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Cart Life follow-up, Blood of the Ortolan, sets the table in a few weeks
Cart Life developer Richard Hofmeier wants to launch his follow-up game, Blood of the Ortolan, in the "next few weeks or so" on PC, he told Joystiq during Wednesday's IGF awards. Blood of the Ortolan is, perhaps unsurprisingly, inspired by the humanity behind obtaining, consuming and interacting with food."It's about food," Hofmeier said. "It's a food-themed murder mystery in the way that Cart Life is a retail simulation. I haven't said much about it yet because I don't want to over-promise and under-deliver, which I did with Cart Life."That last part is debatable – at the IGF awards, Cart Life picked up the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, the Nuovo Award for innovation, and the Excellence in Narrative award, for a cash total of $38,000. Blood of the Ortolan streamlines Hofmeier's development approach: It uses only mouse and touch interfaces. Yes, touch, since he has an "explicit interest" in getting Blood of the Ortolan onto mobile devices and consoles. First he'll see if Steam is interested in putting another one of his games on its service.Blood of the Ortolan, if it flows in Cart Life's vein, will be about food only on the surface, while the true tale unfolds within the interpersonal relationships and emotional, introspective tensions of real life."Money is of concern to everyone, much more so than, say, ammunition or military fundamentals or the vocabulary of racing," Hofmeier said. "We all worry about money. Also we all have to eat and we all confront the neuroses of food. It's one of those things that mainly when we're alone we feel that we are especially perverse in our relationship to food and then we find, maybe through catharsis, through art, that other people have these experiences too and maybe we have more in common than we might have thought otherwise."Don't expect Blood of the Ortolan to take it easy after Cart Life's positive public reception."If people put up with Cart Life, I feel like I've gotta try harder to upset them," Hofmeier said.
The original X-COM was briefly canceled, boosted by X-Files
X-COM is a household name among many gamers now, but the 1994 original almost never came to be. During an X-COM postmortem at GDC, creator Julian Gollop revealed that the original X-COM: UFO Defense was actually canceled for a brief period during 1993. At the time, the game's UK publisher, Microprose, had been purchased by Spectrum Holobyte. Looking over Microprose's portolio, Spectrum Holobyte was unimpressed with the in-development X-COM and decided to pull the plug. "They took one look at X-COM and said, 'Nah, we don't like this. Cancel this project,'" said Gollop. "The project was actually officially canceled."Unbeknownst to Spectrum Holobyte, Microprose allowed development to continue. "What happened was, that in Christmas 1993 Spectrum Holobyte wanted a product from Microprose UK for the end of their financial quarter, which was in March 1994," said Gollop. "And [Microprose publisher] Pete Moreland said, 'Well, you know this project you told us to cancel? Well, we still got it." The final three months of development were grueling, with Julian and his brother Nick working 7 days a week and putting in 12 hour days.Another interesting tidbit: X-COM was helped by the TV show The X-Files, which began airing in the US in 1993 (It's on Netflix, kids!). "When The X-Files was aired for the first time in September 1993, there was a real benefit for the game because it drew on a lot of the same source material," said Gollop. "So the whole theme of the game had a real hook, and it was just luck, really, that we had the X-Files on TV shortly before the game was launched."X-COM was a hit, selling 470,000 units worldwide as of 2000, earning Julian and his brother $1.57 million in royalties (and significantly more for Microprose). The game cost $180,000 to develop. After the game achieved such great success, Spectrum Holobyte demanded a sequel within six months.
GDC 2013: Age of Wushu's world is your playground
As Age of Wushu is just a couple of weeks away from launch at this point, catching up with Snail Games at GDC this year was one of our highest priorities. We tagged and bagged Associate Producer Colin Miller for a brief interview about the latest pre-launch decisions and preparations that the team is making. Miller had a lot to say about the tweaks and improvements that have been done to this martial arts sandbox. A huge amount of work has been poured into cleaning up the localization over the beta period, not to mention the interface. "Most of our feedback was pretty negative on the UI that we had in place, so we've been trying to rework that a bit," he said. "Hopefully there's going to be some improvements there." All systems are go for an April 10th launch, Miller assured us. Keep reading after the break for more on what Snail Games plans for Age of Wushu after it goes live.
