tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post5487835030045255131..comments2024-03-21T00:16:15.883+00:00Comments on Plot is Gameplay's Bitch: A Voyage to Ice Pick Lodge: Bombs, Bolsheviks & Homemade AbsintheTom Juberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-42893648144769355222013-05-30T15:50:03.043+01:002013-05-30T15:50:03.043+01:00Well, the core Ice-pick Lodge is finishing up a ga...Well, the core Ice-pick Lodge is finishing up a game called Knock-knock, that you might have seen on Kickstarter a while ago. <br /><br />As for me, I've gathered some of the Ice-picks and ex-Ice-picks and formed a small studio of my own - we're currently developing a dark-themed adventure game, a totally mind-fuck one, as you'd expect. ;)<br /><br />We've also done some work on social games (yuck!) for keeping us self-funded, and done some non-game related stuff. A control system for taxis, a Russian analogue of Disqus and such. The most interesting being an Android firmware what grants wi-fi to people in conditions, where it'd otherwise be jammed - such as mass protests. (Which are quite popular in Russia lately). The idea behind it is that you need a single targeted Wi-fi signal that points at the gathering area. Such signals are really hard to jam, unlike cellular or "normal" Wi-Fi. The patched Android acts as a re-translator for the signal, thus if anyone has wif-fi - everyone around will too. Including devices without the firmware, that'll act like they're just using wi-fi.The LxRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04590073065038064156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-49632792430689093272013-05-30T15:06:35.434+01:002013-05-30T15:06:35.434+01:00:-) I would happily, though no plans in the near f...:-) I would happily, though no plans in the near future I'm afraid! What are you guys up to? Drop me an email some time!Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-37182289459127664162013-05-29T23:15:25.899+01:002013-05-29T23:15:25.899+01:00Ah, brings back memories!
Any chance you'd com...Ah, brings back memories!<br />Any chance you'd come to Russia again anytime soon? :3The LxRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04590073065038064156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-265345569424109722011-04-22T11:56:17.233+01:002011-04-22T11:56:17.233+01:00Cargo! is out now on Steam and I just saw a link t...Cargo! is out now on Steam and I just saw a link to this blog on the Steam forums (of Cargo!).<br />I fell in love with IPL when playing The Void, bought Pathologic after that and they both were amazing and was very happy when Cargo! was announced.<br />I laughed pretty hard when reading this blog entry. I didn't know they were 'that' crazy.<br />Thanks for providing an insight behind the scenes. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-85128757683664042932011-03-07T13:19:39.973+00:002011-03-07T13:19:39.973+00:00For anyone that's interested, my business on C...For anyone that's interested, my business on Cargo is now concluded. After a frantic few weeks of trying to get information out of the guys - not least on what they expected to be delivered and when - I've completed my pass on the script (or at least the half of it I had time for before the deadline I didn't know existed passed) and it's gone off for recording. <br /><br />The script in Cargo isn't huge, about 6,000 words, and I can't say that any success or failure it experiences will be much to do with me. Ice Pick has a completely unique style that doesn't necessarily benefit from having every strange sentence or foreign sounding concept ripped out of it; my job has been to smooth some of it out and get it into a shape that allows it to show off its idiosyncracies without grammar getting in the way.<br /><br />For a studio like Ice Pick that's more responsibility than I deserve. Let's hope I can continue to help them out.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-43309952577540555362011-02-14T00:27:17.322+00:002011-02-14T00:27:17.322+00:00THIS IS AMAZING I'M SO JEALOUS.THIS IS AMAZING I'M SO JEALOUS.Jackhttp://themachination.net/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-40908829515210230912011-02-13T14:51:33.961+00:002011-02-13T14:51:33.961+00:00I think I'm more envious of the Lodge themselv...I think I'm more envious of the Lodge themselves - to have found a crew of open-minded lunatics willing to share a flat and work together so informally at this point in their lives 'n careers. Garh. While I sit with all of last year's projects cancelled because my programmer felt he wasn't making enough money and my artist is in Florida making music videos. <br /><br />Well, perhaps I'll get lucky. Glad you had a good time, Tom.Jakkarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08215817524845134517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-64314719181500475182011-02-11T12:40:24.390+00:002011-02-11T12:40:24.390+00:00Actually I think I wrote this in a bit of a hurry,...Actually I think I wrote this in a bit of a hurry, the reality was far more interesting. I had to skip out the point where the guys started comparing scars like that scene out of Jaws. Alex had just had an operation, and Nikolay had just been stabbed in the chest a few months ago. No joke.<br /><br />However, it does feel like Ice Pick is in a rare position: low(ish) costs, small team, no massive commercial pressure and - perhaps most importantly - no internal, industry or social pressure to release games that fit inside the box.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-22062998128161090052011-02-11T04:08:20.009+00:002011-02-11T04:08:20.009+00:00Wow, thanks so much for the story. Ice Pick is my ...Wow, thanks so much for the story. Ice Pick is my all-time developer for out-there, uncompromising vision of games. It's a real treat to get to read about them from the inside a bit.<br /><br />And the fact that you can turn a phrase doesn't hurt.The Mathmoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06296125148552532321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-77893808464401802032011-02-09T19:44:54.109+00:002011-02-09T19:44:54.109+00:00My bad - fixed.
And thanks everyone - Ice Pick de...My bad - fixed.<br /><br />And thanks everyone - Ice Pick deserves all the cred they can muster :-)<br /><br />There's a load of photos from the trip, I'll get them up as soon as Alex (the-lxr, above) is far enough out of crunch to process and send them over.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-86018868931977662522011-02-09T18:30:18.257+00:002011-02-09T18:30:18.257+00:00Hey Tom!
I'm primarily a programmer, and only...Hey Tom!<br /><br />I'm primarily a programmer, and only then a translator actually. )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-36719097724099633802011-02-08T22:32:38.233+00:002011-02-08T22:32:38.233+00:00I pity you, Tom. Working on Cargo means you won...I pity you, Tom. Working on Cargo means you won't get to experience it fresh.Harbour Masterhttp://www.electrondance.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-34350583741840827742011-02-08T01:04:51.039+00:002011-02-08T01:04:51.039+00:00Your life is exciting and enviable. This is possib...Your life is exciting and enviable. This is possibly the first time I have said this to someone without a shred of sarcasm. Ice Pick Lodge seem to have this kind of indomitable Russian charm that only a rag-tag band of developers could pull off, great to hear you're collaborating with them. No. Really great.<br /><br /> Also, I don't need any more reasons to think about absinthe. As if the two bottles sitting on my shelf weren't frightening enough as it is.Mileshttp://themachination.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-55627654171314533242011-02-07T21:42:14.961+00:002011-02-07T21:42:14.961+00:00I am extremely jealous of a lot that story.
As a ...I am extremely jealous of a lot that story.<br /><br />As a result: *losesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979339353366878191.post-41316762175661150652011-02-07T13:14:20.714+00:002011-02-07T13:14:20.714+00:00As things stand I'm still talking to the guys ...As things stand I'm still talking to the guys about working on Cargo - as and when their hectic beta schedule allows. Watch this space for new developments.Tom Juberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14570661671387482872noreply@blogger.com