In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, we delve into the subject of online programming together with Senior Online Programmer Omar Elbehaedi to find out what makes online games tick. We also delve into the subject of why code is beautiful and discuss that most forbidden topic – netcode. You head into a Team Deathmatch, the Dark Zone, or a 4000-player battle in a space MMORPG. The players are located all over the world. The bullets are flying. But how does the technology that makes all this p...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 16
In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Petter and Dóri meet Marthe Jonkers, Associate Art Director at Massive Entertainment, to learn about the role that art direction plays when creating a game – the impact it has on a game’s development, how it helps set a game’s style and tone early on, and how it together with concept art communicates ideas to developers. We also get insights into what it is like to work in the Japanese games industry, and what it can take for someone from outside of Jap...
Sep 11, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 15
When designing a game, how do you make sure that the player gets the information they need while playing? Or navigate menus and button prompts in an intuitive way? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, UI artist Anna Kuzminska takes our dynamic hosts on a journey through the fascinating world of user interface design – from fonts and art to colors and shapes. Resources: We Can Fix it in UI - https://onewithmachines.notion.site/onewithmachines/WE-CAN-FIX-IT-IN-UI-9f588869324a45e2b2d0595546ce...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Ever wondered how game developers create stunning visual effects in video games? How they make red barrels blow up and explosions look great? How cars in racing games kick up dirt, or how the energy crackles from magical potions? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, we meet John Behrens, VFX Artist at Massive Entertainment, who tells us about visual effects design and what is going on behind the scenes when the bullets hit the red barrel. Real-Time VFX - https://realtimevfx.com/ The Elemen...
Aug 28, 2023•56 min•Season 5Ep. 13
How do you become a playtester for video games and how does a playtest work? And what are the User Researchers, that are running the tests, looking for? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, we meet User Researcher Hanna Rosvall, who will give us a look behind the scenes. What tools do User Researchers use, how does a games lab look, and what’s going on behind those mysterious one-way mirrors? Let’s find out! Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to da...
Aug 20, 2023•47 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Ever wondered how to start working on artificial intelligence in a video game and how the AI in The Division was put together? What do you need to keep in mind when creating AI for an NPC? How do you get started in modding games and what can you create using the tools available? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Associate Game Director Drew Rechner covers these subjects in detail, since he’s worked with both – and has built one of the most ambitious Neverwinter Nights mods ever created....
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 11
Join Petter and Dóri as they meet Keltic Vermeersch, Environment Artist at Massive Entertainment, to find out how environments in video games are created - from "simple" hallways to sprawling open worlds. They also learn brand new creative uses for lamps. Yes, lamps. Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 06, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 10
In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Petter and Dori sit down with Lead Game Designer Lau Korsgaard to talk about experimental game design, indie development versus AAA, what uses a regular controller can have beyond the norm, and how games without rules can encourage social interaction. Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 30, 2023•52 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Join Petter and new co-host Dori as they sit down with Palle Hoffstein, Art Producer for The Division 2, and dive into his job and his long history in the games industry. What does an Art Producer do and how do they work with the artists? What was it like to work in the industry back in the 90s? How did you develop a fully fledged FPS with only 20 people? And how was the experience of moving from North America to Europe? Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay u...
Jul 23, 2023•50 min•Season 5Ep. 8
We sat down with Chella Ramanan, Narrative Designer at Massive Entertainment, to dig into the complicated subject of storytelling in video games – in everything from smaller indie projects to giant AAA games. Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 16, 2023•48 min•Season 5Ep. 7
In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Petter meets Concept Artists Topi Pajunen and Marie Isacsson to talk about their job, concept art’s role in game development, and how art can inspire the development teams and communicate ideas. Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 09, 2023•48 min•Season 5Ep. 6
What goes into adapting a huge AAA video game to other languages and markets than simply English? How do localizers and translators work on the text, but also on voices and UI? How do you work with voice casting and actors, dialects, language differences, and any potential translation mistakes? Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 02, 2023•39 min•Season 5Ep. 5
In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Technical Animator Rasmus Björk gives an insight into what technical animation is, how it works and its place in bringing characters to life in video games. How do you make sure that a human, or an orc, or even an animal moves in a realistic way? How do you build a skeleton that animators can then use to work their magic? Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See a...
Jun 25, 2023•43 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Cinematic Animator Soo Kang tells us how cutscenes in games are made – from script to motion capture, to ending up in a game. How do you plan for a recording, how do you use the motion capture data once it’s done, how do you go from a pair of moving dots to a complete scene? How do you create drama and how do you connect it to gameplay? How do you use a mix of technology and storytelling to draw a player into the world of the game? Subscribe or follow “...
Jun 18, 2023•36 min•Season 5Ep. 3
In our second episode of the Behind Massive Screens podcast, we sit down with Lead Game Designer Fredrik Thylander to discuss game design, how it works in practice and how you approach designing a new game from scratch. And how do you, with various tricks (and cheats), create fun, second-to-second gameplay? Subscribe or follow “Beyond Games” wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with the latest episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 11, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 2
In Behind Massive Screens, we talk about the ins and outs of game development and the gaming industry with the people behind the games. Hosted by Massive Entertainment – creators of The Division, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the Star Wars Project – the show gives you a greater insight into how game development actually works and an opportunity to learn about the different roles at a gaming studio, straight from the experts themselves. In this inaugural episode we meet Lead Data Scientist Dav...
Jun 04, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In this final episode, our experts discuss innovations beyond gaming. For example, how the self-driving cars in Watch Dogs can teach kids the basics of machine learning, how AI can raise climate-change awareness by simulating its possible consequences, and how our research is helping counter dangerous online behaviours thanks to some unexpected allies… Guests: Elisabeth Doyon (Student at Université de Montréal—CSM AI for kids Project), Amanda Jarrell ([MURL], User Research Project Manager—Ubisof...
Apr 30, 2023•27 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this fourth episode, we explain how the SmartNav prototype manages to create more realistic and responsive behaviours for non-playable characters and how their design enhances the immersive experience for players in various open-world games. Guests: Joshua Romoff (Research Scientist at Ubisoft—Ubisoft La Forge—SmartNav), Gabriel Robert (Technical Lead—Ubisoft La Forge) and Julien Varnier (Technical Architect for AI & Gameplay—Far Cry 5, 4 & 3) A go-script media production. If you like...
Apr 23, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this third episode, we discuss the Torch prototype, which combines physics and programming to improve on traditional methods of animating fluids such as water, air, and fire. We also dig into the differences between academic and corporate environments, and how La Forge manages to bring these two worlds together through research and development. Guests: Shahin Rabbani (Director of Scientific Research and Development—Ubisoft La Forge—Torch) and Claude Langlais (Director — Anvil) An original Ubi...
Apr 16, 2023•29 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this second episode, we explore how scientists at La Forge are revolutionizing video game characters and how text-to-speech technology is helping our artists improve and refine the gaming experience by making character voices more realistic. You will also learn about Choreograph—a prototype that anticipates the movements of playable characters and gives them a fluidity like those recorded in motion capture. Guests: Marc-André Carbonneau (R&D Scientist and Director of a team of researchers...
Apr 09, 2023•33 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In this first episode, you will dive into the world of the founders of Ubisoft La Forge, research, and development lab, which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. Travel back in time to its creation and discover its many impacts, triumphs, and of course … its failures. Guests: Yves Jacquier (Executive Director—Ubisoft La Forge), Olivier Pomarez (Director of Development—Ubisoft La Forge) and Cédric Decelle (VP Technology —Ubisoft Montréal) A go-script media production. If you liked this ...
Apr 02, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Welcome to Tech Makers, a Ubisoft podcast. In this first series hosted by David Usher, we’re celebrating 5 years of innovation at La Forge. In this exclusive sneak peek, you’ll meet the people working on some of the video game industry’s most promising innovations. Get ready to learn more about the project’s origins and discover various prototypes and breakthroughs whose impacts are felt far beyond the world of gaming. A bit more about La Forge: La Forge aims to accelerate R&D by linking the...
Mar 26, 2023•18 sec
Generative AI models like DALLE2, Stable Diffusion, and ChatGPT have made a splash this year for their ability to create original content from written prompts. At this turning point in the world of AI, we wanted to question some of the challenges faced by this technology, and see how the field of video games is both benefiting from this tech and helping to take it into new directions. For this last episode of the season, we are joined by Yves Jacquier, Executive Director of Ubisoft La Forge, Ubi...
Dec 15, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 8
From "Duck Hunt" to "Stray", animals have always been a major part of many video game experiences. Some players even keep track of the games in which they can pet the dog – or other animals. But what do representations of animals in games say about our treatment of animals in the real world? To explore this topic and share our favourite in-game pets, we are joined by Benjamin Hall, Creative Director at Ubisoft Toronto, and Alenda Chang, Associate Professor in Film and Media Studies at UC Santa B...
Dec 08, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 7
As COP27, the annual United Nations Climate Conference, comes to an end in Egypt this week, we invited two experts on environmental sustainability in the gaming industry to discuss the positive impact games can have to combat climate change. We explore where our industry stands in terms of carbon emissions, how game developers are mobilizing for the planet, and how games can change behaviors and educate players about environmental sustainability. Our guests for this episode are Nicolas Hunsinger...
Nov 17, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 6
What explains the growing popularity of sim games like Truck Driver and PowerWash Simulator? How do game designers turn everyday activities or “normal” jobs into fun game experiences that attract millions of players? To discuss gamification, the state of flow, and how running away from zombies can be fun, we’re joined by Miriam Popescu, Senior Game Designer at Ubisoft Massive, and Adrian Hon, CEO at Six to Start – the studio behind the popular running app Zombies, Run! – and author of You’ve Bee...
Nov 03, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 5
From weapons and combat to historical figures and real-world places, video games – and other media – rely on realism and authenticity to entertain their audiences. So, how realistic should games be? How do game developers find the balance between authenticity and fun? And what purpose does authenticity serve? On this episode of The Tenth Art podcast, we’re joined by Thierry Noël, Senior Manager, Inspirational Content at Ubisoft, and Dr. Jacqueline Burgess, Lecturer in International Business at t...
Oct 20, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 4
When we think about video games, we often think about gameplay, worlds, combat, points and high scores… but how often do we think about what characters are wearing? And yet, with the popularity of multiplayer games, and even people sharing their single player experiences through streaming or virtual photography, how your character looks is increasingly important. How do players use fashion to express themselves in their favorite games? Is real-world fashion inspired by video games? How can game ...
Oct 06, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Is virtual photography a form of artistic expression? What is the relationship between real-world and in-game photography? We invite Fawzi Mesmar, VP Editorial at Ubisoft, and Mélanie Courtinat, a French immersive artist and jury member of the Ubisoft Photomode contest, to discuss their experience with in-game photography, and how players use photomodes to express themselves and share their experiences with friends. Do you want to make some art in-game and share your best shots? You have until O...
Sep 22, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Video game developers use cutting-edge tech, in-depth research, and complex math to ensure that their games look and perform their best. But what can they learn from scientists to develop new gameplay opportunities? And how can scientists leverage the power of games to further their own research or communicate their findings? In this first episode of "The Tenth Art", we invite David Louapre, Scientific Director at Ubisoft, andDr. Janice Bailey, Scientific Director at the Fonds de Recherche du Qu...
Sep 08, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 1
