By John Walker on September 23rd, 2008 at 1:03 pm.
Frictional Games, they behind the Penumbra series, are beginning to tease their new game. As yet untitled, so far we know it’s a horror game, and using completely new tech.
That last detail is a big deal. Frictional first got noticed when a student project to create a graphics engine ended up being a damn site better than many professional engines out there. Superb lighting and excellent implementation of physics made for a super-fun time. However, just of late it’s beginning to look a bit dated. So far there’s no in-game evidence of what the new tech will be capable of, but there’s good reason to assume they’ll aim for something impressive. More details about the teaser website and game below.
The new site contains some sketchy details about the new game, before turning into a puzzle. About the game they say,
“Set in the late 18th century the player will explore the eerie environments of an old castle. It’s a journey through horrors and disturbing sights, built up during centuries of decay.”
Things become more confusing when they ask what hides between Shadow and Light.
“Etesh lheo gidgnig tircsret vhea a aupopnoitl atth ecniesar iaryldp. Eterh smtu eb mseo ayw ot atkcr itsh oevedtnempl nda kmea het tefninoitas mceo ot na nde.
T -> B
C -> C
Q -> HSilently evil emerged darkness.
3, 9, 7, 4, 8, 9, 5, 7, 11, 6, 6, 13, 7,
8, 6, 9, 6, 11, 8, 13,
YNGPPUZFVKJZIDSTCWIZVYIDFYVQOPSBAVJUIUNJVPLIFRMHMZQDFABMNWMMLRYSWAQAZRSXQEDMJWHSG
VJBSFJVTCSVVCPFIMGMUNSOCOQGRRJUCAVIS”
Answers below please.
23/09/2008 at 13:10 Jeeva says:
Blimey. Looking forward to it, though I have no idea what the code says. Guess I should start now…
23/09/2008 at 13:28 Galen says:
The first bit is just an anagram:
These hole digging critters have a population that increase (sic) rapidly. There must be a way to track this development and make the infestation come to an end.
Not sure about the rest yet.
23/09/2008 at 13:37 Maximum Fish says:
Cthulhu F’tagn!
23/09/2008 at 13:43 The Sombrero Kid says:
the last bit looks like a one to one cipher where j = t but i could be wrong and am waaaay to lazy to even attempt to crack it
23/09/2008 at 15:11 Joe says:
Mighty impressive stuff by the looks of it.
23/09/2008 at 15:39 Verdugo says:
I de-scrambled the last 3 words to “to an end.”
23/09/2008 at 18:29 Stupoider says:
Very interesting. I love looking at codes. Shame I’m no good at solving ‘em. :P Also liking the sounds of exploring a desolate castle! Just no weird creature with a penis. :o -Thinks back to ‘the’ Penumbra review-
23/09/2008 at 19:46 Dorsch says:
I hope that they put they more effort in storytelling and gameplay this time, these weren’t as impressing as the graphics and the physics, at least from what I played. Which was sad, beacause the ideas were interesting. It had potential for greatness, but the execution felt kinda off.
23/09/2008 at 20:04 GothikX says:
Interesting, I’m pretty sure the last three elements (key, number sequence, cyphertext) are elements needed for one common cryptographic method – for instance, Vigenere; the pairs of letters must be used before or after that method, but didn’t nail it yet. Soon!
edit: never mind, I have more useful ways of wasting time.
23/09/2008 at 23:39 adidas says:
in the teaser video if the name “unknown” is blinking
you can see for a very short time a word “Fibonacci”
24/09/2008 at 00:47 Maniac11919 says:
First word: These?
Why would they include C->C?
24/09/2008 at 01:16 AlpineViper says:
Second sentence of the first line:
“There must be some way to track this developement and make the infestation come to an end
24/09/2008 at 01:21 AlpineViper says:
First line:
“These hole digging critters(?) have a population that increase(??) rapidly”
Dammit, howd I miss that someone solved this in like the second comment?
24/09/2008 at 05:56 Esha says:
Wah. It’s Professor Layton visits Old Castles, I don’t know if my poor old mind could take another Layton outing.
Luke: Goodness me! I say, Professor, that fellow over there looks a little odd, almost as if he’s spent a little too long in the bath-tub, wouldn’t you say?
Zombie: I heff twelve matchsteeks.
Still, I am looking forward to poking around an old Castle, especially if they allow a great deal of interaction with the environment. Poking around old structures is fun outside of games in and of itself, so if they do this right it could be something I’d like very much.
Though I still prefer old Manors over old Castles, and now I’m fondly remembering one faux-3D game which was set in a Manor but I fail to remember the name of it. Still, I’m trailing off here, so I’ll leave it at that.
28/09/2008 at 08:52 Bloody_eugene says:
I organized the first row numbers this way:
3, 9, 7,
4, 8, 9,
5, 7, 11,
6, 6, 13,
7,
Read them in column: the first is the preceding +1; the second is the preceding -1; the second is the preceding +2.
Is this the series we have to put an end to?
18/03/2009 at 11:30 test says:
alert(“This web site suffers a serious vulnerability: it allows Java script to be
injected into user input!”)
06/07/2010 at 10:01 Aubrey says:
T -> B
C -> C
Q -> H
Silently evil emerged darkness.
…
Silentby evil emerged darkness