Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games – 08.04.13

Bioshock InfiniteFollowing last weeks busy charts that was posted on Train2Game news, this week is a bit more quiet. The only new entry this week is Defiance, the game based on the up coming TV series which will be aired on SyFy later this month. The game enters the charts at number 3, unable to move Tomb Raider or the epic BioShock Infinite.

All formats

Week ending 6 April 2013

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 BIOSHOCK INFINITE 2K GAMES 1
2 TOMB RAIDER SQUARE ENIX 2
3 DEFIANCE TRION WORLDS
4 FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 4
5 LUIGI’S MANSION 2 NINTENDO 5
6 GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT MICROSOFT 3
7 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II ACTIVISION 7
8 ASSASSIN’S CREED III UBISOFT 9
9 SKYLANDERS GIANTS SKYLANDERS 15
10 NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED EA GAMES 17
11 CRYSIS 3 EA GAMES 10
12 FAR CRY 3 UBISOFT 11
13 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 19
14 HALO 4 MICROSOFT 18
15 ARMY OF TWO: THE DEVIL’S CARTEL EA GAMES 6
16 LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
17 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 14 EA SPORTS 8
18 SIMCITY EA GAMES 16
19 SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2 CITY INTERACTIVE 13
20 SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED SEGA

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd

Train2Game News: Rapid2D £10,000 competition winner announced!

Rapid2DValca Entertainment announced as the winners of the Rapid 2D app design competition

Today lives changed for the team at development company Valca Entertainment as they were granted £10,000 as the winners of the Rapid 2D app development competition 2013. In this exciting competition entrants were tasked to develop Windows 8 apps but it was all about quality and quantity with developers entered into a draw with each game they produced. The winner was announced on www.rti.fm at 3.00pm adding kudos to this already life changing prize.

Myra Smallman, Director of Rapid 2D, said about the games engine “What we have tried to do with Rapid2D is to make it available to everyone and anyone who wants to make games. So, we have a free basic version on the Rapid2D website and very little coding knowledge is needed to be able to operate that. The novice that wants to be games designer can produce a game from the free version.”

On working in the mobile industry, Rik Alexander managing Director at AppCrowd, said “With a smaller company you can turn around apps a lot faster in the mobile market and it is a lot more enjoyable. You don’t need as many overheads and you don’t need as many people, you can be much more nimble as a team. A smaller team can communicate easier which means you make less mistakes.”

WP_20130405_007

Myra Smallman and Rik Alexander

For more information visit http://www.rapid2d.com

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 05.04.13

lucasartsIt is Friday so it is time for another Train2Game game industry news round up.

The saddest bit of news this week was that the new owners of LucasArts, Disney, has shut down the company. LucasArts were responsible for making many of the Star Wars licensed games as well as other games such as Monkey Island. A LucasFilm representative suggested that properties such as 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault could still find a home via a third party.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced that the Injustice: Gods Among Us game is now available on the App Store. Developed from the ground up by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, this free-to-play mobile game delivers stunning graphics and a completely unique fighting gameplay experience. The mobile game features a collectible card mechanic and engages players in 3-on-3 tag team combat that pits many of DC Comics most popular icons such as Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and more against one another. Fans who also own the forthcoming Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 versions will be able to unlock content in the console versions that will be available in the mobile game, and vice versa, by registering for a Warner Bros. ID (WBID) account and playing the game.

Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Cryptic Studios are pleased to announce that on April 30, 2013, the free-to-play action MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter is heading into Open Beta, allowing millions of players unrestricted access to the game world. Neverwinter is Cryptic and Perfect World’s proof that Western free-to-play games, when built from the ground up, can compete with even the biggest boxed subscription titles. On April 30, the companies invite all gamers to put that claim to the test. There will be no character wipes or restricted access after the start of Open Beta. Players can still become Founders through Neverwinter’s Founder’s Pack Program. Benefits include exclusive access to Beta Weekend 4, permanent in-game items that are unique to Founders, early access to Open Beta, and VIP perks. To take advantage of these benefits and to gain exclusive access to Neverwinter’s Beta Weekend 4, players may visit: http://nw.perfectworld.com/founderspack/

The latest set of downloadable content for Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II has been confirmed for an April 16th launch on Xbox Live. The pack will include four new maps as well as a new zombie mode, available for 1200 Microsoft points or free to existing season pass holders. The four new maps are: Magma, a modern Japanese village featuring volcanic eruptions; Encore, taking place in the aftermath of a London music festival; Vertigo, a futuristic high rise building in India and Studio, a Hollywood movie back lot which describes itself as a “contemporary remake of Firing Range” which was found in the original Black Ops. By far the most intriguing addition to the newest DLC is the new Mob of the Dead mode, which sounds interesting enough to breathe life into the unspectacular collection of zombie content available currently. In it you play as a prohibition-era mobster locked up in Alcatraz whose attempts to escape are “foiled by the rise of the undead.”

Finally, creators of the hit game Castle Crashers, have released a new game. Blocks, Cats, Hats, Betrayal! This is how The Behemoth have described their new game, Battleblock Theatre. This newly released game, that is currently only for XBLA, is all about platforming, a “story of geometric proportions”, several modes of online gameplay and a massive amount of replayability. It has over 450 levels, hundreds of unlockables to find, over 300 prisoners to free and The Behemoth is calling it their largest game to date. The Behemoth said they are considering future ports, just like they did with Castle Crashers, but since they are a small studio it would take them quite some time to port if they do decide to bring the game to PC or PS3.

Train2Game News: Rapid2D winner to be announced tomorrow!

Rapid2DRapid2D £10,000 app development competition winner to be announced on www.rti.fm tomorrow Friday 4th April at 3.00pm GM

The competition to find the cream of app developers finishes tomorrow, when international radio station RTI FM will announce the winner of the Rapid2D Windows 8 development competition. The winner of the competition is set to receive life changing prizes of £10,000 to spend as they wish and the kudos of boasting they have won this world recognised competition.

In this huge competition developers were not only challenged to design great apps but also to produce quality and quantity, with each entry to the competition boosting their chances of walking away the winner. The competition which has been running for around two months and open to any studio or individual developing Windows 8 apps. Rapid2D have received over 300 entries of top calibre apps, entrants will be nervously biting their nails with the winner announced tomorrow.

Tune in to listen at www.rti.fm

Train2Game News: PlayStation 4 UK release date and price announced

PS4 ControllerExciting news for all Train2Game students who are looking forward to Sony’s PlayStation 4. The UK release date and price has been announced.

The Sun news paper announced that the next gen console will be released later this year in October, this follows what Sony said when they announced the console last month.

Even better news is the price. The Sony PS4 will cost you £300. This is much cheaper than when the PS3 was released in 2007, costing £425. This new cheaper price makes it a much more viable option for most gamers and, in my opinion, there should be close competition with the next gen Xbox.

The cheaper price for the new Sony console is probably due to Android consoles like the Ouya and Game Stick being released for £99. The next gen consoles will also have the mobile and free-to-play markets to compete with so I can see a lot of surprises being pulled out from Sony and Microsoft.

The PlayStation 4 console it’s self still hasn’t been seen by public eyes. A good guess would be that both the next generation Xbox and the PlayStation 4 will be revealed at E3 in June in an attempt to compete with one another further.

Train2Game News: Young Peoples Views on game age ratings

Baseline Team and MembersChimpact, a newly released Windows game which has a PEGI 3 rating, taken to Bromley youth group to hear their perspective in the on-going debate: Which video games are suitable for children?

Videogames are often in the news for all the wrong reasons, with claims games containing inappropriate content are getting into the hands of children and people accrediting acts of anti-social behaviour to things they have experienced in games, but is this the full story?

