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From Firaxis to Maxis: Civ IV designer leaves to work on Spore
Soren Johnson, lead designer for Civilization IV, has left his nearly seven-year gig at Firaxis to work on Will Wright's Spore. Johnson had previously worked with Spore publisher Electronic Arts when he interned there and programmed for the PlayStation titles Knockout Kings 2000 and 2001. The news originally surfaced earlier today on Civilization site Apolyton and was later confirmed by Electronic Arts, according to GameSpot. The decision requires Johnson to move from Maryland to California. There is no indication as to why Johnson left Firaxis or in what facet he is helping with Spore this late in the game's development cycle. (The title, having been in development since 2000, is scheduled for release by the end of this year.) Of course, there's the obvious possibility he'll be helping out with the civilization phase of the game. Johnson's personal blog has not been updated since this year's Game Developers Conference. As Gamasutra notes, Johnson had been working on an original IP for Firaxis; its fate is currently unknown.
'Sims' credit card will buy everything but a life
The official Sims 2 site is featuring a page of four different Visa credit card designs inspired by the game, encouraging fans to vote for their favorites. The site gives no info other than the cryptic announcement that the card will be "coming soon." While many Sims players seem to think it's a late April Fool's joke, so far it appears to be real. That means you'll be able to spend real dollars with a card promoting a product that turned consumerism into a game. Anyone else's brain exploding right about now?
SXSW: Joystiq live at the Will Wright keynote [Update 1]
We're live in Austin, front and center for the Will Wright keynote speech, where the attendees seem a lot more excited for this one than they did for the Dan Rather speech yesterday. I guess that might change if Dan Rather was actually working on a groundbreaking new game that has almost as much buzz around it as the Apple iPhone.Will Wright is wandering around visiting with peeps, and he his arm in a sling for some reason. As we find out, we'll let you know. Maybe he's been spending too much time Spore-ing.1:56pm: They've started playing celestial new-agey Yanni-type music and showing slides of the solar system. Maybe Will Wright has decided to become the new Carl Sagan. Now the music sounds like a twangy version of the Firefly theme song. Browncoats, FTW! The slides keep pulling farther back and showing beelyuns and beelyuns of galaxies and stars.2:06pm: Will Wright is sitting right in front of us and talking with a Tucker Carlson lookalike, complete with floppy hair and bow-tie. Wright is wearing a sort of muscle-shirt combo with the sling. It's very steampunk and aggro. We snuck a look at his XPS laptop on the stage .... no screensaver.%Gallery-2103%
Spore's power struggle: freedom vs. beauty
What is a magic crayon? If you're envisioning Harold and his purple outlet of creativity, you wouldn't be far off from the intended metaphor. Chaim Gingold, design lead for Spore's editors and cell game, described the magic crayon as a toy that is simple to use and yet gives the user enough power to create something they'll appreciate. Gingold kicked off his presentation, one of the last after a marathon of lectures and roundtables at this year's Game Developers Conference, by defining a magic crayon through example. Photoshop is not a good magic crayon, for example, because it is very hard for most people to use. Neither is Super Mario Bros., since you are not changing anything in the world. Kid Pix fits the schema for a magic crayon, as does the Mii creator, which is an "absolutely beautiful, wonderful magic crayon," he said.
