Ragnar-Tornquist
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Dreamfall Chapters gameplay video shows social side of adventure game
Red Thread Games have released a gameplay demonstration video of Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, their Kickstarter-funded entry in the Longest Journey series. The video showcases almost 30 minutes of pre-alpha gameplay, complete with developer commentary. The game's dialogue system works a bit differently than most adventure games; before making a choice, a player will hear the thoughts of the character they are playing. This could help inform decisions or reveal more about a character. Creative Director Ragnar Tornquist states in the video that the feature will be of particular benefit to players who haven't played the previous two games in the series, since they'll be able to understand situations that would otherwise be confusing. When given a choice between mercy killing a prisoner, the team also showed how it was possible to bring up statistics that showed how many people chose each option. "We're giving sort of a social element to the single-player, story-based experience by letting you see what the world has chosen and what your friends have chosen," Tornquist says in the video. Tornquist also points out that while every moment can be shared, they don't have to be; players will have the option to turn off the feature. It won't be a long journey before players can test it out for themselves - Dreamfall Chapters is slated to arrive on PC, Mac and Linux in November of this year, with a Wii U release sometime after.
Are developers afraid of the MMO label?
MMOs are dead! Long live MMOs! In a recent editorial at Eurogamer, several top MMO developers chime in on the fate of our beloved genre. "I don't see the traditional MMO having much of a chance in the future, but games that bring tons of people together -- they're definitely going to exist," says Ragnar Tornquist who recently left Funcom to concentrate on a continuation of his The Longest Journey game series that was successfully Kickstarterted in March. Even the rare successful MMO companies are voicing a bit of concern. "Definitely the landscape of the industry is changing," says ArenaNet's MIke Zadorojny. But the editorial goes on to point out that it's not so much the genre that's changing, it's the label. Games are still massively, online, and multiplayer, but not in the traditional sense. Five years ago, everyone and their grandmother were making an MMO version of top IPs, but now, developers are actually distancing themselves from the three-letter buzzword. Ubisoft's The Division, Bungie's Destiny, and even the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls Online have all stated that their games are not traditional MMOs. So where are we headed, and how do you feel about the changes? Check out the full article for more and let us know what you think in the comments.
Chaos Theory: Reflecting on The Secret World's first year
Bring out the cake and light the candle! Exactly 365 days ago today, the MMO stork delivered a new bundle of joy to gamers, one with a modern setting, cerebral challenges, and a unique take on the genre. And now that little bundle has sprouted up, weathering its share of growing pains over the last 12 months to carve out its niche in the MMOverse. Happy first birthday, The Secret World! To commemorate this auspicious occasion, I was going to burst out in a traditional song, but then I got an even better idea. I decided to instead do that other mainstay staple that happens at the celebratory gatherings for youngsters: bring out the baby scrapbook! As both new friends and old gather together to help celebrate this milestone, join me in flipping through the the pages of TSW's memory album chronicling the ups and downs of its first year of life.
Chaos Theory: An adventure game is you!
I grew up on adventure games before I even knew they were called "adventure games." One of my earliest memories of a friend's computer was playing Adventure. Following that, I was hooked. Maniac Mansion. King's Quest. Zork. Planetfall. Leisure Suit Larry. Space Quest. The Secret of Monkey Island. Sam and Max Hit the Road. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Myst. Gabriel Knight. Syberia. The Longest Journey. Back to the Future. The Walking Dead. I've never stopped loving the fun of exploring these worlds, "earning" the next page of the story, and finding out all of the bizarre ways I could die. However, at some point in the '90s, games journalists apparently decided that "adventure games were dead." It's something we started hearing a lot of, especially in comparison to all of the fancy new graphics, gameplay features, and fast-paced shooters. Adventure games were seen as a relic of a time when computers couldn't process heavy graphic loads and players were a lot more patient. I never bought into the "adventure games are dead" mindset. I see them coming back like crazy these days, especially on tablets and mobile devices. And lo and behold, Funcom did something that I would have never thought possible: The studio made an MMO out of an adventure game. That's The Secret World, if you weren't following along.
