Mid-Semester Expo: Success!

This year's Mid-Semester Expo was a raging success!

SC2: Currently have finished our Micro Map, called "The Last Remnants of Char". To find it on Battle.net, search for just "Remnant" as if you add "Char" other maps show up. Also, it was baller.

Galaxy Raider: Galaxy Raider currently has a nearly (80-90%) complete map editor, and a core game engine, which so far supports a player and movement. (barrel rolls!)

Monolithic: has a lot of disjoint pieces that need to be integrated. We have cool art assets, some cards in the database, and lots of graphical elements.

Colors - The game is coming along. Not much has happened on the surface since the Microsoft meeting, but lots of content is ready to be loaded. The game should definitely be ready by the end of semester. Thankfully it was still playable even know the team suffered some build problems right before the meeting. The team seems enthusiastic and the game should be fun to play when it is done.


All in all, it was pretty baller.

This Friday - The Industry Comes to US

So the subject of this post may be a little dramatic, however it rings true - this Friday at 6pm you will have an opportunity to meet and shmooz with Tyler Carbone, one of the founding members of SRRN Games, a local startup here in Charlottesville! Tyler will be here to talk about SRRN's progress ( a few of us from SGD have been working with them this summer), and to present some opportunities for internships during the semester. If you want more information about SRRN you can check out their website at www.srrngames.com.

For those of you who are interested in potentially doing some part-time work on the side this semester, or for those just curious about how a game company gets started and moves forward, I recommend you swing on by and check it out.

Where: Olsson 005

When: Friday, Sept. 10th 6pm

What: SRRN Games Talk

I'm looking forward to seeing you all there.

Pitch Meeting, Fall 2010

For those who just met us at the Engineering Expo and Activities Fair, welcome to the Gamedevs Website! Here we'll be announcing all of our upcoming events, such as speakers, expos, and career related talks. But for now, we're announcing the SGD Fall Pitch Meeting!

The Pitch Meeting generally serves as our first ever meeting of the semester, and at this pitch meeting all of those previously mentioned aspiring Directors proceed to pitch their game concepts and ideas to the club in a presentation-style format. After all of the pitches have been completed (10-15 minutes each), everyone in the club fills out a form indicating which games they'd like to work on and what positions on those games they would like to fill, and then everyone is matched best according to their wishes combined with the needs of each team. Of course if you have any questions during the meeting about how we work or anything like that, feel free to ask, or e-mail me back directly with your query.

Our pitch meeting this semester is:

When: Thursday, September 2nd 7:30PM

Where: Olsson Hall 005

Please swing on by if you are interested in joining us in our endeavors to make cool games! IIf any of the games being pitched appeal to you, then all you'll have to do is indicate on a little form we hand out that you are interested in working on that game and you and the Director and all of your new teammates will hook up and spend the rest of the Semester making awesome games! If you can't make it to the meeting then don't worry! A post will be posted here detailing all of the pitches and positions and how to apply as if you had been there anyway! More details about speakers, workshops and expos will be coming soon!

I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon.

~Dan Magnusson

End of Semester Expo

The end of the Semester is upon us! The time has come for the Student Game Developers' annual End of Semester Expo, where all the games we've worked on throught the semester will be on showcase. Come for the games, come for the (free) snacks, this Saturday (5/1) in Thn E303.

There will be 4 SGD games on showcase, along with several games from the Game Design class (CS 4501).

Games:

-Dual

-Impact

-Laser Lockdown

-Recursion

SGD Featured in Cavalier Daily

We are featured today in the Cavalier Daily, UVA's student newspaper. The article discusses iPhone development and the opportunities many of us have had with SRRN Games.

From the article:
Clearly, he added, when Carbone and Abadi offered jobs to members of SGD, the mutual benefits were readily apparent.

“Things have worked out great for us because SGD works really hard to get opportunities for its members, but it’s also been great for SRRN because they have access to really talented people who are passionate about making video games,”

You can read the full article here: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/04/29/app-madness/

Recursion update

Recursion has been moving along slowly this semester, but we new art, levels, and a new powerup to show for it. The art style is now significantly more "electronic", with the main character now being a blue computer. The terrain for some of the earlier levels has also been updated to match these changes, which result in the screenshots attached.

