Meeting of the minds
When you put a ton of smart, creative people in the same space, good things are bound to happen. That's the idea behind the Game Developers Conference, the annual week-long gathering that invites people from all walks of game industry life to sync up and share ideas. As of today, GDC 2015 is wrapping up, and after five days of attending panels, playing indie gems, and getting a closer look at the VR tech that may very well determine gaming's future, we're feeling thoroughly enriched.
Bungie used an 'awesome' button to help design Destiny's missions
It's probably no surprise to learn that triple-A game developers use a lot of data and focus groups to fine tune their games. Bungie was no different when it came to developing the missions and systems of its open-world shooter, Destiny. The dev team used lots of pre-release testers to play early builds of the game and let the creators know which parts of the game were fun and which sucked.
Naughty Dog made tons of test footage of Joel attacking Ellie
At the more technically focused talk titled The Last of Us Motion Capture Pipeline, Naughty Dogs Damon Shelton talked about what happens with motion-capture data after the actors are done. Basically it takes a lot of programs and developmental elbow grease to craft the people of that dystopian future, including test footage using two of the only complete character models. So, to map out the involved animation of Ellie battling a Clicker, Naughty Dog had to make a ton of test footage featuring Joels model attacking the last person youd expect him to.
Telltale is always anxious about what players will think of its games
Back when The Walking Dead first came out, a lot of people were shocked to discover how good it was. Meanwhile, the folks at Telltale Games were just shocked (and incredibly relieved) that so many people liked it. "We were sweating bullets when Walking Dead went out, because it was so weird," Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner said during a panel on the company's narrative approach to gameplay. Specifically, the game was an odd entry in the adventure game genre, since it had very few puzzles and focused almost entirely on player choice and dialogue. Given that standards for the genre were set by the likes of Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island, The Walking Dead looked like a bit of an odd bird, and no one was really sure how it was going to pan out.
The creator of Danganronpa really wants people to get a Vita
Danganronpa and its sequel got a lot of critical buzz last year, but still stayed under the radar for many mainstream gamers. Those who played it loved the characters and densely written plot, but perhaps the series potential is limited by its platform. The Vita isnt known for big sales, and Danganronpa's creator wishes things were different.
Swery65 only plays his games on Thursdays
Much like his most famous games, Japanese developer Hidetaka 'Swery65' Suehiro is so quirky and unassuming that you just can't help but love him. While hosting a panel about the development of the Xbox One episodic mystery D4, Swery hinted that a PC port of D4 may be possible. But that's not all - he also shared a whopping 65 tips pulled from his very own development process, including this valuable bit of wisdom to game makers: don't play the game you're creating every day.
Dungeon of the Endless is the four-player dungeon crawler Xbox One needs
Stop me if this has happened to you: you're on a prisoner transfer ship, and all of sudden, the ship is attacked. You, the crew, and all the prisoners are rushed onto escape pods and jettisoned down to a mysterious planet. You find yourselves lost in an underground dungeon, and must work together to get out. It's so awkward, right? I hate it when that happens.
Sony has been trying to win over the folks behind Magicka since before the PS4 launch
Magicka 2, a game about mages mixing magic spells to defeat imposing hordes of enemies, will be hitting PC and PS4 in spring 2015. This is new territory for publisher Paradox Interactive, which is known for catering exclusively to the PC market - though apparently not for lack of trying on Sony's part. "Sony asked earlier if we would like to publish our games on PlayStation 3," Paradox studio manager Mattias Wiking noted during a demonstration of Magicka 2. "We said 'No, it's a bit too complicated for us. We need to do regular game updates that our fans are really demanding.' So, it wasn't really a good platform for us."
Rebel Galaxy is a mix of Firefly and Black Flag with a dash of Han Solo
If you're a fan of the ship combat from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, but wish there was a lot more to it (and it was set in space), Rebel Galaxy is your space sim. You own a spaceship, with which you can do whatever you want. There is a full, open-world galaxy for you to explore, tons of characters to meet, and plenty of opportunities to rake in the dolla' bills.
The Flock is the scariest game of red light/green light you'll ever play
Ever wanted an asymmetrical online multiplayer game about being constantly freaked out? You absolutely need to try The Flock, which has a simple setup but horrifying results. Rounds start with everyone controlling one of the Flock: large, skeletal creatures living in the eternal darkness of ancient Earth. Somewhere on the map is the Light Artifact; if you're holding it, you're winning the game. Naturally, the other Flock will try and take it from you, but you can stop them by shining your light in their direction. Should a Flock move while exposed to the light, they'll instantly burn to a crisp.
Open-world lighting is insanely complicated, and insanely important to realism
To announce that Unreal Engine 4 is now free to everyone, Epic Games showed off a mesmerizing cinematic trailer, which depicts a giant open world that could easily double as the next entry in the Elder Scrolls series. At a subsequent panel, Epic divulged the secrets to developing this stunningly convincing landscape - but the bottom line is that proper lighting plays a huge part in a world's believability.
GDC hosted an incredible Atari collection
Outside of the meeting rooms and show floor, there were a number of displays in the halls and foyers of the Moscone Center. One of the most interesting had to be the Videogame Museums display near the North Hall. The Texas-based organization brought some of its most valuable artifacts from gaming history for all to see.. This display was dedicated exclusively to the history of Atari, the first truly mainstream console maker in the US, and the showing wasnt limited to mere games.
It takes much longer to make toys than you think
Are you annoyed at how rare interactive toys like amiibo can get? Do you wish Nintendo would just make a few more? Well, its not all that easy, as GDCs Disney Infinity 2.0 panel attested. The second release in Disney Interactives toys-to-life series added a ton of new figures to the world, many from Marvel Comics, and the production took 10 long months.
