development track - a technical look at MMOGs.

 The Data That Makes the Game (Scott Hartsman) - Round Table 

Once you have a working engine, whether it's yours or someone else's, there's still a lot of work that goes into turning that engine into your MMO. This roundtable on MMO gameplay data models is intended for people who want to expand their knowledge of the tradeoffs of different data models. The goal is to help arm you with useful information in choosing the right model for your game, based on the kind of game you're making, your team size, structure, budget, content developer ramp-up plan, and the other factors that come into play. To script or not? To use databases or not? There is no universally best answer. You have to choose the one that fits your game. Come learn ways to help make that decision for yourself.

Indie 2.0 - The Brewing Revolution (Tony Richards) - Sponsored Session 

Independent game developers have long followed the lead of their big budgeted counterparts. At best, we rely on the same tools and at worst we have to settle for poor imitations that do not address our specific needs. In this session, Tony Richards introduces revolutionary new concepts and explains how Indie game developers can create innovative games with less time, money and effort. The revolution is coming...are you ready?

10 Things Every Good DBA Knows (Kristopher Petterson) - Session 

A session about the 10 things everyone should know when working with databases.

To Be Announced (TBA) - Round Table 

To Be Announced

Exploring Production Methods: Which works for you? (Peter Eckert, Michael Gjere) - Round Table 

A round table discussion exploring the benefits and pitfalls of various development production methods including traditional and Agile systems. What has failed, what has worked and what does the future bring to the gaming industry.

Scoring for Indie Games (Austin Wintory) - Session

Austin Wintory, composer for ThatGameCompany’s breakout indie hit flOw, discusses the positive and negative aspects of working as a composer in the indie game market. This lecture primarily covers creative and conceptual discussions as part of the development pipeline, without too much emphasis on the technical aspects of game music.

How Online Game Projects Fail (Peter Freese) - Session 

Games are a creative medium, just like many other creative media. Inspiration for your game development doesn't just have to come from games. Learn how you can take design lessons and concepts from a wide variety of other media, how to recognize similarities and avoid the pitfalls of trying to follow another medium too closely.

Subscription vs. Item Pay: Which is the Way of the Indie? (Brian Green, Kelly Heckman) - Round Table 

Most titles today charge a monthly subscription because well, it has always been done that way. Yet, time and time again it has been proven that the item pay model can earn significantly more income for both the small and large game. Deciding which to use should never be a matter of building the game and tacking in a business model. This discussion will cover the benefits and difficulties of both payment models, what to consider when making the choice, the ramifications of RMT to the economy of each, and how to design your game from the beginning with that model in mind.