PC Games

Games for Outdoors

2010-08-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Fun and Easy Party-Games for Outdoors

All you need to get started are some supplies mostly everybody has at home anyway: Towels, a favorite stuffed animal, balloons, string, plastic cups, buckets and spoons – or just some children who are eager to play.

Animal Races Spark Imagination

Set up a racetrack. For example, place to towels or chairs at start and finish line. Let the children imagine they are animal and practice how they move. Snakes slither on the ground, horses gallop, a cat sneaks and pounces, mice run on the tips of their toes. To be a frog, bend the knees all the way and jump forward. To walk like a spider, try to move on all four with your belly pointing upwards. Then let the children race, either all being the same animal or choosing their favorite animal. Which animal is the fastest? Let the children come up with their own four legged creatures.

Obstacle Runs Add Fun to the Party

For the "Egg Run" each team needs a spoons and eggs or potatoes. Set up the children in two teams. Place the egg or potato on the spoon. Ready, set, go! For a more refreshing version use little plastic cups filled with water. Place a full bucket at the start line, an empty one at the finish line. Which team can fill the empty bucket faster? Mix adult players with children. Who will get wetter?

In the "Three-legged Run" two players run together with two of their legs bound together. For "Sack-hopping" use big, sturdy garbage bags or burlap sacks (old fashioned potato sacks) if you have any. Let the players step into the bags and hop, hop, hop from start to finish line.

Food-Games are All Time Favorites

The traditional "Apple bobbing" is still a favorite with kids. Place some apples in a bowl full of water. Let the kids try to bite an apple.

For "Doughnut Jumping" tie some doughnuts on a piece of string. Let the kids jump, trying to catch the doughnut with their mouths. For a healthier version use salt pretzels, sausages, or even bananas. Make a mound of crushed ice (or flour) on a tray for this fun "Cutting Game". Place a gummy bear or gumdrop on top of it. Each child has to cut a bit of the flour mound. When the gummy bear falls, the child has to get it with his mouth. Have the camera ready!

Playing "Ice Cream Faces" can get a little messy. Each two players get a cup of ice cream, an ice cream sandwich or an ice pop. One partner gets blindfolded and has to feed his teammate.

Movement Fun for Little Ones

For "Flying Teddy Bear" each two players hold the corners of a towel. Place a teddy bear or other soft item on one of the towels. By pulling the corners players can throw the teddy up in the air. Which team can catch the teddy bear and throw him way up again?

In "Blind Flea"one player gets blindfolded. He is the blind flea. The others jump around him while the blind flea tries to catch them. To make it not too hard, each seeing flea is just allowed ten hops. In another version, the blindfolded player has to follow the sounds the other players make. If he catches somebody he can feel his face to figure out who he caught. If he guesses the right, the caught flea will be the next blind flea.

Balloons Encourage Dancing

For this version of "Balloon Dance" blow up some balloons (on hot days you can even fill them up a little bit with water) and tie them with a string around one leg of each little dancer. Goal is to pop the balloons of everybody while you have to keep your own balloon safe.

For another possible way of "Balloon Dancing" hand out one balloon to each dancing couple. Players should try to hold up the balloon with any possible body-part, except the hands. The balloon could be squeezed between the heads of the two dancers or between their bellies. The last couple whose balloon falls down last wins.

Inspiration More Important than Preparation

There is really no big set up necessary to organize some fun games. Many of them can even be used spontaneously if the BBQ does not turn out to be very child friendly. Many of the above mentioned games are old and were played by children for many decades. Of course there are many different versions. But the fun of it is, that you can change them according to the occasion, the surroundings and the age of the children. Here you can find more ideas for

Free PC Game

2010-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Best Free PC Game Downloads

Computer games are big business, with users spending millions of dollars each year on the latest and greatest games for their Mac computer, PC, or video game system. With computer games averaging $35 or more for new releases, some individuals want to find something to occupy their time and expand their imagination without breaking their bank in the process. Luckily there are many places to find the best free computer game downloads for PCs.

Free PC Game Download Options

Many web sites that specialize in providing links to PC game downloads, both free and otherwise. The key is finding the download sites that provide accurate and useful information about the game prior to the user downloading it. Large PC games can take a long time to download, even on a high speed connection. Because of this fact, look for web sites that provide user submitted or staff written reviews or comments on each file. Sites such as the aptly named Download.com and Gamespot are excellent sources of this information, however finding games that are truly free on these sites can be difficult unless the search is properly set up.

Searching For The Best in Free PC Game Downloads

When searching for free PC game downloads at Download.com, the user types a descriptive phrase into the search box for the genre of game that is desired. In the results that follow, there will be an option in the left column of the page that allows the user to select "Free To Try" or just "Free." Clicking on the "Free" option limits the search results down to games that are truly free and available for download through the web site. Further, each of these games may have hundreds of reviews written by users or fans of the game. Some also include professional reviews by the editors of the site.

PC game download sites such as Gamespot are a little more difficult to navigate but still contain useful information and links. Most of the games at Gamespot are demos, meaning that they are only partial or crippled versions of the full game. By typing a search phrase such as "RPG -demo" a user can effectively remove any results that are clearly demo versions of commercially available games. At the same time, demos are not a bad way to go for people who really do not know what they are looking for in a PC game. Playing a free PC game demo can help a user decide that they are willing to pay a little more for the full version at a later date.

