A 3d Model is a three-dimensional object you put into a video game. The most common model is that of the player in the game. But it can also be almost anything else you can imagine. Here is an overview of how you make 3D models for video games.

When you make a video game most of the design is done the same way an architect would design a city or a building. It is all very static. You define the shapes of the objects then you insert textures and colors. But this is just the static world that everything happens inside. The real adventure of a video game comes when the models are inserted into the game. And if you are learning how to make a video game using some of the more common software like Reality Factory you don’t have a whole lot of options for making models. This is where 3D modeling software comes in.

To Make a 3D Model you need some 3D modeling software

There are many different modeling software applications and most of them are very suitable for making models for games. Some of the more popular packages are:

Maya – A high end 3d modeling package, which is used by professionals and often, used to make movies. It also has a scaled down version which is more affordable 3Ds Max – Another high end modeling package that is very popular within the game making industry Lightwave – This is a professional package at a reasonable cost. If you are serious about 3d modeling this is a good option Blender – This is a free open source software package that has some amazing abilities. If you have no budget this is the way to go. Milkshape 3D – Very inexpensive and easy to use 3d modeling package. They have a nice 30-day free trial period which gives you then chance to learn and test before you buy.
How is a 3D model made?

There are a few different paths to making a model for a video game. Here is a generic overview of the process steps.

You design a skeleton of your model. Think of this as the bones and joints underneath. You won’t see any of this when you play the game but these bones and joints are very necessary because they tell the game how the model moves. Exactly the same way your bones and joints define how you move. You design a colorless and texture-less skin around the bones and joints. This is how your model will look in shape. You color in the skin to get the exact look of the model. This is the details of the model. You make the final look here by putting in eyes, clothes, or anything else. You define how your model will behave. You tell the model what joints will move in what directions. This is a big time saver with modeling software because you just tell it the beginning and ending locations and the software draws in all the middle steps. You export the model into a format that video game design software understands. 3D modeling software has this export tool built in and most programs will export to a wide variety of formats for lots of game development software.

Making 3D video game models is not a really hard process and in no time you can make some nice models for your games. But, modeling is a profession that some people devote full time efforts to. If you want to get really good at modeling you are going to have to put in many hours of practice and you are going to have to develop your talents as an artist.

By: Will Kalif

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Marketing Strategies

If you’re looking for a way to make a backup copy of your video games, you may want to consider Game Copy Pro. This professional quality package helps you make a backup copy of most any computer game or video game using only a CD burner or DVD burner.

This is ideal for anyone who wants to store copies of their favorite games just in case the originals are damaged, destroyed or lost. Using this program is so easy, a computer newbie can do it. With Game Copy Pro, you can copy all sorts of games including Nintendo Gamecube, XBox, Playstation, Dreamcast and more.

This program is perfect for the serious gamer as well as the basic player. Whether you have a few games or lots of them, this Game Copy Pro has the potential to save you money on replacement games.

When you order this program, you also get a free bonus that gives you unlimited game downloads. This free bonus lets you search for games as well as movies, music and other programs with no spyware or adware. There are no limits and the best part is, this comes free with your purchase.

The bonus alone is worth the price you’ll pay for Game Copy Pro, which is a staggeringly cheap $29.95. Imagine how much money you would lose should something happen to your collection of games. One video game costs around $50 or even more, so if you have lots of games this can really add up. This program pays for itself, many times over.

Another good thing about Game Copy Pro is that the copies you’ll make actually work in your system. Anyone can copy a game, but making it work is another issue. With Game Copy Pro, you won’t need to worry about it because your copies will work in your system every time. Ease of use, affordability and performance are three big reasons why anyone looking for a way to copy their games should definitely use Game Copy Pro.

The icing on the cake is that you’ll always get free updates, which means as the software is improved and updated, your copy will be, too.

By: Victor Vargo

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Mental Illness News

Most game lovers have debated about subscribing to an online video game rental website. There are many, many benefits to online video game renting.

–There are no due dates. You can play each game title as long as you want without having a set time you have to return it.

–There are no late fees. You can keep your game titles for as long as you like without having to worry about late charges to your account.

–You won’t have to return your games to the store. It can be somewhat of a hassle having to make a trip to your local store to return your gaming titles. Returning your games with online video game renting is as simple as going to the mailbox.

–You don’t have to buy a game before you know if you’ll like it. Don’t you **** purchasing a brand new release before you’ve played it just to find that it wasn’t as great as you suspected? By using online rentals, you can play games first before you commit to buying them.

