Mark Mallman joins IPR’s DIY 360 events.

Posted by brianjacoby on February 1st, 2010

Songwriter Mark Mallman joined DIY 360 Friday 1/28.  Mark talked about his numerous musical projects, the songwriting craft, played a few of his songs on piano, discussed his artistic and commercial evolution as an indie artist, and he showed us and discussed some Hollywood blockbuster trailers for which he provided music.

Mark Mallman @ DIY360

Mark Mallman @ DIY360

DIY 360 is a weekly event hosted by Adam Levy.  The goal is to introduce students to professionals in the field who have been successful, frequently by adapting to changes in the business where they make use of multiple skill sets. Guests share information about their careers, their philosophies about professionalism and their art.  Guests often give advice to budding artists, entertainment business professionals, producers and engineers.  DIY 360 is an opportunity for students to network with those working in the field and with each other as they work toward career success.

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IPR Presents the 1st Annual Staff and Faculty Showcase

Posted by Norbert Kreuzer on January 27th, 2010

Posted in Alumnus, Alumnus Announcements | No Comments »

February Alumni Event is all about $$$

Posted by Norbert Kreuzer on January 27th, 2010

The February Alumni Eventis all about money and how you can keep more! April 15 is Tax Day when everyone has to file his income taxes. Especially for entrepreneurs, musicians and artists there are many Do’s and Dont’s when it comes to taxes and how to be set up to maximize what stays in your pocket. Welcome Brad Heck, national Tax Accountant and Business Advisor to our next Alumni Event on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:30 pm in the IPR Green Room. He will share with you tips and tricks and answer all your questions for free. Food and drinks will be provided. Don’t miss this free opportunity to save you money – not to mention to network and reconnect with fellow alumni, students, and faculty. See you there….. Please RSVP on our Facebook Page HERE.

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Exclusive Microphone Company at IPR

Posted by Norbert Kreuzer on January 15th, 2010

As part of the IPR Alumni Event series, the German manufacturer Microtech Gefell, founded in 1928, was on campus last Tuesday. Their representatives gave students and alumni the opportunity to learn about the history, and applications of their high-end products. Besides high-end recording and broadcast studios, their products are also exclusively used by institutions like United Nations Building in New York, governments, and by the Pope in the Vatican.  Microtech Gefell‘s team spent the day touring IPR, and held three presentations reaching over 200 students and graduates. In the evening they left highly impressed by our institution and said that coming from Germany was way worth the trip.

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January Alumni Event

Posted by Norbert Kreuzer on December 31st, 2009

Happy New Year everyone! We are kicking off a new year of IPR Alumni Events on Tuesday, January 12 at 6pm. The German high-end microphone manufacturer Microtech Gefell, founded by Neumann, will be presenting in the IPR Green Room. Food and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP via the IPR Career Services Facebook page. See you there!

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Graduate Profile: Travis Norman at Reaction Now

Posted by Norbert Kreuzer on December 23rd, 2009

S.O.N.G.S. (Stories Of New Graduate Success) is a spotlight on the paths IPR students pursue after graduation and the success they find along the way…

IPR: Hi Travis, thanks for joining us on the IPR Alumnus Blog!

TN: It is my pleasure; I take a lot of pride in my education from IPR and if my story can help to inspire a current student or someone considering attending, then I am more than happy to share it.

IPR: When did you graduate and from what program?

TN: I am a 2007 Valedictorian graduate from the Audio Production and Engineering program.

IPR:  How did you first discover IPR?

TN: I am fortunate enough to count multiple instructors here as friends of mine and a former band mate was a student at the time, so I was well aware of IPR’s level of quality.  I also had the opportunity to record here with a live Hip Hop and Drum n’ Bass group I was handling turntables and samplers for at the time – much respect to these 2nd quarter students, but they ended up miking our vocalist in the hallway (tip for newbies: this gives awful results, lol).  I had been teaching myself production and engineering for almost a decade, and decided I wanted to refine my technique and learn new skills.  *assumes voice of The Simpsons’ Comic Book Guy…Best. Decision. Ever.

IPR: What were some of the highlights of your time at IPR as a student?