Dreamfall Chapters stretch goals to be Mac, Linux releases, possibly Ouya, Steam Box
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is getting initial stretch goals for Mac and Linux versions in addition to PC, and potentially ones for Steam Box and Ouya too. Speaking in yesterday's Reddit AMA, series creator Ragnar Tørnquist confirmed Mac and Linux are to be the first additional platforms unlocked by achieving stretch goals, with iOS and Android stretch goals "definitely" in line beyond that. Tørnquist said he'd also love to bring the adventure game to Steam Box and Ouya, but only listed them as possibilities, while next-gen consoles would come after all of the other platforms, and even then wouldn't be a "focus area" for his team.When pushed about other stretch goals, Tørnquist indicated they'd be based around additional content like side stories and returning characters. He also hinted at "a pretty huge stretch goal" by cough-dropping the acronym 'TLJH.' Tørnquist mentioned TLJH earlier in the AMA when asked about the different challenges in making a 3D game as opposed to a 2D one, saying cryptically, "2D is easier, in a lot of ways. I'd like to go back to 2D again. We have had discussions. There are ideas. TLJH." Stretch goals are likely to play a big part for Dreamfall Chapters, given that the fundraiser sits at just over $600,000 of its $850,000 target at the time of writing, with 26 days left to go. An update on the Kickstarter page says developer Red Thread Games will divulge more on the stretch goals once it's in "battling range" of the $850K finish line, so expect them to be revealed shortly.
The Longest Journey creator Ragnar Tørnquist opens up in Reddit AMA
Ragnar Tørnquist, the creator of The Longest Journey adventure game saga and founder of Red Thread Games, is answering all the leftover questions from his mind-numbing puzzles with an Ask Me Anything thread on Reddit, right now. Tørnquist and Red Thread have a live Kickstarter for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, a continuation of the Dreamfall tale that's been rooting around development for six years. If all goes as planned and the Kickstarter raises $850,000, Dreamfall Chapters is scheduled to launch on PC in November 2014.If you have a question for Tørnquist, check out the AMA thread on Reddit, but be warned, hackmed already asked the most important question: "How the hell did you guys come up with that rubber ducky puzzle?"
Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter goes live, aiming for Nov. 2014 release
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey launched this morning, and Ragnar Tørnquist's Red Thread Games hopes to conjure at least $850,000 in funding through it. That's the amount the Norwegian developer envisions will be enough to bring the Dreamfall sequel to a digital launch on PC in November 2014.Although Red Thread secured $175,000 via the Norwegian Film Institute to help resurrect its classic adventure series, the developer revealed it was planning a Kickstarter campaign soon after announcing Chapters. Red Thread says it needs the additional funds to expand its development team, acquire hardware and software licenses, and for other base costs.Chapters sees players reprise the role of Dreamfall heroine Zoë Castillo, taking her back to the twin worlds of Stark, and its science-heavy cyberpunk motif, and Arcadia, a magical and capricious reflection of the human world. Chapters introduces a new landscape too, Storytime, which Red Thread describes as a "mysterious dreaming realm... where every story begins, and where dreams come to life." Chapters also continues the storyline of The Longest Journey protagonist April Ryan, answering the question hanging over her fate from the previous games.Red Thread announced this week it's partnering with Blink Studios on Chapters, meaning Christer Sveen, art director on Dreamfall, is now on board. Chapters also welcomes back to the series Dreamfall co-writer Dag Scheve.Red Thread has yet to outline any stretch goals. The developer is offering a variety of game editions through various pledge rewards, but the base cost to secure a copy of the game is $20 for 5000 early-bird funders, or $25 for those who aren't so quick on the pledge button.%Gallery-178358%
First Dreamfall Chapters screen, details revealed
No, you're not dreaming, that's an actual work-in-progress screenshot from Ragnar Tornquist and Red Thread Games' Dreamfall Chapters. Beyond the single screen, the Red Thread website provided a handful of details about the long-awaited continuation of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.The game will return to the magical city of Marcuria some time after Dreamfall: The Longest Journey took place, and "things have changed." Exactly how they've changed is something Red Thread is keeping secret for now.Furthermore, the game will take place across multiple seasons, with the new screenshot representing autumn. And that's really all we know for the moment, though Red Thread promises "tons more very soon."
Dreamfall Chapters production to be funded by Kickstarter
Dreamfall Chapters is the long-awaited return of a classic adventure game series, so you've probably already guessed that it'll be funded by Kickstarter."We will be doing a Kickstarter," creator Ragnar Tørnquist told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "Not right now, but we will be doing it in the near future, simply because although we received a grant from the Norwegian Film Institute, which was announced today, that is only for the preproduction phase. That allows us to get started on a prototype but in order to fully develop Dreamfall Chapters we're going to need more money and we will be going to Kickstarter."The new studio working on Dreamfall Chapters, Red Thread Games, will be "completely independent of Funcom," Tørnquist said, though Tørnquist will continue to work as creative director on The Secret World for Funcom, and the two companies will share revenue from Dreamfall.
