THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE vo L 1 8 N o 7 august 2 0 1 1 I N S I D E : tiling p erlin N o ise : A ne w te c hni q ue THE LEADING GAME INDUSTRY MAGAZINE VOL18 NO5 CONTENTS.0811 VOLUME 18 NUMBER 07 AUGUST 2011 INSIDE: 10TH ANNUAL SALARY SURVEY POSTMORTEMS 12 TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 is the latest in a long line of TOTAL WAR games, and this time the game focused in, rather than expanding the universe outward. This turned out to be the critical tipping point toward success for the team, as the studio struggled with multiple projects and an increasingly branched codebase. By James Russell 20 TERMINATOR SALVATION—THE ARCADE GAME Making arcade games is a lost art to much of the game industry, but Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills have been keeping the fires burning for many years now. This postmortem shows what it takes to make a modern arcade game, from software to cabinet. By Scott Matott FEATURES 7 RANDOM STRUCTURE Perlin oise has become a staple of many randomized or procedural actions in games. But what if you wanted this randomization to tile, for seamless world creation, or art purposes? Joshua Tippets has a heretofore unseen solution. By Joshua Tippetts DEPARTMENTS 2 GAME PLAN By Brandon Sheffield [EDITORIAL] Most Likely To Achieve 4 HEADS UP DISPLAY [NEWS] Arcade! returns to France, and arcade game development tips. 27 GDC ONLINE PREVIEW By Frank Cifaldi [PREVIEW] Top session picks 30 TOOL BOX By Bijan Forutanpour [REVIEW] Donya Labs' Simplygon 34 THE INNER PRODUCT By Paul Laska [PROGRAMMING] Ready, Set, Allocate! 42 DESIGN OF THE TIMES By Jaime Griesemer [DESIGN] Undermining Achievements 44 PIXEL PUSHER By Steve Theodore [ART] All In the Family 47 AURAL FIXATION By Jesse Harlin [SOUND] Crowd Control 49 THE BUSINESS By Christian Nutt [BUSINESS] An interview with Square Enix's Mike Fischer 50 GDC NEWS By Staff [NEWS] GDC Online's Narrative Summit, and GDC Vault numbers 51 GOOD JOB! By Brandon Sheffield [CAREER] Ken Finlayson Q&A, who went where, and new studios 53 EDUCATED PLAY By Tom Curtis [EDUCATION] Enjmin's PAPERPLANE 56 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By Matthew Wasteland [HUMOR] The Best Video Game Studio In the World 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 MOST LIKELY TO ACHIEVE San Francisco, CA 94107 t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090 A DISCUSSION OF WHEN AND WHY ACHIEVEMENTS MATTER SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES FOR INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, AND LIKE MANY OTHERS, I SCOFFED AT But you have to be careful with felt warranted an extra award. In ADDRESS CHANGES the idea of achievements when they even these, especially in how you the case of the combos, I simply t: 800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 were introduced to the mainstream describe them. For example, in one wanted to show off. In the case of e: [email protected] through Xbox Live. Now, there are DUNGEON SIEGE 3 boss encounter you the monster raising, the new forms FOR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION times where I actually miss them get an achievement for “defeating weren’t sufficiently amazing on www.gdmag.com/digital in games where they’re absent. 50 automatons” before taking their own, and I felt I needed an EDITORIAL This is especially true of games that the boss down. I counted some extra reward. It seems that while PUBLISHER are good, but need that extra push 120 automatons defeated before I achievements can't save a bad Simon Carless l [email protected] to be great. And more than that, if finished off the boss, just to be sure. game, they can give a bit of a boost EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I’m going to try to suffer through But I received no achievement. The to game that's 80 percent of the Brandon Sheffield l [email protected] something I actively dislike, such game was not supplying me with the way there. PRODUCTION EDITOR Jade Kraus l [email protected] as DUKE NUKEM FOREVER, I at least correct information or feedback, and If achievements are indeed ART DIRECTOR want my friends to be able to know I felt like I was getting cheated out extrinsic rewards, not an intrinsic Joseph Mitch l [email protected] about it. of something. After jumping through part of the fun, this leads me down DESIGNER This is a strange new the flaming hoops, I did not get the another path. Sony is starting to Jessica Chan CONTRIBUTING WRITERS relationship to have with electronic treat at the end of the performance. charge for its online experience Tom Curtis media. In the olden days, you’d On the other hand, getting new in used games, giving download Jesse Harlin have to