Tag Archives: Student

Train2game News Train2Game students creating own Game Jam

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Free Game Jam organised by Train2Game students, for Train2Game students will take place 27th May. Train2Game also helping to create and support the event.

Students looking to improve their skills and network have created their own game jam. Train2Game is helping the initiative with advice and publicising the event on its channels. The game jam will be remote, with participants getting involved over the web from any location.

Participants can create their own teams or sign up via the Team Speak channel and form teams on the group. Those taking part can suggest a theme that will then be selected at the beginning of the event. Judges for the competition will be made of students past and present. All entries will be visible on the forum, where students can vote on their favourite.

Students can use their entries to gain experience and for use in their portfolios. They will also find a network of friends that could become professional contacts in the future. Train2Game is also offering a gaming laptop to the winning team.

Train2Game student and head of Game Marmalade, Slinks said: ‘I decided to do a Game Jam because I was egged on by my fellow students, late at night in my Teamspeak channel. There is a slightly selfish element to putting this event on as well, as I’m also looking out for my future. If I can’t get a new future in game art, I might be able to get a new future in online event organisation. It’s another string to my bow.’

‘Obviously everyone in the Teamspeak channel is interested and I’ve got a team together. But I think this is going to be a slow burner. People are only just learning more about the event as the post I put up this evening has much more information, answers many more questions and gives a better structure for the event. Once people have read and digested the post, I’m hoping it’ll kick things off.’

‘There are many benefits for students such as, learning to work as a team, experience working to a deadline, improving communication skills, discovering your strengths and weaknesses, learning to work under pressure, problem solving, learning how you cope with stress, the sense of achievement when you complete the project, new friendships, new teams, a potential studio, the possibilities are endless. But by forging some strong alliances through events like this now, we give ourselves the best opportunity to be successful in the future as this is how studios are formed.’

‘Not only will you have examples of your own work to show prospective employers, you’ll also have an example or that work in action. Being involved in a team project also demonstrates you are capable of being a team player and possess some of the qualities listed above. So I believe getting involved in Game Marmalade with be good for a student’s portfolio’s and their C.V.’

‘People can help by getting their own teams together and registering them with me as soon as possible. Also if there are any students out there who would like to be involved but can’t make the event, I’m looking for judges so I need to hear from these people as soon as possible as well.’

‘People can sign up with me by sending all the details of their team and a theme to me and I’m holding regular meets in my channel every Friday. People can come to the channel on any other evening as well, I try to be in there most evening around 7pm but people pop in and out at all hours so apart from Friday it’s a case of drop by and see who’s about.’

A spokesman for Train2Game added, ‘This initiative demonstrates a key part of developing students into team players for the modern games industry. Train2Game will be offering a magnificent gamers laptop as the top prize for this Game Jam.’

Email event organiser: slinky.dink68@outlook.com

Find out more about the event on the Train2Game forum: http://forum.train2game.com/showthread.php/22512-Game-Marmalade-A-Game-Jam-by-students-for-students-May-Bank-Holiday

For more information contact: mark@train2game.com

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Train2game News MG Games looking for new team members

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Student Games Developers looking for applications to grow studio
Michael McGurk from Northern Ireland seeks new members to join his team, which has released three titles and has another on the way.

This student team is rapidly releasing titles, which are great for portfolios and they could make the next big hit.

The team is looking for new members to expand MG Games and release more titles. It’s looking for an artist and someone to help them build titles in Construct. It’s a two man team at the moment and Michael’s father is the third voluntary member.

The team has released three games already, working on its next bigger one, which is why they need additional support. MG Games plans to expand to make larger games in the future, the next release is coming in two months’ time, with support from new team members.

Michael is a Train2Game student and enjoying the course. He’s balanced creating games alongside his studies. The team likes working on its own titles as means it can deliver the game it wants to, retaining control of what they produce and their production timeline. The benefits for new joiners will be experience and work for portfolio content, and who knows in the future.

Michael is based in Northern Ireland but happy for team members from anywhere in the world.

Michael McGurk, Student Train2Game and head of MG Games, ‘My experience with Train2Game has most definitely been worthwhile and I have enjoyed every minute of it. It has helped me bring my ideas to life and put them into games. Games are my passion and without Train2game I would not have the knowledge I do have in game making. To have created and put my first game out there live, watch the number of plays grow is an indescribable feeling.’

‘I am currently on module D4 lesson 4. The course is slowly coming along, I say slowly because I am taking my time doing the course as I am currently making my fourth game. Its a larger game compared to the other arcade games I have made on the side and is taking a bit of time to do.’