Read the document below to find out more about what the youth themselves think.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/133793700/Young-People-Give-Their-Views-on-Games

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games – 03.04.13

Bioshock InfiniteThe game charts have been released a little later this week because of the bank holiday. BioShock Infinite has made its debut at number 1 and in my opinion, rightly so. Look out for my review of the game coming soon. Luigi’s Mansion came in at number 5 just ahead of other new comer, Army of Two: The Devils Cartel. The final two new additions to the chart are Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 which came in at number 8 and Lego City Undercover which came in at number 12.

All formats

Week ending 30 March 2013

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 BIOSHOCK INFINITE 2K GAMES
2 TOMB RAIDER SQUARE ENIX 2
3 GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT MICROSOFT 1
4 FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 4
5 LUIGI’S MANSION 2 NINTENDO
6 ARMY OF TWO: THE DEVIL’S CARTEL EA GAMES
7 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II ACTIVISION 10
8 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 14 EA SPORTS
9 ASSASSIN’S CREED III UBISOFT 13
10 CRYSIS 3 EA GAMES 12
11 FAR CRY 3 UBISOFT 9
12 LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER NINTENDO
13 SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2 CITY INTERACTIVE 5
14 THE WALKING DEAD: SURVIVAL INSTINCT ACTIVISION 3
15 SKYLANDERS GIANTS SKYLANDERS 14
16 SIMCITY EA GAMES 8
17 NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED EA GAMES 15
18 HALO 4 MICROSOFT
19 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 20
20 GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 6

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 29.03.13

Pokemon It is the end of the week so it is time for the Train2Game games industry news round up!

In exciting news for Pokémon video game players across Europe, The Pokémon Company International announced the long-awaited dates and locations for the Pokémon European Video Game Championships. The English competition will be held in Birmingham on June 2. Players will battle for the chance to earn a Travel Award to the 2013 Pokémon World Championships in Vancouver, Canada, this August. Visit www.pokemon.co.uk for more information.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Infinite Crisis, an all-new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Turbine, the award winning studio behind free-to-play online games including The Lord of the Rings Online. Infinite Crisis is a free-to-play game that features a deep roster of DC Comics characters and is scheduled for release in 2013 for the PC.

In further news from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, they announced two of its biggest mobile games, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown and Scribblenauts Remix, are coming to Android, exclusively in the Amazon Appstore for Android. Expanded to and completely optimized for the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD offers gamers with new ways to connect to their favorite franchises.

Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network have started their Spring Sales. Xbox Live’s sale runs from March 26 – April 2, and includes such titles as Dead Rising 2, Walking Dead, LA Noire, Max Payne 3, Resident Evil 6 and some of their movie offerings. The PSN kicked off its spring sale yesterday and it is running until April 9. In addition to the sale, it’s going to have a number of limited time offers, the first of which is Killzone HD, available till the April 29. Some of its games up for sale are Rayman 3 and Trine 2.

Electronic Arts, Sega, Sony, Codemasters and more have pledged support for the first Game QA & Localisation forum, taking place June 25-26 in London. The event will focus on best practices for test plans, QA budgeting and strategy with a mix of keynotes, sessions, panels and workgroups. Paradox, Outplay, Ganz, Plarium and Abertay University are also involved with the event. Full details can be found at the official site.

Train2Game News: Audio editing Kickstarter

eJayThere is a new interesting Kickstarter to support for an audio editing kit that you can use on your mobile phone.

This Kickstarter project is a perfect example of how Kickstarter can be utilised to get your project out to the masses and offer special rewards to those who invest. If you are thinking of using Kickstarter to fund your own game this is certainly a good template to work from.

The software, eJay Pure, is being developed by Wired Productions and it will be free for everyone to download and create your music, using preloaded samples. You can be a DJ from your own mobile.

