gdc-europe-2009
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DUST 514 trailer released
EVE Online creators CCP Games made quite a stir when they announced the console title DUST 514 in August. It's one of the more ambitious game concepts we've heard about in quite a while. A ground based console MMO that ties in with EVE Online? Two separate games, one setting and one community? (The game's tagline is "ONE UNIVERSE // ONE WAR".) There are so many questions that remain unanswered about how DUST mercenaries will interact with and affect EVE's capsuleers, but a more immediate question is, "How does it look so far?" Unless you were actually in Cologne to see CCP's DUST 514 reveal at GDC Europe, it's likely all you've had to base your impressions off of was a somewhat blurry video capture of the presentation. That is, until now. CCP's released the GDC Europe DUST 514 trailer and it's good to see a crisp version of that footage. The trailer shows how the conflict between EVE's Caldari and Gallente races plays out on the ground on the Gallente planet Intaki V. It gives us a look at War Barge interiors, Mobile Command Centers (MCC) floating over what is now a war-torn Intaki homeworld, and some of the ground and air vehicles that DUST 514 players will put to use. We've got an embed of that video, so stick with us after the jump for a look at DUST 514.
More DUST 514 info revealed in video interview with CCP Games CEO
The DUST 514 announcement from CCP Games pretty much lit up the internet during Gamescom. In case you missed it, the creators of the space-based MMO EVE Online announced that DUST 514 is a console MMO that combines a first person shooter with elements of a real time strategy game. Console gamers will play as mercenaries in DUST 514, hired guns that conquer territories, cities, even entire planets for the EVE Online players who employ them. These are the very same planets found in EVE Online. The ever-shifting solar system borders between player alliance (guild) territories in EVE means there will be an endless supply of lucrative contracts, and presumably military hardware, rolling in for DUST mercs. To simply call this intertwining of two separate MMOs "ambitious" would be an understatement. This is really new ground in the industry, and no one's certain how this is going to work out. Many are skeptical. Quite a number of people wonder about what DUST 514 is going to mean for MMOs and for FPS games. Can a console MMO really integrate with EVE Online? Will EVE players accept that gamers who've never flown a single day in their New Eden galaxy will be able to affect their control over solar systems? There are so many questions. Fortunately, a video interview with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson at Gamona sheds a little more light on the game and its integration with EVE Online. Stick with us after the jump for a video embed of Hilmar discussing DUST 514.
GamesCom 2009 attendance at 245,000
The inaugural year of GamesCom in Cologne, Germany, was a whopping success, reeling in 245,000 visitors according to the Koelnmesse. Event organizers reservedly noted that they were "very pleased with the result," but we're sure the Kölsch was flowing like the Rhein behind the scenes. The show is already scheduled to take place in 2010 from August 18-22. After the break, you'll find some "official" statistics and some random "unofficial statisticals" from our time at what some now call the third pillar (E3 and TGS being the other two) of video game trade events.
NCsoft dev discusses the genesis of Aion at GDC Europe
Aion dev Yongchan Jee spilled the beans on the game's origins as part of a GDC Europe Q and A session. Gamasutra were on hand to find out what exactly makes the game stand out in Korea. This included addressing a gap in the market for 'AAA' titles after the release of Lineage II and World of Warcraft, as well as focusing on a faction warfare angle which sees the two player-controlled races of the Elyos and the Asmodians fighting against each other and the terrifying Balaur. Jee also discussed how the game was rebooted in 2006 and while this did affect the moral of the developers, it ultimately allowed them to start from scratch and create a truly memorable game.Lee also focused on the character customisation, discussing the concepts of beautiful and ugly characters in MMOs like World of Warcraft, where Korean players often favour the Alliance over the Horde. He also explained why the devs chose to create Aion as a zone-based MMO over a seamless world. Aion fans should definitely check out Gamasutra's write up for even more hints at Aion's gestation and conception.
GDC Europe '09: Igg.com debuts Dreamland Online
Looks like IGG.com, now penned as "I Got Games," is adding another free-to-play MMO to their portfolio -- Dreamland Online.Dreamland is a side scrolling 3d rendered MMO with enough sugary cuteness to bake 20 cakes and have enough sugar left over to give to your neighbor. The game is currently hiding behind closed doors until the third test of the Chinese client. After that testing phase is complete, IGG.com will be releasing the alpha test of the English language client. So until it comes out in China, looks like we're all stuck waiting for more information.Dreamland Online will be making its debut in American and European markets this fall. Until then, you're just going to have to do with these small glimpses into the game, or you could always go jump in on the forum discussions!%Gallery-68589%
Lessons from GDC Europe: The 'seven pillars' of a Remedy IP
During his speech at GDC Europe – exhaustively titled "From Max Payne to Alan Wake: Creating Intellectual Properties the Remedy Way" (air!) – Remedy Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne laid out the seven pillars the company uses for its games: 1. Strong Lead Character -- Main character is iconic and easy to get on the surface. Things went wrong when Myllyrinne wanted the Max Payne sequel to simply be called The Fall of Max Payne. The compromised title admittedly didn't work out in the sales department. He didn't mention anything about Rockstar's reimagined Max Payne in the latest sequel. 2. Mainstream approachability -- Avoiding niche and cliché settings (for video games that would mean no WWII setting, dragons, sci-fi, etc.). Having gameplay mechanics that are approachable (low barrier of entry to start playing the game). 3. Cinematic -- Taking lessons learned from movies. The presentation of Max Payne makes this pretty obvious. With Alan Wake the company is focusing on the trinity of the flashlight, Alan himself (see: pillar one), and the gun. This also lead Myllyrinne to an anecdote about presentation, saying "It's not what things are, it's what the audience thinks things are." He mentioned the Ingram gun was made bigger in Max Payne because people expect that gun to be larger than it actually is in real life.