‘I work from home I started MG games so I could build my own gaming company and make my own games I have started MG Games off from scratch. I want to further the company and I would like to give others a chance to use and combine their game ideas and bring them to life.

Currently on the team is myself as the games designer and my dad helps me out with the the art work and the animations. Currently we are making games for browser and mobile devices. Small games such as arcade etc. But in the near future I would like to make bigger games with storylines.’

‘As MG Games expands, I would like to start making bigger and better games with every team member having a say in the games we make. I would like MG games to become a known company, with a large team who is willing to work as a team and express their ideas openly. I would like to have an official studio where all the works will take place as a professional company.’

‘I have worked on four games that are now live on mg-games.itch.io if you would like to take a look and I two more games are in the works. One of which is a larger game and has so far taken me almost seven months to get as far as I have within the game. I’m hoping for this game to go live within the next month or two.’

‘The benefits of working on our own games are that we get to see our games ideas come to life and when the games are done we have the joy of saying we made that. Also we can spend as much time as we want in the making of the games and we are not under any pressure in having the games done for a certain time. No pressure means no mistakes.’

‘I am looking for new members to join MG Games as I said its really only me and more team members will result in better games more games ideas and more fun in making the games and it will help MG Games grow as a company. I would like someone who can do the art work for the games and someone that could work with me building them on construct.’

‘I would like commitment, flexibility and members that are here for the games and the fun of making them and not just for money. The new team members will gain the experience from working in a team, games that they can use on their portfolios and there game ideas being heard and brought to life.’

‘I would like the applicants to show examples of their work, note their strongest and weakest points in game making and what area do they mainly specialise in. I would also like their contact details and to tell me a bit about themselves, why they are applying and what is it that has them interested in this field of work.’

‘If anyone is interested they can email me at mggames0@hotmail.com or messages me over our Facebook page which you can find at this link https://www.facebook.com/MG.Games1/?ref=hl‘

For more information contact mark@train2game.com
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

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Train2game News Student working with Theory Studios

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Ezekiel Morris gaining valuable experience by volunteering with studio and working on film projects.

Student Ezekiel Morris is working with animation collective Theory Studios to gain valuable experience as he embarks on his games making journey.

Ezekiel is working as a concept artist for the US team and not currently employed. He has been working on film projects and hopes the experience will be another string to his bow as he looks to gain full time employment in the future.

Theory Studios is an award-winning studio with a team based around the world, producing: commercials, cartoons, and high-quality visual effects.

Ezekiel Morris, Train2Game student: ‘I’m working as a Concept Artist for the Theory Studios but not employed at this time. I am finding it alright actually.  The people are friendly, down to earth; they have a lot of passion and respect. I’m learning some new stuff, it’s a new opportunities with new people.’

‘I’m experiencing good things. My ambition is to break my own records to outpace my yesterday by being better today, to do my work with more force and power now more than ever. I got the position by networking and volunteering. My advice for others is start networking, volunteering and collaborating on small projects.’

‘Studying with Train2Game I’ve learnt how to use different modelling techniques in 3Ds max to speed up my workflow. I am concentrating on other projects at the moment so my work on the course has slown down.’

‘I’m not working on any games at the moment just Film Animation. But I can’t tell you what the projects are, watch this space.’

http://theorystudios.com

www.train2game.com

For more information contact mark@train2game.com
Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Train2Game student creating Harry Potter character

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Murthy Upadhyayula has designed his own Dobby the House Elf for his wife.

Former student from India who studied the Art and Animation course with Train2Game is working on his portfolio and creating his favourite characters to show off his work.

Murthy enjoyed the course and said it gave him a base of knowledge to build upon.  He studied alongside both of his brothers and they have created games together. His brother Srinath is now studying at a prestigious university in the US. Murthy is currently working in customer services but gaming is still his dream.

Murthy is working on the VFX Model of Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter films,  he’s also creating other pieces for a demo reel. Murthy’s dream is to work in the games industry and he says a strong portfolio is essential in getting recognised.

He told Train2Game that he created the character as it is a favourite of his and his wife told him to! When we asked if he wanted his own house elf, he said ‘A that is really handy but unethical. I’d rather have a house-elf as a friend.’ Which we agree with and we promised EA and JK Rowling about his project.

Murthy Upadhyayula , Train2Game student: ‘My Name is Murthy Upadhyayula (Rambo 85 on the forums). I am from India, currently living in Luton. I am studying the art and animation course.’

