Tag Archives: Games design

Train2Game Fabble’s Adventure Development Update

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Train2Game student James Mahon updates on Fabble’s Adventure, his progress on the course and plans for the future

James Mahon and team are working on Children’s platformer Fabble’s Adventure, and its progressing nicely. He plans to use his experience making the game to learn more about creating games and as a platform to develop more games in the future.

The development of Fabble’s Adventure is going really well. In the game Fabble and Minx are on a quest to find lost rice grains. It’s a traditional platformer aimed at young players with a cute yet exciting storyline. There are now six worlds for players to explore. Rewards have been introduced and replay-value added.

Current focus is programming and getting levels right, which has taken a great deal of time. The team is finding it a challenge making a game but ultimately very rewarding. At this point James is working with another Train2Game student who has taken up a position of head of QA and they are not looking for any additional help until the game launches.

James is enjoying the course, he sees it as a great chance to learn and socialise with people that have a common goal. He’s now working on portfolio projects having successfully completed course work. In the future wants to continue making similar games that have a positive effect on kids.

Train2Game student James Mahon: ‘We’ve made massive progress on the game’s environments and challenges. It’s a platformer that embraces traditional gameplay in with a cartoon look and feel. There are six different worlds for players to explore. In them, collecting items is a major part of the game flow and finding the hidden objectives are the main goal. When goals are accomplished, the player will set their own personal achievements for them to beat again, allowing for replay-ability and extended gameplay time.’

‘The game story features Fabble and Minx who are on a quest to find the lost rice grains throughout the different worlds in their universe. Their ultimate goal is to defeat Ghosthead, a mutant bug that terrorized the lost rice grains into fleeing their home. There are a variety of monsters, big and small, to defeat and a good range of challenges to overcome on their quest.’

‘The current focus is in programming to make the game’s challenges work as planned. There a numerous obstacles and pitfalls that we have to get functional in order start creating levels. We’re a small team with a big project and it’s very time consuming especially programming so that’s where a large part of the workforce is currently.’

‘The journey so far has been challenging but a lot of fun nonetheless. Taking a concept from paper to a working product is hard work but a rewarding experience. I’ve learned to appreciate game-making much like playing a game. There’s always a personal sense of accomplishment when overcoming a challenge and that’s what motivates me to continue.’

‘I’ve successfully interviewed a candidate who is also a student of Train2Game on the QA game tester course. He’s currently providing much needed support with the programming tasks and has the major role as head of QA throughout development.’

‘The recruitment drive is over for now. We have enough workers to get the project done and on time. There will be a new recruitment drive when the game enters QA in the later stages of development. We’ll be on the lookout for beta testers and even testers that fit within the game’s target audience. The most preferable skill is a working knowledge of programming concepts to be able to break the game and find bugs that could ruin the game experience.’

‘Level design is next on the list for the game, as soon as the game’s challenges are implemented. My studies as a designer will help out with this most important aspect. I want to create simple but fun gameplay with a variety of challenges while embracing the traditional platformer gameplay style.’

‘I’m currently halfway through with my Train2Game portfolio projects after having successfully completed my tutor marked assignments. I enjoy reading through my course work and applying what I’ve learned. Also, being a part of Train2Game’s community seeing as I have somewhere to hang out and socialize with people that have a similar passion. There’s also the much needed support for students from staff to help make our ambitions become a reality.’

‘In the future, I want to start an independent videogame company to specialize in creating mobile and PC games for kids. Fabble’s Adventure is the only game I’m committed to at the moment. I have other games for kids in the concept stage waiting to be created. I want to finish what I’m doing with this game before I take on another project.’

‘It’s still important for me to create games for kids. I wouldn’t want to turn down a good opportunity to create video game products, I believe, they will love. I also believe video games are a great learning tool and that means a lot more for me to create games that have a positive influence on kids.’

https://www.facebook.com/Fabbles-Adventure-937004039692461

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.gamatier.com

Train2Game Develop VR Panel

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Tandem Events has confirmed the creation of a new advisory board for its new VR conference and expo taking place in November.

The advisory board is made up of seven VR professionals who will help the team at Tandem Events to curate a conference that is both compelling and informative.

The panel is a mixture of developers from inside and outside the games industry and steer the conference programme that will include sessions on the VR and AR opportunities outside of games.

