Game Tech and Research Simulation Platforms

by PJ Cignarella on April 13, 2021

in Uncategorized

BPM Game Tech1

~~~~~~~~
THE TALK
~~~~~~~~
What happens at the nexus between games, simulation, and robotics?
Simulation Platforms are program suites that use video game technology to create virtual research environments. You can think of them as zero-person video games with extremely elaborate leaderboards.
ThreeDWorld (TDW), an IBM-MIT project, is among the most sophisticated simulation platforms, utilizing Unity’s physics and rendering technologies to support a wide range of virtual experiments.
Seth, the lead developer of TDW, will describe simulation platforms and their strengths in general, TDW specifically, and then give an overview of TDW’s most recent addition: a robotics platform that can simulate physics-based movement and arm articulation to solve complex tasks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seth Alter is the lead developer of ThreeDWorld. Formerly, he was an indie game developer, probably best known for Neocolonialism and No Pineapple Left Behind. His personal work, which includes games, writing, and code repositories, can be found at https://subalterngames.com. Follow him on twitter at @SubalternGames
~~~~~~~~~~~
DEMO SIGNUPS
~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to show off a project you or your team have been working on? Submit it here to demo it for the group! https://forms.gle/QJgq6PvTpTVVh8co6Logistics:

Tuesday, April 13th

7:00 pm-9:00 pm
ONLINE via Discord

Just follow this Discord Link!

https://discord.gg/vZPcmj4zaf

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

by PJ Cignarella on March 1, 2021

in Uncategorized

BPM 9

~~~~~~~~~
DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~
How do you know if a prototype is worth finishing? When is the right time to start polishing? Why is making a platformer a bad idea? Roh will explore these questions and more as he shares 9 different lessons from making Nine, the indie roguelike about a cat who has nine lives to save the moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rohit Crasta is a Technical Game Designer who has worked at studios such as Sneaky Games, Demiurge Studios, Funkitron, and GameCo. In his free time he loves to tinker, participating in game jams and making dozens of rapid prototypes. In 2020 he pitched Nine to RIT MAGIC and was accepted into their Community Incubator program. Nine is on track to launch this summer!
~~~~~~~~~~~
DEMO SIGNUPS
~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to show off a project you or your team have been working on? Apply here to demo it for the group! https://forms.gle/ubmbr9F8ZT29JcDx9

 

Logistics:

Tuesday, March 2st

7:00 pm-9:00 pm
ONLINE via Discord

Just follow this Discord Link!

https://discord.gg/vZPcmj4zaf

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Let’s Make: Boston Developer Stream

January 25, 2021

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ever wonder how the schleem is made? You’ve heard plenty of developers talk about their process – but what does that process look like in action? Join three devs from the Greater Boston area on a live development stream as they show you an inner glimpse at what it looks like to […]

Read the full article →

Getting Creative: A fireside chat with Harmonix’s VP of Creative

November 11, 2020

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Given her non-traditional background and the variety of roles/disciplines in which she has worked, Helen McWilliams has had to get creative over the years in order to pursue her professional passions. Helen will be chatting about strategies that folks from non-gaming/untraditional backgrounds can utilize to advance their careers. She will also […]

Read the full article →

Revisiting the Culture of Critique

May 19, 2020

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this adaptation of his classic talk, Jeff Hesser will revisit the challenges that arise when game professionals give each other feedback across disciplinary lines. How can artists effectively give and receive feedback with designers, engineers, producers, musicians and QA testers in ways that maximize value and minimize miscommunication and friction? Through […]

Read the full article →

UX Practices For Mobile Games

March 23, 2020

ANNOUNCEMENT: BPM is committed to the health and safety of its attendees. Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the March Meetup will be hosted online over Zoom. Here’s how you can join: 1. First, Sign up for Zoom right here https://zoom.us/signup, then download the desktop app, mobile app, or the online browser add-on. […]

Read the full article →

The ‘Kine’ Postmortem

January 27, 2020

Join us on Tuesday, Feb. 18th at 7 pm in Intrepid Labs, in The American Twine Building (222 Third St. Cambridge, MA 02141 4th floor) for our next Boston Post Mortem meeting: ~~~~~~~~~~~ DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ In this example-heavy talk, Gwen Frey will discuss her journey of taking her recent indie release, Kine, from an after-work passion project […]

Read the full article →

January Meeting: Behind the Assets – Shader Tricks and Optimizations

January 4, 2020

                  Join us on Tuesday, Jan. 14th at 7 pm in Intrepid Labs, in The American Twine Building (222 Third St. Cambridge, MA 02141 4th floor) for our next Boston Post Mortem meeting: DESCRIPTION: Ever wondered what it takes to make a Unity asset? How about how […]

Read the full article →

November Meeting: UX Practices for Mobile Games

November 14, 2019

          Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 19th at 7 pm in Intrepid Labs, in The American Twine Building (222 Third St. Cambridge, MA 02141 4th floor) for our next Boston Post Mortem meeting: DESCRIPTION: Ever wondered how to build a menu so players don’t get lost? Confused about how to make […]

Read the full article →

Boston Local Spotlight: An Interview with Gwen Frey

October 18, 2019
Thumbnail image for Boston Local Spotlight: An Interview with Gwen Frey

Gwen Frey is the Boston-local founder of indie studio Chump Squad and co-founder of The Molasses Flood. Her work as a technical artist includes credits on Bioshock Infinite, Marvel Heroes Online, and the recently-released Kine. ________________________________________________________ You’ve had a pretty storied history as a technical animator in a variety of different environments. How has your […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries