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Hack 'n' Slash announced (Double Fine - Amensia Fortnight)

xptoxyz

Member
http://www.hacknslashthegame.com/
ibO71Fl9R9w7Y.jpg

Unzip the image above for more info on the game.
 

kadotsu

Banned
I hope they will change the player character design to something more original. I don't want a Nintendo referencevanganza.
 

adg1034

Member
As an FYI: if you click the main image, you'll download something with the extension .zip.jpg, which leads me to believe that there's a LOT more going on behind the scenes here. It's taking forever to download, though.
 

VideoMan

30% Failure Rate
As an FYI: if you click the main image, you'll download something with the extension .zip.jpg, which leads me to believe that there's a LOT more going on behind the scenes here. It's taking forever to download, though.

Yep. Lots of cryptic stuff here:

A note from the Acting A note from the Acting Regent Wizard: I have Regent Wizard: I have imposed stringent new imposed stringent new laws for the kingdom’s laws for the kingdom’s safety. My security safety. My security forces have discovered forces have discovered individuals embedded among individuals embedded among us that seek to bring us that seek to bring chaos to our kingdom. chaos to our kingdom. The application of these The application of these laws will be focused on laws will be focused on preventing their success. preventing their success. It is imperative that we It is imperative that we capture these dangerous capture these dangerous dissidents. First, dissidents. First, all enciphered messages all enciphered messages are forbidden. We cannot are forbidden. We cannot secure our radiant secure our radiant kingdom with secrets kingdom with secrets kept from each other. kept from each other. Second, no one is to Second, no one is to enter the forest. I have enter the forest. I have many powerful spells, many powerful spells, but no incantation will but no incantation will rid the forest of the rid the forest of the evils that have awoken evils that have awoken there. You have all heard there. You have all heard the tales presented by the tales presented by our brave military men our brave military men who have managed to who have managed to escape the forest alive. escape the forest alive. Finally, I have set a Finally, I have set a reward for reports of reward for reports of dissident activity; it dissident activity; it is my hope that by our is my hope that by our collective watchful eye, collective watchful eye, we can find the source we can find the source of these new evils of these new evils facing us. I will be facing us. I will be the first and loudest the first and loudest to celebrate their to celebrate their passing. Restoring peace passing. Restoring peace will allow me to pass on will allow me to pass on the regency to our fair the regency to our fair princess, having princess, having successfully observed my successfully observed my oath to prepare the oath to prepare the kingdom for her reign. kingdom for her reign. I long for the day when I long for the day when the glyphs of her name the glyphs of her name appear upon the crown appear upon the crown that is rightfully hers. that is rightfully hers.

Also a MP4 video in there of gameplay footage with flashing characters from some made up language at the bottom.

Code-breaker GAF, assemble!
 

adg1034

Member
Yep. Lots of cryptic stuff here:



Also a MP4 video in there of gameplay footage with flashing characters from some made up language at the bottom.

Code-breaker GAF, assemble!

From the Double Fine home page:

—-TRACE BEGIN—-
> CONNECT host:www.hacknslashthegame.com port:80
> SEND ApplicationData
>> GET /download/hacknslashannouncement.txt HTTP/1.1
>> Host: hacknslashthegame.com
>>
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Server: Apache/2.2.15 (CentOS)
Connection: close
Content-Type: application/octet-stream

DOUBLE FINE ANNOUNCES PUZZLE ACTION GAME HACK ’N’ SLASH
Former Amnesia Fortnight Prototype to Launch in First Half 2014, Supported by Indie Fund and friends of Double Fine

SAN FRANCISCO–December 10, 2013–Double Fine Productions today announced that Hack ‘n’ Slash, a hacking themed puzzle action game for Windows, Mac, and Linux, will release in the first half of 2014. A version of the game debuted during Double Fine’s Amnesia Fortnight 2012 internal game jam. It was selected by the gaming public to be turned into a two-week prototype, after garnering more votes than any other Amnesia Fortnight pitch.

In Hack ‘n’ Slash, a young elf uses her computer hacking skills to cheat her way through a classic action/adventure game. The game was funded by Indie Fund, Humble Bundle, Hemisphere Games, make all, AppAbove Games, Adam Saltsman, The Behemoth, Morgan Webb, and Rob Reid as part of a two-game deal that also includes Spacebase DF-9, which released in Early Access Alpha and recouped its investment within two weeks.

“I’ve always loved games with lots of secrets in them,” said Hack ‘n’ Slash project lead Brandon Dillon, “and when I first discovered a hex editor in an emulator, it dawned on me that I could be a kind of digital treasure hunter—no game could keep even its deepest secrets from me if I adventured long enough in its code and memory.”

