training
Onteca Training Programmes
Whether you’re just starting out along the path to be a games developer, or you want to learn how create a custom smartphone application for your business. Onteca has the right training course for you, at a price you can afford.
Based in our central Liverpool offices, our fully qualified and experienced trainers will lead you. Step-by-step through our programme, giving the skills you need and advice that can only come from a wealth of experience of game and business application development.
For more information please contact me on sophie@onteca.com
New Onteca Training Programmes – C++, Objective C, 3D Modelling
If you own an iPhone, chances are you haven’t come close to unlocking its full potential. Want to find out what the world’s most revolutionary pocket-sized communications and entertainments device can really do?
Developing iPhone Applications is one of Onteca’s brand new Introductory courses that is offering people who are just starting out along the path to be a games developer, or just those want to satisfy their curiosity and learn something new.
There are literally thousands of applications specifically designed for the iPhone to enhance its functionality and course participants will learn how to develop their own Apps so they can later on be released to the Apps store.
Participants will learn about XCode and Introduction to Objective-C, the tools used to build every iPhone application and how to build a simple application which can run on Simulator, iPhone or iPod Touch.
At Onteca we aim to ensure this fast growing digital content industry is recognised as an important component of the economy and the Onteca Training Programmes are a great way to make this training accessible to a mass audience.
Developing iPhone Apps is just one of many Short Courses at Onteca. Other Short Courses include Introduction to C++, 2D/3D Modelling for iPhone Games, Introduction to CSS and many more courses that will put your technical abilities to the test.
These courses represent Onteca’s desire to always be looking for new ways to train people in innovative technologies and unconventional career paths. Whether trying something entirely new or re-training in the latest advances in your chosen field you won’t have to take a week off work to do these courses.
Onteca’s short courses run from one to two days to act as a taster session or for those who do not have the time for a full course.
Onteca based in Liverpool is the only place where participants receive vocational training across a wide range of creative industry-based courses from practising professionals.
Development Blog – Normal day at Onteca
Every office has its own personalised methodology when approaching their day to day work load. Many arrive at the office armed with their double espresso venti cappuccino, set in the zone of hammering out a perfected PowerPoint presentation to the corporate big wigs. Some people even knowingly glue themselves to their poorly manufactured and terribly uncomfortable office chairs from the hours of 9-5, unbeknown to them that they are haven’t seen daylight for over a year. This I am happy to report is NOT the working structure of the Onteca office.
With any job that involves an individual to exert their creativity within their work, environment and habitual comforts are essential. At Onteca it is apparent that the company nurtures a freeform style and its colleague’s creative composition through its relaxed approach to business. The Onteca cluster consists of individuals who specialise in various areas, ranging from graphic designers, computer programmers, visual artists and music composer. All of which make Onteca what it is today, a compressed source of enthusiasm and creativity for the world of innovative technology.
Onteca is defiantly independent and want to make their games with as little external interference as possible. They have grown to their size through doing a variety of different projects but our core passion is the production of Computer games. Emerging more as a games developer, Onteca are happy to stay in the shadows of such a commercially run industry and let their work speak for itself. Their work with new emerging technology screams exuberance, modernisation and eccentricity. Components needed in such a conditioned culture where individuals are becoming harder to entertain, and as a result succumbing to the customs of replication.
Onteca to this day
Multitasking is what Onteca does best; here is a little glimpse into what the company is up to.
Bluecoat project – Bluecoat’s is an award-winning art gallery best known for their continuous programme of innovative exhibitions. Dan, Onteca’s own software and computer programming connoisseur is currently working on the Bluecoat project. Bluecoat are looking to improve visitor engagement on their website, this will be done by developing a 3d map. This may sound simple to us techno proletarians; however this requires precise architecture programming in action script 3.
14-19 Diploma – I am sure you have noticed my last blog covering Onteca’s educatory work with students in Wirral. Max is Onteca’s very own film director and interactive media tutor, is currently working with the on the training programme of the 14-19 diploma. The Diploma is an alternative curriculum that combines theoretical and practical study, providing a different style of learning that will offer young people an alternative route into higher education, apprenticeships or employment with training. Onteca provide training in such up-to-date industry standard software packages such as MAYA 3d modelling, Flash, Photoshop, Web Design and Video After Effects.
Onteca Training Programmes – Onteca believes in educating individuals in the different emerging technologies, consequently the company has proposed a new line of Training Programmes. Whether you’re just starting out along the path to be a games developer, or you want to learn how create a custom Smartphone application for your business Onteca will provide a training course tailored to your development needs. Course materials consists of Programming courses e.g. Introduction to C++, iphone 2d and 3d development and intro to CSS. Digital arts courses e.g. Intro to Photoshop, Flash, Autodesk Maya, 3d modelling and intro to web design. And Leadership courses e.g. Thinking the future.
Monsteca Corral– This is a project that is growing ever so close to my heart. Everyone at Onteca has a role to play with the development of the Monsteca Corral game, whether it is creating sounds for the Sdompe’ (Jo), perfecting the artwork of new characters (Rich), working on the architecture of the game (Simon), developing the game as a whole (the maker Ben) or my role of marketing the game to the public.
(Ben: The maker) (Rich: Creator)
Day by day the tick boxes are being crossed off and we are getting closer and closer to the finish line. At the moment Jo is currently making sounds for the game and the characters, this is a very peculiar process to watch first hand when it involves banging chairs against the floor to see the types of sound effects they can make. It is however very interesting to see how different sounds can be manipulated and constructed with such programs as Sound Forge SoundLab. I can’t wait to finally hear how the Sdompe is going to sound.
