The very first in-house HGD game jam was a hit! Eighteen HGD members were split up into random teams and were told to create a video game in twelve hours. The theme that each team had to use was “Gravity”. Right after the word “GO!”, the teams went straight to work. In less than an hour they had planned out their game and started to program. The room was full of energy as ideas were being thrown about and tasks divided up.

A couple hours into the competition we paused to say hello to a special visitor, Ryan Ploetz, the very first president of HGD! Ryan has been very successful in the gaming world and came to talk to HGD about the industry, jobs and careers in gaming, and what HGD can do to better prepare its members for the real world. After a general chat with everyone at the jam, management got to talk to Ryan one-on-one, where we discussed the future of HGD, its projects, and its members.

Plenty of pizza, pop, and hours later, HGD members were finishing up their games. The facial expressions said it all. Some people were pulling their hair out, minutes from the finish line… and others were sighing with relief, as they happily play-tested their game, ready to submit. Once the twelve hour mark hit, everyone was done and the projects were submitted for judging!

The results are as follows:

Best Overall: GravFighter
Best Use of Theme: Gravity Wells
Best Graphics: GravFighter
Best Music & Sounds: Tech Cannon

Thank you to all that participated! I hope everyone had fun, because you all did a really great job!

High School Demo in Fisher Hall - Summer 2010

Husky Games presented one of the most popular Enterprise showcases to high school students in Fisher lobby on Thursday. Students from across Michigan attended the annual two-part event to glimpse some of the enterprise projects available at Michigan Tech. One table stood out as a gathering place for prospects with game design on their minds.

Arcane Brawlers, Husky Game’s XNA project, was among the main attractions with students huddled around a live demo. Up to four people battle it out in an intense brawl that was recently updated with new sound effects and a music soundtrack. Others waited in line to get their chance to experience the game first-hand. The highly anticipated arcade game is currently in peer review in the Xbox live marketplace.

Among the other live demonstrations was a simulator designed for the military. With airstrikes and troops that follow a realistic formation, students interacted with the computer game to visualize how tanks and ground troops simply can not occupy the same space without consequences! The ROTC animated visuals drew the attention of quite a number of high schoolers this year.

A slide show of Husky Game’s projects included SecondLife and BonzAI Brawl. Coupled with a sign-up sheet for more information about our enterprise and game release dates, dozens of students were enthusiastic about getting involved. HGD has a lot to offer students, and we’re just getting started in terms of what this enterprise can accomplish. We anticipate an increase in participation and balance of new projects this fall.

Husky Game Development is a growing enterprise. We are looking forward to welcoming Arts and Humanities majors who have a desire to contribute their talents to game graphics and sound. Husky Games is in a unique position to offer genuine business experience at a University level of maturity. Already we’re seeing an overwhelming interest for this upcoming year from people with diverse skills. As always, we continue to seek students in Computer Science and Business. We’re pulling all stops on our presentations and advertising to show that real “wow” factor of making games. This year is really going to rock!

Students interested in joining Husky Game Development can reach us through our contact form or calling the HGD office at (906) 662-4164.

The summer has started and we’ve been discussing a future HGD contract. We are also working on designing both the games for XNA and “Secret” for next semester.

Arcane Brawlers is nearing completion. New artwork has replaced a lot of the placeholders that we initially had in place. We implemented a loading screen for a seamless transition into game play. Also a new game mode has been added: Team Deathmatch! Players can now choose sides and fight on teams cooperatively. A tutorial system has been implemented to teach new players how to play the game. With only a few weeks remaining in the semester the remaining work is mostly polishing as well as adding in the sound effects that have been created and create an AI which will make it so single players can now enjoy our game.

The last time I spoke I made mention of the four goals that we needed to complete to finish the project which included a replica of Mount Ripley, a gathering areas for students, an office area for faculty, and replicas of the Winter Carnival Snow Statues. I am pleased to announce that the Second Life Team has made considerable progress towards achieving the lofty goal of getting the island class-ready by the end of the semester.  Jenny Sieweke and Brandon Klos are now placing the finishing touches to the office spaces which professors can then fill as they see fit. Replicas for this year Winter Carnival were faithfully reproduced by Rob Blanckeart. On the island you can see an NES controller, a Donkey Kong game where visitors can take on the roles of Donkey Kong and Mario with just a click of the button among others. The gathering area and Mount Ripley were somewhat fused into one place where students can congregate at the top of a mountain among other places. What remains for the Second Life Team is to finish up class functionality and some testing to ensure it’s working as intended. Otherwise we are well on our way to finishing the island in a timely manner.

~Adam Eidelsafy