TN: Oh man, there are literally too many to count – I was most grateful though for the amount of other students really taking their education seriously, just being in proximity to so much talent pushed me to challenge myself more than I ever had before.  I guess a favorite was the whole Pro Tools experience, getting double certified by Digidesign in both music and post production and taking the ICON class twice…I was SO close to that ICON certification…I’ll never end up getting it though because my whole musical world now revolves around Ableton!!!

IPR: So what are are you up to these days?

TN: Well, it is an intruiging time for me right now, one filled with change and a reexamination of my priorities.  I have recently dedicated myself to growing my first true entrepreneurial venture!  I am taking some words from Andrew Carnegie to heart:

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”

IPR: I like that, so what will this new company be about?

TN: Reaction Now is a consultancy offering customized Social Media strategy, optimization, and maintenance.  We will provide support to businesses looking to integrate social media and web 2.0 tactics into existing public relations, customer service, and internet marketing efforts.

IPR: It seems like a lot of businesses are realizing they need to step up their efforts in these areas.

TN: There is absolutely a growing awareness amongst business owners of the need to participate in social media channels as a way to connect with existing and potential demographics, add to that the fast pace of progress and emerging capabilities within fields related to internet marketing, and you have a definite demand for services that can help to make the most of these new opportunites.

IPR:  And there is potential for an organization to go about it a way that can backfire, right?  Like if people can tell it is just a push to sell something they might tune out, or even think less of that organization.

TN: So true.  In fact, an overwhelming 86% of companies will increase their budgets for Social Media this year.  Many of them will nonetheless continue to miss opportunities and never utilize the full potential of these channels.  Success in Social Media requires the applied science of optimization and the art of authentic engagement, coupled with accurate insight into the demographics being reached.  Our goal at Reaction Now is simple: To keep all aspects of a brand’s representation consistent with the behaviors and expectations of their customers, and to maximize both return on investment and “return on involvement.”

IPR: Very cool, we wish you the best of luck!

TN: Thanks, it is gratifying to just be taking the first steps, and things are actually progressing faster than I would have imagined.  Actually we may soon be so busy that bringing on some motivated and clued up interns could well be in the cards…any IPR students whose ears perked up at this should feel free to reach out to me at Travis@ReactionNow.com

IPR: Sounds like valuable experience for our business minded students…

TN: For sure, although really, just about every skill taught here will come into play with this venture…we will be creating a lot of promotional video and other content…and of, course it all needs to look and sound as polished as possible.

IPR: Do you still find time for music?

TN: Oh yeah, right now I am so excited about my current project, complicit – we are preparing for our debut show in the VIP room at First Avenue!

IPR: Sounds great, hope you have an awesome turnout.  Thanks again for contributing your enthusiasm to these pages.

TN: Anytime, and here is another quote that has motivated me and will perhaps do the same for your readers:

“Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action.”
- Henry Chester

Tags: complicit, ReactionNow.com, Travis Norman
Posted in Alumnus, Graduate Profile | No Comments »

20 Highlights and Recommendations of the Steam Powered Christmas Sale of 2009

Posted by Kyle Stallock on December 23rd, 2009

The best videogame sale of the year just started – the annual Steam Powered Christmas Sale. Even Black Friday, that post-Thanksgiving day where bloated Americans, bellies stretched and ripped, pore obsessively through retail shelves and websites devouring with their colored and striped plastic utensils, fails to offer videogame-related deals of this magnitude. And that’s considering all stores. Steam’s just one. It doesn’t have a street address, force limited installations of offered products, or eventually forget about consumer purchases unless slipped a fiver. It’s an exemplary digital distribution service, and now, for a limited time, offers staggering discounts on titles new and old across multiple genres. As a reminder, if you’re not one of the millions of financially strapped individuals, the world’s still drowning in a recession. When this sale ends on January 3, I predict we’ll all be in tears, myself included. Foregoing the luxury of food’s going to be rough…

Others might find staving off the cold, biting winds of consumerism a little more difficult than me. I’ve played many of the most recent released titles before, and I don’t often repurchase games on multiple platforms or pick them up on Steam “just to add them to my list.” I prefer the path not yet traveled. The titles I’m buying I either overlooked years ago, didn’t know about, or didn’t possess the platform on which they appeared (PC). But oh do I still feel that wind nip at my nose, and I think I like it.

