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Contents DEVELOP ISSUE 91 FEBRUARY 2009
ALPHA 05 – 08 > dev news from around the globe Redundancies abound as the recession hits game developers hard; A look at how the Develop Conference is changing for 2009; David Lau Kee joins tech firm Unity; plus your at-a-glance guide to the industry’s upcoming events
12 – 14 > opinion and analysis Owain Bennallack ponders what would happen to games during a global depression, while Nick Gibson takes a look at the world of microtransactions
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16 > studio sales chart Our exclusive sales chart listed by studio, plus the last month’s deals and details
BETA: JOBS SPECIAL 21 – 43 > over 20 pages of career advice COVER STORY: A comprehensive guide to levelling up your job, with features looking at: The recruitment landscape in a year of recession (p22); Our exclusive salary survey results and analysis (p24); Advice on CVs and interviews from studios themselves (p29); The 30 brightest young stars on the UK and European development circuit (p33); The seven people you don’t want working for you (p41); plus a look at what opportunities a new job could provide (p42)
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44 – 46 > cambridge roundtable We gather together the cream of the Cambridge game development scene to find out what makes it such a fertile ground for studios
BUILD 50 – 51 > tools news the international monthly for games programmers, artists, musicians and producers
A look at the latest tools releases and trends
52 – 53 > guide: pre-viz tools We round up the leading pre-visualisation and prototyping solutions
Editor-in-Chief
Executive Editor
Publisher
Stuart Dinsey
Michael French
Owain Bennallack
michael.french@intentmedia.co.uk
owainb@gmail.com
Deputy Editor
Advertising Manager
Ed Fear
Katie Rawlings
ed.fear@intentmedia.co.uk
katie.rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk
Staff Writer
Advertising Executive
Contributors
Will Freeman
Jaspreet Kandola
will.freeman@intentmedia.co.uk
jaspreet.kandola@intentmedia.co.uk
Technology Editor
Production Manager
Jon Jordan
Suzanne Powles
jon.jordan@intentmedia.co.uk
suzanne.powles@intentmedia.co.uk
Designer
Managing Editor
John Broomhall, Simon Byron, Gavin Cooper, Ed Dille, Nick Gibson, David Jefferies, Russell Murray, Mark Rein, Andy Trowers, and Tom Williams
Dan Bennett
Lisa Foster
dan.bennett@intentmedia.co.uk
lisa.foster@intentmedia.co.uk
stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk
54 > key release: morpheme 2.0 NaturalMotion tells us how physics and animation can live in perfect harmony
57 > heard about: far cry 2 John Broomhall takes a walk on the wild (and slightly war-torn) side
59 > epic diaries How Unreal Engine 3 helps power Obsidian’s new shooter-RPG Alpha Protocol
61 – 70 studios, tools, services and courses
Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations Develop Magazine. Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street. Hertford, Hertfordshire. SG14 1JA ISSN: 1365-7240 Copyright 2009 Printed by Pensord Press, NP12 2YA
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GOLD 73 > letters, byronicman & features list BAFTA chairman Ray Maguire details the organisation’s push for game developers, plus Simon Byron bids us a tearful farewell
FEBRUARY 2009 | 03