Oct
25
Husky Games on Facebook
What are you waiting for?! Husky Games invites you to be a part of our social community! Get the latest news about Husky Game Development Enterprise, alumni who have launched careers in the gaming industry, and member information you can’t find anywhere else!
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2011/10/25/husky-games-on-facebook/
Mar
03
Arcane Brawlers has been in development for the past two years. After the grueling process of peer review on the XNA creator’s club site, AB has finally been released to the public! You can find AB in the indie game section of the Xbox marketplace!
For those of you anxiously waiting for its release, we thank you for your support and are glad to share the excitement! For those of you who haven’t heard, Arcane Brawlers is a top-down, arena-style arcade game for the Xbox. The game was created with up to four players in mind, but also includes a single player practice for players to hone their skills. The basic idea of AB is that each player is a wizard, able to combine elements together in order to cast spells. Using these spells, the players are pitched into a small arena where their only goal is to defeat the other players using whatever fire, ice, lightning, or poison spells they desire. Each of the 21 spells in the game have a unique effect and purpose, and the players must learn each in order to become the master of Arcane Brawl!
Arcane Brawlers is for sale right now for 240 points, or $3. If you haven’t already, go out and download the trial to see what all the fuss is about! Good luck, and happy brawling!
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2011/03/03/arcane-brawlers-released/
Jan
09
Husky Games is excited for the new year! We have many promising projects this semester as well as some innovative new changes. First up we are pumped for our extremely talented SECRET team members who are going to make this year’s BonzAI the best its ever been! Next, we have a couple new Xbox games from our XNA teams. Then we have a intriguing business deal brewing with BayGull Studios. The company has professional artists at their disposal and would like to hire HGD to do programming for web-based flash games.
Be sure to check back for details as well as updates on each project! And don’t forget to check out our games page, which will be full of new games from this Saturday’s in-house game jam. We also have Double Helix up on the web, which was our Unity3d project from last semester.
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2011/01/09/spring-2011/
Nov
17
We’re proud to report that the first president of HGD has been successful in the gaming industry and now is the CEO of his own company, the idea of which spawned directly from his experiences with HGD!
The company is now hiring, so take a look at his website:
baygullstudios.com
or find them on Facebook:
Baygull Studios
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/11/17/baygull-studios/
Nov
14
The teams have been working hard this semester, and are very busy putting the finishing touches on their projects! Check out the projects page for new details.
HGD is also looking ahead, planning for next semester. We already have knowledge of an increase in members, mostly freshman and sophomores looking to get into the game. We also know that we have seven potential team leaders, which means seven potential projects!
One of the proposed projects that we are excited for is a joint operation with the Integrated Micro-systems Enterprise. The Vice President of IME, Matt Liss, and VP of Operations of HGD, Ryan Wilson, have brought the two enterprises into communication for this project. IME has built a ride-like platform which they used to simulate riding in a tank. They have proposed to HGD that the two enterprises work together to make a video game for this epic platform!
The game idea currently is “Crazy Bus”, a slower game than Crazy Taxi, but with more emphasis on the forces that will effect the moving, shaking platform IME has built. Both enterprises are excited for this project and are anxiously awaiting next semester!
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/11/14/looking-to-the-future/
Sep
14
Weeks into this Fall Semester at Michigan Technological University, one Enterprise continues to welcome new members into the organization. Husky Game Development presented an exhibit for K-Day at McLain State Park this past Friday, increasing its roster of casual to serious gamers in this first public performance of the 2010-2011 school year!
HGD at K-Day
Imagine a humongous flat-panel screen with a thumping and whirring sound system connected to an Xbox game console. Now imagine that you and your friends face off in a serious competition in the middle of the Wilderness on Lake Superior with controllers in hand. Visitors of Husky Game’s flashy demonstration of Arcane Brawlers didn’t have to imagine. They had to focus on winning. The single goal was to beat the game’s creator at his own masterpiece for the chance to win a free sandwich on him. In the end, Ryan Wilson, lead contributor of the game that is about to debut on the Xbox Live Marketplace, stood as undefeated champion.