Another side to Chris Hecker's duct tape rant
If you've followed the Game Developers Conference at all, you probably heard about Maxis programmer Chris Hecker comments that the Wii is nothing more than two GameCubes duct tape together (though, to be fair, that's a 0.5 upgrade from comments that the Wii is "GameCube 1.5"). We're willing to wager that "Product X is just two Product Ys duct tape together" is on track to becoming a popular phrase in gaming circles.Kim Pallister of Microsoft Casual Games has risen to Hecker's defense, which ultimately led to an apology we feel was somewhat coerced by his overlords at EA and Maxis. The major point in Hecker's argument is that having an innovative control system "should not give them a 'get out of jail free card' on the fact that they have delivered an underpowered machine," according to Pallister's interpretation. And by underpowered, Hecker is referring to computations and not the graphics system, which puts his rant in line with what he said last year that the PS3 and Xbox 360 also underperform in terms of computational power while focusing on a graphics-heavy system.We're not going to take sides on his point that Nintendo needs to "recognize and push games as a serious art form," though the statement does make for a great discussion. We will say all three companies have pushed for more involvement with independent developers. (Microsoft has Castle Crashers and Roboblitz, Sony has flOw and LittleBigPlanet and Nintendo has Line Rider and possibly Telltale's Sam & Max.)Don't forget about the heap of praise that the IGDA community gave Hecker just last year after winning the Community Contribution Award. Though, to be fair, that award is just two IGF awards duct taped together.
GDC 07: MySims goes to Wii, gets rid of pee
"OMG! The Wii is so cool," an enthusiastic female developer screams during a GDC session. That developer is Robin Hunicke, designer of the upcoming Wii-exclusive MySims. Designing the title began long before the team had a chance to get their hands on the system, so they had to rely on the "aesthetic" of Nintendo's advertising. "We wanted to bring The Sims to the Wii in a way that we could say we were at home on the Wii," she said, trying to find a unique look, style and feel for the Wii version.Converting a game for play on Wii doesn't necessarily mean changing everything. What the team focused on was how it feels to touch the characters on screen with the Wiimote: wild, flailing actions probably wouldn't be appropriate for a title such as this. One of the biggest changes that needed to be made was how the game was managed: there was a great deal of opposition to focusing on a single character (rather than a large family), and there was an even greater uproar against the loss of urination, and other micromanagement features.Streamlining The Sims process was key to moving the franchise to the Wii, and that's where the character designs came from. Although they look strangely like Mii, the look wasn't based on Nintendo's character creation system. The lead character designer, when showing off her simplified look for Wii Sims, was told: "it's perfect."See also:Joystiq: Moving The Sims from PC to WiiGallery: MySims design processGallery: MySims
Japanese hardware sales, Feb. 19 - Feb. 25: Angry ranting edition
You know, you know what? We've had it up to here with some of the things we have to deal with everyday, and dammit, we think it's time we let people know. This crap has to stop.Where to start? Let's talk about the freaking CPUs they stick us with here at the Fanboy offices. Intel Core 2 Duo's: pathetic. We mean, what the hell? It's like two normal Intel processors duct-taped together. Look, we need insane processing power to make these blog posts funny and interesting, you know? These conditions are unworkable. And let's not even mention roller coasters. Mechanical and electrical engineers just aren't taking these things seriously enough; they need to start using the medium for proper artistic expression. We need to tell a story full of meaning and character depth during these rides, or people are going to feel unfulfilled and pissed off, like us. And we're really pissed right now.Finally, to Maxis, developers of the best-selling PC game of all-time and the future title Spore, expected to perhaps exceed that mark set by the exemplary Sims some years back: make a game that doesn't suck ass, okay?Ugh, these numbers? Where is the emotion? Where is the meaning? Life is so meaningless ....- DS Lite: 111,814 24,314 (17.86%) - PSP: 66,156 34,054 (33.96%)- Wii: 57,972 20,534 (26.16%) - PS3: 44,000 24,685 (127.80%) - PS2: 15,364 310 (2.06%) - Xbox 360: 3,379 804 (19.22%) - Game Boy Micro: 805 102 (11.25%) - GBA SP: 738 297 (28.70%) - Gamecube: 303 20 (6.19%) - DS Phat: 112 20 (15.15%) - GBA: 25 34 (57.63%)[Source: Media Create]
He feels bad and stuff: A public apology from the Wii ranter
So remember that raving lunatic who badmouthed the Wii in a GDC free-for-all bash-fest a few days ago? Well, after a phone call from EA threatening to fire his ass he feels really bad, and recently came forward with a public apology. Chris Hecker, programmer for Maxis, says:"When I'm on stage, I'm me -- I'm not representing EA or Maxis. I do not think the Wii is a piece of shit."Know this, Hecker. We do not forgive you. In fact, we feel a satiric mood coming on right about now ... stay tuned.[Thanks, Markus!]
