Spore: aka, Will Wright is a GENIUS

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:13 am

So, who is Will Wright? And what is Spore?

To answer the first question, Will Wright is a computer game designer, the man behind Sim City and the best-selling computer game in history, The Sims. He is also the co-founder of Maxis, the development studio for those and other "Sim" games.

The second question can basically be answered by the original intended title for spore: Sim Everything. In Spore, you take a single-celled organism and guide its growth into a full-blown space-faring race. At each stage of the creature's growth, players will be able to customize it and alter it as they see fit. According to a number of previews, the possibilites are limited only by imagination. All the content is generated procedurally, meaning that instead of teams of animators and 3D modelers laboring for months to create content, math takes over.
In one demo that Wright showed off, he created a three-legged reptillian creature. When the creature walked, the game itself determined the gait. When he gave his creatures a stack of spears, the game determined which limb would be best used to hold them (in this case, the tail, with a clawlike hand on the end). With animation files and 3D models being entirely mathematically generated, content can easily be streamed in from the internet. This is an important part of the game, as all content that a player creates will be sent to a central database and can be sent to other owners of the game, creating, as Wright calls it 'a massively single-player online game'. However, it is asynchronous: you can't interfere with someone else's fun. Also, if your race has been uploaded to the central database, you can receive "multiverse reports" that tell you how your race is faring (i.e., do people tend to want to be friendly towards your race, or blow it up?).

Sounds pretty awesome, eh, Steve?
:ehsteve:

Ayup!

So, here's the article that appeared on GameSpy, the first place I heard about the game.
Also, check out the preview on the same site.
1up's Preview
Wikipedia Article
Official Site (not much here yet, though)

Pepperochu Pepperotyugh · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:25 am

That sounds freakin' awesome! I love Sim games, and this one sounds just... wow. I'm so getting it.

Puphles · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:43 pm

That game looks freaking amazing. Well beyond anything ever done thus far.

Douglas · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:00 pm

Holy canolie. That's awesome. I am soooo getting that.

Funkstar · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:11 pm

No.

It's mine.
MINE.

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:48 pm

I saw this awhile ago, I'm definatly gonna get it. It looks great, only Will Wright could pull of something this crazy.

Marshmallow Roast · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:59 pm

I want that so much, I can't even tell how much I want it.

My mind cannot FATHOM how much I want this.

I'd commit MASS MURDER for this game!

(As I typed that, I just heard a car crash outside. Funny, eh?)

Actually, I would anyway. But oh my god, so fantastic.

Shishu Hiwatari · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:04 pm

WOAH. That really sounds amazing.

I'm not much into the Sim games, but I'd really want to check that out. Could they even make expansion packs for this one? :eek:

Puphles · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:09 pm

Shishu Hiwatari wrote:

WOAH. That really sounds amazing.

I'm not much into the Sim games, but I'd really want to check that out. Could they even make expansion packs for this one? :eek:

Well if they included new gameplay elements, such as different stages of life. That's all I can think of, though.

Everyone should check out the video demonstrations, though. They look amazing (link from wikipedia)

Obomaru · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:57 pm

Wow. That's so cool. I'm really looking forward to its release. I like games in which you can be creative.

Spangles · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:34 pm

Duuuuuude.

When I first got Sim City, I spent aaaaall day on it. When I got The Sims, I spent aaaaall day and aaaaall night on it. This.. this.. This will take up my entire lifetime. I love games where you can play God.

ikwaylx · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:07 pm

Shishu Hiwatari wrote:

WOAH. That really sounds amazing.

I'm not much into the Sim games, but I'd really want to check that out. Could they even make expansion packs for this one? :eek:

Not into? I can't stand the sims. But this one.. hoHohoHo. I AM SO GETTING THIS GAME. AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT 'COS I WILL ALREADY HAVE TAKEN THEM ALL MUHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHARGBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBL

Cybernetic Teenybopper · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:32 pm

...And as she finished reading the report, but one word breathed past her lips...

...DUDE.