By subverting old-school gaming tropes with unique hacking mechanics, Hack ‘n’ Slash allows non-programmer players to experience that same sense of mystery and discovery.

“Look, I’m going to be honest with you here: I don’t really understand what’s going on inside this game’s code,” said Double Fine president and CEO Tim Schafer, who claims to possess a degree in computer science. “I believe it contains ‘algorithms.’ But I know what’s going on inside my heart when I play it. And that is joy.”

“We’re psyched to be helping with Hack’n'Slash because Amnesia Fortnight projects are about empowering individual creators,” said Indie Fund partner Ron Carmel, who definitely possesses a degree in computer science. “And I can confirm that this game’s code does contain algorithms.”

Hack ‘n’ Slash will be released for Windows, Mac, and Linux on Steam and DRM-free in the first half of 2014. It will include algorithms.

> CONNECT host:hacknslashthegame.com port:443
> SEND ClientHello suites:TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA certs:x509 random:xIl3HWupPdsvwY94XV3UHtW04aE/wT4X8p7FmdSxW5w=
RECV ServerHello random:Up2+Rmzxa4CFywMpfAMCBn7wJHaiBnwEGslWPq4QaTQ=
RECV Certificate [verified]
RECV ServerHelloDone
> SEND ClientKeyExchange premaster:AwKV0UmxkA/iXZ4Y4NDn0P1Ju/m6GNL10FR7PuJae/83Ghy3Eo+6qDiJwQsNzjyB
... [encrypting provided premaster]
> ENCRYPT
... [computing master key]
... [sending ChangeCypherSpec]
> VERIFY
... [computing verify_data:Tcz7sewhNdF70Xmd]
... [sending Finished]
>SEND ApplicationData
>> ******************************************
>> ***************************
>>
... [sending ApplicationData encrypted_payload:9Uxik4wGjQEoga0gznSZM7H+x4gnbdG9iqVwCOucgvE=]
... [sending ApplicationData encrypted_payload:Z41sWWPE2pPTxXnfbb/ju+g9NGrE/7gMltSvCW2J5aLCjH0R5k8E1iHJydJ1OuguAyZqKPlUDOxVZ6I1dnIJkPBXre5y2wcZU5misdX8Hk+exdqsbpjeDRwQKxwxcOTm]
wqbzvEF9EWuIshMxNfrvhg75TbHD5/WY4dA8m73GW6kX6S7lszdMKCKr3QWz0/2EAwdkU51tyAqEMB1DR87/9PnAXnECqvbVZLWL8MBNgcyd4ri+YzRDF/R+XbJ3qXbRIfuaiJGqjB8AQSYTHdmBIqdcamc6404t5cw0Gx7oRyYmudXx4CZ1D2fpD801jKNOm/Zv0saw3XwF7j0gPvvKZBWmUzwGc9L8PNFkKzsliozmBUxyE3hdRu0L7G5fqviPejgjau3VBC3LI64nvNz8yQ27yoZKpaqAlAV69tnPkwqTGeXgFM6ev4w6CTFUYPHucogo5OJ3V0G0n69k8+aljaeeNTuVzmRML9bHJdzVB4s252NF2PrgPlzGQIgbih7P4unwshrtCLeg8zLF0AApCA==
—-TRACE END—-
 

salromano

Member
Here's what's in the ZIP - a short video:

http://youtu.be/O0eM48Vd_is

There's also this:

A note from the Acting A note from the Acting Regent Wizard: I have Regent Wizard: I have imposed stringent new imposed stringent new laws for the kingdom’s laws for the kingdom’s safety. My security safety. My security forces have discovered forces have discovered individuals embedded among individuals embedded among us that seek to bring us that seek to bring chaos to our kingdom. chaos to our kingdom. The application of these The application of these laws will be focused on laws will be focused on preventing their success. preventing their success. It is imperative that we It is imperative that we capture these dangerous capture these dangerous dissidents. First, dissidents. First, all enciphered messages all enciphered messages are forbidden. We cannot are forbidden. We cannot secure our radiant secure our radiant kingdom with secrets kingdom with secrets kept from each other. kept from each other. Second, no one is to Second, no one is to enter the forest. I have enter the forest. I have many powerful spells, many powerful spells, but no incantation will but no incantation will rid the forest of the rid the forest of the evils that have awoken evils that have awoken there. You have all heard there. You have all heard the tales presented by the tales presented by our brave military men our brave military men who have managed to who have managed to escape the forest alive. escape the forest alive. Finally, I have set a Finally, I have set a reward for reports of reward for reports of dissident activity; it dissident activity; it is my hope that by our is my hope that by our collective watchful eye, collective watchful eye, we can find the source we can find the source of these new evils of these new evils facing us. I will be facing us. I will be the first and loudest the first and loudest to celebrate their to celebrate their passing. Restoring peace passing. Restoring peace will allow me to pass on will allow me to pass on the regency to our fair the regency to our fair princess, having princess, having successfully observed my successfully observed my oath to prepare the oath to prepare the kingdom for her reign. kingdom for her reign. I long for the day when I long for the day when the glyphs of her name the glyphs of her name appear upon the crown appear upon the crown that is rightfully hers. that is rightfully hers.

