DSKIC students bag BAFTA nomination

Sagittarius is an on-rails FPS shooter made for the Oculus Rift. In the game, you embody a spy that infiltrates an enemy base and is caught while stealing battle plans. Your character is equipped with a crossbow which is aimed using the Oculus Rift. The objective of the game is to survive the onslaught of enemies as your chariot races through enemy lines towards the safety of your base.

This is a game developed by a team of students (called Too Mainstream) from DSK International Campus, Pune, for Dare to be Digital, an international video games development competition. Once a year, teams of five students, usually a mix of artists, programmers and audio, assemble at Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland, for 9 weeks during June to August to develop a prototype video game, receiving mentoring from industry.

Chasing the impossible dream

The journey for Dare To Be Digital started last year. We came up with a concept, made a video pitch and applied for the competition. Luckily, we got selected and moved on to the next stage of the selection process.  We had to give a presentation to a panel of judges to convince them that we had a good concept and that we were a formidable team. We succeeded at that, too! We were invited to Dundee to compete in the competition, and from then on there was no looking back. We were the only team to be selected from India along with 14 other teams from all over the world.  

Overall – It's been a tremendous experience for us. Interacting with other teams around the world, and making contacts with them as well as the mentors. Though we started with a set back by joining the production in the 3rd week of the competition – because of visa issues. With the dedicated support from the team, and with mentors feedbacks, we managed to pull off this game and we really are happy about the output. 

At the end of the competition we showcased our game to the audience at Dare Protoplay. A lot of people played this game during the protoplay event, which took place in the Caird Hall, Dundee over 3 days.  We were overwhelmed with the audience responses to our game.

The results were announced the last day of the protoplay. We were in the Top 3 and we have therefore been nominated for BAFTA – Ones to watch award. We are now developing the game further at DSK International Campus  for the upcoming BAFTA event which will take place in London in March 2015. The Winners will be decided based on how we manage to pull the game further and deliver a polished output.

The results were announced the last day of the protoplay. We were in the Top 3 and we have therefore been nominated for BAFTA – Ones to watch award. We are now developing the game further at DSK International Campus  for the upcoming BAFTA event which will take place in London in March 2015. Wish us luck!

– Ashik Sharief, Too Mainstream, DSKIC

Team Name: Too Mainstream
Game Name: Sagittarius
Platform: Oculus Rift | Windows

Game Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoIrVgg7-LY
Facebook: https://www.fb.com/Team2Mainstream
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Team2Mainstream

Team Members & Roles

Vivek Deshpande – Team Lead | Lead Programmer
Anand Navneeth – Game Designer
Shashank Chavan – Concept Artist | 3D Artist
Ashik Sharief – 3D Artist
Karthikeyan D – 3D Artist | Rigging Artist | Animator
Alex Cap – Sound Composer & Designer

About DSK International Campus

For more information, visit http://dsksic.com/

About BAFTA Awards

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image – film, television and games. In addition to its annual awards ceremonies, BAFTA has an international, year-round programme of learning events and initiatives offering access to talent through workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK and the USA.

Follow Us

Team Digit

Team Digit is made up of some of the most experienced and geekiest technology editors in India! View Full Profile