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  • High Definition Clash of Heroes Coming This Summer

11th March 2010

High Definition Clash of Heroes Coming This Summer

UbisoftMontreal Ubisoft announced that it will bring the critically acclaimed Might & Magic Clash of Heroes to the Playstation® Network (PSN) from Sony and Xbox LIVE Arcade (XBLA) from Microsoft. Developed by Capybara Games, the creators of Might & Magic Clash of Heroes for the Nintendo DS ™ system, Might and Magic Clash of Heroes XBLA/PSN will give players the opportunity to enjoy the remarkable gameplay now in high definition (HD).

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes in HD“We’re very excited to bring Might & Magic Clash of Heroes to PSN and XBLA,” said Senior Producer, Romain de Waubert de Genlis. “Not only have we had the chance to adapt all of our graphics to High-Definition, but we’ve also had the opportunity to improve the game even further, both in single-player battles and in the main campaign. We took many of the community’s recurring wishes into consideration, allowing players to match their strategic skills and taking full advantage of the online capabilities of PSN and XBLA.”

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes XBLA/PSN will take advantage of the next-gen console’s capabilities to increase its visual appeal and enrich the multiplayer experience. With a unique mix of RPG and an exceptional puzzle battle system. This upcoming release will give Might & Magic fans something to look forward to this Summer 2010.

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Key features include:

* Rich Might & Magic Universe
* High-definition environments with manga art design
* Five different factions and five different heroes with five different stories
* Fresh turn-based puzzle battle system with offensive & defensive combos
* Unlockable heroes
* Online Level-up & Ranking
* Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players local and online.The Architect

Bioware CorpEdmontonBioware has released information about new Dragon Age Origins: Awakening baddie The Architect – the first darkspawn to develop a will of his own and an unusual outcast who seems not to be subject to the call of the Old Gods, nor to the other darkspawn compulsions. Even though he is highly intelligent, the Architect has little understanding of humanity, and treating him as anything other than the darkspawn that he is would probably be detrimental to your character’s health. Awakening will be unleashed on the gaming public this coming Tuesday.

robots and pencilsCalgaryiPhoneDevCamp 2 (YYC), produced by Robots and Pencils Inc., is taking place this weekend at Calgary Technologies Inc. The 1 day barcamp style un-conference starts at 9am and is open to people wanting to learn more about iPhone Apps development, marketing, business models and funding.

The list of speakers confirmed for iPhoneDevCamp 2 includes:

* Jon Lam of the iPhoenix Fund 1 and BigStack Studios Inc.
* Michael Sikorsky of Robots and Pencils Inc.
* Michael Loh of iKingdom Corp.
* Stephen Gazzard of Broken Kings Inc.
* Brenden Duddridge of TapForms.com
* Trevor Doerksen of MoboVivo Inc.
* Paul Thorsteinson of Big Nerds in Disguise
* Isa Goksu of ThoughtWorks Inc.

Attendees will also receive source-code from the recently launched iPhone Game, Hottie Hookups – the example App being giving away will show how to create an OpenGL based disco-ball effect. The 1 day event also includes an AppsTrack where conference participants can spend the day developing an iPhone App. Space is graciously provided by the awesome people at Calgary Technologies Inc. Thank you!

Marketing Optimization SummitToronto – The eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit is set to deliver four days of workshops, training and over forty conference sessions focused on the processes, tools and techniques that improve online marketing, communications and business results. With the increased performance pressure placed on marketing budgets, the demand for professionals who know how to measure, recommend and introduce changes to improve marketing efforts, including social marketing efforts, is on the rise.

“Canadian businesses may have initially been slower to adopt online marketing analytics than our US neighbours, but several indicators tell a different story for 2010,” says Andrea Hadley, Conference Director of the Toronto eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit, adding that in February 2010 nearly 600 executives turned up to hear Jim Sterne, Chair of eMetrics and Founding Director of the Web Analytics Association (WAA) in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal present on how businesses are measuring the results and value of their social media investment, a topic that will be expanded upon at the Toronto Summit April 6 to 9th, 2010.