The seven advisory board members are:

Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO, nDreams
Sam Watts, Operations Lead, Make Real
Jonathan Newth, CEO, Focal Point
Solomon Rogers, Rewind:VR
Jamie Macdonald, Co-Founder, Mindwave Ventures
Keith Russell, VR Consultant
Steve Jelly, Joint MD, Hammerhead VR

“At Mindwave Ventures we see great potential in the use of VR for amplifying the impact of existing therapies in mental healthcare,” commented Jamie Macdonald, co-founder at Mindwave Ventures. “Develop:VR recognises that VR is not just about games and brings together the wider VR community from different industry sectors. If you’re doing VR you’ve got to be at Develop:VR.”

Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO of nDreams added, “Develop:VR is a great opportunity for virtual reality developers to share their insights and expertise with the community, and it’s fantastic that Develop recognises the importance of VR as an emerging medium by giving it such prominence at the conference. I’m delighted to be speaking about developing for the next generation of mobile VR at this event, and we look forward to dissecting our two original games for Daydream, Google’s platform for high-performance mobile VR.”

Andy Lane, managing director, Tandem Events commented, “From our years of organising Develop:Brighton we know what makes for a great event so we’re really excited about Develop:VR. With our advisory board we’ve got a stellar line up to help us cultivate a conference programme that’ll help our delegates realise the potential of VR and AR both inside and outside the games industry.”

Develop:VR is brand new event focusing on new commercial opportunities that Virtual and Augmented Reality present to today’s game developers, together with highlighting the tools and techniques needed to produce chart-topping VR and AR content.

Train2Game News The first ever Game Marmalade spread thick with talent

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Game Marmalade

Game Marmalade a complete success in its initial year

Game Jam organised by Train2Game students had a spread of talented entries and some great games are coming out of the event.

This year saw the launch of Game Marmalade, the student organised Game Jam for Train2Game students. It was well attended and the games produced impressed event organisers. The next step in the process will be the judging.

The event was a great chance to meet new people and learn new skills. Organisers can’t wait to see the games finished that had such huge potential. There were four teams in total with three games produced for judging. The theme chosen at random was – The End Is Just The Beginning.

Some unfortunate drop outs meant team members had to adapt to new roles. Three out of four games were completed but the unfinished team are still working to finish its project. The attendees of the Jam are continuing to work on their titles or beginning new projects together.

The event was created and managed by Train2Game forum member Slinks. She was extremely happy with how the event went, especially with the games the students produced and the networking opportunities created.

The next step is the judging process, and then announcement of the winner. There’s potential for another Game Jam in the future but that’s not confirmed at this time.

Train2Game student and Game Marmalade organiser, Slinks: ‘Game Marmalade was an excellent success and from all the positive feedback I’ve had, everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves and learnt a great deal. It’s been very rewarding organising Game Marmalade and I’ve learned so much about putting an event like this together. Everyone who took part should be really proud of themselves and what they achieved and I’m sure we will see some awesome games being developed in the future.’

‘Before the event I asked my fellow students to send me their suggestions for a theme and received lots of great entries. The suggestions were put into a hat and I picked one out at the start of the event. The theme chosen at random was – The End Is Just The Beginning.’

‘There are so many awesome things which have come together as a result of Game Marmalade. Two studios have been formed so far who are either continuing to work on the games they entered, or work on future projects.’

‘More students are now in contact with each other, which was the ultimate aim of the event for me. My Teamspeak channel has grown which means we have a greater student to student support network. We’ve had the opportunity to get to know our Tutors, who are all awesome and gave up so much of their own time for the event. But I think the best thing was that everyone really enjoyed it, everyone who took part worked well together and everyone learned so much about game creation.’

‘Most of the teams are continuing to develop their games and are also working on future projects, so the positive energy generated by the event has certainly been good for getting things started and I’m very interested to see where everyone takes things from here.’

‘We had one team drop out and one developer who was unable to make it, but 3 out of the 4 teams managed to enter executable games. The team without a developer still worked really hard on producing all the assets needed for a full game and the artists did a really superb job.’

‘The designer of the team put in a colossal effort trying to learn how to program a game engine, with little previous knowledge and it’s a real shame he didn’t quite make it. However the team are determined to see this project through to the end and hope to put the game together over the next few months.’