‘The course is quite good for beginners trying to understand how the game pipleline works. It gives students a solid foundation which they can use to build upon. I have discontinued the course half-way through. But it must be noted that I had to do it because of reasons beyond my control. After a long gap, I am now back into the scheme of things, and somewhere down the line I may try and finish the course if the opportunity presents itself.’

‘The knowledge I gained from the first two sections of the course proved to be very useful in some of my personal projects as well as making an android games with my brothers titled “Chimping”.’

‘Both my Bros (Bhanu and Srinath) had signed up for the developer course. Srinath was forced to leave the country mid-way through his course as his Visa expired, and he didn’t have enough investment to apply for a Business Visa which was the only option given to him at the time. Thankfully, he got accepted in a prestigious university in United States (Texas), and his experience with Train2Game had played a big part in it. Bhanu continues to study at his own pace.’

‘For the past couple of months I have been working on a VFX model, Dobby from the Harry Potter films. I am also doing some motion graphics, and character animations, all to be compiled into a demo reel.’

‘I simply wanted to create a VFX character that would fit well into modern games as well as film and TV. I thought it is best to show as many skills as I can in one project rather than creating separate portfolios for Games and Film/TV. This way, I can diversify my portfolio.’

‘When I said I was going to create an elf-like character, my wife suggested Dobby as its one of her favourite characters. I jumped on the idea, as I too love the character in the books and in the movies. Besides, anyone who’s married knows that you never say no to your missus.’

‘I have learnt a great deal with this one project. I have been able touch several aspects of the pipeline: sculpting, re-topologising, texturing, shading, compositing, rigging, posing, storytelling, and animation.  I have also researched and came across some useful shortcuts that speed up the creation workflow.’

‘A strong portfolio is the single most important thing according to many of the experts in the industry. I have never heard anyone saying they got a job because a great reading CV. As an artist you are judged based on your portfolio and if you have one that stands out, nothing else really matters.’

‘I would love a full-time position at a games studio. I have tried and failed a lot in the past couple of years, but I am looking forward to another push this year, and hopefully someone notices my latest demo reel and offers me a position. Fingers crossed. I will be updating the website with Dobby images and latest demo reel once it’s ready.’

You will find some of Murthy’s work at http://murthy85.wix.com/artbymurthy

For more information contact mark@train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Student creates Tie Fighter

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Train2Game student 3D models what could be the next Star Wars Tie Fighter

Michael Bird working with US creative Michael Stribling to realise concepts of Star Wars spacecraft

Freelancer and Train2Game graduate Michael Bird is working with US based Creative to create incredible Star Wars 3D spacecraft.  The latest project created is a 3D Tie-Fighter based on the US Designer’s concept of what could be the next Tie Interceptor.

Michael found the original design’s creator on LinkedIn, before contacting him to get permission to develop his concept. Michael added in detail and has made the design game ready.

Michael is a Train2Game graduate who had a positive experience on the course; he’s worked with student studio Derp Studios and is now doing some freelance work.

Michael Bird, Freelance Animator and Designer:  ‘The project that I have just finished was a realised version on the Tie-Fighter from Star Wars films. That honour of the original concept goes to a man called Michael Stribling from the San Francisco Bay Area. I happened upon his concept art on LinkedIn and asked if could maybe build it in 3D and I was lucky enough to get a yes.’

‘I loved the concept and I saw it as a challenge to see if I could build it following someone else’s concept work but using my ideas as to the amount of detail, poly counts and texturing that would make it look like the concept but also to make it efficient for a game engine.’
‘I wouldn’t say spacecraft are a speciality even though I have two in my portfolio, I really want to specialise in asset/prop and environment work but it does show that I can do hard surface work. In truth if someone asks me to build something or if I ask if I can build it then I’ll try it no matter what it is. Every piece is a challenge that I relish.’

‘I am a big Star Wars fan. Always have been and always will be I grew up with Star Wars I think I saw the first film when I was about 9 or 10 and they have been a part of my life ever since to the point that know it word for word.’

‘In regards to the new film, I’m in two minds with it to tell you the truth I think I need to watch it again. It looks beautiful the way they have gone back to the old way of creating the beings that populate the Star Wars world instead of all CGI gives it a more realistic look. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this story goes.’

‘I think the reason Star Wars is so inspiring could be because the underlining story is about good vs evil, Black vs white, that’s something everyone can connect to in their life. Just the thought of having the Force powers or flying the ships it something that I would say everyone would want to do and have in their lifetime at least once.’

