Global Game Jam 2023 FGJ-site in LapUAS!

Global Game Jamit 2023 start on Monday 30th in January, and last until Sunday, February 5. Most of the event organizers hold jams on the weekend – as well as the IGDA Rovaniemi hub!

IGDA will organize the #FGJ23 event site in Rovaniemi, on the premises of LapUAS (Showroom), on Friday 3rd February from 17:00. The event organizers do not offer computers, monitors or drawing tables, but if you are a university student in Rovaniemi, you can request a computer and monitors through the teachers in advance. The event borrows keyboards and mice, as well as some limited craft supplies for making board games (however, be prepared with your own board game supplies, you can ask Tuuli Nivala for more information about current materials -> first name.surname [at] lapinamk.fi).

In the Showroom you will have tables for your computer setups, LapUAS and Lumen has refrigerator and a microwave for cooking, and there will be free coffee and tea. Take enough food and drinks with you for long jamming. Snacks can be bought throughout the weekend at Café Lumen’s self-service kiosk, and the nearest Sale-store is not far away. In the evenings, it is possible to go to sauna in LapUAS’ premises, so bring a towel!

The event has the following opening hours:

FRI: 17 – 02
SAT: 08 – 02
SUN: 08 – 17

The event happens through the GGJ website and you have to register to the venue there – the final jam productions are also uploaded there! Create an account on the GGJ website and register to the Rovaniemi site. Book yourself a spot also through Eventbrite. When you arrive at the venue, you will receive more information about the facilities used and any event practices.

More Info about Global Game Jams

All the necessary jamming info can be found on the GGJ website. The theme will also be published on their website!

If you have questions about the practical aspects of the event, please contact:
Jalonen Jere, 044 5511889

Questions regarding the official GGJ will be forwarded by the IGDA Rovaniemi hub leader:
Samuli Valkama (samuli.valkama [at] igda.fi)

FrostBit Software Lab is part of the Horizon Europe granted ROADVIEW project!

The first snow has already fallen in Northern Finland, and with that come the unsolved challenges of automated driving in harsh weather conditions. Therefore, ROADVIEW project will tackle this challenge by delivering more powerful and reliable in-vehicle perception systems, with improved resilience and accuracy under harsh weather conditions.

Roadview System Architecture (Picture from Roadview-project.eu)

The 4-year project started with a kick-off meeting that was held at Halmstad University on 8-9 September 2022. This was the first time when the representatives from all 16 partners got together to present their competencies and discuss any open issues. First ROADVIEW kick-off meeting held – ROADVIEW (roadview-project.eu)

Harsh weather conditions, such as fog, rain and snow, provide a serious challenge for automated vehicles as they are typically trained and tested under good weather with great visibility and road conditions. ROADVIEW aims to tackle these challenges by developing robust and cost-efficient in-vehicle perception and decision-making systems that can perform even under harsh weather conditions and different traffic scenarios.

FrostBit Software lab of Lapland UAS is excited to be leading the development of the environment Digital Twins in the third work package of the project. Together with Synthetic Data Solutions (SDS), the aim is to create digital twins of both controlled and real-world test environments for simulation testing. FrostBit will utilize the knowledge gained in the previous EU funded WinterSim and ongoing EnergyECS projects, where the topic of simulation testing was researched.

Prototype of CARISSMA outdoor test facility in Carla

At the beginning of November FrostBit developers went on a one-week data collection trip to CARISSMA outdoor test facility in Ingolstadt Germany. The plan was to collect the required reference data used for building the environment digital twin. Main task was to develop a highly accurate 3D point cloud of the area that works as the main reference for the digital twin. In addition, the developers also took lots of reference photo and video material and created datasets for the development of photogrammetry assets of targets used in the test facility.

Photographing for the photogrammetry datasets

The FrostBit crew also got the privilege to visit the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt where they were introduced to the campus and its facilities. During the visit FrostBit was able to get a closer look at the facilities and get a better understanding of the research that is been done. Finally, FrostBit developers got to test an autonomous driving simulation platform that demonstrated the various levels of autonomous driving.