‘The next event in the Game Marmalade calendar is the Judging. This will take place on Sunday 12th June in Teamspeak and there will be 5 judges giving us their marks and thoughts on each game. It should be a good evening with much discussion and we’ll find out which teams game has won.’

‘If I did it again, there are a few things I’d do differently to improve the event, but they are small changes which wouldn’t affect how the event ran, as it was pretty much a complete success. As to doing it again, I’m really not sure, my priority right now is working on my portfolio and passing the City and Guilds exam.’

‘There is still plenty of time to play the games and vote for your favourite on the website http://slinkydink68.wix.com/game-marmalade#!entries/zboej The Loonys are currently in the lead but it’s neck and neck with the Psyber Sprites. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Straw Poll and it’s been neck and neck between these 2 from the start, exciting stuff.’

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Read the Train2Game blog at www.train2game-news.co.uk Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News eSports vet joins Operation Supply Drop

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Operation Supply DropToday Operation Supply Drop (OSD) announced that Stephen “Snoopeh” Ellis, former professional esports player and Co-Founder of the Esports Player Resource Center, joined their advisory team.

OSD is the world’s most generationally relevant support organization for veterans and active duty military. Ellis joins OSD with a focus on reaching more veterans and allies within the esports and gaming communities.

Formerly a professional gamer, Ellis held positions in the industry as team Captain, Player and Manager. Ellis has lived in and competed at the highest level of League of Legends in Asia, Europe and North America. He has additionally served as an advisor to Vibby, Repable and fantasy esports platform Unikrn, where he also served as the VP of Global Business Development. Ellis is a Strategic Partnership Manager at Facebook.

As a member of the OSD advisory team, Ellis will leverage his experience within the esports and gaming communities to advocate for OSD’s multiple veteran support programs, including the Respawn initiative – the promotion of video games as a key component of medical rehabilitation and occupational therapy. As competitive gaming has become a significant source of catharsis for troops, Ellis will facilitate ongoing developments between OSD, key partners and Military facilities to bring esports directly to active-duty personnel.

“My time with veterans and those in active duty has shown me firsthand how gaming can bring people together and keep them connected,” said Ellis. “Operation Supply Drop is a powerful tool for veterans and I’m proud to be a part of this important effort.”

“It’s an honor to add Stephen to the OSD Leadership Team,” said Glenn D. Banton, Sr., CEO of Operation Supply Drop. “I’ve admired his work in the esports world for years as he continues to advocate for further legitimization in the mainstream, and I could not be more excited to have him bring the same drive to veteran support advocation. Stephen will play a key role in the growth of our on-post support, including the development of esports on bases around the globe.”

Train2Game News EGX Rezzed 2017

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egxrezzedlogo.jpgGamer Network is delighted to confirm the dates for next year’s EGX Rezzed as 30th March – 1st April 2017. London’s premiere gaming show will return to its home at Tobacco Dock.

Following on from a successful sold out show in 2016, which boasted the biggest collection of indie games together under one roof in the world, next year’s EGX Rezzed will be once again offering a variety of new games, developer talks and cutting edge technology to the capital’s gamers”

CEO of Gamer Network, Rupert Loman said “We are extremely proud of this event which goes from strength to strength each year whilst maintaining its unique atmosphere which gamers and developers have come to love. 2017 will be our 6th year and we plan to be bigger and better than ever”

Tickets for EGX Rezzed 2017 will be announced soon and tickets for EGX at the NEC Sept 22nd – 25th are now available to buy on the website www.egx.net

Train2Game News Resonate festival Glasgow

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ResonateScotland’s newest and largest gaming festival, Resonate Total Gaming, is set to power its way into Glasgow for the first time this summer.

From 29–31 July 2016, the highly anticipated festival of eSports and gaming will take over the SECC offering an exciting range of programming to satisfy all ages. From the casual player to diehard gamer, there will be something for everyone so prepare to poise those gaming thumbs.

With eSports giants Gfinity, Versus Scotland and Xtreme Gaming on board, visitors will enjoy participating in exciting gaming tournament action with games including Halo, TrackMania, Street Fighter V and FIFA.

