Train2Game News: A round up of tech from CES

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

The Consumers Electronics Show is coming to a close and Train2Game are bringing you the news of some of the most interesting technology to come out of the show.

Valves media named Steam Box was finally confirmed at the show after much speculation through 2012. Valve has invested in computer manufacture Xi3 who will be developing a special customised PC designed to bring Steam to the living room.

The box, codenamed Piston, will offer up to 1TB of internal storage and the ability to upgrade components like the RAM and CPU in the future, a spokesperson told Polygon. Valve will also be making its own Steam Box in-house, and they’ll be a few more from other PC manufacturers too.

It is currently rumored to have 4-8 GB of DDR3 RAM and a quad-core 64-bit, x86-based 32nm processor running at up to 3.2GHz with 4MB of Level2 Cache.

A new tablet from Asus was announced at the show but this is a tablet with a difference.

The Asus Transformer AiO is a standard tablet running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) from an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor but you can take it home and connect it to its stand and it becomes a desktop PC running Windows 8 running on a Core i3 processor and Nvidia GT 730M GPU.

The trick is the stand, which has its own array of USB ports and a built-in 1TB hard disk. The tablet itself has 16GB flash memory.

Another exciting tablet that was announced this year was the Razer Edge which is optimised for gaming.

The Razer Edge is a Windows 8 tablet, but a ferociously powerful one with the sort of tech you would expect to find in a gaming laptop. The standard model has a Core i5 processor, an NVidia GT640M LE GPU, 4GB of RAM and a 64GB solid state drive, while the Edge Pro has a Core i7 processor instead, 8GB of RAM and either a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive.

The tablet can also be plugged into a Gamepad Controller, which comes complete with two Wii Nunchuk-style handles featuring two analogue sticks, a D-Pad and a variety of face buttons.

Sony Xperia Z was the smart phone announcement to look at for gamers. It’s only 7mm thin, has a 1080p 5-inch screen and is packing a beast of a quad-core Qualcomm processor with 2GB of RAM.

According to Sony, the Xperia Z is the most powerful phone it’s ever made and the first it’s had a strong say in since it took over manufacturing from Ericsson, and it also claims that while it’s running Android 4.1 instead of 4.2, its own “skin” is very minimal and it should be easy to upgrade the OS in the future.

It is set to be an incredibly powerful phone with a good battery life thanks to Sony’s new technology that apparently draws very little power while in sleep mode.

Train2Game News: Games Industry jobs – 09.01.13

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

It’s a brand new year with brand new jobs for Train2Game students!

DEVELOPER

Job Title	Generalist Programmer
Job Category	Programming
Skills Required	Programming
Location	Brighton, South East
Job Description	Our Client is an independent studio that makes games, apps and interactive media for multiple platforms. The management team have graduated from some of the industry’s elite development studios, and have a wealth of experience across multiple disciplines and platforms. From graduate level through to lead positions our client is looking to fill a number of broad reaching roles. We are currently engaged with a number of partners with our work ranging from Mobile to Browser based games / app development. The successful candidate will join an experienced development team and will gain industry-leading experience on various emerging platforms. Skills Range If you have experience in any of the following areas, please get in touch! Lua C# C++ Objective-C JavaScript and HTML5 Unity 3D iOS / Android development ActionScript 3.0 and Flash Salary: Based on Experience Attendance: Full-Time Additional Information: This is a full-time contract role based in our Hove office, contracts range from 6 – 12 months. Permanent positions are also available to the right candidates. If you are interested in applying, please contact Mark Hope for more details: mark@aswift.com or 01709 834 777

DESIGN

Job Title	Mobile Games Designer – Midlands UK – £Neg DOE – Mobile Games
Job Category	Game Design
Skills Required	Game Design
Location	Midlands
Job Description	Location: Midlands Salary: £Negotiable DOE Job Type: Permanent Project: AAA games This Midlands based independent studio has helped create and build some of the biggest game franchises in games over the past 16 years. Over the last three years they have developed and self-published nine games on the iOS and Android Stores all brand-new IPs achieving worldwide features and fantastic chart success Metacritic and player ratings. Their games have been downloaded by over 9 million people so far with repeated success in reaching #1 ‘All Apps’ in multiple territories. Having recently moved to their new studio in Warwick they are in need of at least one experienced mobile games designer to work on their unannounced titles The successful candidate will have shipped multiple game titles across all mobile platforms. You will be passionate have an excellent understanding of what makes a great game and a strong knowledge of game balancing and pacing. You will be working alongside other amazingly talented team members to create great gaming experiences aimed towards a variety of audiences. Duties/Responsibilities: • Define the overall creative vision and specific feature requirements to the team. • Communicate the overall creative vision and specific feature requirements to the team. • Write clear and concise game design documents. • Drive the initial prototyping tuning gameplay pacing and first user experience and difficulty ramp of a mobile game. • Research develop and design new games and features. • Analyze and improve existing game mechanics and features based on playability user preferences and trends. • Provide expert knowledge and implementation on social/mobile mechanics. • Make sure the games are fun! Skills/Experience Required: • Must have mobile games design experience preferably ios and Android or other handheld (DS/3DS…) • Awareness of Social Gaming and ideally have been involved in the creation of a social game using multiple purchase mentality • Proven track record of successful game design from concept through to implementation • Unity experience would prove an advantage For the opportunity to be part of this team please send your cv (MS Word Format) and work examples FAO Catherine to officemanager@opmjobs.com or call +44 1206 214416