By the time evening settled in, thousands of students and their friends got a chance to see what Husky Games is all about. Hundreds tested our popular game, and many of them, impressed with the quality and professionalism of our enterprise, signed up on the spot. With plans for equipment expansion and our particular interest in Humanities majors, HGD was eager to see the numbers on the roster increase yet again. We’re ramping up our creativity this year in pursuit of more sponsors and bigger and better games. Our enthusiastic members and team leaders lead by a solid management team are preparing to see Husky Game Development move into exciting new territory! HGD isn’t just about our love of playing and making good games. We do it because we just know how to have a lot of fun!
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/09/14/husky-games-wants-you/
Sep
06
The very first in-house HGD game jam was a hit! Eighteen HGD members were split up into random teams and were told to create a video game in twelve hours. The theme that each team had to use was “Gravity”. Right after the word “GO!”, the teams went straight to work. In less than an hour they had planned out their game and started to program. The room was full of energy as ideas were being thrown about and tasks divided up.
A couple hours into the competition we paused to say hello to a special visitor, Ryan Ploetz, the very first president of HGD! Ryan has been very successful in the gaming world and came to talk to HGD about the industry, jobs and careers in gaming, and what HGD can do to better prepare its members for the real world. After a general chat with everyone at the jam, management got to talk to Ryan one-on-one, where we discussed the future of HGD, its projects, and its members.
Plenty of pizza, pop, and hours later, HGD members were finishing up their games. The facial expressions said it all. Some people were pulling their hair out, minutes from the finish line… and others were sighing with relief, as they happily play-tested their game, ready to submit. Once the twelve hour mark hit, everyone was done and the projects were submitted for judging!
The results are as follows:
Best Overall: GravFighter
Best Use of Theme: Gravity Wells
Most Innovative: ThatTrippyWormHoleGame
Best Graphics: GravFighter
Best Music & Sounds: Tech Cannon
Thank you to all that participated! I hope everyone had fun, because you all did a really great job!
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/09/06/in-house-game-jam-results/
Jul
02
High School Demo in Fisher Hall - Summer 2010
Husky Games presented one of the most popular Enterprise showcases to high school students in Fisher lobby on Thursday. Students from across Michigan attended the annual two-part event to glimpse some of the enterprise projects available at Michigan Tech. One table stood out as a gathering place for prospects with game design on their minds.
Arcane Brawlers, Husky Game’s XNA project, was among the main attractions with students huddled around a live demo. Up to four people battle it out in an intense brawl that was recently updated with new sound effects and a music soundtrack. Others waited in line to get their chance to experience the game first-hand. The highly anticipated arcade game is currently in peer review in the Xbox live marketplace.
Among the other live demonstrations was a simulator designed for the military. With airstrikes and troops that follow a realistic formation, students interacted with the computer game to visualize how tanks and ground troops simply can not occupy the same space without consequences! The ROTC animated visuals drew the attention of quite a number of high schoolers this year.
A slide show of Husky Game’s projects included SecondLife and BonzAI Brawl. Coupled with a sign-up sheet for more information about our enterprise and game release dates, dozens of students were enthusiastic about getting involved. HGD has a lot to offer students, and we’re just getting started in terms of what this enterprise can accomplish. We anticipate an increase in participation and balance of new projects this fall.
Husky Game Development is a growing enterprise. We are looking forward to welcoming Arts and Humanities majors who have a desire to contribute their talents to game graphics and sound. Husky Games is in a unique position to offer genuine business experience at a University level of maturity. Already we’re seeing an overwhelming interest for this upcoming year from people with diverse skills. As always, we continue to seek students in Computer Science and Business. We’re pulling all stops on our presentations and advertising to show that real “wow” factor of making games. This year is really going to rock!
Students interested in joining Husky Game Development can reach us by sending an email to our advisor, Dr. Kuhl, or calling the HGD office at (906) 662-4164.
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/07/02/high-school-showcase-a-success/
May
31
The summer has started and we’ve been discussing a future HGD contract. We are also working on designing both the games for XNA and “Secret” for next semester.
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/05/31/summer-semester-started/
Apr
12
Arcane Brawlers is nearing completion. New artwork has replaced a lot of the placeholders that we initially had in place. We implemented a loading screen for a seamless transition into game play. Also a new game mode has been added: Team Deathmatch! Players can now choose sides and fight on teams cooperatively. A tutorial system has been implemented to teach new players how to play the game. With only a few weeks remaining in the semester the remaining work is mostly polishing as well as adding in the sound effects that have been created and create an AI which will make it so single players can now enjoy our game.
Permanent link to this article: http://huskygames.com/2010/04/12/xna-update/