‘On the whole I would say the Train2Game experience has been positive, without the guidance that they offer I would never have been able to complete the course the way I did. There were time when I just couldn’t get my head around the lessons but they are always positive with their help they don’t tell you the answers they lead you onto the right path until you figure it out yourself. I would recommend the courses to anyone who is interested in getting into the industry.’

‘I finished the Art & Animation course in 2014, since then I work for a while at Derp Studios a micro online studio that helped me better my skills doing all sorts of 3D art for them, character creation and animation asset/prop creation as well as environment work. I left last year and since then I have been working for myself creating personal work and a bit of freelance when asked.’

‘I always have other ideas that I want to work on. I see my next project as an old graveyard with a small church with mist creeping between the headstone and trees all light in moonlight. I am at the concept stage at the moment but as I create I post WIP screen shot onto my website.’

‘Because the design was for my own personal pleasure it will go onto my website for the world to see www.michaelbird74.com’
 
For more information contact mark@train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Former Student Kickstarter

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Former Train2Game student looking for community support in create his venture capitalist game that teaches economics.

George Quentin has created a business and economic simulator and needs your help to complete the game. The game is currently in prototype stage to show the gaming mechanic is possible. George now needs help in making it a full title.

The game lets players create their own business and select options to make it the most productive. Skill and financial guile will let the player become a global mega capitalist and earn billions.

George would like feedback from professionals in economics and students who have an eye for games design. There are educational elements to the game. George and team are considering providing the game to educational institutions as a learning tool.

If you’re interested in creating the venture capitalists of the future, George is giving you the chance to work on the game with him. He’s looking for support staff as well as community feedback.

George:  ‘The original goal was just to see if can make a game that bonds business and economics, I wasn’t really sure where it would lead me but I just gave it a go, and over time it became a serious idea that I should pursue. I love games that are very data driven and strategic, especially when there are many variations and randomness in them.’

‘The game is prototype of an upcoming business and economic simulator. Your goal is to build your company from the ground up. Where you will be able to trade internationally, gain reputation and make as much money for your company to survive and sustain growth. I thought it would be best to have the gameplay element focused on business where you manage and control your company.’

‘I can see room for many improvements because the game has loads of potential. Only two people are working on the game but I would like more. The more we worked on it, the more we kept thinking it would be a great tool for learning and enhancing knowledge, where people will be able to challenge themselves, gain a better understanding of both subjects.’

‘There are many benefits for making this. Given that these are some of the most studied topics taught in schools, colleges and universities. It would be fascinating tool for not only pupils but the wider community. This tool will help pupils further their learning and allow them to practice or exercise their skills in these areas.’

‘I was being ambitious when starting this and the whole idea was to try and make a game that would stimulate the world which led me to economical are. I don’t have a background in economics but I am looking to get those with that background on board or even get any feedback as I can from them. I’m looking for both QA and students of courses if possible.’

‘I am looking for suggestions and feedback on how it can be made or improved.’

– Suggestions of other games where they use similar styles and strategies.
– Gamification feedback
– In-game features suggestions
– The things that could be added
– The things that should be removed
– How we can install some narratives
– What elements/features would be great for education

‘I am definitely looking for guidance and direction on how best it can be built. This prototype only tells our point of view of how business and economics is implemented in a game. so feedback from other people will really give us an insight of what we are missing, especially those with economics or business background.’

‘My ambition as a game maker is to continue to develop my skills and work on as many creative ideas. I am ready for any criticism. That is exactly what I want to hear. I am hoping everyone will be honest. It will really help to know what frustrates people in the game. After all it’s just a prototype.’

See the game here and let us know your feedback http://geo93.itch.io/globaleprototype

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry

Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com

Train2Game News Rumpus Animation hit Kickstarter goal

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Studio with working Train2Game student get last minute surge of investment to reach target

Train2Game student Leah Panigada and her team successfully raise funding for comedy point-and-click sequel Bertram Fiddle. Rumpus Animation is based in Bristol and Leah is a full time employee at the company alongside studying with Train2Game. The Kickstarter went down to the wire, achieving its £25,000 target with one day to spare, the total now sits at over £28,000.

Train2Game spoke to Leah to find out more about her studies, Rumpus Animation and what’s next now the Kickstarter is complete.