The ‘Bring Your Own Computer’ (BYOC) LAN area provides an inclusive gaming-focused environment for gamers who just want to game! Visitors can plug in their own kit and play pre-set games or catch some of the live action on screens around the Festival. The Resonate Game Jam hosted by Glasgow Caledonian University will also be held alongside the Festival and will see students create brand new games following a pre-set theme in just 48 hours.

Children aged 12 and under can enjoy the dedicated Resonate Juniors area designed with 110% Gaming. As an interactive zone, it will let kids ‘live the games’ while they learn tactics, compete and win prizes. From Super Mario to Temple Run and Minecraft to Lego – it’s all to play for as the kids let loose and explore their favourite characters and challenges.

There will also be the chance to meet YouTubers from Yogscast and Hat Films hosting signings, live Q&As and promotions, alongside the bespoke, custom-made Razer GamerBus that has unique on-site gaming facilities.

To top it all off, visitors will be able to get their hands on the latest kit and check out the Indie specialist showcase before heading to the purpose built MEGAbytes Café to relax, relive and enjoy retro arcade games while indulging in some Festival food and drink.

Set in a high-tempo, exciting environment, festival-goers will explore new, retro and indie games while competing alongside their peers on Scotland’s biggest gaming stage! They’ll also meet their favourite YouTube & broadcast champions plus the developers responsible for creating some of the world’s leading games.

Families and friends can spend hours, or days, playing their favourite games and meeting their gaming heroes. With both day and weekend tickets available it’s going to be a three-day celebration of all things gaming that will mark Glasgow and Scotland as a global leader in the gaming industry.

For more information and ticket bookings please visit www.resonatetotalgaming.com .

Train2Game News AppGameKit HTML5

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AppGameKitThe Game Creators today launched the AppGameKit HTML5 version – a significant release which adds yet another dimension to the already successful development engine.

Lee Bamber, CEO of The Game Creators, said, “HTML5 is the latest version of Hypertext Markup Language, the code that describes how web pages look and operate. More crucially, it’s the first version which fully supports native execution of 3D games content, which means no more plugins to install. With the new version of AppGameKit, you can now export your creations directly to HTML5 compatible files which can be run locally or uploaded to a server, allowing your users to play your apps and games instantly through their browser.

Thanks to the WebGL, a component of HTML5 technology, you can even run 3D games under hardware acceleration and optionally switch to full screen to create a smooth immersive experience for everyone.”

The Game Creators Development Director, Rick Vanner, said “Combined with a host of new commands, functional tweaks and bug fixes, version 2.0.19 continues to expand the AppGameKit universe with the capabilities you need to create awesome applications across multiple platforms.”

Towerbots (http://www.appgamekit.com/HTML5/Towerbots/Towerbots.html ) is a great example of an AppGameKit HTML5 game, produced by Blendman (www.dracaena-studio.com ).

The Game Creators used AppGameKit to develop Driving Test Success Theory, Hazard Perception and Highway Code apps for UK publisher Focus Multimedia, deploying them onto the App Store, Google Play, Amazon, Mac Store and Blackberry World – all from AppGameKit’s executable code. These Driving Test Success apps are now one of the UK’s #1 ‘Learning to Drive’ apps.

Train2Game News Playkey

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PlaykeyPlaykey has just been launched in the UK in April 2016 (beta). Playkey caters for gamers who enjoy playing hardcore MMO and top-rated games, but have low-end PCs and laptops.

With the Playkey cloud gaming service, any gamer can instantly launch the latest, top-rated blockbusters such as GTA V, Witcher 3 or Fallout 4, even if their hardware is old and slow.

The Playkey cloud gaming service uses video streaming technology similar to the Onlive and Gaikai services. There difference is that Playkey allows you to play the latest, top-rated games shortly after the official release. It also allows you to play any games you might already own (if they are available on Playkey). There are over 20 top-rated games in the Playkey catalogue, including Rise of the Tomb Raider, GTA V, Fallout 4, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, The Witcher 3, Far Cry 4, MMOs by Wargaming, Might & Magic Heroes VII, The Crew, and others. Playkey collaborates directly with major game publishers such as Ubisoft, Codemasters, Capcom, and Sega, as well as local official distributors. Playkey updates its catalogue regularly on a monthly basis.

Playkey launches all games on a network of powerful gaming servers. That’s why the user’s PC configuration is irrelevant. The end user receives a high quality video stream and controls the game in real-time. Even a 5 Mbps Internet connection will be enough for a good gaming experience.