Total War: Arena announced, enters free-to-play stadium
Total War developer Creative Assembly has just announced Total War: Arena, the company's first free-to-play game."Arena will focus entirely on online multiplayer, mixing elements of RTS and MOBA gameplay," the company stated.Those interested in the game can sign up for the coming closed beta; sign-ups are available at the Total War: Arena site.
YouTube API will allow video games to more easily stream in-game content
What's YouTube doing at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco? Talking about integration with video games, obviously. More specifically, the company is hoping to expand an idea we first noticed in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, whereby users could easily stream in-game content to YouTube. Clearly, the company worked in concert with Activision to make that possible, but forthcoming APIs will enable game developers far and wide to add the same functionality to other titles. Unfortunately, details remain murky regarding availability, but we are told that these new tools won't be limited to just consoles -- it sounds as if PC and mobile games will too be able to take advantage.
Diablo 3 Director Jay Wilson: Auction Houses 'really hurt' game
Former Diablo 3 Game Director Jay Wilson admitted during a talk at GDC 2013 in San Francisco that both of Diablo 3's Auction Houses (both the real-money and the in-game gold item auction house) "really hurt the game." Wilson said that before Blizzard launched the game, the company had a few assumptions about how the Auction Houses would work: He thought they would help reduce fraud, that they'd provide a wanted service to players, that only a small percentage of players would use it and that the price of items would limit how many were listed and sold.But he said that once the game went live, Blizzard realized it was completely wrong about those last two points. It turns out that nearly every one of the game's players (of which there are still about 1 million per day, and about 3 million per month, according to Wilson) made use of either house, and that over 50 percent of players used it regularly. That, said Wilson, made money a much higher motivator than the game's original motivation to simply kill Diablo, and "damaged item rewards" in the game. While a lot of the buzz around the game attacked the real money Auction House, "gold does much more damage than the other one does," according to Wilson, because more players use it and prices fluctuate much more."I think we would turn it off if we could," Wilson said during his talk. But the problem is "not as easy as that;" with all of Blizzard's current players, he says the company "has no idea" how many players like the system or hate it. Blizzard, Wilson said, doesn't want to remove a feature that lots of players will be unhappy to see go. But he did say that the team is working on a viable solution, without giving any other details about what that would be like.
Muramasa Rebirth finds new life on PS Vita 'early summer'
During a GDC demo of Muramasa Rebirth, the PS Vita port of Vanillaware's 2D action game Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Aksys PR coordinator Russell Iriye confirmed with Joystiq that the game is currently penciled in for "early summer.""We have not talked about a release date yet. Right now all we're saying is early summer. Within the next couple weeks we should be announcing that," Iriye said.Aksys will also offer a pre-order bonus for early Muramasa Rebirth commitment, plus a limited edition. The standard edition will run $39.99, while the limited edition will cost $59.99. Iriye couldn't reveal any of the contents in the limited edition yet.
Crawling in the dark in Among the Sleep
My demo of Among the Sleep begins in complete darkness, the sound of rain pattering a window somewhere. A woman informs me that it's time for bed and begins to sing a lullaby. The music stops and I open my eyes. Rising above me are the unmistakeable bars of a crib. I am a child, and my mother is missing. The next thing I see is my teddy bear slowly moving away from me – by itself. It slides to the back of the crib and up the bars. No, that's not quite right. It's being dragged out of the crib by some invisible force, which proceeds to carry it across the room and out the door.%Gallery-184161%
Overheard@GDC: 'Absolutely'
The PlayStation Vita Development panel featured a lineup of veteran Vita developers, who for an hour espoused the benefits of working with Sony and getting a game on its handheld platform. The panel featured Brian Provinciano of Retro City Rampage, Bobby King of Pinball Arcade, Chris Harvey of Guacamelee and Richard Hogg of Frobisher Says, and it was moderated by Gaijin Games' Alex Neuse.Neuse was interested in the panelists' answers since Runner 2 is on its way to Vita sometime in the summer. To help set his mind at ease, he asked the developers if their next games would show up on Vita."Yes," they all said. "Absolutely," one of them added. When Neuse later asked the crowd who was considering developing for Vita, a sea of hands shot straight up. For those interested in developing for Vita, a Sony representative suggested this website.
