GDC 2013 adds XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Assassin's Creed III, EA Battlelog talks

GDC organizers have announced new talks for the upcoming March 2013 conference, including an XCOM: Enemy Unknown art autopsy, audio tricks used in Assassin's Creed III borrowed from film scoring, and EA's survey of successful online game data systems. These talks are part of the Main Conference, encompassing the Production, Visual Arts, and Audio tracks, to be held Wed-Fri, March 27-29 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA. First up, Greg Foertsch of Firaxis Games gets his hands dirty for an 'Art Direction Autopsy: XCOM: Enemy Unknown.' In this talk, he will extract the team's visual timeline, showing how they re-imagined a series that is over two decades old. Foertsch will also explain how "adjusting along the way to support the core gameplay can help enhance the players' experience." For the Audio track, Benedicte Ouimet and Jerome Angelot of Ubisoft will offer how to mix Hollywood film scoring with gaming in 'Assassin's Creed III Music Score: Redefining Musical Standards for the AC Brand.' Ubisoft's audio team had the challenge of staying true to the brand while creating something different for this chapter's setting in the new world. The duo will present practical examples and anecdotes to illuminate how Assassin's Creed III was scored. Lastly, technical visual analyst Ben Medler from Electronic Arts will examine several popular online game data sharing and visualizing systems in 'Play with Data: The Many Faces of Online Game Data.' This discussion will cover the common design components found in data systems such as Rockstar's Social Club, the player-created WoWhead, and in particular EA's own Battlelog. These online systems, including high score charts, screenshots, and captured replays, steadily occupy more of players' time when away from the games themselves. For more information on these or others in the show's growing lineup, check out GDC 2013's official Schedule Builder, which continues to add new talks every week. Discounted Early Bird registration for all passes, including the Main Conference Pass and Audio Track Pass, is now open on the show's official website, and GDC 2013 itself will take place March 25-29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information on GDC 2013, visit the show's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.