The resurrection of ‘Allison Road’
When Chris Kesler was six years old, he sat just outside his cousin’s room and peered at the flickering TV through a crack in the doorway. On-screen, in grainy VHS quality, a murderous red-haired doll in Cabbage Patch overalls laughed as it attempted to murder anyone in its path. Kesler was enraptured. He technically wasn’t allowed to watch Child’s Play, but he was drawn to its terror the way other kids gravitated toward Saturday morning cartoons.
“I was scared for days, but there was something really fascinating about it,” Kesler recalls. “I think one of the major draws of horror is that there’s a whole range of emotions that you can experience from the comfort and safety of your home.”
Kesler’s fascination with terror followed him into adulthood. He’s the creator and lead developer of Allison Road, a first-person horror game that fans have been looking forward to since its reveal in late 2015. Allison Road gained early traction largely because of its similarities to P.T., a high-profile mini-game from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro that served as the prequel to Silent Hills. The Silent Hill franchise is revered among horror fans, and at the time, its resurrection from two masters of storytelling was exciting news.
However, Silent Hills was canceled shortly after P.T.’s popularity crescendoed in mid-2015, leaving fans hungry for more.
Here’s where Allison Road comes in. It expands on the format laid out by P.T., which is a first-person horror game set solely in a tidy suburban house. In P.T., players loop around and around the same series of hallways as they become distorted with blood, bugs and a demonic presence, the story dripping in as new clues appear. Similarly, Allison Road is a first-person game set in a single house, but it takes advantage of the full floor plan, allowing players to explore every room in any order as a sinister, otherworldly being slowly consumes everything.
Aside from the setting and perspective, Allison Road and Silent Hills have one more thing in common: They’ve both been canned.
Allison Road hit Kickstarter in September 2015 and was immediately heralded by horror fans as P.T.’s second coming. In Allison Road, players wake up alone in a British townhouse and have to figure out what happened to their family, investigating all of the creepy noises, unsettling visuals and demonic specters that pop up along the way. Early trailers showed a polished and robust 3D environment packed with dark hallways and accessories to interact with, complete with spine-tingling audio direction.
The Kickstarter campaign raised £146,000 ($226,000) before Kesler canceled it in October. This was good news: Allison Road had picked up a publisher, Worms developer Team17, which meant funding was handled. It seemed like an ideal situation, and Kesler celebrated it as such in the game’s final Kickstarter update.
However, by June 2016, the deal had fallen apart and Kesler shut down development on Allison Road altogether.
“We have reached a mutual agreement to end our collaboration on publishing Allison Road under Team17’s Games label,” Kesler wrote in a Facebook post. “Sometime [sic] things pan out differently than expected as game development and publishing have so many layers of complexity.”
Kesler took a few months’ break from the public eye. Allison Road was his passion project, and its cancellation wasn’t bittersweet — it was only bitter.
“I was really sad about it, to be honest,” Kesler says.
He picked up his day job as a concept artist once again and continued quietly working on Allison Road in his spare time. Kesler tweaked the story and figured out how big the game could realistically be if he continued working on it with limited resources.
And then, on August 22nd, he felt confident enough to bring Allison Road back from the dead. The game is in development again with Kesler’s new studio, Far From Home, which he co-founded with his wife.
“Because this game started as a hobby project, I feel quite attached to it,” Kesler says. “The thing with personal projects is that you don’t really do them because you have to, so to speak. You do them because you want to. That makes a huge difference when it comes to pushing through slightly more challenging times.”
Without Team17’s backing, Allison Road has to be smaller in scope, but Kesler doesn’t see that as a downside.
“Better to have something shortish but high-quality and tight, rather than artificially long and then in the end low-quality and boring,” he says.
Allison Road has come full circle, in a weird way. Kesler is now working on it in his free time, just like he was before the Kickstarter campaign went live. It’s a comfortable situation.
“Since I already worked on Allison Road for quite a long time that same way in the past, it wasn’t much of an issue, really,” he says.