The powerup that we added this semester was the parachute, which slows your rate of falling after a jump. This allows you to reach new areas and make jumps that wouldn't be possible before. We've been working on adding some more difficult levels, and we have now removed all RGBDS levels because we have enough to merit a complete game.

Laser Lockdown Project Update

The vision of Laser Lockdown was to create a laser tag simulation in the UDK. I'm proud to say that we're most of the way there.




As you can see from the screenshots, Andrew put together a new model for the laser gun that looks sweet. The screenshots were taken in the old level from the mid-semester expo; Michael and Andrew have both been working hard on getting a new one put together. It's looking great so far; it'll be done in time for the end-of-semester expo in two weeks.

The game mechanics have been implemented for the most part. Most laser tag games "stun" a person when they've been shot for a few seconds; this is one of the mechanics that we've added to Laser Lockdown. This stun time gives the player a chance to react to being shot and also discourages focusing on one target alone. We're also working on the scoring system which will decrease the points per tag when the same target is hit in succession.

If you're going to be in Charlottesville in the next few weeks, make sure to come out to the end of semester expo! It'll be your only chance to play a Wiimote version (with headtracking) version of Laser Lockdown!

2010 Election Results

Congratulations to the following SGD members who were elected as officers for the 2010-11 academic year at last night's Mid-Semester Expo:

President - Dan Magnusson
Vice President - Dan Epstein
Treasurer - Andrew Gaubatz
Asset Administrator - John Carr
External Relations - Hunter Williams

Mid-Semester Expo Details

The mid-semester expo will be held on Thursday, March 4th at 7:30 PM in OLS 120. This is a change from the previously scheduled time and venue of 7:00 PM in OLS011, so take note. The event will take commence effectively upon the conclusion of the Zynga presentation scheduled for the same day, so make plans to attend that too. Furthermore, Logan Margulies of Riot Games will be talk about how he broke into the industry. Additionally, Bryan Larson from Zynga will hang around for the expo as well.

After the game presentations are over, SGD will hold officer elections for the 2010/11 academic year. Positions up for grabs this year include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Asset Administrator, and External Relations. If you wish to run for a position, please email the current officers ASAP.

Further, the club will also be voting on recently-proposed additions and changes to the SGD constitution. Changes and additions essentially are related to the CIO's interaction with 3rd parties wishing to interact with the club. For information on the proposed changes, you may again email the current officers (use the link above).

Zynga Presentation on 3/4

The presentation by Bryan Larson of Zynga Game Network originally scheduled for February 11 has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 4, at 6 PM in OLS011. Again, the company is actively seeking candidates for full-time positions and summer internships this summer so be sure to bring your resumes! In addition, food will be provided and there will be a Netbook raffle.

Zynga was founded in 2007 by Mark Pincus and is one of the leading developers of social video games, among which they have developed include Mafia Wars and Farmville.

Mid-semester Expo [Spring 2010] Keynote Speaker Confirmed!

The Spring 2010 Mid-semester Expo [Thursday, March 4th, 2010 @ 7PM in OLS005] is upon us! In addition to checking out all the other teams' games, come listen to Logan Margulies of Riot Games tell his story of how he broke into the industry.

According to Logan, his story is "a little unconventional." After relating his history to us, he will be talking about the status of the industry from the viewpoint of an indie dev/publisher, and the shift going on in the industry right now, especially with respect to Riot Games.

Riot Games' website

Archive: T-Cubed

T-Cubed combines classic Tetris gameplay with fast paced microgames, challenging the player to complete these games in order to buy powerups and destroy rows. Players must juggle between the two types of gameplay as the speed constantly increases. T-Cubed was developed by Andrew Gaubatz (Director), Nick Wasilewski (Technical Director), Zack Reilly, Eric Walden (Programming), Momin Khan and Jeremy Liu (Design).



You can download T-Cubed by clicking here.

Archive: Gravity

Gravity is a 2.5-dimensional game where the player can adjust the gravity to help them traverse platforming puzzles. Gravity was developed from scratch in C++ from Fall 2007 to Spring 2008 by Brice Morrison (director), Scott Geiser (technical director), Chris Dodge, Dan Andrino, Dan Magnusson, Kevin Chang, Avik Dayal, Wolf Richter, Steve Johnson, Aaron Liu, Jason Crowder, David Horres, James Ro, Ryan Mahony, Jeff Gaither, Alex King, and Eddie Verrilli.

You can download Gravity by clicking here.

Video Game Prototyping Presentation 3/1

Tom Carbone of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy will be hosting a presentation concerning video game prototyping and game design graduate education opportunities on Monday, March 1. The presentation will commence at 6:30 PM at OLS 009.

You can download a flyer for the presentation, which contains more detailed information regarding it, by clicking here.

Zynga Presentation on 2/11

Bryan Larson of Zynga Game Network will be giving a presentation about the company on Thursday, February 11, at 6 PM in OLS011. The company is actively seeking candidates for full-time positions and summer internships this summer so be sure to bring your resumes! In addition, food will be provided and there will be a Netbook raffle.

Zynga was founded in 2007 by Mark Pincus and is one of the leading developers of social video games, among which they have developed include Mafia Wars and Farmville.

Archive: The Yggdrasil Engine

The Yggdrasil Engine is a massively multiplayer online game engine designed to handle the networking infrastructure of an MMO game. In and of itself, Yggdrasil is not a game; rather it is designed to have games built on top of it.

The project was started in SGD in the Fall 2009 semester and work is still ongoing, and as such it has not officially been released. That said, you can send email to its directors, Dan Magnusson and John Will, to request a personal release of the current build of the engine. Further information about Yggdrasil can be found at The End Of The Internet.

2 New Internships: Nomuda Games

While Joe Chard isn't actually considering hiring Oscar Wilde, as this candid image might suggest, his company, Nomuda Games, is currently accepting applications for not 1 but 2 paid internships for summer 2010!

Some more information:

Company: Nomuda Games
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Position: Intern (Programming)
Compensation: $2000 - $2500 stipend
Commitment: ~40 hrs/wk for 11 - 12 weeks (flexible)

Description: Nomuda Games is seeking developers and graphic artists for internships in the summer of 2010. You will work on a small team to develop our pilot mobile title, to be released for beta testing at the end of the summer. This is an opportunity to use all your skills, all your creativity, to make a meaningful impact on the next wave of mobile gaming.

Working either in Java targeting Android phones or in Objective C targeting iPhones and iPod Touches, work as part of a small team (~3 incl. a dedicated artist) to create a story-driven game that is delivered in installments. Some design work has been completed for this game, but applicants should be comfortable discussing design aspects of the project, as this is a collective effort (and a good chance to contribute meaningfully to a commercial project). Applicants need to be driven, entrepreneurial individuals and will need to be comfortable working in an agile, dynamic environment as a functional member of this new studio.

Job Requirements:

• Fluent in C++ and Java, willing to explore Cocoa Touch before summer; interest in web development is a plus
• Pursuing a BS or Masters degree in Computer Science
• Strong desire to work in the video game industry
• Must have developed at least one complete video game (via a class project, club project, workshop, etc.)
• Self-motivated, willing to do whatever it takes to meet deadlines
• Entrepreneurial mindset, capable of dealing with ambiguity, tackling challenges, and taking on a great deal of responsibility as a key member of a growing company

Benefits:

• Paid stipend for the summer
• Free lunch Wednesday (and some other days too)
• High degree of responsibility for building a commercially released game
• Exposure to veteran entrepreneurs
• Share of game profits
• Inside track on full-time employment (with rapid promotion) in the future

Submission Details: Resumes are good; portfolios are better! A formal interview will be required of all applicants.

To apply or get more information: contact Joe Chard at ChardJ11@darden.virginia.edu

Project Pitch: RecursiO(n)^2

The second of two projects being continued from last semester, RecursiO(n)^2 is a Nintendo DS puzzle game directed by Daniel Epstein. Again, the game is a puzzle game which requires that players think recursively to win. Players will utilize and manipulate several instances of their character through time to solve puzzles, defuse traps, and find a way out.



Click here to view the original pitch for RecursiO(n)^2.

Project Pitch: Laser Lockdown

Continuing a project started last semester, Laser Lockdown is a 3D multiplayer game of laser tag. The development team from last semester, led by Chris Dodge, is still largely intact. Scrapping the Ox Engine, the project now leverages the Unreal engine and will still implement a WiiMote motion control scheme.