Leah Panigada, Rumpus Animation and Train2Game: ‘I am currently a Train2Game student. I have been for a year and a half. It can be quite difficult as I am currently on the design course. I’m a 2D digital artist so find the 3D things quite different to what I’m used to! I most defiantly feel my experience with Train2Game has been positive. Although it’s a struggle to learn a new art form I feel like it’s all worth knowing. The Train2Game courses are very thorough and are very good at keeping you up to date on the latest changes to the industry. I’m the only person on my team at work that is studying Train2Game although my best friend is also taking a Train2Game course. She is taking the coding side and we hope to make some small app games in the future.’

‘Rumpus animation is owned by Joe Wood and Seb Burnett. They founded it in 2011 and have been creating animation for the BBC, CBBC, GOOGLE JAPAN, AARDMAN, as well as plenty of one off projects from loads of different clients. About two years ago Seb and Joe decided to pitch Bertram Fiddle as a point and click adventure game. Safe to say that the whole studio is VERY excited to make the turn from an animation company to a game and animation company!’

‘The Bristol development scene is thriving! The Bristol Games Hub is a community of gamers, game developers and game publishers all under one roof! They really support each other and have regular meet ups for other game developers in the area. It’s refreshing to see so many unique and interesting new games and ideas being made. Link to their site is here: http://bristolgameshub.com/’

‘Our team is actually very young. Our producer, Elise Townsend  – Who is newest on our team is the youngest at 22. Dan Emmerson and I are 23 to 24. Seb and Joe are in their 30s. I was only just starting work experience with Rumpus when Bertram Fiddle one was starting up but they still accepted me as part of the team. I was still learning loads about animation and how to set animation up for games. Now I’m a full time member of the studio and the second game is going to start soon! So yes I have been here while the first game was released. Let’s hope it’s the same for the second!

‘Bertram Fiddle 2: A Bleaker Predicklement is the sequel to our first game. In this new adventure Bertram Finds himself framed for a murdering he did not commit. We plan to make this game Puzzlier, Punnier and more perplexing than ever! It’s a story-based comedy point and click adventure game set in Victorian London. We are planning to put a lot of weird new characters in this one inspired by Victorian Novels, HammerHorror and Lovecraft. Episode 1 was featured on the app store and received ‘The Best Narrative’ award from Tokyo indie fest, 2015.’

‘There’s some great humour in there. Seb is the creator and writer of all the jokes and story in the game. The bizarreness of it really makes it fun to work on everyday! You never know if you’ll be designing a werewolf or animating a Fish-man! I think it’s a great game for kids but also brilliant for the more mature audience. In a sense we have drawn inspiration from many different places! Like Gavin the Cyclops from Mythology, – Count Fulchmuckle – who has red eyes and a taste for ‘exotic’ things. We also have Lady Ravisham from Charles Dickens – Great expectations, and Geoff the murderer from any old school murder Mystery!’

‘I feel that the first games was received really well. Nearly all the feedback we got was positive and complimented the humour and look of the game. Some people felt that the puzzles weren’t difficult enough which is something we really want to work on with the second game. Other than that, it’s great to see that people can understand what Bertram Fiddle is about and that his character is pretty human. Although I feel like people warmed up to Gavin more than Bertram. ‘

‘We’ve been working a lot on our Kickstarter and trying to catch as much attention as possible. Our short videos and gifs have been a blast for us and the fans! As for the sequel, it’s got a storyline, a bunch of awesome new characters, Concept-art, Fan-art, puzzle ideas and backgrounds ready to go! We also have a production blog for Kickstarter backers were you’ll be able to keep up to date with our processes. I really can’t wait to start on it! Dan and I have been given a lot more freedom when it comes to creating the puzzles, designing/ animating characters and story.’

‘The support for the second game has been overwhelming! Seb acting even weirder than normal and has had very little sleep. The Kickstarter was incredible, there were some really cool prizes up for grabs. Some of my faves were the ‘MEMBERSHIP TO THE ADVENTURER’S CLUB reward you will get this fantastic 8 inch, book-shaped tin, printed to look like a, er, book, so you can hide all your secret Adventuring bits and bobs away. There’s a really cool art book coming out that will have some awesome work from many a talented artist’s such as Warwick Johnson Cadwell and Violaine Briat. If you’ve been keeping up with twitter you’ll know who! We’ve also given backers the opportunity to be a character in the game! I’m very Jealous of that one!’