Sorry, the Wii isn't crap
It seems like just yesterday Maxis programmer Chris Hecker mentioned the words "Wii" and "piece of shit" in the same sentence. He also said the system was nothing more than two GameCubes duct-taped together. The internets took those words, spread them like a delicious marmalade, and soon everyone was digesting it. The EA bosses got wind of the situation and decided they didn't much care for the Anti-Nintendo-flavored jam, so they had a chat with Chris.Hecker has made a formal statement retracting his remarks, saying they were all made in fun but went a little over the top. He also uttered statements like, "When I'm on stage, I'm me -- I'm not representing EA or Maxis"; and, "I do not think the Wii is a piece of shit." Even though Nintendo-brand Teleprompters weren't sighted, he continued to praise the company for their efforts in innovation and controller interface technology. Sounds like EA showed up at Hecker's front door with an offer he couldn't refuse.
Wright lets dev team talk Spore
Given the conference's acronym, it only seems fit that Will Wright's ambitious Spore have a presentation at this year's Design, Innovate, Create and Entertain (D.I.C.E.) Summit. However, in an atypical move for the Sims mastermind, Wright asked four members of his development team to do most of the talking. Ocean Quigley, Chaim Gingold, Jenna Chalmers and Alex Hutchinson discussed their roles in the development cycle and explained the hardship of trying to make the game not only work, but work efficiently and with as simple amount of input possible from the player: Quigley focused on the challenges of letting players create their own species and objects while avoiding any potential problems associated with said freedom. Gingold discussed making object editors simple and powerful, expressing his mantra that "if [the game testers] don't notice that it sucks, then it must be good." Chalmers' presentation outlined all their ideas for the space travel missions, and how she hopes the final game will be able to create new, entertaining missions on the fly. Though she noted that many ideas will not make it to publication, one mission that gave us a chuckle was having to drop a T. Rex onto an unsuspecting planet. Hutchinson's speech covered his role as the overall gameplay designer, and lauds Spore for its ability to splice genres. Wright's example of "an interstellar war between the Care Bears and the Klingons" keeps us intrigued on the title, so long in development already. However, even though Wright has a great track record with delivering on promised goods, we can't help but worry Spore won't live up to the enormous hype that follows it around. We'll find out later this year when Spore spawns on the PC and, eventually, every platform known to the human race.See Also: Joystiq Video: Wired Spore Event, featuring Will Wright and Robin Williams
Joystiq interviews Spore's Chaim Gingold and Chris Hecker
On the first day of the Montreal International Game Summit, Chaim Gingold and Chris Hecker presented a keynote on the topic of "advanced prototyping," specifically as to how it pertains to Spore, the game that currently occupies their time over at EA/Maxis. The same talk, given at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, was rated higher than any other presentation, including Will Wright's, their boss's. Before the keynote, Joystiq had a chance to chat with both Chaim and Chris, and discuss their impetus for joining Maxis, the evolution of Spore, and the relationship between Maxis and EA.You're both at Maxis now. How did each of you get there?CHRIS HECKER: We both started full-time the same day, actually.CHAIM GINGOLD: Yeah. I was at Georgia Tech doing a masters program in integration design and technology, and there was a required internship over the summer. My advisor asked me "where are you going to work?" And I was like "I don't know." She was like "Didn't you have an interest in working with games?" and I was like "It would be fun to work with Will Wright, not that that would ever happen. That would be totally crazy." And then one day I got an e-mail from him, saying "We're looking for interns." And then an hour later I got an email back saying "You got it." And so I got the internship, and at the time there were like four or five people working on Spore. That sort of really small team, and I spent the summer working on that. Everyone was crunching on TSO [The Sims Online], and when I got done they asked me back, so I came back.When was that?CG: I've been there four, five years now.CH: So, I was working in indie games for, like, eight years, and my wife was basically paying the mortgage. She kinda had the high-powered, executive job. And then, we had a baby, and she decided: "Well, I'm quitting. It's your turn to actually work." And I was like "Uh-oh! I guess I'm going to have to make some money." Indie games don't pay that well.
