GAME DEVELOPER TOP 50 the Best Ideas Evolve
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THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE VOL18 NO10 NOVEMBER 2011 INSIDE: THE GAME DEVELOPER TOP 50 The best ideas evolve. Great ideas don’t just happen. They evolve. Your own development teams think and work fast. Don’t miss a breakthrough. Version everything with Perforce. Software and firmware. Digital assets and games. Websites and documents. More than 5,000 organizations and 350,000 users trust Perforce SCM to version work enterprise-wide. Try it now. Download the free 2-user, non-expiring Perforce Server from perforce.com Or request an evaluation license for any number of users. Perforce Video Game Game Developer page ad.indd 1 06/07/2011 19:14 DEPARTMENTS CONTENTS.1111 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 10 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield [EDITORIAL] Journalistic Rage 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY [NEWS] Indiecade illustrated, GDC Online Award winners, and new Atari 2600 game found. 26 TOOL BOX By Jeremy Putnam [REVIEW] Autodesk Maya 2012 POSTMORTEM 29 THE BUSINESS By Dave Voyles [BUSINESS] Promoting Indies 20 CRIMSON ALLIANCE 35 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] CRIMSON ALLIANCE is one of the first games on XBLA to use Gamma Drive Me Crazy! microtransactions. It also went for a different angle on the action RPG, by emphasizing action much more than role playing or stats 38 THE INNER PRODUCT By Andy Firth [PROGRAMMING] building. It turned out that one of the most important variables to Lighter Than Air fans enjoying both of these was the messaging—which developer 40 DESIGN OF THE TIMES By Damion Schubert [DESIGN] Certain Affinity feels could have been gone much better. By Phil The senior designer mindset Wattenbarger 42 GDC NEWS By Staff [NEWS] FEATURES GDC China announces new talks, and IGF China main and student nominees revealed. 7 THE GAME DEVELOPER 50 43 AURAL FIXATION By Jesse Harlin [SOUND] We talk a lot about companies doing things well, or poorly—but how Dialog Diaries often do we celebrate the people that power our industry? Our third annual list of the best and brightest in the industry tried to do just 44 GOOD JOB By Brandon Sheffield [CAREER] that. Herein we present 50-plus game developers that made big Q&A with Kristen Bornemann, Who Went Where, and waves in 2011 and beyond. By Brandon Sheffield and Frank Cifaldi New Studios 15 THE GAME ENTITY 45 EDUCATED PLAY By Tom Curtis [EDUCATION] The game entity is a venerable but aging part of game development. IT BELONGS IN AN ANCIENT RUIN But we're still using it! This article discusses where the game entity 48 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By Matthew Wasteland [HUMOR] has been, where it's going, what we're doing with, and why. Developer News Network! By Michael A. Carr-Robb-John WWW.GDMAG.COM 1 GAME PLAN // BRANDON SHEFFIELD game de v eloper maga z ine w w w. gdmag . c om UBM LLC. journalistic rage 303 Second Street, Suite 900, South Tower San Francisco, CA 94107 Ruminations on how faR is "too faR" in developeR inteRviews t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090 SUBSCRIPTION serVICES a few weeks ago i published go right back and click on them something doesn’t match what you FOR INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, and an interview on Gamasutra about again. Why give me the illusion saw, ask a question, no matter how ADDRESS CHANGES id’s Rage. I spoke with CEO Todd of freedom if really all I can do to “important” the interviewee may t: 800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 Hollenshead and artist Andy Chang, advance the story is go to the next be. Sometimes the best answers e: [email protected] and it created a bit of a stir. My node? Why give me options that can be gotten by playing devil's FOR digital subscription inforMation line of questioning was perceived don't actually exist? advocate. In my opinion, developers www.gdmag.com/digital by some as abrasive, rude, or I asked these questions of should be happy to have this sort of EDITORIAL even hostile. Others, journalists Chang and Hollenshead, because discussion. It allows you to explain publisher and indie developers especially, I couldn't figure out why they'd your game's worldview and defend Simon Carless l [email protected] thought I was simply asking tough done it this way. This is not some your gameplay choices, and your EDITOR-IN-chIEF questions and not letting up when amateur developer, this is id, so they answers should tell you a lot about Brandon Sheffield l [email protected] I didn't hear satisfying answers. your own product. production editor had to have good