Richard Ludlow

TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM join us for an improvised version of PVP Circuit and help us rebuild our local community brick by brick. I still can't believe I get to work in the video game industry. My 6-year-old would laugh, and then cry once she realized what it means to work in the creative technology sector. That's why IMO everyone could use some levity during these unprecedented times. Join us for a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Event link >>> https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. What if I want to join but can't justify the cost? - If you want to join but find the cost prohibitive, DM me and we'll make it happen (see point above). Do I have to pitch at the event? - No, you don't have to pitch if you prefer to observe. It’s a great way to see how it's done. Will there be another event like this? - We plan to host our community again, but I can't specify if this event will be the focus. #gamesindustry #event #comedy <3

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DeamPlus Games Earned $12M+ IAP Revenue Amids “Hoa Hoa Hoa” Season 🍂 Game of Vampires: Twilight Sun, an empire-building RPG, is the ultimate vampire fantasy brought to life. 🌘 Gothic castles, luxurious dark interiors, a spooky atmosphere — and a ton of pop-culture references! From Twilight and The Vampire Diaries to Blade and The Addams Family — this game is packed with nostalgic nods that resonate with players through its ASO, ad creatives, and character design. 🧛‍♂️🏰 The right timing and a touch of luck drive this success even further: with the game’s global launch, the unexpected revival of the Twilight franchise came into play! Millennials are fueling it with nostalgia, while Gen Z is having fun with those cringy moments the old movies have. ✨🧛‍♀️ For a deep dive into this phenomenon and the insights game developers can draw from it, check out Diana Levintova's fantastic article for AppMagic. Halloween couldn’t be a better time to dive into the industry insights, spooky vibes, and, of course, “hoa hoa hoa” 🎃👻 Link in the comments! 👇

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Another stack of resources and layoff support compiled by the incredible Mayank Grover! If you need support or have some to offer, connect and boost that vis so every ship can benefit from the tide. 🙌🌊🙌 #gamedev #games #layoff #support #job #resources #mentors

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Know anyone that might know someone? Asking for a friend 👀 https://lnkd.in/g44DSCP8 #'s for the #'s #TheMattBarney #VideoGames #GameJobs #GameDevJobs #Unreal #UnrealEngine #GameEngineer #PrincipalEngineer #RemoteJobs #RemoteEngineeringJobs #RemoteEngineer

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I almost need to pinch myself… 🤩 Because Bird's Eye View, Into Games & Games Jobs Live won the big BFI and National Lottery’s Challenge Fund grant! 🎉 Over the next two years, we’ll be developing a free, accessible platform — the Games Insights Database, to equip small to mid-sized studios, solo developers, and advocacy groups across the UK games industry with the insights they need to grow and support the sector. And this is what you can expect from the #GIDB: 🟠 A searchable funding directory with all regional funding options relevant to UK games businesses. 🟡 An interactive map with regional insights, highlighting workforce size, companies, and local partners. 🟣 A public framework for career progression across games roles all the way through to principal. 🔵 Transparent salary ranges across roles to support fair hiring and career growth. 🟡 Advocacy-ready reports to empower trade bodies and government. If you’ve seen the Entry-Level Skills Hub, any of the amazing reports by Games Jobs Live, and the extensive work Into Games does, you know this is a collab to keep your eyes on. Especially because we can’t do this without you! ➡So please give Bird's Eye View a follow & help us spread the word! — ⚠️PSA: Keep scrolling if you don’t want to read my soppy reaction… But it just feels truly wonderful that bit by bit my work and anger fuelled motivation are moving things forward. My goal has always been to help to create a gaming industry where every voice has a seat at the table, and I think empowering solo, small and mid size businesses is the way to do it. I care profoundly about what I do, some would say I care too much, and it does bring a lot of grief sometimes. But it’s moments like this, after coming off a #layoff myself, that got and kept me in games. We have a long way to go, but we have everything we need. Proactive, creative and selfless people, like YOU. 𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆! Or just follow Bird's Eye View page and get prepared to ✨serve✨ insights, because I can’t and won’t do this alone! --- 📣 Follow #RethinkRecruitment and ring the 🔔 to stay updated! 🎯 CEO of Bird's Eye View ⏩ Entry-Level Skills Hub: https://entrylevel.games/ 🔵 Bluesky: SCMachadoUK 🌟 Opinions are very much my own™️ #GameDev *The #GIDB is a collaborative project funded by the British Film Institute (BFI) & the The National Lottery Community Fund

