darkSpyro

Do you think Skylanders will make an appearance at the GDC on February 28th - March 4th?

It sound's big enough, so yeah.

Activision usually has a booth there, so it's more than likely.

It's certainly possible.

Maybe.

I hope so. After a rough search on Activision's press releases, they may push their Modern Warefare 3 title. So if Spyro is mentioned it'll be in the shadows.

EDIT: However, seeing the cost for attendance to this conference is outrageous and definitely screens out the general public. It'll be interesting to see what we'll find.

EDIT: However again, I'm finding articles that Activision has denied a MW3 reveal next week and that anything else is a "hoax."

EDIT: Yet again, it's looking like Activision's Spring release "NASCAR 2011: The Game" will be a focus at their booth in the GDC. Coincidentally, it is another title I am looking forward to.

EDIT: ...yeah. I was just going to point out that the conference is being held in the California Bay area. Which is conveniently located within 25 miles of Toys for Bob studios.

I hope they at least show Skylanders at the GDC...

I hope they reveal more info then..

If the game is at the GDC...
Then they have they will state more about the game...
Else they will only restate what they already said... For there has not been enough progress to show off.


I hope they say something about it...

Possibly. Like everyone said, they should have a booth. And why not talk about their idea for this game? And who knows, maybe more information released.

I hope we see more trailers, clear gameplay and some voice clips. :3

Quote: Aura24

I hope we see more trailers, clear gameplay and some voice clips. :3

We'll probably get more the closer we get to it's release date. all in due time.

And since this conference is more about the behind the scenes work anyway, we may get to see a bit of Skylanders from the inside out.

However, I'm finding it really hard to google any information as of now with all of this MW3 hoaxing that's in the news.

It started today, any news?

Not today...

I looked everywhere pretty thoroughly. All I could find was this interesting article that speaks about Activision's repetition in games to be overcome by new ways of gaming. Skylanders was mentioned.

http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/forum/gh_spyro

The conference did start today, however, the expo doesn't begin until March 2nd.

Activision's expo?

no, the GDC expo, it's the second part of the conference.

I'm finding a few clues that Activision may be revealing more about their title "Prototype 2"

Yeah, Activision will possibly reveal their games on March 2 through the rest of the week at the GDC.

Quote: riverhippo

I looked everywhere pretty thoroughly. All I could find was this interesting article that speaks about Activision's repetition in games to be overcome by new ways of gaming. Skylanders was mentioned.

http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/forum/gh_spyro

The conference did start today, however, the expo doesn't begin until March 2nd.

That article is really good and pretty expresses some of my problems with gaming in general these days as well as expressing my actual reservations about Skylanders.

Literally the only game I've been excited about all year has been Portal 2, which says a lot about the sad state of gaming. I used to look forward to games for their wonderful stories and experiences, but those are very few and far between these days. Portal 2 is exciting because I know the story is something I want to see and the characters have already endeared themselves to me just with the trailers alone (Wheatley...! *heart*). The only reason Skylanders registered with me at all is because of Spyro's interesting design, and that is literally the only thing that has made me give Skylanders a second glance. It's a rather depressing time to be a gamer if you grew up with the kind of diversity and innovation that existed in gaming in the 80s and 90s.

I wonder if they'll show us the story trailer with the voices of the characters.

That would be interesting, provided one exists currently. I don't really expect any more new footage before E3, but this is a triple-A title so maybe they'll be showing more. What I've heard about the story thus far is wholly unimpressive and kind of generic, but not as generic as the LoS story premise.

All GOOD writers borrow, all GREAT writes steal,

basically there are very few, almost none, genuine new ideas. Look around, every idea has to come from somewhere.

From what I can tell, SSA's plot revolves around "fight against 'evil' ", so there will most likely not be a new idea there, only a slightly modified one.

*eye roll* That's garbage and you know it. That argument is what lazy people use to justify plagiarism and bad writing. I've read an endless stream of original work and plenty of original works that have used a common idea as a springboard to launch their stories into unexplored and new territory. Making excuses like this for poor story telling just ensures that we have to choke down more garbage as readers, gamers, and film audiences.

With the writers of Toy Story in Skylanders, I wonder how the story will be played out. Will it be humorous and fun at the same time, or will be a little serious during the course of the story?

