Another key element for The Great Circle’s take on the character was in having him change over time – MachineGames isn’t looking to create a static icon of who Indiana Jones is, but offer a meaningful exploration of how he grows after ‘Raiders’ and before ‘The Last Crusade’. That comes down not just to the story, but the game itself – MachineGames has found ways of hinting at Indy’s personal growth through mechanics.
“There are several ways we have worked with this,” begins Torvenius. “Throughout the game we reward the player with Adventure Points. These points can be spent to unlock skills that you find in ability books. These are basically new skills you learn throughout the adventure – and all these skills and moves you unlock have been carefully crafted to fit the character of Indy. Some of these are things like more health or stamina and others are related to handling the whip – all features intimately tied to Indiana Jones. This gives a sense of experience building up.
“We also have a visual progression with his hat and jacket becoming a tad more beaten up throughout the experience, and the same goes for the journal. Indy’s journal becomes more and more built out, and shows stains and scribbles on the pages to emphasize the player’s journey. All of these things combine to work together very nicely – the player will never be left feeling that the character of Indy is not evolving throughout the game.”
And, of course, playing the majority of the game in first-person plays a major part here too. While it may seem a challenge to set the game within a character so defined by his look, it gave MachineGames a chance to use their experience within this area – particularly in the recent Wolfenstein games.
“We knew this was super important challenge from the get-go,” says Andersson. “Luckily, this is not our first rodeo. Big parts of the team have worked together on story-driven first-person games all the way back to The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness. Also, I think the Wolfenstein series surprised the world by having a very interesting and relatable character with B.J. Blazkowicz, so we have had a lot of experience with this.”
“One important thing that has been part of our DNA for a very long time – and is definitely something that helps create great characters – is that we put story front and centre,” adds Torvenius. “We always start with a strong narrative, and we always end with a narratively strong ending. And our experience is weaving those stories tightly with solid gameplay.
“Having the perfect mix of strong cutscenes and interesting gameplay, driven by an interesting character that is complex with many nuances, that continues to evolve throughout the game, is crucial. A good story survives everything and that’s why we’re always so very focused on getting the story just right.”
Indiana Jones has a feeling. It’s not just in the more tangible elements – the stories, the hero, or the music – it’s also in the way it was filmed, the minutiae of choreography, and the tone. Those ineffable qualities are what have made this series so beloved, and so lasting. And that’s a very difficult thing to recreate in a video game.
It presented Indiana Jones and the Great Circle developer MachineGames with an extra challenge – not only did the team have to create a fantastic, modern-feeling game, but one that simultaneously captures the magic that swirls around the movies. It comes down to a question of balance: making a compelling game that still looks, feels, acts, and sounds like the movies it’s drawing inspiration from.
In speaking to developers across MachineGames, it’s fascinating to hear how that was achieved, mixing modern game design with traditional filmmaking techniques, all in service of creating something that hits the sweet spot MachineGames has been striving for.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the deep thinking applied comes out of a single scene – one you might even describe as incidental.
‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ contains perhaps one of cinema’s best-known jokes. A crowd parts, and our hero is faced with a menacing swordsman, brandishing a scimitar. He chuckles darkly, passing his sword from hand to hand, before twirling it with expert precision – a show of how tough this fight will be. Indy grimaces, pulls out his revolver, and drops him with a single shot. What we thought was about to be a fight scene becomes a punchline. It’s perfect.
And it’s exactly the kind of scene that shouldn’t work in a video game. This is effectively the intro to a boss battle – this guy should have multiple attack patterns, three different health bars, the works. As it turns out, that very scene may have started as the challenge the team faced – but it became part of the solution:
“That scene is a very good example of type of humor that one can experience in the classic Indy movies – priceless!”, says Creative Director Axel Torvenius. “What we absolutely have been inspired by from that, and similar scenes, is that very humor. To have varied, engaging and rewarding combat encounters has been very important – but to make sure we spice them up with the Indy-humor has been equally important.”
Taken on a wider level, this tells us a lot about MachineGames’ approach – in almost every regard, the team has gone the extra mile to help capture the movies’ magic, even if they’re not an immediately natural fit for gaming, in a new form. And as you’ll see, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Matinée Idol
“Sitting as close as possible to the original look and feel of ’80s cinema was something we wanted to get right from the beginning,” explains Torvenius. “There was never an interest in reinventing the look or feel of Indiana Jones – the core ambition was always to make sure it really hit home in terms of having a style close to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.”
You might be surprised at just how deep that effort goes. The team scrutinized the early films, not just for their tone and writing, but for technical detail. What color palettes and film grading were used? Which kind of film stock was in the cameras? How did the original audio team record sound effects? What kind of stunt work was done? And from there, the hard work began – translating those original techniques into not just a modern context, but an entirely different medium.
Some of the stories here are fascinating. Torvenius explains that the team studied how the original film teams created their sets, and applied those rules to locations in the game:
“Obviously in games, the big challenge is that you can constantly peek behind the curtain and go ‘backstage’ – you can roam freely and break the composition. But there are many locations throughout the game where we know from which direction the player will come, or where they will exit and what type of scenery they will see. So we identified those early and pushed those further so we can set the scene more in certain places.”
For cutscenes, which are naturally more controlled, the team could go further: “Another big thing we did for this project was to have a Director of Photography on set for all the cinematic filming in the motion capture studio,” continues Torvenius. “We had the talented Kyle Klütz helping us and working in the mocap studio with this huge, heavy camera dolly rolling around to make sure we captured the right amount of velocity in pan, angular movement, composition and framing. Once we transfer this data into the cutscene shots in the game engine, it gives us a very solid start in terms of a camera work that feels reminiscent of the early Indiana Jones movies.”
Pitch Perfect
Sound is just as important as look for Indiana Jones, of course. From the iconic John Williams score, to the “feel” of its effects, to the iconic Wilhelm Scream (yes, it’s in the game), the soundscape of the movies is just as nostalgic as the look and story.
“The first thing we did was try to identify the core elements of that Indiana Jones sound,” says Audio Director, Pete Ward. “What did we have to nail to evoke the feeling of playing as Indy, in a cinematic way? We sat down as a team and watched all the Indy movies again, and we realized there were several things we absolutely had to get right – Indy’s voice likeness, the musical score, the whip, the revolver, and the punches. There were other things too, like the sound of the puzzles, and the fantastical elements, where we constantly referenced the original movies and [original Indiana Jones sound designer] Ben Burtt’s sound design.”
It led Ward’s team down some unexpected paths. The aim wasn’t to reuse sound effects directly from the game, but reproduce them as faithfully as possible to serve the game’s needs – which in some cases meant returning to techniques used by the original team more than 40 years ago.
“We did hundreds of hours of original recordings, using props like the whip, the fedora, the leather jacket, and lots of different shoe types on lots of different surfaces,” continues Ward. “For impacts in particular, we also used techniques originally used by Ben Burtt and his team, like beating up leather jackets with baseball bats. We also used practical effects where possible, like plucking metal springs with contact mics attached, to get some of that old-school vibe in our spectacular set pieces.”
The result is a game that sounds reminiscent of an ’80’s movie – it’s still naturalistic, but listen closely and you’ll find it comes across in a different way from most modern games.
