Archive for March, 2008

Well, so some folks have known what the project is I’m working on, for others not so much. This is still a locked posting since some of the details of our work aren’t fully public yet. Anyway, we’re in the final push, and it’s both scary and exciting. Even more than on Battlefields and the Lucas titles, this game will be the biggest seller of the year, and as a team at work we’re working on the online/stats/back end system that’ll drive the game. Sitting at my desk day in and out, it’s getting closer. I had some of the systems up and running with their first heartbeats today and watching stuff flow from the Title servers through the queues into the processors. Gah. If it works, it’ll look great on the resume. If it falls over on it’s face on day three, my ass is so toast. We’ve been largely told we’re on a death march until launch, with the deadlines getting closer and things still getting nailed down, and final QA will have little time, every hour is relevant. Scary. Fun. But scary. It’ll work. But for now, once I post this, I check the current build back into source control and head for home. I know, I need another Pepsi.

Today Rockstar announced a new website called the Rockstar Social Club. Essentially a high tech leaderboard, the first supported game will be (drum roll) Grand Theft Auto IV (surprise!). Compatible with Xbox LIVE and PSN, players can register starting April 15th to track all sorts of neat stuff they do in GTA IV when it’s released April 29th. In addition to ranking players by time to single player completion, tracking the first to complete 100% of the game and singling out the best in a Hall of Fame, something called the LCPD Police Blotter will be a virtual map listing every single-player crime committed in Liberty City, ever. Oh, and additional lists will be aggregated of various “physical milestones” like miles walked and bullets fired. For the full details, hit the jump for the press release.

On April 29th Rockstar Games will release the most anticipated game of 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV. In addition to the game, the company is launching the Rockstar Social Club, a new website that will extend your experience of Grand Theft Auto IV and all future Rockstar Games titles.The Rockstar Social Club is more than just a standard gaming site. It features all of the statistical leaderboards that gamers have come to expect, and combines them with performance-based competitions and awards. Registration for the Rockstar Social Club begins on April 15th and anyone can sign up with their Xbox Gamertag and/or a PlayStation Network ID. GTA IV, the first game featured on the Rockstar Social Club, has exciting features beyond multiplayer leaderboards, including: * LCPD Police Blotter — A virtual map and tracker of single-player criminal activity logged in Liberty City from the aggregated data of millions of connected players – showing the most dangerous areas of town, most commonly used weapons and more. * The Story Gang — This special single-player leaderboard recognizes players who complete Niko Bellic’s main story arc of Grand Theft Auto IV – The leaderboard ranks players according to the total amount of playing time it’s taken to complete the story, as well as a historical rank by who has completed it first. Members of this club will receive special online widgets and merit badges marking all of their in-game accomplishments. * The 100% Club — Watch to see who will be the first to complete 100% of the game. The first ten people to be identified on the Social Club as reaching 100% will be sent an ultra-rare commemorative ‘key to the city’ to mark their accomplishment. In the future, the 100% Club will then carry a historical leaderboard showing rankings of who has completed 100% of a game in the shortest span of playing hours. * The Hall of Fame — This area will dynamically recognize those singularly elite players who have reached the top of the hill on various statistical leaderboards, and will also contain a personal awards display of special in-game landmarks and successes in Social Club competitions. * The Liberty City Marathon — A ranking of special physical milestones achieved in the game – from the amount of miles walked, driven, or swam – to the number of bullets fired and stunt-jumps jumped. There will be additional special marathon-based competitions in the future from this area as well. The Rockstar Social Club doesn’t stop there. With special competitions, leaderboards and challenges rolling out regularly in the weeks and months following the game’s release, this is just the beginning of an on-going Liberty City experience and is a small taste of what’s to come from Rockstar Games for GTAIV and beyond…