Spore GDC Video Presentation Online

[Evil Avatar]

Following a brief period of free registration, you can view Will Wright's GDC presentaion online on GDCTV (http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/), where he discusses his new game creation, Spore.

[Tricky Thumb]

I love Will Wright.

That presentation made me love videogames all over again.

[Varsity]

Ack, they still make you use that horrific 'media player'. Wish me luck...

[Varsity]

It cuts out half way through, just after they get past demoing that carnivorous Care Bear. :( What I did see was excellent, though. The audience are a bunch of sycophants! :p

[Morrolan]

It didn't cut out for me. Try playing it again. The stuff at the end is some of the most impressive stuff in it.

I'm psyched. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that I will find the game to be a tedious but necessary drudge to get money to pay for what will be the REAL fun: the design spaces.

[Tricky Thumb]

Seriously, words just don't really do this game justice. I've read little tidbits on this thing, but seeing the creator in action and the whole thing working really hammers it into your brain that this game truly is for everyone. It seems like anyone can have fun with this game if they just sit down and give it a go.

[KDups]

This will be the new Sims, and most likely 2006's GOTY. If it shapes up of course, but that presentation was pretty damn amazing. It should only get better.

[feeble]

Was there anything missing from his speak that he said at E3?
As this speak was before E3.

But I have a new found respect for Will Wright. Spores is something that i will definently pick up when it eventually comes out. and you all shall fear my creations. buhahahaha.

[Varsity]

It didn't cut out for me. Try playing it again. The stuff at the end is some of the most impressive stuff in it.
Thing is, you can't skip ahead or behind without it screwing up so I'd have to sit through the thirty or forty minutes of footage I've already seen.

[Tricky Thumb]

Thing is, you can't skip ahead or behind without it screwing up so I'd have to sit through the thirty or forty minutes of footage I've already seen.

Worked just fine for me, I've watched it twice now and the second time I just popped through to the best parts with the slider.

In any case, Will Wright has always delivered on his games. At the very least I can say I've enjoyed any game he's personally worked on. Spore however, seems to be his magnum opus and I'm all over that. I can't wait to terraform planets, oh there will be many days of terraforming planets.

[SlamDunk]

I'm using Firefox and I had no problems skipping to whatever part of the video I wanted. Just click and drag the slider and wait patiently for a short while and it'll resume playing.

- - - -

I just loved all the procedural stuff that was displayed in the video. So cool :)

[Vjornaxx]

Wow! OK, I'm convinced. When is this game coming out?

[Tricky Thumb]

Wow! OK, I'm convinced. When is this game coming out?

Not soon enough, but I think it's coming out late next year.

[Stooby]

Wow, this was one of the most impressive game designs I have ever seen. This has me extremely excited.

[Heretic Machine]

Wil Wright: The Man Who Invents Genres.

[Rommel]

Will Wright: The Man Peter Molyneux wishes he could be

[Deadend]

Will Wright: Making me buy a EA game.

[Mason]

Will Wright: Making me buy a EA game.

Curse that handsome devil!

I mean, how weird is it that he's making innovative games...for EA? If someone rescued him from all those money hats, would he be cranking out even more good stuff, without having to sell it to an overly-conservative studio?

[Deadend]

Curse that handsome devil!

I mean, how weird is it that he's making innovative games...for EA? If someone rescued him from all those money hats, would he be cranking out even more good stuff, without having to sell it to an overly-conservative studio?

Nah, he has a good thing going at EA. He has made them VERRRY rich with the Sims, so they probably have given him freedom to do whatever he wants. And freedom with a shitload of money is a goood thing.

[Savok]

I think Will Wright is some mind sucking alien, the Gods of PC gaming have fallen over recent years, he's the only one truely left, and I think it's because he sucked all the juice out of everyone else.

And leave him at EA, not even they are anti-creative/corrupt enough to stand in his way, they know letting him do his thing will make them loads of money.

[Liquidize105]

Don't be surprised if spore falls short of the sims.

It's a very novel concept, but the subject matter alone has convinced me that the sims will stay as the best-selling mainstream pc game.

[Evil Avatar]

Wil Wright: The Man Who Invents Genres.

Developer of the Year? Developer of the Decade?

Really, who has pushed our genre further than Will Wright? The Sims (Like it or Love it) has made gaming more mainstream than ever and to a certain degree that is good for our hobby.

[Evil Avatar]

Oh, and you know that they will bring this to the PS3, Xbox 360 and Revolution so no one will get left out.

[Mason]

It's definitely interesting, I'm still not sure if it'll remain fun for too terribly long. I guess some people like messing around in sandboxes, but it seems a little unfocused.

Let's just hope that the fundies don't get wind of the game, though. Due to its explicit portrayal of evolution, I wouldn't be surprised to see it boycotted off of mid-west wal-mart shelves.