The same went for the score – John Williams’ soundtracks are among the most recognizable in cinema history, but the aim was never simply to impersonate them. MachineGames brought in composer Gordy Haab to achieve that – a fitting choice given that he’s won awards for his work on multiple Star Wars games by drawing heavy inspiration from Williams, while making them his own.
“Gordy was such a great composer to work with for this project – he really nailed the style and tone, and was able to emulate and seamlessly extend the original score where needed, while also creating entirely new themes for our story and characters that fit perfectly within the Indiana Jones universe,” enthuses Ward. “We were very careful about where and when we first hear certain themes as well – the Raider’s March is the iconic, instantly recognizable theme for Indiana Jones, and we wanted to incorporate it at the right moments, but also develop our own musical story with our own new themes.”
But the risk of creating new elements amid such an iconic score is that they’ll stick out –and again, MachineGames went the extra mile to ensure that this didn’t happen. Haab and Ward researched how the original soundtracks were recorded, and even recorded in the same studio, Abbey Road. Amazingly, they even found out that they’d created accidental connections to the original along the way:
“We even had a couple of session musicians who played on the original sessions for Raiders,” explains Ward. “It was a lovely moment when they came to the control room after the session was finished and told us that!”
Telling the Tale
But where look and sound allowed the team to look back at what had come before, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story needed to be something entirely new, yet totally fitting for both the franchise – not to mention the game’s setting between ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘The Last Crusade’. For Lead Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk, it required a different kind of research.
“Indiana Jones has an incredibly rich lore with movies, comic books, games and more that we could dig into and use in different ways, not only for immersing the player in Indy’s world, but also to connect the different stories and characters. In this regard, our great working relationship with Lucasfilm Games helped us enormously.
“From there, a lot of our work when developing the worldbuilding has been devoted to researching the 1930s, and then filtering it through lens of what we call an ’Indy matinée adventure’ to make it feel both authentic and true to the story of this world.”
You’ll see that commitment not just to the Indy series itself, but for the time period in which it’s set, in the ways characters talk, the world around you, and even down to the era-appropriate spelling of Gizeh. MachineGames – and the connection of many of its developers, including Björk, to the acclaimed Starbreeze – means that the team has a lot of experience working with established franchises, from The Chronicles of Riddick to The Darkness, and it’s an experience that guided them in this new endeavour.
“The approach that we’ve had on all of our games is to make them as true to what made the originals so great. We don’t want to retread what has already been told, but instead move into new territory that evokes the same tone and spirit,” says Björk. “I think what the development of Indy has taught us is the importance of letting the character control the path of both the story and the gameplay, because this franchise is so much defined by Indy and who he is to an even greater extent than the previous games we’ve worked on.”
Playing With History
And that leads us to the final piece of the development puzzle – turning the history of a movie series into a playable experience. How do you capture the excitement of a tightly-edited, linear movie in an interactive experience, where every player will choose to do things slightly differently, and take their Indy in different directions?
Part of that is in returning to the movie making of it all, by grounding so much of what we play in real-life performance:
“We have done so much motion capture for this game! I think this is most motion capture and stunts we have ever done,” says Torvenius. “And some of the scenes we have in the game are quite wild from a stunt perspective. We shot a number of scenes at Goodbye Kansas in Stockholm, which has a ceiling height of almost 8 meters, just because some scenes required stunts to be performed from that height.
“We’ve been working with some very talented stuntmen and women throughout the production and together with our talent director Tom Keegan I dare to say we have some of the strongest action scenes from a MachineGames perspective yet. When it comes to capturing the look and feel of the stunts and action sequences in the early Indiana Jones movies, it has been a combined effort from various members within MG; obviously our Animation Director Henrik Håkansson and Cinematic Director Markus Söderqvist has an important part to play here for look and feel of animations. And then the audio work from Audio director Pete Ward and his department also plays an important part in making sure everything sounds true to the movie.”
But even the smallest elements have been scrutinized, like throwing a simple punch, for example:
“It has been very important to make sure the combat feels fun and rewarding and easy enough to get drawn into but then hard to master for the ones that likes to crank up the difficulty settings,” explains Torvenius. “We definitely wanted to capture the cinematic feel of the melee combat! Getting those heavy cinematic impact sounds in, having a good response from the spray of sweat and saliva as you punch someone in the face, interesting animations, and the behaviour of a hulking opponent coming towards you.”
This depth of thought is everywhere in the game. Puzzles have been designed with the spirit of whether they might feel right for the movies; locations given the buzz not just of real-life, but a film set; and even the ability to use almost any disposable item as both a distraction and a weapon is drawn from the comic spirit of the movies.
“One of the core ingredients in Indiana Jones is definitely humour. It is something we have worked hard with across every aspect of the game: environmental storytelling, script and VO, in cutscene and story beats, and it absolutely needs to be conveyed in the minute-to-minute gameplay, such as combat. And it is not only the tools you use but also a lot of hard work from the engineer and animation teams to make sure we have interesting, rewarding and fun take down animations. And on top of all of that you also need the best possible audio! And when that cocktail is shaken just the right amount, voilà – out comes something very delicious and fun!”
Which brings us all the way back round to that iconic scene with the swordsman. In a normal game, no, that scene might not make sense when translated to a video game context. But in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? Well, MachineGames has put in the research, the work, and the commitment to ensure that, while you’re playing this game – from solving spectacular puzzles to near-slapstick combat – it’ll feel worthy of those classic movies.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass), or Steam on December 9. Premium and Collector’s Editions will offer up to 3 days of early access from December 6.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™: Digital Premium Edition
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$99.99
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™. *** Live the adventure with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™! INCLUDES: • Base Game (digital code) • Up to 3-Day Early Access** • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC† • Digital Artbook • Temple of Doom™ Outfit ***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard. YOU ARE INDIANA JONES Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time. A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces. WHIP-CRACKING ACTION Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery. THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? *Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active. **Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages. †DLC availability to be provided at a later date.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ Standard Edition
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$69.99
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard. YOU ARE INDIANA JONES Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time. A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces. WHIP-CRACKING ACTION Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery. THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? *Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and ninth-century Baghdad is yours to explore as Basim Ibn Ishaq, a young street thief who grows into the role of a master Assassin. As a member of the Hidden Ones (who will eventually become known as the Assassins), Basim will set out from secret Bureaus around the city to investigate shady activities and follow increasingly dangerous leads, eventually taking on big, open Black Box assassination missions that challenge players to use their skills and environment to identify, locate, and take down targets.
It’s an approach that echoes the structure of the very first Assassin’s Creed, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage is in many ways a deliberate return to the series’ roots. In addition to bringing the story back to the Middle East and letting players embody an initiate in the Hidden Ones, Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes concepts and tools from the early games in the series and revitalizes them with modern gameplay sensibilities and greater depth. For example, Basim can unlock familiar weaponry, including explosive traps and noisemakers, blowguns, and throwing knives, and can now customize them with a selection of buffs like poison and bonus damage. Assassin’s Creed Mirage also puts a big emphasis on stealth; while Basim is capable with his sword and dagger, groups of enemies can quickly overwhelm him, meaning that fighting should be his last resort if hiding and running fail.
