Fireteam Bravo 3 Announced!

Fireteam Bravo 3 Announced!

April 16th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 16:26

It’s a big day at the office as we’ve finally let the cat out of the bag! And also, Sony officially announced SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALS: Fireteam Bravo 3, a PSP game that we’ve been working on for awhile now. It’s nice not to have to be so secretive about it anymore. See, we have been working! We don’t just eat pastries and play hockey and take pictures. Be sure to read the press release, or visit the SOCOM blog for all the juicy details.

Lead Designer

April 9th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 15:06

Create “Awesome”.

Slant Six Games is seeking a Lead Designer to be the creative drive behind the making of one of the most exciting AAA franchise console action titles in the industry. Here is your chance to infuse your creativity into a game – if you can do never done before, if you can engineer adrenaline, if you can architect fun – get in touch.

Responsibilities:

- Conceive and champion design ideas

- Review and oversee game design, game systems and consistency to meet client and studio expectations

- Driving force and unwavering advocate for the game’s vision

- Promote and inspire superior quality design

- Provide creative feedback and speak with authority on issues of design and gameplay

- Create, define and maintain game design documentation

- Represent studio professionally in client facing meetings, press events and interviews

Qualifications:

- Design credit on 3 or more console game titles

- Deep understanding of games industry and modern game design tenets

- Fluent and precise written and verbal communication skills

To apply, send a creative brief and resume to jobs@slantsixgames.com. In your creative brief, tell us your innovative approach to game design.

Smart People Work Here

April 7th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:57

So we have a lot of smart people who work here. It’s sort of a prerequisite on top of being superbly witty and incredibly funny, combined with really really good looking and, of course, humble. All jokes aside, our hard working engineers have been kind enough to offer access to some of their recent technical exploits. If you’re a fellow smart cookie (or, like me, just find yourself enamored with sequences of foreign looking mathematical functions that you can show to your friends and pretend you are smarter than they are) you’ll enjoy checking out our new Tech Papers section on the Dev Notes page. Guaranteed to make you 10% smarter, or atleast feel that way!

Slant Six On Ice

April 7th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:10

ph2916677460089532973 We wouldn’t be able to call ourselves Canadian developers if we didn’t have the hockey team to prove it! The season is wrapping up with the Slant Six Games’ men’s team putting up a solid showing, crushing the competition in the latest match with a 6-1 victory. Thanks for making those red and white-winged jerseys look good, team!

And if anyone is interested in purchasing one of our authentic hockey sweaters, send us an email. We can’t promise you’ll get a clean one though. Like I said… Authentic.

Another Update for Confrontation

April 6th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 10:49

Our friends over at Sony’s official SOCOM blog have posted a nice long list of the tweaks that you’re going to find in the shiny new 1.5 update for SOCOM Confrontation. Instead of making me type it all out again, how about you just click this handy link? Release dates will also come via the official blog but you are still welcome to pester us on Twitter. We love attention.

New Confrontation Patch Released

April 3rd, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:30

In our continued effort to support our ever growing community of Confrontation players, we’ve got another update ready to download. The 1.42 patch landed yesterday and addresses issues around player spawning, removal of voted out players, and extreme ragdoll values. Also, we’ve included some general bandwith optimization goodness!

Thanks again to all of you who continue to write and give feedback. You’re patience and support (and even the ranting and stomping of feet) is important to our efforts here. The team is hard at work on a 1.5 update that will continue to improve the online play experience, as mentioned at the official SOCOM blog. Now stop reading and go get that 1.42 update!

TGIPF! What?

March 20th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 16:56

imgp2407Thank God Its Pastry Friday! If you’re following our blog, you might notice an inordinate number of posts about food and drink. Well, Pastry Friday is just another food-related tradition that has to be shared. Can you picture all the sugar happy pre-caffeinated game developers swarming over warm muffins and freshly sliced bagels, even daring to duel with fruit? No? Well be sure to check out our gallery of this morning’s spread!

Slant Six website 2.0

March 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:27

slantcompanyphoto1Welcome to the new home of Slant Six on the web. After listening to our fans and team members, we decided it was time to give a voice to our studio and let people know just what we’re working on, who we are, and why our studio is such a great place to be.  Plus we wanted an excuse to draw cool hotrod inspired artwork.

Be sure to visit often as content will update regularly and frequently (atleast relative to the old website!). If you’re interested in specific content, be sure to drop me a note on Twitter @SlantSixGames or even personally at @ZoeFlower. You can also email media@slantsixgames.com or join our Facebook page. Yay Web 2.0!

-Zoe

Slant Speaks at GDC 2009

March 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:12

paul_02Who is this guy and what does he have to say? Well, it’s Technical Director, Paul Martin, who once again has been invited to speak at an industry event. This time, Paul will leap technical hurdles and logistical buildings with his “Audio Adventures on the PS3″ which tackles SOCOM Confrontation from an audio perspective (in case you couldn’t glean that from the title).