Disgaea Afternoon

2010-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Disgaea Afternoon

Have you ever wanted to download Disgaea Afternoon Of Darkness game for free on your Play Station, PSP or PSP Go, but don't know how?

You have come to the right place!

If you want to find out the quickest way to download Disgaea Afternoon Of Darkness , Loco Roco, Patapon2 and all the latest PSP games, PS Games, videos, music, movies, shows, wallpapers, comics, then read how it can be done using PS or MAC! These games can be easily transferred to and played on your hand held console (PSP, PSP Go), you console (PS), your PC, your MAC, without any special hardware or software!

PSP Go Download Center contains over 200K Downloads making it the Largest Database for the PSP Download! PSP Go Download Center is a complete database where you can find the newest and your favorite Psp Games for free besides Movies, Shows, Music, Software, Comics, Books, Magazines, Wallpapers and much more!

* Access to the Biggest and Ultimate PSP Go Database on the Internet

* High Download Speed, No Limits, No Queues!

* Daily updates with the latest Games, Music, Movies and Software.

* No Fees Per Download or Per Month!

* Get Started PSP Go Download Center - A Step by step guide!

* Free 24/7 Technical Support for any questions

PSP Go Download Center Members can get Unlimited Download for their PSP Go Console (PSP) with no monthly fees with a one time fee for lifetime registration!

And the best part is, they are now offering a promotional discount of $39 for lifetime membership versus the regular $65 price, this definitely adds further value and I'm sure that this offer is only for a short period. Just few months back, I paid $65 for lifetime but still it's a very good value since they offer ultra high speed unlimited downloads including all time favorites Soul Calibour, Loco Roco 2, Patapon 2, Resistance and Disgaea Afternoon Of Darkness

Don't wait, you can join now and get all the benefits from PSP Go Download Center and start putting free psp games right onto your memory card.

So what are you waiting for? Download Disgaea Afternoon Of Darkness PSP game and all your favorite PSP games unlimited for Free (Yes $39 for 200k Downloads works out to just 0.01 cents/download)

Metal Gear

2010-08-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to download Metal Gear Solid game for free on your Play Station, PSP or PSP Go, but don't know how?

You have come to the right place!

If you want to find out the quickest way to download Metal Gear Solid, Loco Roco, Patapon2 and all the latest PSP games, PS Games, videos, music, movies, shows, wallpapers, comics, then read how it can be done using PS or MAC! These games can be easily transferred to and played on your hand held console (PSP, PSP Go), you console (PS), your PC, your MAC, without any special hardware or software!

* Access to the Biggest and Ultimate PSP Go Database on the Internet

* High Download Speed, No Limits, No Queues!

* Daily updates with the latest Games, Music, Movies and Software.

* No Fees Per Download or Per Month!

* Get Started PSP Go Download Center - A Step by step guide!

* Free 24/7 Technical Support for any questions

PSP Go Download Center Members can get Unlimited Download for their PSP Go Console (PSP) with no monthly fees with a one time fee for lifetime registration!

Don't wait, you can join now and get all the benefits from PSP Go Download Center and start putting free psp games right onto your memory card.

So what are you waiting for? Download Metal Gear Solid PSP game and all your favorite PSP games unlimited for Free (Yes $39 for 200k Downloads works out to just 0.01 cents/download)

Rainbow Riches

2010-08-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Riches Gets A Full House

Regular players of this stunning game will know that the little leprechaun, the figurehood of the Rainbow Riches, is a busy little fella. His life now, rhough, is about to get even busier!

For Rainbow Riches is now entering the wolrd of bingo with a deriritive game that, not unsurprizingly, will be rolled out in bingo halls before the online world beckons.

It seems, on the face of it, a great idea - combining the thrill of getting a line, 2 lines or a full house in bingo with the great features associated with the classic game.

One advantage for bingo halls are the gaming licence implications - although the game looks like a traditional gaming machine it is not; but the Gaming Commission are always quick to find machines that try to bypass the gaming fees, in this continual game of cat and mouse between operator and regulator.

However, it is online where the real potential of the game comes alive - imagine playing bingo in the usual way, that is going for a line, full house etc. and winning an exciting figure rather than a normal fixed lump sum. Further, the game is fair - with a fixed RNG (Random Number Generator) determining the numbers, no other players with which to complete, and you win if you can get a full house within a certain number of calls - in a normal 90-ball game the jackpot would be obtained should you get a full house within 50 calls, and a prize of some kind if you call up in 80.

The cost of the game on the fixed sites will be set at 50p a board, and you will be able to play up to £2 a pop, which seems reasonable, but the games will fly by at a rate of knots, with every game finshed within 5 seconds. Online though, you would be able to play at 10p a card, that's 40p a game which is more palatable if you want a decent amount of gameplay, yet still with a reasonable chance of success.

Using the Rainbow RIches branding combined with bingo seems a match made in heaven, and we watch with interest when the new games get rolled out!

X-Men

2010-08-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

X-Men Legends 2 Art Director

Tell us about yourself Dan; where are you from and how old were you when you discovered that you wanted to be a 3D animator?

I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and animation was something I stumbled onto after realizing I didn't want to be a lawyer.

Are you a traditional artist turned 3D animator or did you just jump right into the 3D Software?

I jumped right into 3d software. I had taken art courses as the majority of my electives all through high school and university, but never made it a full time commitment.

Are you formally trained as an artist or are you self-taught?

