[url]http://spyparty.com/[/url]
[b]Chris Hecker's new spy game about subtle behavior, deception, performance, and perception.[/b]
Spy Party by Chris Hecker is a two-player game inspired by an inversion of the Turing test. The Turing test is so difficult for a computer to succeed at because language is so complex and difficult that only humans or truly functional AI could master it in a realistic and believable way. But what if you made the language very easy and instead of a computer trying to be human, you made a player try to act like a computer? Two players — one a spy, one a sniper — are in asymmetrical competition. The player must move around a party completing objectives that the other AI party guests will not even attempt to accomplish. Everytime the player accomplishes one of these objectives, they give a slight “tell” — if you try to bug an ambassador, the player’s hand will dart out and suddenly retract, just like if you try to steal a book, you’ll motion to put it back until suddenly shifting it into your coat. The sniper’s job is to look at the crowd and figure out which of the dozens of characters is the human spy, and kill him. As it stood the game was almost exclusively based around recognizing these little telltale signs, but Hecker planned on expanding and deepening the gameplay.
SpyParty is an asymmetric multiplayer espionage game, dealing with the subtlety of human behavior, character, personality, and social mores, instead of the usual spy game explosions and car chases.
[b] Random links and stuff from the website [/b]
[url]http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/30/former-maxis-employee-working-on-new-project-spyparty/[/url] - Bit about it
[url]http://www.allgeektout.com/2009/08/spyparty-gets-back-to-what-spies-are-really-about/[/url] - How it's not all about explosions and killing!
[b] Example of a 'round' [/b]
- 20 people at cocktail party (some players, some A.I.). 1 is a spy.
Assasin observes party, attempting to determine who the spy is. Bam!
- Spy can only be distinguished by subtle “tells”.i.e. spy reads book from bookshelf, but places it back strangely
i.e. spy secretly slipped a piece of paper from someone
i.e. spy wears a T-Shirt saying “spies do it in the dark”
- “affordance” and “actors” mentioned. must… remain… calm.
- Game demoed. Audience plays assasin watching 20 people, attempting to finger the spy.
Laser pointers highlight innocent man. Audience shoots – “you killed a civilian”
Audience quickly picks someone else (game developers are cold hearted bastards)
- Most memorable moment: When civilian was shot.
Ambient chatter stopped, replaced by piercing female scream, everyone ran from victim.
[Shocking. Can't remember last time I felt bad for killing someone.]
Reminded me of wedding.
[b] IMAGES! TEMPORARY ARTWORK FOR TESTING ... IT WILL BE CHANGED! [/B]
[img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/xspyparty-2010-03-17-16-25-23-37.png[/img]
[img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/xSpyParty-20100312-1.jpg[/img]
[img] http://filesmelt.com/dl/xSpyParty-20100312-2.jpg[/img]
[b] The awesome thing is is that Chris listens to the comments and takes the ideas in! [/b]
I really like the look of this game, I like multiplayer games where you have to work stuff out like that, even if it is the slightest movement!
Read about this in PCG, seems pretty cool.
I would love to play this.
Looks pretty nice
I saw this on Kotaku, looked pretty awesome.
And there is no download link yet?
Wow I haven't heard about this for a long time, is it close to coming out or what?
[QUOTE=OutOfExile;21719844]Wow I haven't heard about this for a long time, is it close to coming out or what?[/QUOTE]
Don't get your hopes up... It's just Chris and he said he wants it perfect before release...
This looks pretty fun, would like to try it out. Hopefully that'll be soon.
This game is gonna own so hard.
oh it's that guy who ruined Spore
Stop getting hyped because most likely instead of killing the spy, you point and shout "I GOT U". Also, the game will be designed for 3 year olds, so more money can be made off the game.
Looks pretty cool.
Looks sweet
[QUOTE=Uberman77883;21720477]Stop getting hyped because most likely instead of killing the spy, you point and shout "I GOT U". Also, the game will be designed for 3 year olds, so more money can be made off the game.[/QUOTE]
How many online FPS games are there where you just shoot at the other team?
Tonnes.
How many where you have one chance to find out the enemy by the slieghtest movement, knowing one mistake will be game over?
Thanks guys! I found this via a google alert, and I'm stoked that you're excited about SpyParty! Hopefully I'll have some kind of wider tests later this year, which I'll announce on the blog. The game currently doesn't do NAT punchthrough, so I have some work to do before it'll run over the raw internet.
[QUOTE=HolyCrusade;21720423]oh it's that guy who ruined Spore[/QUOTE]
Sigh...it really sucks that the web seems perfectly designed to spread negative rumors really efficiently, but not the corrections to those rumors. Thanks for doing your part to keep that flame burning!
[url]http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/11211.page[/url]
[url]http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/165/8555.page#128787[/url]
I need to write a bot that searches google and goes around posting these links. :/
Chris
This looks awesome, is it going to be freeware?
