Tag Archives: Minecraft

Train2Game news: Minecraft 1.1 update released

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft may have been officially released, but that doesn’t mean game development has stopped, with Mojang releasing update 1.1. for their hugely popular title.

The updates, posted on the Mojang Blog, include improvements to bows, new recipies, and sheep now being able to regrow their wool. Minecraft update 1.1 also fixes a number of bugs. It just goes to show that even when a game is released, the game design process isn’t finished.

Train2Game students can watch the video from Mojang below, which describes all of the new updates.

As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, Jen Bergensten is now Minecraft lead designer, having taken over from creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson last month.

For more about the indie sensation that is Minecraft, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Minecraft update? How important is it for developers to keep working on games, even after they’re released?

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

Train2Game news: Minecraft’s Notch steps down, replaced by ‘mod friendly’ Jens Bergensten

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game forum users have a special place for Minecraft, so many of them will be interested to hear that creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson is leaving his position as the games’ lead designer to rest and work on a new project.

Mojang developer Jens Bergensten will be taking over the position of Minecraft lead designer, Notch posted on his blog.

“As of yesterday, Jens Bergensten is the new lead developer on Minecraft. He will have the final say in all design decisions, so he will kinda sorta become my boss, I guess. I’ve promised him to not pull rank” wrote Notch, who has high praise of Bergensten, revealing a little about the game design process at Mojang.

“We’ve been working together on Minecraft for a year now, and I’m amazed at how much in synch we two are when it comes to how to design the game” he said.

“And when we don’t agree, we discuss it and something much better comes out at a result. He’s truly a great person to work with, and I feel very confident handing over the leadership of Minecraft to him.”

Notch told Gamasutra that Bergensten will mean more modding opportunities for Minecraft.

“He’s exactly what Minecraft needs right now. He’s a bit more mod friendly than I am, and we need to embrace mods more.” he said.

So Notch will still be involved with Minecraft, which finally received its full release earlier this month. It’s been downloaded over 4 million times since it was made available in its Alpha stage of development. Not bad for a completely independent studio.

For more about Minecraft, see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Notch stepping down as lead developer of Minecraft?

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

Train2Game news: Your Minecraft creation could feature in the official Minecon trailer

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students who’ve made custom Minecraft skins could see them feature in an official trailer at Minecon, the Minecraft convention taking place in Las Vegas next month.

Indie sensation Minecraft is popular on the Train2Game forum, so there’ll no doubt be some Train2Game students who want to get involved in the contest.

To celebrate Minecon, Minecraft trailer producers, The Hat Films, are giving fans the opportunity to see their custom skins feature in the official trailer.

“We will randomly be selecting subscribers from our Youtube channel and messaging the winners for their Minecraft user names, so that we may tear the skin from your virtual blocky bodies and thrust them upon NPCs in game.” said a Walrus representing The Hat Films in their video announcement, which Train2Game students can see below.

Train2Game students could therefore potentially see their custom Minecraft skin seen at the convention which will coincide with the ‘full’ release of Mojang’s title.

Despite still being in beta, Minecraft has been purchased over three million times. For more information on the full release of Minecraft, see this post on the Train2Game blog.

The popularity of Minecraft saw developers Mojang walk away with the ‘Downloadable Game of the Year’ at the Golden Joysticks.  The success of Minecraft provides inspiration for many Train2Game students.

So Train2Game, have you produced Minecraft skins? Will you enter the contest?

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

[Source: PC Gamer]

Train2Game news: Portal 2 wins ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ at Golden Joystick Awards

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game students will know Portal 2 as a great example of game design and may be pleased to hear that the puzzle title has been named Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards.

The event took place at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London.

The Train2Game blog has previously reported that Valve regard Portal 2 as their best single player game, and it seems the general gaming public agree having voted it as Ultimate Game of the Year.  Portal 2 was UK No.1 for 2 weeks earlier this year.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim walked away with the ‘One to Watch’ award, regarded by many as the second biggest award of the night, while Call of Duty: Black Ops took the award for Best Shooter.

FIFA 11 fought of PES 2011 to win the Best Sports Game Award, while Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft took Downloadable Game of the Year. Sonic the Hedgehog won the Golden Joystick for Outstanding Contribution.