I completed a nine-month animation course in Toronto and then landed a job on an animated feature shortly thereafter.

Do you think that artists with a formal education in animation or illustration have an advantage over self-taught artists?

Although a formal education is a definite boost to your chances of landing a job, two of the best animators I ever worked with were both self taught.

What Programs and Hardware do currently work with? And why do you choose to work with these software packages?

X- men Legends 1 and 2 used 3d studio Max and Character Studio exclusively. Both programs gave us exactly what we needed.

Who's work do you admire?

I recently got a chance to work with the guys from Blur Studios and I would have to say that they jumped to the top of my list.

Where do you get the inspiration for your art?

This is going to sound funny but I would have to say " tight deadlines". I tend to come up with better stuff if the crunch is on. Maybe that's more "motivation" then "inspiration" but that's my answer.

How did you get your start in the video game industry?

I was working as an animation director for commercials and film when the chance to lead a team of artists on a good portion of the James Bond Night fire cinematics became available. It turned out to be a tough 6 months but I enjoyed it so much that I started thinking about doing it full time. When I got the call from Ravensoft to work on X-men Legends I just couldn't pass it up.

How hard is it for a self taught artist to break into the video game business?

It's not easy. The good thing about school is that you have the benefit of being taught by people who have been in the industry. They usually know how to present your work in a professional manner.
What steps should an aspiring Animator or Artist take to break into the video game business?

1. Animate or paint as much as you can.
2. Post your work on forums and listen to the advice you get.
3. Focus on a specific area of production: animation, modeling, lighting, or texturing.
4. Send in only your best work.
5. Get some sleep....you're going to need it.

As Art Director of a major video game company what skills do you look for in an artist?

1. 3d skill: the ability to produce cool looking stuff in a standard 3d package.
2. 2d skill: a natural ability to paint
3. Ability to economize: getting the poly count and texture size of a given asset as small as possible while making use of every inch of the base page.
4. Presentation: sending in a reel or portfolio that is professional and represents only your best work.

What classes or programs would you recommend an aspiring artist or 3D Modeler take?

I think there is value in getting an education at any place that offers courses specifically geared towards game production. As for actual software....I am a pretty big fan of both Zbrush and Maya.

How long did it take you to become Art Director?

Six years.

What's it like working for Ravensoft? What are some of the projects that you've worked on?

Raven is a first class place to work. It's really cool to work at a studio that prides itself on the ART side of making games. As for projects, I started on X-men Legends, jumped right onto XML 2, helped a tiny bit on Quake, and am currently hammering on something new.

Take us through your typical day as Art Director at Ravensoft?

It's fairly straightforward. I have the art Dept divided into sub departments:

1. Tile building (backgrounds)
2. Character models
3. Skins
4. Tile textures
5. Object modeling
6. General texture
7. FX
8. Menus
9. Animation

We usually get together every other morning to kick ideas around and make sure we are on track. The rest of the time I basically bounce back and forth between these groups while keeping one eye on the schedule.

Could you take us through your creative process when starting a new project?

Well first off, we sit down with the project lead and the story guys and explain what "looks" we really want to try to tackle, and why. Then we concept like crazy for about a month. We have multiple groups of artists working on characters, objects, tiles and anything else we think we might need. Once the majority of concepting is complete we compile all the concepts into a giant book. The book is used as the art template for the game. It gives all parties involved a solid idea of what we think the game will look like and also serves to as the primary approval stage. From that point on we are knee deep in 3d production.

When working on a video game how much creative input do you actual have on the projects? Are all the look and feel aspect of a game set in stone or are the projects constantly evolving?

We have boatloads of creative input. One of the cool things about Raven is how much they listen to the ideas of employees. I would have to say the projects definitely evolve. We may design an environment with a very specific layout in mind but a designer may see something different. You have to be flexible and try to foster collaboration more than a singular vision.

How much interaction do the artists have with the developers on projects?

In our case Raven is the developer, so the interaction is fairly seamless.

You were Lead Animator, Cinematic Director and lead lighter on the hit X-men legends, could you give a brief description of these roles and what they meant to the project?

As lead animator I was responsible for all movement of the characters and objects. As Cinematic Director I was responsible for all aspects of cinematic creation: cameras, lighting, animation, you name it. As the Lighting Lead I was tasked with defining the color scheme for the final render of the game.

Is it normal in the video game industry for one person to take on multiple roles on a project or are must jobs pretty specialized?

Honestly I'm not sure. All the responsibilities listed above plus the role of lead artist are now included in the art director title.

What are some of the common production problems you run into when creating video games?

1. Not enough time
2. Not enough memory

You are Art Director on the much anticipated X-men legends 2 could you tell us a little bit about X-men legends 2? What can us gamers expect?

I think people are really going to enjoy it. It's a little darker and meaner then the original, and we went out of our way to try and double the texture resolution. A lot of effort was spent on powers, lighting, and creating original level looks.

How long has X-men legends 2 be in production?

About 10 months.

What software packages were used in the creation of X-men legends 2?

The art staff utilized, Max, Photoshop, and Vegas.

Did you run into any major production problems during the creation of X-men legends 2?

I can honestly say that this was the smoothest project I have ever worked on. When we started we thought we were in for a rough ride just based on the sheer volume of the game. We sat down and made some solid changes to the art pipeline to get it down to a science. All tolled we delivered roughly 20 new environments, over 4000 unique objects and about 270 skins. That's roughly double what we did on the first one. The cool part was that we managed to ship the game with artist and animators working almost no overtime for the last 7 months of a 10-month project.

