Korsakovia: Difference between revisions

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{{ModStatus|status=released|engine=Source|download=http://www.moddb.com/dear-esther}}
== Overview ==
== Overview ==


Dear Esther is part of a research project, creating experimental game mods, based at the University of Portsmouth, UK. The aim was to use Source to create something radically different from normal: an interactive story that dispensed with traditional gameplay and focused instead on an open-ended, semi-random narrative.
Korsakovia is a single-player experimental mod from the makers of Dear Esther.  
 
The user navigates the environment, triggering audio fragments of a narrative which, together with visual clues and codes embedded in the world, build to create a story which is inherently constructed around the innate slippage of meaning and fragmentary nature of interactive experiences. To put it another way: it looks like a game, and feels like a game, but it's really something quite different.


== Features ==
== Features ==


* Explore the island to unlock the story and piece together the mystery
* Fuses abstract storytelling of Dear Esther with more traditional gameplay
* Randomised narrative means a different version of the story is told every time
* Experiments with alternative visualisation of agents
* Features a specially commissioned soundtrack by composer Jessica Curry
* Lots of playing around with visual effects and environmental build


== Media ==
== Media ==




[[Image:island_02_600.jpg]]


[[Image:island_05_600.jpg]]


[[Image:island_17_600.jpg]]


== Team ==
Korsakovia was developed for the earth-shattering sum of approximately £10,500 as an internal grant from the University of Portsmouth, as part of the ongoing chineseroom project into experimental FPS gaming.
The core ideas behind thechineseroom are that


== Team ==
a) there are important and interesting questions about FPS gaming that cannot be answered simply by studying and analysing commercial titles, and that it's necessary to experiment and build in order to address them and
 
b) that there's no reason why a research project shouldn't be any less playable and 'fun' than a non-research project (i.e. a 'normal' game). On top of that, if you want to really make something that is true to the medium, then it should stand or fall as a game in its own right, and players should be able to engage with in on those terms.
 
Previous releases as part of the project include Dear Esther (Source), Conscientious Objector (Doom3/idTech4) and Antlion Soccer (Source).
 
All are available freely from www.moddb.com/members/chineseroom
 
If you have any questions about thechineseroom project or any of our mods, please contact me at dan.pinchbeck@port.ac.uk


thechineseroom is the name of a development-led research project based at the University of Portsmouth, UK and funded by the [http://www.ahrc.ac.uk Arts & Humanities Research Council]. The idea behind the project is simple: there are questions games researchers are interested in, that fall outside the kinds of media produced by industry. This gives us a choice, either we can discuss these questions theoretically, or we can take advantage of the rich culture of modding and availability of game engines and try and build media ourselves to tackle them. This second option-  development-led research - is what thechineseroom is all about.
More information about us can be found at


Over 2007-8, we have developed three mods, two in Source and one in idTech4, each pushing in a different direction. Dear Esther explores the use of FPS technologies to create an interactive storytelling experience, removing traditional gameplay. Conscientious Objector is a re-imagining of the opening of Doom 3, only this time with the ability the kill removed (i.e. you get the shotgun, but it's only got rubber bullets in it); and Antlion Soccer pushes the inherent sport of Deathmatch in a different direction (it's pretty much what it says on the tin - soccer with gravity guns and [[antlions]]).
www.thechineseroom.co.uk


thechineseroom (Dear Esther team):


* Produced, written and designed by Dan Pinchbeck
Korsakovia dev team:
* Environment built by [http://www.game-art.co.uk Josh Short]and [http://www.darkrockgames.com Adam Griffiths]
* Programming by Jonathon Brown
* Music by [http://www.jessicacurry.co.uk Jessica Curry]
* Voice Acting by [http://www.nigelcarrington.com Nigel Carrington]


== Localized versions ==
Korsakovia was written and produced by Dan Pinchbeck
The environment was designed by Dan Pinchbeck and Adam Griffiths and built by Adam Griffiths
with additional build by Dan Pinchbeck and Ankur Shah
Coding was by Maksim Mitrofanov
Audio and music was by Jessica Curry (www.jessicacurry.co.uk)
Genevieve Adam voiced Doctor Christine Grayson
and
Ben Crystal voiced Christopher
The voice acting was recorded at Middle Street Studios, UK, by Phil Thompson


This link goes through to 1.0, hosted at ModDB. There are some minor adjustments, mainly to displacements and a trigger location or two, to be carried out before 1.1 is released (probably Sept 08)
Playtesters were:
Nick Mower
Donkey81
Eli Just
Maksim Mitrofanov
Saryken (who also debugged a level for us)
Albert Teng


== External links ==
== External links ==


* [http://www.moddb.com/mods/dear-esther Dear Esther page on ModDB including link to download]
* [http://www.moddb.com/mods/korsakovia Korsakovia page on ModDB including link to download]
* [http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk thechineseroom project website]
* [http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk thechineseroom project website]
* [http://www.danpinchbeck.co.uk link Dan Pinchbeck's research homepage]
 


[[Category:Single Player Mods]]
[[Category:Single Player Mods]]

Revision as of 14:57, 16 September 2009

Overview

Korsakovia is a single-player experimental mod from the makers of Dear Esther.

Features

  • Fuses abstract storytelling of Dear Esther with more traditional gameplay
  • Experiments with alternative visualisation of agents
  • Lots of playing around with visual effects and environmental build

Media

Team

Korsakovia was developed for the earth-shattering sum of approximately £10,500 as an internal grant from the University of Portsmouth, as part of the ongoing chineseroom project into experimental FPS gaming.

The core ideas behind thechineseroom are that

a) there are important and interesting questions about FPS gaming that cannot be answered simply by studying and analysing commercial titles, and that it's necessary to experiment and build in order to address them and

b) that there's no reason why a research project shouldn't be any less playable and 'fun' than a non-research project (i.e. a 'normal' game). On top of that, if you want to really make something that is true to the medium, then it should stand or fall as a game in its own right, and players should be able to engage with in on those terms.

Previous releases as part of the project include Dear Esther (Source), Conscientious Objector (Doom3/idTech4) and Antlion Soccer (Source).

All are available freely from www.moddb.com/members/chineseroom

If you have any questions about thechineseroom project or any of our mods, please contact me at dan.pinchbeck@port.ac.uk

More information about us can be found at

www.thechineseroom.co.uk


Korsakovia dev team:

Korsakovia was written and produced by Dan Pinchbeck The environment was designed by Dan Pinchbeck and Adam Griffiths and built by Adam Griffiths with additional build by Dan Pinchbeck and Ankur Shah Coding was by Maksim Mitrofanov Audio and music was by Jessica Curry (www.jessicacurry.co.uk) Genevieve Adam voiced Doctor Christine Grayson and Ben Crystal voiced Christopher The voice acting was recorded at Middle Street Studios, UK, by Phil Thompson

Playtesters were: Nick Mower Donkey81 Eli Just Maksim Mitrofanov Saryken (who also debugged a level for us) Albert Teng

External links

Retrieved from "https://developer.valvesoftware.com/w/index.php?title=Korsakovia&oldid=125446"