[Tricky Thumb]

It's definitely interesting, I'm still not sure if it'll remain fun for too terribly long. I guess some people like messing around in sandboxes, but it seems a little unfocused.

Let's just hope that the fundies don't get wind of the game, though. Due to its explicit portrayal of evolution, I wouldn't be surprised to see it boycotted off of mid-west wal-mart shelves.

Nah, they'd be too scared not to sell an Electronic Arts game.

Unfocused? How is the game unfocused? Will Wright even says in the video that the whole first part of the game is GOAL DRIVEN so that when you get to the sandbox part of the game you know how to do what you want to do. It builds up to the sandbox by giving you direction with goals so that you have an objective to meet.

The funny part is I can see what EA is already thinking on this title.

"Hmm, you mean it's basically all sorts of genres in one game? You're only taking 20% of the best parts? So that's like.. 80% more space for EXPANSIONS!"

[Evil Avatar]

I just want to know if we can make a world where the dead come back to life and eat the living? ;)

[Adewade]

Wow. Watching this... just wow.

I am in awe. I havn't been this psyched for a game since Civilization 2.

[Taco]

Fucking genius.

I kind of liked the idea before, but it looks like they're nailing it. Will Wright is amazing.

[Savok]

Watching it again, my 4th grade teacher would hate him, he is the king of "um".

And he knows way too much about Carebears :p

[Rommel]

I would just like to say that it was a jaw-dropping presentation, and I stick by my claims that peter wishes he could be Will Wright. The game was a lot like Populous and Black and White's concept, but already seems to be be further along at achieving the true form. In fact, it looked like everything great from Peter, Sid and Will combined into one.

Most importantly, Will showed how small developers can produce titles for the next generation that compete. Of course, not everyone is as simply brilliant as Mr. Wright is, but he showed that the possibilities are there.

[Adewade]

I do have one question, though.

How are they ever going to make an expansion?

[Savok]

Most importantly, Will showed how small developers can produce titles for the next generation that compete. Of course, not everyone is as simply brilliant as Mr. Wright is, but he showed that the possibilities are there.

Or his team don't forget, skilled in the "old ways" :p

[MrMeatshake]

Wow. Watching this... just wow.

I am in awe. I havn't been this psyched for a game since Civilization 2.

and let's hope it's less disappointing than that ;)

[TRiLoGY]

Oh, my god! that video was awesome!

:)

[Mason]

Nah, they'd be too scared not to sell an Electronic Arts game.

Unfocused? How is the game unfocused? Will Wright even says in the video that the whole first part of the game is GOAL DRIVEN so that when you get to the sandbox part of the game you know how to do what you want to do. It builds up to the sandbox by giving you direction with goals so that you have an objective to meet.

The funny part is I can see what EA is already thinking on this title.

"Hmm, you mean it's basically all sorts of genres in one game? You're only taking 20% of the best parts? So that's like.. 80% more space for EXPANSIONS!"

ElecArts is big, but there isn't a company alive that doesn't cower beneath a fundie letter-writing campaign. Regardless of the fact that these people probably don't play games.

Unfocused, in the sense that most of the gameplay seems to be tooling around in some fashion. Wright said it himself: the gameplay only exists to teach you how to use the sandbox. Perhaps he didn't highlight a lot of the core gameplay in the video or something, but there seems to be relatively sparse methods for conflict/gameplay with civilizations on your level.

Will Wright was very forthcoming about how simple and streamlined all the game modes are, and how much they're based on aesthetics instead of rule-based gameplay. Pay attention to what this really means.

I'm not saying it'll be a bad game, I'm just not sure that Pac Man-lite + RPG-lite + RTS-lite + SimCity-lite + SimEarth-lite = a focused and engrossing game.

I love it when developers try new things, but I refuse to get hyped up over their visions. Lots of ideas are more fun in concept than they are in practice.

[Savok]

Joy can be easily found in simplicity. Besides, the game isn't about those aspects, it's about creation, everything exists around that. If you don't dig the creating part, then this won't be for you.

[Taco]

What Mason seems to be pointing out as a weakness I see as a strength. Different strokes I guess.

[MrMeatshake]

I'm not saying it'll be a bad game, I'm just not sure that Pac Man-lite + RPG-lite + RTS-lite + SimCity-lite + SimEarth-lite = a focused and engrossing game.

I love it when developers try new things, but I refuse to get hyped up over their visions. Lots of ideas are more fun in concept than they are in practice.

this is the only thing people seemed to be worried about. and is more or less exactly warioware's genius, which will acknowledges he's trying to emulate. lots of minigames does NOT a poor game make.

he mentions kidpix, man! KIDPIX! i used 2 spend hours in that! um, that's not necessarily something i should tell strangers.

[Varsity]

The audience are a bunch of sycophantsLooks like Tycho agrees (http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2005-05-27). ;)