Sony introduces Minis: bite-sized downloads for PSN
Sony has announced a new line of downloadable titles for the PSP and PSP Go, confirming rumors that first surfaced last week. Dubbed Minis, these titles have a 100MB size limit and are exclusive to the PSN Store. The lineup will launch on October 1st, the same day as the PSP Go. These titles will reportedly cost less to develop and, more importantly, cost less for gamers. Sony plans to have 15 snacktivities ready for the PSP Go launch, though 50 games are slated for the rest of 2009. A few titles mentioned during the company's GamesCom keynote include Tetris, Field Runners, Hero of Sparta and Minigore.
CCP Games reveals new EVE Online console MMO: DUST 514
CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson delivered a keynote presentation at GDC Europe in Cologne today, and unveiled the project their Shanghai studio has worked on for the last three years: DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in the EVE Online universe. Massively speculated in the past that CCP's hiring of console developers was in connection with either the EVE Online FPS or the World of Darkness MMO. The timing of the DUST 514 trademark registration led us to believe this would be the game title announced at this week's GDC event. So then, what is DUST 514?
FYI: CCP announces 'Dust 514,' FPS RTS MMO in Eve universe
Eve Online developer CCP has officially announced its next project: Dust 514, a console-based MMO set in the world of Eve. CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson said today during GDC Europe that the game will be a hybrid first-person shooter and real-time strategy game. Gamespot UK notes that the title has been in development for three years at CCP Shanghai. Pétursson did not discuss which consoles would be the first to gather Dust 514. Hints of Dust 514's emergence have been knocking around the online universe since earlier this month. We'll update as we get more information.
Remedy's Sam Lake shows off Remedy's Alan Wake
Remedy writer Sam Lake narrated a video presentation of Alan Wake at gamesCOM, providing the most detailed look we've seen yet at the psychological thriller. We see Wake realize that his wife is missing, and begin the undertaking of piecing together the manuscript that he doesn't remember writing, and whose events are coming true. Lake discusses the role of the game's light sources, which act as shelter and weapons against the shadowy, possessed townspeople. We're delighted to see this much of Alan Wake. By revealing this much footage, Remedy seems to be treating it like a real game that, in fact, "is done." %Gallery-64691%
Reassuring: Alan Wake is 'done,' being polished
Remedy Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne tells Joystiq that Alan Wake is finished and getting all gussied up for its release next spring. After a GDC Europe presentation on how Remedy handles intellectual property, we asked the executive if the long-in-development title would be ready to wake when the snow melts. Myllyrinne noted, "It's all done, we're just polishing at this point." Wow, great! With something like six months to go before its "spring 2010" launch, Alan Wake should shine by the time it's released. Considering the title has been in development since 2005, it's good to know that the game is "done" and just trying to become its very best. %Gallery-64691%
Crytek road map has next generation starting in 2012, next engine will be ready
A running theme through Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli's presentation at GDC Europe today was the number 2012. Sure, he mentioned 2013 also, but the next Year of the Tiger showed up nearly a dozen-plus times in the executive's presentation about "the future of gaming graphics." Yerli tells Joystiq that the reason for the number is that it's the company's internal "road map" of when the next generation will begin. "We will have our next engine ready by that, independently whether there will be hardware or not. We are assuming based on the cycle -- the Moore's Law -- and everything," Yerli told us. "If you predict the computational power and trend. You kinda know how much CPU and GPU will be there and trend. If you take those things into account you can sort of predict where things are going." Yerli explained that the more console-centric CryEngine 3 will have more updates in the meantime, but its next "major architectural version" of the CryEngine should be ready by 2012. He wasn't sure if they'll call it the CryEngine 4 (our money says: they will). [Image: Dennis Stachel]
Dyack muses about clouds, won't abandon current consoles
"We have no intentions to stop making video games for the current consoles ... that would be nuts." That was Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack's response to our question about whether his musing about cloud technology had anything to do with a new direction for the company. During Dyack's "musing about clouds" presentation today at GDC Europe, the SK president mentioned a belief in systems like OnLive -- but he's not ready to take a walk in the clouds just yet. The outspoken executive said that he doesn't believe people should be investing in game stores at the moment, though he was unsure how long the cloud model will take to gain a foothold. According to Dyack, cloud computing could become the dominant form of distribution and access for consumers within the next 20 years. In the meantime, Dyack told us Silicon Knights will keep doing console-based games "as long as the market is there."
