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Leaked dev blog: Bungie's Destiny project 'still quite like Halo'
Remember Bungie? Its Halo franchise helped define the console shooter genre, and even though it surrendered the IP to Microsoft and had nothing to do with this week's ginormous Halo 4 release, the firm is still on our radar. That's because its Destiny project is still in full swing, and Kotaku has published excerpts from an internal Demonware blog, whose author got some hands-on time with the game at a recent company function. So, wait, who or what is Demonware? It's a development firm that "handles online infrastructure for Activision's titles and also lists Bungie" as a partner, Kotaku says. In any event, a senior Demonware employee wrote the following on the company blog (which has since been removed): "This is not a dedicated server game, but there is some simulation and coordination running in their server infrastructure. The game was up and down a lot, playing in a team of three we did manage to experience entering a zone to find other players already taking on the bad guys. It's cooperative so we helped out [...] before both groups went their separate ways." The author went on to compare the game's "sense of exploration" to Elite, and he also said that Destiny is "still quite like Halo."
Rumor: Demonware with Bungie on 'Destiny,' report of hands-on playtime
"Destiny," the unofficial, unannounced project from Bungie, looks to be getting help from online software manager Demonware. Demonware, a subsidiary of Activision, lists Bungie as a partner and has offices in Vancouver with two open positions that correlate to an Activision job posting – but that's not all.A senior Demonware employee recently participated in Bungie Day and wrote a blog post (since removed) about his hands-on time with Destiny itself, Superannuation found. The employee described a meeting in a theater to discuss "game story, factions, art, engineering, tool chain, graphics, audio, player investment mechanisms, player progression, UI, and web and mobile apps." And then he played Destiny."The game was up and down a lot, playing in a team of 3 we did manage to experience entering a zone to find other players already taking on the bad guys, it's cooperative so we helped out (mostly [name removed], I just died) before both groups went their separate ways," the employee wrote. "Which is a pretty cool experience, making you feel you are part of a much larger populated world."At the end of the day I was excited about the game, I like the feel of being in a large world with different destinations and the interactions along the way. It actually brought back a sense of exploration I recall from playing [Elite] many years ago, although there was no opportunity to shoot aliens in the face in Elite. I'm not fully sold on the appeal of being able to change the colour of a weapon, but I guess it works in China, and customization and individual identity is a big theme for the game."The employee boiled down general comments from other attendees to, "It's still quite like Halo," and, "There is a lot of work to be done."
Activision: Yes, we're making online-enabled games for Wii
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Activision_Yes_we_re_making_online_enabled_games_for_the_Wii'; During an interview with IGN that mainly focused on the company's recent acquisition of Demonware, a third-party source for networking solutions, Activision confirmed its plans to bring online functionality to Wii games. What they implied during said interview, however, was that they would be the first third-party publisher to flip the online switch in its games.What exactly was said to imply as such, you ask? Well, Duke Collins responds to the question of online play in Wii games, stating "If you look at our track record, we've always been pretty much the first network guys on any platform coming out," backing up that implication when asked directly if they would be developing online-enabled games for the system by saying "Yeah, I would say we do." Can you say rock?
Activision buys DemonWare, claims Irish paper
Dublin's Sunday Independent reports that Activision has dropped €15 million (about $19.75m) for DemonWare, maker of the popular network middleware technology. DemonWare's two primary products are its State Engine and Matchmaking+, used to power the multiplayer component of Activision's Call of Duty 3 -- as well as THQ's Saint's Row and Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas. Since its creation in 2003, DemonWare, which is headquartered in Dublin, has emerged as a leading outsource option for publishers' networking needs. As online multiplayer grows into an industry standard, DemonWare technology could prove to be a valuable asset to Activision .DemonWare has yet to comment on the alleged acquisition.Source (registration required)