You will get the full eJay experience from the first moment. If you enjoy what you create, you will be able to further your experience by purchasing additional features and buying many thousands of samples which will be constantly created.

eJay Pure is being developed from the ground up for touch screens so that the user interface is intuitive and the experience is fast and seamless.

Wired have been working on eJay Pure for 9 months, and have completed pre-production, technology tests, R&D, and have even started making some of the cutting edge samples that defined the eJay experience.

The reason the company has chosen Kickstarter is because they have spent months working on this project and are now moving to the final push.

The software could also be very helpful to Train2Game students who are looking to making music for their own games whilst on the move. This can be done on the train with headphones giving you more time to work on getting the core mechanics of the game when at a PC.

If you are thinking of using Kickstarter to fund your game then get in touch with the Train2Game PR Team through the Train2Game forum. You will be advised the best way to display your game on Kickstarter to get the most from the service.

If you want to find out more about this project and support the Kickstarter go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wiredproductions/ejay-pure

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 27.03.13

The Train2Game jobs this week is another Aardvark Swift special!

C++ Developer

Manchester

£Competitive

Our client is looking for a C++ Developer. This is an exciting opportunity that has arisen for a market-focused game software developer. This role is key to the production of a continuous pipeline of quality games to our networked digital estates. The successful developers will need to quickly understand the markets and territories in which we operate and adapt their methods accordingly.

The candidate will develop games content for video slot machines in a variety of markets including the UK, Italy and Latin America. Content is written using C++ so creating new content using simple, modular coding style and good C++ practices is essential.

Responsibilities:

• Writing high quality, maintainable, game content software.
• Diagnosing and problem solving discovered issues
• Communicating and working with the design, art and test departments.
• Producing and analysing game data to prove stability and fairness.
• Inputting into game design where appropriate
• Adhering to agreed designs
• Follow source control processes to ensure stability and security of work
• Rigorously adhere to deadlines agreed with line manager
• Following processes and procedures as defined to successful task conclusion
• Deciding what and when to escalate to the manager
• Adhering to the procedures and work instructions of Inspired where they relate to the job.
• Working effectively as a member of an individual team as well as Inspired as a whole.
• Ensuring you report for work on time and are prepared to work.
• Assisting with mentoring of new and/or less experienced staff as required.

Requirements:

• Highly proficient knowledge of C++
• Experienced in Visual Studio 2010
• Be able to apply themselves to a wide and unpredictable range of software tasks.
• Be able to manage and switch between several concurrently active jobs.
• A good understanding of Subversion.
• Relevant degree e.g. Computer software, programming.
• An understanding of DirectX
• Must be a highly motivated individual.
• Must be able to perform well under strict deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Be able to pioneer new techniques

Further details are available by contacting Mark Hope at: Mark@aswift.com

Apply now

 

C++ Programmer All Levels

Bristol and Dublin

£Excellent + Benefits

C++ programmers – Bristol and Dublin

Our Client is part of a Global companies R&D team creating the technology game developers use to make great video games. They have created the programming tools used to develop on some of the world’s most popular gaming platforms. The company has built a reputation for understanding and meeting the needs of game developers, by creating innovative software and providing first-class support.

If you join as a new graduate you will initially spend time developing tests to ensure you get to know our products and code base. This is a great entry point for starting your career as a developer, working alongside talented, experienced engineers.
If you join us with some experience you will primarily spend your time developing new features and maintaining the current product range.

In addition you will be required to:
• Provide estimates for tasks
• Develop and deliver work to schedule
• Provide input to technical writers working for product documentation
• Work with support engineers on customer issues
• Participate in code and documentation reviews

Occasionally there are opportunities to attend conferences in the US/Europe and to visit customers to demonstrate products. Some travel between SN Systems’ offices is also likely.

Qualifications and experience:
• Computer Science related degree or similar.
• Graduates will need to demonstrate strong C++ ability gained through their studies or similar.
• Experienced candidates will be required to demonstrate 2-5 years C++ experience in a commercial environment.

