So this passed weekend I
spent my time in Stony Brook University for the annual I-CON
convention. I attended a few gaming panels but the one that hyped me up
the most was the Spore presentation. Steve Glicker
presented his insider info on Spore and it sounds fantastic. here's a
brief summary of the major features that haven't gotten much press. Also pictures from the convention as well.
1.
Music editor- the music if spore is procedure so that it will play what
the algorithm determines is the best for the situation. so like more
dumb beats in the tribal and more scifi sounding in the space stage but
the editor allow you to add your own tunes to what the computer will
use for it's music. you don't put in full songs but rather small chucks
of music. an example that was shown was the riff from Iron Man.
2.
Sporepedia - build into the game will be a browser that allows you
view and download creatures, structures, vehicles, music etc. from the
spore servers. the files are about 7KB in size so they will download
instantly even on a 56k modem. Anything you make in spore can be
uploaded to the servers for anyone to download and edit if you choose.
or you can select only to allow certain ppl to have access.
3.
Spore Page - Each user will have their own Spore page. This is like a
face book page where you can add your own picture if you want. it'll
also have pictures of all the things you've created as well as stats on
how many ppl have downloaded them and detailed stats like how many
species your creatures have destoried/befriended etc.
4. Built In
Movie Share - There's a feature built into the game that will allow you
to record your own spore movies and with a press of a button, upload
them to youtube.
5. End Game - Yes there is an endgame for the
ppl that are looking for one. it has something to do with getting to
the center of the universe and becoming GOD. they are a little vague on
this for now since they want to surprise us with something.
That's the gist of it though I can go more into detail on anything if someone has any questions.
This is looking like it's going to be THE Game of 2008. Official Release dates are Sept 5 for EU and 7th for US.
Here are pictures from ICON.