In a few months Kesler plans to start actively searching for funding or support, and down the line he might revisit some of the funding tiers that were promised in the original Kickstarter campaign, specifically ones that gave fans a chance to be in the game. However, there won’t be another full-blown Kickstarter for Allison Road.
“Kickstarter is really all about trusting someone with your hard-earned money to deliver a good product and support its creation,” Kesler says. “Without a track record, it’s a tough sell, and there are a lot of Kickstarter projects that never see the light of day or go south in some other way.”
He doesn’t have any regrets, even though Allison Road has taken a long and winding path through development so far. There’s no release window for the game just yet, but Kesler is steadily working away, trying to ensure Allison Road will be the most horrifying experience possible.
“It’s really easy to dwell on the past, but the important thing now is to look forward and keep going,” he says.
Parrot’s hybrid drone looks ready to blast a Death Star
Remember when drones used to be fun toys, not a serious business regulated by the Feds? Parrot does, judging by its two latest models, the Mambo and Swing. The $139 Swing looks a lot like an X-Wing fighter, but the wings aren’t just for show. After a regular vertical takeoff, you can make like a V22 Osprey and transition to horizontal flight, hitting speeds of up to 18 mph. It then does high-speed aerobatics including turns, U-turns, half-flips and loops, “all with amazing fluidity and stability,” Parrot says.
Though it’s built for free-flying thrills, it’s also equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope that keep it at a steady altitude in plane mode. Meanwhile, an on-board 480 x 640 camera gauges the drone’s forward speed and can save photos to a 1GB flash memory chip (no live view, though). When you’re ready to land, an ultrasound sensor detects the ground from less than 13 feet away, helping it set down gently. And it does all this while looking like it can blast a Tie fighter out of the sky.
Speaking of blasting, what if you married a tiny Nerf gun and a drone? That’s the premise behind Parrot’s other new drone, the $119 Mambo. It’s a very small, 2.2 ounce UAV that comes with two accessories: the Cannon and Grabber. The Cannon carries six “pellets” that you can fire up to six feet, while the Grabber lets you pick up and drop very small objects (up to 4 ounces) like a sugar cube. For $15 extra, you can also get the “Illuminator” LED accessory, with controllable intensity and flashing.
The Mambo can also do aerobatics at up to 18 mph, and has a built-in 3-axis gyro and accelerometer. Like the Swing, there’s a vertical camera that measures speed and snaps photos, and it packs an identical autopilot and landing features.
Both devices can fly for 8 minutes and come with a new app, the FreeFlight Mini. It lets you set up custom commands and parameters for the drones, and fly them at up to 65 feet away using Bluetooth LE. However, you’ll probably want the new $39 FlyPad joystick controller, which should make piloting a lot easier. It extends the range of both drones to 196 feet and comes with a smartphone holder. Both drones and the Flypad arrive in September.
Konami announces ‘Metal Gear Solid: The Definitive Collection’
Konami is bundling Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Online in a special package called Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience.
If you missed out on the demo-length prequel Ground Zeroes or the opus that was Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it’s well worth picking up this time around for $49.99. In addition to the full games, it’ll also come with all of the downloadable content previously made available, including Ground Zeroes mission packs, The Phantom Pain’s items, and expansions for Metal Gear Online.
This may be the latest re-release of classic Kojima-helmed Metal Gear projects, but Konami is venturing out on its own, as announced during Gamescom, with the decidedly different Metal Gear Survive. It’s a stark change in direction for the Metal Gear name, but it does look intriguing at the very least.
The collection is coming October 11th and will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam.
Via: Polygon
EU net neutrality guidelines close key ‘fast lane’ loopholes
When the European Union passed its net neutrality laws in 2015, it left a few big loopholes that many were worried would undermine the rules. Would your internet provider have free rein to exempt its own services from data caps, for example, or slow down competing services? You might not have to worry quite so much. The EU’s electronic communications regulators have posted guidelines that, for the most part, rule out the potential abuses that came from the laws’ vague wording.
To begin with, your ISP can’t block or slow down any internet traffic “except where necessary,” such as when the network is bogging down or a legal order requires it. They also can’t exempt services from data caps in situations where service is either blocked or throttled at the limit, and even caps with overages may be a concern if officials believe the exemptions are sincerely anti-competitive.
