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New SpyParty video walkthrough sneaks around The Balcony, onto The Veranda
In case you didn't already know, SpyParty is being made by one dude -- ex-EA developer turned one-man indie studio, Chris Hecker. As we've been covering his game leading up to GDC, we asked if Hecker would perhaps give us a taste of the two new levels he'll be debuting at next week's show in video form. Normally, this might not be such a high-level request, but when you're one man with a family and a game to develop, well ... let's just say we really appreciate how late he stayed up last night. Check out the full four-minute walkthrough of both "The Balcony" and "The Veranda" maps just after the break. GDC won't be your only chance to check out the lastest SpyParty demo. Hecker will be making the cross-country trip to PAX East in March with the new build in tow. Just remember to play it cool!%Gallery-117474%
'The Incompetent Perfectionist': Inside SpyParty dev Chris Hecker's process
"When you're trying to do that perfect jewel, there's a kind of bar you have to hit. People argue that Jon [Blow, developer of Braid] could've shipped with the programmer art -- I mean, it won the IGF design competition. And I don't think so. I think the game design was the most important part, but the whole package came together so well -- the way David [Hellman's] art looked with the thing, and the .... I think that there's a certain quality bar that is the expression of what you're trying to do, and you kind of have to hit that." SpyParty developer Chris Hecker doesn't plan on releasing his ambitious one-on-one spy game until he feels that it's hit the "perfect jewel" point -- an indescribable essence, or rather, a point in development when the concept and execution gel. "I'm not that interested in shipping the earlier version of it," he told me at an NYU coffeeshop late last year. Hecker's bringing the game with him to next week's Game Developer's Conference where he'll also be giving a few short lectures. And yes, he'll be making the trek across the country in a few weeks to PAX East so that everyone can check it out. %Gallery-117474%
SpyParty playable at PAX East, two new levels viewable right now
Ready to get your psychological, one-on-one sleuthery on? Well, good, because Chris Hecker's bringing just that with him to PAX East this March, where his reverse Turing Test game SpyParty will be playable by attendees. Hecker revealed as much to us this afternoon when he shot over screens of two new levels, "The Balcony" and "The Veranda," that we first heard about back in January. Hecker actually hadn't planned on bringing the game to Boston after last year's experience at PAX Prime. He is, after all, just one man. "Late last year I decided not to attempt PAX East, not because I didn't want to, but mostly because doing PAX West almost killed me. Putting a booth together is an insane amount of work, costs a ton of money, and is just totally exhausting," he told us. By this January, however, he had reconsidered -- "I started getting the itch," he admitted. After some mulling over the opportunity -- plus some help from Slam Bolt Scrappers devs Firehose Games, which is generously sharing a spot on the show floor (#1133) with Hecker and SpyParty -- he changed his mind. One piece of logistics he hasn't worked out yet? Where to sleep. "I still haven't figured out where I'm going to sleep, but that seems like a minor detail. What could possibly go wrong?" Indeed! Check out Hecker's detailed, hilarious account of how he ended up going to PAX East this year, as well as a handful of new information about new modes in SpyParty, just below the break.%Gallery-117474%
Two new (super difficult) Spy Party maps in the works
Chris Hecker has updated the blog of his innovative Turing Test-turned-espionage thriller, Spy Party, with a look at two new maps he's been designing. Unlike the plain, rectangular "Ballroom" we've seen before, the new levels don't offer balanced gameplay. For instance, the "Balcony" map is a small, open area which can only fit about eight characters, making the Spy's job a living hell. On the other hand, the "Veranda" location (pictured) hosts 22 characters and requires the Sniper to move around in order to get a clear shot at every area of the map. These new maps sound interesting, but we're not sure the Sniper needs a helping hand on any levels. Isn't it bad enough that the dude has an extremely high-powered sniper rifle?
SpyParty dev details his Blizzard-inspired 'depth first' approach
Speaking to a packed room at New York University's Game Center last week, developer Chris Hecker -- a man perhaps best known for giving ... impassioned rants -- detailed his "depth first, accessibility later" approach to development of his latest project, SpyParty. The game is a twist on the Turing Test: one player is "the Spy" while the other is "the Sniper." The Spy must complete a set of objectives without being spotted, while the Sniper looks on and tries to pick out who the Spy is from a group of NPCs (and then murder that Spy) before the time runs out. How does the sniper spot the spy? By paying attention to a variety of "tells" -- from the subtle (a human Spy's order of actions may differ from an NPC's) to the "hard" (catch the Spy covertly slip an object to an NPC). As Hecker is keen to point out, SpyParty is a game about human interaction. "You have to decide where you're going, go there and don't look back (basically). Of course, I also make the NPCs fidget occasionally, just to fuck with people," Hecker revealed to a laughing audience. "And that's interesting -- that interplay ... I mean, it's an inverse Turing Test at a certain level." %Gallery-107897%
