Remember the games Alien Carnage/Halloween Harry that were published by Apogee back in the heydays of shareware? I know I do, having played a lot of Alien Carnage on my 486 after getting a disk with the game from a local shareware mailer. The game was actually developed by John Passfield and he has since co-founded Krome Studios and worked on the Destroy All Humans! franchise for Pandemic Studios.
This video games industry veteran has now set up a mobile games accelerator called Right Pedal Studios, based in Brisbane Australia. What’s an accelerator you ask, basically it’s an incubator of sorts providing funding small teams of 2 to 5 developers to make games for iOS and Android, with support in the form of working capital of up to $50,000 (kinda like some of the government MDEC programs you have in Malaysia), office space, mentorship and an alumni program in exchange for a fraction of the equity in each game.
So if you are based in Australia, Brisbane in particular and have a small team coming up with mobile games, you might wanna check this out. Some of my friends and clients started off in accelerator/incubator kind of environments and I must they’ve done well for themselves and their respective companies. Check out the press release below for more details:
Brisbane’s newest Games Accelerator; Right Pedal Studios is now open for applications. Successful teams will have access to funding to get their game for iOS or Android up and running. The package includes support in the form of working capital of up to $50,000, office space, mentorship and an alumni program.
The project is seeded by River City Labs founder Stephen Baxter, and is managed by games veteran John Passfield. Right Pedal Studios will fund small teams of 2 to 5 developers to make games for iOS or Android in exchange for a fraction of the equity in each game. Teams also get access to a number of games industry mentors who bring with them valuable knowledge from their years of experience.
Mentors include Morgan Jaffit, co-founder of Defiant Development (publishers of Ski Safari), Dan Vogt (co-founder of Halfbrick), Matt Hall, founder of KlickTock and developer of Little Things Forever, David Zwierzchaczewski, Application Engineer for Media and Entertainment at Autodesk, Gordon Moyes, convenor of Griffith University’s game program and producer of the Destroy All Humans! series, Pras Moorthy, product manager of Kixeye and co-owner of the Mana Bar, and Steve Baxter and John Passfield.
“Australia is home to some of the greatest mobile game developers in the world and we’re excited to help up and coming developers reach their potential.” said Steve Baxter. Right Pedal has partnered with a number of industry players including Griffith University and Pitcher Partners, each providing access to goods and services for each of the development team involved in the program.
“We want to team up with smart developers working on great games. Our goal is to help them where we can and allow them to focus on making the best game possible.” said John Passfield. Applications are open to residents of Australia and the first teams will enter production in February/March 2013. Interested parties can apply to the games accelerator program via the Right Pedal Studios website where they will find more information about the program and mentors.
Did you know that companies such as Bioware (the folks behind Star Wars: The Old Republic) use technology solutions such as the HeroEngine development environment to build their MMOs. HeroEngine streamlines the process of making an online game and Idea Fabrik, the makers of HeroEngine are proud to announce the release of HeroEngine 2. The new Engine will offer developers state-of-the-art graphics, high spec development tools and integrated middleware.
“We are very excited about the new features and expanded tools available in HeroEngine 2” said Alex Shalash, Idea Fabrik’ co-Founder and Chairman. “The release of HeroEngine 2 proves our continued commitment to empowering any game developer to create – faster and easier than ever before – powerful online games across all genres.”
HeroEngine 2 provides all the necessary tools to build online games; it streamlines the entire process and allows teams to create and update their game faster and in real-time. “We are providing development tools without restrictions, code crunching and time constraints; games can now be designed with fun and creativity at heart. HeroEngine is leveling the playing field and opening game development to everyone” concluded Shalash.
HeroEngine 2 includes the following keys features and updates:
Graphics:
Powerful changes to graphics engine including several new tools that make it easier for game developers to create and re-create realistic scenes such as custom shaders, shadows and HDR rendering.