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Hey LinkedIn Friendos! Feel free to pass this around your networks! I'm the producer for this project and we are looking for some extra help to get us across the finish line for our full steam release! This is a volunteer project, but a pretty dang cool one. Check it out here! Are you a writer and editor? Do you want to help finish an awesome project and get a full release on Steam on your resume? Do you enjoy magical girls, spoofs, comedy and pixies? Do you enjoy memes and consider them a second language? Then this may be the right project for you! We are team Pastel Magic, and we are heading towards the finish line for our game This Magical Girl is a B*tch. We just need a little more help to complete it! Here’s the deets: We are looking for someone who has strong skills in visual novel writing who can match our comedic style, and finish writing the rest of our script (roughly 10-15k words), as well as someone who can do an editor’s pass on the whole script (60-70k words), facilitate beta readings by finding readers and processing their feedback, and then take charge in getting the final edits in. We are already scheduled in Steam’s Next Fest for our Act 1 Demo which is 99% complete. A good portion of the writing, artwork, music, and sfx are done, we are just working on getting it all in the game, and finishing up the remaining assets, and getting the voice acting completed. This is a volunteer project, we aren’t doing this for profit, but we are set on putting a polished game we are proud of on Steam for all of our portfolios. The game is scheduled to be fully completed in August, with a release date in early October. The writing and editing is front-loaded on this timeline, as we’d like to get a wrap on the script done in May or early June at the latest. However, we are looking for someone who can commit to staying with the project until we publish it in October, just in case we need any additional edits or copy written for our marketing. You can play Act 1 of our game here: https://lnkd.in/eJ8B2n9g And you can check us out on Steam here: https://lnkd.in/ecTaRRMi If you’d like to apply for this role, please fill out our interest form and we will get back to you! Apply here! https://lnkd.in/e7NdSi7T

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a game design document for a new DLC chapter for Elder Scrolls Online called Conquest. I wasn’t asked to do this—honestly, I doubt anyone at ZeniMax Online Studios even knows I exist, haha. But I’m passionate about the game, having played since beta, and with my background in game development, albeit as a lead 3D artist, I felt inspired to create something that could enhance the player's experience in an impactful and meaningful way. ESO’s PvP system is incredible—some of the most engaging combat since Funcom's Age of Conan—but two major issues stand out: Lack of PvP zones and options: Outside of Cyrodiil, Imperial City, and Battlegrounds, there’s a shortage of varied PvP content. The potential for expanding the system feels huge but underutilized. Conquest introduces a new (optional) PvP zone (In Hammerfell) where players can flag themselves for world PvP (on and off switch while in town), inspired by Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo 2s' hostile mechanic. It’s an optional experience that brings new incentives for both solo players and guilds to participate in PvP. This isn't meant to be a quick fix, but rather a revitalization of the existing systems, giving guilds more reason to engage together, and providing meaningful rewards for PvP participation. One of the core focuses of the design of this DLC chapter is to incentivize group play—especially within guilds. Guilds often have limited in-game reasons to interact beyond chat and trading, and running a trial (raid). My design offers new systems and incentives for guilds to run content together, utilizing existing mechanics like the Housing system to create features such as Guild Halls that further encourage community-driven gameplay. I know ZeniMax’s team is full of incredible talent with no shortage of amazing ideas. Conquest is simply a labor of love, aimed at addressing some of the game’s current issues, and introducing new, exciting content. I now release the document with the hope that they see value in it. Please be kind, I haven't shared my work with anyone before. Thank you for your time! https://lnkd.in/e3gfr2g9