Group picture at the Carissma facilities in THI

The environment digital twins are planned to be completed early next year 2023. After that FrostBit will assist in integrating the digital twins into the simulation engines used in the project. FrostBit will also keep working on improving the digital twins and helping to support the simulation testing. This has been a great start for the project.

Autumn 2022 Jams – Gaming hype in the midst of darkness

Is there a better way to start the Autumn Vacation than with games and good company? 🎃 FrostBit brought light to a dark October weekend, and held the second Frosted Game Jams for 2022. The first Frosted Game Jams in the spring went well and raised interest of the Rovaniemi gaming community, so new jams had to, of course, be organized! From the last Jams, we made many changes and improvements based on the feedback, and again we went one step further in organizing even more epic event!

Lapland UAS had a full house when a bunch of game enthusiasts arrived to make the most amazing games from far and wide: in the end, total of 8 teams made 2D and 3D-games for computer and mobile, multiplayer and single-player games, for keyboards and controllers, of course not forgetting the revolutionary (galactic) board game.

Photo vibes from the second Jams:

How did the event go? Watch the Aftermovie!

At the Game Jams, the aim is to make a game during the weekend, with a common theme. We received feedback from the last Jams that, in addition to the main theme, “diversifiers” would be a fun addition; and we invented them! The main theme this time was “In The Middle”, and the diversifiers were “randomness, excuse, helpless”, and Saturday’s surprise diversifier was: “make the game completely against the theme”. Huh?! Yes, as usual, this is only limited by your imagination. The best thing is to see the end result, i.e. what the participants actually come up with based on these themes.

When are the next Jams at Rovaniemi again?

We will definitely see Game Jams at Rovaniemi in some form next year; whether it’s Frosted Game Jams, Global Game Jams, or even both, we’ll be sure to notify about them in time. 😎 By the way, stay tuned on FrostBit’s social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, nettisivut) as well as IGDA Rovaniemi Hub social medias (Instagram, Facebook), if you are interested in games and their development, because we want to be a part of activating the gaming industry here in the North as well. Keep your ears open and join the upcoming events! 🏃

Hey Game Jam participant! Come to Bull Bar & Grill at 2.11. Wed 18:00 to play your games!

Thanks again to Lapland University of Applied Sciences & Café Lumen for lending their facilities to the event!
Thank you IGDA Finland for partaking in organizing the event!

Dear International Students, about Game Jams!

Hello International Students at the Lapland UAS and University, we heard you had interest towards the upcoming Game Jams event occurring throughout the weekend on 14. – 16.10. ❄️ Your interest reached us quite late so we didn’t have time to prepare all materials in English, but we hope you get the necessary information from the event page and you can contact the event responsible people via emails and Discord!

We will take note of you in the event and prepare necessary information (such as PC and app login information, facility safety instructions & regulations etc.) + speech summaries in English. In the future, we will prepare materials in English before the event as well. Thanks for the interest and see you there!

Do you have anything to ask? Contact Tuuli Nivala, firstname.surname@lapinamk.fi or message the Admins in the Jams’ Discord:


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Follow the Lab now in Instagram!

We now have Instagram! 📷 @FrostBitLab

There you will find current and relevant information about the lab, our ongoing projects and events.

Good vibes at the Spring 2022 Frosted Game Jams

A weekend full of games and pizza! 🍕🎮 In Spring 2022, FrostBit arranged Frosted Game Jams together with students at the LapUAS Campus.

The event began by gathering at the University of Applied Sciences’ ShowRoom, where desk setups and PCs had already been arranged. The theme was unveiled in the form of a fun trailer, and the theme of these jams eventually ended up being: “There’s nothing in the beginning. / The beginning was emptiness.” And traditionally, the theme is always fully interpretable by the participants, so anything can be expected as a result!

Participants were divided into groups of their choice and some decided to want make a game alone. After that, the ideation stage started, and the participants jumped to work immediately. That is how the weekend started rolling: in the form of game development with a lot of snacks and drinks!