We now have two months to finish the game so to keep you guys updated I am going to try and keep an up-to-date development diary. Watch firsthand the Monsteca Corral game come together.
See you soon
14-19 Information Technology Diploma
Hello all, Sophie here.
In my introducto
ry blog last week I told you guys that my ground is in Public Relations and how I will be working on Onteca’s new game Monsteca Corral, furthermore Monsteca is not the only thing that should raise some eyebrows. Unbeknown to many, Onteca plays an exceptional role within the Wirral 14-19 Diploma .
The Diploma is an alternative curriculum that combines theoretical and practical study, providing a different style of learning that will offer young people an alternative route into higher education, apprenticeships or employment with training.
The Diploma combines a wide range of elements that aim to develop confident and independent learners with the skills to succeed in the workplace. In addition to a broad range of knowledge therefore, young people will also gain competency in skills such as independent thinking, English, Maths and IT. Although diplomas will give an insight into particular industries and sectors, the skills gained through such work can be applied to all professions.
Originally the diploma consisted of vocational courses such as Hair and Beauty Studies, Construction and the Built Environment and Retail Business. Subsequently the Diplomas are now advancing along with the progression of modern day technology, and no one knows more about advancements in technology than Onteca.
The guys at Onteca are keen to introduce the Information Technology Diploma to their students, covering areas such as:
1.Business: How organisations work and the role technology can play
2.People: How to work well with other people
3.Technology: How to create technology solutions
Plus exploring a cross theme of multimedia, looking at how to design and develop a multimedia products for a particular audience. Onteca provide training in such up-to-date industry standard software packages as MAYA 3d modelling, Flash, Photoshop, Web Design and Video After Effects.
The Diploma represents a huge opportunity for Wirral students of all abilities to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes to succeed in work and life in the twentieth first century. I personally believe Diplomas like these will help restore the loss of hope many students have lost, by introducing them to totally different form learning.
For more information about the types of Diplomas available go to the Direct Gov website, or feel free to contact me to learn more about Onteca and their contribution to the 14-19 Diplomas in the Wirral area at sophie@onteca.com
See you soon
MIPTV and the astonishing fact of its relevance to Onteca
An industry event that appears to be useful and thought-provoking. Then again we are living in ‘interesting times’, especially for old media. I’m tempted to point out ‘all their base r belong to us’, were that not all a little 1997.
In the meantime, it looks like the ARG horse is still being flogged, Was there ever a point in time when this particular format was alive, rather than just a seam of digital fake-gold seeded in the internets to lure investors? Thing is, giving life to simulacra is what we do, so maybe the next iteration will go beyond the existing tiny demographic into a mass market or two.
Oh, and they have finally noticed that ‘gaming is a force to be reckoned with‘. Astonishing, although the speaker admits the old media industry is still sceptical. The guy who posted the article added his own comment, as you will see if you look closely at the following: (http://www.reedmidem.com/mipblog/index.php/2009/04/02/108-arse)
Onteca’s forays into the merging of of gaming and TV have shown plenty of scope for the field. In fact our collaboration with the BBC for the Brainbox Challenge series of games has become a talked-about proto-type of the genre, demonstrating the truly disruptive potential of this approach.
Onteca is going to do further work in this area. Three of our programmers have just returned from BBC training in MHEG, a language for creating terrestrial interative TV. Under a hundred people in the country can code using this rather useful language.
Good job, though, that we didn’t pursue our plan to create a widget for helping content creators to make interactive TV. As it seems Yahoo had the same idea. Reason why Onteca has a policy of not getting over concerned with IP; if your idea is any good, someone else is thinking along the same lines anyway.
Still, looks like an entertaining event. Made us hungry for more. Roll on BTween, which is in Liverpool this year.
Liberatis – an early alpha version of an MMO produced by a group of Young People
Onteca is proud to announce the unveiling of a playable Alpha of our Mediabox Project, ‘Liberatis’ (a name thought of by a young person working on the project). This is an MMO created by young people, for young people. It involves some violence, within a Tolkienesque ‘fantasy’ setting, because that is what the young people called for. It is still at an early test stage, but is playable.
Given the theme ‘Freedom’ this is what a group of 14-19 year olds came up with
A screenshot from liberatis
Over 50 young people worked for four months to make this game. First the young people planned out an overall story, a premise, a series of characters and detailed paper-based maps and Level Design Documents for each section . Next they had to painstakingly learn the skills they would need: Maya to create the 3D assets; Photoshop to create the mood-boards and textures; the Torque level editor to create landscapes full of trees, mountains, valleys and towns in which the game could be played. Onteca provided support and training at every step.
Onteca then worked on integrating all these elements into a playable game, to the design of the young people and under the direction of their representatives.
Some of the most academically inclined young people on Merseyside worked alongside young people from a local Special School who had learning disabilities. Everyone addressed themselves to the same tasks and were expected to prodice the same results. Sometimes the young people would work alongside each other, sometimes they would split into school and project based groups. Standards were high across the range of schools, with genuine talent and IT ability coming from all groups involved.
Areas worked in were amonst the most economically disadvantaged in the country. That said, the young people who involved themselves in this project were eager, polite and creative. Hopefully, they will learn from being part of the making of Liberatis, and consider a career in the North West’s still healthy Games Industry.
Thanks to all the young people involved, and Onteca hopes you like the game you helped create.
An alpha version of the game is available to download here to install it, just download and run.
if you get an error message mentioning python when running the game on certain versions of vista you will need to run the game as an administrator
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