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Game production is a jumbo mess of rough work and work in progress. Remember, always finish your "Dune Buggy" first! 🚗 When I was at Zynga, I had the chance to collaborate with Mark Skaggs, who shared his wisdom from Command & Conquer: Red Alert. He talked about how, during Red Alert's development, all the vehicles and assets were rough drafts. It was tough for the team and stakeholders to see a cohesive vision. Then, they decided to bring one vehicle – the Dune Buggy – to final polish and animation. This move created a ripple effect, giving everyone a shining north star to benchmark against. 🌟🚀 I've learned that creating two things early on, and close to finish, can help your production and vision: Logo: Sets the mood for the entire UI and modal. 🎨 Music: Sets the setting and ambiance for themes and locations. 🎵 On Dimensionals, we started on the logo first thing during game concept and had the music done for all our dimensional settings early on. This helped push our polish, animation, and VFX forward significantly. Trust me, it works wonders! What tips and tricks have you found helpful in your game production journey? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟯𝟯𝟭 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 One question I get asked often: Do we have a physical school? No. Before COVID, VFX artists were used to being on-site, working shoulder-to-shoulder under "tight" deadlines. That was just how it was. But things have changed. Now, we’re finding there’s real value in: - More time with family & pets! - Fitting in a gym session during the day (our Alpha Chromatica lunches run 90 minutes for just that reason! whether you’re pumping iron or taking a long walk!) - No long commutes, especially in cold, rainy weather In short, a work-life balance that wasn’t even on the radar before. At Alpha Chromatica, we figured out work-from-home on day one and we love it. Remote setups deliver the same quality of work with less burnout and more flexibility, which ultimately leads to better focus and creativity in our students' projects. So, returning to a full-time, on-site model “just because” seems outdated. Especially when, too often, “collaboration” means sitting in separate rooms, still Zooming. Hybrid work respects artists’ lives without compromising results. Isn’t it time we rethink what office work really looks like? With fewer options to hire foreign talent, studios are going to be competing for a finite pool of local artists. No matter how prestigious the studio, those unwilling to offer artists the balanced lifestyle they’ve come to expect are going to find themselves in a tough spot in the months ahead. P.S. How else can I take a break from teaching and cuddle with Luna-Chan?

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In today's little bit of progress, we're working with a little bit of music and setting up some Enemy Animation Blueprints- just with patrolling and idling for the time being. These are called Agonized Hunters and probably for good reason. Lore is so fun to come up with, by the way. I suppose all the stories I started to write even as a kid should've been a grand sign towards my liking of storytelling, but I definitely know about it now. I thought it would be a nice touch for the light to turn red/add in some invincibility frames when the player comes in contact with them, as well as adding in a sliiiight distinction between the breakable platforms and the ones you can walk on regularly. On a semi-related note, something I only learned fairly recently: the Nav Mesh Bounds Volume in Unreal only registers traversable ground. That's why it's only the ground that turns green when you preview it and not the air that the volume may also be in contact with. If you're working with flying enemies you won't want to rely on those or the functions related to them (like GetRandomReachablePointInRadius and co.), since they will bring those flying guys right to the ground at best. You'll want to look into the Math function RandomPointInBoundingBox instead. ✨

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Hello friends. Last month, I was looking for more work and finally secured some on Reddit from a guy who needed help with preproduction on his Tabletop RPG / Card Battler. After a meeting with him, he showed me what he had and it was quite impressive. He had a prototype of a card-battler using a tabletop RPG battle system, but he had little to no documentation or planning—he's been chiseling away at his game for a few months in his spare time after work. I suggested that before I dive into art, we flesh out the game design and the rest of the game up to around an 80% mark and let the last 20% be changes, additions, and that sort. As your game evolves, it'll come into it's own and you'll find things that need changed or added, this accounts for that. He agreed and I asked if I could work on all this since I did that with my game Alligori and lead the team from start to finish with our vertical slice, and I know tabletop RPGs very well. He agreed and we did the whole song and dance with paperwork, and he sent over a retainer and I began work the following Monday. Three weeks go by and we're working great together. I'm fleshing out his game, adding some meat to the backbone of his prototype with classes, abilities, etc. My goal was to write out as much as possible and then trim content to fit it into a 1-year development cycle. So I flesh a bulk of his game out, and then categorize it more into a game design document that clearly conveys concepts, ideas, and mechanics. Catching up, last week was the final week of my first month and payment was due. He just up and disappears like a fart in the wind, I have no idea if he's alive, incarcerated, on vacation, or what. He didn't remove me on Discord, so I don't entirely suspect malicious intent, but he gave no notice. That's the risk you run with working 1-on-1 with a client remotely, one day they can just up and disappear. I do have paperwork, so I may pursue legal action. If he doesn't log on by Friday, I'm going to publicly release all my documentation and the GDD I wrote on here.

