THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE vo L 1 8 N o 6 j une / j uly 2011 INSIDE: k ill all j aggies ! INSIDE: TOP 30 DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: INSIDE: TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR TFIR DEVELOPERS 30 METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP METROMTSOP TOP INSIDE: POSTMORTEM THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE VOL18 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 NO5 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 VOL18 MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME GAME LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING LEADING THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE VOL18 NO5 VOL18 MAGAZINE 22 TRION WORLDS' RIFT INDUSTRY GAME LEADING THE For a few years there, everyone was trying to get a slice of the fantasy MMORPG pie, dominated by WORLD OF WARCRAFT though it may have been. They all failed. Time went by, and a new challenger emerged, in RIFT, a well-thought-out fantasy MMO that hopes to differentiate itself while remaining familiar. This postmortem chronicles the process of bringing that ambition into reality. By Scott Hartsman FEATURES 7 TOP 30 DEVELOPERS In a year dominated simultaneously by big budget blockbusters and rapid fire indies, there was room for a wide swath of the industry to shine. Here, the editors of Game Developer and Gamasutra have collated our picks for the best, most innovative game development teams of 2010. By Staff 13 DESTROY ALL JAGGIES Here we are in the seventh console generation, still plagued by jaggies. The problem has gotten even worse with high definition content. Morphological anti-aliasing (MLAA) is a rather new, totally open solution that aims to improve upon existing techniques, such as directionally localized anti-aliasing (DLAA) and the more common multisampling anti-aliasing (MSAA). By Jorge Jimenez, Jose I. Echevarria, Belen Masia, Fernando Navarro, Natalya Tatarchuk, and Diego Gutierrez DEPARTMENTS 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield [EDITORIAL] The Predictable Protagonist 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY [NEWS] Braben's Raspberry Pi, Atari 810 Micro SD Drive, and Cultured Mag Volume 1 Released 32 TOOL BOX By Tom Carroll [REVIEW] Adobe Creative Suite 5 34 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] And Now For Something Completely Different... 37 THE INNER PRODUCT By Aras Pranckevicius [PROGRAMMING] Portable Performance 40 DESIGN OF THE TIMES By Damion Schubert [DESIGN] Sweet Vindication 42 THE BUSINESS By Kim Pallister [BUSINESS] Wherefore Art Thou, Wikileaks? 43 AURAL FIXATION By Jesse Harlin [SOUND] Rewarding Awards CONTENTSJUNE/JULY011 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 06 50 GOOD JOB! By Brandon Sheffield [CAREER] Chris Pruett Q&A, Who Went Where, and New Studios 52 EDUCATED PLAY By Tom Curtis [EDUCATION] TINY & BIG 55 GDC NEWS By Staff [NEWS] GDC Europe Reveals Advisory Boards, Main Board Additions 56 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By Matthew Wasteland [HUMOR] Ask a Vinyl Character Figure 1 GAME DEVELOPER | XXXXX XXXX WWW.GDMAG.COM 1 GAME PLAN // BRANDON SHEFFIELD GAME DEVELOPER MAGAZINE WWW.GDMAG.COM United Business Media 303 Second Street, Suite 900, South Tower THE PREDICTABLE PROTAGONIST San Francisco, CA 94107 EMBRACING DIVERSITY IN INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES FOR INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, AND LIPS SNARL AND TEETH GNASH. they elf, mutant, or space alien. It’s a white character a main villain. The ADDRESS CHANGES Blood spatters across the ground step, but why is race-oriented dialog backlash may not be severe, but I t: 800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 as the camera pans up to show always abstracted from reality? think developers are still wary of it. e: [email protected] a monstrous figure eviscerating Any kind of imagined backlash FOR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION a human corpse, in front of a WHO ARE WE FIGHTING FOR? shouldn’t discourage you. I think www.gdmag.com/digital panoramic view of a ruined America, >> In the late 2000s, USC researcher there are a lot of rewards to be EDITORIAL overrun by bestial invaders. Dmitri Williams looked into ethnic gained through different ethnic PUBLISHER Suddenly, the figure’s head explodes portrayals in games, using the depictions. Would more Indians Simon Carless l [email protected] in a shower of green goo, as the bestselling titles from 2006–2007. play your game if you had an Indian EDITOR-IN-CHIEF camera whip-pans over to reveal the They sampled 150 games, recording protagonist? Maybe not. Would your Brandon Sheffield l [email protected] source of this new destruction—a a half hour of gameplay from each, writers and designers get more PRODUCTION EDITOR Jade Kraus l [email protected] massive weapon is outstretched, logging the ethnic makeup of every opportunity to explore different ART DIRECTOR in the capable hands of our hero; a character they came across, for a narrative territory? Absolutely, and Joseph Mitch l [email protected] Caucasian male with close-cropped total of 8,500. They compared this that’s not only freeing, it’s the kind of DESIGNER hair and a steely gaze. The logo data with that of the U.S. Census. thing that allows simple innovations. Jessica Chan PRODUCTION INTERN fades in as you yawn—we’ve just What they found was that white Though some may be wary of Tom Curtis seen the character reveal of nearly characters were overrepresented by tackling an ethnicity that’s not our CONTRIBUTING WRITERS every video game protagonist ever. 7%, and Asians were overrepresented own, the best writers can bring Tom Carroll by 26%, while black characters were Jesse Harlin any character to life, regardless of Damion Schubert BACK TO THE BLAND underrepresented by 13%, Hispanics gender, orientation, or origin. Aras Pranckevicius >> There’s a serious lack of variety by 78%, Native Americans by 90%, The traditional game industry is Steve Theodore Kim Pallister in our game heroes. Caucasian, and biracial characters by 42%. And very risk-averse. But as we’ve seen Matthew Wasteland heterosexual, and male are pretty that’s just speaking of the U.S.— time and time again, many of the ADVISORY BOARD much given components of any when the test was implemented, companies with the highest profit Hal Barwood Designer-at-Large Mick West Independent new game protagonist, and any Caucasians represented 75% of margins these days are smaller Brad Bulkley Microsoft distinguishing characteristics are the population. Consider then, how studios taking bigger risks. Clinton Keith Independent Brenda Brathwaite Lolapps built from that base. Characters overrepresented they may be in the Bijan Forutanpour Sony Online Entertainment of other races and genders tend many other markets in which games WHITE WASHING Mark DeLoura THQ to be relegated to background >> Games aren’t the only guilty Carey Chico Independent are played. And remember that this Mike Acton Insomniac characters or comic relief, if is across all characters in games. party. The recent Avatar: The Last they’re included at all. Speaking strictly of protagonists, this Airbender live action movie scrubbed ADVERTISING SALES I’ve said it time and time becomes even more pronounced. the cast a pasty white. Likewise, GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR Aaron Murawski e: [email protected] again, but diversity of all types is Williams found, further, that the frankly blasphemous proposed t: 415.947.6227 necessary for the game industry while the in-game representations Akira remake is bringing out an MEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER to continue to evolve. We have didn’t match the U.S. population, all-white cast for its vision of “Neo John Malik Watson e: [email protected] t: 415.947.6224 advanced in many arenas, but our it did match the ethnic makeup of New York.” But the world of film has GLOBAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, RECRUITMENT diversity is definitely weak, both the IGDA. So, it seems, we make done much more to advance racial Gina Gross e: [email protected] within studios and in our game characters that look like us, not understanding than it has to hinder.