And those fears that providers would be allowed to prioritize what they want as “specialized services?” They’re somewhat overblown. The guidelines note that these would be services on networks that aren’t connected to the internet, such as some forms of linear IPTV, remote surgery and voice calls over LTE.
This doesn’t mean that net neutrality regulation is now airtight. Will ISPs try to cheat in subtler ways, such as exempting just enough from caps to avoid raising alarm bells? Even if they do, though, it’s clear that the EU isn’t implementing a “net neutrality lite” that can easily be defeated.
Via: The Verge
Source: BEREC
Chris Brown turns to Instagram amid police standoff
Singer Chris Brown’s Instagram account got a lot more interesting today. With police outside of his Los Angeles home, who were following up on a report that Brown pulled a gun on an unnamed woman, the singer started posting Instagram videos criticizing the LAPD. Meanwhile, local news stations have been broadcasting footage of the standoff on Facebook Live for much of the day.
It’s not unusual for local news stations to turn situations like this into a media circus, but this is a rare instance where we actually got to hear from the person who’s actually being pursued by the police. In the Instagram posts, Brown evoked the Black Lives Matter movement and painted himself as a victim of police harassment. “I don’t care y’all going to stay playing with me like I’m the villain out here, like I’m going crazy,” he said.
“Right now we’re getting cooperation from everybody who’s involved in this,” an LAPD representative said during a news briefing. The police are currently evacuating the home, after issuing a search warrant, and are interviewing everyone who was inside.
Via: Fox News, TMZ
Source: Chris Brown (Instagram)
Report: Google is turning Waze into a ride-sharing platform
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is planning to launch a carpool-based ride-sharing service using Waze in the Bay Area. The new feature would connect drivers and potential passengers going along the same route via the navigation app.
The new Waze Commute will launch this fall and unlike Lyft and Uber, won’t act like an on-demand hailing platform for trips around town. Instead it’ll be similar to the ad-hoc casual carpool system where someone gets a ride from another person based on their commute route. The service is already available in Israel.
In the Bay Area, the pilot is currently limited to select employers that have signed up for the service. While drivers would use the same app they currently employ to get directions, potential passengers would use the Waze Rider app.
According to the WSJ, the drivers will only make about $.54 a mile. Not exactly the kind of money you would make driving for Uber or Lyft. Instead, Google is hoping to gramt commuters a way to make giving strangers a ride a bit more formal.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Twitter’s making it easy for content creators to show you ads
Twitter’s finally giving creators a good reason to upload videos to its platform rather than YouTube by allowing individuals to monetize content.
The move is an extension of its existing Amplify program, which previously allowed only registered media outlets to display ads before videos. It’s also a direct push to try and grow its video platform in the same way that YouTube attracted millions of creators.
Without offering paid incentives to upload content, there was no reason not to upload to YouTube and then just share that video to other networks.
Whether Twitter will deliver on that ambition is another question. It already struggles to retain users and is still working out ways to monetize its products. Making it easy for creators to show ads before videos is great for them, but could potentially upset the network’s users.
You do still need to be an approved user before you get the option to tick the box for pre-roll ads, but there are non-exclusivity options that also let you monetize the same content on other networks without penalties. It’s a smart move on Twitter’s part, asking creators to leap to a new platform would be a tough sell, but offering an additional revenue stream shouldn’t be.
Creators will also get the option to work with brands on specific campaigns in some cases, using the expertise it acquired with its purchase of Niche last year.
Source: Twitter Blog
Order pizza right from your Twitch stream with Hungrybot
When you’re chilling on the couch watching your favorite esports stream on Twitch and hunger hits, pizza is just a few keystrokes away.
Hungrybot is, as the name implies, a bot meant for streamers to run in their Twitch channels to let fans order pizza straight from the chat itself. By allowing viewers quick access to pizza at a discount, it also offers streamers a chance to monetize their streams by earning up to $1 per pizza orders.