If you’re wondering what Game Jams are all about in practice, the concept goes this way: People from different backgrounds (e.g. 3D-modelling, 2D graphics, programming, UX design …) and people interested in making games find themselves together and make the game according to the Jam theme. The games can be, for example, PC games, board games, card games, console games, or whatever games the participants come up with. The end result, however, is not to pressure the participants into creating something completely ready and playable, and this is often an integral part of the Jams: Projects aren’t always completed to the last detail. The main goal is to innovate together, have fun, and share a passion for games! So you don’t have to be a Programmer God to participate, you’re sure to find your own place in one of the groups.

What it looked like at the first Frosted Game Jams:

So what amazing games were produced in the end?

We put together a small trailer compilation of the games created, which some of the participants shared afterwards. Projects have been produced e.g. With Unity, UE5 and of course crafted with real hands!

Only your imagination is the limit.

Where from now on? When will there be more Jams?

Well, tentatively the second Jam is planned for the coming fall of 2022, as long as we find enough time for arrangements! We gathered feedback from those who participated in the Spring Jams, and received a lot of good suggestions for improvements that could take the Jams of the future much further. We are putting more effort into the space arrangements and investing in the Jams as well as an audience event that would be interesting for non-developers as well. So in the upcoming Jams, you can also invite friends to hang out, even play console or board games, or try out the lab’s VR outputs and other interesting things.

One of the hot topics among our lab has also been the previous Jams that pLab once organized: photography and clips of the old games are planned to be shared here in FrostBit’s website. Many people are interested what do Jams actually look like and what kind of games are created – so stay tuned at the FrostBit website in the near future for all of that. We are excited to be involved in producing gaming events in Rovaniemi, where they definetly are needed more!

For non-Finnish-speaking participants: If you would be interested to join future Jams, please contact the admins in the Frosted Game Jam Discord. We will take this into consideration when planning the future Jams, in case there is demand.

Thanks to Lapland University of Applied Sciences for letting us use their facilities for the event!

Bit1 competition – Looking for the student game of the year!

Do you have a dev team ready and a game idea in mind?

Take part in Bit1 competition, where you get to showcase your talent as a game developer and connect with game industry professionals!

Registration for PreBit preliminaries is open until 31.3. PreBits are held in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere on 20.-22.4. The Bit1 final is in May.

Learn more and apply at www.bit1.fi 

On Facebook @bit1event
On Instagram @helsinkigamescapital

The competition is held in English.

Energy ECS Project– FrostBit partaking in the development of the future of electric cars

The Smart and Secure Energy Solutions for Future Mobility (Energy ECS) project started in 2021, and we in the lab have now stepped along in the journey.

This ECSEL-IA project explores the smart energy solutions of the future, paving the way for a new kind of European business and technology ecosystem. The entire project consortium includes 16 SMEs, 8 large companies and 6 training and development organizations from eight different countries: Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Ireland and Italy.

The project will implement six interlocking UCs (Use Cases) to find solutions to the challenges and future needs of ICT infrastructures and electronic devices. The key focuses in the Use Cases are smart drones, intelligent transport containers, microgrids, vehicle charging technologies, self-powered tire systems, and the independent driving of an electric car to a charging station. The main responsibility of the FrostBit laboratory is the last of these, i.e. driving the e-vehicle to the charging station (UC6).

Independent electric bus parking

FrostBit’s part in the project includes implementing a digital twin at the Icelandic Strætó bs bus station, which aims to serve as a safe test environment. UNIKIE’s control system reads data from virtual sensors, on the basis of which it directs 3D-modelled buses from the parking screens to the charging point and back.

3D-model is being made of the Strætó bus

Currently, the necessary data transmission buses and user interface have been designed and implemented for the simulation. The 3D model of Strætó’s bus is almost complete and the station’s 3D modelling is about to begin.

So, what is expected to be the final result of this Use Case? As a result, the simulation is intended to act as a test environment before buses start moving in the right environment – allowing for controlled and safe testing.