ART

Job Title	Game UI Artist
Job Category	Art / Animation
Skills Required	2D / Concept / Texture Artist, UI Artist
Location	Warwick, Warwickshire, Midlands
Job Description	Position Overview: • This position involves designing and creating 2D Artwork and Graphics for our Games. In game and UI elements for primarily iOS and Android platforms. Key Responsibilities: • Working with the entire Development team to design and implement focussed, practical solutions within a realistic time frame. • Design Icons and logos within the style constraints of the product. • Work efficiently and at a speed representative of the platform. • To be responsible for all 2D art aspects of any given project • Be able to create all levels of Art from palette controlled pixel sprites up to hi Res Marketing Assets. Skills and Experience: • Excellent 2D background, including ideally pixel work. • Use of Photoshop and Illustrator. • Willing to work with Engineers to work within the technical limitations of the platform. • Self Organised and willing to participate in team meetings. • The ability to draught out a variety of concepts styles at speed to fit within the design constraints before game assets are created. To find out more information and apply you can contact them HERE.

Type:	Permanent
Location:	Edinburgh
Salary:	Competitive
Company:	Rockstar North
Contact:	Michelle McKnight
Posted:	09/10/2012 10:12:00
Reference:	GR/GR/GR/Test

Rockstar North is looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to join our Games Test teams in Edinburgh. You will be expected to play through our latest games looking for problems and reporting errors, to ensure game quality before release.

Responsibilities

You will be finding and reproducing bugs, errors or problems in-game as directed. The role will require accurate, detailed and complete reporting to the required standards and subsequent revision of those errors or problems.

Qualifications

Successful applicants will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and enjoy working as part of a team. You will have good general computer skills and be a confident learner working with word processing, databases and spreadsheets. You will be able to show consistent attention to detail and have the ability to remain focussed when approaching repetitive tasks. We will be looking for flexibility regarding unsociable and extended working hours to meet the demands of the role.

Additional Information

Candidates must be 18 years of age and above and provide two references. The position will be a full-time short term contract. Applicants will preferably be educated to further or higher education standards.

This is a two stage application process. You will first be asked to complete an application pack from which you may be asked to attend an interview.

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE VIA www.rockstargames.com/jobs

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012- October to December

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

The last bit of this year has been just as busy as the rest, with Microsoft announcing that Train2Game are one of their sponsors for their new Power Up competition.

Train2Game are also offering a prize for the Power Up competition of a large amount of PR to make sure who ever wins will get a lot of attention from the industry and the public which will highly increase the winners job prospects.

Train2Game also attended this years Eurogamer.

In the Train2Game booth at Eurogamer the public was able to play the winning game from the World Record winning Game Jam, Royal Rush. The player that got the highest score on the game that day won a prize and of course bragging rights.

You can watch the video of Train2Games time at Eurogamer below:

It has been a pleasure to bring you all the news since I started back in September and I do hope you have all enjoyed reading it. I will continue to bring you all the latest news and updates from the industry we love and bring you many more interviews from fellow students and industry professionals.

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012 – July to September

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

The third quarter was probably the biggest for Train2Game, it was in September that we got in to the Guinness World Record books.

Microsoft sponsored the third Train2Game Game Jam in September and this one was the biggest game jam in the world with just under 300 participants.

It was also here that the Students got to test out Windows 8, before its release, for its game making potential. In the lead up to the Jam, students were put in to teams and worked together to learn how the operating system worked. Once at the 48 hour event they were raring to go and put what they had learned to the test.

When the event started the Students were given a theme to work from, following the great year England has had with the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee it was only natural that the theme was Pride Of London. This turned out a number of great games and the majority of them have now been released on to the Windows 8 app store for all to play.

The winner of the event was a game called Royal Rush by a team known as Retro Metro. The game saw you play as a cyclist dodging the busy London traffic and picking up coins. It is a nice, fun addictive little game based on elements of the arcade classic, Frogger.

Retro Metro won quite a hefty prize including a new phone, a few games, Microsoft points and most importantly of all, a trip to Rare studios where they will be able to present their portfolio and get valuable advice.