DayZ free-to-play was considered
During his GDC talk chronicling the ascension of the DayZ mod, creator Dean "Rocket" Hall revealed that there was a time – albeit a brief window – when he considered turning DayZ into a free-to-play game. "Every one likes having four Lamborghinis parked in their driveway," Hall joked."When I looked at signing with a bunch of companies, some of them were interested in free-to-play. We're talking a lot of money, like stupid money. I felt like – I just knew it wouldn't work. DayZ is about survival and not buying your way into it. I still think there's room for free-to-play games – I've got one idea I think could actually work quite well as a free-to-play game – but it's like trying to cram a round peg into a square hole."Hall also touched on the infamous shops found in some free-to-play games, where players can purchase good gear or bypass certain mechanics by throwing down real money. "The DayZ experience is about what you find in the world, so introducing a shop and things like that, like cosmetic items. It's not about cosmetic items, there are no cosmetic items in DayZ – it's not like, 'I worked at Burger King for an hour and bought this hat,' you know; it's 'I found that hat in a barn fight.'"DayZ standalone is currently in development at Bohemia Interactive. The alpha build isn't expected to launch until at least June.
Unity and 'Nintendo Web Framework' offer new Wii U dev tools
Announced during GDC yesterday, the Wii U's "Nintendo Web Framework" allows developers to use HTML5, Javascript, and CSS to make apps that can run on Wii U, supporting both GamePad and Wiimote controllers. We'd guess this would be most useful for app development, given the web focus of these languages, but it would be possible to make games as well.A more directly game-focused tech developers can use is Unity. The popular multiplatform development environment is available for Wii U as well, Nintendo revealed. Both of these technologies are advertised on Nintendo's GDC site, which also offers links to the developer questionnaire for those interested in becoming licensed Nintendo developers.
Heavy Gear Assault Kickstarter begins in April, open beta planned Q1 2014
Stompy Bot Productions and Mektek Studios' Heavy Gear Assault, being shown at GDC and revealed yesterday as an Unreal Engine 4 game, will launch its Kickstarter in two weeks. The companies are shooting for $800,000, planning the game for PC, Mac and Linux.The game will be free-to-play, but there will also be a subscription model at a "minimum price point" with dedicated servers and map editor to grow the community.Open beta is planned for the first quarter of 2014, with a closed beta "probably towards the end of the year." The pledge rewards will also grant access into the alpha. The company is still working out its reward tiers, but is talking console versions and some form of mobile integration with the game.
Leisure Suit Larry out second half of May, free-to-play Larry casino game in works
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards' HD remake will be available sometime between May 15 - 30, Replay Games CEO Paul Trowe told us at GDC. We got some time with the game, which we learned had many of its puzzles altered so fans of the original game can't just power through it. The game will be available on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Steam, Ouya, Linux and Blackberry.Asked what's next for Replay Games, Trowe told us they are weighing the options of remaking Leisure Suit Larry 2 or creating an eighth all-new installment in the series. Before that, Replay will create a free-to-play Leisure Suit Larry casino game. Asked if it'll be in the style of Sierra's Hoyle games series, Trowe replied, "We haven't written the design document yet."The LSL remake was funded through Kickstarter, receiving $655,182 in contributions. The update has been tweaked with new character models of sponsors and there's even a walk of shame outside Lefty's bar, with stars joking about specific about sponsors. Replay isn't planning on a Kickstarter for future games, with Trowe noting they should have the money off this game to fund future projects.