Ragnar Tørnquist returning to his roots with Dreamfall Chapters
In September Funcom announced that Joel Bylos was taking over Ragnar Tørnquist's position of game director for The Secret World, leaving many of us wondering what the mastermind behind the renowned The Longest Journey series was getting up to. Well, now we finally know, and fans of TLJ will certainly be pleased to discover that Tørnquist is returning to his roots. Today, Ragnar announced that his new studio, Red Thread Games, is commencing development of Dreamfall Chapters, which will continue the story that began with The Longest Journey over a decade ago. Rock, Paper, Shotgun has posted a new interview with Tørnquist detailing what lies ahead for the world of Dreamfall and how Ragnar's new gig will affect his work on The Secret World (spoiler alert: He's remaining on the TSW team as Creative Director), so whether you're an avid adventure gamer or a die-hard fan of TSW, it's certainly worth a read. For all the juicy details, just click on through the link below to get to the full interview.
Dreamfall Chapters completes The Longest Journey to pre-production
Dreamfall Chapters is finally in pre-production, five years after first being announced by Funcom as a sequel to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. The long-hoped-for Chapters is being developed by series creator Ragnar Tørnquist at new studio Red Thread Games. Tørnquist is maintaininig an "advisory role" as creative director on Funcom MMO The Secret World, with Joel Bylos stepping up as game director.Funding and production are being handled by Red Thread, with Funcom licensing out the IP with an agreement to share revenue. Tørnquist revealed today The Norwegian Film Institute has provided $175,000 to assist Red Thread with pre-production.In 2008, Tørnquist admitted Chapters was far from Funcom's highest priority, but hadn't been abandoned. Four years on and with The Secret World now released into the wild, Tørnquist has kept his word.
Funcom hints at Halloween tricks and treats in The Secret World
In a blog post prefaced with a spoiler alert, Senior Designer Tanya Short delved into The Secret World's upcoming Halloween event that was initially mentioned when The Cat God went live. Players already know that Halloween plays prominently in the game, as holiday decorations abound throughout Solomon Island, and Ragnar Tornquist himself likened it to Christmas in terms of holiday importance for TSW. The official spook day content will be released around October 15th. According to Short, players can look forward to a more light-hearted experience than the main plot. In fact, she states, "Halloween should be more like 'an episode of Buffy.'" The storyline will begin in Kingsmouth and will flesh out a couple of cat characters who have been waiting in the wings as well as add depth to the stories of two known characters. Stonehenge is also in the spotlight, and players can get a Head-O-Lantern for a limited time. For more details (and a close up look at Irusan, King of Cats), check out the full dev blog.
Funcom: Secret World 'not going free-to-play any time soon' [Updated]
Funcom's still riding the roller-coaster that is The Secret World, but as of today the Norwegian development firm has no plans to do away with the game's subscription fee. "No it's not going free-to-play any time soon," Funcom communications director Erling Ellingsen told Eurogamer. "There's currently no plans for making it free-to-play." The game is in fact profitable as a subscription title, Ellingsen says, and creative director Ragnar Tornquist says that Funcom has content plans laid out through May of 2013. Tornquist and game director Joel Bylos spend a good bit of the interview talking about the challenges TSW faced last summer, from mediocre reviews to the need to launch and enable continued development to the stiff MMO competition. "MMOs are hugely expensive, and of course Guild Wars 2 has sold a lot, and of course it's a big success. That game cost a lot of money and they're going to have to sell a lot of copies, especially without a subscription model. It is a dangerous path," Tornquist said. "It might be the right path for MMOs; as a consumer, as a player, I appreciate it. As a developer I'm with Joel in thinking that it is unfortunate for a lot of smaller companies or medium-sized companies." [Update: TSW may not be going F2P soon, but it's certainly getting cheaper. Tipster Brant points out that the game is currently 50% off on Steam.]
The Secret World gets a new game director, title and date of Issue #3 announced [Updated]
Funcom's finally named a replacement for The Secret World's game director spot: Joel Bylos. Bylos is moving up from his previous position as lead content designer, and Ragnar Tørnquist is pulling back from his role as senior producer to pour his energies into being creative director. Bylos is psyched at the move: "Being given the opportunity to lead the game into a bold, new future is definitely a dream come true for me. I am very proud of what we as a team have created with The Secret World, and it is truly a brilliant canvas that will allow us to create more groundbreaking MMO experiences for many years to come. The Secret World is only really getting started, and with a game world that draws upon our own, real world, there is no limit to what sort of amazing stories we can tell and fantastic locations we can visit in the upcoming content updates." Bylos and Tørnquist are hard at work leading the team through the next two patches. Funcom announced that this month's Issue #3 is titled The Cat God and Issue #4 will feature the New York City monster raid. [Update: We've now learned that Issue #3 releases tomorrow. Thanks to Dalazar and Elania for the tip!]