To find out more about how Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s approach came together, we spoke with Creative Director Stephane Boudon about revitalizing the series’ roots, the feelings the team wanted the game to evoke, and the lure of a good investigation.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been touted as a return to the series’ origins, bringing everything full circle before the series embarks on something new. How did that idea take shape? What was the initial vision for the game, and how did its scope change over the course of development?
Assassin’s Creed Mirage started as an Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC on paper for a few weeks. After a first pitch, we were pleased to see that the reception was great, and we decided to move to a standalone game. Only the main pillars of the game remain from that very first pitch: Becoming an Assassin, the immersive city, and the impactful journey. But the location, the main character, the global historical context, and the first draft of story pitch have been reworked.
During this shift, we started to look more closely at Baghdad and quickly drew connections with Basim’s past. Then the pieces started fitting together: The historical context and its many historical figures encompassed a period of turmoil, with the Anarchy at Samarra teasing the incoming Zanj Rebellion later. It was the perfect material to build the pivotal moment we needed to bring the conflict to a high level.
Was the return to the series’ roots in part to address fan requests for an experience closer to the earlier games?
Partially, yes; we were aware that a part of our community was asking for a more condensed scope, and with the Assassin fantasy in mind, many of us on the development team were among them. But we also wanted to cook up something special for the 15th anniversary of the franchise: an ode to the very first Assassin’s Creed games.
Of course, this was a perfect match for us at Ubisoft Bordeaux, in terms of scope and production capacity. An opportunity of a lifetime for a relatively new studio!
How did you settle on which elements to include? For example, Mirage brings back wanted posters for players to tear down; eavesdropping from nearby hiding spots; and explosive traps, to name a few. How did you decide what made the cut? Was it necessary to modernize or otherwise adjust them for new audiences?
We didn’t really work like that; in fact, we never had any list of features to bring back. We only worked with a strong fantasy in mind, and the many experiences that we wanted to relive. Most of the time, like the creators before us, we crossed the same paths.
For instance, when we created the Notoriety system, we wanted a way to decrease it. To achieve this, we wanted something immersive, something that brings the city to life, and something you can witness. Of course, we were fondly inspired by the past games, and naturally the wanted-posters feature came up. It ticked all the boxes we wanted to reach, and on top of that, it was a nice throwback to Assassin’s Creed II – but most importantly, we made sure it serves an actual purpose in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Same goes with the other features you mentioned: hiding spots for the vanishing loop, eavesdropping for unlocking clues in the investigation system, or the trap as tactical tool to execute your stealth strategy. The design of each of these throwback features is always brand-new and relevant to our systems; we developed and integrated them because we needed them to support the vision. And I think this is one of the strengths of Mirage: Players will never encounter extraneous features or content. Everything is here to contribute to an experience or a specific emotion.
The game’s structure is strongly reminiscent of the very first Assassin’s Creed, where players conduct investigations that gradually lead to a big, elaborate assassination, with return trips to a Bureau in between. Obviously, Basim’s investigations are much more elaborate and involved than the side tasks Altaïr performed in the first game, but how was it decided to return to that structure? How did you approach it initially, and what were you hoping to recapture with it?
The overall game structure of Assassin’s CreedMirage is classic but efficient. It follows the journey of Basim: At first you are guided as you learn to become an Assassin, and then as you progress and become autonomous, you are thrown into the big city, giving you the agency to tackle your investigations in any order you see fit. Then the structure shrinks again for the grand finale.
When I replayed the first Assassin’s Creed just before working on Mirage, I loved to see how the investigation was at the center of its plot. I immediately saw the potential of such a fantasy; of course, it was simpler and more generic at that time, but other entries in the series started to pave the way for this legacy – with the tracking of the Order of the Ancients, for instance. We only had to get a bit more radical with our approach by centering everything around a single investigation board, giving you incentives and a consistent experience all along your adventure. I’m glad this investigation focus is back and expanded in Mirage.
The Bureaus are of course something we couldn’t miss. They are part of the fantasy and the lore of the investigations of the Hidden Ones, a place where Rafiks [Bureau heads] collect clues, gather informers’ intel, and share contracts from the various ally factions. But the Rafiks are also there to help you wrap up your investigation and grant you permission to kill with the iconic heron feather. It’s central and characteristic to the organization of the Hidden Ones.
When looking back at the early games in the series, what feeling or dynamic did you most want to recapture with Mirage? What was important to bring back or preserve, and how do you ensure that you’re staying true to the original games while still creating something brand new?
We had many, in fact! Therefore, we built some pillars to support them, which were always aligned with our decisions all along the production. The “hidden in plain sight” fantasy was the first of those statements, with the grand return of social blending, the stealth-focused gameplay, and the one-hit assassination. Progression and mastery composed the second one, with the focus on Basim’s linear progression from a street thief to a Master Assassin, reminiscent of Ezio and also Altaïr, who was demoted at the beginning of the first game. This idea of climbing the ranks of the Brotherhood was important for us, empowering yourself with deadly tools and new skills.
The immersive city was the third one, with the urban setting of the round city of Baghdad. On top of a dense crowd, we created immersive systems like the notoriety system to make you understand the city like never before. Parkour is also something Baghdad brings back almost by itself, thanks to its flat roofs and its architecture, a thing we reinforced with the level-design team by adding “highways” to help you cross the city swiftly and efficiently.
The final one was all about unveiling mysteries as you collect clues to reveal your next target. You will always end up in a Black Box assassination mission, which will allow you to use various opportunities to express your creativity. We never doubted taking inspiration from the original games. We followed our guts and our heart, and it’s now to the players to judge.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and its Deluxe Edition is also included on Day 1 with the Ubisoft+ subscription service on Xbox. Get ready to strap on your Hidden Blades and see what lurks beneath Baghdad’s vibrant surface.
Assassin’s Creed® Mirage
Ubisoft
☆☆☆☆☆100
★★★★★
$49.99
Experience the story of Basim, a cunning street thief seeking answers and justice as he navigates the bustling streets of ninth-century Baghdad. Through a mysterious, ancient organization known as the Hidden Ones, he will become a deadly Master Assassin and change his fate in ways he never could have imagined. – Experience a modern take on the iconic features and gameplay that have defined a franchise for 15 years. – Parkour seamlessly through the city and stealthily take down targets with more visceral assassinations than ever before.
– Explore an incredibly dense and vibrant city whose inhabitants react to your every move, and uncover the secrets of four unique districts as you venture through the Golden Age of Baghdad. This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.
Assassin’s Creed® Mirage Deluxe Edition
Ubisoft
☆☆☆☆☆105
★★★★★
$59.99
The Deluxe Edition includes a Prince of Persia–inspired Deluxe Pack with outfit, eagle and mount skins, weapons, and more! It also includes a digital art book and selected game soundtrack accessible from assassinscreedmirage.com/digital-artbook. Experience the story of Basim, a cunning street thief seeking answers and justice as he navigates the bustling streets of ninth-century Baghdad. Become a deadly Master Assassin and change his fate in ways he never could have imagined. – Experience a modern take on the iconic features and gameplay that have defined a franchise for 15 years.
– Parkour seamlessly through the city and stealthily take down targets with more visceral assassinations than ever before.
– Explore an incredibly dense and vibrant city whose inhabitants react to your every move, and uncover the secrets of four unique districts. This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.