Crytek CEO asks GDC audience to kill 'killerspiel' law, won't leave Germany unless forced out
During his keynote address at GDC Europe in Cologne, Germany, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli requested the audience support the petition against the host-country's bill, which is seeking to ban any games in the region "where the main part is to realistically play the killing of people or other cruel or un-human acts of violence against humans or manlike characters." Yerli told the audience toward the conclusion of his presentation: "[This law] means that Crytek will be literally forced out of the country." Yerli's tone about the German law was more serious than his previous statement on the subject, so we caught up with him after the keynote. We asked if he's threatening to leave the country if the law passes, or if he thinks the company will be pushed out. He told us, "This is the point, two or three years ago we were thinking 'What is this?' This is like disrespecting our company.' We said we will not change our strategy. Today we think we are literally forced to make a change." It appears that Yerli still isn't looking to change Crytek's direction, despite the government threats. And it appears he really doesn't want to move, telling us, "If you move a company, you think of it as: let's move the company strategically, so we get more benefit out of this country. But moving it because a law comes in is too reactive for us. We're not thinking of moving unless the law happens." [Image: Dennis Stachel]
EVE Online developer trademarks 'DUST 514'
EVE Online developer CCP Games is set to announce its upcoming project at the swiftly approaching GDC Europe in a little under two weeks. The identity of said project has heretofore been unknown, but a recent trademark filing may have parted the veil -- the company just reserved the title DUST 514, as well as the gas mask-equipped logo you see above.What could be the premise of this new title? Our MMO-lovin' brethren over at Massively have spun a few theories, including the overdue appearance of the oft-rumored World of Darkness MMO, as well as an EVE Online spin-off game (as evidenced by the similar-looking logo, also seen above). Our hypothesis? Given that 514 is the area code for areas in the province of Quebec, we're guessing CCP is working on an MMO about Canadian silt.
CCP Games trademark filing hints at new game: DUST 514
What does "DUST 514" have to do with EVE Online? That's something we're very curious to know at Massively. A recent trademark filing from CCP Games for DUST 514, submitted by Atlanta-based attorney Steven M. Kushner, is described as providing 'entertainment services' and an 'on-line computer game'. If you look at the logo of a gas mask above a striped pattern, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the EVE Online logo. The trademark filing description reads: "The mark consists of a masked face with white sunken eyes and a round opening at the mouth. There are two parallel thick lines on either side of the jaw of the face which are a parallel to a third line which runs across the bottom of the face and dips into a V at the center." Definitely not a coincidence.
The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games?
We know that CCP Games, creators of EVE Online, is going to announce a new project at GDC Europe in August. As CCP acquired White Wolf, creators of pen-and-paper RPG titles like Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf (the World of Darkness setting), we've known for some time that a World of Darkness MMO is in the works. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the project exists at some stage of development, we know very little. But this mystery project announcement might not be about WoD at all. We're also aware that CCP Games has plans to release a first person shooter based on the EVE Online IP, which they hinted at during EVE Fanfest 2008. The latest info we've found about a new project at CCP Games (via @crazykinux) is a job listing at CCP for a Senior Game Engineer. The successful applicant "will join a seasoned team based in Shanghai, China where they will work on original IP for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3." The listing also mentions development on the Unreal Engine. Regardless of whether they're planning to unveil World of Darkness Online or an EVE Online first person shooter, you don't need to be an EVE player to appreciate how cool either of these releases could be. What game do you think CCP is going to announce at GDC Europe?
CCP Games CEO to announce new project in GDC Europe keynote
Hilmar Pétursson, the CEO of CCP Games, will keynote Game Developers Conference Europe 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The event runs from August 17 through the 19th at the Cologne Congress Center East. Hilmar's keynote will focus on how CCP Games rose from being a small Reykjavik-based studio with an obscure niche title to becoming a success story in the MMO industry with the growing popularity of EVE Online, now running studios in Atlanta and Shanghai, as well as their hometown of Reykjavik. Perhaps the biggest news here is the reveal hinted at in the CCP Games press release: "As a testament to the industry's potential for growth despite widespread economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Pétursson will give an exclusive first look at the company's latest project, which is currently in pre-production." We can only assume this is the World of Darkness MMO, but it could very well be a closer look at Walking in Stations or any of the other projects CCP announced at last year's Fanfest. Regardless of what this new project is, we won't know for sure until August.