Let’s embrace that chill and take a  look at 20 of my top picks currently on sale as of Wednesday, December 23.

Braid
$9.99 $2.49

Designer Jonathan Blow’s masterpiece, and my personal favorite title of 2008. For three years, and using his own money, Blow carefully designed, developed, and tweaked Braid to represent his vision, and not some bottom-line pushing publisher’s. He even fought with the Xbox certification department, eventually convincing the otherwise never-compromising group to allow the circumvention of a traditional menu screen upon first play. The end result is a beautiful game impeccably rife with detail – where every object, sound, word, and piece of artwork reflects Blow’s own passionate dedication to quality.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
$19.99 $1.99
(at this price only until Thursday morning)

Americans don’t make games like this. Neither do the Japanese. GSC Game World’s first-person shooter set in the outskirts of Chernobyl, Ukraine features common shooter mechanics, and even a Diablo-style inventory management system, but operates like a beast all its own – often taunting players expecting a traditional experience. Winding corridors and murky terrain littered with powerful enemies rarely yield difficulty-related rewards. “That’s bad game design,” a traditional designer might say. “But that’s not how the environment exists in real life,” GSC might defensively respond. In their strive for realism, the team built S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s world as realistically as possible and populated it with their own creations – both mutant and human.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
$9.99 $4.99

Developed after Shadow of Chernobyl, this prequel distinguishes itself by taking most of what made the original title so unique (the eerie atmosphere, real map design, and a lack of modern-day handholding game design) and placing a slight focus on gunplay and combat. The change shouldn’t startle even the most diehard S.T.A.L.K.E.R. purists, but rather broaden the palatte established by its predecessor.

Action Indie Pack
$24.99-$20.00 = $4.99

Four titles for only five bucks – the Indie Action Pack features two top-down shooters, a penguin-themed arena title, and an old-school first-person tank shooter ripped from unseen cut Tron film. The quality’s spotty, but the price is reasonable. Besides, do you need that Tri-mocha strawberry-flavored heart-stopper EVERY day?

Puzzle Indie Pack
$14.99 – $12.00 = $2.99

Four titles for only $3. Buy the pack and support independent development or live a life of a big publisher-supporting tool.

Witcher Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut
$39.99 $13.59

I’ve written extensively about The Witcher before. Click HERE for more information. Everyone else, it’s a high-quality third-person RPG that capably competes with Bioware’s latest.

Indigo Prophecy (a.k.a. Fahrenheit)
$9.99 $3.39

Excited for Heavy Rain’s imminent release? Give Indigo Prophecy a try. The last-generation graphics might burn your eyes, the absurdity of the third act could send you into a coma, and Theory of a Deadman’s (thankfully) sparse audio contribution will inevitably reduce your IQ by 13 points, but playing as both the killer and detective offers unique storytelling devices only available in this medium, and the presentation’s part comic noir set in a (mostly) day-lit New York hit by a record-setting blizzard. The American version’s censored, but still worth your eight to ten hours.

Painkiller: Black Edition
$9.99 $4.99

The first-person shooter genre used to live by the “shoot first and ask questions never” motto before implementing elements like “plot” and “storytelling.” Once thought lost forever, Painkiller proved games can follow that basic design and still kick a whole lot of hiney. Here, I’ll turn it over to Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation. He can explain Painkiller’s brilliance much more eloquently through video.

Osmos
$9.99 $4.99

Like the Witcher, I previously wrote extensively about Osmos. Click HERE to check out the article. Everyone else, it’s a relaxing puzzle title more than deserving of its full price. Pass it up for the sale price and you’re not someone I’d like.

World of Goo
$19.99 $4.99

An essential part of every console or PC gamer’s library. World of Goo’s an ingenious puzzle title tasking players with fulfilling particular objectives, usually to reach an end pipe as efficiently as possible, by manipulating balls of goo and building bridge-like structures. The game could sell solely on the responsive and malleable gameplay, but the art and audio catapult this indie title into your long-term memory. I’d call it Burton and Elfman-esque (Danny, not Jenna), but both would feel envious of this two-man accomplishment.

