Tag Archives: games industry

Bioware admit Dragon Age II faults following community feedback. How important is listening to fans Train2Game?

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Bioware Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw has responded to reactions from fans about Dragon Age II’s controversial new Game Design mechanics.  (You can remind yourself of how Bioware said the Game Design of Dragon Age II was ‘more welcoming’ here on the Train2Game blog)

The game itself proved popular on the Train2Game Forum, but Bioware were inundated with comments on the Bioware forum that voiced concerns that Dragon Age II when compared to the original, Dragon Age: Origins. (A title that the Train2Game blog previously laid great praise on, especially when it came to Game Design)

Laidlaw has recognised concerns of Bioware forum users and insists that there are aspects of Dragon Age 2 that must be improved upon in future games in the series.

“I am absolutely aware of the concerns voiced here. Issues like level re-use, the implementation of wave combat, concerns about the narrative and significance of choice and so on have all been not only noted, but examined, inspected and even aided me (and many, many others on the team) in formulating future plans.” he said. “Further, I’m not only aware of the concerns, but I agree that there are aspects of DA II that not only can but must be improved in future installments. And that is precisely our intent.”

Laidlaw also added the reasons why Bioware made such a drastic change from Dragon Age: Origins with Dragon Age II “I am very proud of what the team accomplished with Dragon Age II. I know many are advocating a “it wasn’t broke, why did you try to fix it?” stance, and I absolutely understand why. From my perspective, as someone looking to the future and the DA franchise, I think that DA II moved us into a space that has more potential.

“The story events of DA II have fundamentally altered the political and power landscape of Thedas, in a way that’s open to intrigue, drama and sweeping conflict in the future, and evolves a world that, while still very much involving the Grey Wardens and Darkspawn, is about more than just that one struggle.”

“Hawke’s story was a departure from the usual tale, and in crafting it and the game around it we learned a lot. Some from what worked, but even more from what didn’t. Such is always the way. I hope that in the future we’ll be able to discuss how we’re addressing your concerns and even solicit feedback from you on future plans in the process, but for now, I hope a simple thank you will suffice.” He concluded.

It provides a potentially interesting lesson to Train2Game students in listening to fan feedback when developing games.  For more on why Bioware decided to take Dragon Age II in the direction they did, see extracts of an interview with Mike Laidlaw on Game Design here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, how important do you believe it to be for developers to listen to fans? Is it something you look forward to in your future career? Have you already responded to feedback when producing games?

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

[Souce: Bioware Forum via CVG]

Train2Game Radio interview with Game Development student Mike Connell – text version

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Yesterday, the Train2Game blog published an audio interview with Train2Game Game Development student Mike Connell. Now the interview is available in text, and you can read it right here on the Train2Game blog.

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

L.A. Noire tech can ‘compete with film’ and be used outside games industry!

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L.A. Noire developers Team Bondi believe their impressive facial Art & Animation techniques (Which if you haven’t seen, you can here on the Train2Game blog) can aid Game Designers in competing with Hollywood.

“The beauty of it for games specifically is it will now allow us to compete head-on with film and TV in terms of storytelling.” Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara told BBC Newsbeat.

“If you take all the strengths of what’s great about a video game and you take all the strengths of what’s great about cinema and film you can get this amazing new product and what that means is video games become the pre-eminent entertainment form for the 21st century,” he said.

McNamara’s comments are similar those he’s previously made – as reported by the Train2Game blog – in that it’ll soon be hard to differentiate between games, films, and TV.

The L.A. Noire Director added that the MotionScan technology has even attracted interest from the industries outside of entertainment and gaming.

“We’ve had all sorts of approaches from different people wanting to use it for medicine and for security and people like law enforcement wanting it for lying simulators to show operatives how to read faces”

Back inside the industry, Valve are also ‘keeping an eye on’ the impressive Art & Animation technology.

As reported by the Train2Game blog, L.A. Noire became the fastest ever selling original IP in the UK, taking No.1 in the charts in the process.