Are there any other projects your working on at the moment for Ravensoft?

I got a chance to briefly help out with the cinematics on quake 4, but art directing the undisclosed title I spoke of earlier takes up most of my day.

What do you think of the next generation of console game systems (Xbox 360 & PS3)?

I can't wait to start producing art for those platforms. A lot of what we currently do as artists is about economizing, and can be very restrictive. The next gen consoles are going to allow us to make some spectacular stuff.

The production values of today's video games are so high they rival Hollywood block busters do you have any interest in work on a motion picture?

That's a tough one. Sure it would be cool to say that I worked on Kong, Return of the King, or a PIXAR film, but that would mean getting out of games. I'm really enjoying the stuff I do so I would have to say no.

What's next for Dan Hay as an Artist?

I am currently working on an unannounced project that is going to kick ass.

Do you have any advice for the hordes of people out there looking to break into the video game industry?

Make your demo reel as tight as possible. If you want to animate then don't worry about creating a killer model, just make focus on quality of motion. Keep the camera work simple and don't put anything on your reel that you don't think is top notch. Artists should focus on providing samples of base pages that are easy to read. We are always looking for a person who can utilize as much of the page as possible, and not section it up into a thousand pieces that are tough to paint. I will be providing examples of what I mean in upcoming post in the tutorial section of my web page.

Thanks to Dan Hay ) for agreeing to answer the questions I had for him. Please visit www.DanHay.net for more of Dan's Art work.

Game Developer Jobs

2010-08-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Game Developer Jobs

Intro

To come and work in the games industry as a programmer you really, really have to be into games. Just thinking that this is more exciting than going and working on databases or in accounting isn't enough motivation. Too many people have been lured by the false image of young programmers with fast sports cars, and been predictably disappointed. Sure, it can happen, but that shouldn't be your reason for wanting to write games. If you're talented and committed then financial rewards will come, but don't expect to walk into a job earning enormous money with no experience! If you're not interested in playing games, then are you really going to do a good job at writing them?

How long have you been programming? If you're on a course at college or university, do you still program as a hobby? Doing a bit of games programming as a hobby is a step in the right direction. There are lots of resources on the net to help programmers get to grips with Windows and DirectX, and that's a good education in itself.

Chances are you're not going to write anything that'll change the world of gaming as we know it, but that doesn't matter. Write a version of your favourite old arcade game - retro-gaming is hip now and they're generally not too complex to put together. If you can make it play like the original then you'll have coped with the same sort of programming tasks that the original developer did. If you've done a good job, then you have the perfect demo as a foot in the door for interview.

Unfortunately, most programming courses and books don't actually teach you to write tight, efficient code. Sure, the principal of programming and structure gets through, but with no respect for the memory and time constraints that plague the games programmer. There's a huge difference between coding a business application on a PC or mainframe, and writing a game for a console.

Games programming demands the impossible every day, and there's only one way to do this: CHEAT! Now this kind of spoils the magic, so those who don't want to know the score should look away now.

Looking back at video games of the past, there is very little in the way of realism: frogs crossing busy highways, aliens invading earth, American-Italian plumbers leaping over obstacles. But hang on a minute, today's most popular games are just the same, only more so!

And it's the "more so" that's the key. Now, all these games are in 3D, and boast "proper" interaction, "proper" physics and so on. It's all nonsense of course, modelling all these things properly, the hard way, takes way too much time to do, and more importantly more processor power than today's games consoles have. This is when the cheating begins.

So let's consider the notion of a character jumping. At this point we should start doing some really scary mathematical physics equations, probably using some of the laws of motion along the way, perhaps taking into account friction, aerodynamics, wind, gravity, and the weight of the frankly implausible cartoon character trying to jump. However, applied maths and physics is way too much like doing a simulation - this is games, and we haven't got time for that.

Simplify the process, and fool the player into thinking that all the complex stuff is going on, even when it isn't. At the very simplest level, when you want to make your character jump to the right, you're expecting them to follow a predictable, repeatable arc. OK, perhaps if you get a power-up or something you can jump double the height, and double the distance, but it's all pretty deterministic.

In the world of computer games programming, there are a million and one cheats, tricks and clever ways to get around things, and you'll find that you learn something every day - this industry grows and changes so rapidly that you just don't get time to rest on your laurels. The machines you're working on and, more importantly, the machines you're programming FOR, are changing all the time and you can't afford to get left behind.

You also need to be creative, sometimes painfully so - the idea that programmers are dull, unimaginative types couldn't be more wrong. If it needs doing, and nobody else has done it yet, you could find yourself inadvertently pioneering some new area in whatever-technology.

All of this may sound terribly depressing, but the last thing you should do is dive into an industry (particularly this one) half-cocked. There are, of course, great amounts of fun to be had - even when you're up until 5:30am coding a text parser. The feeling of having created something that other people enjoy, and actually playing your game at the end of it just can't be beaten. On top of this, the ability to turn up to work in a t-shirt and listen to music while drinking cola is a definite bonus. So, if you think you're up to it - the effort, the dedication, the fun and the late nights, read on...

Getting Started

A really good way to get started in programming is to check out a package called Blitz Basic. When people such as Blitz founders the Oliver twins were getting started in the early 80s it was possible to teach themselves programming on the machines that were available at the time, such as the Spectrum, the Amiga, the BBC Micro, etc.