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Okay, about to share some 🌶️ hot takes🔥, but the 2024 GOTY nominations are annoyingly disappointing to me. If I can’t vote for the games I think should win, I just won’t vote or watch. 1. Where is Warhammer on this list? Because that’s my #1 pick. Not even in the top 6?! Seriously!? Okay, then I’ll vote for my runner up, Helldivers 2… it’s not here either!?!? 🤬 2. I cannot get into Balatro🃏. I forced myself to play for ~6 hours to participate with a workgroup gaming club, and it seriously felt like I wasted the precious little game time I can scrounge as the parent of a 2 year old. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting game. But I do not understand how it can capture as devoted of fans as it has. It feels about as captivating as pinball. And while I might have wasted time in my youth on such things, it’s not something I find value in now. Very subjective, but I hate the theme, it just makes me want to play actual poker. And I do like rogue-likes, but generally ones with a character, some rpg elements, etc. Nothing against the devs, it’s just not for me; and I’m surprised by how small this camp is. 3. Astro bot, FF7 Rebirth, Metaphor: Refantazio …huh? You found spots for these but not Warhammer Space Marine 2 OR Helldiver’s 2? I get that The Game Awards is global 🌎, and there are plenty of Asian gamers, but did these titles really make that big a splash in those jurisdictions and this small a splash in the west that they weren’t even on the radar? And reverse that regarding HD2 and WH? I just don’t get it. 4. The way the Game Awards only gives the audience 10% of the final tally, is frankly BS. And there’s no 📝 write-in votes, so just their hand-selected nominees. Feels very behind-closed-doors kinds of scummy. As an industry, I think we should hold this event to a higher standard. Verdict: ⚖️ I’m not participating. I’ve boycotted things harder to avoid than this for less.

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What a battleground you’ll find in the comments. All because Chris Heatherly touched the taboo subject and used the taboo word. We all need to recognize, politics divide. Sometimes companies put their politics blatantly in the game content itself, and some big percentage of would-be customers are instantly removed from the purchasing audience. Sometimes it’s more covert, with politics contributing to the development decisions or the messaging or the optics of any of the companies involved (IP holder, publisher, developer). This still creates a detectable undercurrent that can subvert reception. Games are always messy, and are a sum of many parts. It’s impossible to discuss why a game succeeds or fails without hitting it from many different angles. If a game is “good enough” it can overcome the negatives of a political agenda. But “good enough” depends on a million factors not the least of which includes how strong the political messaging itself is. Any company making a product should want as many customers as they can get. And then, quietly, they can use those funds to further whatever values and politics they hold dear. You can have your cake and eat it too, but to do that you don’t put the politics into the product. You make the best product you possibly can. Ruthlessly executing toward greater sales/reception. The better it does, the more you can do with it. And it’s worth mentioning that sometimes politics steals the limelight from potentially bigger issues that tanked a game. It may have been just one of many factors, but people will be quick to point to politics as the nail in the coffin (especially during an election year). Before throwing further comments into the mix, let’s all remember the blessing it is that we share this world and life together, and that our differences give life a unique and complex flavor. Internet platforms make it easy to forget our humanity and robotically attack the entity on the other side of the screen. It’s another person.

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A STUDY IN FLAME. Testing flame physics in Runway.

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Mr. Robotic's key takeaways for sync success: -Dollar for dollar, sync fees outweigh music downloads/streams -Use your PRO as a resource for networking -Face-to-face interactions at conferences are crucial -Syncs on popular shows drastically boost downloads/streams -Be ready for any sync opportunity with metadata, splits, etc. -Use sync as a tool for strategically building your overall music career Align with his insights and approach sync licensing as a long-term career strategy.

