Top Secret
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Sierra founders Ken and Roberta Williams are developing a new game
Sierra On-Line's Ken and Roberta Williams are developing a new game.
Samsung's spoiler-police reveal how it kept the Galaxy S III a surprise
Samsung has opened up about the measures it took in order to maintain secrecy in the run up to the launch of the Galaxy S III. The project was so top secret that engineer Buyong-Joon Lee even flatly denied what he was doing to his 11-year-old son. Inside the labs, handsets were moved between facilities in locked boxes, while the prototypes were personally delivered by a globetrotting executive to network partners. The company went as far as producing three entirely different models, each one constructed as if it was the final product, so the team had to build and rebuild components to accommodate each design. Spare a thought for the procurement department, which had to rely on written descriptions of the handset in order to set the price and buy components -- enabling that May 3rd launch to go off with its surprises intact.
Top secret: Cryptic revamps website, hints at new project
Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon of spun 1s and 0s, Cryptic Studios' website has transformed into a sleek animal. More than just a new look, Crypticstudios.com sports a few interesting surprises. It seems as though the company is deep into "a least one" additional project on top of Star Trek Online, Champions Online and Neverwinter. This unnamed "top secret" project for Atari sparks our imagination. The studio's In Development page has this to say: "We're very excited about what we're working on. Like Neverwinter, our Top Secret work represents our continued commitment to diversify and reach beyond the boundaries of traditional MMORPG gaming. We can't wait to show you more!" Continuing our tour of the site, Cryptic has posted a number of job openings on its Careers page. It looks as though the company is looking for several artists, a content game designer, a senior producer and several other positions. Head on over to the company's website to check out Cryptic's new digs.
Secret Soviet-era laser tank pops up in the Ivanovo Oblast
If we've learned anything from the former Soviet Union, it's that collapsed empires have lots of awesome tech just layin' around. We've recently heard tale of someone who found the remnants of the USSR's lunar program under a tarp somewhere, and now a Russian website has uncovered some pretty bad-ass pics of the 1K17 Self-Propelled Laser Complex. First deployed in 1992, the vehicle features a laser system that could be used, as the machine translated document says, to "provide anti-opto-electronic surveillance systems" in even "the harshest climatic and operating conditions imposed on the armor." (In other words, the lasers would disrupt the enemy's electronics and optics, even in the bleak Russian winter.) It seems that the program was discontinued pretty quickly due to expense, with the hardware eventually being consigned to the Military Technical Museum in the Ivanovo Oblast.
How to beat game piracy according to David Perry
David Perry, best known as the founder of Shiny Entertainment and Earthworm Jim, believes the way to beat game piracy is by distributing games for free. "The next big thing will be free games," said Perry, speaking in Belfast after being awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen's University. Perry goes on to explain the situation game developers in Asia encounter and how most games there have no entry cost but are supported by a micro-transaction model. A business model Perry believes that will change the industry in the USA and Europe. Creative big-wig at Acclaim, Perry has numerous MMOG projects in development. One was supposed to be a beast-racing MMOG that had a unique development process. The project dubbed Top Secret was a collaborative program for a small community of developers to design the game on paper. Acclaim originally intended to hire a development team to produce the final design document but the mesh of ideas became so uniquely twisted they felt it wouldn't work. Instead, five independent development teams are vying for a one million dollar contract but if no demos are up to the quality or meet Acclaim's standards, they will hire a professional studio instead.
More information from the Top Secret project
The last we'd heard of the Top Secret project, there wasn't too much information available on the specifics -- notably, it's not a game, but an experiment in game design where a bunch of people collaborate on an MMO concept, and then a dev team is picked to actually bring it to fruition. We now have a few more details to go on, as David Perry gave such in a GDC interview.Whoever wins the bid to develop this MMO will receive one million dollars in licensing fees from Acclaim -- to use in buying software, licensing a pre-existing engine, what have you -- but they will be doing the work on their own time and dime. Perry is optimistic about the nascent game, saying that even if none of the development teams deliver an Acclaim-worthy game, they will hire a professional studio to complete it. No word yet on whether the title will be free-to-play, but this is a unique concept in game development, and a chance for some rising stars to show their stuff.[Via WarCry]
Mark Skaggs joins Top Secret to help make a beast-racing MMO
The good people at Warcry are reporting that Mark Skaggs, who they call a "veteran developer," but who actually is an old RTS maker from the golden days of Command and Conquer at Westwood Studios and more recently the Battle for Middle-Earth from EA, has joined the Top Secret project from Acclaim. Top Secret isn't a game -- it's actually a program that's designed to enable a small community of developers to come up with their own game, which will then be funded and published by Acclaim. The idea they've come up with? "Beast" breeding and racing, with an anime flair.Warcry claims it's an MMO, but there's not much in the press release or on the site about that. It seems to be more like a MCC -- massively community created. But considering the final product will be free to play, we'll have to wait and see what Acclaim, David Perry, and now Mark Skaggs bring to the table.
LucasArts, BioWare announce the KotOR MMO ... maybe
So far rumors that BioWare's super-secretive MMO project is a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO have been subtle but nevertheless hard to ignore; it's almost as if we've felt a disturbance in the Force. There's been an anonymous leak here, a clue there, but we've not yet heard anything in official channels about BioWare's Star Wars plans ... until now (maybe). LucasArts and BioWare jointly posted a press release that says the two companies are sharing both development and publishing duties on a new project, with details to be unveiled "at a later date." The spin is that the game "will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment." Whatever that means. There's no way to be certain, but this might be the KotOR MMO. We're not the only ones who are suspicious about it.If it is, then we may have learned something exciting about the project. Each company's president provided a blurb quote emphasizing storytelling in games. If this mystery title is the KotOR MMO and not KotOR 3 , then it's clear that both companies want to adapt BioWare's proven expertise in character-driven storytelling to massively multiplayer gaming. That would be notable change of pace compared to most recent MMO titles. Of course we wouldn't expect anything less from BioWare, but it's an exciting clue nonetheless.[Via Joystiq]
Acclaim's democratic MMO project
David Perry (Earthworm Jim, Enter the Matrix) is working with Acclaim on an MMO that will incorporate gamer's input. The project is currently named "Top Secret." Players will have the opportunity to participate in the entire video game development process. Perry will choose a winner from the contributors to the game and they'll receive a "Video Game Industry Directorship" and work under Perry on a new MMO."This is the only chance I know of to jump start a directorship career in the video game industry," says Perry. "They get to learn how to make professional games, and if they get anything in, they get a real professional credit on their resume ... if they win, well then they get their life changed."If this sounds like a game show, it is. Acclaim doesn't hide the fact, comparing this whole scenario to the likes of The Apprentice or American Idol. All we know is if people do good work on the project that is some amazing free labor for Acclaim.