You can see a detailed breakdown of just what will be discussed here. If you’re attending GDC, be sure to stop in and say hello on Friday morning at 10:30am. If you say you read about his talk on this blog, he might be nice enough to offer you a lollipop.

Inside the Artist’s Mind

March 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:09

David Denofreo, 3D Artist, is well known around our office for his fascination with photography. Here’s an overview of David’s latest vision and how he achieved such compelling results… don’t worry, no developers were actually harmed (physically) in the making.

david_face_crop_02I’ve had the idea of doing wide angle, unflattering portraits for a while now. It’s an interesting way to see a version of yourself. These are characters that we all have inside and some of us only see them in the bathroom mirror when you’re alone and the door is locked. To get in close and see every pore and hair, every little imperfection is a wonderful thing. People are not perfect and I’m grateful to those who are willing to share that with me.

I hope with these portraits, the subject is able to embraced their own imperfections and find humor in them. I would prefer to capture the awkward moments. The photo that is taken when someone has their eyes half open and in mid spoken word. The worst timing for a photo is what want.

With some faces, I would rather go for the extreme emotion.

The great thing is, everyone has a unique face. With every new shoot I learn what works with their face and who they are. I don’t always get it the first round, and I’m really happy that people are willing to come back for a second shoot so I can get it right.

How these portraits are done technically, is very easy.

Lens – Sigma 10-20mm

Software – Adobe Photoshop using the LucisArt 3 ED plugin for the simulated HDR look. Cross Processing and Bleach Pass done with Tiffen DFX plugin.

The hard part, and also one of the most enjoyable parts is working with the model. Trying to find that character they have inside is a lot of fun. Sometimes the character is right there and all it takes is for them to stick out their tongue! With other people I have to dig a bit deeper. I’ve only asked a couple of the people to participate in the beginning to get the ball rolling. The rest of the people in the collection have all asked me if they could participate after seeing the photos.

Spotlight: Game Designer, Tyler McCulloch

March 17th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:14

This week we’ve cornered Tyler McCulloch, and forced him to give up his dark secrets of game design. I don’t think we succeeded but you can atleast find out why he’s here and what he pretends does.

Quote:
“motion blur is the new lens flare.”

Years in Industry:
Just over 5 years

What do you consider prerequisites for your job?:
Being able to build ideas like lego, but allowing them to be molded like clay.

How long you’ve been at Slant Six Games?
2.5 years

Best part of the job:
Waking up each morning and knowing I get to hang out with a bunch of awesome people all day.

Morning web surf:
Shacknews and Kotaku usually for game stuff, Gamasutra and various game dev blogs for development stuff, and finally the ‘oddly enough’ section of Reuters for my news updates.

Favorite Work Perks:
Slant Six is a great company to work for, and they’ll go out of their way to try and make you happy. They are constantly try to improve the quality of life here by listening to their employees, encouraging company backed outings, to having a BBQ just because!

What do you like about Vancouver?
You couldn’t ask for a better location, than where Slant is located. Beautiful views of downtown from across the water, Granville Island a couple steps away. Umm, plus the Emily Carr University of Art + Design is really close by. And umm, those Arty girls are pretty. Yeah.

What kind of person do you need to be to work here?
The great thing about Slant is that everyone gets along so well, regardless of the type of person they are. There are no egos here, just a bunch of people sharing ideas while trying to improve themselves and the game they are working on.

What do you do for fun outside the company?
I once met a guy who thought it was really fun to run full speed into a wall with enough force to knock him out… Well, actually it was me. Um, well, actually it wasn’t fun either, I just didn’t see the wall.

What games do you play?
I love playing all sorts of games. One of my greatest pleasures though is playing a game that may be considered a ‘flop’. I love trying to figure out what went wrong and coming up with solutions that I think may have helped if they had the time to implement it.

If I weren’t working at Slant Six games I’d be:
On my own private tropical island pretending I was a survivor of Oceanic flight 815… until I got hungry and heading back to my resort when my chef would have made me a deliciously ginormous meal which I would eat with one hand on a controller.

We Heart Smoothies

March 16th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 19:47

Fruity Goodness!
Fruity Goodness!

In celebration of our new Wellness Program, we kicked off the morning with fresh fruit smoothies. While we all love our Pastry Fridays, this is a welcome addition to the week! Wellness is already an important initiative for the staff since many of us ride bikes, run, do yoga, play on the Slant Six hockey team, or even raise our arms with a pint glass. (That does count as exercise right?). Stay tuned for more information on this program and how we’ll be incorporating healthy options (and hopefully some more smoothie mornings) into our studio.

SOCOM: Confrontation Takes Over Europe

March 15th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:13

Great news! We’ve released Confrontation to a rabid audience of European fans and early non-credible sources on the internet suggest we’re debuting in the top ten games for the week. Not that we need the internet to tell us we’re cool or anything… but you know… it is nice to hear.