Development Tools:
New Foundation Framework components have been added including game matchmaking lobbies, multi-area and group chat, and an item and social system. The Foundation Framework are customizable core system building blocks that are able to be used in any online game, By adding these new core game systems, HeroEngine allows developers instead to focus on innovative gameplay features.
HeroEngine 2 also includes a more intuitive new user interface for the engine’s editor and repository browser. Overall engine performance improvements have also been made.
Middleware:
In addition to the existing middleware providers, HeroEngine 2 now integrates two new key middleware solutions:
SpeedTree® for Games 6, a professional solution for adding animated trees and foliage seamlessly into games
Awesomium® Web UI Browser Framework, which allows for seamless integration of critical in-game systems such as micro transactions and subscriptions, and also provides an easy and flexible way to create immersive UI and web content.
HeroEngine 2 is immediately available on HeroCloud through various licensing options starting from $99 per year. HeroCloud is Idea Fabrik’s cloud-hosted development and live game service, offering affordable access to HeroEngine. For more information on source code licenses, please visit heroengine.com.
Imagine that you have it good with a hit game on both Android and iOS platforms, and someone plagiarises your game, submits that new game into a competition and then wins it. The whole scenario sounds incredulous, but for the sake of argument, if I were the developer of the plagiarised game, I would be totally incensed and would go on a warpath to set things straight.
So imagine how the developers at Craneball Studios felt when this nightmare scenario actually happened to them, in real life? They dropped me a line recently regarding their game, iOS & Android title Overkill. Apparently an Asian studio called Feelingtouch Inc (a.k.a FT Games, previously known as Superdroid.net) came up with a game called Gun & Blood which proceeded to win the best game category in the Samsung Smart App Challenge.
The folks at Craneball actually found out back in April that Gun & Blood is really similar to that of Overkill, in which the game’s mechanics and design had been plagiarised with slightly reworked graphics. To add salt to injury, feeling touch saw fit to use text from Overkill in previous versions of Gun & Blood. Check out the comparison chart below to see for yourself:
This isn’t the first time plagiarism has reared its ugly head in iOS & Android games. Previously I did not publish news on certain games (or reviewed them for that matter) since they looked incredibly similar to that of existing, successful iOS or Android hits, and some of these instances of plagiarism were even more severe than what Craneball Studios faced.
It does add to the stigma that Asian developers (those copycat games that I found were made by developers from Vietnam, Hong Kong and China) can’t really come up with original hits. The folks at Samsung have not commented on the issue although I wished their judging of the competition was a little more stringent. feeling touch actually received USD 200,000 by winning the grand prize in this competition.
To the folks at Craneball Studios, we at Nineoverten.com feel for you. We’ll be seeking comment from Feelingtouch Inc/FT Games soon. To check out Overkill, it’s available for free on the iTunes App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/overkill/id421659813?mt=8
For many of us, the history of digital games begins with the quaint – and visually crisp – visit to Pong. It is the “amusement” that revitalized the arcades of the 1970s, as teenagers accustomed to pinball and perhaps the paper Dungeons & Dragons marveled at the vector dynamics of this first-in-class digital wonder. (Note that few people at the time even would know to call it “digital,” barely able to comprehend how the thing worked.)
But sweet nostalgia isn’t why Pong, created by Atari, Inc. in the early 1970s, is on the minds of game design students today. At the New York Film Academy (NYFA), a school that teaches game design along with 3-D animation, cinematography and acting (among other arts), Pong and first generation console games (Computer Space, Gun Fight, Space Invaders, etc.) provide insight into what launched this industry – and why it is so remarkably appealing to millions of playes.
Photo of marbles: While interest in marbles as a childhood pastime waned in the mid-20th century, their long history (marbles were devised during the Harappan Ravi Phase of the Indus Valley civilization, now Pakistan, around 3300-2800 BCE) speaks to the pan-cultural popularity of rolling orbs in competitive play. How many digital and analog games do not involve a vector of some sort with physical characteristics that are understood by the players?
