Field Trip!!

Last week, some kids from the East End House came to visit the studio. We showed off the more exciting aspects of game development through workshops, brainstorms, and demonstrations. We showed models in an editor, and then what they look like in game. They got some hands-on experience with art tablets - and some of them might have a future in that field!

During the game design brainstorm, the kids came up with the idea for a zombie game where chairs push you out of windows. And the only way a zombie can be cured is to be bitten by a baby (the only logical solution).

More pictures after the jump!

Read more!

Up Close With Tom Lin

Game Focus has yet another installment of Up Close With... and this time, it's Tom! This will be the last Up Close interview we have with GF (at least for now), but I think we've spilled enough beans to temporarily satisfy the masses.
Up Close With Tom Lin

Read more!

Website Borked!

Yesterday we discovered that our website was down for the count. Maybe Dan's German fanbase decided to all visit at the same time. The blog also apparently got swine flu. But it's all better now! Read More for our nice little chat with Earthlink tech support... Okay!!


[email addresses removed... sorry robots]

Welcome to Earthlink LiveChat. Your chat session will begin shortly. Feel free to begin typing your question.

'Kim M' says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
Al: Out website has stopped working

Al: our website.

Kim M: Hello, I will assist you.

Kim M: Let me know the domain name.

Al: demiurgestudios.com

Kim M: Are you getting any error message while accessing web site?

Al: We are not, our pages all turned to blank white pages. For example, you can view http://www.demiurgestudios.com/

Al: and see it is just a blank page.

Kim M: Do you have the Index.html file for the Home page?

Al: It's index.php4

Al: But other pages aren't working either. For example: http://www.demiurgestudios.com/?allgames/

Al: that used to work

Al: and we didn't change anything.

Kim M: Okay.

Al: Okay!

[many minutes pass]

Al: Hello?

Kim M: Yes, I am with you.

Kim M: I see that the issue is at the server end.

Kim M: Let me provide you the direct number who can access the servers and fix the issue.

Kim M: 800-955-0186

Kim M: I am sure, once you contact the phone number, the issue will be fixed.

Al: We already tried calling that number and they were not able to help us.

Kim M: Okay.

Kim M: Not to worry, I will escalate the issue to our engineers.

Kim M: Please let me know your domain password and contact email address.

Al: my email address is XXXX

Al: I'm not sure what our "domain password" is. Which one is that?

Kim M: The password for Control Center.

Al: I think it is XXXX

Kim M: Thank you for the information.

Kim M: I have escalated the issue to our engineers.

Kim M: You will be contacted through your email address.

Kim M: I am sure, the issue will be fixed as soon as possible.

Al: This is very urgent. When will they be contacting us?

Kim M: I understand, I have set the high priority.

Kim M: Not to worry, the issue will be fixed.

Kim M: Is there anything else I may assist you with today?

Al: Okay!

Kim M: Thank you for understanding.

Kim M: I appreciate your patience.

Kim M: You're welcome and thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.

Kim M: Have a great day!!

Chat session has been ended by the agent.

Read more!

Borderlands Announcement

Tons of new Borderlands info was announced at E3 and in the June issue of PC Gamer magazine. Along with the new look, they announced the multiplayer versus portion of the game. Demiurge was responsible for initially developing this mode, creating a competitive experience within the Borderlands world.

Adding new features was a relatively fast process (we had a functional PvP mode within a week of starting the project!), but the biggest challenge was in the iterative and extremely nebulous process of "finding the fun." This consisted mostly of weapon and player balance and creating finely tuned greybox maps. Then, we played the hell out of them, gathered tons of feedback, and produced two polished arena maps. We even created a transition sequence from the co-op/single player game into the arena, with an elevator, an interactive lobby, and flashy mechanized weapon racks.

It was a great project to work on, and as fans of the game ourselves, we're eagerly anticipating the release!

Read more!