Since then it's become a bit tougher because you can't do anything with a PS2 or an Xbox except play games. There's no access to the operating system and no simple programming language to learn.

Which is where Blitz Basic comes in. It's a good easy-to-learn entry level programming tool that covers both 2D and 3D (depending on which version you buy) and is available to run on most PCs at a pretty low cost. It'll give you a good introduction intro programming and will arm you to be able to move on an tackle C++.

Check out www.BlitzBasic.com

Games Programmer
Possible Responsibilities

A general programmer can literally be responsible for anything from text-parsing to texture mapping, tools code to AI, it is not unusual for one person to span a whole range of jobs. Therefore, the more you know (or can turn your hand to) the better. If you feel that you have a good grasp of a whole range of topics, this could be the job for you.

You will usually work specifically for someone (i.e. be given tasks and deadlines), and will be expected to complete these with a minimum of fuss, or suggest and implement suitable alternatives.

What you'll need to know * How to build and maintain data structures

* How to make use of new technology (hardware and software)
* Basic graphics skills (how to write and use sprites, primitives and preferably simple 3D graphics)
* State machines
* Simple AI
* File manipulation

You should also be able to work easily with other people's code. If you aren't specifically writing the engine, or AI (for example) then you will be picking up another person's work and will be expected to be able to handle this. There isn't much you can do in the way of training for this and it is something that you will certainly pick up on the job.

Lead Programmer
Possible Responsibilities

Everything! The lead programmer will usually not only code a huge variety of different things, but also be involved with planning, delegation team organisation and management. This depends upon the structure of the company in question, but in most circumstances this position involves at least some level of management skills.

What you'll need to know

* Everything: regardless of what the problem is, it's your job to fix it
* Interface skills
* Windows coding (windows themselves, message loops, the game loop, input, output)
* AI
* Engine skills
* File formats, data formats
* How to get people to work
* How to delegate effectively
* How to stay awake for 96 hours, organise your team and still get work done.

This may sound like overkill, but in many situations, the buck stops with the lead programmer. If, for some reason, the game is behind schedule, the ultimate responsibility may well be firmly placed on the shoulders of the Lead Programmer. If there seems to be no way to do something that is required, the Lead must find a solution or alternative. Which is why Lead Programmer is usually the best paid job too!

AI Programmer
Possible Responsibilities

Adding "intelligence" to a game, whether this means working on the game from the start, developing the AI hand-in-hand with the rest of the game, or bolting it on at the end. In some cases, this can be anything but "intelligent" (see below), in other cases, this can be real theory-pushing work. The important thing from the perspective of this industry is that an AI programmer makes the CPU appear to play intelligently.

What you'll need to know

As AI can vary so wildly in its definition, here's a range of things that you may be required to know:

* Psychology
* State Machines
* Physics (to understand how the AI players interact with their environment)
* Routing (a fantastically common AI problem)
* Graph and Network theory
* Neural Network theory
* Genetic Algorithm theory
* How to convert things we do every day into a general routine
(i.e. catching a ball, working out when to attack and when to run)
* A million clever ways to solve a fixed problem in as little CPU time as possible (choose the best weapon, find the nearest powerup, win at chess, walk from A to B avoiding C, etc.)

In this industry, AI can be a misnomer - there are few games that use neural nets, genetic algorithms or agent technology (although there are some, and the technology is slowly becoming more popular). In many cases, game AI consists of some fairly simple state machine style control with some clever but fixed ways to solve a problem, or just throwing the brute force of the CPU at a problem until it goes away. The point here is that "AI" may not mean what you think it means! Nonetheless, as many other aspects of games (particularly in the PC world) are being accelerated away by hardware, the CPU is free for long enough for some really clever AI to be run, making games even more playable and dynamic.

Engine Programmer
Possible Responsibilities

Making the game tick (no pun intended). The engine programmer provides a way for the game to communicate with the outside world. These days, this involves graphics (often 3D) and possibly sound. You would be responsible for constructing the systems that everything in the game (objects, players, enemies, etc) use, exist in and interact with.

What you'll need to know

As AI can vary so wildly in its definition, here's a range of things that you may be required to know:

* Maths
* Physics
* Rasterising
* 3D geometry/transforms
* Collision theory
* Hardware tricks
* Assembler (handy in case anything goes wrong/something needs optimising)

Having a brain the size of a planet is recommended for this job - you really need to specialise - but (and here's the catch) - in a huge range of things. Some of the maths and physics can get really hairy, plus it's getting worse as games get more complicated. Do not expect to have a life!

Tools Programmer
Possible Responsibilities

You will provide the utility and applications programs that the rest of your team/the company will use to put together their games. If something is broken, you will fix it. If someone needs a converter from this to that, you'll be writing it.

What you'll need to know

* How to maintain existing tools
* How to provide compatibility and flexibility between programs, formats and platforms
* How to create new tools to fit a need
* How to liaise with the people who will actually use the tool
* How to survive feature creep the likes of which God has not seen ("Yeah, but wouldn't it be nice if...")

Tools programmers provide a very worthwhile service to the other people at a company, even if they are not directly involved with a single, given game's creation. Flexibility and patience are a must.

Assassins

2010-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Pegboards vs Polygons:
Animating for Video Games

By: Mark Garabedian on behalf of Animation Mentor.