Whatever computer I end up getting for my own, it had better be flippin' good enough to run this game! I want it! I wantitIwantitIwantit! *throws child-in-candy-store tantrum*

That looks so awesome sauce. Heck, it looks awesomer than sauce!

Occasional JD · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:32 pm

Sounds awesome. Can't wait to unleash some carnage as some form of sea tiger.

Dark Grapefruit · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:53 pm

I detest the vast majority of sim games and I think this looks incredible. Talk about godmodding.

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:10 pm

I'm almost done downloading/watching the clips of the presentation Wright made at GDC, and I gotta say, words and screenshots don't do it justice. Sure, the clips total about 400 or 500 MB, but they are WELL worth it.

Jello B. · **Posted:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:27 pm

Must...get...SPORE!!

I am a Sim junkie. I still play the Sims a lot. Ooh, this is gonna be so freaking AWESOME!! HEEHEEEHEHEHEH!

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 12:03 am

The sad thing is, it ain't coming out 'til this Fall, if we're lucky, or early next year if we're unlucky... Now ask yourself "Do I feel lucky?"

Cybernetic Teenybopper · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 2:15 am

Yeah, I feel lucky, punk.

Now, who's joining me in storming Will Wright's house? *grab wooden spoon and puts mixing bowl on head*

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:57 am

woah... AWESOME! i will create the great race of Yith, the Serpent Yig, and several other things Cthulhumania related! woot! is this thing coming out for the Consols like the Xbox360, or is it just a computer thing?

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:14 am

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest wrote:

woah... AWESOME! i will create the great race of Yith, the Serpent Yig, and several other things Cthulhumania related! woot! is this thing coming out for the Consols like the Xbox360, or is it just a computer thing?

I've heard that it might be a console thing too, but nothing certain. Almost everything about the game except for the stuff Will Wright has decided to reveal is speculation. However, I don't see how this couldn't end up on the 360, as Microsoft has been pushing it as an online platform. Don't take my word for it, though. I wanted Spider-Man 2 to be a PC game, and Activision ended up giving us some kiddie crap, in what has been argued as the greatest slight to PC gaming in history.

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:15 pm

sb_enail.com wrote:

I'm almost done downloading/watching the clips of the presentation Wright made at GDC, and I gotta say, words and screenshots don't do it justice. Sure, the clips total about 400 or 500 MB, but they are WELL worth it.

Presentation? MUST SEE.

Where'd you find it?

EDIT: Here's a question.....what kind of creatures would you guys make?

Puphles · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:23 pm

Homerun Starrer wrote:

Presentation? MUST SEE.

Where'd you find it?

There's a link from the wi'pedia entry.

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:43 pm

Um. I'm an idiot. How do you get .avi files to play? I clicked on it, and nothing happened.

Bleh, it's probably just because Windows is a jerk like that.

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:49 pm

Homerun Starrer wrote:

Um. I'm an idiot. How do you get .avi files to play? I clicked on it, and nothing happened.

Bleh, it's probably just because Windows is a jerk like that.

Right click the link, and choose "Save As" or "Save Link As" or "Save Target As". Something along those lines. Be forewarned though, each file is around 100 MB, and the download rate isn't that good.

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:24 pm

Ah, that worked, thanks. They do take awhile to download even on DSL though.

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:06 pm

Homerun Starrer wrote:

Ah, that worked, thanks. They do take awhile to download even on DSL though.

On of the best parts is the crowd reaction, especially in the final clip, which has some pretty mind blowing stuff.

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:21 pm

So what kindof creatures would you guys make? My idea is to have a bunch of small furry toothy thingies that are weak, but reproduce reeeally fast and eat almost anything. That would be fun. And then their city could be some weird underground cave.

The possibilties in this game look almost endless (I know people say that a lot but it really seems true for this game)

sb_enail.com · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:30 pm

I'm thinking of flying crabs. Or Godzilla! Or, if at all possible, TROGDOR!

Homerun Starrer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:49 pm

Taking over the galaxy looks fun too. Now what kind of spaceship would a little furry thing fly.....

They'd probably be like giant intergalactic hamster wheels or somthing.

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