‘It feels great and exciting that we successfully completed our Kickstarter but also a bit strange because the constant hype from 30 days is now over. Although now we are all running around and finishing all of our other projects so that we can fully concentrate on the game. It’s going to be really REALLY busy! We are such a small team that there is never not something to do! To all the people who supported us, it’s just been so overwhelming, exciting, nerve wrecking and stressful, haha, – don’t think we’ll be making another Kickstarter for a while! – but just the biggest of Thankyou’s to those who supported us and I hope that you enjoy playing our game as much as we will enjoy making it.’

The Kickstarter has now successfully finished. It’s a superb game and with a Train2Game student involved, it would be great if the community could continue to support Leah. If you are interested in learning more, find all the information you need at the links below.

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763843992/bertram-fiddle-a-victorian-animated-adventure-game?ref=nav_search
Bertram Website: http://www.bertramfiddle.com/

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Rumpus Animation needs your support

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Rumpus Animation needs your support to Kickstart Bertram Fiddle sequel

Train2Game student Leah Panigada and her team looking to raise funding for comedy point-and-click title

Rumpus Animation, a Bristol based animation company are currently funding the second part of their 2D comedy point and click adventure game called The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle.

Train2Game’s Leah works at Rumpus Animation creating 2D digital art/ animations and games in Bristol. Rumpus created the first game of Bertram Fiddle about a year ago – Seb Burnett – Creator and Director/ Illustrator, Joe Wood -Lead Animator/ Lead Editor, Leah Panigada- Storyboards Animator/ designer, Dan Emmerson – Technical Artist and programmer, Ellise – has recently joined the team for the second game, as Producer.

Bertram Fiddle, the world’s self-proclaimed leading Victorian explorator, is back in Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement! Once more Bertram and Gavin, his trusty man servant, find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Geoff the Murderer, the elusive serial killer who has evaded capture by the top detectives, is still on the run and Bertram must continue to wander the murky and mysterious streets of Victorian London to hunt him down and reveal his true identity.

But in this second episode Bertram has been framed for a murder that he did not commit and must now struggle to clear his name to be able to continue with the mystery that goes much deeper than he expected, and really does leave him in a Bleaker Predicklement.
The game, inspired by point and click games such as Monkey Island and following in the comedy footsteps of Day of the Tentacle, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle is set to be available on PC, Mac, iOS and Android.

The Kickstarter has a few days to go and we still have quite a way to go to reach our goal. It’s a superb game and with a Train2Game student involved, it would be great if the community could support. Find all the information you need at the links below.

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763843992/bertram-fiddle-a-victorian-animated-adventure-game?ref=nav_search
Bertram Website: http://www.bertramfiddle.com/

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Student studio on the hunt for Artists

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Train2Game student Josh Procter and his friend William Marsden have created their own studio and are now on the hunt for artists to join them

Friends Josh and Will have created SVS games and released their first game.  They are now looking to recruit team members to work on the next seven titles they have planned.

Josh is currently studying Train2Game which has helped their collaboration. Both plan to use the studio to work together but also have individual aspirations in the games industry. They are interested in the creative side of gaming and love to come up with ideas.

Since releasing their first game, Marathon, both are really excited with what they created and what more they can do. They sort industry advice in creating Marathon and it was received well. The studio was created in 2015 but the pair have collaborated for some time. Both live in West Yorkshire.  

The guys are now on the lookout for artists to join the team as they have a growing list of games planned for the future. They are on the lookout for people who are: productive, passionate and have personality.

Train2Game interviewed the guys to hear about their projects

Please introduce yourselves, what course you are on and where you are from? 　

Josh: Hi. My name is Josh Procter. I’m from Bradford, West Yorkshire. I’m just on the back end of the T2G Designer course.

Will: My name is William Marsden, I’m from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. I graduated Teesside University in November 2014 with a BA in Computer Games Design (2:1)

What is the name of your studio and who are the members?

Will: Myself and Josh came together in early 2015 to form SVS Games.

Josh: Yeah. Me and Will have been working together for a while but officially SVS Games was created early 2015.

What was the idea behind the name of the studio?

Josh: SVS means Samurai vs Spartan. Because Will is totally into Murmillo fighting and I am a born Samurai with my years of sword training.

Will: Well it’s our aim to make the kinds of games that we both loved as kids. SVS Games is a way we can showcase our game development skills to attract potential employers, whilst still trying to make our mark on the Indie game world.

Are you enjoying Train2Game and are your studies going well?

Josh: I’ll field this. I’m loving the T2G course, but I’m a very busy guy. The only reason I haven’t finished yet!

What do you hope to gain from taking the course?

Josh: Well, I personally want to write the games myself. And this has given me the skills to write better and create them. Which teams me and Will perfectly.