Train2Game students can see the full list of winners below:

Action/Adventure Game of the Year:  Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)

Mobile Game of the Year: Angry Birds Rio (Rovio)

Roleplay Game of the Year: Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks)

MMO  Game of the Year: World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

Fighting Game of the Year: Mortal Kombat  (Warner Bros. Interactive)

Racing Game of the Year: Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)

Sports Game of the Year: FIFA 11 (EA Sports)

Strategy Game of the Year: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment)

Music Game of the Year: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Activision)

Free-to-play Game of the Year: League of Legends (Riot Games)

Downloadable Game of the Year: Minecraft (Mojang)

Shooter Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)

One To Watch: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)

Innovation of the Year: Nintendo 3DS

Outstanding Contribution: Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA)

Ultimate Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (Valve)

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Golden Joystick Awards? Is Portal 2 a worthy winner? Who did you vote for?

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

Train2Game News, Minecraft passes 10 million registered users

Posted on by
Reply

The Train2Game blog has kept a close eye on the progress of indie sensation Minecraft, which as reported last month has reached over 2.5 million sales. Minecraft has long has a cult forum among Train2Game forum users.

The game has hit yet another milestone, with over 10 million people now having registered to play the free version of Minecraft. The free version doesn’t receive the regular updates the full-game does, such as the “adventure mode” as reported by the Train2Game blog.

Currently over 2.7 million people have bought the Beta version of Minecraft, with the full release coming later this year.  Imagine if the free-to-play Minecraft users all bought the full version, Notch would become even richer!

As reported by the Train2Game blog, we’ll also see an Xbox 360 version of Minecraft towards the end of this year. Minecraft is also heading to smartphones, there will be no escaping it!

Minecraft can act as a massive inspiration to Train2Game students as to how successful an indie game can now be thanks to digital distribution and word of mouth. Last week the Train2Game reported that Mojang’s next title, Scrolls, will follow the same release pattern.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the continued success of Minecraft? If you’re playing the free version, why are you sticking to it?

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

[Source: PC Gamer]

Mojang’s Scrolls to follow same release strategy as Minecraft

Posted on by
Reply

Regular Train2Game blog readers will be highly aware of the success of indie game Minecraft, as well as its huge following among Train2Game forum users.

Some of them have been there since they purchased Minecraft when it was in Alpha, or in its current Beta form, and Mojang have revealed that their next game, Scrolls, will follow the same pattern.

“With our new game, Scrolls, we’ll follow the same formula as Minecraft,” said Mojang’s Daniel Kaplan while speaking at GameLab in Barcelona.  “That means we’ll release the game very early, at the minimal playable state.”

That means people will pay for it, play it, and give feedback from a very early stage, in essence, almost asking like a QA Tester. Kaplan also revealed that Scrolls has a five person development team.

“That sounds like a small team, but it’s very big for us. One thing that means is we’re going to have to outsource art,” he added.

As reported by the Train2Game blog earlier this month, Minecraft for the Xbox 360 IS being developed by Dundee based 4J Studios, and Kaplan says it’ll be quite different to the PC version.

“I don’t think we can have the exact same experience because of the lack of a keyboard, so we’re going to do a complete overhaul of the user interface, and make sure it works on a 360 controller.”

Kaplan also commented on the prospect of Mojang publishing games by other indie studios, something the Train2Game blog revealed the developer was thinking of last month.

“We’re looking for people with a similar structure [to Mojang],” he said. “People who are very passionate about what they’re doing. We’re also looking for games that last longer, and treat games as a service, like Minecraft does.”

“And of course, [they need to have] passion,” he added. “A lot of people join the game industry because of passion, but you should also learn that that’s what it takes to stay there.”

That last statement could describe many Train2Game students who are very passionate about finding work in the games industry.

So Train2Game, what do you think of Scrolls release structure? Will it mirror the success of Minecraft? And will you be jumping in straight away?

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

[Source: Gamasutra]

Minecraft for Xbox 360 being developed by British Studio

Posted on by

The Xbox 360 version of Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft is being developed by Dundee based team 4J Studios.

The news was confirmed in a Tweet by Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, which said “They ported Oblivion to PS3 and Perfect Dark to Xbox360! It’s 4J Studios:http://t.co/vG8Np8n”

As reported by the Train2Game blog, the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft will come with Kinect support.

Earlier this week, the Train2Game blog reported that Minecraft, despite still being in Beta, has been bought and downloaded over 2.5 million times.

The indie smash hit is also heading to smartphones, as  also previously mentioned by the Train2Game blog.