–You don’t have to sit around waiting for available titles. With local renal stores, there is a limited supply in stock. You often find yourself waiting for interesting games to become available. With online video game renting, there is always a game in stock, so you won’t be waiting on the game you want forever.

–Discounted used games are awesome with online video game renting. Gamefly and RentZero both offer discounts if you try something out and would like to keep it. This way, if you play a game before buying to make sure you’ll like it, you won’t have to make a separate trip to the store to purchase the video game. You can simply choose to keep the game and it will be charged to your account at a very low cost.

–You can set ESRB parental controls on games if you wish. The ESRB is a non-profit program that rates video games as to what age group should be playing them. Their ratings are placed on the outside front and back of every video game so you will know if it is appropriate for your child. ESRB ratings are: Early Childhood–for ages 3 and up, Everyone–for ages 6 and up, Everyone 10+–for ages 10 and up, Teen–for ages 13 and up, Mature–for ages 17 and up, and Adults Only–for ages 18 and up.

Gamefly is the most well-known online video gaming rental company. They offer a free 10-day trial or $8.95 for the first month. There are over 7,000 game titles to choose from, which is the most of any online video gaming rental company. Gamefly has many shipping locations all over the United States, so the turnaround time to receive your games is 1-2 days. Games are available on 9 of the major gaming platforms and new releases are available immediately. Gamefly also provides gaming information and walk-throughs.

Gamemine is another online video game rental company. Gamemine offers all the perks listed above and more. They also rent movies for PSP. They have game titles for new and older Generation systems. Gamemine also provides game information and walk-throughs. Another plus to renting from Gamemine is they offer a “speed-boost” after 90 days of renting with them. On your 91st day, you can click a button online, telling them you are sending your current video game back, and they will automatically send you a new game without waiting for your current game to be mailed back to them.

Another good online video game renting company is RentZero. RentZero offers a free 14-day trial for signing up. They only have around 4,000 game titles available on 6 different platforms, but they also have plans starting at just $9.95. RentZero is the cheapest online video game renting company there is.

By: R Morris

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Writing a video game script offers a challenge that goes well beyond the normal realm of writing. But it is also something that can be tremendously rewarding in the scope of its creativity. Here are some guidelines and tips for writing a video game script.

Today’s video games are based in complex worlds and they tell stories. No longer does a player simply advance through repetitive screens slaying goblins and ghouls in a quest toward the goal. A player now expects to progress through a world where there is a rich history and a plethora of decisions to be made. This adds to the complexity of writing a video game script and it also adds to the richness of the creativity involved.

The first thing you need to think about is that writing a video game script is that it is not the same as writing a movie script. The two processes are similar and you do write a movie like script for your video game but that is only part of the process. There is a whole host of accompanying materials that you need to write for your game script. Here is an overview of what you need to write and why.

Write An Executive overview of the story in prose

This is the most important part of your game script and this is what will sink or float your script. This overview has to tell a compelling and unique story and it should tell the complete story from the opening scene of the game through the major steps all the way to the completion of the game. An overview like this can be almost any size and it would be very easy for this to be ten written pages or more. Remember that today’s video games are very complex and the stories can be very complex. This overview is also the most important part of the script. You would shop this to game developers to see if they are interested in developing it into a game.

Write a History and Background of the world

Video games are complete worlds and game designers need to know what the world is like and what kind of history it has. This will help the designers to visualize what the world will look like.

Create a Flowchart for the entire game

Your game is going to be very complex and there will be many decisions that the player will have to make and each decision opens up a whole new path for the player to take. Creating a flowchart is the best way to keep track of all the possible paths through the game.

Create sub-quests and write a prose overview of each quest

Sub quests can be simple or complex but each one is a story in itself and you must tell these stories.

Create character descriptions and bios for all the major characters in the game.

Game designers need a complete picture of the characters in the game. Many of the non-player characters you create will pop up time and time again. And their story is woven deeply into the fabric of your world. You need to describe this relationship in detail to the game designers.

Write interactions with non-player characters

Your game will probably involve interaction with non-player characters (NPC’s). You should write out the dialogue and flowchart the choices the game player can make. These interactions are often critical to the story and they can take the player on very different paths toward the conclusion of the game.

Write Cut scenes

Cut Scenes are short animations or movies that come before or after major plot points in your story. A cut scene should always be written to enhance or describe the story. A cut scene is also a reward given to the player for achieving a major milestone in game play.