Audiosurf
$9.99 $2.50

The foundation on which Rock Band and Guitar Hero were built appear dated and elementary when set beside Audiosurf. The formers feature levels with note placement pre-determined by the respective development houses for songs released at a pre-determined time. Audiosurf procedurally generates its levels on-the-fly and allows users to upload whatever audio files they want. Even more, the game isn’t designed to give non-musicians a pat on the back for plastic instrument mastery, but provide multiple ways to interact with audio in a puzzle game setting. The game’s an essential component of any audiophile’s library, and anyone else should at least give the title a try.

Machinarium
$19.99 $9.99

Once thought dead and long-gone, the point-and-click adventure genre received massive amounts of publicity in the last year due to the return of Monkey Island and Sam and Max, but the unsung heroes like Machinarium walk softly but…you know. As an independent title, the game doesn’t receive the marketing push of its genre brothers, but the quality’s just as high. This robot title’s built upon traditional mechanics and flavored with subtle steampunk aesthetics. If you’re feeling particularly giving, head to the developer’s site and beat out the middleman. You’ll be rewarded with their previous title, Samorost 2, the soundtracks to the titles, and a plethora of original artwork for the same price.

Crayon Physics Deluxe
$19.99 $9.99

Sometimes all you need to know about a game is expressed in its title. In Crayon Physics, users must use crayons to draw objects in a physics-based environment in order to solve puzzles. The quiet and reserved visuals remind us of simpler times when “naps” represented an integral part of the learning process and the audio will try its best to quell any anger that may arise from encountering a particularly difficult puzzle. To no surprise, the title won 2008’s independent game festival Seumus McNally Grand Prize and $30,000.

Eidos Collector Pack
$99.99-$50.00 = $49.99

For $50, people who purchase this monstrous pack receive both Battlestations Pacific and Midway, both Deus Ex titles, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Thief: Deadly Shadows, the two most recent original Tomb Raider games, and many more. If you don’t already own Arkham Asylum on the PC, this pack’s a no-brainer of a purchase.

Second Sight
$9.99 $4.99

Developer Free Radical Design might no longer exist as it once was (after tumultuous financial difficulties the Timesplitters devs were bought out by Crytek), but their titles remain. Second Sight debuted in 2005 to mediocre reviews, but critics raved about the storyline of this “psychological thriller” that gives players the ability to “psychically influence characters and remotely manipulate objects and individuals.” I somehow missed it in 2005, but I’m making double sure I don’t in late 2009.

Mirror’s Edge
$19.99 $4.99

I still keep the main menu music to Mirror’s Edge in my regular music rotation. The sparse and airy theme to the free-running title from EA encapsulates my favorite moments of the game – all of which involve precisely navigating rooftop jungles and their striking urban vistas and beautiful color palettes. Check out the video below to see what I mean.

Rome: Total War Gold
$9.99 $2.49

I’d rather not divulge how many hours I spent with Rome: Total War, but I’ll just admit I became lost in its world for months following one exploratory night. After trying the game out again, just for this article, I’m happy the old gal still holds up. But Total War titles aren’t for everyone. There’s dozens of hours of micro-management alone, and even still your formations and adept fighters could lose to overwhelming odds. That’s just how the system works. I definitely recommend picking this up if you have even the slightest hint of interest in the newest Total War title, Napoleon: Total War.

Medieval 2: Total War
$19.99 $4.99

Like Rome, but a little newer and set in a different time period.

Quantz
$9.99 $2.99

This 3D puzzle game sold for under $5 during the Black Friday sale and it’s sat in my regular game rotation since. Colored balls fall from the sky and land on a 3D block, which you can move in any direction, and players are tasked with putting four of the same color together in any fashion. That’s it. As with most good puzzle games, the developers flesh out the idea more with multiple modes and gameplay types, but the game’s still basically the same. The best part, for me, is starting a game and knowing I can shut it off in five or fifty minutes.

Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena
$19.99 $6.79

Much more action-packed than its predecessor, Escape from Butcher Bay, and shorter, too. Athena’s still an excellent first-person shooter/melee/stealth title, and absolutely displays developer Starbreeze’s ability to create an alluring, dark atmosphere and populate it with unique characters full of…uh…character (compare these people to those found in other games and hopefully you’ll see what I mean).

Ghostbusters: The Videogame
$19.99 $6.79

Buy it or cats and will live together (mass hysteria).