The New Yorker on Will Wright (in 10,000 words or less)
Will Wright is the ultimate spokesperson for gaming. The same way Bill Gates made being a nerd not only acceptable, but desirable, Wright embodies everything that can be great about video games. Writers find in him a sort of mad scientist, with an impish grin and a clever streak running through him a mile long (he's done the calculations to determine how many stars have received radio broadcasts of The Dukes of Hazzard). He's the "god of God games," an innovator, a risk-taker, a rainmaker. He's a "genius," with the backstory and the charisma to make it palatable to the masses. And that's who his story is being told to.Rarely do we see the sort of long thoughtful hagiography in the enthusiast press that we often find about Wright in the mainstream press. A recent New York Times Magazine piece revered him as "the most famous and most critically acclaimed designer in the young medium's history." This week's The New Yorker dedicates an incredible 10,000 words to the "game master," covering everything from the history of Electronic Arts to panspermia to his affinity for dueling robots (seriously) to the negative impressions of video games that Wright himself, as a personality, does so much to disassemble. How much can you really criticize a game whose primary influence is the convergence of Drake's equation and The Powers of Ten?And that's why every time Wright is put on a pedestal -- as a creator, as an artist, and as a genius -- it advances the acceptance and appreciation of video games far more rapidly than the industry's ballooning profits ever have. [Thanks, Andrew]
Sims 2 Pets will be shedding on the Mac
See Sim Spot run. See Sim Spot chew your Sim's shoes and then chase the Sim neighbor's Sim cat up a tree. Life is about to get a lot hairier for your Sims, but at least Mac gamers will be getting their creature comforts in November, just a few weeks after PC owners. The Sims 2 Pets is the fourth expansion pack in the series, and will feature over 80 breeds of dogs and cats. Better get out the Sim vacuum. See also: Sims on a plane
Sims on a plane
Electronic Arts is working with Pogo.com -- purveyor of casual internet games -- and in-flight entertainment company DTI Software to expand its dominance into the air. Even on flights, the jabbering tone of Simlish will pull you away from loved ones, sleep, and work. DTI expects The Sims 2 and a handful of Pogo's games will be added to its in-flight service by Q3 2007. Specific rollout will relate to individual airlines, but DTI tells us that it expects the games to be offered on portable media players throughout the cabins. These games are often free, but pricing will also be determined by carriers. Most of all, we want to play our DS Wi-Fi in the air, but Boing's Boeing's Connexion has recently been shelved. While other WiFi options might fill that market, we like seeing these casual games offered to people who don't travel with handhelds. Anything that gets gaming exposed to non-gamers seems good.
Sims 2 wins best Mac game award
Aspyr Media's latest newsletter features a summary of the company's participation at last month's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, where they took home the Best Mac OS X Game award for The Sims 2. Also recognized in the Apple Design Awards was runner-up Wing Nuts 2: Raina's Revenge from Freeverse. While Apple isn't doing much for Mac gaming on the hardware front, Aspyr discusses their plans for using OS X Leopard's XCode developer toolset in future Mac game releases. You can download the Universal Binary update for The Sims 2 here.
VG Cats' Spore creatures brought to life
Will Wright, Inc. have a giant man-crush on VG Cats. It all started after the webcomic made a strip about the worst-case scenarios of Spore's creature-making system, entitled "Wright to Life." The folks at Maxis caught wind of the comic and revised the comic, replacing every hand-drawn creature with accurate depictions made in-game.If that was not awesome enough, Maxis this week sent VG Cats author Scott Ramsoomair Spore figurines identical to his creations. You can view pictures (compliments of Scott's mom) here. How's that for customer service?See Also:Our one of a kind Spore figurineValve lets fan tour studio, play Portal[Thanks, Sam and Kyle!]
