Tag Archives: World of Warcraft

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up – 24.10.12

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Steams Workshop, which is used to create content for games such as Team Fortress 2 and Skyrim, has turned one. The user created content has subsequently earned “millions of dollars” for their creators and Steam themselves.

The Greatest Video Game Music 2, the follow-up to the best-selling video game album of all time, will be released worldwide on Nov 6 and has been performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra. The digital soundtrack album will include 17 new orchestral renditions of video game theme songs like Halo, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and the ever-so classic Final Fantasy VII.

Following the success of Borderlands 2, an iOS spin-off has been confirmed with a release date of October 31. The game sees you play as the original 4 vault hunters from the first Borderlands in a wave-based survival game. Additionally, in true Borderlands style you can earn experience and level up your characters, unlocking new skills and abilities with each character having their own set of unique skills and abilities.

The first reviews of Hitman: Absolution have surface in Official Playstation Magazine UK and Official Xbox Magazine. Both magazines gave the game 9 out of 10. OPM said “This is the peak of the series so far” and OXM said “it a triumph of stealth and sandbox design that retains everything that fans have ever loved about the series”.

Wish Studios, a newly formed studio in Brighton, is working with Sony to develop a new IP. While other details about the partnership remain shrouded in secrecy, the status of Wish’s new client will likely serve as a significant help to the recently founded start-up’s presence in the industry.

A report by Google has said that over 50% of people use their tablet for gaming. The only activity performed more than gaming on a tablet is checking emails. The study, which was commissioned and published by Google, found that 51.5 per cent of its participants used their tablet for gaming in a two-week period.

The new dashboard for the Xbox was launched yesterday. It includes an internet explorer app giving the console a browser and the newly launched Xbox music which is similar to that of Spotify. The update also saw the removal of the Twitter and Facebook apps.

In an interesting collaboration, a new mod was made for the MMO World of Warcraft which sees the newly introduced pet battles become Pokemon battles. The aptly name WOWkemon sees a short tutorial by Professor Birch describing the Pokémon-ified battle screens and ability menus with the familiar sounds, screen effects, and even the font closely resembling the style of the handheld game legend.

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up

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Blizzard Entertainment released Mists Of Pandaria yesterday. The latest expansion for World Of Warcraft. Blizzard have also said that they have no fear of Windows 8 and will release games for any platform their players are on.

Avenged Sevenfold have released a new track that will feature on Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2. The song, Carry On, is the second song the band have released for a Call Of Duty game. They previously released Not Ready To Die with one of the Call Of Duty: Black Ops DLC packs.

Telltale’s five Walking Dead episodic games will be put on disc in December for Xbox360 and PS3. The game is based on the graphic novel turned TV show and through playing them myself I can say, if you are a fan of the series, play this game. You won’t be disappointed.

Nvidia’s head of cloud gaming, Phil Eisler, believes that cloud gaming could take over from consoles. He believes that consoles have one final generation in them before they die out, leaving the world of gaming in the hands of the cloud.

Ubisoft have announced that Assassins Creed 3 will not play on Windows XP. The company has released the specifications needed to play the game. There is a version for Windows 8 in the pipeline though.

Bethesda have released an animated prequel to its upcoming Dishonored. The webseries is called Tales of Dunwall and the gorgeous animated shorts are being released in three parts. The videos can be found on YouTube and they show the downfall of the in game city.

Sony Xdev are giving a small studio the opportunity to win £25,000. This new initiative, called Playstation Pioneers, will reward developers for a PlayStation Mobile game concept and will also offer successful candidates the opportunity to work alongside XDev. Further details can be found here.

An extra four titles have been added to the Humble Bundle 6. The titles are: Bit.Trip Runner, Gratuitous Space Battles, Jamestown, and Wizorb. If you have already purchased the bundle, you will get the new games added at no extra cost.

If you are attending Eurogamer this weekend you can get a special surprise when you play Company Of Heroes 2. Everyone that plays the game or attends the developer session at the event will get a code to access a future beta for the game.

Finally Train2Game will be at Eurogamer this weekend. If you are attending go and say hello, it is always nice to meet these people. I will be attending on the Saturday so if you see me feel free to talk to me. I hope everyone that attends has a brilliant time.

Train2Game news: Ultima creator Richard Garriott on game design

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Ultima series creator Richard Garriott  believes game design need to be more creative if the medium is going to continue to advance.

“There are tons of free-to-play, beautiful looking MMOs that are feature-complete and challengers in theory to World of Warcraft, they come across from Asia every day.” said Garriott, also known as ‘Lord British,’ in an in-depth interview with Industry Gamers.

“They’re all beautiful, they’re all full-featured – if you try to go why is this game not as good as World of Warcraft, you’d have a hard time picking individual features as to why, but with all of them you go, “look, it’s free to play, free to download, I’ll try it!”

But the man behind Ultima Online believes that rather than trying to introduce new features, many developers are just trying to recreate game design elements of their competitions titles.

“You go, “OK, kind of looks the same, here’s my town, here’s my shop, here’s my level one monsters I have to fight,” he said. “And you spend an hour or two going through the play cycle and finishing a quest and levelling up, and you go… well “OK, it works, but why do I care?”