You can relive or experience the event for the first time in the video below:

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012 – April to June

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Train2Game at Gadget Show Live gets a surprise visit from a Dr Who Dalek

The second quarter of 2012 was especially good for me as it was in April that The Gadget Show live was held.

The Make Something Unreal Live was possibly the biggest thing Train2Game had done up to that point. It brought much media coverage and gave the students involved a highly valuable experience.

The 4 teams at the event got to meet such industry professionals as CliffyB, then from Epic Studios, Peter Molyneux who had just launched 22Cans and Jon Hare the man behind Sensible Software,

The event started in November of 2011 following a Train2Game Game Jam which was sponsored by Epic. The top 4 teams from there then had 6 months to create a game which was to be released on the iOS store.

The games that were created were based on the Fighting Fantasy books. This gave the teams more time as it took story creation out of the equation and it already had an existing fan base to work from.

You can check out the video from the 2012 Make Something Unreal Live contest below:

Train2Game News: Train2Game in 2012 – January to March

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

2012 has been a good year for Train2Game and the students and I am going to take you through some of the best bits.

At the end of January some Train2Game students entered a game jam in Scotland.

The Scottish Game Jam is part of Global Game Jam 2012 and at the event Train2Game Art & Animation students Fiona Stewart and Corinna Bruce were winners of the Best Art Award at the Scottish Game Jam.

It was at this jam where the game Shplem was created and nominated for a BAFTA award.

The first quarter of the year was also the run up to the Make Something Unreal Live competition.

Four student studios: Commando Kiwi, Derp Studios, Digital Mage and Indigo Jam were working hard trying to get together their games which were based on the Fighting Fantasy books which would be displayed at The Gadget Show live in April.

It is a time I remember well as I was a proud member of Digital Mage and it was one of the greatest times of my life.

Possibly the most important part of early 2012 was the government announcing that they would implement the Games Tax Relief. Just the mere announcement of this has seen the games industry grow to new heights.

Train2Game News: Train2Game Radio interviews Matthew Greenwood

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Train2Game Radio interviewed Matthew Greenwood, the developer for Road Hog Games. He tells us his coding experience and how he got together with Road Hog Games.

You can follow Road Hog Games on Facebook here or on twitter @roadhoggames

You can listen to the interview here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1118876-train2game-student-matthew-greenwood-talks-to-mark-t2g-radio

Or read the transcript below:

Hey I’m Matthew Greenwood, I’m from Surrey and I’m doing the Developer course with Train2Game.

Hello Matthew, how you doing?
I’m not to bad

So tell me what’s your story? What are the past experiences that have shaped your life?
Right well from a very young age I have kind of been forced, as it were, in to programming. When most people were getting their first CD’s, I got my very first Spectrum +2, 48k BASIC and if ever I wanted to do anything I have always had to write it myself. Pretty much had to grow up and effectively write my own things since I was about 8 years old and of course at that age, games. Everyone else was playing Super Mario Brothers and I was playing my own version of it.

So you have always been making games then and have always been interested in that?
Yeah, I started off at a young age playing games and making my own versions of them. I kind of got more in to developing websites and doing all the background server programming stuff for various different companies. I’ve pretty much been solely into programming really since a very young age.

What is it you do for a living now?
I’m actually a software engineer for a brand management company. We do an online brand management system for the likes of various big companies.

Do you think that helps your game development at all or is it a completely different sort of thing that you have to keep swapping between?
Programming wise, most of it is very similar. The work that I do in the actual Train2Game course has actually helped me greatly with a lot of new stuff that I have had to take on at work. It’s kinda helped both ways

What is the most dramatic and/or exciting thing you have done in your life?
I think the biggest thing so far is attending the Game Jam with Train2Game.

Is that the most recent one, the one with Microsoft?
Yeah that was the World Record attempt.

Yeah, how did you find that?
That was an absolute nightmare! It was brilliant fun, I met lots of great people but I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I was pretty much behind that computer non stop. For the few times I did leave the computer I had a few people staring at me because my eyes were just getting redder and redder over the weekend.

So was it at the Game Jam you met the other people of Road Hog or was that a different way you got together?
Yeah, Terry and Gareth were both part of the same team for the Game Jam, Team 46, and we came up with a game called Monumental but we never actually had an artist at all during the Game Jam, so we spent most of the time getting photos off Google I think it was and various other places. We became really good friends and now we are off to do this and I think either Gareth or Terry found Amy, who is now our resident artist and it’s helped us greatly in lots of ways for the new game.

Excellent. So finally, what is your greatest ambition for your career. Where do you want to go with it?
That’s a big one. I think I would actually like to be able to work for myself and to be able to pick and choose what sorts of projects I want to work on rather than having to work on everything because you need the money in the door.

Excellent! Well thank you very much for your time Matthew!
Thank you very much.