The venerable art of animating still images has existed in some form or another since the 1800s. Today, however, new evolutionary offshoots of the artform make the industry more diverse than ever. Video Games in particular, offer a variety of opportunities and restrictions not found in previous forms of animation.

Regardless of the platform, video games offer a cornucopia of rich animation, be it in the Full Motion Video cut-scenes or the abundant in-game engine animations. FMV can be either hand drawn or CG, and is generated in much the same way one would produce content for film or video. With limited or non-existent user input, FMV sequences are mostly employed for narrative purposes. The in-game engine animations are the real source of the mediums' potential. It is here that a talented artist is able to tell a story using body language and limited graphics. "How a character walks (e.g. slouching sadly or bouncing happily) is telling the character's story," points out Sam Yip.

Sam Yip is a senior animator at Disney Interactive. His portfolio includes such games as "Pirates of the Caribbean Online," "Saints Row," and "Golden Eye: Rogue Agent." A fan of both traditional animation and recent interactive mediums, he believes the major distinction between games and film lies within the mediums' objectives. "The goal of [film] animation is to serve a story/narrative, and in video games, the animation's goal is to serve the game play, so the game player can create his own story."

While voice over and scripted story sequences are common place in today's games, the artist's task is to inject as much personality into the player's avatar as possible. Yip reminds us that "Video game animations will have a lot of body movements such as running, walking, swinging a sword, and a lot of them will be cycled." This is where many genre restrictions come into play. Since a player commands the character, an artist is given the task of creating believable movements that can be transitioned to at a moment's notice. Much of this affects how anticipation is handled.

Anticipation, in both traditional and interactive animation, is how a character physically prepares for a movement. This is a simple process in film and television, since the animator has the storyboard and can prepare accordingly. In games, an animator will be asked to strike a fine balance between instantaneous character response and believable movement.

Technological limitations further challenge this process, such as an engine's frame-rate. "The anticipations in video game animations could be just a few frames," reiterates Yip, "if the frame rate is low and those few frames are skipped, then the player will not see the anticipation at all, which lessens the impact and believability of the animation." This can be overcome by creative planning, and the abbreviation of movements.

Modern games use diverse animation techniques and styles, though the majority achieve 3D through Maya and 3DS Max software. This opens up new considerations. In traditional animation, the focus is placed on the action within the frame, yet video games allow us to view the events from nearly any angle, thus requiring a universal approach and wider attention to detail.

As with theatrical CG, the choice between MoCap and Keyframe exists. Some games require a cartoony style that only time-consuming keyed animation can reproduce, while others benefit from the tangible realism of MoCap, though an extensive cleanup process may be necessary.

Video game animation offers a plethora of exciting opportunities and hurtles. For those involved, this digital playground offers a rich and rewarding experience, creating animation that connects to the audience on a more personal level then ever before. (Most sudios also mostly hire full time, rather than by contract!) For those interested in pursuing a career in this field, Sam recommends, "Find your passion, and just do it."

Mark Garabedian has been an animation aficionado from a young age, having worked his first job mowing lawns in Massachusetts to buy cels. An Emerson College alum, Mark is now a freelance animation writer and member of the Animation Guild, residing in Burbank, California.

Shattered Horizon

2010-08-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Shattered Horizon Beta Impressions

Futuremark Games Studio has been cooking up their first game, Shattered Horizon, for over two years. A closed beta over the last couple of months has polished up the game with each build and the launch is getting closer. With the NDA lifted, it is time to take a look at the game based on the beta test. Get ready for EVA!

First up, a disclaimer; Both YouGamers and Futuremark Games Studio are part of Futuremark Corporation. This preview is based on my experiences during the closed beta test of Shattered Horizon. YouGamers is not going to post a review or otherwise score Shattered Horizon due to the obvious conflict-of-interest issues, but I'm still going to give my own impressions on the game while sticking to journalistic principles - FGS guys didn't write this, I did. So, a preview, with some opinions based on close-to-final beta version of the game.

Astronaut vs. Astronaut

Moon Mining Cooperative troops.

Shattered Horizon puts the players into space - you fight for survival either as a member of International Space Agency (ISA) or Moon Mining Cooperative (MMC). There is quite a bit of backstory for the setting but for gameplay purposes, they are the blue team and the yellow team with enough story to explain why Earth suddenly has a ring of rocks orbiting the planet and why some astronauts are shooting each other. Being a multiplayer-only game, there really is very little room for storytelling.

Both sides have identical equipment - a highly advanced rocket pack for zero-G manouvering, a multi-purpose assault rifle with a sniper scope and a grenade launcher. The unique bit is obviously the full six-degrees-of-freedom movement system which has been developed around the basic WSAD+mouse control standard. Shift pushes you down, Space moves you up and by holding the right mouse button you can roll. It feels instantly natural, yet there is a definite learning curve before you can fully wrap your brain around the concept of being able to go anywhere and adjust your orientation freely. Newbies that keep "thinking two-dimensionally" are usually easy to spot and those who have hard time adjusting would probably flunk at the NASA astronaut selection tests as well...

Realism is a key point in design, but playability has trumped over hardcore realism in that your rocket pack is a "fly by wire" system. It caps out your speed and keeps you stable, yet it doesn't require you to keep thrusting to move - inertia will carry you on and it is actually somewhat hard to stay put unless you actually land on a surface. For those quick getaways, there is a limited temporary boost that recharges over time.