“The vast majority of people are making these me-too games, they’re quality, there’s nothing wrong with them, there’s just nothing compelling about them.”

Garriott added that he hopes to be able to look at his own work, including Ultima and Ultima online and be satisfied with what he did to change games.

“And I’m hoping that if I look back on my career down through the years, I’m very proud of the fact that with some periodicity, I have truly advanced the art form in some meaningful way.”

The full interview with Richard Garriott, an interesting read for Train2Game students, can be seen on Industry Gamers.

So Train2Game, what do you make about his comments on game design? Does more need to be done in order to make games innovative?

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

[Source: Industry Gamers]

Train2Game news: Life experience great for game design ideas – Blizzard

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Train2Game Game Designers will appreciate this, it’s advice from Blizzard on how to keep your stories and ideas fresh, and it’s to base concepts on your own life experience, even if it’s only loosely.

Train2Game students will know that Blizzard know a bit about successful game design, with 12 million still playing World of Warcraft.

“I’ve been in this racket about 17 years, and you tire out. How do you keep your ideas fresh? Well, the one thing that never stops is living.”  Blizzard Vice President of Creative Development Chris Metzen told PC Gamer.

“We have experiences. We grow as people. And really letting those experiences come forward – kind of being naked with them – that’s the kind of thing people can’t compete against. Everyone can come up with a new Trilithium Crystal Warp Drive, but what you can’t argue with is a person’s experience and the truth of it.”

And Metzen says Blizzard encourages their Game Designers to use their own experiences to create in-game content.

“So the trick from a leadership standpoint at Blizzard is to make it OK for these writers to really bring themselves out to affect these quests and characters. Ultimately, that’s what sings forward.”

“The clever shit will get trounced in no time. It’s like gameplay mechanics. You can put out an RTS with the best mission ever. Well, another company will put out something even better, because we’re all learning from each other.” he added.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Metzen’s comments? Could you use your own experiences to create characters and scenarios?

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

[Source: PC Gamer]

Analysts “unimpressed” by Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Design

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As reported by the Train2Game blog, Bioware have previously stated that World of Warcraft is a big influence on their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.

But a report from analysts Cowen and Company reports suggests the influence on Game Design may be too far reaching and in a negative way. It makes interesting reading for Train2Game students anticipating the Star Wars themed MMO.

“We got hands-on time with the game, and were largely unimpressed” reads the Cowen and Company post E3 report.

“Despite promises from EA/Bioware that the title represents a major step forward in MMO design, what we saw was essentially a World of Warcraft clone with Star Wars character skins and the Bioware RPG nice/nasty dialogue tree mechanism bolted on for non-player character conversations.”

The ‘Flashpoint’ dialogue tree mechanism is described in depth by Bioware in a Train2Game blog post from April this year.

Meanwhile, the Art & Animation of Star Wars: The Old Republic is described as “competent but hardly breathtaking.” Cowen and Company predict that the game won’t even see release this year.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, publishers EA state that Star Wars: The Old Republic needs 500,000 subscribers to become profitable.

Train2Game students can attempt to see Star Wars: The Old Republic for themselves by signing up to be a beta tester. More information about how to do that is available on the Train2Game forum.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Game Design of The Old Republic? Should it stick to the WoW formula or do something new? What would you like to see in the game?

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

[Source: GamesIndustry.biz] 

Splash Damage: MMO shooters are the future

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Brink

Adding MMO elements to First Person Shooters is the future of the genre. That’s according to CEO of Brink developer Splash Damage Paul Wedgwood.

As the Train2Game blog has previously reported, the Game Developers believe Brink will ‘end the genre as we know it’

And when asked by CVG what would be the X-Factor for shooters in future Wedgewood replied:

“That’s really easy. I just want a really good massively multiplayer shooter, thanks. I’m desperate for it. Why isn’t there? I just can’t stand the fact that there isn’t one yet. I’d do it but 140 staff? Managing 140 people? It’s just so hard.”

“You know, for a long time it hasn’t been technically feasible because you need super low latency connections for good shooter combat and that’s generally incompatible with 1000 people being on a server at the same time”

“I think there’s definitely going to be some cool stuff that comes around,” he added “But I think the massively multiplayer shooter, one where we’re all engaged in the same continuous environment is the thing that’s going to truly impress me next.”

As Train2Game students will know, MMOs themselves are big business with World of Warcraft having over 12 million subscribers.  Star Wars: The Old Republic developers Bioware have claimed WoW is the ‘touchstone’ for MMO design, as reported by the Train2Game blog.

So Train2Game, can the MMO framework be transferred to the FPS? Would you be interested? And what are your thoughts on the upcoming Brink from Splash Damage?

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

[Source: CVG]

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm gets huge launch event

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World of Warcraft Cataclysm Worgen

Blizzard has revealed details about the UK launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm when the much anticipated expansion is released next month.

GAME will host the official launch event for World of Warcraft Cataclysm which will take place at Sound, Leicester Square on the evening of December 6th.  Fans will not only be among the first to get there hands on Cataclysm when it’s made available at midnight, but they’ll also get a chance to meet Blizzard staff.