I am hoping they weren't hampered overly by the corporate types and allowed to be a bit more free with the story proper. I'm also hoping they don't dumb things down overly much just because of the target audience. When I was 12, I was reading Michael Crighton novels; little kids aren't stupid.

Who knows? Maybe another trailer will show us if the story will be weak or properly made...

Quote: Razz

*eye roll* That's garbage and you know it. That argument is what lazy people use to justify plagiarism and bad writing. I've read an endless stream of original work and plenty of original works that have used a common idea as a springboard to launch their stories into unexplored and new territory. Making excuses like this for poor story telling just ensures that we have to choke down more garbage as readers, gamers, and film audiences.

THIS.

There are plenty of new ideas out there if you can be bothered to look.

There is such a thing as original storylines that are awesome, but in America, entertainment thrives on being able to show the same generic tv shows, movies, and video games and call them "greats". Call it a flaw in American society if you want.

Quote: from Futurama

Lrrr: Attention, McNeal. Your unexpected marriage plan scares us. You stole our hearts as a single female lawyer, and so shall you remain - or else!
Fry: You see? TV audiences don't want anything original. They wanna see the same thing they've seen a thousand times before.
Bender: Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Fry?

And unfortunately, I have some info concerning Activision buzz at the GDC. It appears that Activision's openings for this conference include their developers: Treyarch, Activision, Sledgehammer Games, Activision Minneapolis, Raven, and Infinity Ward. Toys for Bob was not listed.

http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobs...p?accountno=101

I think so.

Quote: riverhippo

And unfortunately, I have some info concerning Activision buzz at the GDC. It appears that Activision's openings for this conference include their developers: Treyarch, Activision, Sledgehammer Games, Activision Minneapolis, Raven, and Infinity Ward. Toys for Bob was not listed.

http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobs...p?accountno=101

But that shows job openings, not actually the whole list of developers that will show their upcoming games.

Oh, hey riverhippo. It's worth noting that, because of its tendency towards genericness, the American entertainment industry is actually suffering some big losses. The entire book publishing industry as we know it, for instance, is dying right now.

re: GDC
Well, if I remember right isn't GDC going on right now? So we'll know in a day or two if they're going to talk about SKL.

The world has turned into a generic mess....so, make something original yourself, or deal with it!
(Not directed at anyone in particular)

As for GDC....I vote "I'll wait and see"...

Again, not true. There are hundreds of people doing original things, even a few larger entertainment groups (though they are rare).

Ultimately, I don't care about GDC and Skylanders. I've got my ear to the ground for more Portal 2 news.

In a way I agree, but in a way I don't.

Meh....I just care about getting more experience in Cinema 4D right now. Maybe I could make my own games then, outside of LBP2.

In gaming alone we have: Portal and it's sequel, Ico and other Team Ico games, Okami, the Sly Cooper games (especially the second one), Beyond Good & Evil, etc.

This isn't including the dozens of incredible original books that are out there or the unique independent films, comics, and new forms of media that are currently being created.

Oooh, Skylanders; Spyro's adventure = guitar hero.

Again, my statement stands.

And I don't have much time for many books or even films, comics and new forms of media, so that doesn't concern me much.

Quote: Razz

*eye roll* That's garbage and you know it. That argument is what lazy people use to justify plagiarism and bad writing. I've read an endless stream of original work and plenty of original works that have used a common idea as a springboard to launch their stories into unexplored and new territory. Making excuses like this for poor story telling just ensures that we have to choke down more garbage as readers, gamers, and film audiences.

You of all people should know that what I say is true, dismissing is it to cover it up... Now think of this, how many ideas are there floating around, thought but not said, died long ago? Basically there are almost no new ideas, only rediscovered or modified. I don't know how many times I have heard my teacher, artist, play-writes, writers say that. An idea does not have to come from a published work but from anywhere, conversation, school, art, religion, etc. I have never said anywhere in this that there are NO original ideas, just few. People constantly call things original even if their friends created it, I know I am guilty of that. If you want an example, Facebook, Dell. Examples of rediscovered, missiles. Taken and reused, COD.

Back now,

If push comes to shove, beat the game and resell it on some site with the figures, make a profit. Do it again?

I am so lost >.>

Quote: Smirf991

Quote: Razz

*eye roll* That's garbage and you know it. That argument is what lazy people use to justify plagiarism and bad writing. I've read an endless stream of original work and plenty of original works that have used a common idea as a springboard to launch their stories into unexplored and new territory. Making excuses like this for poor story telling just ensures that we have to choke down more garbage as readers, gamers, and film audiences.