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The Art of Appointment Mechanics in Gaming 🎮⏰ Lately, I’ve noticed a trend: fewer games are intentionally using appointment mechanics, opting instead assuming that more familiar timer mechanics like limited events or daily login calendars will do the trick to keep players engaged. Have we lost the elegant art of getting our players to think about our games even when they’re not playing? 🤔 What are Appointment Mechanics? Essentially, these are game systems (often tied to timers) that encourage players to return after specific intervals. They act as habit-forming tools, integrating games into players' daily routines. Different audiences respond to different timing gaps, making it a nuanced art. 🎯 While many associate appointment mechanics with simple push notifications that nudge players to get back into the action, this is just one small part of what well thought-out appointment mechanics can do for your game. The real impact comes when these basic mechanics are paired with CONTEXT and GOAL-SETTING. 🌟 ✨ Imagine getting a player to not only return to your game when you send them a reminder, but to have them constantly thinking about what they will do next in your game when they do come back, whether that be: reaching new milestones, unlocking specific rewards, or just anticipation for another exciting session. A Few Personal Favourites: Clash Royale: The dynamic chest-cooking mechanics were revolutionary when this game launched. Players found themselves strategically planning their day around min/maxing these chests, even coordinating it with lunch breaks (or bathroom breaks) to ensure there was always a chest in the process of opening! 📦🕒 Shop Titans: Truly a master class in appointment mechanics. The game’s foundation lies in utilising these mechanics to fulfil the fantasy of owning a shop in an RPG. Players are constantly plotting their next craft and excitedly returning to collect completed gear. The game even ramps players up to longer breaks between sessions, initially getting players to return every minute or less. This is a great way to form a habit! ⚔️🏗️ Are appointment mechanics still on your radar when designing game experiences? How do you incorporate them effectively? I'd love to hear your thoughts and any examples you might have! 💬 #GameDesign #PlayerEngagement #Gaming #MobileGames #VideoGames #GameDevelopment #PlayerMotivation #GameMechanics #Innovation #HabitForming #TimelyReminders #GamingCommunity #GameTrends

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Unionisation has historically been lagging behind in games, with workers in the industry slowly catching up with protections that are more standard in film. When we mention that reality and ask what needs to change for games to reap similar benefits, Elmaleh says she's interested to see what will come out of the current situation. "The truth of any sort of basis of a union is that you have to resist," she says. "Corporations don't give things. Employers don't give things without resistance. To come into that awareness as a worker that you have something that they need, and that it is leverage that can be applied effectively – and has been proven to be applied effectively through collective action throughout history – is an awareness you need to step into and really take ownership of it. It takes a fight. "But what precipitates a willingness to fight is the kind of situation that we're in now. The layoffs have been absolutely brutal. That sense that sustainability isn't a priority for some of these folks… that the people who are currently deciding how things are run may no longer be acting in your interest, or that it will take a certain degree of frustration, disillusionment with the system that exists currently, and a willingness to build a new system… Unfortunately for some people, I think it takes a really dark, difficult moment like this to be like, 'You know what? I'm ready to try and really fight to make this look different for everyone's benefit'." ------------------------------------------ Excerpt from the article

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Guns in games are FAKE, players are just pretending to shoot! That’s because they’re actually shooting Invisible Rays instead of bullets! In most FPS games, bullets aren’t real objects flying through the air. They’re actually raycasts—invisible lines that instantly check for hits. Here’s why raycasting is used instead of real projectile physics: 1. Instant Hits 🔸Raycasting draws an invisible line from the gun to the target. 🔸No bullet travel time means instant feedback on hits. 🔸For fast-paced games, this makes shooting feel responsive and accurate. 2. Performance-Friendly 🔸Simulating physical bullets is costly, especially for fast-paced FPS games. 🔸Raycasting is just simple Math. 🔸Less memory is used in Raycasting. 3. Scalable for Multiplayer 🔸Each raycast is just a quick calculation with raycasting. 🔸A Bullet Object would have to be synced in all clients perfectly. 🔸But with raycasts, only output needs to be synced. Want to implement raycasting in your own FPS? Check out this GitHub repo for a scalable raycasting system: https://bit.ly/48xP3Od ----- Mayank Grover Malhar Devasthali Aryan Saxena Aryan Khera Manas Gangwani Bhavyam G. #Outscal #GameDevelopment #GameDev #Unity #Unity3D #Career #Raycasting #C++

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Bit late talking about this one but huge news coming from 343 Industries, both a re-brand to Halo Studios and confirmation that they are switching development to Unreal. 🗞️ This comes off the back of 343's struggles with development of Halo: Infinite. We've seen many other studios move away from their own engines to Unreal, notably CD Projekt Red! Are proprietary engines going out fashion? 🤔 For those who have worked on both proprietary engines and Unreal, what have you found to be the key advantages of working with Unreal? #gamedev #unreal #halo

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