Tag Archives: Indie

Train2Game News: Robert Boyd wants more opportunities for Xbox indie games

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Robert Boyd believes Xbox should help their indie market by allowing high rated games to break through to Xbox Live Arcade.

It can be difficult to become a developer for XBLA. Taking inspiration from Steams Greenlight, Robert Boyd of Zeboyd believes Microsoft could do more for indie developers.

In his opinion the Xbox Live Indie Games could be a proving ground for new titles, with the best among them being sent forward to be released on XBLA. Similar to Steams Greenlight community rating system.

Boyd said “I’d like to see XBLIG kind of merge into XBLA”

“Keep Indie Games free to everyone but if you have a really good game, you could submit it to Microsoft for it to be upgraded to an XBLA title. Right now, becoming an XBLA developer is fairly difficult for a small team, so reducing the barrier of entry to XBLA could only help Microsoft, I think.”

If Microsoft take this on board any student who decides to create their own game can be spurred on by the thought that if their game is successful it will reach an even bigger audience. That can only be good for everyone involved.

It can be very hard to stand out in the Indie market. Any developer who makes a good game that is enjoyed by players should be rewarded for it.

Train2Game News: “Don’t expect to sit around.” after completing production of your first game

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Finishing development of your very first video game may be an incredibly satisfying experience, but don’t expect that to bring instant success or to be the end of your work either.

That’s one of key themes to come out of a ‘Directions to take after your first game’ session at Develop Conference 2012.

“You build it, you’re happy with it, and you think you’ve crossed the finish line.” said Sean Murray of Hello Games, creators of Joe Danger, before going on to add that feedback from players about almost everything – including in the case of Joe Danger , custom soundtracks not working propely – will keep you busy.

Supermono’s Tak Fung agreed, stating its important for indie developers to keep working even after the game has shipped.

“Don’t expect it to be glorious Vegas gambling.” he said, pointing out the importance of getting knowledge of your game out there through PR and marketing. “Don’t expect to sit around.” he added.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest news from Develop Conference.

What are your thoughts on the advice from the indie developers on what do you after your first game? Have you planned that far ahead?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game News: Project Zomboid team to host “How (Not) To Make A Game” developer session at Rezzed

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Project Zomboid developer The Indie Stone are the latest addition to the developer sessions at PC and indie gaming show Rezzed, and they’re talk is likely to be very interesting for anyone on a Train2Game course.

The session, titled “How (Not) To Make A Game” will see The Indie Stone team discuss the first year of development of their zombie survivalist title, paying attention to what could be seen as common sense.

The team learned valuable lessons about backing up information when the laptops they were using to develop Project Zomboid were stolen.

Chris Simpson, Marina Siu-Chong, Andy Hodgetts and Will Porter will present the developer session on Friday 6th July at the Brighton expo.

“We’re in the final build-up to our 0.2.0 release, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to chart the ridiculous journey we’ve been on for the past year or so,” said Will Porter. “Our public test builds have gone down a storm, so the time seemed right.”

Tickets for Rezzed are available on the official website, and it’s looking to be an interesting event for Train2Game students to attend, with a variety of developer sessions including those from Introversion Software, The Creative Assembly, Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood  and Gearbox Software’s Randy Pitchford.

Not only that, but everyone who buys a ticket for Rezzed gets a free DOTA 2 beta key.

We’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the latest news as the show approaches.

What are your thoughts on the latest addition to Rezzed?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game News: “It’s the best time to be an indie” says Introversion co-founder

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Steam, the Apple App Store and other services mean it’s a better time than ever to be an independent game developer.  That’s according to Mark Morris co-founder of Introversion Software, the studio behind Uplink, Darwinia, DEFCON, Multiwinia and the upcoming Prison Architect.

His comments echo those made by Ian Livingstone at BAFTA Games Question Time.

“I think it’s the best time to be an indie.” Morris told PostDesk in a huge interview about indie development that’s worth reading for any Train2Game student.

“The Apple App store and Steam services are mature and reliable routes to market. There is an “indie” section on most gaming review sites and journalists that understand Indie games and are willing to review them and devote time to them.” he continued.

“There are indie conferences where you can chat with other developers and pick up ideas and business tips. None of this stuff existed when we started.” the Introversion co-founder added.

One such indie conference is Rezzed which takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July, which see Introversion Software’s Mark Morris hosting a developer session.

There’s more about indie development, including advice on how to become successful in this field, here on The Train2Game Blog.

Do you agree with Mark Morris? Is now the best time to be an indie? Would you prefer the indie route to joining a bigger studio?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game News: Frozen Synapse dev blogs about ‘How to Be an Indie Game Developer’

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Frozen Synapse by Mode 7 Games is published through Steam

‘How do I become an indie game developer?’ is a question that’s often asked to industry professionals, so Mode 7’s Paul Taylor has attempted to answer that very query in a in a lengthy, but very interesting blog post.

Mode 7 Games is the Oxford indie game development studio behind PC tactical strategy title Frozen Synapse.

The ‘How to be an indie game developer’ blog post should make fascinating reading for any Train2Game student, as it discusses almost all areas of development and marketing. Subjects covered by Taylor include game design, concept, code, art and animation, music and audio, writing, business and marketing, free-to-play vs. pay once and even using videos.  Be sure to give it a read.

Taylor has previously written about what he thinks made Frozen Synapse a success, and there’s more about the indie title here on The Train2Game Blog.

Be sure to keep reading for advice from games industry professionals on how you can break into development.