So Train2Game, can games compete with TV when it comes to storytelling? Do any of you Game Designers have big plans? And is it positive for the industry that in-game tech is interesting those outside it?

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

[Souce: BBC Newsbeat via Develop Online]

Train2Game Art & Animation student Fee Stewart speaks to Train2Game Radio

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Fee Stewart is studying to become a Game Artist & Animator with Train2Game. Train2Game Radio caught up with him to find out why she chose to study with Train2Game, how she’s finding the course and what she wants to achieve in a career in the games industry. Listen to the interview at www.audioboo.fm/train2game

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

You can also read a previous interview with Fee about her experience at the Scottish Game Jam, here on the Train2Game blog.

For more information go to www.train2game.com 

Interesting read for Train2Game students: Rocksteady on the Game Design of Batman: Arkham City

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Here’s one for those of you on the Train2Game Game Design course. In an interview with The Guardian, Rocksteady Studios Game Director Sefton Hill gives a massive insight into the Game Design of the upcoming Batman: Arkham City.

It also reveals what goes behind the scenes at the game developer, useful for anyone on a Train2Game course!

The Train2Game blog reported that Batman: Arkham City was in development in August last year.

“You need an engaging storyline created around compelling characters in a beautifully realised world, all built on the bedrock of original and fun core gameplay mechanics”

“No longer is it sufficient to excel in any one of these areas if you want to stand out.” said Hill when asked what Game Design features are needed for an action adventure title.”

“At Rocksteady, working on Batman: Arkham City, we started with two key driving forces: everything we do is built around creating a fun experience and this experience must be completely authentic to Batman and his universe.”

“In terms of what the content is, it’s simply about what excites us. I believe the only way to make something that people will feel passionate about is if you feel inspired by the ideas yourself. We don’t try and second guess what other people want; we make the game we want to play.”

That could be useful advice to those on a Train2Game course who’re looking at making their own games in the near future, make something that you find fun and it’s likely it will be fun!

The Batman: Arkham City Game Director was asked if Rocksteady subscribed to any particular theories of Game  Design.

“There are many different trends, but personally I believe there is no magic bullet [Game] Design theory that fits all situations,” Hill replied

“At Rocksteady, we believe the solution is to be flexible. Depending on what area of the game we’re designing, different people will be involved and different processes will be used.”

He continued, “We have a totally different approach when we design levels, to story, to bosses and to core gameplay mechanics.”

“Some of these processes involve repeated iterations and reviews by a large group over a number of days and some require monthly reviews by just a couple of people over the entire duration of the project.”

If there’s one thing we always strive to do though, it’s to keep the [Game] Design process as inclusive as possible. We have a team full of incredibly talented staff and great ideas come from everyone.”

Hill concluded by discussing the future of Game Design. Of course, those on the Train2Game Game Design course now would very much like to be a part of that!

“The beauty of video game development is that the potential for new ideas is incredible. The industry is so aggressively creative that the parameters of what is even possible changes every few years. It’s what makes working in this industry so challenging, competitive and rewarding.” he concluded.

Batman: Arkham City is scheduled for release on October 21st, see the trailer here on the Train2Game blog.

What are your thoughts on the Game Design behind Batman: Arkham City? And how about how Rocksteady Studios develop games? Are you looking forward to the title?

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

[Source: The Guardian]

Gamers don’t want ‘hand holding’ says Ridge Racer developer. Do you agree Train2Game?

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Ridge Racer: Unbounded

Gamers – that’s you Train2Game student! – want more challenging and in depth experiences. That’s according to game developer Bugbear, currently producing the latest incarnation of the Ridge Racer series, Ridge Racer: Unbounded, which was revealed earlier this month.

The news comes after the Train2Game blog reported earlier this month that Driver – traditionally a difficult title aimed at hardcore gamers – is going to be ‘more accessible’ with the release of Driver: San Francisco.

“I think games in general used to be a little bit simpler, but also a little bit more demanding. I’m not sure if consumers actually want all of this hand holding we’re offering them now.” Bugbear producer Joonas Laakso told CVG.