Play the two latest installments of the iconic Assassin’s Creed franchise with Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Experience the story of Basim, a cunning street thief with nightmarish visions, seeking answers and justice as he navigates the bustling streets of ninth-century Baghdad. Through a mysterious, ancient organization known as the Hidden Ones, he will become a deadly Master Assassin and change his fate in ways he never could have imagined. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior raised on tales of battle and glory. Explore England’s Dark Ages as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power in a quest to earn your place in Valhalla. This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.
Just a few days ago, I caught up with Hermen Hulst, formerly the managing director of Guerrilla. In his first interview since becoming Head of Worldwide Studios, Hulst provides insight into his new role overseeing PlayStation’s international network of game developers and creators.
Our talk covers a lot of ground: from upcoming film and TV projects based on Uncharted and The Last of Us, to the upcoming PC port of Horizon: Zero Dawn, to what’s next for PlayStation’s international network of game studios.
Listen to our full interview here, or read on for some key excerpts, edited for brevity and clarity.
PlayStation.Blog: For years, you’ve been the head at Guerrilla, the studio behind Horizon Zero Dawn and the Killzone series. What have you been up to lately? Hermen Hulst: First off, just let me say that it’s a great honor for me to lead such an incredibly talented team. Since I’ve been appointed as the Head of Worldwide Studios I’ve been spending some time at various studios, going around listening to teams. Obviously I knew a lot of people already [from my time at Guerrilla], but I’ve met a ton of new devs. And I’ve been trying to get a better understanding of how we can work even more closely than we already do.
I’m obviously involved in projects that I wasn’t before. I’m really pleased to see how well fans and press are responding to Dreams. It’s such an ambitious game.
PSB: There are PlayStation fans out there who have heard of Worldwide Studios, but they don’t know exactly what it is… How would you describe Worldwide Studios? HH: I think I would define Worldwide Studios as probably the most global network of game creators that exists, or has ever existed. I mean, we’ve got studios across the world from Sucker Punch in Seattle to Media Molecule in Guildford to Polyphony Digital in Tokyo. It’s truly global.
And pretty much all of these teams started as independents. Typically they have their own identity, their own name, their own studio culture. But at the same time, they’re all very much part of this global network that is Worldwide Studios. So there you have it, in a nutshell.
PSB: Since you’ve come on board, have there been any changes at Worldwide Studios? HH: I think Worldwide Studios is in a really good spot. We have been, and we are still, very much a quality-oriented group of developers. We’re storytellers, and we like to create new experiences.
And those are values that for a long time have been part of Worldwide Studios. And they’re going to continue to be part of Worldwide Studios. But we’re always looking to how we can improve things, how we work together, how we’re organized.
We’ve had a couple really great appointments of new leaders at the studios recently. You probably heard about Nicolas Doucet as the new head of Japan Studio… Alan Becker, who I’ve worked with for many, many years recently retired from Sony Interactive Entertainment. So Nick is a great appointment, he’s been creating innovative showcases for PlayStation since his early days at London Studios. He worked on EyeToy… he’s one of those guys who can tinker with hardware and bring innovation to the platform.
And Yumi Yang has been appointed as the new head of Santa Monica Studio. You know Yumi Yang, she’s been there from the beginning. She knows the people… she’s been such a vital part of establishing all these processes that have generated 20 years of great games coming out of Santa Monica.
She’s one of those people that gets creative talent. And I think the creatives love working for her because of that.
Actually, while we’re talking about Santa Monica Studio, I’d like to give a shoutout to Shannon Studstill, whom I’ve partnered with for many, many years. I’m really grateful for her, she left recently. And with her special brand of leadership fostering talent, she’s been so great at succession planning. And that’s exactly why we have Yumi there now, all set up.
PSB: From your perspective, what makes Worldwide Studios special? Can you chalk it up to the structure, people and talent… or is it the freedom that’s provided to these folks? HH: I think all of those elements are crucial to it. What’s unique about Worldwide Studios is that everyone here loves making games with a lot of heart and soul. It’s never just a job. People at the studios are so connected to the titles that they make.
And I think what’s key here is Sony Interactive Entertainment’s commitment to giving creative teams time to realize their vision. It takes time to create these heartfelt experiences, to create innovative experiences. And Sony really gets that, so I’m very grateful for that.
I should also mention the PlayStation community. I think it’s one of our greatest strengths at Worldwide Studios and PlayStation at large. Increasingly, I see deeper connections between developers and the community.
PSB: You’ve been with the company for a long time, you know what goes into a hardware launch year. A lot of challenges and opportunities that studios face, including Worldwide Studios. What are the teams focused on right now? HH: You know, these are the most exciting times when you develop on a console. We are super hard at work at the moment… and honestly, I can’t wait to talk to you in more detail about that.
Let me just say — we have some of our biggest exclusives on PlayStation 4, either having recently released like Dreams, or coming out very soon like MLB The Show on March 13 (editors’ note: early access date, with pre-order), The Last of Us Part II on May 29, we’ve got a really great new IP that I’m so psyched about, Ghost of Tsushima. So there’s a lot coming out on PS4 as well.
PSB: Is there anything you can tell us about your vision for the future of Worldwide Studios, whether it’s going into next generation or beyond? HH: We’re very committed to dedicated hardware, as we were before. We’re gonna continue to do that. And we’re very committed to quality exclusives. And to strong narrative-driven, single-player games.
At the same time, we’re going to be very open to experimentation, to new ideas. Just trying things out to see what works. I think that’s also very much part of the DNA of Worldwide Studios.
PSB: Speaking of experimentation, there have been rumors of a Horizon Zero Dawn complete edition that might be coming to PC… can you confirm or deny that? HH: Yes, I can confirm that Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to PC this summer…. There will be more information coming from Guerrilla, from the new studio directors [Michiel van der Leeuw, JB van Beek, and Angie Smets] pretty soon.
PSB: PlayStation is no stranger to publishing titles on the PC, but Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the largest games to make that leap. Is there anything you would say to PlayStation fans? What does it mean for the future? HH: Sure. I think it’s important that we stay open to new ideas of how to introduce more people to PlayStation, and show people maybe what they’ve been missing out on.
And to maybe put a few minds at ease, releasing one first-party AAA title to PC doesn’t necessarily mean that every game now will come to PC. In my mind, Horizon Zero Dawn was just a great fit in this particular instance. We don’t have plans for day and date [PC releases], and we remain 100% committed to dedicated hardware.
PSB: What do you think of Dreams? HH: I think what Media Molecule pulled off is just pure wizardry. These guys are empowering players to make and share their own games. If you reflect on that… not only did they create a new engine, and not just an edit suite, but a digital content creation suite on top of it.
I’ve been speaking with a few graphic coders from other teams about Dreams, and it’s hard for them to even get their head around it… [they’re] puzzled about how Media Molecule pulled it off.
PSB: PlayStation Productions is out to expand the reach of PlayStation IP by bringing it to mediums like film and TV. There’s not a lot of info out there — can you tell us about the strategy? HH: I would say the purpose of creating PlayStation Productions is to introduce our stories, characters, and worlds to new audiences while making content our fans will be proud of. The approach is to bring together film and TV directors, work with people who have a ton of respect and passion for our gaming IP.