Writing the actual storyboard script

This is the final step in the whole video game script writing process and it is the most detailed. You do this step last because you need all the supporting materials to understand and describe this correctly. This part is very similar to that of a movie script. You progress through each scene of your story and you detail all the necessary information. Here is an example:

Scene 1:

Location: A dark cathedral with stained glass windows. An NPC is kneeling before a stone casket in the center of the main room

Music: background music of an organ playing introduces the scene but subsides

Characters: Main player, NPC named Thomas, seven were creatures

Player Goal: Discover the location of the underground lair

Action: Player must initiate discussion with Thomas, upon first contact we activate cut scene (1) where Thomas morphs into a were-creature and summons his were-minions. Main character must battle the were-minions then re-initiate discussion with Thomas.

Flowchart: No decisions made at this point: If battle is completed Thomas reveals the entrance to the underground lair and player advances to that level. If player is defeated in battle revert to death cut scene (11) and move to try again screen.

Notes: Player is locked in the cathedral and there is no exit. The only viable way out is to initiate contact with Thomas. Random were-creatures can be activated if player explores cathedral before talking with NPC.

Scene End

When writing a video game script you have to remember that your primary audience is not the game player but the game developer and what the developer needs is a complete picture of what your game is about. This means that you are not just writing a story but you are creating a world complete with a tone, sounds, characters, story, plot, and subplots. To successfully communicate this to the developer you need to use a whole set of creative tools and this is where video game scripts depart from normal scripts and open up a whole realm of creative possibilities.

By: Will Kalif

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Marketing Strategy

Believe it or not, testing video games is a legitimate position and one that thousands of people hold all over the US.

There is a slue of game tester positions available at game companies all over the United States at any given time. Each type of position has certain requirements & job duties. There are also different names for the very same position. Some examples are:

Game Tester

Video Game Tester

QA Tester

Quality Assurance Tester

Becoming a game tester is a great stepping-stone to starting your career in the gaming field. It allows you to work your way up all the while building solid relationships that will be of great benefit to you in your career. So what is it that is required to become a tester? Below I have listed out the very basics of the requirements you would need in order to be considered for a game tester position:

General video gaming knowledge

Good communication skills

Basic computer skills

Ability to work well within a team environment

Problem solving skills

The typical job duties for this particular type of position include:

Documenting and reporting issues within the game

Play a game for the “fun factor”

Identify and isolate technical issues

This type of position is best suited for an avid gamer who can easily locate “kinks” in games. But, you must also know how to report the issues you come across which is where the technical side comes into play.

Starting out as a game tester allows you to create business relationships with your co-workers. This can in turn open up new doors for you in the business. There are supervisory positions available in the game-testing field as well. They include lead & manager positions. This further allows you to move up the corporate video game ladder.

Game testing is not for the faint of heart. It is something that a person interested in this field, needs to take very seriously. It does take dedication and hard work. There are times when you will have to play the very same scene of a game again and again in order to properly report what is required of you. One of the main goals of a game tester is to test unreleased games & find all issues so that the company does not release a game with technical bugs.

Being a game tester makes you a very important part of the video game release process.

If you are a gamer who has always wondered how to break into the game business, wonder no more. Get started doing something you love.

By: Lou Garrett

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OK so I am going to buy a baseball and golf video game and need some opinions. I know some games are really great and some are awful! I need one that is the easiest and most fun to play with good graphics and fun game modes. Here are a few I have heard of and need to know if they are any good: MLB The Show 08, The Bigs(which i have never heard of but looks fun), and MLB 2k7. As for golf I really dont know. Also this is for PS2. Thanks everyone!

By: Aleigh!

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Marketing Strategies

for me it would have been pokemon blue version. sure i played video games before but this game is what drove me to be almost addicted to video games. i would play this 8 hours a day nonstop.

By: Lp182 The God Of War

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Marketing Strategies

i really want to get a new video game, but i can only get one. i am deciding between army of two and rainbow six vegas 2. does anyone have any suggestions on which one i should get? any help would be much appreciated
i am looking for a game that is long and is fun on “live” as well as solo

By: Mathew M

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Marketing Strategies

So I have to write “a profile, a description, an outline of something from our visual world.” In my case a video game. It’s a description plus analysis and I am torn between three games: Silent Hill 2, Ico or Shadow of the Colossus. I don’t know which would be the best because I love them all! What do you think? Or do you have any other suggestions? Thank you in advance for answers.

By: Ignignokt

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Marketing Strategies

If you were to choose any video game from your past, which video game would give you more nostalgia than any other game?

PS: Second time asking this question. The first time I asked I didn’t get as many answers as I hoped but I put it in a different category.

By: Mike Mike

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Marketing Strategies