So…what did I miss?

Tags: digital distribution, sale, Steam
Posted in Gaming, Multimedia | 1 Comment »

In The Mix: Tom Kenny at IPR

Posted by Travis Norman on December 21st, 2009

The IPR community and select local industry professionals were recently treated to a talk from Tom Kenny, editor of the esteemed Mix magazine.  Joining Tom in discussion was moderator Scott Legere, who opened the event with an honest admission that not only does he read each installment cover to cover, but has actually saved them all as a sort of ongoing time capsule.  Not many publications are likely to inspire this level of admiration, yet it came as little surprise to those in attendance, nearly all of whom could easily relate to the practice of revisiting useful articles months, or even years later, and concurred with Legere’s statement that Mix “let me into the world of what audio meant…and helped me discover the art and science behind all this.”

Ever since joining the San Francisco based Mix magazine team in 1988, Kenny has had a front row view on events which have defined and redefined professional audio and music production over the last two decades.  He pointed out that “In ‘88 big studios ruled; artists routinely camped out for 5 or 6 months at a time working on songs in the studio.  Now, the process has changed – access to technology has dramatically changed the production process.”  Concurrent with this shift have been the new directions taken by the front cover “stars” of the publication, the studios themselves.  Kenny added, “Technology changes the shape of production, production changes the shape of facilities.”

One factor which has greatly expanded Mix’s mission statement since its inception has been increased coverage of sound for picture.  In 1991 Kenny was assigned to write an article detailing the audio involved in The Doors movie and travelled to Skywalker Sound to get the scoop.  After a first attempt, a brief interview with the dialogue editor which “missed the real story,” Kenny returned for a much more in depth examination of the ways in which music and audio were being used to develop and enhance the action onscreen.  Once the issue was released it triggered an influx of calls from movie studios eager to receive similiar coverage on the audio aspects of  their own upcoming blockbusters.  Today, sound for picture might more accurately be described as “sound and picture,” as opportunities to join visuals with quality sound continue to expand into lucrative sectors including video games and internet content.  Kenny continued, “Anyone who laments the decline of CD sales is missing the point – there is more audio out there than ever before” and urged post production students in the audience to remember that ” as an audio person, you are first and foremost telling a story.”

Tom Kenny’s discussion on critcal components of finding success in the fast paced and ever changing music industry returned repeatedly to a single topic: quality.  When asked by moderator Scott Legere to offer opinions on what tactics are actually working in the modern marketplace, Kenny stated that “What works is finding talent; product that is of quality eventually rises to the top…be careful of chasing the flavor of the month, that’s not  a career.”  Also of high importance when considering potential paths to success: distribution.  As new techniques for cutting through the clutter of mediocrity emerge, the winners will be those who understand how to get heard and how to distribute to fans on their terms.  “The internet allows you to know your fanbase in ways that were previously unimaginable,” Kenny continued, “You can in fact make a fine living with quality product that people will come back to.”

The event culminated with IPR’ co-founder Lance Sabin awarding an honorary degree to our guest.  Upon his exit, Kenny left the audience with an encouraging confirmation of their chosen career path in music, “If you are here because you can’t live without it, you are in the right industry.”

Tags: IPR, Mix Magazine, Tom Kenny
Posted in Newswire, Newswire Events | No Comments »

Planning the Christmas Media Menu

Posted by Kyle Stallock on December 21st, 2009

My immense backlog of unexperienced media stimulates my obsessive information-seeking inner nerd into a brief, but potent, altered state of consciousness. It’s not unlike what a kid experiences moments before opening a present on Christmas morning, knowing with the utmost certainty the object behind the green and red wrapping paper. Preemptively, we both carefully plan where, when, and what we will do with our prizes post-unearthing.

But unlike the child, an elaborately-decorated evergreen doesn’t stand, almost protectively, over my prizes. They’re scattered around my room, piled into masses, and potentially disguised as ugly furniture should the desperate need arise and cloud some unfortunate visitor’s perception (It’s happened before. Xbox 360 game cases still bear the cracks and splintered remains of the attack.). Also unlike the child, my objects of fancy weren’t placed with love and care, they were tossed aside by feelings of regret and/or an urgency to do something else – usually something yielding an eventual financial return.