We’ve got IP dating back for more than 25 years now, and we’ve been delighted to find quite a few PlayStation fans among these film and TV creators. What I’ve also come to understand is that our IP is perfectly suited to adapt to linear storytelling.
In a film and TV market, where IP and franchises are king, we’ve built up one of the most exciting IP libraries in entertainment…. I should mention that we are including the game makers in this expansion process. We want to ensure that we’re very authentic in that approach.
It’s really important that the game makers are a big part of it. We’re not just creating direct copies of our games, we’re really making an effort to adapt their stories to best fit that medium.
PSB: We know about the Uncharted film. What other projects are underway? HH: We’re very excited. The Uncharted film starts shooting this month with Columbia Pictures. It’s got a great cast — Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, and recently announced Antonio Banderas. It’s going to be a really fun movie, [it] will help reach audiences who maybe haven’t heard of Uncharted before.
A big one recently announced — we’re partnering with HBO on a The Last of Us TV show. We’re so excited to be working with the award-winning team that brought you Chernobyl, with Craig Mazin co-writing the show with our very own Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog.
There’s a lot more to come on PlayStation Productions, but that’s what I can tell you now.
There’s even more in the full interview! Hulst also shares how he broke into the gaming industry, whether he inverts his Y-axis, and what his 1994-era self would say if he could see 2017’s Horizon: Zero Dawn.
On this week’s episode of the Blogcast we’re back from our stint in a fantastical Japan with hands-on survival stories from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. We also cover a slew of awesome upcoming PS VR titles and ponder what an interactive VR sitcom might be like. Hello Game’s Sean Murray also pops in to talk about PS VR support coming to No Man’s Sky Beyond. Prepare for takeoff!
Editor’s Note: Sorry for the later-than-usual upload on this one! We ran into some technical issues that prevented us from getting last week’s episode live until today. -Justin
Stuff We Talked About
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Path of Exile
Sean Murray talks No Man’s Sky VR
VR sitcoms?
The Cast
Sid Shuman – Director of Social Media, SIEA Kristen Zitani – Social Media Specialist, SIEA Tim Turi – Senior Social Media Specialist, SIEA
Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
We recently had the pleasure of paying a visit to the Massachusetts-based headquarters of Desktop Metal, the pioneering 3D printing company that is making affordable metal 3D printing a reality. Check out our in-depth tour of the facilities and exclusive interview with co-founder Jonah Myerberg.
When one thinks of Boston, one typically thinks of prestigious universities, the legendary New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, or perhaps even the infamously historical tossing of tea into the Boston Harbor. At All3DP, however, our mind tends to drift towards the groundbreaking 3D printing startup Desktop Metal.
A mere three years ago, a small team of six people full of big ideas embarked on an adventure to revolutionize metal 3D printing. But their big ideas were not unwarranted. After raising $277 million in funding over the last few years, their dreams are becoming a reality.
Desktop Metal has grown at an impressive rate, and they undoubtedly have the support of some key investors (such as BMW, Google Ventures, Ford, and many other big names). And with how they are paving the way for affordable metal 3D printing, it’s easy to see why the company seems to magnetize funding.
The industrial-scale Production System is still under wraps, with a release date set for next year. The desktop-sized Studio System, however, is up and running, shipping to those with reservations this past December. Amidst all of the excitement seeping out of the Desktop Metal headquarters, All3DP was invited to sit down with Co-Founder Jonah Myerberg (front right) and get an inside look to their operations.
Desktop Metal co-founders (front left to right: CEO Ric Fulop, A. John Hart, Jonah Myerberg; standing left to right: Yet Ming-Chiang, Chris Schuh, Ely Sachs, Rick Chin)
The Operations
Desktop Metal is taking a unique approach to take this cost and complexity out of the picture via their two systems: the Studio System and the Production System.
One major component of the company’s early success is their attention to detail. From the aesthetics of metal material to the software engineering and monitoring, every aspect of the ecosystem is actively being perfected. This is possible because 80 percent of their team is made up of engineers, resulting in 200 engineers working towards making the Studio System and the Production System the best on every front.
For a final assurance that 3D printed part match the original CAD file, they even go so far as to 3D scan the part and compare it to the original drawing. Just one more example of how Desktop Metal is going above and beyond to master metal additive manufacturing.
“Desktop Metal was founded 3 years ago with a single goal in mind: to make metal 3D printing more accessible to engineers and manufacturers… It’s kind of been kept an arm’s length or more from engineers in the office and has been only applicable to certain industries that could afford it. But, in fact there’s a lot of various areas where it is applicable if you take the cost and complexity out the picture.” – Jonah Myerberg
The Studio System
The printing process for the Studio System consists of three stages: 3D printing, debinding, and sintering.
The Studio System uses an FDM style of 3D printing. Wait, FDM? But extruding metal this way must require a bit of magic, right? Metal is a sturdy, durable, heavy material. It’s not something you can melt down and squeeze through a tube. Or so we thought…
One of the innovations of Desktop Metal is that they figured out a way around this. By mixing metal powder with a polymer, they are able to do the impossible and extrude metal, just like is so commonly done with plastics.
Step two focuses on removing this polymer-based binder. Their “secret sauce” is their debinding solution. While they were unwilling to share their precious recipe, they did divulge that they have resident chemical engineers constantly perfecting the solution to ensure it’s the best it can be. This solution removes 50% of the polymer, leaving just enough to keep the model held together.
Step three finalizes the 3D printed product. It removes the rest of the polymer and sinters the metal particles together. Take a look at the image below. On the left, we have the part after stage one in its “green state”. The middle shows the product after sintering. The right shows the product after it’s been sent through an external polisher.
Three stage of part development. Left: green state. Middle: sintered. Right: polished.
Materials
To make this unprecedented process possible, Desktop Metal mixes powdered metal with a polymer. “Once put the binder in , it holds its form nicely and you can shape it into whatever you’d like,” Myerberg explains.
When the part is in its “green state”, it has an unforeseen advantage. Because it is still full of polymer, it is still quite malleable. This allows you to manipulate the part before it becomes a sturdy metal. This can be hugely advantageous for adding small details, such as threads, which are typically difficult to 3D print.
For the materials themselves, a glance at the the company’s website shows a current offering of 30 different materials. This is an exciting start. But according to Myerberg, Desktop Metal “has access to hundreds that like to eventually get in to.”
Another big way Desktop Metal sets themselves apart is their use of a ceramic interface for support structures. The Studio System is a double extruding system with one arm for the chosen metal, and one for ceramic. By adding 1-2 layers of ceramic at the interface of the support and the part, the print maintains the strength and support, without welding the support onto the finished product during sintering. The furnace then removes these ceramic layers, enabling you to remove the supports by hand.
Post-sintering, the part simply breaks away from its supports. Image: Desktop Metal
Software
Desktop Metal’s software is also an impressive feat. With a humble appreciation for the common man, they designed the software to be user-friendly so that anyone can make the most of it. On one hand, it has options for specifying each and every parameter for the experts. However, it also has simple options for various automated optimizations.
Once you upload the CAD file and select the material, the software analyzes the print options based on the following features: Fabrication Time, Material Required, and Surface Quality. With an eye catching green-to-red scale, you can see which orientation is the best in a matter of seconds.