You of all people should know that what I say is true, dismissing is it to cover it up... Now think of this, how many ideas are there floating around, thought but not said, died long ago? Basically there are almost no new ideas, only rediscovered or modified. I don't know how many times I have heard my teacher, artist, play-writes, writers say that. An idea does not have to come from a published work but from anywhere, conversation, school, art, religion, etc. I have never said anywhere in this that there are NO original ideas, just few. People constantly call things original even if their friends created it, I know I am guilty of that. If you want an example, Facebook, Dell. Examples of rediscovered, missiles. Taken and reused, COD.

Back now,

If push comes to shove, beat the game and resell it on some site with the figures, make a profit. Do it again?

Me "of all people"? I don't think so. Do you even know what I do for a living? My life is focused on stories, ideas, and finding new ways to shape them. The people I know are reinventing the world around them as we talk here and I myself spend every day finding new ways to exist in a world not suited for me.

There are an infinite number of ideas as yet un-explored and even unthought by any human being. We can't foresee our own future as a species and things will arise that will create situations no one has ever considered before that moment. How do you think we invent things? Where do you think the Internet came from? Modern medicine? Video games at all? What do you think science itself is if not coming up with something new one way or another? These were all new things that no one had ever thought of before the people who made them.

And here is where you said there are no new ideas:

Quote:

All GOOD writers borrow, all GREAT writes steal,

basically there are very few, almost none, genuine new ideas. Look around, every idea has to come from somewhere.

As I said before, that's garbage and the only people who really believe it are plagiarists who are making excuses to cover up their own faults. And it's that kind of attitude that ensures we will all suffer the same boring stories until the mediums they are told in stagnate and die.

Ok, believe what you want, I will hold firm to what I believe, and not force it upon you.

But the same stories, I never said that, just the basis of the story, the bone, the idea that the artist originally had to compel him/her to make it what it becomes. What the artist does with is to elaborate it is constantly being changed and reworked, you said it yourself. (computers? cellphones? CARS?).

And I never said "no", in the last quote you put in. (I am pretty sure I know that I see and typed...)

I think that Stealing and All may have been the wrong words to put in, but I am quoting a writer who came to my school a few days back, it's a shame that I can't recall the name. He was a play-write, poet, wrote short stories and novels, and taught for 32 years. (about 32, but he did teach)

One of the poem that he read was about a youngster who would listed to his uncle, an old sailer, talk about the creaking of the boards of the ships as stories the ships would tell, and the boy went to bed wondering if the creaking of the house was the same thing. Once again I can't recall a name. (I need to work on that)

Quote: Aura24

Quote: riverhippo

And unfortunately, I have some info concerning Activision buzz at the GDC. It appears that Activision's openings for this conference include their developers: Treyarch, Activision, Sledgehammer Games, Activision Minneapolis, Raven, and Infinity Ward. Toys for Bob was not listed.

http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobs...p?accountno=101

But that shows job openings, not actually the whole list of developers that will show their upcoming games.

I know. I wasn't ruling out the possibility, it just doesn't look good for more skylanders content to be revealed. This conference is more like a job fair. However, companies like to use the extra attention to gain publicity for some of their titles.

In my belief, there's no such thing as a 100% original idea... If we could make something that was completely different from everything we could ever know or imagine, that would make us Gods

I personally wouldn't call SSA 'original', but certainly unique compared to the casual video game industry.

The toy idea has originality, IMO, but everything else we've seen has none.

I'm pretty sure the more originality Activision put into a Spyro game, the more freaked out Spyro fans are about it. A game that copies everything from YotD would lack originality, but it would be one of the few games where there wouldn't be irrate fans complaining about how poorly they designed Spyro. Anything otherwise would be overly criticized.

Life is life, no mater what humanity does, there will always be someone there to take the other side.

(It is life, Learn it. Live it. Love it.


I will say that it is time for a truly original Spyro game with only a couple of the same characters (At least Spyro and Sparx, maybe Cynder). Sort of what ANB did, only with...

Alright, one day of the gdc expo in the books. The results are lifeless in terms of Spyro. It's not a surprise, though. The average age at this conference doesn't well match the demographic for this game. Here are the pictures I was able to find:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/5492731750/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/5492135583/

Wow, how anti-climatic.

^ The conference is not just about Spyro.