Train2Game News: Student Diaries – 13.12.11

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

There are a few Train2Game students on work placement at DR Studios. Below is some diaries of how they are getting on.

Amanda Blatch week 12

Soooooo…. Diary this week. You know.. I think it’s kind of slipped my mind what I did last week, it passed by so quickly! There was a lot of work to do and that got done as we are sticking more strictly to our deadlines of getting a new build out every Friday so we had a game to play over the weekend. With the latest build you can really tell the game is starting to come together and a couple of new features have been added into the game that helps move the game along at a speed that would be enjoyable for the player without being too easy. Overall, it’s looking very good atm with all the updates and changes to the game.

On top of that I have had more of a break in my usual UI making process, creating a couple new characters for the game which will form part of an exclusive content pack on release date. The splash screen itself has also had an almost completely new do-over and is much more polished and finalised, ready for promotion.

But apart from that there is not much more I can say, the game is close to being finished, we just need to keep pushing that little bit further to make the game the best we can make it! So, again, till next week.

Craig Moore Student Diary Week 55

What day is it?

It’s been a pretty intensive week here, trying to ensure that two builds go out a week while constantly improving and bug fixing is certainly akin to juggling cars. It’s been a smooth one though with very few hiccups and the build is going from strength to strength, I think our big focus next week will be to crush some of the gameplay blocking bugs that are really getting in the way of heavy play testing.

As with previous weeks I have been working closely with Tim to ensure new features get in to the game, it’s a really effective approach that ensures we are working on the same thing but each to our own abilities and insures rapid iteration and turnaround of features.

It feels like we have had this game under wraps for ages now, and in reality it is, it’s been a good six months and I cannot wait to show it to the world! I feel like we have taken everything that made My Sea Park cool and turned it up to 11 while adding some cool little features that I genuinely have never seen before in games of this genre.

Also don’t fret! This one is coming to both iOS and Android.

Getting this kind of experience and exposure is something I could never dreamed of getting 18 months ago, but here I am. It’s a lot of hard work but I would not change it for the world.

Craig

Matty WS week 53

This week has been quite busy again as usual; I’ve been remaking a few assets here and there and redoing some older animations that weren’t up to scratch. Over the weekends I’ve been playtesting the game as well as other games for ‘market research’. I’m finding Hayday pretty fun annoyingly. I’ve also been playing chess more lately because of Social Chess on the iPad, but before that I used to play a game a day or more sometimes, so now it’s just a case of playing multiple games each day over time. I also caved and bought things on the iPad, Red alert and LSAW (land sea air warfare, tis an RTS). The store is so expensive though! Everything on android is cheap or free, cannot see why it’s not the same for iDevices.

The next project (although still up in the air) is starting to sound pretty awesome now and I really cannot wait for it to start!

MattyWS

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 12.12.12

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

The Train2Game blog has once again been searching the internet and has found some of the biggest news from across the week.

The Rapid2D engine has gone live as of yesterday following its demonstration at the Evolve conference in London. Rapid2D is designed to help developers create apps for PC, tablet and Windows Phone 8 through the Windows 8 Marketplace. The engine uses C++ for scripting, and includes features such as physics, visual effects, sound particle systems, collision control and animated sprites. As well as the free version of Rapid2D, there will also be extra add-ons, upgrades and a pro-version available to developers.

Randy Pitchford, one of the developers behind Borderlands 2 has confirmed that there will be a new character class coming as DLC. Mr Pitchford previously said it was unlikely because of the amount of extra work the Mechromancer class took. The news was revealed after someone tweeted the developer saying “My mate says you won’t” to which Randy replied, “yes – we’re working on another character.” It’s as simple as that.

PopCap, the team behind hit casual games such as Plants v Zombies has announced that they are now working on a AAA title. The news comes following a tweet and job posting from PopCap. The game is a console game, inspired by Team Fortress 2. The job posting confirms that the game will use the Frostbite 2 engine, which is becoming more and more popular.

The final issues of PSM3 and Xbox World have gone on sale today. One of the many features in the last PSM3 magazine is a feature written by editor Dan Dawkins talking about the making of’ PSM3, office secrets, the highs and lows, how things have changed and how the future looks. Meanwhile Xbox World rounds up the biggest, loudest, saddest, funniest, most shocking moments in Xbox history and gives GTA5, arguably the biggest Xbox game of 2013, one final, epic preview.

Rovio has announced plans to release an Angry Birds feature film in the summer of 2016 and it will be in 3D so you can feel what those bad piggies go through. Despicable Me producer John Cohen has signed on as producer for the CG-animated movie, while David Maisel, former chairman of Marvel Studios and executive producer of Iron Man, will serve as executive producer. The movie will be produced and financed by Rovio outside of the studio system, allowing the Finnish company to retain full creative control of the project. Over 100 billion Angry Birds games have been downloaded since the games début in 2009.

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 11.12.12