Playkey’s infrastructure is mostly based in Europe. The service is powered by a proprietary video encoding and streaming technology which guarantees top notch graphics and high processing speed. Playkey supports 1080p Full HD and 720p HD Ready resolutions. The Playkey desktop client is available for Windows and MacOS. Please note that the service may not work properly if accessed outside of the UK.

Playkey offers its customers a subscription-based sales model. A subscription grants full access to the service and allows the user to buy the latest top-rated games or launch previously-owned games (if they are available on Playkey). Playkey subscription plans start from £15 for 1 month of access. A demo period is available for free.

Train2Game News Insomnia58 Bank Holiday Weekend

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i58-central-key-art(dates)Insomnia58, organised by Multiplay (subsidiary of GAME Digital plc), is taking place over the bank holiday weekend, August 26-29 2016 at the NEC in Birmingham, and is set to be the largest gaming event of the summer.

Insomnia58 is to be the biggest and best Insomnia event to date, with the introduction of GAME Fest alongside the festival, showcasing the latest games and the most anticipated titles of the year. Insomnia58 will have more content, more stage shows, the biggest YouTube and Twitch stars, a greater retail experience, larger Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) LAN Hall, and more Esports tournaments with larger prize pools than ever before. Insomnia Gaming Festival continues to expand and encapsulate everything that gaming culture has to offer, as it is now firmly positioned as the largest celebration of gaming in the UK.

Insomnia58 will see stars of YouTube and Twitch taking to the stage, such as the immensely popular TheSyndicateProject, who boasts an incredible 9.8 million subscribers on YouTube, as well as YouTube stars Sqaishey Quack, Bigbst4tz2 and ECKOSOLDIER. The Yogscast, one of the largest YouTube gaming groups, are coming out in force as special guests to Insomnia58, with personalities from Duncan, Hannah, Kim, and Lewis to Martyn, Sjin, Turps, Hat Films, and Caffcast. More content creators will be revealed in the build up to the event.

“We are gearing up to be what is will the most exciting and eventful Insomnia yet,” said Craig Fletcher, Founder and CEO of Multiplay. He continued, “We’re going bigger and better with the addition of GAME Fest, giving visitors more ‘first to play’ opportunities with some of the most anticipated games of the year and more exclusive content. We’ve the biggest YouTube stars as special guests at the largest UK gaming festival; we’ve also expanded on our already vast BYOC LAN Hall, various feature zones and Esports tournaments, meaning Insomnia58 is without a doubt the place to be this summer to celebrate all things gaming.”

Insomnia58 takes place August 26-29 at Birmingham’s NEC. Tickets will be available to purchase online at InsomniaGamingFestival.com/tickets and in store at GAME. For more information visit InsomniaGamingFestival.com.

Train2Game News Batman Return to Arkham

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Hit Videogames Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City  are being remastered Using Unreal Engine 4 and being bundled Into One Package.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Return to Arkham. The new title bundles Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, two of the most critically acclaimed videogames on the last generation of gaming consoles. Both are being remastered for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One using Unreal Engine 4, a first for the award winning Batman: Arkham series. Remastered by Virtuos, this set offers fans a chance to play the first two Batman: Arkham titles including all Game of the Year edition bonus and downloadable content from both games, now with improved graphics, as well as upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects and shaders. Batman: Return to Arkham will be available beginning July 29 for a suggested retail price of £39.99.

To watch the official Batman: Return to Arkham trailer, please visit the WB Games UK YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/pwViLw8ok1s.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is where it all began. Originally developed by Rocksteady Studios and released in 2009, the game pushed the envelope for action, adventure and super hero games and exposed players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure taking them to the depths of Arkham Asylum. Featuring an original story, gamers can move in the shadows, instill fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City’s most notorious villains, including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, who have taken over the asylum.

Batman: Arkham City is Rocksteady Studios’ 2011 follow-up to Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring through the expansive Arkham City – the maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Featuring an incredible Rogues Gallery of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals including Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze and many others, the game allows players to experience what it feels like to be The Dark Knight and deliver justice to those confined within Arkham City.

Batman: Return to Arkham is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license and is rated PEGI 16. Fans can visit http://Facebook.com/batmanarkham for more information about the game.