Metal Gear Solid 5's Fox Engine in pictures
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was the big news for Joystiq readers to come out of the Kojima Productions panel at GDC, but the studio also had a lot to say about the engine that powers the game, the Fox Engine. The talk involved a lot of technical terms we won't pretend to understand (linear workflow, something about "light probes"), but the pictures speak for themselves.Fox Engine allows for some impressive visuals, fueled by some interesting technology. One key component is the ability to scan real-life objects or take pictures of them to easily create in-game models and textures. Kojima Productions created an in-engine mock-up of its own studio conference room, and the result was eerily similar to the real thing. Using an array of cameras, the studio was able to fully scan a little boy into the Fox Engine with surprising fidelity and drop him right inside the virtual conference room alongside Snake and an enemy soldier.%Gallery-184157%
PAX East 2013: SOE's Linda Carlson on the state of the community
How many times have you found yourself asking, "Why won't the devs just listen?!" For any loyal MMO fan, it can be extremely frustrating to see feedback seemingly get ignored, and sometimes it feels as if there's a huge wall separating the fans from the developers. Linda Carlson, SOE's Director of Global Community Relations, spoke with Massively at this year's PAX East to talk about SOE's efforts to break down that wall and improve the relationship between players and developers into something that's more collaborative, rather than contentious. Whether you're the most loyal SOE fan or someone who's vowed never to play another SOE game, you might be surprised at what she has to say.
GDC 2013: DCUO's Andersen talks housing, hints at league version
We first learned about DC Universe Online's housing system last fall at SOE Live, where we got the scoop on the personal lairs coming in the Home Turf DLC from creative director Jens Andersen. At that time, he also shared his vision of expanding to include league housing sometime in the future. While sitting down with Andersen for a chat at GDC yesterday, the conversation turned to the now two-month-old housing system. The discussion included how the community was utilizing this unique blend of housing and PvP duels. Andersen then shared some tips for decorating with an eye towards battles; he also hinted that league housing may be slated for making an appearance in one of the game's upcoming DLCs.
GDC 2013: Dragon's Prophet demo and hands-on
Last fall, Runewaker and SOE announced Dragon's Prophet, a free-to-play fantasy game focused on -- you guessed it -- dragons. Since then, we've been treated to various videos detailing the classes, the starter zones, and other gameplay. Just last week the game entered closed beta in North America, allowing select folks the chance to get in and test out the current stage of the game. This week, I joined those folks in-game during my hands-on and demo at this year's GDC. I was also able to talk with senior producer Todd Carson and associate producer Rod Haza as they demonstrated different aspects of the game at the convention. What delectable tidbits of information about classes, housing, and (of course) dragons did I uncover? The answer awaits after the break.%Gallery-169367%
Microsoft showcases Windows Phone middleware partnerships at GDC, we go hands-on (video)
Building on yesterday's announcement that Temple Run and several other games are coming to Windows Phone, Microsoft's been actively courting developers at GDC 2013. To that end, the company's booth showcases several games that highlight cross-platform development and middleware. Now that WP8 and Windows 8 share the same NT kernel, DirectX APIs and tools, it's easier than ever to write games that use the same code base for both platforms. Microsoft is sweetening the deal with a few significant middleware partnerships -- Unity, Marmalade and Havok, to be specific. We talked with Larry Lieberman, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone development, who was kind enough to explain what these partnerships mean for developers and to give us a tour of the games. Hit the break for our hands-on video. %Gallery-184180%
Seen@GDC: The Phantom Kojima
When Hideo Kojima unveiled the trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, he did so while wearing a head bandage like the one worn in the game by the character known as Ishmael. (He took the bandage off later, so we know it was him.) Joakim Mogren, as far as we could see, was not in attendance.
Among the Sleep aiming for Q4 2013 release
Good news for fans of infant-based horror games, Among the Sleep is scheduled to arrive by the fourth quarter of 2013. At least, that's the plan according to developer Krillbite's Adrian Tingstad Husby. The studio is also planning a Kickstarter for the game this April.If you missed our earlier coverage, Among the Sleep is a horror game played through the eyes of an infant. We got a chance to play it at GDC, and hands-on impressions will be up later this week.