What is your dream in terms of working in the games industry?

Will: Well I have lots of ideas for pretty huge games. So ideally I’d want to be in a position where I can bring those ideas to life, a creative direction position seems the best position to do that.

Josh: I just really want to be the writing force behind those games. I’m an ideas man. I drift off and let myself come up with new ideas.

So what has it been like completing your first game?

Will: It has been fantastic, We have been working together to make some really involved design work for potential future games, I received some advice from a local Indie Developer to just release something small to get our names out there. Once it was out there and we got over the shock that something we had worked on was out there for everyone, the ball really started to roll and we’re well on the way to our next release.

Josh: It has been kick-butt honestly. I love working with Will and to be able to sit there after it was out, we both sort of looked at each other like “wow, we have a game for sale”
Big stuff man. Big stuff.

Can you tell us about Marathon, what were the challenges in creating this game?

Will: I think my biggest issue was keeping it small. Josh and I have this terrible problem where we keep trying to add too much to something and make more work for ourselves.

Josh: Me and Will cannot help adding more. We sat there with a product we were happy with and then went. LET’S DO MORE!
　
How has it been received?

Will: Actually pretty well considering it was just a quiet release by two guys who hadn’t really done anything before. I keep checking it and we have a nice steady stream of viewers and downloads. We are yet to have a negative comment, so I count that as a win.　

Josh: It’s going nice actually. Neither of us was expecting to make the next big thing. But we wanted to get our names out there and this game is a really nice little start.

Why did you choose to release on Windows?

Will: Honestly because it would be the quickest turnover from development to release. We’re currently looking at releasing on other platforms, including android via Google Play.

And what are you working on next, I hear you have another title in the pipeline?

Will: I like to stay busy and yeah, Josh and I are always working on something. I think the current count is at 6 or 7 games planned for the future or in development at the moment.

Josh: When we started, we had one MASSIVE game in the pipeline, with completed design documents and pitch documents. But we realized it’s far too big a project to start with. We came up with 3 small games to start with, which turned to 4 and so on. I think the count is 7 at the moment. But last night me and Will discussed another one.

And you are on the hunt for developers to join the team and assist with the project, artists and animators?

Will: Most definitely, Artists and Animators are always in demand in the games industry and we’re no different.
　
Josh: In the future, yeah I’d love to take on some new people! But I think we’re just starting out and maybe another one or two people to work with. They’d have to be into swords.

What are you looking for in new team members? What character traits?

Will: Someone who works hard, likes to swap and share ideas and someone who is above all else, passionate about gaming.
　
Josh: I think after years of work. I cannot stand people who half-arse jobs. I really don’t want to sound like a grumpy boss but people have to pull their weight. I just finished moving and lost my entire internet but I still did everything I could to push our projects forward.
Aside from that, they’d need a great personality and to have a laugh.

Is joining the studio a good opportunity, and why?

Will: I would definitely say so. Opportunities to work with other game developers is beneficial for everyone involved, we all share the work load and each get an equal share of the credit. Most employers look for people who have game development experience. The best way by far to do that is to release some games.

Josh: Exactly. I’d love to have some other people working with us. It’s always a good idea to make your own things. Think how indie developers get massive. It’s all about content and quality. You put your heart into a game and it might end up being the next big thing. I think for myself and Will, it’s not about getting famous or super rich, it’s about creating the games that people will lose themselves in. I can’t get over massive moments in games that I go back to thinking about years later. I still have the DmC3 cut scenes on my phone that I watch monthly.

What are the plans for the studio? 　

Will: We are both going to continue to working on games together until we catch the eye of an employer or we start making enough money to make a career of making games for SVS Games full time.

Josh: Keep releasing content. Keep having fun.

http://svsgames.itch.io/
Http:// joshprocterdesign.wix.com/joshprocterdesign
http://svsgamesmaster.wix.com/svsgames
www.train2game.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com

Train2Game News Chance to create next Warhammer

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Train2Game student seeking support to create table top strategy war game

Avid gamer Aaron Newton, 27, lives in The West Midlands, he’s currently embarked on a Train2Game course but also wants to create his own board game. He’s now reaching out to find people to assist with his project and is urgently on the lookout for artists. Aaron has big plans and has already created the game’s gameplay, strategy elements and factions.

The game is currently in the development stages; Aaron is confirming game play with his local war gaming group and deciding which elements to incorporate into the final game. He was working in a team of three but unfortunately his previous team have had to concentrate on other projects, his plan is to now recruit new team members to help make his idea a reality.

