Joystiq

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed once more to Q2 2013

Mike Schramm — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST

An official blog post from Frictional Games now says that the publisher's Amnesia: The Dark Descent followup, subtitled A Machine for Pigs, is due out not in "early 2013," as last stated, but in "Q2 2013," which means in April of this year or later. That's another slight delay for the title, which was originally scheduled for release back at Halloween last year.

What's the holdup? Frictional says that A Machine for Pigs was originally planned as "a short, experimental game set in the universe of Amnesia," but as developers thechineseroom filled out the project, it became apparent that the "short experiment" was becoming "a fully fledged Amnesia game." So Frictional has made the decision to do it up right, which means another few months of waiting for fans. Frictional also says pricing and availability information is coming soon, so we'll keep an eye out for that.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed once more to Q2 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad Piggies trailer shows just how naughty these pigs get

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:30:00 EST

Bad Piggies retains the characteristic Angry Birds appeal, but has players build wacky rides to roll and fly across obstacle courses collecting stars. Despite its adorable design, we'll continue thinking of Bad Piggies as a prequel to thechineseroom's Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Bad, bad piggies.

Bad Piggies trailer shows just how naughty these pigs get originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will take lessons from Dear Esther

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:20:00 EST

One of the keys to creating Dear Esther, said thechineseroom's Dan Pinchbeck, was allowing the player as much control over the narrative as possible. Speaking at a panel during GDC Europe, Pinchbeck addressed the intentional ambiguity of Dear Esther, saying that it gave players more freedom, thus making their time with the game more enjoyable. Rather than presenting the player with predetermined series of events, Dear Esther's story is filled with ambiguity and revealed randomly, leaving it to the player to interpret it. In a very real sense, they actually participate in the story's creation.

While most games lay out their stories in a clear, linear fashion - think big budget FPS and action games - Pinchbeck likens Dear Esther's story to a toy box. Instead of giving players a cohesive, linear story, thechineseroom created story blocks and lets players put them together. It's a bit like "story Minecraft," he said. "The story of Dear Esther doesn't actually particularly tell you anything. It just suggests things that could have happened, but you can do the work."

People are driven to think of events in terms of story, he said. "If something looks and feels enough like a story, people are likely to interpret the action in a storied way." As such, when creating Dear Esther, thechineseroom wasn't concerned with creating a complete, fully rounded story. "What we can try and do in games, is not tell a story, but to provide the player with the toolbox - the tools, the bricks that they need to tell the stories themselves," said Pinchbeck. "In exactly the same way that we consider things like physics sandboxes," he adds, "if you provide those units of useful, interesting stuff that players can play with, they will create an experience from it."

During the Q&A session, we asked Pinchbeck if Thechineseroom's next project, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will follow the same model of abstract storytelling. Unlike Dear Esther, said Pinchbeck, A Machine for Pigs exists within the constraints of a "classic horror story," so it won't follow the same model entirely. "What we're going to try and do is we're going to try and keep the lessons that we've learned in terms of not funneling the plot down, not being really explicit with the player about what's going on, using inference, using suggestion," he said. "We're trying to have any opportunities we can to keep that open" for players to do the work of piecing together the ambiguous bits, which he says are especially important in a horror game. "You pretty much can't represent anything in a horror game that's going to be more scary than what the player thinks you're going to represent, and the moment you actually show it, you've lost an awful lot of the power you've got to scare them."

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will take lessons from Dear Esther originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed to 2013

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EST

Excellent news for the sanity of survival horror fans everywhere: Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will not be making its intended 2012 launch. Originally slated to arrive in time for Halloween, A Machine for Pigs will now be released in early 2013, thechineseroom creative director Dan Pinchbeck said in a recent interview with GameZone. "The quality of the game is the absolute first, last, and always with this development," he told the outlet, adding that the game "could do with a few more months' work."

In a follow-up with Giant Bomb, Pinchbeck noted that thechineseroom will "definitely have more to show in the not too distant future."

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs delayed to 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scared Stiff: Amnesia and the evolution of the modern horror game

Colette Bennett — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST

If it's horror, Colette Bennett knows it. This column is dedicated to everything frightening gaming has to offer, from ghostly little Japanese girls to flesh eating zombie dogs.

You fumble through the darkness, your feet slopping in the rain. You have no idea where you are or how you even got here. An unfamiliar sound reverberates in the distance, its tinny undertones stinging your ears and furthering your sense of confusion. You're alone and have nothing to defend yourself with. And the only sound you can hear is that of your breathing, ragged with panic.

There's no mistaking it - this is survival horror.

Unlike the basic action and platform genre, the evolution of horror titles has followed a slow, twisty path. By the mid-nineties, it was known for its signature talent: the ability to reel you into a dark, unknown world like a helpless fish. Titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil acted as some of the first passports into the journey we now refer to as "psychological horror." System Shock, Parasite Eve, Fatal Frame, and Siren were memorable trips into less-than-reassuring territory. Throw in some unexplained, mysterious figures, watch the world spin out of control, and you've got one hell of a recipe for an addictive genre. Who would have thought that fog-choked towns and shambling creatures who greet you with a spray of vomit could be so appealing?