Once you select between these simple choices, the software then automatically determines the scaling required to return a final product identical to the CAD file, taking into account the shrinkage that occurs in the sintering phase.
The software also intelligently accounts for the shrinkage that occurs during sintering. This shrinkage is inevitable considering the space taken up by polymer has to be filled with something. The software appropriately analyses your CAD file to determine when and how much the design should be enlarged to ensure the final product matches the original file.
The best part? This advanced processing is all done behind the scenes and you needn’t give it a second thought.
Case Studies
Desktop Metal has never ceased to shoot for the stars. With their initial dream of developing an affordable metal 3D printer becoming a reality, they now can consider the different applications and use cases, along with their partnering companies.
The biggest of these, in more ways than one, is the automotive industry. With electric cars capturing an increasing portion of the automotive industry, the weight of the vehicle will become of greater importance. The current method to create many automotive parts is injection molding, which creates a solid metal gear, for instance. But what if you could produce a part that has a lesser fill where there is no load? By redesigning the vehicle parts based on load placement, you can reduce a significant portion of metal and the total weight of the mechanism.
Intrigued? Well, Ford and BMW certainly are. These leading automotive companies were early investors in Desktop Metal. With their eyes set on the Production System, these companies are each partnering with Desktop Metal to revolutionize the automotive industry.
And the metal 3D printing revolution doesn’t stop there. Mobile phone companies, tooling companies, the oil industry and construction equipment manufacturers, e.g. Caterpillar, also see the potential that Desktop Metal is offering. The latter pair are specifically interested in developing a zero-inventory workflow, which would allow them to instead have 3D printers located around the world to print parts on-demand.
Print Farm
Another thing that stood out when looking at Desktop Metal’s quality assurance technique is the print farm they have on-site. This is not only to print parts for customers, but they do test prints on each and every printer before it gets shipped out. They ensure it is running optimally before shipping it out to the customer.
Why It Is Affordable
Of course, one of the primary ways Desktop Metal sets their metal 3D printers apart from the pack is the incredibly affordable price. So we had to ask how they can set theirs 3D printers at a tenth of the price of the metal additive manufacturing systems currently on the market.
The answer comes in three parts:
The toxicity of the material contained in a malleable polymer.
The allowance of oxygen until the final step.
The cost of the equipment itself.
Powdered metal is a rather hazardous substance to deal with. It can be quite toxic if ingested (and with the fineness of the powder this can be hard to avoid). Desktop Metal’s printers combats this by adhering the powder to a polymer, leaving no powder to fly about and invade your lungs.
Additionally, the system allows oxygen in the process up until sintering. This allows for cheaper materials, as oxygen free metal powder is awfully expensive to produce, as well as cheaper equipment, as the printing environment mustn’t be anaerobic. This further allows the equipment to be scaled down and modeled more after an FDM 3D printer.
Our Thoughts
To say the least, we were definitely impressed with what we saw during our visit to Desktop Metal. They have a blazing passion that drives them, and if you combine that with a groundbreaking price and a focus on accessibility, you have the perfect recipe for success.
Desktop Metal has the ongoing goal to revolutionize the metal 3D printing industry, and we at All3DP believe they are doing just that.
We look forward to seeing if the Production System lives up to its hype next year!
All3DP travelled to Hannover Messe 2018 to witness the unveiling of the new Ultimaker S5 3D printer. To learn more about this professional-grade 3D printer and the company’s refined focus, we sat down with to Siert Wijnia, the co-founder of Ultimaker; and Paul Heiden, Senior VP of Product Management.
Back in 2011, a Dutch 3D printing company called Ultimaker was born out of frustration over the inability to get a RepRap Darwin 3D printer up and running. That year, the Ultimaker Original was released to the world. As one of the first-ever desktop 3D printers to hit the market, this small, wooden framed 3D printer was only capable of printing at 20 micron resolution on a 21 x 21 x 20.5 cm build volume.
Nonetheless, it’s mere existence helped jumpstart the desktop 3D printing revolution that we currently see today.
Although much has changed over the last seven years, Ultimaker continues to lead the industry with its open-source 3D printing ecosystem. Long gone are the days of 3D printers with rinky-dink wooden frames. Instead, Ultimaker is now focused on manufacturing 3D printers that are accessible, reliable, and designed for the professional environment.
Released in 2016, the Ultimaker 3 quickly became one of the most coveted professional-grade desktop 3D printers on the market. This groundbreaking machine offered dual-extrusion capabilities, swappable print cores, and an all-around intuitiveness that were unprecedented at the time.
The open source 3D printing pioneers are now back it again, recently releasing the bigger and better Ultimaker S5 3D printer. It has a generous build volume of 330 x 240 x 300 mm, dual extrusion capabilities, as well as an improved feeder system with a filament flow sensor that automatically pauses prints when filament runs out. Priced at just under $6000, Ultimaker is clearly targeting its new 3D printer at the professional market, hoping to capture the attention of designers, engineers, and businesses both big and small.
All3DP was in attendance at the industrial manufacturing trade show Hannover Messe 2018, which is the setting that Ultimaker chose to unveil the sleek Ultimaker S5 3D printer.
Although the gathering was centered around the Ultimaker S5, the company had a laundry list of other product releases and collaborations. The Ultimaker team also announced Ultimaker Tough PLA, a material that strives to replicate the mechanical properties of ABS, without the toxic fumes. There’s also the new Ultimaker App, a mobile app that allows users to remotely monitor and stay update on their printing progress. Additionally, Ultimaker also revealed a massive collaboration with some of the top chemical producers in the world, which will lead to the development of print profiles for the Cura slicer.
After a brief press conference filled with excitement, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Siert Wijnia, the co-founder of Ultimaker; and Paul Heiden, Senior VP of Product Management; to talk more about Ultimaker S5, the company’s narrowing focus on the professional market, and how the 3D printing industry is changing before our very eyes.
How did the transition from the Ultimaker 3 to the Ultimaker S5 take place?
Paul Heiden: In 2016, we introduced the Ultimaker 3. And it sort of surprised us. In the beginning, we didn’t really see how fast it was being adopted in the professional market. So, once we got that, in several months, our distributors were saying there is something going on. We started to do market research. And, as part of the market research, we found, in early 2017, several annoyances, really irritating things. Things that have to do with material handling. It has to do with better adhesion, and several of these things. Now, we can’t solve everything at once, but we were planning to have a bigger machine anyway.
We wanted to ensure that all of the elements that would contribute to the liability, to zero hassle, could actually be adopted. One of the biggest issues was implementing a touch screen, instead of the wheel. It’s just faster. We also invested quite a lot in better adhesion. You can’t really see it, but the whole bed leveling system has been vigorously improved. We also decided to add, somewhat later in the market, an aluminum build plate for better adhesion with engineering materials. So, step by step, we tried to improve many aspects. And we felt this is the point where we have a machine that’s fundamentally better.
Does the Ultimaker S5 symbolize a larger focus on the professional market?
Heiden: This printer is built for the current professional user, which are predominantly found in small and medium enterprises. But it’s also meant for the larger devices. And what we did, over the last year, we organized the Business Development Department, and we simply sat down with these larger companies. We quickly found out that they like to standardize on one 3D printer, being ours. They like to have at least some services around it like, at least for some continuity, warranty that things are already apparent. And I think the wonderful thing is that we think we’re the only one with a complete ecosystem, and we’re the worldwide with an operating set of distributors, we’re able to deliver anywhere.
