Subversion (video game)



Subversion is the name for a planned game from Introversion Software. It makes heavy use of procedurally generated content. A generator capable of building a model city, complete with buildings, roads and highways was demonstrated at an Imperial College Games and Media event. Development of the software is being documented in the Introversion Software blog. Lead developer Chris Delay recently discussed the game in an interview with Eurogamer.

According to Chris Delay, he had always wanted to know what game developers went through when they developed games, so he made the approach with Subversion.

BAFTA live demonstration
Chris Delay gave a live demonstration of an early build of Subversion at the Darwinia+ launch event at BAFTA on February 19, 2010 and was later announced on the Subversion blog on February 21, 2010.

At the BAFTA event, Chris Delay controlled one of a number of agents, each represented as a green "lily pad" placeholder. The agents left behind a trail of footsteps as they moved. The agent was directed around a wireframe building. Delay noted the resemblance to Pac-Man. Only parts of the building were revealed initially, such as parts visible through windows.

The agent was directed around the building, revealing detailed features, including toilets. The building was populated with other people, each represented as a red lily pad. The door locks and other obstacles were also shown in red. Delay said that red means bad, similar to Darwinia (video game).

The agent was shown using a machine gun to blow the lock off a door. The machine gun fire was represented as a red wireframe cone.

The other people in the game were shown to exit the building in response to danger. Buildings were also populated by security guards who tracked down and electrocuted the first agent.

There is also a currently unfinished hacking element that Chris Delay demonstrated by taking control of all the cameras in the building. This revealed the layout of the entire building. A second agent blew up a server room to complete the mission.

Delay described the development as now taking place from the "bottom-up" rather than the "top-down" approach used to generate the procedurally-generated cities.