Click here to view the original project pitch for Laser Lockdown.

Project Pitch: Impact!

The first attempt to build a game using the previously-developed Yggdrasil Engine, Impact! is a massively-multiplayer online game directed by Dan Magnusson and John Will. The game premise is simple and effective: you control a tank, explore the vast world, and engage in explosive battles against the tanks of other players. Think of it as a giant brawl on a global battlefield where the winner takes all.



Click here to download the Powerpoint presentation for Impact!.

Project Pitch: Dual

Dual, an XNA dual-analog stick shooter led by Andrew Gaubatz, takes traditional cooperative gaming and spins it on its head. Two players work together in a 2D environment to complete numerous tasks, but while doing so each the two players must work against each other to achieve competitive secondary goals before his partner does.



Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation for Dual.

SGD Spring 2010 Pitch Meeting Highlights

The Student Game Developers held their Spring 2010 pitch meeting tonight at 6 PM in Olsson Hall, where directors introduced their respective projects they will each pursue this semester. In case you couldn't attend, we are working on uploading a video recording of each project pitch to Youtube, with which you can watch each pitch and apply to work on each project that strikes your fancy.

The four projects being pitched this semester are:

• Dual (dir: Andrew Gaubatz)
• Impact! (dirs: Dan Magnusson / John Will)
• Laser Lockdown (dir: Chris Dodge)
• RecursiO(n^2) (dir: Dan Epstein)

Remember that you must be a student of The University of Virginia to work on a project with the Student Game Developers.

Archive: Chief Watzon

Chief Watzon is a Nintendo DS platforming game developed using PAlib in the Spring of 2008 by Jeffrey Gaither (director), Nick Parisi, and Akshay Joshi. In Chief Watzon, you control a player who has a projectile that can only be shot straight up and must use his or her platforming abilities to traverse the level, pick up bonus points, avoid enemies, and defeat bosses.

To play Chief Watzon, you must have either a Nintendo DS emulator or a Nintendo DS flash memory cartridge.

You can download Chief Watzon by clicking here.

Archive: Urban Legends

Urban Legends is a 2D top-down RPG set in a primarily industrial and urban environment. The game was developed during the Spring 2008 semester by Jason Mondesier (director / game concept), Jon Faulkner (quest design, playtesting), John Will (level design, art, playtesting), and Dai Yang (NPC design, playtesting). The player takes on the role of a customizable character in the expansive environment, and is presented with a completely open multiplayer online experience. The player can chat with other players, act cooperatively or individually on quests and missions, and improve personal stats through battles with enemies that roam the streets, both human and otherwise. There are a wide variety of locations to explore and NPCs to interact with, as well as unique items and character customizations scattered across the environment.



You can download Urban Legends by clicking here.

Game description and image taken from the game's dedicated page at The End Of The Internet. More details about Urban Legends can be found there.

Pitch Process: Spring 2010 Meeting Scheduled

Greetings to all, I hope you had a relaxing holiday.

The Student Game Developers will meet next Tuesday, January 26, for the formal pitch proposal meeting for the Spring 2010 semester. The meeting will take place in OLS005 at 6:00 PM. If you plan on pitching a project for this semester, you are expected to present your proposal to the SGD body proper at this meeting. In addition, you need to submit a formal design document to our officers regarding your proposal prior to that date; information on the design doc format and pitch process can once again be found by clicking here.

Announcement: Skies of Fury development resumes

Foremost, Happy New Year compliments of Student Game Developers! We hope you are having a safe and fun holiday.

With that, the Student Game Developers have an exciting announcement to kick off 2010: development of Skies of Fury, one of the clubs many successful projects from the Spring 2009 semester, is resuming! Teaming up with local video game development company SRRN Games, SGD members and previous SoF development team members Charles Gibson, Chris Hooe, Nick Wasilewski, and John Will will work to expand the game in every regard: there will be more levels to play, more enemies to fight, more weapons at your disposal, more bosses to take down, and more ways to play the game.

Work has already commenced on the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the Spring 2010 semester. Once complete, the team plans to release the game to XBOX Live Arcade.

As a bonus to go along with this exciting announcement, you can find work-in-progress screenshots of the new Skies of Fury by clicking here, here, and here. Screens captued on December 17, 2009.