Opened, but barely played games litter my shelves and PC hard drive, my bloated Netflix disc and instant watch queues each hold 500 titles (the maximum), a stack of magazines and comics that can almost be measured in the plural “feet” taunt me as they gather dust in a corner of my room, and unread books occupy what little desk, shelf, and floor space not already taken by another piece of media. My room’s a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess of yet-to-be-tasted, consumed, and savored media. A disaster of any other nature would never remain for as long or prevent so much movement.

I’ve never stockpiled this much content. One of my oldest and strictest rules prevents this disaster from happening.  “Don’t buy something you can’t play, watch, or read immediately after purchase,” I’ve always told myself. An item’s retail value typically falls in the months following release. By delaying my purchase until I have time to enjoy the product, I typically save hundreds of dollars each year. But 2009 was different.

The year of teabagging, Glenn Beck,  and the inauguration of our first African American President also saw other monumental events, such as my own increased focus on growing my writing craft, additional teaching and writing work heading my way, and almost the least free time I’ve ever had. I also briefly tasted competing at videogames on a professional level with GameStop’s national Street Fighter IV championship. Securing my spot as one of the top 15 finalists took more than skill and a whole lot of luck, it took hundreds of hours of training – all logged within months of the game’s release. As my own capabilities grew, so did my media backlog.

At IPR, I’m not the only person with a backlog unusually deep. Faculty and students both often respond to my “have you played X” game requests with “no, but I will during break.” By my count, IPR students and faculty will beat hundreds of titles spanning the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this Christmas break and watch dozens, if not hundreds of hours, worth of movies.

There won’t be enough time to play everything. Two weeks off is a substantial amount of time, but my backlog’s corporeal body shrugs at the amount. Two months off filled with nothing but me devouring media would suffice, but that’s just a dream my ambition will never allow. Paying the bills and advancing my career’s too important.

With only two weeks available to us, we must take great care in planning our Christmas holiday media menu. Those with even less time off need to be especially careful. As professionals in the entertainment industry, or soon-to-be professionals, I strongly believe it’s absolutely essential we experience as much media as possible. In a way, I want everyone to think seriously about having fun.

Here’s my menu:

Every Christmas I make the seven hour to my native Northwestern Minnesota, bringing with me my PC, game consoles, particular games and movies, etc. Observers watching me load my silver Chevy Blazer might suggest I’m insane for bringing along such a high volume of stuff. They’d be right. I never play it all, but I do often play most, and what I don’t hit a member of my extended family usually does.

I’d like to play particular titles this Christmas such as The Witcher, Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters, Dragon Age, and The Saboteur, but I feel the experience may be lessened without my usual flatscreen and surround sound setup. I don’t mean to sound elitist, but with the option to experience these products in this matter, I feel I’d be doing the creators a disservice if I switched to the 17″ monitor and headphones I’ll be using up north during break.

Putting larger titles like those aside, my menu’s filled with indies, casuals, and an RPG I’m replaying.

I’m a sucker for digital download sales, and last Thanksgiving I picked up a plethora of titles I normally would’ve avoided. Majesty 2 and Madballs in…Bobo: Invasion now sit in my Steam list, waiting to receive attention this Christmas. I’ll check ‘em out, but I’m not teeming with anticipation. Zeno Clash, a bizarre first-person fighter from indie developer Ace Team, went on sale shortly after Thanksgiving, so it sits in my Steam list as well. The total amount I paid for all three titles is around $15.00. If I don’t like them, so what? I’ve spent $15.00 much more foolishly in the past.

I’m still not done with Osmos, and I never did finish The Path. Both are on the menu, as is The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. Its low-res nativity will fit in perfect with the playing circumstances. If I get time, maybe I’ll finish Samorost 2 and move on to the beautiful Machinarium.

In case you didn’t notice, my menu’s filled with point-and-click adventure titles – a genre in which I’m not well versed. Hopefully in two weeks I’ll feel informed and able to recant the hilarious maiden voyage of Monkey Island.