Naturally, with this being a World of Warcraft event, there’s the obligatory costume content, and Blizzard say there will be prizes for the winners. The current details about the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launch event, including costume contest guidelines, can be found on the Blizzard website. Expect it to be updated nearer the time with more information.

In addition to the big launch event, Blizzard say that other retailers around the country will be opening their doors for midnight launches of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

“After two years of development, we’re excited to now be just two weeks away from releasing our best World of Warcraft expansion yet,” said, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime

“Cataclysm will add a huge amount of new content to the game and change the face of Azeroth forever, and we can’t wait to celebrate this launch with players around the world.”

Changes that Cataclysm will bring to the World of Warcraft include dramatically altering the make up of Azeroth, providing new quests, allowing characters to level up to level 85, and play as two new races, Worgen and Goblins.

World of Warcraft currently has over 12 million subscribers, could Cataclysm encourage even more people to sign up to the worlds most successful MMO?

The game is set to be released for the PC on December 7th

So Train2Game, are any of you World of Warcraft players? If so, will you be attending a midnight launch event? And if you want to wear one, have you got any ideas for a costume yet?

You can leave your thoughts about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

World of Warcraft tops 12 million subscribers

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World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft now has over 12 million monthly subscribers, according to publisher Activision. This achievement the Blizzard MMO comes in the wake of World of Warcraft expansion pack two, World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King, being released in China.

The impressive thing is that the number isn’t a cumulative total of every single person who’s ever subscribed to World of Warcraft, then perhaps stopped playing. Rather, the numbers from Activision show that there are 12 million people worldwide who are currently subscribed to World of Warcraft.

Wow, that’s a lot of money being made from World of Warcraft subscriptions.

“The support and enthusiasm that gamers across the world continue to show for World of Warcraft reaffirms our belief that it offers one of the best entertainment values available today,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

“We are as committed as ever to taking the game to new heights, and we look forward to demonstrating that with Cataclysm in December.”

Yep,  the momentum of World of Warcraft looks set to continue, with this announcement following the confirmation that expansion pack number three, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, is set to be released on December 7th.

The definition of a World of Warcraft subscriber according to Activision Blizzard is as follows:

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

So Train2Game, are you a World of Warcraft subscriber? If so, what keeps you coming back for more? If you’re not a World of Warcraft subscriber, what puts you off the game?

You can leave your thoughts on World of Warcraft, or World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm coming December 7th

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm goblinsWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be available from December 7th. The release date of the highly anticipated expansion to World of Warcraft was revealed by publisher Activision Blizzard.

The Cataclysm expansion pack will dramatically change the world of Azeroth, and allow World of Warcraft players to take part in new missions, level their World of Warcraft characters up to level 85 and play the worlds’ most successful MMO as two new races – worgen and goblins.

The official announcement about when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released comes after rumours on fan sites including MMO Champion and WoWHead. CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morhaime, says World of Wacraft: Cataclysm will be good for both old and new Wow players.

“Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion, but a re-creation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned levelling experience for those just starting out.”

“With the help of our beta testers, we’re putting on the final polish, and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in just a couple of months.”

Activision Blizzard keenly point out in their press release that the first two World of Warcraft expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, both broke PC game sales records upon their release. These PC game sales records were broken earlier this year by another Activision Blizzard title, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. The publisher must therefore be expecting another big payday when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released on December 7th!

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be available on DVD-Rom and as a digital download at a ‘suggested retail price of $39.99’ If you’re so inclined you’ll also be able to pick up a World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ‘special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $79.99’

The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta test is currently underway, and you can sign up for a chance to participate on the official Battle.net website.

So Train2Game, are you a World of Warcraft player? If so are you interested in World of Warcraft Cataclysm? Are you already tempted to attend a midnight launch? And could World of Warcraft Cataclysm replace Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty as the fastest selling PC title of all time?

You can leave your thoughts on World of Wracraft: Cataclysm here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Starcraft II ‘the fasting selling strategy game of all time’

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Blizzard has revealed that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty sold over a million copies worldwide in just its first day on sale.

That already made it the best selling PC game of the year so far, while selling a total of 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours cemented Starcraft II as the fastest selling strategy game of all time.

More than 8,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to celebrate the release of the much anticipated sci-fi sequel, including Game on London’s Oxford Street.

The store saw hundreds of fans queuing up to be among the first to play Starcraft II, 12 years after the original hit the PC in 1998. CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morhaime, is happy with the title’s initial sales.

“We launched Starcraft II in 11 different languages and on 5 different continents because we wanted to make sure as many players as possible were able to log on and play on day one.”

“We’re pleased that so many people around the world have already picked up a copy of the game, and we look forward to welcoming even more players to Battle.net in the weeks and months ahead.”

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty topped the UK charts this week, and retailer GameStop has confirmed it’s the fastest selling PC title since the release of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – also published by Blizzard – in 2008.

So, Train2Game are you surprised by that Starcraft II sold a million copies in just 24 hours, or was it to be expected? Have you played it yet? And finally, is any other PC or strategy title going to beat it in the near future?

As usual, leave your thoughts here or on the Train2Game forum.