Read more about the project in its official site and in LapUAS current news!

8.3.2022

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The FrostBit Code – YouTube Live Streams Spring 2022

The FrostBit Code is a live event where you can join in to listen to and discuss coding- and everything-game-field related topics. In the spring of 2022, the focus will be mostly on the world of game programming, and the stream will be hosted by Onni, Joel and Samuli. In addition, other experts in the field are sometimes involved in the streams. Grab a cup of coffee and come listen! ☕️

The streams are broadcasted at the FrostBit YouTube-channel, where you can also find the previous stream VODs. During the streams, you can participate in the chat.

The streams are public and in Finnish, but international streams are planned for the future.

SPRING 2022 TOPICS

JANUARY: Friday 4.2.2022 – Unreal Engine 5 is the future – FI
MARCH: Friday 25.3.2022 – Become Metahuman – FI

The FrostBit Code – YouTube Livestreams 2021

The FrostBit Live Code is a livestream event where you can grab a coffee together with our hosts, entertain and learn about a variety of buzz topics in coding/programming. The event is hosted by FrostBit Software Lab’s engineers with coding at their heart: Juhani Kuru, Matias Hiltunen and Mikko Pajula. In one hour of livestream, the hosts will discuss about a specific topic and give concrete examples and share their know how from their experiences while working in diverse projects at the Lab. Jokes and silly coding mistakes are part of the show.

Why join? To learn, be entertained and improve you coding know-how while enjoying your afternoon coffee with the coding gurus. The event is for students and general audience with minimum to an extended knowledge in coding. Disclaimer: No prior coding knowledge required to join the event!

The livestreams are broadcasted and recorded on the last Thursday of each month from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm on the FrostBit Youtube-channel, where you can also find the older broadcasts (some months don’t have streams and we update the schedule in the email list). You can participate in the conversation during the streams in the live-chat or by contacting some of the hosts via Teams or email.

The streams are public and always in Finnish, but we aim to arrange international streams in the future. If you would like to receive a notification on your calendar, the specific stream link and more comprehensive information about the topic and upcoming streams, you can register your email address by following the link below (this newsletter is in Finnish):

THE STREAM HOSTS

MATIAS: Isä, koodari, paikkatietoon perustuvien AR-pelien aktiivinen käyttäjä. 

Mitä mahdottomampi tehtävä, sitä kiinnostavampi haaste.
Mikään ei ole mahdotonta kunnes toisin todistetaan!
Intohimona koodaaminen: Työ ja harrastus.
Toimin web- ja mobiiliteknologioiden parissa FrostBit ohjelmistolaboratoriossa erilaisissa hankkeissa asiantuntijana ja koodarina.

JUHANI

"Isännällä on 13 vuoden kokemus softa-alalta useasta eri projektista monella eri kielellä C++:sta C#:n, Perlin ja Javascriptin kautta Pythoniin, Javaan ja Dartiin. Parhaiten isäntä viihtyy full-stackin parissa, mutta minähän en näistä mitään ymmärrä. Parasta työpäivissä on se, että saa nukkua isännän jalkojen päällä lämmittäen varpaita." t. Nyytti 7kk pomeranian 🐶
MIKKO: FrostBit-labran projekti-insinööri

Legacy-koodissa uiva vanhan liiton koodipohjalla tehty insinööri. Unelmoin siitä huolimatta paremmista arkkitehtuureista ja kauniimmasta koodista. Annan innokkaiden johdattaa ja pyrin innostumaan mukana. Vapaa-ajalla mieluiten koodailisin full-stack -juttuja arkea helpottamaan, kuten vesimittarin automatisoitua lukemista helpolla ui:lla. Tietotekniikan on tarkoitus helpottaa elämää. Käyttöliittymien tulisi tukea käyttäjää, ei turhauttaa. Jonain päivänä onnistumme koodaamaan itsellemme paremman elämän.

Kiinnostukset: UX-suunnittelu, Olio-ohjelmointi, paikkatieto ja helpot ratkaisut.

STREAMS IN YOUTUBE