Gallery: Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Continue reading Scared Stiff: Amnesia and the evolution of the modern horror game

Scared Stiff: Amnesia and the evolution of the modern horror game originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs dev teases ... um, a pig monster

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EST

The terror of Frictional's first Amnesia game never involved the almost comical squeals of a pig wielding what sounds like an axe. In Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, that's all gonna change. See - er, hear - for yourself in the latest teaser, above.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs dev teases ... um, a pig monster originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia dev shares secrets of evolving the horror genre

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:45:00 EST

Frictional Games proved it knows how to make a game that would scare the bejeezus out of Beelzebub himself with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but there's always room for improvement. Frictional's Thomas Grip has compiled a list of 10 items that can "take horror games to the next level," and (surprisingly) it doesn't begin with "Everything opposite of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City." It does, however, touch on a few points that could have put the "horror" back into that particular survival-horror title.

Grip suggests "minimal combat," "long build-up" and "doubt" are essential to evolve the horror genre, and we've already seen these aspects work wonderfully in Amnesia. Another aspect Grip notes is "no enemies," which he clarifies as follows: "What I mean is that we need to stop thinking of any creatures that we put into the game as 'enemies.' The word enemy makes us think about war and physical conflict, which is really not the focus in a horror game."

Grip's list seems to focus on different approaches to immersion and connecting to players on an emotional, human level before ensuring they won't be able to sleep properly for a few weeks at least. All 10 points are described in full on Frictional's blog.

Perhaps we'll see a few of these fleshed out in Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, a sequel in development by thechineseroom and overseen by Frictional itself.

Amnesia dev shares secrets of evolving the horror genre originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 May 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs aims to frighten you, even if you know what to expect

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST

Amnesia proved, among other things, that atmosphere is one of the most important aspects in a horror title, trumping jumpy music, grotesque character designs and top-of-the-line graphics -- but now imagine Amnesia's panicked, clammy tone coming from a game as dark and beautiful as Dear Esther. Pure terror.

This is what Amnesia developer Frictional Games has charged Dear Esther's thechineseroom with accomplishing in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

"The thing is, if we don't frighten people as much as the original, then we've failed," Dan Pinchbeck of thechineseroom told Gamasutra. "But now we have to frighten people that know what to expect. The big design challenge is: How do we protect the things that make Amnesia great, and how do we evolve everything else to make a really fresh experience?"

Pinchbeck wants players to be reminded of the original Amnesia with each shiver of fear, but to be so enthralled by the new, horrific world that it will feel as if "something has burrowed into your head and is just scratching its nails at you. But you're so hooked. Inside, you're peeling away like bodies from a pile and you just can't stop yourself," Pinchbeck said.

Now that sounds like fun.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs aims to frighten you, even if you know what to expect originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

Xav de Matos — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST

It takes place sixty years after Amnesia: The Dark Descent at the turn of the twentieth century, yet the next game to carry the franchise's moniker will feel like familiar territory in one major respect: it is built to scare you senseless.

It's six-o-clock in the morning. My tea jolts me awake. The street outside is silent. It's serene and peaceful all around me, until I call Frictional Games designer Thomas Grip. His voice booms in my headset; he's obviously excited. This is the first time his team can talk about his upcoming project. This is how I was introduced to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Continue reading Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is the next title from Frictional Games and Dear Esther dev

Xav de Matos — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:15:00 EST

The power of two crowned indie developer darlings have joined together to form one team, set to bring the Amnesia franchise into a new era.

Speaking exclusively with Joystiq, Frictional Games and Dear Esther's thechineseroom have revealed their latest project, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Developed by thechineseroom and produced by Frictional Games, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is planned for a debut on PC later this year. No firm date has been set, but internally the two studios hope to launch before Halloween. A recent alternate reality game has been teasing the the next Amnesia's reveal, sending fans into a frenzy.

"It's not a direct sequel, in terms of it doesn't follow on from the story of Amnesia. It doesn't involve the same characters," Dear Esther writer Dan Pinchbeck told me. Instead, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs will be set in the same "alternate history and set in the same universe." In short, the game will look to scare your pants off.

Set in 1899, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs follows the "wealthy industrialist" Oswald Mandus, who has returned home from "a disastrous expedition to Mexico, which has ended in tragedy." Struck by a destructive fever, Mandus is haunted by dreams of a dark machine until he mysteriously regains consciousness. Months have passed, unbeknownst to the industry tycoon, and as he emerges from his slumber the roaring engine of a mysterious machine sputters to life.

A detailed interview with Frictional Games designer Thomas Grip and thechineseroom's Dan Pinchbeck is coming later today, delving deeper into the darkness with Amnesia's next chapter. And yes, the two discuss what A Machine for Pigs means.

Gallery: Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is the next title from Frictional Games and Dear Esther dev originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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