Themes
The console hardware manufacturers have released their latest consoles, PC development continues apace, and games are spreading onto every platform, from mobile phones to iPods. And yet hardware is the least of the issues facing developers at the moment. Our themes reflect just that:
Community
The most exciting technologies at the moment aren't hardware based but software and networking driven - MYSpace, YouTube, Flickr, Digg - and in games, Xbox Live, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and Sony's imminent online offering. How can games developers harness the power of community-driven sites like MySpace and Digg?
Connectivity
The hardware and underlying systems for online gaming are now finally in place across all platforms, and the users are savvy enough to use it. What now for developers? What, for example, does Sony mean when it says it's encouraging its developers to think of its new games as "perpetual business", and its future teams as "service providers"? What are the opportunities and what are the potential pitfalls?
Creativity
Games had a head start on user-created content, thanks to modding and bedroom coding, but have we done enough latterly to unleash gamers' creative juices? And, how can developers create an experience compelling enough to both justify the new hardware systems and to captivate an ever more fleeting audience?
Control
From the DS stylus, Guitar Hero and Singstar's mics, to Buzz' buttons and now the Wiimote, control is back at the forefront of game innovation after a decade of stagnation. What's more, the motion control bundled with Wii and PlayStation 3 and the continuing opportunity to make and sell bespoke controllers economically suggests there's plenty more to come. What works with Wii? How do you employ the DS stylus with style? And how do the sums behind bundling controllers with games add up?
Tracks
Attendees of the Develop Conference will leave Brighton better able to do their jobs, whatever corner of a games studio you inhabit. Our tracks reflect the different disciplines of the development community, plus the new World Vision track which allows a glimpse into how things are done differently around the world.
 Design
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How do you design a game for an ever broadening demographic, with publishers wary of gameplay that rocks the boat, yet consumers hungry for something new? And how do you do it on schedule? We'll offer some clues, with topics covered in our design sessions including using physics as gameplay, the gameplay mechanics of tomorrow, ‘traditional' models of play, and a closer look at next gen games that got it right.
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 Production
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Everyone from the marketing and financial departments to license holders and hardcore fan sites are waiting to see if your game is released on time. But the next gen producer has more than just the production schedule to contend with: more unwieldy teams, more complicated pipelines, and a growing reliance on off-site resources for starters. Topics will include outsourcing, previsualisation, managing bigger teams, and keeping to budget.
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 Coding
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Still the lynchpins of a project, the role of the programmer is evolving fast. Specialists in AI and physics have emerged to sit alongside the long-established engine programmers, while others are focusing on bridging the gap between code and art and audio, or concentrating on tools. And of course, robust systems and solid technologies remain of prime importance for next generation titles. We'll take a look at lighting techniques, facial and emotional animation, physics, and several next gen case studies.
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 Business
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Making games is a tricky business, where the financial targets are not so much moving as threatening to spiral out of control. Whether you're studio head at a start-up or an MD at a super-developer, our business track will pay dividends, with sessions on building and retaining your IP, securing government funding, creating the perfect pitch, and making games with a global appeal.
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 Art
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Game artists have come along way in realising lush worlds, life-like human faces, and smoother animation. But graphics is a bar that keeps on rising. The Develop Conference's sessions will help artists sharpen their everyday skills, and inspire their artistic vision. We will also ask artists to put down their tablet pens to collaborate with the coders, the designers, and even the audio department.
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 Audio
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With a sensible budget and deadline in place, music and sound effects in games can now match the standards of movie making, technically and creatively. To ensure you deliver a high score, attend our sessions on cross platform audio challenges, creating interactive music and sound, and collaborating with artists and programmers to deliver audio that counts.
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 World Vision
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What can European developers learn from their peers around the world? What are the cultural differences in the world of games development? This brand new track will offer insight from an international perspective.
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