Here’s how it works. You’ll type in “!pizza” to order or via whisper, then you’ll be given a choice of which pizzas are currently available at a discount. The example page given by Hungrybot shows off a Domino’s pizza order for 10% off. Once you place your order you’ll complete payment on a separate secure page, and then it’s all said and done. It’s the ultimate in lazy, without even requiring you to migrate over to a pizza chain’s website to order anything.
According to Hungrybot, supposedly fans who order pizza tip streamers more, offers streamers more money, and keeps users more engaged. It seems like you’re robbed of options for pizza, like light sauce or which toppings you want, but if you’re that dedicated to keeping your eyes on the stream or if you’re a streamer yourself and want to make some extra cash, selling pizza isn’t that bad of a way to do it.
Via: The Meta
Alleged PS4 Slim leak reveals incremental changes to console
Sony has confirmed its next game system, the PlayStation Neo, and will probably formally introduce it at an event on September 7th. But the console maker was heavily rumored to have a new thinner version of their current system, the PS4 Slim, but has refused to confirm that it exists. Eurogamer seemingly got a hold of one a week ago, but took down its video review after apparent legal pressure from Sony. Today, Laura K. Dale of games site Let’s Play Video Games posted an unboxing report of what she alleges to be the new smaller console purchased from eBay. If true, it has a few improvements over the old model it’s replacing, but we’re still waiting for Sony to verify that this is indeed the final version of the system.
Judging by this report, the PS4 Slim’s largest changes are twofold: removing the optical port and allowing the new version of the PlayStation controller to transfer data via USB cable to the system. Why is that important? Because signals take additional milliseconds to travel in the air via Bluetooth than they would through a cord. If you think those lost fractions of a second will affect your online multiplayer performance, this new controller is for you (or even your old PS4, as the report claims it to be backwards-compatible). And yes, the one in this report has the previously-seen lightbar at the top.
Obviously, the Slim thinner than its predecessor, measuring 264 x 39 x 288mm compared to the original PS4’s 275 x 53 x 305mm, cutting about a third of its thickness off and a few centimenters off the sides, according to the reviewer. The rest of the changes are about convenience. The front-facing USB ports have been split apart to give room between peripherals, while a plastic-covered port in the back allows easy access to the SATA hard drive. It also has a threaded hole on one side that will likely connect to a dedicated stand for you to vertically-orient your PS4 Slim without worrying that the very thing console will get knocked over.
Dale appears to plug in the PS4 Slim into a monitor, power it up, and use it like a current PS4. According to a previous video, she’d received the new console last week but was waiting for Sony to officially claim that the system exists, and failing that, she posted this unboxing report. As of publishing time, it hasn’t been taken down.
Source: Let’s Play Video Games
Pebble Launches Update With Streamlined Interface, Redesigned ‘Pebble Health’ Feature
Pebble today announced the launch of a major software update for its line of Pebble smart watches, introducing new health features and interface tweaks designed to streamline the “glance and go” process of getting information and acting on it.
An updated Timeline with a new Quick View setting lets users see what events and activities are planned for the current day and up to three days in the future, while a new Launcher menu displays more items at once.
App Glances, a new feature, offers up information from apps before they’re opened, and a 4-button Quick Launch feature lets users assign their favorite apps to the Up, Down, Back, and Select buttons.
The Pebble Health feature built into the Pebble app has a new look with clearer, easier to understand Activity and Sleep graphs, plus it’s easier to access.
Press Up from your watchface for quick glances at your step and sleep performance with the redesigned activity cards. Press Right from each activity to dive deeper and compare how you’re currently doing with your typical performance from the past week.
For iOS users, there’s a “Sneak Peek” feature that lets a Pebble watch paired with an iOS device manage emails, an option that was previously limited to Android users. With iOS Email Actions, it’s possible to Delete, Archive, Mark as Read, Reply All, and Star emails received from Gmail accounts.
The new features are available for the Pebble Time, Time Steel, and Time Round and can be downloaded from the Pebble app. Older Pebble watches, including the Pebble and Pebble Steel, will see an updated look and feel and performance and reliability improvements with today’s update.
The updated Pebble app will be available today from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tag: Pebble
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