Social gaming’s important, especially in the middle of Northwest Minnesota, a land far, about an hour, from the luxuries of modern civilization such as cinemas, Best Buys, and Jimmy Johns. Over the last few months, I’ve played Riot Games’ League of Legends for dozens of hours. I adore the spiritual successor to DotA, but this Christmas break I’m going to try and play something else. Maybe I’ll check out the mod Defence Alliance 2 or explore a dozen or so free-to-play MMORPGs and indie titles I’ve installed but never opened. The sky’s the limit, and it will remain as free and clear of LoL and World of Warcraft as possible.

Like every Christmas, I’ll bring along my Wii and bust out Wii Sports for some drunken bowling with my parents and grandparents. I don’t play it anymore, but they all still find it entertaining, and watching my grandma giggle and laugh as she overcomes a 7 10 split makes the entire trip worth the drive and gas money. We’ll also try New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but I fear it’s too difficult for them.

Buzz TV!’s coming along once again, and will probably only surface when my highly competitive cousin challenges me to a game, or two, or a dozen. He beat me last year when he manipulated our younger cousin into choosing particular topics, but I’m bringing along a newer, faster-paced, version. It’s my time now.

And, of course, no Christmas would be complete without the film staples. I’ll force my family, once again, to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooged, A Christmas Story, and a few others, with me. And they’ll reluctantly agree. They say “yes” to my request because this is what we do during the holidays. We put up with each other’s quirks and annoying personality traits, if only for a little while. Ultimately we’re better for doing so. I learn more about them and they about me. I grow, and hopefully they do too.

My media menu’s not set in stone. No one’s should be. The menu’s exactly what it is – a list of options I can choose to pull from. Its greatest strength is diversity. Without first planning to bring Buzz TV! or the Wii, the aforementioned shared experiences wouldn’t have existed, or at least in that way.

If you get time, please list your Christmas media menu below. I’d love to hear your holiday anecdotes and past, present, and future plans.

Tags: Christmas, list, menu
Posted in Multimedia, Technology | No Comments »

From Mod to Retail: Tripwire Interactive Builds Videogame Business on Old Blueprint (You Can Too)

Posted by Kyle Stallock on December 14th, 2009

People often ask me “how do I get into the videogame industry?” Having entered only three years ago, I try to formulate a response concocted from two parts quotes I’ve read and heard, mixed with one part my own story and experiences. I feel it’s a winning combination – chewy, spicy, and textured enough to reveal new flavors upon repeated tastings. If you possess the necessary cooking skills (any kind of industry experience), give the recipe a try. But keep in mind, the better you know your audience the better the dish.

Budding audio engineers, mixers, masters, noise makers, and sound mavens comprise most of mine. I know these guys and gals, and not only from inhabiting their school as a teacher. I once wore their shoes. As a student here at the Institute of Production and Recording, I wanted nothing more than to make Ben Burtt’s contribution to film audio seem tiny and inconsequential compared to my involvement in videogames.

As an outsider looking in, I obsessively approached the profession of “game audio dude” from every possible angle. I applied a critical ear to every game I played, listened and watched every interview and podcast involving an industry professional, and joined any and every relevant community. I contacted people too, asking for career advice, tips, and more contacts. And then I graduated, became an employee at Activision, and subsequently discovered people would pay me to write about videogames, another lifelong dream. I may pursue the audio career path once again in the future, but right now the student body can benefit from the information I acquired.

To my young game audio kin, I often recommend joining the modding community – groups of game designers, young and old, who take existing title assets and code and add, change, or dismantle content to suit their artistic vision. Modifications may be small – a reskinned weapon or minor gameplay adjustments, and sometimes they’re much larger – former “world’s most popular online action game,” Counter-Strike,” began as a mod in 1999.

Immeasurable experience and contacts may be gained from participating in a mod’s development, regardless of the product’s ultimate quality. All that and a self-inflicted pat on the back may be all you receive for your first project, depending on distribution, popularity, and the originality of the content. Oh well.

Copyright’s a nasty, pervasive little bugger who’ll prevent the sale of mods utilizing any number of the original title’s assets. If monetary return sounds more delectable, seek employment in the development of total conversion mods, where all assets used are original and lawsuit-free. Ideally, you want to take this route. The potential’s incalculable.

In fact, the financial success of one total conversion mod, Red Orchestra: Combined Arms, warranted the opening of an entirely new development house.