Chaos Theory: The Secret World's bright (player-driven?) future
Apologies for not following through with part three of my crafting guide this week. I fully intended to do so, but a couple of interesting things happened over the past few days that merit some discussion. First off, Ragnar Tornquist published what can only be called a defiant state of the game letter. The Secret World's creative director engaged in some rabble-rousing penmanship that managed to inspire a metaphorical fist-pump from yours truly, even though I've been covering games long enough to cast a cynical eye toward similar rally-the-troops developer rhetoric. Tornquist admitted that TSW's competition is stiff, in particular new releases like Guild Wars 2 and Mists of Pandaria, but he didn't shy away from singing his game's praises. More importantly, he reiterated what early adopters have known for a while now: The Secret World is that increasingly rare MMO horse of a different color, and despite financial and personnel losses, Funcom knows it has a winner on its hands and is fighting to keep it.
Funcom assures players of The Secret World's 'bright future'
After increasingly bad news out of Funcom in regard to The Secret World's unexpectedly low sales, Creative Director and Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist penned a State of the Game address today outlining the studio's plans for keeping The Secret World just as it is. "We're not going to play it safe," Tørnquist assures players. "We won't be introducing classes or levels, elves or dwarves, and regardless of the competition, we won't back down from our original vision. We're going to keep doing what we're good at. We'll continue to push the boundaries, and we'll keep reinventing the wheel (quite literally). Five years ago, we set out to revolutionise the genre, and the revolution has just begun." Tørnquist points to a "bright future" for The Secret World with the upcoming second issue, named Digging Deeper, and a third yet-unnamed issue that will tie in with the game's Halloween event.
Sound guru brings The Secret World's ur draug monster to life
If you've ever wondered how MMO sound designers do their thing, a new developer video by Creating Sound will probably be music to your ears. Sound designer and "audio generalist" Alexandre Saba takes us through the creation of The Secret World's ur draug sound suite. What the heck is an ur draug? It's a "creature from the deepest, darkest oceans, a Lovecraftian, god-like creature," according to TSW creative director Ragnar Tornquist. Since Funcom couldn't just go out and mic the nearest ur draug, it turned to Saba, who performs a number of foley tricks to bring the creature's bellow, skin, and wing sounds to life. Look, listen, and learn after the cut.
The Secret World devs to host exclusive livestream on Friday the 13th
Forget superstition: This Friday the 13th is a lucky day for The Secret World fans who want to delve deeper into the world of conspiracies. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. EDT, Creative Director and Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist and Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos will host a livestream of themselves playing select parts of the game while offering commentary and discussing the development process. To watch, join TSW's official Twitch.TV channel, TheSecretWorld. Don't want to wait until tomorrow to see some The Secret World action? Then watch Massively TV tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT for a two-hour special stream showing off investigation missions. You can still catch the special developer livestream tomorrow! [Source: Funcom press release]
Chaos Theory: Tornquist on The Secret World's launch, future
You know, this is probably obvious if you've read my coverage of The Secret World thus far, but I'll just go ahead and fess up: I dig the game, and watching Funcom knock the cover off the ball is gratifying in a strange sort of way. That's why I didn't get too upset when my opportunity to interview creative director Ragnar Tornquist was upstaged by the firm's huge news dump this afternoon. The company shocked gamers and industry watchers by promising monthly content updates and a whole bunch of other stuff, some of which I had asked about in a series of questions we sent Funcom earlier in the week. The resulting answers are still worth a read, though, particularly if you're pinching yourself over TSW's successful launch and its rosy future.
The Secret World to feature new content 'on a regular, monthly basis'
Ragnar Tornquist has taken to The Secret World forums to deliver the title's inaugural state-of-the-game post. It's an exciting read for fans of Funcom's horror/conspiracy MMO, as he hints at quite a few updates and surprises waiting in the wings. "We're going to be releasing fresh and tasty new content to our subscribers on a regular, monthly basis," Tornquist says, before going on to explain that Funcom's version of fresh and tasty includes monthly mission packs. New investigation, action, and sabotage missions are in the works, all of them featuring full voice, cutscenes, and media pop-ups. Improved character customization options are incoming, as is TSW's first raid (apparently set in New York City). Oh, did we mention new weapon types and a new PvP dungeon in a new geographical area? Yeah, that's coming too. So is a dungeon finder tool, seasonal events, and "two large, new and incredibly exciting adventure zones." Still not satisfied? OK, how about new pets and new social functionality designed to "allow roleplayers and would-be thespians to spread their wings?" We think that just about covers it, but in case we missed something, check out the full letter on TSW forums.