reasons for their Jade Kraus l [email protected] While the latter is closer to the systems, and the makeup of the Did I look like a jerk? Maybe ART DIRECTOR truth, I had no real angle—we were universe they'd created. The hostile a little. I would say a lot of the Joseph Mitch l [email protected] just having a conversation. tone people may have picked up cutting done to the article makes designer on was likely a misinterpretation my questions appear to come from Kurt Voklmann contributing writers anger ManageMent of my surprise at their responses. nowhere, rather than being part of Tom Curtis I played Rage about two months I was surprised that there wasn't a the hour-long conversation-space Jesse Harlin before launch, in a hotel space in reason that all the different factions they occupied. But the interview Dave Voyles Jeremy Putnam San Francisco, with decent screens in the game use different accents. I addressed some rough spots that Steve Theodore and nice headphones. At the was surprised there wasn't a better few had mentioned before, and Andy Firth Damion Schubert beginning of the game, you wake explanation for why the mutants which only surfaced once the Matthew Wasteland up in an "Ark," and stumble outside. were so artistic. I asked, in a part game was reviewed. The evening adVISORY BOARD You're almost killed by mutants, but of the interview that was cut, why the interview went live, I received Hal Barwood designer-at-large Mick West independent are saved by someone in a nearby they didn't just include the character an email from an anonymous "AAA Brad Bulkley microsoft car. The next thing you're meant to introductions with the mission creative director," saying that "on Clinton Keith independent do is get in the car with him. But Brenda Brathwaite lolapps briefings. Hollenshead told me this the basis of your hostile and clearly Bijan Forutanpour sony online entertainment game players tend to like to test the was because they couldn't know biased line of questioning I have Mark DeLoura thQ limits of systems, so I looked around when the player would want to do instructed my PR manager to refuse Carey Chico independent Mike Acton insomniac to see what else I could do. There the missions. Maybe they'd just any and all future requests from you was another path leading the other want an intro. This makes sense in and your outlet regarding our game. adVERTISING SALES direction—I figured I'd see what was some games, but if there's nothing Having spoken to industry peers in global sales director Aaron Murawski e: [email protected] up there. "Oh!" I heard behind me. It else to do...? similar leadership positions, I can t: 415.947.6227 was Andy Chang. "What's wrong?" I The oddest thing was the assure you that I am not alone." Media account Manager asked. "Nothing,” he chuckled. “You'll surprise felt by Hollenshead and While I highly doubt the veracity John Malik Watson e: [email protected] see.” I walked up the path, and was Chang at my questions. How had of this email, which also CCed our t: 415.947.6224 global account Manager, recruitMent killed instantly by a bullet from an nobody broached these subjects sales department incidentally, Gina Gross e: [email protected] invisible enemy. I got game over, with them before? It felt as though it's interesting that something t: 415.947.6241 and had to start anew, calibrating the game had been developed as simple as asking follow-up global account Manager, education Rafael Vallin e: [email protected] my controller all over again. This in a bubble, where they were questions and not letting go of a t: 415.947.6223 time I got in the car. told everything they were doing topic would be viewed as biased This would be the trend was great, without question. I and hostile. I have no bias against adVERTISING PRODUCTION throughout my play experience. PRODUCTION MANAGER can understand that, it's id after id. How could I? They're an amazing Pete C. Scibilia e: [email protected] My character, instantly ready to kill all. But Hollenshead seemed to developer, and have some of the t: 516-562-5134 anyone on command if someone genuinely appreciate that I had best talent in the industry. It's out of REPRINTS suggested it, was given tasks taken a laser-focus to the game’s respect for id that I called them out Wright'S media by the fellow who saved him in systems, and the air in the room on what I saw. I gave them an early Jason Pampell e: [email protected] the car. I would have to go up to was contemplative, not hostile. We chance to defend issues with the t: 877-652-5295 a person who had a task for me, spoke for an hour, and smiled and game that others were undoubtedly AUDIENCE DEVELOPMent click on them, and they'd introduce shook hands at the end.