After winning the “Make Something Unreal” competition, and the $50,000 prize money, the Red Orchestra developers founded Tripwire Interactive and decided to take the “franchise forward as a retail game.” According to the company site, the subsequent release “achieved both critical and commercial success garnering several awards including “Multiplayer Game of the Year” and “FPS of the Year” for 2006.

Most recently, Tripwire developed and released Killing Floor, a cooperative first-person shooter built on a “survive as long as you can” gametype and infused with qualities most often found in role-playing games, such as class-based play, leveling, and an in-game store with purchasable guns, grenades, ammo, and body armor.

Pre-sales catapulted Killing Floor to digital distribution service Steam’s weekly top ten weeks before the title’s release. On May 19, five days after the official release, weekly Steam sales charts revealed Killing Floor snagged the top spot, besting Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War and Valve’s Left 4 Dead, both triple-A blockbuster titles, but released months before. To this day, Killing Floor somehow nudges its way to Steam’s top 10 from time to time, even with dozens of highly anticipated titles making their way to the premier videogame digital distribution service.

The folks at Tripwire are a savvy bunch, obviously in tune with today’s most advanced post-release money-making tactics. Twice this year they’ve released optional downloadable character packs – “Outbreak” first on July 24, and “Nightfall” on October 22. Both cost a measly two greenbacks and inject a little extra flavor to the otherwise basic stable of military men.  Sales information on the aforementioned content’s not available, but with at least two players using a skin from either pack popping up in every game I enter, I’d bet money the return on investment leans in Tripwire’s favor.

Since transitioning from modmaker to developer and publisher, Tripwire remains connected to their roots. On December 11, 2009, Steam released a news item informing users “The first free MOD for Killing Floor, Defence Alliance 2, is now available on Steam!” and also announced “Major updates to Mare Nostrum and Killing Floor have also been released.” Like Tripwire’s original Red Orchestra, Mare Nostrum is a total conversion mod for the retail release of Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45. Allowing the mod’s updates to piggyback on their own content update isn’t just a classy move, it’s a good business decision that further solidifies Valve’s, makers of Steam, positive stance on independent development. At this point, following the Modern Warfare 2 modification nonsense, calling Valve the anti-Activision isn’t a clever knee-jerk prod, it’s a vital observation.

Tripwire’s giving back to the community, too, literally. The same news item with the aforementioned information also revealed four community-designed maps for Killing Floor – all submitted for a map-making competition held by the company. The news item’s description for winner, KF-Icebreaker, fits well: “…one of the most ambitious, creative, and visually stunning Killing Floor maps ever made, Icebreaker is set on a large icebreaking ship that is pitching and rolling in the middle of a fierce storm.” And to the designer goes $10,000. Not bad for just one map.

The other finalists, KF-Departed, KF-Crash, and KF-FilthsCross, all feel appropriately distinct, offering players new aesthetics while forcing them to adopt new, level-based, strategies. The game’s not different, but there’s now more variety than ever. For that, we can thank Tripwire and the modding community.

Other companies transitioned from mod-maker to money-makin’ developer, including Splash Damage and Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Formed “by the creators of high profile free mods, such as Quake 3 Fortress,” the former developed 2007’s Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and recently announced a development partnership with Bethesda Sofworks. The upcoming first-person shooter Brink is the first game formed from the bond.

Unlike Splash Damage, Unknown Worlds continues to remain fully independent. The company’s next title, Natural Selection 2, still has yet to receive a release date. But, as a sign of good faith, they opened their doors to pre-orders months ago, from which they received over $200,000. The number’s especially startling since, at the time, few media on the game had been revealed besides a few screenshots and a brief teaser video. In an interview with Gamasutra, Unknown Worlds founder Charlie Cleveland said “pre-sales have completely changed our financial picture.” And here’s another quote from the article, including the astute, but obvious, lead-in observation by the writer Chris Remo:

“Digital distribution’s rapid growth has carved out a space for those studios that hardly existed before. ‘The model has changed so much, so quickly,’ Cleveland said. ‘Five years ago, there wasn’t a clear path for us.’”

Now there is. The game’s due to release for PC, Mac, and even Xbox 360.

As for how to enter the modding and independent game communities…let Google and intuition be your guide.

Tags: Killing Floor, mods, Tripwire Interactive
Posted in Gaming, Multimedia | 3 Comments »

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