[QUOTE=The_Fly56556;21736817]This looks awesome, is it going to be freeware?[/QUOTE]
I'm aiming for what I call the "AAA Indie" pantheon of polish, love, and awesomenes, like Braid, Castle Crashers, World of Goo, Flower, Trials HD, etc. Not sure about platforms yet, probably the usual suspects for these AAA Indie games, XBLA, PSN, Steam, etc. It's being developed on PC, as you can see from the windows title bar in some of the screenshots. ;)
Chris
Made me think of Gravity Bone.
Remind me of The Ship. A lot.
[QUOTE=Ontarget910;21739584]Remind me of The Ship. A lot.[/QUOTE]
I was thinking the same thing. Except the ship is about literally hiding rather hiding in plain sight.
That's an interesting concept. I'd love to try it out.
[QUOTE=koekje4life;21739310]Made me think of Gravity Bone.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, when GB first game out and I started it up and walked into that party scene, I was like, "uh oh", but then the game itself was completely different (and insane and cool :).
I haven't played The Ship yet, but I plan to for research pretty soon. It sounds more like an online game of Assassin than anything like SpyParty, but I definitely need to play it. I read this article about it recently, which makes me think it feels pretty different:
[url]http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2010/04/28/games-i-own-the-ship/[/url]
Chris
[QUOTE=Ontarget910;21739584]Remind me of The Ship. A lot.[/QUOTE]
The Ship looks really interesting... Do people still play it on MP?
[QUOTE=Simples;21740624]The Ship looks really interesting... Do people still play it on MP?[/QUOTE]
Apparently it's really hard to find a game now. I'm going to organize a few sessions for testing with people who want to "play it right" (as in, not some run and gun deathmatch, which is apparently how pubbie games go when you could get one) at some point in the next month or so, check the SpyParty blog ([url]http://spyparty.com[/url]) if you're interested in playing with us.
Chris
[QUOTE=checker;21740933]Apparently it's really hard to find a game now. I'm going to organize a few sessions for testing with people who want to "play it right" (as in, not some run and gun deathmatch, which is apparently how pubbie games go when you could get one) at some point in the next month or so, check the SpyParty blog ([url]http://spyparty.com[/url]) if you're interested in playing with us.
Chris[/QUOTE]
Sure. I'll see about getting the game and hopefully will join you sometime!
I guess it's like TTT - good idea, but people will always kill the first person they suspect and it ends In a huge deathmatch.
[QUOTE=Simples;21741025]I guess it's like TTT - good idea, but people will always kill the first person they suspect and it ends In a huge deathmatch.[/QUOTE]
What's TTT?
And yeah, SpyParty avoids the deathmatch degeneration problem by only giving one player a gun, and even then, only one bullet. :)
Chris
[QUOTE=checker;21741087]What's TTT?
And yeah, SpyParty avoids the deathmatch degeneration problem by only giving one player a gun, and even then, only one bullet. :)
Chris[/QUOTE]
TTT is a gamemode for Garrys mod. It stands for trouble in traitor town.
There are 2 teams innocents and traitors. The number of traitors depends on how many people are playing. Te traitors have to kill all innocents using weapons and special items as such. It's a good gamemode and I've seen some complex detective work goin on before, but it normally turns out into people camping and killing anyone on sight. However, when played right, it's amazing!
I like the 1 bullet idea. It will stop people from shooting just anyone, they'd have to think.
[QUOTE=Simples;21741300]TTT is a gamemode for Garrys mod. It stands for trouble in traitor town.[/QUOTE]
Ah, okay, this one is on my list to check out as well (is it Traitor or Terrorist Town?, I have the latter).
[quote]I like the 1 bullet idea. It will stop people from shooting just anyone, they'd have to think.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the mouse buttons / controller triggers on the Sniper mode default to highlight/lowlight for suspect management, which throws people at first, but makes them realize the game is different. You have to actually equip the sniper rifle and take off the safety to shoot, so it feels like a concious weighty choice you don't make lightly.
Chris
[QUOTE=checker;21741432]Ah, okay, this one is on my list to check out as well (is it Traitor or Terrorist Town?, I have the latter).
Yeah, the mouse buttons / controller triggers on the Sniper mode default to highlight/lowlight for suspect management, which throws people at first, but makes them realize the game is different. You have to actually equip the sniper rifle and take off the safety to shoot, so it feels like a concious weighty choice you don't make lightly.
Chris[/QUOTE]
Sorry yeah, trouble in terrorist town.
Nice to see a different game. I like FPSs, but they're all the same, whereas yours is different, which drew me to it in the first place.
It's interesting to see that that guy felt guilty about killing an innocent in the artical when he'd said he'd killed millions before in regular shoot em ups!
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