Of course, the sensible thing would be to use an existing game engine, but after a certain point, there is some curiosity if learning and fighting yet another game engine is really quicker that just writing something from scratch.
MyGen.com.au reports that the local XBox 360 launch has set a new record for game console/handheld launch sales in Australia. Sales for Microsoft's eagerly awaited nextgen console bypassed the previous record holder set by Sony by a few thousand. Microsoft sold 30,421 Xbox 360's, compared to 27,055 PSP handhelds at launch...
A breakdown of console/handheld launch sales numbers are as follows.
Sony PlayStation 2 (3,366 in November 2000)
original Xbox (6,672 in March 2002)
GameCube (9,190 in May…
The Advertiser has a small article on the new Krome Studio in Adelaide. There's not too much new information here, but you do get to have a look at the office...
"Chief executive Robert Walsh said the company was fortunate to be in a position that allowed it to grow its business and staff.
"In order to stay globally competitive as a leading independent game developer, we felt that we needed to expand ourselves and our ability, thus the opening of the Adelaide studio," he said."
The Melbourne IGDA Chapter iLAN party for Melbourne Videogame Developers and Publishers on April 1st is in just a few days and is now open to dev students!
The event will start at 10am and will be hosted at Torus Games in Mitcham. There will be a number of competitions (and prizes!) held across the day, with titles in RTS, FPS and Racing genres. It is a BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN party and spaces are limited, so you'll need to pre-register before hand.
If you're not the LAN type? Well…
BigWorld, the leading provider of Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) technology today announced the integration of DiamondWare?s 3D VOIP client into the BigWorld Technology Suite. Press release here...
BigWorld, the leading provider of Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) platform, today launched ?BigWorld Mobile?, providing developers the tools required to bring MMOs and persistent casual games to mobile devices (handheld gaming devices and cellphones).
The BigWorld Technology Suite…
BigWorld, producers of the industry-leading MMOG development platform today announced that they will be partnering with IDV to integrate the SpeedTree hardware independent foliage solution into the BigWorld Technology Suite.
BigWorld licensees will now have access to SpeedTree?s advanced content creation options, enabling them to quickly and efficiently populate game environments with highly detailed trees and foliage. SpeedTreeRT delivers low-poly, highly detailed trees and plants, with…
Some new screenshots over at the Tactica Online website, the turn-based strategy RPG in development at Sdyney's Imaginary Numbers. From the Tactica Online website...
"Check out the Gallery for several new screenshots from the latest Beta Test! Highlighting a new map, these shots also show more of the battle UI.
These shots are from the internal version of what will be the first Open Beta session. The Open Beta sessions are intended to be the final testing sessions, which means we're getting…
(press release)
Krome Studios, Australia's largest video game developer, announces the opening of a new studio in Adelaide, Australia. The new studio further establishes Krome Studios' position as a world leading independent developer as the company now employs more than 180 staff members. Krome Studios with the help of the Adelaide team is in development on a series of high profile game projects for the current and next gen consoles and handheld platforms.
"We are fortunate to be in a position…
Thanks to Kratos for sending along this link to me...
In the latest Gamespot series of feature stories relating to the game development side of things, they interview a bunch of talented game artists from various notable game development companies like Capcom, Oddworld Inhabitants, and Namco. The guys discuss how they stumbled into the game art field, how they work, their inspirations, and their opinions on developing art for the next generation. There's also some great advice there too..
"…
Organizational Overview
Nigredo Studios was found in November 2004 to provide an exciting, detailed, and good flowing, episodic modification to the Half Life 2 Community called Night Fall.
Today Nigredo Studios is a games development contractor, and has had recent involvement with Raven Software LCC for Quake 4, and worked with Nocturanl Central (as contubiters).
Approach
To get our next project off the ground we have accrued the rights to create an unforgettable experience of Peter F. Hamilton…
South Australian developer, Hidden Waters, has announced their first project, a fantasy based massively multiplayer online role playing game called Restless World. The project is sponsored in part by the Federal Government New Enterprise Initiative Scheme (NEIS).
The team uses a variety of low cost or free open source solutions. Restless World is based on the Garage Games Torque engine, and various 2d and 3d graphics in the game are created in the Gimp and Blender. The servers themselves run…