The game is inspired by Aaron’s love of military history and his time in the army. Two types of faction have been created, Empire of Gaia and The Maulini Dominion. The plan is to have three types of gameplay in one; Skirmish, Ground and Space, allowing players to approach the game with as complex or simple strategies as they wish.

Aaron now has extensive briefs in place but needs people to come in and make them happen. There’s a planned Kickstarter and the opportunity is open to anyone looking to gain experience and develop their portfolio to join him.

Aaron Newton, Train2Game student; ‘The game is currently in the early development stages, the first draft of the core rules and faction specifics are done and I am getting them looked at and checked by a local war-gaming club to see if they are easy to follow and will add more when I get the ok. I decided to do more of an invasion game so that players have if they desire the option of incorporating the ground and space battle concepts into a game.’

‘The game itself is technically a three in one having; ground, space and skirmish, rule sets. The overall design is that the rules cover everything lightly giving wiggle room so players can make simple or as complex strategies as they wish. The game with also have books and PDF releases to flesh out the lore and give players more of an idea to why certain peoples fight, how battles where won etc.’

‘The game is a table wargame that is will be marketed as an invasion game. The two main factions are the Empire of Gaia who are led by The Empress and the Legartums (Generals), the empire is heavily based on the Roman Empire so there is a regimented military, a religion with the empress as the figure head, slaves, and gladiators. The second faction is The Maulini Dominion who are the tattered remains of various other destroyed races, they are led by Lord Hyperion Maul who was previously the Commandium Milartus (Over all head of the Military Forces) for the Empire until a great betrayal happened.’
 
‘The game is designed to be played on the two fronts at the same time but can be played separately, when certain objectives are met devastating tactics can be used for example. If a player’s fleet can get there flagship into firing range they can launch orbital strikes against enemy ground forces. Orbital strikes are defendable by the opponents orbital defence grid however if the player’s ground forces also take control and destroy the defence grid the opponent can’t the defend orbital strikes.’ ‘For players that just want to have a quick game there will be the ‘strike team’ mode which is the skirmish portion of the game.’

‘As for back story The Empire of Gaia is led by an immortal Empress who have been ruling longer than recorded history, there are no records of anything before she came to power. Her power increases as more people worship her as a goddess and the lusts for more and more power. The Maulini Dominion is led by the former Commandium Milartus (Overall military Commander of the Empire) Hyperion Maul who after he is betrayed by The Empire leads his battleground ‘Taedio Ferciae Rapaces’ (the defiant Wolves) against The Empire and then the last races the live free join him under the banner of the dominion and crown him The Void King.’

‘The inspiration for the factions comes from my love of history and especially military history. The Empire of Gaia is modelled of the Roman Empire following its cultures and military characteristics as well as the doctrine of the worlds are there’s for the taking. The Maulini Dominion is more of a coalition of independent peoples rising up against the tyranny of The Empire.’

‘The gameplay and strategies I came up with quite easily it was finding a way that they would work together that was the issue but being an experienced wargamer I have found something I think works well, being ex-army and a lover of military history I used my knowledge of battles to work out different tactics and also being a fan of sci-fi means I found quite easy to incorporate the two together.’

‘Naturally I am a big fan of Warhammer and I suppose there are some similarities to the Horus heresy era game but in my opinion I take it into more detail regarding the reasoning what each faction wants, the units within the game aren’t super human space marines they are men and women who fight for what they believe in whether that be The Goddess Empress or The King of the Void Hyperion Maul.’

‘Initially I had a couple of guys helping me but they due to other commitments have had to leave the project so it is just me at present and I am doing my best to keep going with. In terms of artwork there isn’t any at present but I have the designs briefs of all the units and characters.’

‘The plan for the game is that it will be seen as a genuine alternative to Warhammer 40k with the design and release of more units, character, battlegroups and maybe factions. Mainly the hope is that in 25/30 years’ time the game is still be around as has made a dedicated fan base of its own.’

‘In the short term my opinion of success I hope that if I can get some people who are willing to be involved in effect donating their time to initially to beef up their portfolio as I am working while doing the planning myself there is no money to pay for outside help, so I am hoping members of the student body would like to get involved naturally when the website and games Kickstarter go live and concept and 3d model used the person involved will be credited for its design.

For more information contact the Train2Game blog or email Aaron directly on amnewton66@gmail.com

Train2Game, bringing City & Guilds to the Games Industry
Train2Game is a proud supporter of www.plasisgamesportal.com and www.gamatier.com