Our multi-talented studio/capture specialist, Sam, put together a new reel for EA Capture. Inside you can get a peek at the stuff we work on at the studio.
As seen on the EA Capture Facebook page.
EA Capture 2011
by Steven posted on December 23rd, 2011 in NewsFaceForward
by Steven posted on October 27th, 2011 in Development, News
In my previous post, I told you that we worked on the cinematic sequences for Battlefield 3. Now, after an announcement on our facebook page, I can tell you what our technology is called.
Why Battlefield 3 is my most anticipated game
by Steven posted on October 22nd, 2011 in Art, Development, Games, NewsAs a software engineer in Electronic Arts’ worldwide motion capture studio, the systems I write and maintain touch many of our games in small ways. It’s not often that I can point to a feature in a game and say “I did that.”
Battlefield 3 is different. We built the facial animation pipeline used for the interrogation scenes and I’m rather proud of what we accomplished. EA Capture was small studio with an aggressive timeline to create a new technology for one of our company’s biggest titles. And we had to do this while maintaining the same workload and quality for our other game teams. It was an incredible experience and if I had to do it again… I would do many things differently. Though, that shows how hard we were pushing our limits and how much better this technology will become. It’s next generation technology used for the current generation of games.
I’m finally at the point where I can watch the cutscenes and see how good they look, instead of seeing the things I want to change. More than anything, I’m excited about what our creative talent will do with this in the future.
As much as I want to celebrate the achievement of my team, I am in awe of the wizards at DICE who actually got this stuff working in Frostbite. You can see the fruits of their labour below.
If you can’t view it on YouTube, check it out on GameTrailers.
Announcing: Secret Agent X
by Mark posted on October 10th, 2011 in Games, NewsFor the past few months, I’ve been working at Playdom as a Jr. Game Designer on a “top secret” project. Today, I’m pleased to finally announce Secret Agent X! It is currently in public beta internationally and should be available in North America later this fall. It’s also the very first publicly announced title that I’ve ever worked on (as a designer), so I’m that much more excited to finally have something I can actually show to family and friends.
Trailer:
The Backwater Gospel
by Steven posted on October 9th, 2011 in ArtMark just sent me a very cool short directed by Bo Mathorne, presented by the Animation Workshop, with music by Sons of Perdition. It’s about fear, hubris, misplaced trust, and the dangers of letting other people do your thinking for you. If that doesn’t interest you, then you should watch it for its striking visual style and be sure to check out the making-of posted below.
Few Have Seen So Far
by Steven posted on October 6th, 2011 in NewsIt was quiet in the office when Mike – our technical artist – said aloud, “Take a look at Apple.com”. With the recent release of the iPhone 4S, I was sure that he was talking about that. So, in poor taste, I loudly guessed “Steve Jobs is dead?”. My heart sank when I turned to look at his screen.
Despite his ailing health, the news of Steve’s death was not something that I expected. The man who conquered the world with functional elegance is gone and my deepest sympathies go out to the loved ones he left behind.
In his 2005 Stanford commencement address, he left us with several musings on life, death and happiness.
“If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I’m about to do today?”
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.”
“Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
RIP Steve Jobs
Playstation: Long Live Play
by Steven posted on October 6th, 2011 in Games, NewsI’m not sure how effective Playstation’s Long Live Play will be for attracting new blood to the hobby. However, it’s an absolute treat for those of us who grew up with it. It trades heavily on our collective nostalgia with more references than you can spot in one viewing. Check it out in full 1080p.
Remap facial motion capture rig
by Steven posted on February 19th, 2011 in Art, News
I have been very busy since my last post. In addition to my own projects, I found myself employed.
In June 2010 I was contacted by Electronic Arts for an interview. By the end of the month, I had moved from Hamilton, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia and was working as a Software Engineer on FIFA Online. In September, I toured the EA World Wide Motion Capture Studio and, within a few weeks, was working for them doing research and development. Read the rest of this entry »
Stephen Hawking is in Waterloo
by Steven posted on June 10th, 2010 in News
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
I just received my University of Waterloo alumni newsletter…
A Common Framework for Storytelling in Games
by Gian posted on June 8th, 2010 in Theory[also posted on GameCareerGuide.com]
Do games tell stories?
Sure, text, artwork, voice acting and cut-scenes can all arguably tell or help tell a story, but how can you truly say that the game itself is telling the story? And by the game, I mean the actual system, the units and rules that create the possibility for gameplay. Is gameplay a form of storytelling? Maybe not in most games (to avoid the argument), but if we wanted to conceptualize gameplay as storytelling, how would we do it? And if we wanted to make a game that told its story well, what would it take? Read the rest of this entry »
