<div class="IPBDescription">Anyone else in</div>I just got an invite to the spy party beta. I paid my $15 and I'm installing it now. Did anyone else get invited in this wave?
I haven't gotten into it at all, and do not intend to. However, one thing is nagging me a lot:
Didn't Giant Bomb have a video about the game? Where they sat down with developers and played it? Because, I can't find that anywhere, and I wanted to post it here in this thread to answer the inevitable question: 'what the hell is Spy Party?'.
Now I feel like a <a href="http://www.tjhowse.com/blatanttheft/Look%20at%20DCS%20A-10C%20_%20Rock,%20Paper,%20Shotgun_files/ridiculous_2.png" target="_blank">crazy person</a>. Surely that video exists, right? Please?
<!--quoteo(post=1963455:date=Aug 15 2012, 09:02 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Aug 15 2012, 09:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1963455"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So it's The Ship then?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> If I describe Natural Selection 2 as "a game with aliens and marines and the aliens run around climbing on walls and there are RTS elements too because each side builds buildings and so on" and you said "So it's Tremulous then?" you'd sort of be right but you'd also be missing 99% of what makes Natural Selection different from Tremulous. When you say "So it's The Ship then?" you're sort of right but you're missing 99% of what makes Spy Party different from The Ship.
Spy Party is 1 vs 1: 1 sniper, 1 spy. The Ship has tons of people. The sniper can basically see the whole room (or most of it) through their scope, whereas in The Ship you roam around a large level. Spy Party is 1 round and then it's done (or I guess 1 round as Spy and 1 as Sniper). The Ship has respawning and goes on for a while. Spy Party is all about mind games and deception and bluffing. The Ship is all about bodily needs and choosing the right items and finding your target and not being seen by security with weapons and stuff like this.
Basically you just played one of <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/175586/cliff_bleszinskis_game_developer_.php" target="_blank">Cliffy B's game developer flashcards</a>, the "It's just X+Y" card, only this this case it's the "It's just X" card.
Actually I just played the "I have played neither of those games but maybe if I make oversimplified statements I'll get some actual info about the game" card. Apparently it worked! Thanks, you've been the most helpful so far.
More info: in Spy Party, the spy has a number of objectives (like "bug the ambassador, retrieve the film hidden in a book in the bookcase, make contact with the double agent") which they have to accomplish while they think the sniper isn't paying attention. All of these actions are accomplished via fast little minigames: if you do well, you do the action faster, and if you screw up you do it slower or don't accomplish it (can't remember which). If the sniper notices any of things, you're dead, so you have to be very careful. If the sniper suspects you are the spy because you aren't acting naturally, that will also get you killed, so you need to act like the rest of the characters and wander around the party, talk with people, drink martinis, etc. There are like a billion YouTube videos of it but here's a random one to check out:
This game is really made by the *____-agency*, it's a tournament, and the winner is drafted into service. If you ever get invited to a secret beta within the beta, beware, you may be playing more than a game.
Zomg I won! Against someone who'd never played before, but a win is a win! He dropped the secret passphrase when only a few guests were in conversation, so that narrowed it down a heap. He also made a beeline for the window and checked his watch with 10 seconds on the counter, trying to add more time. I shot him in the face.
<!--quoteo(post=1963917:date=Aug 16 2012, 10:06 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Aug 16 2012, 10:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1963917"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I heard that mentioned in the video posted. Is there any way you'd avoid being spotted when checking your watch?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You can time your watch-check with an AI's. It's a pretty brief motion so if the sniper's not looking you might get away with it. You can also check your watch without adding time, but that's of no use if you're desperate for extra time.
Comments
Didn't Giant Bomb have a video about the game? Where they sat down with developers and played it? Because, I can't find that anywhere, and I wanted to post it here in this thread to answer the inevitable question: 'what the hell is Spy Party?'.
Now I feel like a <a href="http://www.tjhowse.com/blatanttheft/Look%20at%20DCS%20A-10C%20_%20Rock,%20Paper,%20Shotgun_files/ridiculous_2.png" target="_blank">crazy person</a>. Surely that video exists, right? Please?
That's what I thought...
If I describe Natural Selection 2 as "a game with aliens and marines and the aliens run around climbing on walls and there are RTS elements too because each side builds buildings and so on" and you said "So it's Tremulous then?" you'd sort of be right but you'd also be missing 99% of what makes Natural Selection different from Tremulous. When you say "So it's The Ship then?" you're sort of right but you're missing 99% of what makes Spy Party different from The Ship.
Spy Party is 1 vs 1: 1 sniper, 1 spy. The Ship has tons of people. The sniper can basically see the whole room (or most of it) through their scope, whereas in The Ship you roam around a large level. Spy Party is 1 round and then it's done (or I guess 1 round as Spy and 1 as Sniper). The Ship has respawning and goes on for a while. Spy Party is all about mind games and deception and bluffing. The Ship is all about bodily needs and choosing the right items and finding your target and not being seen by security with weapons and stuff like this.
Basically you just played one of <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/175586/cliff_bleszinskis_game_developer_.php" target="_blank">Cliffy B's game developer flashcards</a>, the "It's just X+Y" card, only this this case it's the "It's just X" card.
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7dUxz4WKkIk"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7dUxz4WKkIk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
It's very very hard for newbies. They strongly suggest playing against people on your own level, hence my looking for anyone else just starting out.
--Scythe--
I wouldn't call it a turing test. I'd call it a reverse turing test: Can a human successfully impersonate a computer?
--Scythe--
You can time your watch-check with an AI's. It's a pretty brief motion so if the sniper's not looking you might get away with it. You can also check your watch without adding time, but that's of no use if you're desperate for extra time.
--Scythe--