NYFA students – and those at many other gaming schools – study the history of games because it goes beyond binary code into something far more complex: what compels human mind and spirit to play. Archeological evidence of games is found the world over, particularly in ancient Greece, where everything from ancient versions of jacks, basketball and hockey once existed. These were all rooted in a pervasive culture of competitiveness – remember, this is where the Olympics were held and one man’s deadly run to Marathon spawned a 20th century cultural phenomenon. Games allowed children and adults to compete in a civilized way (meaning, no one got terribly hurt in the process). Examples include:
Spinning a top: The physics involved in employing centrifugal force to a circular object involved use of a wand (a “kerykeion”) and was largely considered the game of children, simple in its objective and more about developing a skill than winning a competition. Greek children ritualistically laid aside the spinning top when they matured into other games.
Passeé-boule: The objective was to toss a ball through a hole in an upright board. The relationship to several modern sports – basketball in particular – is difficult to ignore.
Ephedrismos (knock over the stone): A little bit like bowling, a little bit like playing chicken in a swimming pool and arguably a tad bit related to Tetris and Angry Birds, this game involved two players trying to knock down an upright stone. When one succeeded, that person would ride the back of the other player until the “loser” could knock the stone down again with his or her foot (with the “winner” flailing about on back to do the same thing).
Knucklebones: Using the tarsal bones of sheep or goats, players would either attempt to deconstruct (ok, “knock over”) the opposition’s constructions. Another game using the same bones would involve numerical values and random tossing, quick like modern dice.
The game designer needs to acknowledge the very nature of play, as evidenced by centuries of development and the recurrent themes present in those games (strikingly similar games have been uncovered in Mayan ruins of the New World). Some games are for individuals, some for two players and, in an interconnected Internet society, some for many more players. But the basic goals and competitive nature of these games is quite like those played thousands of years ago, played with little more than rocks and bones.
Two of my favourite video game publications, both of them UK-based, Edge and Retro Gamer has always offered interesting perspective on the past and present of UK’s video-games industry. Now, a couple of filmmakers have announced that they are about to come up with a documentary about the same subject matter, and I say it’s about damn time.
Filmmakers Anthony Caulfield & Nicola Caulfield have announced they have launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund the production of their new 90 minute documentary feature film titled ‘From Bedrooms to Billions’. The film tells the remarkable, true story of the British Video Games Industry between 1979 – 1996 and how the creativity and vision of a relatively small number of individuals allowed the UK to play a key, pioneering role in the shaping of the billion dollar video games industry which today, dominates the modern world’s entertainment landscape.
Featuring interviews with key contributors to the UK story in video game development, publishing and journalism from over the last 40 years, combined with compelling archive, ‘From Bedrooms to Billions’ is the first to attempt to bring this fascinating story together starting in the late 70′s, spanning ‘Thatcher’s Britain’ of the 80′s and culminating in the dramatic shift of fortunes for the UK Video Games Industry by the late 90′s. The film celebrates the importance of this era and why it has become such a landmark period in the history of British invention, creativity and industry.
Producer, Anthony Caulfield said “From Bedrooms to Billions has been a very personal project for us since June 2008. Having completed many documentaries we have always wanted to document the rise of the British video games industry and the incredible story that went with it. What’s so fascinating is how the UK computer scene was originally nothing more than a scientific curiosity which snowballed into something so vast. As we started putting this film together we uncovered so many incredible stories, these people had to literally make up an industry as they went, some were very successful, but others were not so, however collectively we felt it a strong story that’s long overdue and should make a wonderful movie”.
Fellow Producer Nicola Caulfield said “This film will be a great piece of nostalgic entertainment that documents an important part of UK history. This era is so often overlooked and not known by young British talent looking to enter the games industry, as the vast majority of UK children, school leavers and even students believe that gaming originated mainly from the US and Japan and have little to no knowledge that a British games industry even once existed”.