Other indicators include a series of new hires and expansion into new services by several of Canada’s top consultancies and solutions providers: IT World Canada Inc just launched the new division – Visability Marketing Optimization – which is poised to deliver marketing optimization solutions led by Sionne Roberts, eMetrics Toronto Advisory Board member and long time industry advocate. Syncapse, a global leader in the practice areas of digital measurement, social media and community building services just added several new employees to its measurement sciences division headed by Christopher Berry, eMetrics Toronto speaker and research lead for the Web Analytics Association. And Marco Bailetti, eMetrics Advisory Board member previously with Momentum is the new Senior Manager Marketing Analytics at Sapient Interactive and Consulting, where he’ll use his 10+ years of expertise to enhance their offerings.

Montreal Web analytics evangelist and educator Stéphane Hamel says, “During our recent economic downturn, we continued to see steady increases in job opportunities as well as investment in web analytics tools, consulting and training” indicating that business interest and adoption of online marketing analytics in Canada is in a significant growth curve.

In April 2010 several hundred marketers, analysts and technology executives are expected to convene at the third annual Toronto Summit, diving deep into sessions, training and workshops, advancing their skills and employment prospects. Top executives from Expedia, MTV, Cisco, Microsoft, RBC and other well known brands will share their experiences, knowledge and proven methods:

Summit tracks include:

1. Marketing Optimization for E-marketing Management
2. Acquisition Optimization
3. Conversion Optimization
4. Emerging Media, Metrics and Technology

Pre-conference Workshops April 6 and 7th: Those new to web analytics can get up to speed with an Introduction to Web Analytics workshop developed by the Web Analytics Association (WAA). Those managing analytics and business intelligence can advance their web analytics maturity by following the Road Map to Online Analytics Success; while managers from marketing and IT have an opportunity to dive deep into Google Analytics training; and ecommerce and website managers can take a crash course in Landing Page Optimization .

ericssonVancouver – Wireless developers in Western Canada are now able to test new wireless applications on a 3G network, in real-world situations over robust networks, to help them ready their technology for market. Ericsson is supplying Vancouver-based Wavefront with HSPA radio access equipment and access to the company’s leading-edge Montreal Test Facility, one of the largest in Canada.wavefront

“The final piece of the puzzle for most wireless applications developers is testing their technology on a large-scale network,” said Mark Henderson, president and CEO of Ericsson Canada. “With this connection, developers now have convenient and affordable access to such a network as well as the support of our world-leading Montreal Testing Facilities.”

Prior to this arrangement it was difficult for developers, especially for those based in Western Canada, to test their products on a 3G network. The arrangement between Ericsson and Wavefront will give smaller organizations access to one of Canada’s leading wireless testing centres.

“Ericsson’s network test lab at Wavefront connects innovators on the West Coast with the testing resources of the world’s leading telecom infrastructure company,” said James Maynard, president of Wavefront. “Without a doubt, this contribution from Ericsson Canada will lead to more Canadian mobile applications reaching the global marketplace.”

Ericsson will provide access to a basic core network and application services with a variety of nodes including; a circuit-switched core, packet core, and a Radio Network Controller (RNC). An Ericsson RBS 3206 base station will be used for the HSPA radio connectivity. Ericsson engineering support will also be available to developers should they need help troubleshooting applications.

Formed in 2007 as a joint venture between industry and government, Wavefront supports the growth of the Canadian wireless industry with services that accelerate commercialization for new mobile applications and technologies.

UtherverseVancouver – Tuesday’s shocking announcement by Makena Technologies that they would be closing the virtual world There.com in one week has left thousands of Thereians scrambling to find a new virtual home. With so many virtual world options to choose from, many users are worried that their in-world friends will wind up scattered forever.

“Unless we can all come together and agree on one new virtual world, I’m worried that my whole online social life will fall apart,” said one concerned Therian.ThereNewWorld

To help former There.com users move to their new platform as a group, Utherverse Digital, Inc. has rolled out the virtual red carpet with a suite of offerings, including the opening of ThereNewWorld.com, a brand new virtual world that is designed to make Thereians feel right at home.