“Nobody expected Demon’s Souls to do well but it did, and I’m really happy that Namco Bandai is now publishing Dark Souls.”

“For example, our previous games in the Flatout franchise were really difficult games – I couldn’t finish Flatout 2. There have been some really difficult games in the past but the fans seem to like it and we get fan mail weekly about it.”

“People really seem to like those old titles and they want something like that.”“I think that maybe there’s a demand for more in-depth gameplay experiences than what have been catered to lately. Maybe we’ve been doing too much automation.”

He argues that gamers still want to play games that provide them with a challenge.

“I think that studios really have to find a balance between offering more spectacle and higher production values, but I think maybe as an industry we’ve gone too far in that direction – for all spectacle and too little gameplay, and games become disposable experiences instead of games which you keep playing for years and years.” He concluded.

Ridge Racer: Unbounded is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC next year.

So Train2Game, do you think some games are getting too easy? If so, which ones in particular? Do you have plans to produce challenging games for a hardcore audience? And are you excited about the return of Ridge Racer?

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

[Source: CVG]

Interesting for Train2Game students: Epic on how the Samaritan tech demo was made

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Regular Train2Game blog readers may remember Epic’s extremely impressive Unreal Engine 3 tech demo from earlier this year.

Now Epic Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has spoken about ‘The Samaritan’ and the work behind it may be of interest to Train2Game students.

“Samaritan is the result of three months’ work by a small team of artists and programmers within Epic, as well as NVIDIA engineers who contributed to the advanced DirectX 11 and physics features we demonstrated.” Sweeney told Games TM.

“This was a pioneering effort, simultaneously figuring out what our development pipeline should be, creating content within that pipeline, and optimizing the visual quality and performance of the end product. We aimed very high, seeking a true movie quality of character lighting (via subsurface scattering and advanced shadowing techniques), reflections, filmic camera effects, cloth, and particle effects.”

“Enabling these features to run with full quality in real time on DirectX 11 hardware required substantial original research by the development team, as well as major code and content optimization efforts.”

The impressive tech shown in the demo is certainly something Train2Game students would love an opportunity to work with in future.

And as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, while Art & Animation is one way of creating realistic characters, Sweeny believes Game Designers need to more to create a truly realistic experience.

“[They] have much further to go in delivering truly dramatic interpersonal experiences,” he said. “Alyx in Half-Life 2 offered a glimpse into this possibility; I think increasingly lifelike characters are key to further progress.”

While the Samaritan tech demo offers a glimpse at the future of triple-A titles, the Epic CEO he also told Games TM what he thinks is to come from indie and social games.

“The game industry has stratified amazingly well in recent years, enabling great games to be developed across two orders of magnitude of budgets. Fifteen-person teams are shipping great Xbox Live Arcade titles, and two-person teams are doing great things on iOS and Android. Web games and social games are doing well with modest budgets. We at Epic expect this trend to continue.”

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the work behind the Samaritan? Can you see yourself working on that sort of tech in future?

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

[Source: Games TM]

Improved characters and environments ‘key’ step for next gen games say Epic

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Samaritan

Train2Game students may remember Epic’s impressive Unreal ‘Samaritan’ tech demo posted last month, and now the studio say that increasingly lifelike characters are what’s needed to further progress of games.

That’s according to Epic’s CEO and technical director Tim Sweeney, who was speaking to Game Informer about the Samaritan demo.

“I’m most excited about the ability for more realistic characters and movie-quality environments to enhance the player’s emotional attachment to the game world. In the beginning, games only delivered fun, engaging challenges – Donkey Kong’s graphics were sufficient for that. Doom was, to me, the first game with sufficient realism to deliver a genuinely scary experience,” he said

Game Designers are those responsible for creating realistic characters, while Artist & Animators produce the environments.

And despite the realistic graphics of current games, the Epic CEO says more work needs to be done “Game Developers have much further to go in delivering truly dramatic interpersonal experiences,” he said.

“Alyx in Half-Life 2 offered a glimpse into this possibility; I think increasingly lifelike characters are key to further progress.”

