, GameCityNights will feature all three former Bizarre Creations developers of indie studio Hogrocket as they discuss their debut game Tiny Wings, their move away from Triple-A and life as an indie.

Of course, those who can’t make it to Nottingham can always read the Train2Game blog interview with Hogrocket co-founder Ben Ward in which similar subjects are covered.

“We’ve always loved the GameCity Festival and admired the hard-working folks behind it, so it’ll be great to take the stage once again in Nottingham” said Hogrocket’s Pete Collier.

“This time we’ll be sharing the experience of starting a brand new games studio, including all the ups and downs that go with it! We’ll also let you play Hogrocket’s first gaming creation: Tiny Invaders. See you there!”

The GameCityNights event will also be showcasing a number of indie games, which will no doubt be of interest to Train2Game students.

GameCityNights Season 2, Episode 7 takes place on Thursday 29th September from 6pm in central Nottignham. For more information, and for ticket prices, see the GameCityNights website.

So Train2Game, if you’re in the Nottingam area, will you be going? Do you see it as something useful to you?

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

Train2Game news: Sequels bad for developer creativity says LucasArts Clint Hocking

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Train2Game students are avid games and many will be looking forward upcoming sequels such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, the rushed yearly release schedule of huge titles such as the Call of Duty series may be negative for the industry.

That’s the view of LucasArt Creative Director Clint Hocking who believes that not only will audiences become bored, but making sequels isn’t good for individual game developers either.

“You may sell lots of copies of two or three sequels,” he wrote on the subject of sequels in Edge.

“But you will bore the audience very quickly and will have likely already spent all your money on the fourth sequel before realizing the audience is tired of the game and won’t buy it at all.”

Hocking also argues that churning out sequel after sequel isn’t good for game developers as limits their ability to be creative. While producing more of the same may lead to a successful game, it can come at the expense of the developers creativity.

“It might generate easy revenue” he said of sequels “But the long-term costs to the creative well-being of our workforce and the risk it places on our pipeline and workflow development, and on the skills we nurture and develop and will then need to leverage in making future games and (hopefully) new brands and franchises, should not be underestimated,”

Hocking previously worked on Far Cry 2. An interview with the Narrative Designer of its upcoming, er, sequel, Jason Vandenberghe, is available to read here on the Train2Game blog.

Creativity still exists in the games industry of course, and as the Train2Game blog recently reported, Ninja Theory believe the rise of digital distribution means that creativity will only increase.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 still contains the potential for creativity, as community produced multiplayer modes could make their way into the official game.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Hocking’s comments? Is developing sequels on a yearly basis boring for gamers and bad for developer creativity?

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

[Source: Edge]

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’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier interview with Ubisoft

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Train2Game was at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from 17th August to 21st August. While there, we spoke to three members of the Ubisoft Ghost Recon: Future Soldier team. They were Game Director Eric Couzian, Lead Game Designer Roman Campos Oriola and Associate Producer Thomas Leroux-Hugon.

In an in-depth interview with Train2Game they discuss new game design features for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, taking co-op into account during game development and adding Kinect motion controls to the game.

They also reveal how they got into the games industry and suggest how Train2Game students can follow in their footsteps.

Read the Train2Game Ghost Recon: Future Soldier interview below,  here on the Train2Game blog.

Train2Game and Epic Games to Host UK’s Biggest Game Jam

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Train2Game, has joined forces with Epic Games, developers of cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology, to host the UK’s biggest game jam from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th November 2011.

The 48-hour video game creation marathon will bring together an estimated 150 games enthusiasts at the University of Bedfordshire, where they will go head-to-head to create innovative video games using Epic Games’ Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of the award-winning Unreal Engine 3.

The Train2Game and Epic Game Jam is open to aspiring games developers, including Train2Game students and hobbyist games developers. On Friday, November 4th, registered competitors will convene at the University of Bedfordshire’s new development lab to form teams and build games around a secret theme, which will be announced on the first evening of the event. The jam concludes on Sunday, November 6th, when three teams will be selected as winners by industry A-listers from some of the UK’s hottest development houses, as well as Epic Games.

Mike Head, marketing director at Train2Game said: “The Train2Game and Epic Game Jam is a great opportunity for students and amateur games developers to create content for their portfolio and rub shoulders with well known developers within the industry. Working with Epic Games also means that we have a unique opportunity to introduce participants to the cutting-edge UDK framework, which will allow them to really bring their games to life and showcase their talents.”

“This game jam offers a valuable creative outlet for anyone looking to make games,” said Mike Gamble, European territory manager of Epic Games. “Participants will have access to excellent tools, members of the Unreal Engine development community and industry veterans, plus there’s potential for the best games to gain additional exposure beyond the event itself.”

As well as creating cutting-edge content for their portfolio, and learning how to use the UDK, Train2Game and Epic Game Jam competitors will be eligible to win prizes for the most innovative new games developed over the weekend. Prizes will be announced closer to the event.

For further information, and to sign-up to the Train2Game and Epic Game Jam please visit http://train2game-jam2.com/, existing students can login intowww.train2game-online.com.

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 interview with Far Cry 3 Narrative Director Jason Vandenberghe

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Train2Game was at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from 17th August to 21st August. While there, we spoke with Far Cry 3 Narrative Director Jason Vandenberghe.

In an in-depth interview, he discussed what his role involves, the game design process behind an open world title, creating believable characters and much more.

He also reveals how he got into the games industry and gives Train2Game students advice on how to follow in his footsteps.

Read the interview below here on the Train2Game blog, or listen via Train2Game Radio.