“ThereNewWorld.com looks and feels just like There.com, only with more advanced graphics. The new world is full of activities and games like combat flying, mermaid deep-sea diving and skate-boarding,” said Utherverse CEO Brian Shuster. “Users can play in the arcade, dance on the beach, swim with the sharks or super-jump buildings.”

ThereNewWorld.com is part of the Utherverse.com network of more than 16,000 virtual worlds, most of which have been built by users of the Utherverse.com software. Many former There.com users are already building virtual worlds to replicate what they’ve lost.

“I’m working on a VWW area for Firecracker FunPark, which was my neighborhood in There,” said SueZ, a former There.com designer. “…thanks so much for the warm welcome.”

In addition to creating ThereNewWorld.com, Utherverse has taken extraordinary measures to welcome former There.com users to the Utherverse network, including an exchange program that allows users to exchange their Therebucks into Rays. The company has exchanged more than 25 million Therebucks under the program.

Utherverse.com has also created a ‘There.com Forum Board‘ that is designed to replace the forum board that was abruptly closed by Makena at the same time that they announced the pending closure of There.com.

Autodesk, Inc. has introduced its “Vehicle for Games” curriculum for post-secondary students. The 16-week curriculum provides hands-on training for the entire game development pipeline, from concept art to creating an engine-ready asset. This free* web-based curriculum is designed to be used with Autodesk Maya modeling, animation, rendering and visual effects software, and Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting and texture painting software. A six-month student trial version of Maya* and a 30-day student trial version of Mudbox* can be downloaded for use with the curriculum.

Autodesk developed the curriculum with professionals from leading game developers NCSoft and Double Helix, to mirror the requirements of real-world game development. Laguna College of Art & Design (LCAD) in California is piloting “Vehicle for Games”. Sandy Appleoff, game art department chair at LCAD, said, “Autodesk is a company that cares about the paradigm shift in the way we educate our young people, providing us with resource tools that help embrace the future of education. With the ‘Vehicle for Games’ curriculum, Autodesk provides a valuable link between educators and the game industry, and helps make sure that our graduates’ qualifications match industry needs. Having this masterful curriculum has allowed our students to move faster. By the end of the semester they will have produced game engine-ready assets and have them loaded and functioning in the game engine.”

LCAD instructor Derek Sunshine is currently teaching the curriculum. Sunshine said, “The goals set for my class are aggressive. This curriculum complements what the students are trying to achieve at LCAD by going step-by-step through the process of creating AAA quality art for games. Both LCAD and Autodesk have a standard of quality that really helps push students into gaining the upper hand in this very competitive job market.”

Intended for intermediate to advanced students, “Vehicle for Games” takes a unique approach to teaching 3D techniques by providing an art director’s point of view for various steps of game development. The first lesson explores concepts based on a narrative, guiding students through the progression of an idea that starts with a simple poem and moves into a story-rich world with many visual possibilities. The lessons examine storytelling and how important it is to identify and remain aware of the world in which the vehicle asset will be placed.

Students go through the process of modeling and texturing a vehicle for a video game, learning industry techniques. “Vehicle for Games” also provides a taste of what it’s like to be an asset modeler working in production. It includes video tutorials, models, textures, concept art, and orthographic drawings that students can follow or use as guides to create their own vehicles with their own concepts.

Access to the Curriculum

“Vehicle for Games” is available in English on the Autodesk Education Community, in the Level 4 content on the Industry Careers Framework micro site. Please note that the Autodesk Education Community is accessible only to faculty and students with a valid email address from a registered educational institution.

*The curriculum terms and conditions are available online.The software is subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies the software.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 10:31 am and is filed under Action Adventure, Adult Only, Associations, Business News, Casual, Digital Products, Education, Events, Everyone 10+, Game Dev, Mature, New Releases, Puzzle, RPG - MMORPG, Social Media, Software, Upcoming Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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