News
DISCREET GMAX GAME PACK INCLUDED WITH TRAINZ
STRATEGY FIRST AND AURAN SIGN LICENSING AGREEMENT
Montreal, Quebec. March 5th, 2002 - Strategy First and Auran are pleased to announce that they have signed a licensing agreement with Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) to create, publish and distribute a gmax game pack for their new model railroad simulation, Trainz.
Discreet's gmax will allow users to create and import their own 3D content into the game and extend the incredible capabilities of the Trainz Surveyor even further. Trainz already allows users to create spectacular layouts, but now with gmax they can be populated with objects and locomotives created by people from all over the world and then linked and swapped freely over the net.
When asked about the meaning of this new partnership and what it will offer players of the game, representatives of Strategy First, Auran and Discreet had this to say;
"We are very excited about this new venture, " says Steve Wall, V.P. Business Development, Strategy First. "Trainz will be one of the first games of its kind on the market that will include the gmax game pack. I am confident that budding artists, modelers and any train or gaming fan will be blown away by the game and what gmax can offer."
"gmax provides the potential for the current Trainz community to virtually reconstruct every significant railroad structure in the world and offer it for download over the internet, " says Greg Lane, CEO, Auran. "The added value gmax brings to Trainz is fantastic!"
“Trainz game pack has a custom user interface, splash screen and some nice tutorials explaining precisely how to get your models into the game; it’s really easy,” said Paul Perreault, gmax product manager, Discreet. "This game pack is clear evidence of Discreet's commitment to help game developers reduce their time-to-market and publishers find new ways to provide greater value to consumers."
Available in stores now, Trainz immerses players into the driver's seat of their favorite locomotives and allows them to create a huge variety of layouts using hundreds of textures and objects from around the world. Players will be able to build their own stunningly realistic routes from a variety of locations, from the busy US East Coast, the picturesque English countryside to the endless plains of the Australian Outback - all using the intuitive and powerful TRAINZ SURVEYOR editor. For more information about the game, log onto
www.strategyfirst.com.About Discreet
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., is a worldwide leader in digital content creation, management, and distribution tools. Discreet develops systems and software for visual effects, animation, non-linear editing, broadcast production, and integrated infrastructure and workflow solutions. Discreet serves a broad range of markets involved in content creation, delivery, and use, including film and television postproduction, broadcast production, games, animation, multimedia for corporate, government, and education, and the rich media for the web. More information about Discreet solutions, including gmax, is available at
http://www.discreet.com/ or by calling 800-869-3504 or 514-393-1616.About Auran
Auran is best known for creating the successful title Dark Reign, selling over 650,000 copies worldwide. Work is now complete on their award winning Auran Jet® game development platform. Jet® is available commercially for hobbyists and serious game developers with attractive pricing and licensing options. Trainz® is the first of many titles that will be created using Auran Jet® which shortens development cycles and reduces development costs.(
http://www.auran.com/trainz/news_f.htm?VP=0)About Strategy First
Strategy First Inc. is a leading developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software for the PC. Founded in 1990, the company has grown rapidly, publishing major games in the industry and simultaneously developing its own in-house titles such as O.R.B., Disciples II, Nexagon: The Pit and Zero-G Marines. After winning numerous awards for games such as
Disciples: Sacred Lands, Europa Universalis, Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns and Steel Beasts, Strategy First continues to push the gaming envelope with its own groundbreaking titles, while maintaining its reputation as a unique alternative for independent developers seeking to market their games to a worldwide audience.
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