There's an MP3 file, too. Download here - https://cdn.anonfiles.com/1386709219790.mp3
 

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
I think the trick to the text file is simply to change the width of the notepad window until it lines up. Not that you couldn't pretty much read it anyway.

DdcZ4jN.jpg


Maybe there's more to it than this?

edit: if you read it while crossing your eyes (3D stereogram style) the following words "pop" out!

"The embedded application is enciphered with the incantation presented by the first observed glyphs."

AM I A GENIUS?
 

Newblade

Member
I think the trick to the text file is simply to change the width of the notepad window until it lines up. Not that you couldn't pretty much read it anyway.

DdcZ4jN.jpg


Maybe there's more to it than this?

edit: if you read it while crossing your eyes (3D stereogram style) the following words "pop" out!

"The embedded application is enciphered with the incantation presented by the first observed glyphs."

AM I A GENIUS?

Amazing. Now how do the glyphs in the screenshot play into this?
 

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
Amazing. Now how do the glyphs in the screenshot play into this?

I don't know, but there are glyphs in the video, too. I'll leave it to someone else to solve that part because my expertise doesn't extend beyond resizing windows and crossing my eyes.

So I guess we need to figure out which glyphs are "first observed."
 
Hack 'n Slash and Spacebase are both very different from anything Double Fine has done before so it's nice that those two are going to be full Double Fine games. I like seeing Autonomous being experimented with as well, as it plays nicely with the Leap controller.
 

NoPiece

Member
Autonomous seemed like the fan favorite of Amnesia Fortnight, but Hack n Slash was the big surprise for me. Mechanics were really clever, and as long as the puzzles aren't too linear or canned, and if they take a Spelunky/systemic approach to it, it could be great.
 

Owensboro

Member
Darksiders was a terrible Zelda clone, I bored with it fast.

That's your loss duder. The earlier you quit that game the less you see it's a really, really well done Zelda Clone with better combat. And a Panzer Dragoon level. And a Portal level. And a completely out of nowhere open-area dungeon.

God, I need to play that game again sometime.
 

Randdalf

Member
Sounds like we'll get more news about this game today as it's being demoed at some event (DICE?) today, I lost the link to it though. Also there are hints of another Humble Bundle promotion on their business development guy's Twitter, and on the Massive Chalice stream last night they implied there was something big happening at the studio tomorrow (that's today) - Amnesia Fortnight 2?

Also, sounds like Chris Remo has joined his Idle Thumbs colleagues' new studio in some capacity.
 

Nabs

Member
Sounds like we'll get more news about this game today as it's being demoed at some event (DICE?) today, I lost the link to it though. Also there are hints of another Humble Bundle promotion on their business development guy's Twitter, and on the Massive Chalice stream last night they implied there was something big happening at the studio tomorrow - Amnesia Fortnight 2?

That's what we're all banking on. It'll probably happen soon.
 

Gothos

Member
They seriously couldn't think of a more original character concept? That guy looks like Link. Pathetic start.
 

joe2187

Banned
Whatever happened to that fortnight game that looked like those old 60's 70's mythical action films? Brazen or something.
 
Whatever happened to that fortnight game that looked like those old 60's 70's mythical action films? Brazen or something.

Pretty sure that was Brad Muir's baby and it was passed on. And he's obviously busy with Massive Chalice now. Shame as the world needs more Monster Hunter games.
 

flowsnake

Member
The Kickstarter video for Massive Chalice basically said that publishers wouldn't touch Brazen with a bargepole, from what I remember.
 

DocSeuss

Member
We're never going to get White Birch, are we? Let's hope Ether wins this time.

Fuck this earth

I want to second this notion. I asked why DF didn't kickstart it and went with Massive Chalice instead, and Schafer told me that they were too demoralized to try. They decided to try something difference, hence Massive Chalice.
 
The Kickstarter video for Massive Chalice basically said that publishers wouldn't touch Brazen with a bargepole, from what I remember.

Western publishers maybe. They'd have to be blind to not notice how much Hunting Action has blown up in Japan in the last 10 years
 
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