Epic Co-founder and Vice President Mark Rein also spoke about the Samaritan demo last month, and you can read the comments here on the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, do games need improved characters to advance? What is it about Half-Life 2’s Alyx Vance that makes her so believable? And what other characters do you think are the most life like?

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

[Source: CVG]

Nintendo boss labels ‘cheap mobile games’ biggest risk to games industry

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Reggie Fils Aime Train2Game blog image

The Nintendo of America boss has labelled low price mobile phone games are one of the biggest risks for the games industry. Reggie Fils-Aime made the comments in an interview with GameTrailers TV.

“I actually think that one of the biggest risks today in our industry are these inexpensive games that are candidly disposable from a consumer standpoint,” said the Nintendo Executive.

“Angry Birds is a great piece of experience but that is one compared to thousands of other pieces of content that for one or two dollars I think actually create a mentality for the consumer that a piece of gaming content should only be two dollars.

“I actually think some of those games are overpriced at one or two dollars but that’s a whole different story.”

The comments could be seen as a direct attack on the Apple App store, which sells many games for less than £1…with each iOS owner downloading an average of 60 apps. The remarks come just weeks after Capcom suggested that mobile gaming is drawing people away from traditional handheld consoles. It’s an opinion that Train2Game forum users agreed with.

Nintendo themselves are preparing for the global launch of the 3DS, and you can find out about the device on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog. The price of Nintendo 3DS games is expected to be as much as £39.99, but the company still believe the device will have a ‘rocket start’

Meanwhile, it’s been predicted that the revenues of social media gaming will surpass $1 billion this year.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Reggie Fils-Aime’s comments? Does he have a legitmate concern or is he just ‘trash talking’ one of Nintendo’s biggest rivals? Are the games too cheap? Or do you think the Nintendo 3DS titles are too expensive?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum. Alternatively, you can let us know what you think via Twitter.

Train2Game, in association with DR Studios and the University of Bedfordshire, will be holding a Game Jam at the end of March. For more information, see this Train2Game blog post or the Train2Game Game Jam Facebook page. Alternatively, keep an eye on the Train2Game Game Jam Twitter account.

Sony want NGP to ‘match install base’ of PSP

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Sony has stated they expect the upcoming NGP – formerly know to Train2Game students as the PSP2 – to equal the sales of its predecessor. That’s according to Sony Computer Entertainment President Kazuo Hirai who told the PlayStation Blog:

“One of the things we want to accomplish with the NGP is match the install base that we have on PSP worldwide.”

“Over and above that try to go beyond that. The fact that we’re working hand in hand with the worldwide studios internally but also with a lot of the third party publishing partners already. That, combined with some of the exciting features, is a really strong combination to really match the install base we have for PSP and certainly go beyond that as well.”

Hirai also told the PlayStation blog that Sony have long term plans in place for the handheld.

“Whether it’s a homebased console like the PS2 or PS3 or a handheld like the NGP, it’s very important that we have a stable platform that is in it for the long haul.

“Once [the consumers] invest in our products, it doesn’t go by the wayside in two years or three years, but they are able to really enjoy that particular console for a very long time.

“It’s my expectation that NGP is going to have a similar sort of lifespan in the portable space as well.”

The President added Call of Duty would be a big thing for the NGP.

Train2Game blog readers can watch the interview with Kazuo Hirai below.

Sony are also keen to use the NGP to break into the casual gaming market. Train2Game blog readers will know that social gaming is set to pass the $1 billion mark this year!

The NGP was officially revealed last month, and you can take an in depth look at Sony’s new handheld on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Sony NGP? Will it surpass the sales of the PSP? Do you think the new handheld will have a long lifespan?

As usual, you can leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum. You can also let us know your thoughts via the Train2Game Twitter account.

Train2Game, in association with DR Studios and the University of Bedfordshire, will be holding a Game Jam at the end of March. For more information, see this Train2Game blog post or the Train2Game Game Jam Facebook page. Alternatively, keep an eye on the Train2Game Game Jam Twitter account.