The return of Sim City
That's right. The game that sucked up hundreds of your precious hours as you lovingly crafted your commercial zones and coal-based power plants is coming to a DS near you...as long as you live slightly east of the Asian mainland, that is. The latest issue of Famitsu has confirmed a special DS version of the classic Sim City 3000 (considered by many to be the best in the series) coming to Japan, complete with full stylus control. And that's not all! They've even thrown in some extras: mini-games and a special advisor to help you fend off those alien invasions. Sweet. Sim City does nothing but bring back ever-so-fond memories for a very, very large group of people. Though a North American release has not been confirmed, it would be absolute lunacy for EA to ignore such a guaranteed and obvious profit. With any luck, you'll be giving those silly college-trained civil engineers a run for their money soon enough.[via Joystiq]
Another Spore model; get your own "for a fee" [update 1]
Randall wasn't the only Joystiq special correspondent to get his virtual Spore creation brought kicking and screaming into physical space. C.K. received his figurine and managed to throw 65 images onto his Flickr account. He writes:"I designed a Spore creature while I was at E3, and the nice people at EA were kind enough to make it into a little 3-D figurine like the ones they had sitting around their booth and ship it to me. It has two heads, one bird-like and the other more like a moose, with large fighting arms."Three readers also tipped us off to three separate works discussing the future availability of mail-order Spore creatures. Clayton sent in a link to a Discover Magazine article that reveals, "In Spore, a player can animate any creature imaginable; for a fee, it can be made into a three-dimensional reality." For a fee, eh? Darius pointed us to Next Generation, who speculate "it is likely that a model-making service (which will probably require payment) will be available when the game appears." So don't be jealous. If the stars align just so, we'll all have our very own Spore figurines come Q2 2007.Matt noted the following paragraph while readingThe Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Wired Magazine's Chris Anderson: "Will Wright, the legendary video-game designer, is putting the finishing touches on his next game, Spore. In it, you'll be able to evolve your own creature, imbuing it with traits and characteristics of your own design. If you like your work, you'll be able to upload your creation to the Spore servers. And then, for about $20, you can have it 3D printed onto a real action figure – colors, texture, and all. Each one is unique and will show up at your front door in a week or two." This is the first time we're seeing a price ... and $20 sounds reasonable to us. Does that include shipping, guys?[Thanks for the links, Clayton and Darius ... and Matt!][update 1: Added the bits from The Long Tail. Thanks, Matt!]
Our one of a kind Spore figurine
Some Joystiq readers will no doubt be jealous when we remind them of how Joystiq special correspondent Randall Bennett got to play Spore behind closed doors at E3. And again when he got to see Robin Williams crack jokes while making his own creature at that Wired party.Well, our jealousy was rekindled when, after some months, Randall's friendly neighborhood UPS guy rang his bell to deliver a Spore figurine identical to the character he had designed at E3. They should definitely have a service so consumers can order their own custom figurine. More pics after the break.
OMG SPORE R0X0Rz!!!1!
While I was busy banging out uber sweet videos, a lot of people were standing in lines at E3. Two main groups camped out for hours just to get a glimpse of the future of gaming: in one, the line stretched the length of the entire hall, brimming with gamers eager to get their hands on the Wii; meanwhile, at EA's booth, eager gamers had a chance to see Spore played by the designer himself, Will Wright.While you may have seen our demo video earlier -- which it turns out is virtually the same demo shown on the show floor -- I didn't get a chance to post my perspective until now. It may sound hyperbolic to say that Spore will change gaming forever and surpass Wright's other franchise, The Sims, to become biggest selling PC game of all time, but once you look at the video for yourself and get to actually, y'know, play the game, you may feel the same way.
