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Warp Pipe Hints at New Project for DS

by Jonathan Metts - September 28, 2004, 10:39 pm EDT
Total comments: 23 Source: Warp Pipe Technologies

The GameCube LAN tunnelers are moving on to more fertile grounds. We spoke with the Project Manager to get a cleaner angle on all the crazy rumors.

Chad Paulson, Project Manager at Warp Pipe Technologies, has been stirring up quite a lot of controversy this week. His posts at the Warp Pipe forums, along with some comments by Dean Bergmann of N-Sider, have ignited a blizzard of rumors and speculation in the online community. Bergmann worked forum posters into a frenzy with this cryptic teaser:

“You're lost in the woods of a city, and you know there are others there.

But how do you know they're there if you're lost? I know the answer. You'll see

mid october.”

At the center of the storm of rumors is a series of images hosted at Warp Pipe’s website. The pictures, shown below, will have to speak for themselves, because Warp Pipe is not ready to comment on their specific meanings.

”Lost

anti-isolation

Find(s)me.

Note that the “Find(s)me.” image is based on the card “Marionette” from Ragnarok Online:

Marionette Card from Ragnarok Online

We spoke with Paulson to obtain some kind of clarity on what is going on with his company and with all the crazy rumors. He refused to go into details about specifics of his project, but he did have the following to say:

PGC: Can you comment on the rumors revolving around Warp Pipe right now?


Paulson: I can confirm to you that Warp Pipe Technologies is working on a service that will launch globally. North America and Japan Q4 of 2004. And the rest of the world Q1 - Q2 of 2005.

PGC: Is your involvement in the current swirl of DS rumors related to your project?


Paulson: The DS rumors... There are so many. The majority of which are simply ridiculous, but I guess that's what you get with the Internet.

PGC: Let me be more specific. Did you create the picture of the guy with no eyes holding a DS?


Paulson: Yes. The child in the woods, the "findsme", and the "no eyes" are all clues from us.

PGC: Is this a project Warp Pipe is releasing independently?


Paulson: I can’t comment on that. I can confirm that there are a handful of publishers / developers are in the loop and their involvement will prove beneficial to both parties. …I can confirm what this isn't. It is not tunneling.

PGC: Is Warp Pipe a licensed Nintendo DS developer?


Paulson: I cannot comment on that.

PGC: Is this project primarily or wholly intended for Nintendo platforms?


Paulson: I cannot comment on that.

PGC: Is there anything else you can say about the project at this time?


Paulson: Although this service will greatly surprise gamers, it is not what they would traditionally expect. We (Warp Pipe Technologies) feel that online communities have been commoditized, with publishers and developers focusing on the technology instead of the social and personal aspects that truly make a multiplayer experience unique. In launching this service, we will be addressing these issues.

Planet GameCube is following this story closely, though hard facts are unlikely to surface before Nintendo lifts the rest of its DS information embargo in October. Around that time, Warp Pipe will be fully announcing their new project, and we’ll be sure to catch up with them for a detailed follow-up.

Michael Cole contributed to this story.

Talkback

PaLaDiNSeptember 28, 2004

Okay, there's a common thread running through all three images...

Finding people you can't see.

So, it's going to be a DS GPS map system, with other DS users showing up on the map.

That's my theory.

There are many theories (or variations on one) floating around...mostly involving online play, GPS or a built-in signal repeater for multiplayer. I submit to the latter, which doesn't involve Nintendo going online or creating an infrastructure. A GPS system is certainly possible, using the GBA slot for a peripheral, though I'd be a bit disappointed if that's all this is about (I really doubt GPS would be built-in).

Right now we only have speculation on elaborately cryptic hints--we decided to just state the facts to avoid misleading anyone in our story.

WuTangTurtleSeptember 29, 2004

i can say one thing, even though he didn't answer the 2 questions about the project being independant or the other question about if Warpipe is a liscensed DS developer, i would be very interested if either one could be true. First off i love how independant people can make it in the biz, like the guys who made the Counter-strike mod for half-life.

ChongmanSeptember 29, 2004


dean, another person at nsider who's in the loop, has specifically stated it is NOT a gps system.

Bill AurionSeptember 29, 2004

If someone doesn't comment on something, then you know something's up... ^_^

KDR_11kSeptember 29, 2004

Hm, hotspots that add more stuff to your games when you approach them...

Perfect CellSeptember 29, 2004

If i recall... Didnt the guys at Nintendo state that some "aspects" of the Ique would be used for the DS? Thats along time ago... but if its true.. then it might mean Nintendo making these "Hot spots" to make sort of a Net of DS's connecting throughout the world...

PaLaDiNSeptember 29, 2004

Oh well, it was worth a guess. face-icon-small-smile.gif

I think the Marionette thing is just Chad messing with people, but it is a pretty cool reference. Marionette = Nintendo's Online Plan rumors have been around for years.

SylSeptember 29, 2004

I'm guessing that its just going to be something simple.

Essentially.

Person A has a DS, it has a range of 30 feet. (Random number pulled out of my ass)
You boot it up, It connects and shows you person B's DS, who happens to be in that 30 foot range. (probably a name on a list or something)
Then, person B's DS happens to have person C within range of it, even though person C is far out of range of person A. But, person C will still be on both A and B's multiplayer frequency and can play.

