MORE SUPPORT FOR THE GARAGE DEVELOPER
These last few months, further developments have taken place in support of aspiring and capable developers, indie or otherwise.Recently, at E3, Sony announced a deal with Epic whereby PC owners of “Unreal Tournament 3” could build a game level, then share it with PlayStation 3 users around the globe. Specifically, they would use the Unreal 3 editor and build the level as developers using the engine are doing, then simply share the level by way of digital transfer or hosting Web site.
Of course, you all know about “Little Big Planet,” a PS3-exclusive game solely based around building levels, sharing levels, and possibly even making money from levels you’ve built, though the game won’t be out until year-end or early ’08.
Additionally, Microsoft added a boost to the XNA platform by announcing Game Studio 2.0, which will now have a unified interface across both hobbyist and pro platforms. The only difference is that licensed developers will get a greater selection of libraries to use.
"We made the decision to make one Game Studio,” said Chris Satchell, XNA’s general manager. “We think everyone should have access to the same tool. There should be no friction as you move from accessible development to professional development.”
Flash developers have also discovered a way to make money with their little ideas, with the existence of Kongregate.com -- a “YouTube” for Flash games, where developers split the ad revenue their game attracts with the Web site. It’s not perfect, but it’s a mighty step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, home developer platforms like Unity, Virtools, and Torque Engine Builder are improving and expanding.
Unity has recently announced an affiliation with the Independent Games Festival, whereby winners of its Top Dog contest get automatically entered for free into the ever-growing festival that first showed Portal’s Portal tech to the world in Nuclear Monkey Software’s innovative PC game, “Narbacular Drop.” They also win a free copy of Unity 2.0 and $2,000 in cash. Not a bad deal.
Meanwhile, Virtools is expanding its
user base by marketing its tools for architects, movie producers/pre-vis planners, and interior designers, while also getting their tech approved for use on the PS3 -- though that’s the professional version and would probably require a PS3 developer license as well and quite possibly a (not cheap) dev kit. However, it shows how sophisticated the tool has become, and the lower-end version would no doubt be a good start.
Finally, Torque is continuing to grow its software suite with Torque X -- a new version of its celebrated development tool -- as well as a version for the Wii platform. The engine is best known for being responsible for some well-known Xbox Live Arcade games (like “Marble Blast Ultra”) and some IGF winners (like “And Yet it Moves”).
As for us getting closer to the independent gaming auteur dream, I’m going to put myself out there as somewhat of a guinea pig and evaluate each of these solutions personally, as I venture to create a small idea and turn it into something commercial. I’ll be documenting its more interesting moments and discoveries here. Stay tuned.
By now, Wii parables are plentiful among both the gaming community and the mainstream press.
>> Ultimate In Convergence: Casting Actors For Games
There will soon come a day when creating a video game will be not much different than filming a movie. Two current games illustrate the fine line that divides the two processes -- and the actors who were cast for the games, rehearsed for them, and then acted in their "filming" can surely attest to their similarities.
>> COUNTING ON YEAR-END BLOCKBUSTERS
The last three months of the year are make-or-break time for the video games industry -- as they are every year. In 2007, Americans will shell out as much as $18 billion on the interactive entertainment, reports Port Washington, NY-based NPD Group. Approximately half of that spending will occur between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.
>> Secret Level: Making The Decision To Be Acquired
After seven years as an independent game developer, San Francisco-based Secret Level was acquired by Sega last year.
>> Q&A: I Want My MTV Video Games
To much of America over a certain age, MTV -- which stood for “Music TV” when it launched in 1981 -- is that cable channel that shows an endless stream of rock videos. Mika Salmi wouldn’t be surprised if that same demographic has no idea that MTV is heavily into video games these days. And will rely much more heavily on gaming these next few years.
>> DAY TWO: TRYING TO DO THE HOMEBREW DEVELOPER THING
Presumably, you've already read Part One in this multi-part series of articles about trying to make a demo of a bowling game, as a one-man show, at home, using one of the three big homebrew game dev tools available today -- Virtools, Unity 3D, and Torque Engine Builder. Here comes Part Two ...
>> Casual Games: Too Much Of A Good Thing?
From a developer’s point of view, casual games are the place to be. They’re relatively quick and cheap to create, simple to distribute, and the easy-to-learn video games appeal to such a huge mass audience that the more that can be made, the merrier.
>> Xfire: Building Community For PC Gamers
Chris Kirmse is the VP of engineering at Menlo Park, CA-based Xfire, the MTV Networks-owned company that is bringing gamers closer through their dedicated applications.
>> Day One: Trying To Do
The Homebrew Developer Thing
What you are about to read is the first in a series of articles about trying to make a game demo, as a one-man show, at home, using one of the three big homebrew game dev tools available today -- Virtools, Unity 3D, and Torque Engine Builder.
>> TIMEPLAY: BRINGING GAMES TO THE SILVER SCREEN
Jon Hussman, president and CEO of Toronto and Los Angeles-based Timeplay Entertainment, launched the company after being involved with Playdium Entertainment, a huge, 40,000-sq.-ft. entertainment center in Ontario, jam-packed with arcade games, batting cages, mini-golf, a go-kart track, and more. It was the ultimate destination center for gamers, but the capital costs were just as huge. Here he takes a few minutes to chat with DAM about Timeplay’s unique interactive gaming platform.
>> WOO'S LATEST ACTION: TURNING FILM INTO GAME
Talk about convergence. When "John Woo Presents Stranglehold" leaped onto video game shelves at the end of August, it was the first time a full-length movie was packaged with a game on the same disc.
>> MORE SUPPORT FOR THE GARAGE DEVELOPER
These last few months, further developments have taken place in support of aspiring and capable developers, indie or otherwise.
Recently, at E3, Sony announced a deal with Epic whereby PC owners of “Unreal Tournament 3” could build a game level, then share it with PlayStation 3 users around the globe. Specifically, they would use the Unreal 3 editor and build the level as developers using the engine are doing, then simply share the level by way of digital transfer or hosting Web site.
>> DAM Q&A With Gaia Online’s Craig Sherman
Craig Sherman, the CEO of Gaia Online, joined “the fastest-growing online hangout for teens” in May 2006 after sizing up 250 companies, looking for one that met his two criteria.
>> A Place For Indie Developers To Kongregate
As George Carlin used to say, everybody needs a place for their stuff.
But finding a place for game developers’ “stuff,” somewhere where they can show off their wares, get a little exposure -- and perhaps some cash to boot -- hasn’t always been so easy.
>> Nielsen Turns To TV Viewers To Report On Video Games
They say the third time is the charm and Nielsen Games is hoping that’s true. On July 25, the research company was scheduled to start providing a metric to measure the effectiveness of in-game advertising. But this isn’t its first attempt.
>> Top 10 Misconceptions About Video Game PR
Public relations might be one of the most misunderstood professions in the interactive entertainment industry. Many publishers do not know they need it, while some think they need it for all the wrong reasons.
>> Boomers Are Gamers, Too!
When the news broke that playing video games helps keep senior citizens' minds alert and crackling, it was a big day for game-loving boomers. And an even bigger day for marketers of the so-called "brain games."
>> Hollywood & Games Or Art VS. Money?
Horror pioneer Clive Barker opened this year’s recent “Hollywood & Games” conference by sharing with an intimate crowd of games and movie professionals his personal experiences and understanding of games as a medium.
>> Hooray For Hollywood And Games!
The Hollywood And Games Summit held last year at the Beverly Hills Hotel, was the video games industry’s
first real attempt to publicly break down the language barrier between movie makers and game makers. The “first annual event” was one day long and deemed a good first try by many in attendance.
>> Picking Casual Gaming’s Top Model
It’s called the “99% problem” by those in the casual games business and, like something out of a Sherlock Holmes novel, the search is on for the “99% solution.”
>> DAM Q&A With Insomniac Games’ Mike Acton
Mike Acton is the engine director at Burbank, CA-based Insomniac Games, where he works with a crack team of engine programmers defining the next-generation of PS3 technology.
>> Standby For Episodic Casual Gaming
Like the episodic cliffhangers of the silver screen, the health and welfare of episodic gaming seems to be in constant danger.
>> Getting Past That Old MMOG Grind
It's called grinding. Or farming. To players of massive multiplayer online games, it means killing the same monster over and over and over in order to earn experience points.
>> Video Game Art Is Increasingly "To Go"
There had never been an "outsource manager" at Foundation 9, the video game industry's largest independent developer; never been a reason for one.
>> Q&A: Introversion: Still In Possession Of Its I.P.
This is part three in a series of articles about how people are improving the creative climate in the business, be it for themselves or for others by example.
>>Dialogue With Richard "Lord British" Garriott On The Holy Grail Of MMOS
Garriott predicts that the next-generation of MMOG will have the same excitement as solo games.
>> Dialogue With Mike Wilson: The Gamecock Crows
As a publisher, Wilson believes it's his role to fund the developer, then get out of the spotlight.
>>Now We’re In That City By The Bay!
DAM is expanding into the San Francisco area to better servce its clients and candidates in N. California.
>> Burger King Has It Their Way With Advergame Sales
Burger King sold more than 3.2 million copies of its three advergames in the last three months.
>> The Mass Re-Emerging Of The Bedroom Coder
In the last few years,garage developers have been making somewhat of a low-key resurgence.
>> Wii Ambitions At Buena Vista Games
Disney's Buena Vista Games named Scott Novis VP and general manager of its new Fall Line studio.
>> Rob Pardo On The WoW Factor
As Blizzard's VP of game design, Rob Pardo is the man ultimately responsible for making "World of Warcraft" happen.
>> Brainstorming At A Video Game "Think Tank"
Developers gathered to identify workable solutions for what stops effective game design from happening.
>> Video Games That Watch Back
New techniques allow developers to watch gamers who are playing online.