Skills required:
All candidates will be required to demonstrate an understanding of SN Systems products, and a genuine desire to work on them.

Experienced candidates will be required to demonstrate the following skills:
Essential
• Strong C++ and STL development skills.
• Demonstrable OO (Object Orientated) design skills.
• MFC 9.0 (VS C++ 2008) and practical experience of developing Microsoft Windows applications with graphical user interfaces (for example GDI).

Desirable
Knowledge and experience of:
• Visual C++ frameworks including ATL/WTL.
• Debugger internals.
• Debugging file formats.
• Developing debuggers.
• MIPS, PowerPC or ARM architectures.
• Multi-threaded experience.
• Presentation skills.
• Team leadership/mentoring experience.
• Knowledge of MSBuild.

If you are interested in this position and would like to apply, please contact Mark Hope: mark@aswift.com or 01709 834 777

Apply now

 

Tools Programmer and Graduate Tools Programmer

North West, UK

£Neg + Bonus

Our client has been making games for more than 15 years. They now employ more than 150 people and have released games on major platforms like PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS. They also work with some Great IP’s and a variety of game types.

They are seeking a Tools Programmer or Graduate Tools Programmer to join their team developing technology at the core of all their productions, from AAA games on every major console and handheld device (over 100 million units sold to date), to their award-winning TV shows, broadcast around the world.

If successful, you will play a significant part in shaping the way art, animation and designs are produced across new projects, as well as keeping our technology up to date with the state of the art in the industry.

They are looking for candidates with:

• A good degree in Computer Science, Maths or Physics or related subject (2.i or above)
• Fluent in C++ and object oriented programming
• Experience of Direct X, OpenGL or similar graphics APIs Experience of writing user interfaces using one or more common UI libraries (Win32 GDI/wxWindows/Qt/…)
• Ability to interact with non-technical disciplines (such as artists and designers), understand their needs, deliver solutions they find intuitive and helpful
• A real desire to make users’ day-to-day work easier, simpler and more productive

A strong candidate will also have one or more of the following:

• Experience of writing plugins for common 3D and 2D packages (Autodesk Maya and Adobe Photoshop preferably)
• A confident grasp of the mathematics involved in CG rendering and animation
• The ability to analyse and optimise algorithms for efficiency
• Experience developing products for one or more non-PC gaming devices

For more information or to apply for the role, please contact Mark Hope at Aardvark Swift on +44 (0) 1709 834777 or e-mail mark@aswift.com

Apply now

 

Game Programmer

South East

£Excellent + Benefits

My client is an energetic and enthusiastic company of experienced video game developers with offices based in Brighton, UK.
They are a growing company working on projects with small team sizes. They are looking for a Game programmer that is happy to work in whatever area is required of them – this could change on a daily basis!

*Junior/Graduate Programmers with relevant demos and a positive attitude are encouraged to apply!*

Required
• 2.1 degree in Maths, Physics, Computer Science or related, or equivalent industry experience
• Excellent knowledge of C# or C++
• Excellent knowledge of algorithms and data structures
• Experience of creating games on desktop or mobile platforms
• Desire to make great games
• Great communication skills (verbal and written)
• Happy to work as part of a team
• Demonstrable love for some area of game technology
• A passion for playing games and solving problems
• Flexible and keen to learn new skills

Desired
• Knowledge of two or more other programming languages (for example Java, Python, PHP, Clojure)
• 1 or more years of games industry experience
• 1 or more shipped titles on console, desktop or mobile platforms
• Strong knowledge of console, desktop and mobile architectures
• Knowledge of asynchronous engineering techniques
• Experience of Unity, Unreal or XNA
• SQL
• Experience using digital content creation tools (for example Max, Maya, Photoshop)

In return the company offer an excellent Salary and Benefits.

More details are available by contacting Mark Hope at Aardvark Swift via email: mark@aswift.com

Apply now