The latest episode of Inside Gaming is out on Machinima’s YouTube channel. This episode sees a new 3-man roundtable format featuring mainstay Dead Pixel, newcomer Mr. Sark and guest star Khail from Critical Flow.
Here are some highlights (thanks Dan) from the video, and it looks like this episode has a bit of everything (even a phone feature…well, more of a feature on porn on a phone):
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, Far Cry 3, & Tony Hawk Ride sequel in development
New Dead Space 2 info coming next month
No Diablo in 2011
Red Dead Redemption – 1st look and initial impressions of Rockstar San Diego’s take on the spaghetti western and sequel to the 2004 hit Red Ded Revolver
Lamenting the top box office earners for the weekend
Check out Inside Gaming’s latest episode on the Machinima Inside Gaming channel on YouTube. The new episode features a surprise or two, say hi to (former) G4TV guy, Mr. Sark, as he joins Inside Gaming, and also news about Pandemic Studios & Saboteur, updates to Xbox Live & PSN, and breaking rumors about Activision’s new studio Sledgehammer’s possible involvement with a prequel to Modern Warfare 2.
Not to mention great sneak peeks at Final Fantasy XXIII, Dante’s Inferno, Infamous 2, Dead Space 2, and BF Bad Co. 2.
Don’t forget also about the Inside Gaming Awards. This coming Friday’s episode of Inside Gaming will announce all the nominees and categories. But if you don’t want to wait until then for more details about the Awards, the categories list and the list of nominees? Well, check out the press release below:
MACHINIMA.COM TO DEBUT THE WORLDS LARGEST VIDEO GAME AWARD SHOW ON YOUTUBE
The “Inside Gaming Awards” Created for Global Gaming Audience Los Angeles, CA – November 24, 2009 – Machinima.com – the premier online video entertainment network for gamers – announces a new video game award show — the “Inside Gaming Awards”. Theawards will take place on December 11th 2009, the night before the Spike TV Video Game Awards, and will provide a celebration and alternative look at the recent year in gaming. The “Inside Gaming Awards” has been created to specifically appeal to the vast community of global gamers that are online as evidenced by the 60 million monthly video views that Machinima.com delivers.
The “Inside Gaming Awards” will form two special editions of the “Inside Gaming” series. The first special will broadcast on November 27th, 2009 with “Inside Gaming’s” host “The Dead Pixel” launching over 90 nomination videos across 18 categories including: Game of the Year; Best Game Cinematography; Best Trailer; Best Multiplayer; Best Art Direction; Best Control; Best Replayability; Best Indie Game; Best DLC (Downloadable Content); Best Downloadable Game; Most Original Game; Best Game Innovation; Best Original Score; Most Compelling Character; Best Weapon; Best Narrative; Best Sound Design; and Best Animation.
Nominees will be eligible for two separate awards – the official industry “Inside Gaming Award” and a “Gamer’s Choice Award”, which will be chosen by community votes between the dates of Nov. 27th and December 7th. Community votes will be counted based on the number of views each nomination video receives during the two week voting period. (For a complete list of nominees please reference the appendix of this release).
The second special of the “Inside Gaming Awards” will air on December 15th and will be a special show to report on the winners and other industry news from the official “Inside Gaming Awards” private event to be held at the Redbull House, Santa Monica on Friday, December 11th.
All of the “Inside Gaming Awards” special shows will be launched as a part of the normal “Inside Gaming” series schedule and be available on Machinima.com’s YouTube channel. The Machinima channel on YouTube (YouTube.com/machinima) is the #1 most popular entertainment channel of all time on YouTube with more than 700 million video views, it is by far the largest audience of video game fans in the world and the new “Inside Gaming Awards” was created specifically for this dedicated global community.