One of the things we’ve heard from one of the customers running a Design Department was, “look, I’m not paying my people to tweak. I’m not paying my people to have fill printers. I just want to get this done.” Printing, in itself, is not important. The object is important. And that really made us speed up everything around zero hassle. So, the more professional the user, the less willingness they have to accept additional handling errors and so on. It’s not allowed.
“Printing, in itself, is not important. The object is important,” says Paul Heiden.
Why did you decide to expand the build volume of the X-axis instead of the Z-axis?
Heiden: That is easy. Everybody can put plastic on top of plastic. We started this in 2016 and we said everybody can go up, so we need to go like this. We need to go into the X axis width and start to improve that. And it took an awful lot of time and understanding of technology, even to go the 33 centimeters that we’re currently dealing with.
Is the Ultimaker S5 the first of a new 3D printer product range?
Heiden: Yeah. I think it’s fair to say that we’re number one when it comes to the office environment. And what we’re trying to do with the S, which stands for Studio, is completely focus on that environment. So, what people are asking for is clean hands, zero failure, the ability work from your desk. Things like Cura Connect allow you to just push print jobs into a cue. So, that’s the sort of thing we’re aiming for. At the same time, we’re looking into environments that are far rougher. We like to talk about the concrete floor where you have machines that should be able to perform in a workshop and next to CNC and so on.
And that’s the other environment. We’re not there yet, but that’s the other environment we’d like to go to. But this is a focus on zero hassle, full deniability, clean hands, no poisonous stuff like what SLA or SLS will bring you. We’re pretty sure that this is the right guidance.
What do you mean when you talk about Ultimaker being a future-ready ecosystem?
Heiden: I’d like to focus probably on two things – no, three. One, you will see print force that support other materials. But with the collaboration with chemical companies results in different materials that we need to adopt, I’ll tell a little bit more about that later. But we will see new in force. That was the whole point of having the print core for specific purposes, specific prints. The second is that we will soon come up with drastic improvements in material handling. I wish I could say a little bit more, but I find it a fascinating idea, and we’re working on it to get it released soon.
And thirdly, from the end of 2016, once we understood what was going on with our machine, we started to invest in other products. So, we introduced SDK, software development kits, to simplify the creation of software between Cura and 3D software like CAT or CT scan or that sort of software. And another one, which I like to call the material development kit, is a piece of software that helps these chemical companies to create printing profiles for their materials.
And I was discussing it, once we understood that there are about 70,000 different plastics in the world, A) a clogged material system doesn’t work, and B) somehow, we cannot make all of these print profiles. So, the whole idea of creating software that will actually help material suppliers create printing profiles has really been a breakthrough. And it’s an elephant. We’re talking about a difference between six months of print profile creation versus one or two weeks. So, that really matters.
How did the recently announced collaboration with large chemical companies come about?
Heiden: I’ll tell you a little story. When I started at Ultimaker, we had about 80 people, and we were building a nice machine. That was it. Somewhere, in the end of 2016, suddenly, chemical companies came knocking on our door. At the beginning, I was honored that these people would come to us from the large companies. And then, at a moment in time, I thought this is not normal. What’s going on?
And then, it appeared that all of these companies have basically been forced by their customers to bring filament to the market made from the same material that they would use in pellet form for mass production. So, what these companies are saying is that you can only deliver for mass production, your materials for mass production, if you ensure that it’s also available for our development tooling being 3D printers. And that’s how it all started. To be honest, these chemical companies weren’t happy, but making filament is something they need to do now.
They need to do that in order to ensure their involvement in the complete development towards mass production. That’s why they want to. And then, we came up, and that was coincidental. We were already thinking about this material development kit. And, suddenly, it changes for them. Suddenly they thought ‘so, if we make filament, we create our own printing profile, and it takes us a few weeks instead of a month.’ Now, it becomes viable. And that’s how everything starts. Since 2017, we’ve worked very hard to get everything done well.
And you probably could see the relief in my face that it is now done. Of course, new material suppliers will continue to access this ecosystem. But this is where we want to start.
How will the new Ultimaker App enhance the company’s 3D printing ecosystem?
Heiden: When we introduced Cura Connect, that was the first step for us in machine management. So, it would automatically create a network and allow you to start the cue. The cue is marked meaning that the print job determines what printer needs to go with the right print core and the right materials and so on. And then, what we realized that we essentially had a mobile website as an app. So we decided no, that’s not what we’re going to do. The new app must completely support Cura Connect. That way, you can see in the cue what’s going on from anywhere.
And, finally, we’re now able – we’re always working in a high security environment. BMW does not allow you to do all sorts of things on the web. So, what we’re trying to do is add some value that will not destroy security. And so, one of the things that we added in the app is notifications. So, when you’re in the training, and the filament flow decides to stop, you will know right away. It’s not nice that you get it, but at least you know. You know that you need to go back in order to have your object ready by the next morning.
What is the current mission of Ultimaker?
Siert Wijnia: Our goal is really to make it look simple because that makes it for people not to be scared to use it. So, if you had to program your phone before you could actually start it up, if you were running that phone as a system as it is without the official interface, you would be scared of the phone and not use it. The happy few that were not scared would probably like it that way, but it’s not me. So, take away that level of making it accessible. It sounds very simple but making it as easy as possible is what makes it a success or not.
Our goal is really to make it look simple because that makes it for people not to be scared to use it, says Wijnia.
Have you enhanced the dual-extrusion process from the Ultimaker 3 for the S5?
Wijnia: That was implemented directly, but it’s a continuous effort for all of the printers to make them even more reliable. So, there is a continuous effort on the algorithms that are in the slicing software that make it a better result, that make it more reliable. And, on the outside, maybe you don’t see it. But it could influence the layer quality or adhesion, or tons of other things. But the dual extrusion runs on the same hardware, the same technology. So, any improvement that we make for Ultimaker 3 is also implemented for the S5.
I will tell you the biggest one, and it’s not the machine itself, but how we handle that as an organization. We know what we do, and we know how we can do it, and know how to get there. And that is, if you compare that to seven years ago when we just opened the box again because someone said this part is no good, that is different. That is something I can tell from the last seven years, huge improvement. But it is not visible on the outside.
Being the open source pioneer that Ultimaker is, how has the role of the open source community changed since the company first started?
Heiden: In reality, the contribution to hardware is virtually gone. The reality is it’s too difficult now. The same goes for firmware. But on the Cura side, it’s still very strong. And people contribute, think, help, and slowly, we will see more contributions in the field of materials. I’m pretty sure about that. But at this point, I feel that you must be a very good engineer and very well aligned with the whole team of builders of a machine to really contribute something to hardware.
With an increasing focus on the professional market, do you ever see Ultimaker expanding beyond desktop FDM 3D printing?
Heiden: FDM is what we understand and what we’re best at. That means that what we now see is customers asking for standardization. What they’re looking for is that not just support in the early development but also with producing functional prototypes. That’s something we’re certainly aiming for. The other thing we aim for, once you are able to deal with functional prototyping, is that you’re able to handle spare part production in a distributor fashion, where you simply make it wherever it is needed.
