Short and sweet game
March 7, 2008 6:38 AM Subscribe
A nifty one minute "personality video game" shows the unique approach to gaming taken by Cecropia, whose first effort, the highly-praised "The Act" was an interactive sitcom of sorts that was controlled with a single knob. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, Cecropia never could find a market for an intelligent coin-op game with a single control in 2007, so The Act was canceled.
Reading your description, I was pretty meh, but the longer article makes The Act sound really interesting. I'm not really clear why there's only one knob though. Wouldn't multiple variables be even better? (Also "cecropia" may be the worst name short of "coprophilia" or "necrophilia".)
The example game is...OK, I guess. But the lack of variables is a real problem. Some complex (by which I mean "harder to detect a pattern in") AI could do wonders.
posted by DU at 6:49 AM on March 7, 2008
The example game is...OK, I guess. But the lack of variables is a real problem. Some complex (by which I mean "harder to detect a pattern in") AI could do wonders.
posted by DU at 6:49 AM on March 7, 2008
What does this game teach us? That eating more chips will get me girls.
posted by MPnonot3 at 6:52 AM on March 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by MPnonot3 at 6:52 AM on March 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
I'm amused by the confluence of this question and the chip-centric nature of this "game." That is all.
posted by andythebean at 7:06 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by andythebean at 7:06 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Okay- now I really need to play The Act. Has any information surfaced about a PC or console game port? I'd think that the Wii may be able to simulate the single-knob control scheme fairly effectively.
posted by bookwo3107 at 7:29 AM on March 7, 2008
posted by bookwo3107 at 7:29 AM on March 7, 2008
Funnily enough, I'm also controlled by a single knob.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:38 AM on March 7, 2008 [8 favorites]
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:38 AM on March 7, 2008 [8 favorites]
Chip Game Cheat:
Eat two chips, reach back in the back and leave your hand there.
After a while you wont even notice the chick, trust me.
posted by therubettes at 7:53 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Eat two chips, reach back in the back and leave your hand there.
After a while you wont even notice the chick, trust me.
posted by therubettes at 7:53 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
I swear I've read about this game here before, but my search skills fail me.
At any rate, it looks like a neat game, and I wish they'd put it out on some platform.
posted by graventy at 8:06 AM on March 7, 2008
At any rate, it looks like a neat game, and I wish they'd put it out on some platform.
posted by graventy at 8:06 AM on March 7, 2008
This looks a lot like what Time Traveler was trying to do. Except, you know, playable.
I definitely want to try this. It's sad that something this innovative probably wouldn't sell in arcades anymore. It could be a great Wii title, though.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:14 AM on March 7, 2008
I definitely want to try this. It's sad that something this innovative probably wouldn't sell in arcades anymore. It could be a great Wii title, though.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:14 AM on March 7, 2008
I think I've played this game before. Through four years of undergrad.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:14 AM on March 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:14 AM on March 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
This is great!
I'm AWESOME at eating chips in front of anorexic people!
posted by stresstwig at 9:02 AM on March 7, 2008
I'm AWESOME at eating chips in front of anorexic people!
posted by stresstwig at 9:02 AM on March 7, 2008
The single control sounds a lot like Midnight Stranger. Without the boobies and rape, apparently.
posted by mkb at 9:23 AM on March 7, 2008
posted by mkb at 9:23 AM on March 7, 2008
mkb typed "Without the boobies and rape, apparently."
It all depends how far you go with that confidence knob.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:36 AM on March 7, 2008
It all depends how far you go with that confidence knob.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:36 AM on March 7, 2008
We are now bringing this new style of gaming to Flash-based advergames.
"Advergames?" No thanks...
posted by nzero at 10:15 AM on March 7, 2008
"Advergames?" No thanks...
posted by nzero at 10:15 AM on March 7, 2008
This looks a lot like what Time Traveler was trying to do. Except, you know, playable.
Wow, Time Traveller! I remember playing that once in the arcade. It was... poo. Shiny, faux-holographic, three dollars a play poo.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:45 AM on March 7, 2008
Wow, Time Traveller! I remember playing that once in the arcade. It was... poo. Shiny, faux-holographic, three dollars a play poo.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:45 AM on March 7, 2008
That looks incredible. Clearly too original to ever actually release. Perish the thought.
Thinking of arcades makes me sad. That used to be where I went to whip ass at Street Fighter. Now the entirety of the arcade business seems to be about leasing out Golden Tee machines.
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:31 PM on March 7, 2008
Thinking of arcades makes me sad. That used to be where I went to whip ass at Street Fighter. Now the entirety of the arcade business seems to be about leasing out Golden Tee machines.
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:31 PM on March 7, 2008
Taking another look at the demonstrational Flash game, it really comes just short of what I want this project to be. Using the extended chip-holding hand as a visual representation of the confidence threshold is very smart, and I hope that there are things like it in The Act. It's far more intuitive than almost any video game UI.
But solving the game doesn't really involve mastering the confidence threshold; it just involves figuring out the eat-three-chips trick. Hopefully, The Act is a little bit less binary. I'd like to see a game that involved being in just the right range of inputs at the right time, and maybe you wouldn't know whether you were in the right range until a few scenes later. If The Act has standard "solutions" for getting through each level, then it really is another Dragon's Lair knockoff, no matter what they say about it.
posted by roll truck roll at 3:12 PM on March 7, 2008
But solving the game doesn't really involve mastering the confidence threshold; it just involves figuring out the eat-three-chips trick. Hopefully, The Act is a little bit less binary. I'd like to see a game that involved being in just the right range of inputs at the right time, and maybe you wouldn't know whether you were in the right range until a few scenes later. If The Act has standard "solutions" for getting through each level, then it really is another Dragon's Lair knockoff, no matter what they say about it.
posted by roll truck roll at 3:12 PM on March 7, 2008
But solving the game doesn't really involve mastering the confidence threshold; it just involves figuring out the eat-three-chips trick.
Wait...what confidence threshold? I just ate three chips, she scooted closer, I gave her one and it was over (THAT'S WHAT SHE ETC).
posted by DU at 3:31 PM on March 7, 2008
Wait...what confidence threshold? I just ate three chips, she scooted closer, I gave her one and it was over (THAT'S WHAT SHE ETC).
posted by DU at 3:31 PM on March 7, 2008
Has a bit of that Dragon's Lair / LaserDisc game feel.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:42 PM on March 7, 2008
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:42 PM on March 7, 2008
I'm not understanding the focus on it being an arcade game. Why not release it for the PC, with a Kingston-style volume knob, or, you know, your mouse wheel?
posted by disillusioned at 2:26 AM on March 8, 2008
posted by disillusioned at 2:26 AM on March 8, 2008
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