“The paradigm has shifted — we are seeing huge numbers of gamers on the web which the staggering growth of the machinima channel on YouTube channel truly validates. Given this, it was natural for us look for more ways to deliver interesting and unique original gaming content that would satisfy this expansive gaming audience that lives online” said Machinima.com CEO and Chairman, Allen DeBevoise.
“Inside Gaming and its host, “The Dead Pixel”, has become a leading voice for gamers on the web delivering a unique and notable gaming news show with a strong comedic edge. We are thrilled to leverage one of our flagship brands to create this awards show that will recognize those creators and innovators who continue to raise the bar in video games“
“Video Game related content is a big growth area on YouTube. Machinima.com has grown its audience to become a top destination for gamers on YouTube and is currently the number one YouTube entertainment channel,” said Kevin Yen, Director of Strategic Partnerships for YouTube.
Inside Gaming has delivered comprehensive coverage of the most important industry and consumer events including E3, PAX, GamesCom, and Comic Con. Inside Gaming’s coverage of each of the major events of 2009 has delivered an average of 15 million video views during the week of the respective events and has delivered unmatched marketing opportunities for advertisers associating with the Machinima.com Network during such events. Inside Gaming will cover approximately 20 events of interest to gamers in 2010.
Since the company’s inception, Machinima.com has rapidly expanded to provide comprehensive and compelling entertainment content focused on gaming within the core 18 – 34 demographic and generates more than 60 million video views per month across its network, making it the number one entertainment destination for gamers, developers, publishers and fans. The word “Machinima” is a loose hybrid of the words “machine” and “cinema” and is used to describe the process of creating realtime animation by manipulating a videogame’s real-time engine and assets.
The “Inside Gaming Awards” Official Nominees for 2009
Game of the Year
Batman Arkham Asylum (Eidos/Warner Bros, Rocksteady Studios)
Borderlands (2K Games, Gearbox Software)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft, Bungie)
Modern Warfare 2 (Activision, Infinity Ward)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony, Naughty Dog)
Best Trailer
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Konami)
Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft, Bungie)
Modern Warfare 2 (Activision, Infinity Ward)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (LucasArts/BioWare)
Resident Evil: The Dark Side Chronicles (Capcom)
Best Multiplayer
Borderlands (2K Games, Gearbox Software)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve, distributed by EA)
Modern Warfare 2 (Activision, Infinity Ward)
Street Fighter IV (Capcom)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony, Naughty Dog)
Best Narrative
Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal)
Brutal Legend (EA, Double Fine)
Halo 3 ODST (Microsoft, Bungie)
Modern Warfare 2 (Activision, Infinity Ward)
Uncharted 2 (Sony, Naughty Dog)
Best Art Direction
Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal)
Batman Arkham Asylum (Eidos/Warner Bros, Rocksteady Studios)
Borderlands (2K Games, Gearbox Software)
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Ignition Entertainment, VanillaWare)
Check out the latest Inside Gaming on Machinima’s Channel on YouTube for the announcement on the latest video game awards show in town, the “Inside Gaming Awards”, and watch Dead Pixel rant about Dragon Age’s DLC system. Here’s a little write up accompanying the video below:
Machinima.com, the largest online video game entertainment network, presents The Machinima Inside Gaming Awards, created specifically for gamers, with 18 wide-ranging categories such as Game of the Year, Best Game Cinematography, Best Weapon, Best Multiplayer, and Best Animation.
The Machinima Inside Gaming Award nominations are announced on Nov. 27th, and the event will be broadcast on December 15. The “Inside Gaming Awards” will form two special editions of the “Inside Gaming” series. The first special will broadcast on November 27th, 2009 with “Inside Gaming’s” host “The Dead Pixel” launching over 90 nomination videos across 18 categories.
Nominees will be eligible for two separate awards – the official industry “Inside Gaming Award” and a “Gamer’s Choice Award”, which will be chosen by community votes between the dates of Nov. 27th and December 7th. Community votes will be counted based on the number of views each nomination video receives during the two week voting period.