The maps that were available during beta actually help you adjust to the idea gradually. Moondust is closest to a conventional FPS map with some enclosed areas inside a large asteroid - a map where you can easily start without really using all the freedoms given, but with places where unconventional approach leads to juicy kills. Flipside develops the idea further - it is a large boulder with two distinctive sides. It is possible to fight by just deciding that the side you are on is the "ground" but once you figure out the possibilities given by the map, the unique style of fighting in Shattered Horizon becomes much clearer.

The other two maps, ISS and The Arc then go all out, expecting you to be comfortable with full six degrees of freedom, ready to fight no matter which way you are pointing. flying along the "spine" of the ISS feels a bit like fighting along the sides of a tall building, yet if you cling to the "this way is ground" thinking, as soon as some real spacemen come along, you are up for a surprise or two. The Arc goes one step further and as you fight in the middle of numerous smaller rocks, there really is no "up" or "down" to speak of and it is not uncommon to get somewhat disoriented.

Up to 32 players is the currently supported and while ISS and The Arc are probably best with something like 16 or 24, both Moondust and Flipside have plenty of room for full 32 player fights.

"Moondust"	"Flipside"
"ISS"	"The Arc"

Overall the fact that you can encounter hostiles from any angle breeds teamplay - you really can't cover every direction, so the only way to avoid nasty surprises is to work together. This also means that random teams without comms tend to work even worse than they do in most average shooters. In fact, it may end up being a huge hurdle for new players - if you just go in guns blazing, it is easy to get discouraged as you are ripped to shreds - you have both the unique zero-G environment to adjust to and you are playing with a far larger "blind area" around you than in more conventional games and you can never cover it alone - plenty of opportunities for veterans to exploit.

Limited Toolset

Each astronaut is sporting identical assault rifles. No lasers, railguns or other futuristic Sci-Fi stuff - just good old "target opponent, apply liberal dose of bullets" tech. And yes, gunpowder-based arms work just fine in a vacuum - the oxygen needed is in the gunpowder and as there is no air resistance to slow down a bullet, if anything, they'll work better than inside the atmosphere. Recoil is modeled with a slight inaccuracy over long bursts but the same rocket pack computer that keeps you from spinning out of control will counter-thrust against the recoil. As is common, "short, controlled bursts!" is a good idea. You can also zoom in with the scope for some juicy headshots but in practice sniping is feasible only when you put your feet down and anchor yourself to a surface.

The rifle also includes a bayonet for those up close & personal encounters and a multi-mode grenade launcher for some much-needed tricks. No, these grenades are not for spamming multi-kills as all three different grenade modes are non-lethal. You can control the fuse length before launching and in zero-G there is no arcing - grenades go in a straight line and bounce off any objects, allowing you to pull off some nice trick shots.

ICE grenade in action.

MPR grenades create a shockwave that is useful for flushing out hostiles from behind cover or (more often) bouncing them far into space which results in a death by hail of micrometeoroids.

ICE grenades spread out water that instantly freezes into a white cloud of ice particles - in practice it is the space version of a smoke grenade and can be used for cover. Handy, but the cloud is somewhat limited in size - works okay in close quarters and on smaller maps, but feels weak when fighting in more open areas.

EMP grenade is probably the most powerful offensive tool - anyone caught in the blast radius, friend or foe, finds himself "dead in space" with all suit electronics shut down. That means your thrusters are almost dead and there is no audio simulation or HUD. Pop one of these and then commence operation turkey shoot as your opponent is severely hampered until his suit systems boot up again.

And... that's it. The equipment list is decisively spartan and while this is somewhat unconventional, it is not necessarily a bad thing. First, as both sides use identical equipment, things are naturally balanced. Limited set of equipment also means that tactics and pure twitch skill play a bigger part. You cannot rely on creating uneven engagements with equipment.

Zero-G Combat

Moondust fighting.

At launch, three game modes will be present. Skirmish is a bog standard team deathmatch mode - kill the other team, don't get killed. Battle adds multiple control points to each map and whoever gets them all wins the round. Assault modifies the Battle mode by putting one side on the attack while the other side tries to defend each control point in turn. Pretty standard stuff really, and the game could have definitely used something more in this department. On the other hand, this is tried and true - all these modes are known to work from numerous earlier team-based shooters.

Some persistence is added with web-based rankings that track your performance from game to game. You gain military ranks as you go and just about every little bit is recorded to your stats. It would appear that everything is there for related achievements, but we didn't see any during the beta so at this point it is unknown if Steam achievements are going to be included.

All game types are easy to grasp and the challenge comes from adjusting to the full freedom and the way how movement works. While it would appear that staying on the move is beneficial, it is not quite that simple. When floating around, the accuracy at range is limited and if you do land and stay put for improved accuracy, you are also sitting duck - especially for enemy snipers. In general, fighting feels more like "maneuver to a superior position, get a kill, get out, reposition" rather than "circle strafe guns blazing". Shattered Horizon does feel a bit slower than most shooters, but the extra rocket pack boost ability does allow quick escapes and fast dashes into close quarters when it is needed.

There is also a noticeable learning curve to tackle - nothing too harsh, mind you, but there is a new skillset to learn. It was funny to see how during the first day of beta, new testers were mostly fodder for those who had already played the game during in-house testing sessions. It was laughably easy to ambush people from unexpected angles as the gut reaction was to "think two-dimensionally". However, as the hardcore FPS gamers got a few hours of play under their belt and figured it all out, the tables were turned and the devs were often getting completely owned in their own game.