What are your thoughts on the blog post from Mode 7? Do you have aspirations to be an indie developer and if so, what steps have you made towards it?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game News: Introversion Software developer session confirmed for Rezzed

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Introversion Software, developer of games including Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia will be hosting a developer session at Rezzed, the PC and indie gaming show in which takes place in Brighton next month.

It’ll take place at 1pm on Saturday 7th July and will see Inversion Software discussing their upcoming title Prison Architect, in a session which is sure to be interesting to Train2Game students. Prison Architect will also be available to play on the show floor for the whole two days.

“We’re really looking forward to showing off Prison Architect to a wide audience – it’s at a time when feedback from gamers will be really helpful,” said Introversion director and co-founder Mark Morris.

“We also think they’ll be a lot of questions about what happened to Subversion and we want to clear it up once and for all!”

Get a taste of Prison Architect in the preview video below, here on The Train2Game Blog.

There are plenty of other developer sessions taking place at Rezzed, including one from The Creative Assembly where they’ll be taking an exclusive first look at the future of Total War.

Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July with tickets available here. Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest news as Rezzed approaches.

Are you a fan of Introversion Software? What would you like to find out from their developer session?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game News: The Creative Assembly to make Total War announcement at Rezzed developer session

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Shogun 2 Total War

Total War studio The Creative Assembly will be hosting a developer session at PC and indie games show Rezzed, which is sure to be of interest to anyone on a Train2Game course.

The presentation will celebrate the studio’s 25 year history and will feature an exclusive first look at the future of Total War.

“This year, The Creative Assembly is celebrating a quarter of a century making games,” said Total War lead designer James Russell.

“I’ll be at Rezzed giving a talk on the making of the Total War series, and showing a sneak peek of what we’re doing next. Exciting times – see you there!”

The Creative Assembly recently released a free map editor for Shogun 2: Total War.

Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July with day the price of day tickets £12, or £20 for both days. There’s more information here.

Other games available to see at Rezzed include Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and more, in addition to a number of developer sessions.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest updates about Rezzed, while there’s more from The Creative Assembly here.

Will you be attending Rezzed? If so, what are you most looking forward to?

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

Train2Game news: Tickets for new PC and indie game expo Rezzed on sale now

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Train2Game students can now buy tickets for Rezzed, the new PC and indie games expo that’s hitting Brighton in July.

The event by Eurogamer.net and Rock, Paper, Shotgun will offer gamers their first chance to go hands-on with many upcoming PC games including Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox Software. You’ll also be able to discover new indie titles in The Leftfield Collection, sponsored by SEGA.

Developers including Total War producers Creative Assembly and Project Zomboid creators The Indie Stone will also be on hand to show their work to the public and take questions in Developer Sessions, which are sure to be of interest to Train2Game students.

Rezzed takes place in Brighton on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July with tickets on sale at http://www.rezzedgameshow.com/

“Following last year’s hugely successful fourth Eurogamer Expo, we’re broadening our horizons for 2012 by introducing a new summer event to highlight the best of PC and indie games,” said Rupert Loman, Managing Director of organiser Eurogamer Network Ltd.

“PC and indie games are enjoying huge success now after years in the ascendancy and we want to draw more attention to that fact and give people the opportunity to get up close to the biggest names and games before they’re released.”

More games, speakers and activities will be announced in the run up to the show, with more information available on the official Rezzed website.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for more news about Rezzed.

Will you be attending the Brighton event?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: PC is best platform to begin making games for says Bleszinski

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Train2Game students looking to kick start a career in making indie games should develop games for PC. That’s according to Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, who gave advice to the game developers of tomorrow at a panel session at GDC.

“Xbox Live and PSN, skip both of them because you’re at Sony or Microsoft’s will as to what’s on the dashboard. iOS, maybe, but you have to have Apple’s approval, there’s too much piracy on Android, no one has a Windows phone, Kickstarter’s wonderful, go Tim Schafer. I would go with the PC.” he said.

It’s not the first time Bleszinski has given advice to aspiring game developers, with the Train2Game Blog previously reporting that the Epic man suggests game developers need to make themselves stand out.

“First and foremost, make a great game but also have a personality. Be the guy with the hip glasses, with the one gauge earring and the gamer tattoo all the way to the sleeves with a skateboard. Stand out.” he said.

Keep up with Cliff Bleszinski here on The Train2Game Blog.

Train2Game and Epic Games are working together to host Make Something Unreal Live, a contest taking place at The Gadget Show live which will see one Train2Game student team walk away with a licensed Unreal Development Kit.  Find out more here on The Train2Game Blog.

So, what are your thoughts on Bleszinski’s advice? Do you agree that the PC is the best platform for indie devs to begin with?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.


Train2Game news: Indie game Dear Esther reaches 50,000 sales in first week

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Train2Game Blog readers will have seen that experimental indie title Dear Esther sold 16,000 copies in its first 24 hours on sale.

Of course, sales didn’t stop there as developers Thechineseroom have revealed 50,000 copies of Dear Esther were sold in the first seven days after release.

“You may have seen the news that we repaid Indie Fund within 6 hours of launch, as the game has been successful far beyond our expectations. This is great, as it shows that there’s a real audience for this type of work, and responses have been amazing.” wrote developer Dan Pinchbeck on the Dear Esther website.

“Not only have we received amazingly positive reviews, but the response from fans has been outstanding. Within one week of launch, we sold over 50,000 copies of the game, which is an extraordinary amount for an indie release.” he said, before adding that patches and updates for Dear Esther are on the way.

The news should encourage Train2Game students, as it shows that it’s still very possible for an indie game to be successful.  More information about the game that started life as a Half-Life 2 mod is here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on the success of Dear Esther? Have you played it? If so, what did you think?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.