Warp Pipe Technologies - The Road To Demasked / page 3 / nsidr

Warp Pipe Technologies - The Road To Demasked
Continued...

N-S: We are now going to go through some of the user submitted questions that still apply to the interview, as some of you know, we did an open call for questions to be directly asked to Chad, the following have been submitted by users of the Warp Pipe forums.

WPF: What connection type will users need to access the Demasked software, will it be something launched in-game or separately?

CP : This is something that will be largely up to the publisher of the game. However, in a perfect scenario, we would exclusively partner with a publisher and aide them in growing their existing online community.

WPF: What will Demasked offer that services like Xbox live do not?

CP : Personality. Most significantly, the ability to completely share your own personality if you choose to do so. Xbox Live is a good example of borrowed PC gaming culture. Further, it is completely inaccessible to the mainstream market due to the lack of real community and the fact that is an added cost to the gamer. Warp Pipe Technologies is all about facilitating a free " living room experience" gateway to anyone in the world, anytime. 50 percent of communication is non-verbal, and Xbox Live can't deliver a community experience filled with personality when gamers can barely verbally communicate to begin with.

"If nothing else, we will be working with the right publisher, delivering new game play rather than delivering new textures containing the latest licensed intellectual property." - Chad Paulson, Warp Pipe Technologies.

WPF: In a previous interview you stated that Microsoft would be Demasked's main competitor. Can you please elaborate on that?

CP: That was a bit of a stretch, as it is hard to tell what the landscape is going to be like in the next year as far as true competition goes. However, if I had to choose someone, Microsoft would most definitely be a main competitor. If nothing else, the likelihood of our companies ever doing business is very slim for several reasons, mostly having to do with philosophy and corporate culture.

However, Microsoft is lauded for having made a breakthrough in online gaming with Xbox Live. I hardly think of Live as a breakthrough when it comes to delivering the amer with a truly unique experience; especially when you look at dollars spent. They surely facilitated a large network, bought and paid for by millions of Windows users, but what has it really done for gamers in the long run? I see of it as an extension of current PC gaming, and I can most certainly tell you that Microsoft will not be a prospect of interest.

WPF: How will Demasked bring the online community closer, and what aspects of it will be most appealing to the mass markets?

CP: In the interest of keeping a competitive advantage, I cannot disclose any details. Again, the implementation of these features will be largely based on the publisher. This is why it is crucial we stay vigilant and enter into the right agreement. However, in general, online gaming is very utilitarian and cold. Setting up and playing a game shouldn't feel like THX1138 , it should be a social experience. The cheers, jeers, and rivalry is part of gaming, the experience is not exclusive to what is on screen at any given time.

N-S: How will this be accomplished with gaming devices that do not have, for instance, a built in microphone or camera?

CP: Imagination is everything. We have been relying on technology for the sake of technology for too long, rather than fully utilizing the technology that surrounds us.

N-S: So how will existing technologies be utilized then?

CP: Very effectively, with passion and creativity.

N-S: How will Demasked inspire said passion and creativity?

CP : There is no skirting the details with you, is there? If nothing else, we will be working with the right publisher, delivering new game play rather than delivering new textures containing the latest licensed intellectual property.

N-S: Is there anything else you wish to state before we close up this interview?

CP : I'm really looking forward to sharing these concepts at E3 and I remain hopeful that we can get to work and start delivering to gamers as quickly as humanly possible. A new platform brings with it a lot of possibility; we are thinking about nothing but the online gaming space.

Something I'd very much like to see, personally, with the next generation is a renewed confidence on behalf of Nintendo. Something along the lines of "don't play games, play Nintendo" would really resinate, I think. Many reading this interview are too young to remember, but there was a significant amount of time where sitting in front of a computer screen to a television screen, playing any type of video game was "playing Nintendo". In any case, I think the company has a lot of opportunity to recapture a lost audience, and I look forward to seeing how they communicate their future innovations on the mass market, which is something they have had difficulty doing in recent years.

N-S: What else can we expect at E3? Is it strictly for you to approach publishers, or will there be anything shown there to the public as well?

CP: At this time, it's strictly business behind closed doors. We are not exhibiting anything, nor will we until we have signed an agreement with a publisher. However, until then, gamers can look forward to Ahhh-choo!

N-S: Perhaps the most interesting name for a game ever. With that said, I thank you for this interview and letting the world know what you guys have been up to for all these months.

CP : It was my pleasure.

Between the span of November 2004 and the present day, demasked.com has been home to many clues, dubbed "transmissions", which featured backwards text, cryptic images, and disturbing videos all meant to promote and give clues to the general public about the demasked project. Below is a follow-up interview where Chad offers an explanation of the transmissions:

A shot from Transmission #3

N-S: When the demasked site was launched, a number of 'transmissions' were released in the sites RSS feed, some included backwards text, images, and finally videos featuring what seemed to be a trapped person interacting with the environment around him - How did these relate to the project, and what was the intention of them?

CP: With respect to the transmissions, we were trying to convey to the public our interpretation of online gaming before demasked. Jordan Vogt-Roberts, our creative coordinator, who directed the transmissions, has been successful in translating our message onto film. As more transmissions are made, you will see a progression into the "light" and you will start to see the possibilities demasked will bring.

N-S: With the re-design of the WPT site, a new transmission was also released, with an upbeat song asking "Which mask are you?" - Almost a play on Nintendo's "Who are you?" campaign, was this intentional?

CP: Not at all. I didn't even think about the similarity until you brought it up. If you listen to the lyrics of the song, and pay attention to the imagery, and, further, view the previous transmissions, I think the message speaks for it self.

With all that said and done, I would like to personally thank Chad Paulson and his company, Warp Pipe Technologies for providing us with this opportunity to interview them, and we at N-Sider wish them luck at next month's Electronic Entertainment Exposition.

Keep your eyes on N-Sider.com for the latest developments in this very exciting project.