Space, The Final Frontier

Harsh sunlight and realistic space look really makes Shattered Horizon visually distinct.

Visually Shattered Horizon is quite distinctive - it really goes for that real space look with bright and harsh lighting and many shades of gray dominating the scene. At highest settings there is a ton of detail everywhere and at all times you are playing against the backdrop of Earth - which really looks massive and detailed, like it should. I guess nobody expected anything other than great visuals from the guys who have worked on 3DMark benchmarks, but personally I'm impressed how true to the real space photos and videos Shattered Horizon looks. It really is a lot like what human built structures in space could look like in a few decades.

Same goes with the audio. Shattered Horizon is one of the very few games that actually acknowledges that no, there is no sound in space. Okay, practical considerations mean that there has to be audio cues for fighting but they actually come from your suit that is running a simulation software. Should you get hit by an EMP and lose all your suit electronics, you get to hear what it would probably sound like in space - you hear only muffled bass from your thrusters and your gun transmitted through your suit and the sound of your breathing.

FGS also added a stealthy "Silent Running" mode to the game during beta for added super-cool factor, allowing you to shut down your suit on purpose for the same effect. Your maneuverability is reduced as thrusters are working only at minimum power, but importantly your thrusters no longer light up the area as you move and you won't show up on the HUDs of other players (friend or foe), making it much easier to pull off ambushes. Very very cool.

A Bit Thin...

While Shattered Horizon succeeds in many ways, it is not perfect. Personally my biggest worry about Shattered Horizon is that no matter how you count it, it is a bit thin in content. Mind you, it is supposed to be priced accordingly and the gameplay is fairly strong even with the amount of content that is included, but the obvious question is - what are the plans post-launch to support the game and the community? All the really important parts are there with some truly unique aspects that make things entertaining, but as usual, gamers always want more stuff.

So I poked the FGS guys with this very question and got this back from the Marketing Director;

Our community is very important to us. For example, there are several features in Shattered Horizon, and even a whole level, which were designed and added to the game as direct result of feedback from our beta testers. After Shattered Horizon launches we will continue to listen to our community and support the game. We'll be making an announcement about our post-launch plans for Shattered Horizon soon.

And yes, it is true - a lot of good things were done during the beta and as far as levels go, "The Arc" was pretty much developed based on beta feedback, so if that is any indication...

Tech Bits

Fighting inside the "spine" of ISS, there is a ton of detail at the highest settings.

Shattered Horizon may not be the first DirectX 10-only game (I think Stormrise grabbed that title), but it is one of the first ones developed from ground up around DX10. That means it will require Windows Vista or Windows 7 to run simply because DX10 is not available for XP. Minimum requirements ask for Core 2 Duo E6600 / Athlon 64 X2 5600+ paired with GeForce 8800 GT / Radeon HD 3870. Not really that much by today's standards, but obviously a step above your average DX9 title.

Personally I played mostly using two systems - one with a GeForce 9800GTX 512MB and one with a GeForce GTX 285 1GB. Both with Intel Core 2 Quad (Q6600 and Q9650). On both systems the game ran without issues when suitably configured - Q9650/GTX 285 combo allowed me to max out all settings at 1920x1200 while the slower Q6600/9800GTX setup didn't quite manage that and "medium" setting worked out better. I think the highest texture settings actually eats up more than 512MB of video card memory when AA/AF is enabled, so cards with more than 512MB may fare better at maximum settings. Also, in my experience the video card is the bit that matters the most. Naturally this is all based on the performance of the last two beta builds - it is quite possible that the performance is still getting tweaks before the release.

It should also be noted that the game used to run a lot worse during the early days of the beta, so if someone tells you that you need a monster rig to even play the game, take it with a grain of salt. It may have been true two months ago, it is not true any more. A fast dual core and a good "midrange" DX10 card (9800GTX/GTS 250, HD 4830) will do just fine at acceptable settings, even if it may have trouble with maxed out visuals. Some have actually played on something as low end as GeForce 8600 GTS, even if such a card does struggle quite a bit.

At this time (at the end of beta) SLI was supported while Crossfire was still "being worked on".

Hey, This Is Different

The Moon - slightly worse off after a little accident, but it really gives a cool setting for Shattered Horizon.

Anyway, while Shattered Horizon is fundamentally "just another team-based MP shooter", it manages to stand out from the crowd with some genuine innovations. Zero-G is not just a gimmick - it really changes the gameplay, requiring a whole new learning curve. Luckily the controls are well thought out and help you adjust.

The other really impressive bit is the visual style. I can't recall any other recent game that has managed to capture the look of space - harsh lighting and dark shadows - so well. The only unrealistic bit I can think of is that the starry backgrounds are too visible compared to the NASA imagery - in reality reflected sunlight from Earth and from any nearby objects would drown out the stars from the view - but I guess a pitch black background wouldn't work in practice. In every other way Shattered Horizon is visually probably the closest thing to "being there".

So, not perfect but a very impressive and decisively unique multiplayer shooter. Can't really comment on the value side as final price has not yet been announced, but if priced right, even the "lack of content" (as far as we got to see during beta) is not really a huge deal - I'll take innovative gameplay over dozens of useless toys any day. In summary, not bad for a small development team working on their first game, not bad at all.

X-Men Legends 2

2010-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00