The news of the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft being developed in the UK comes as the Train2Game blog revealed SEGA are opening a new studio in the Midlands.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the news?

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

Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft passes 2.5 million sales

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft has now passed over 2.5 million sales. The news was confirmed by Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson via Twitter.

“2.5 million sales! That’s as much as Diablo 1 and FarCry, according to Wikipedia.” he said.

The numbers aren’t bad at all for a game that’s still in it’s BETA testing period and, as reported by the Train2Game blog, Minecraft will be getting a full release later this year.

The game will also be appearing on a variety of systems, with the Train2Game blog previously mentioning that Minecraft will be appearing on the Xbox 360 with full Kinect support. The indie smash hit is also heading to smartphones, as reported by the Train2Game blog.

Minecraft is a testament to Train2Game students that you don’t need to be working for a huge studio to be successful in the industry, and that producing indie games could be the way forward.

Yesterday, the Train2Game blog revealed that the 1.7 patch will add Game Design and modding elements to Minecraft.

So Train2Game, why do you think Minecraft has been so successful? Does it inspire you? Are you still playing?

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

Minecraft 1.7 patch to add “adventure” and modding to Train2Game forum user favourite

Posted on by
Reply

The 1.7 patch for Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft is named the adventure update in what appears to be a move towards adding goals to the cult indie game.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Minecraft creator Notch suggested achievements might be introduced as a way of giving a narrative Game Design to the title. Writing on his blog, Notch says:

“We are working on Minecraft Beta 1.7, which I’m referring to as the “adventure update”. We’re keeping the details secret so people can get surprises. The idea with this update is to flesh out the game a bit, making it reward exploration and combat more.”

He also added that Mojang will be adding modding support to Minecraft in the near future.

“We’re starting the modding support on a small scale with 1.7. We’ll be giving the source code out to a very VERY small group of people before the release of 1.7. We’ll use those experiences to work out the final details, then we’ll get the modding api out as soon as possible after 1.7 has been released.”

As previously mentioned on the Train2Game blog, modding can potentially provide aspiring game developers with the hands on experience required to get into the games industry.

And in a recent Train2Game blog interview, Red Faction: Armageddon Lead Level Designer Jameson Durall also stressed the importance of modding for those who want to improve their skills.

If Minecraft modding becomes more widely available, it could be a dream for Train2Game students.

Notch also reveals the Xbox 360 and Xperia Play versions of Minecraft are both entirely new titles, which he’ll be working as a Game Designer on. He adds that he remains focused on the PC version of Minecraft.

For more information about Minecraft on the Xbox 360, see the Train2Game blog.

It’s worth remembering that despite still officially being in Beta, Minecraft has been downloaded over 2 million times.

So Train2Game, what do you want to see in the “adventure update”? Will it change the Game Design? And if given the opportunity, would you create Minecraft mods?

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

[Source:  The Word of Notch]

Train2Game forum user favourite Minecraft coming to Xbox 360, Kinect compatible

Posted on by
Reply

Train2Game forum user favourite, and testament to how successful indie games can now be, Minecraft is coming to the Xbox 360.

The news was confirmed at Microsoft’s E3 presentation, and you can read more about what else is coming for the Xbox 360 here on the Train2Game blog.

Meanwhile, Notch himself as confirmed some information about Minecraft on the Xbox 360. The title itself will be Kinect compatible, but as of yet there’s no specific information about how motion control will be implemented into one of Train2Game forum users favourite games. All that Notch says on the matter is:

“You will be able to play it without Kinect BUT WITH THE POWER OF KINECT YOU WILL FEEL CLOSER TO YOUR GAME THAN EVAR BEFORE AND ALSO IT SAVES KITTENS”

The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft is a separate project to the original, which Notch writes won’t be a straight port. A team of progammers from a studio separate to Mojang will be taking care of the Game Developer side of things, while Notch will be the Minecraft Xbox 360 Game Designer.

He also reaffirms his commitment to the PC, something many Train2Game students will be happy about.

Originally a PC title, as reported by the Train2Game blog Minecraft will also be heading to smartphones in future. The game – still officially in BETA testing – has been downloaded over 2 million times making developer Notch a multimillionaire.

For more information about Minecraft – as of Train2Game students need it! – see the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Minecraft for the Xbox 360? How do you think Kinect will be implemented? Does it interest you?

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

[Source: Reddit]