SOCOM: Confrontation Patch 1.41 Released

March 1st, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:13


Developer Posts on SOCOM.com

February 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:26

davidseymourSince we’ve got our own blog now, I thought it would be nice to have a link to the Developer Interviews on SOCOM.com. There are a series of six posts featuring our design director, Dave Seymour. He’s nice. You can follow him @david_seymour on Twitter if you can handle reading through the hundreds of enigmatic posts about Resident Evil 5 and new iPhone apps. I’m not exaggerating. He really loves Twitter.

Spotlight: Artist, Dayna Bland

February 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:16

Favorite Quote:
“NO Body Expects The Spanish Inquisition”

How many years have you been in the games industry?
Five years.

What do you consider prerequisites for your job?:
BFA , strong 3D Package and photoshop skills, experience in games, highly adaptable.

How long you’ve been at Slant Six Games?
2 years

Best part of your job?
Being Happy!! The people at slant are the best I have ever worked with. Everyone is excited by what we are doing, hard working, and fun to create with!

Morning web surf:
http://www.tastespotting.com/
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
http://www.cbc.ca/

Favorite Work Perks:
Cypress ski passes! Can’t wait for winter!!!

What do you like about Vancouver?
I was born in vancouver…something not many can say….and there is a reason I have chosen to stay and build my career here. Every time I come back from travelling I realize how lucky we are to live somewhere that is so beautiful, clean, and outdoor oriented. Beaches and mountains…how can you beat that!?

What kind of person do you need to be to work here?
Friendly and Enthusiastic. We work together to make fantastic games. Confidant and independent in your work, knowing what you need to accomplish in the time we have.

What do you do for fun outside the company?
Paint (yes artists still use paint) ;) ,Travel, yoga, ski, and cook

What games do you play?
WoW

If I weren’t working at Slant Six games I’d be:
A Draenei Shaman =P

Business in Vancouver

February 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:11

Managing Director, Brian Thalken, is profiled in the February edition of Business in Vancouver (BIV). Read the article here that discusses how Slant Six formed and some of the wild and crazy things Brian has done over the course of his career. Curious? Go read it!

Slant Six Nominated for BAFTA Award

February 10th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:11

That’s right! A BAFTA Award… one of those fancy British accolades that go to the likes of Kate Winslet and Peter Molyneaux. We’re so honored to receive a nod in the Best Strategy Game category for our inaugural PSP game, SOCOM: Tactical Strike. We’re in pretty good company too with Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, Advance Wars: Dark Conflict, C&C: Red Alert 3, Ninjatown, and Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise. Break out the bubbly old chaps! Tally ho! Smashing!

Blimey.

Spotlight: Software Engineer, Bram Stolk

January 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:16

Today we’re having a chat with software engineer, Bram Stolk. What kind of name is Bram? Well we didn’t ask him that but you can find out a few interesting things about him below:

Favorite Quote:
“Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot- proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.” (R Cook).

How many years in the games industry?
1, after 10+ years as a Virtual Reality software engineer

What do you consider prerequisites for your job?:
MSc in Computer Science

How long you’ve been at Slant Six Games?
1 yr

Best part of the job:
You develop games! …and the company actually pays you to do this.

Morning web surf:
geenstijl.nl

Favorite Work Perks
Getting an award from the hands of none other than Seth MacFarlane (yes… the dude from Family Guy!)

What do you like about Vancouver?
The girls are prettier here

What kind of person do you need to be to work here?
You need an immature sense of humour (which is a good thing to have of course)

What do you do for fun?
Excessive speeding on a motorcycle and learning to fly a small airplane.

What games do you play?
Mercenaries

If I weren’t working at Slant Six games I’d be:
Developing Virtual Reality technology for Academia.

The Best in BC Business

January 18th, 2009

Posted by Zoe at 11:11

The results are in and we’ve been voted #11 in the ranks of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in BC! This is our first year participating in the annual survey that surveys both staff and management in companies of 100 employees or more. The videogame industry did well overall with a few of our friends up on the list. Of course, we like the friendly competition because we plan to beat them all next year on our way to being #1.

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Slant Six Outpaces the Competition

This weekend, a group of our hard working team members participated in the annual Vancouver Sun Run, a 10km race through our beautiful city with over 50,000 participants. Not only did we place FIRST in our division, beating out 118 other teams, but we placed tenth out of all the corporate teams that ran the race. The next time someone suggests that game developers are basement dwelling couch potatoes, perhaps you can suggest they take a look at our website. High performance game developers who can outrun you in the street.  Pretty impressive don’t you think?

more »

Match Making in Confrontation

A new update from our friends over at the official SOCOM blog gives you the scoop on one of the highly anticipated feature updates in the upcoming 1.5 release for SOCOM Confrontation… the Tournament feature! Find out how tournaments will function with details on structure, registration, scheduling and teams. Read it all here…

more »


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