If we’re able, within say five years, to deliver those parts in the product life cycle and, on the other hand, deal reliably with this material variety, I’d say we did an awfully good job.
As someone who has sort of been in the scene since the early days, how have you seen it evolve for better and for worse? How do you think the 3D printing industry has changed?
Wijnia: I have seen the hype as actually being true. And I think it was my biggest insight with all phases of the hype going down, then picking back up. And we are now really on the way up. In the last seven years, it’s like we grew the company. When I first started, I had plenty of time to fiddle around and play around. Now, I have three kids. I don’t have 15 minutes per week for myself. So, I’ve realized that the whole promise of making everything at home is not true.
And it will not be true until 3D printing will be good enough to actually produce products instead of parts. And the whole industry is not there yet. So, I’ve been driving up and down to the office and wondering why the printer at home is not running. And that was just because the printer was the problem, but also making designs for a part that I needed in the house was a problem too.
And I see with the Volkswagen business case, the price point of the materials, price point of the machine and the speed in which a part is printed right now, it brings added value. But a business case does not exist, if the price of the machine is 10 times as high like the industry levels are there with a price point of materials 5 times as high. Then, the business case is not there anymore. But having that business case out there, it actually works. And that is going to be the fly wheel for making it more professional. We can’t walk this path without a business case. That’s what I also learned. So, I’m very glad this actually is happening, it’s flying off, it’s taking off.
I really think that there is a lot of added value in 3D printing. But we also have to do a lot of further research and development in all of these technologies to make that real.
Kurz vor dem Release von Assassin’s Creed Origins stellt dieses umfangreiche Video die gigantische Spielwelt und die wichtigsten Gameplay-Neuerungen des Spiels vor.
Zudem gibt es Einblicke in den Entstehungsprozess und die Entwicklung.
Assassin’s Creed Origins liefert eine brandneue Vision für die Assassin’s Creed Marke.
Sie beinhaltet Action-RPG-Elemente, wodurch Spieler aufsteigen, plündern und Fähigkeiten auswählen können, um ihren Assassinen individuell zu gestalten. Das Spiel bietet ein komplett erneuertes Kampfsystem, das es Spielern ermöglicht, mehrere Gegner gleichzeitig anzugreifen oder sich gegen sie zu verteidigen. Zudem können sie seltene Waffen ausrüsten, um es mit einzigartigen und mächtigen Bossen aufzunehmen. Eine umgestaltete Erzählstruktur ermöglicht es den Spielern, ihre Aufgaben völlig frei z u wählen und in ihrem eigenen Tempo zu meistern. Jede dieser Aufgaben erzählt eine packende und emotionale Geschichte voller abwechslungsreicher Charaktere und bedeutungsvoller Ziele. Während die Spieler ein riesiges, unvorhersehbares Land von Wüsten bis zu üppigen Oasen und vom Mittelmeer bis zu den Gräbern von Gizeh erkunden, müssen sie gegen gefährliche Fraktionen und wilde Bestien kämpfen.
Assassin’s Creed Originserscheint weltweit am 27. Oktober 2017 für die Xbox-One-Produktfamilie von Microsoft inklusive Xbox One X, sobald diese am 7. November 2017 veröffentlicht wird, für das PlayStation®4 Pro, für PlayStation®4 und Windows PC.
heute erscheint die zweite Episode der von Naughty Dog und Sony Computer Entertainment veröffentlichten Making Of-Serie zu Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Nachdem der vergangene Woche erschienene erste Teil einen detaillierten Überblick über die vergangenen drei Abenteuer von Nathan Drake gegeben hat (Teil 1 „Die Evolution der Serie“), zeigt das brandneue Behind-the-Scenes-Video „Growing Up With Drake” wie der draufgängerische Titelheld, aber auch Naughty Dog selbst, an immer größeren Herausforderungen gewachsen sind und erwachsen wurden.
Die Episoden der fünfteiligen Serie werden im Zeitraum März bis April veröffentlicht und zeigen exklusive Inhalte zu Themen wie Präsentation und Synchronisation, Motion Capturing, Entwickler-Interviews und mehr.
Überblick über die kommenden Episoden und deren voraussichtliche Erscheinungstermine:
22.03.2016, The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Pushing Technical Boundaries Part 1
23.03.2016, The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Pushing Technical Boundaries Part 2
30.03.2016, The Making of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: In the End
Die Konzert-Sensation aus den USA erstmals in Österreich:
Video Games LIVE™ ist ein spektakuläres Event mit der Musik aus den populärsten Videospielen aller Zeiten. Das Projekt wurde von Spielindustrie-Superstar Tommy Tallarico produziert, der das Publikum auch höchstpersönlich durch den Abend begleiten wird.
Mit großem Orchester und Chor, einer brillanten Lichtshow, interaktiven Spielen und Soloauftritten wird der Abend zu einem einmaligen Multimedia-Erlebnis.
Special Guests: 3-fach Emmy-Gewinner und Blizzard Entertainment-Lead Composer Russell Brower (“Tiny Toon Adventures”, “World of Warcraft”, “Diablo III”) und
Solistin Jillian Aversa (“Halo”, “God of War”, “Civilization”, “Soulcalibur V”)
Plus Gamer Zone: Videospiel-Fans haben vor der Show die Möglichkeit, sich bei zahlreichen Xbox One und Wii U Spielkonsolen auf den Abend einzustimmen. Die Retro-Ecke punktet mit DEM Game-Klassiker “Pong”
Plus Cosplay Contest: Die besten Kostüme werden von Tommy Tallarico persönlich prämiert und haben die Chance auf einen New Nintendo 3DS XL inkl. des neuen “Majora’s Mask 3D” oder ein exklusives Video Games LIVE™ VIP Package.
Stellen Sie sich ein Rockkonzert gepaart mit der Kraft und den Emotionen eines Symphonieorchesters vor. Die Veranstaltung ist für alle Generationen geeignet und schafft einen Brückenschlag zwischen der Klassikwelt und den Welten der Popularmusik.
Die Shows in New York und London sind ausverkauft, in Mexiko und China sind über 25.000 Zuschauer bei den Shows live dabei, in Taiwan sogarmehr als 50.000 Besucher in nur einer Show!
Mit der Musik u.a. von Final Fantasy, Sonic, Skyrim, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, World of Warcraft, Castlevania, Street Fighter II, Super Mario, Monkey Island, Earthworm Jim, u.v.m. ist Video Games LIVE™ die “am längsten laufende Video Game Serie weltweit” und steht damit auch imGuinness Buch der Weltrekorde.
Übrigens: Auch alle Nicht-Gamer sind herzlich willkommen!
Unser Interview mit Tommy Tallarico
[sublimevideo settings=“youtube-id:Ry-VXSr-DiA“ width=“651″ height=“366″]
Video Games LIVE – am 22. März 2015
Planet.tt Bank Austria Halle Gasometer
Show Beginn 19:30
Gamer Zone Beginn 16:30
Graeme Boyd talks with Xbox Director of Product Planning, Albert Penello, about how advanced cloud computing, all new Kinect technology, and innovations in SmartGlass make Xbox One built for the future.
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