send your high score in rare loot was compelling enough codes for newly-purchased titles, Paul Laska Bijan Forutanpour to a magazine via a screenshot on its own, and I didn’t feel like I to discourage used game sales. Jaime Griesemer in order to get any recognition for needed an achievement at all here. EA gives bonus content to those Steve Theodore Christian Nutt doing something spectacular in a Getting a lightning-infused Spear of who purchase games new. What if Frank Cifaldi game. Now, with achievements and Magnificence was its own reward. platform holders universally decided Matthew Wasteland leaderboards, anyone can know that Then there are games like that only purchasers of new games ADVISORY BOARD Hal Barwood Designer-at-Large you got the “Seriously 2.0” award in DRAGON AGE. In this massive would have their gamerscores Mick West Independent GEARS OF WAR 2 (for killing 100,000 RPG, achievements encourage displayed, through a code entry, or Brad Bulkley Microsoft enemies). For many people this kind exploration of alternate narrative Clinton Keith Independent some other such method? Would Brenda Brathwaite Lolapps of reward is quite compelling, and paths, leading players to more people still feel that achievements Bijan Forutanpour Sony Online Entertainment just increasing the number of points content that they otherwise might were extrinsic rewards? Would used Mark DeLoura THQ Carey Chico Independent they have in their gamerscore can be not see. They are actually partially game buyers feel cheated? This will Mike Acton Insomniac enough motivation to play a game. responsible for improving (or likely never come to pass, but it’s But in my opinion, achievements extending) the player’s experience. certainly food for thought. ADVERTISING SALES GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR just for the sake of achievements are This also serves the developers’ best As Nintendo prepares to Aaron Murawski e: [email protected] not worthwhile. I like to see numbers interests, because it means less of release Wii U, the company is also t: 415.947.6227 go up as much as anyone—but I their hard work will go unnoticed. reconsidering its online strategy. MEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER John Malik Watson e: [email protected] want to feel that I’ve earned them. Now that we’re all so used One wonders whether Wii U will t: 415.947.6224 Receiving 200 points at chapter to these sorts of systems, what continue to buck the achievement GLOBAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, RECRUITMENT endings doesn’t feel like something happens when we aren’t provided trend. Nintendo already lets you see Gina Gross e: [email protected] I’ve really achieved. If I’m playing with them? No Nintendo console the how often and how long you've t: 415.947.6241 GLOBAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, EDUCATION the game through, passing a has ever had a proper achievement played games on the 3DS and Rafael Vallin e: [email protected] chapter point is inevitable, if the system built in, and at times, Wii, but doesn't let you share that t: 415.947.6223 game is fun. So how interesting is I actually miss them. In GHOST information. Will Nintendo be the ADVERTISING PRODUCTION that, really? The more interesting TRICK, for example, you’re moving lone hold-out in the race to gamify PRODUCTION MANAGER achievements are those that linearly through an adventure, and the world? It seems an inevitable Pete C. Scibilia e: [email protected] encourage alternate paths or play achievements would necessarily issue to address. Nintendo has the t: 516-562-5134 styles, or reward exploration. But be of the “progress” type, so opportunity to provide, rather than REPRINTS you have to do it right. achievements are unnecessary. arbitrary achievements, actual WRIGHT'S MEDIA Recently I was playing DUNGEON But in MONSTER TALE, which is a data about the games you've been Ryan Pratt e: [email protected] SIEGE 3, a passable dungeon smart beat-em-up combined with a playing. This could be an even more t: 877.652.5295 crawler with a middling story that monster raising sim, I’ve felt their meaningful achievement system AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT I continued through because it got absence. I can consistently get of sorts, and one which wouldn't TYSON ASSOCIATES Elaine Tyson the loot mechanic right. Many of the over 30 hit combos, for instance, require developer implementation. e: [email protected] achievements, rather than being which is somewhat difficult. It feels When achievements move into LIST RENTAL Merit Direct LLC secret, were visible to the player like I should be rewarded for that, or hard data, I think the game will be t: 914.368.1000 if they cared to look.