So on an so forth, basicly, the DS is going to have some sort of absolutely HUGE wireless network going on, so that you'll almost always have a person to play multiplayer games with. I'm guessing each DS is giong to have its own Name, and this would all be in included software on the DS, seems like a damn interesting plan to me. The Prime Hunters demo is just the start....

At least, thats what i think.

GaimeGuySeptember 29, 2004

Syl, you just described the idea that I had: the use of WiMax, which basically involves the same process you said, but the radius is 30 miles, not 30 feet.

It's more like a huge broadcast of waves that pick up signals of DSes in the 30 mile radius, and transmits them. Kind of like how radio transmissions are done, except it's faster, as well as is completely interactive.

It would create a worldwide wireless DS network for a very low cost while removing the need for a router of some kind. In other words, all you need is a DS, and you have instant access to this wireless network that spans the globe for your games.

ruby_onixSeptember 29, 2004

Quote

I think the Marionette thing is just Chad messing with people, but it is a pretty cool reference. Marionette = Nintendo's Online Plan rumors have been around for years.

I think he said in one of the threads that he didn't expect anybody to have found the original source for the "Find me" picture, and that the original pic is not part of the clue. The mystery has absolutely nothing to do with "Marionette", or Ragnarok Online. Those are just really weird flukes. He was just looking for a really creepy picture of a girl (or possibly some other secret elements, like the wires, or something).


By the way, I think someone should probably assemble here all of the "verbal" clues that have been mentioned (like "purog"), and those links to the various threads (even though the links were already posted in our DS Forums).

(I'm not saying that I'm gonna even try to make any attempts to solve this crazy stuff.)


Edit: Okay fine. What the heck. I'll toss out a crazy theory.

As we all know, there are no girls on the internet. Anyone claiming to be a "girl" is just using internet-speak for "Guy In Real Life". The picture of the creepy girl on strings is clearly a puppet. And an animated one at that. So the creepy girl must be a really creepy avatar for someone who is REALLY creepy (even more creepy than those of us guys who have sexy female avatars, because at least our avatars are sexy, not creepy).

The skinhead with no eyes is obviously a member of The Klan. His eyes are burned out. Get it? Cross burning? The South? Inbreeding? Crossed eyes? His eyes were probably black. You can tell, because the one on the DS is black. That really gets those guys all worked up. He'd probably burn his DS, if he could see it. What a creepy psycho.

And then there's that underaged little boy. With a dog, no less! Now I'm not even gonna get into how messed up that is. (With WOOD everywhere too? That's just uncalled for.)

Now, all of this leads me to conclude that Warp Pipe is gonna turn the DS into some sort of internet chat room. I'm just gonna wrap tin foil around my DS when I get one. I don't want any of you psychos getting any closer to me, thank you very much.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorSeptember 29, 2004

Why yes, yes... The links to the various threads around the net were previously posted here at the PGC forums a little more than a day before this article showed up...

Check this thread (http://www.planetgamecube.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=32&threadid=10483) if you're looking for some direct links to many of the crazy threads showing up around the net...

Bill AurionSeptember 29, 2004

Magellan was another one of the clues...(First known to sail around the world)

SOAD is the bestSeptember 29, 2004

Well I think it is either a gps or it could be like a web camera hence the eyes on the ds's screen. Thats just me

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorSeptember 29, 2004

The gps idea sounds viable....the eyes on the screen would do more to explain the gps idea than some camera idea, seeing as a gps would be like using the DS for your eyes. I do think this smells way to much of a let down though... Only because we are all so intent on thinking this means the ds will be online. I'm expecting more of a fancy, lets find the people with DSs within 100 feet of us without using our freaking voices...

ZachSeptember 29, 2004

Quote

Originally posted by: ruby_onix
Quote

The skinhead with no eyes is obviously a member of The Klan. His eyes are burned out. Get it? Cross burning? The South? Inbreeding? Crossed eyes? His eyes were probably black. You can tell, because the one on the DS is black. That really gets those guys all worked up. He'd probably burn his DS, if he could see it. What a creepy psycho.


Hey Dont make fun of us crosseyed folk (check my avator)

Quote

Originally posted by: Chongman
Quote

dean, another person at nsider who's in the loop, has specifically stated it is NOT a gps system.


There are other ways of locating another ds without gps, your DS could send out a signal to other DSes, and the other DSes in range would send a return signal. Your DS would judge the position of the other DSes by how long the signal takes to return, and what direction the signal came from.

mantidorSeptember 29, 2004

seems interesting, but believe it or not Im not really exited about online gaming. I remember I played homeworld cataclysm once, it was ok, and I was obviously humilliated seeing my whole fleet reduced to ashes, its not that why I didnt like it, they thing was that its not great if you are playing with someone anonymous. I also played Hexen II, but by that time both my conection and PC specs were terribly low and I couldnt enjoy it at all. I also tried Diablo II, but ultimately I found it boring, again, for the fact I was playing with someone I didnt know, its imo the same as playing with the computer, only a bit harder.

regarding this, although the complete lack of information certainly make us all go crazy about the possibilities, I prefer to have very very low expectactions ( I learned thats the best choice after certain E3... not the last one of course face-icon-small-tongue.gif )

Bill AurionSeptember 29, 2004

I couldn't care less about online gaming either, but there's one game that would actually benefit from it: Anima Crossing! =D

D. ScypherSeptember 29, 2004

An online anima crossing!

Jung is rolling in his... place.

MattVDBSeptember 29, 2004

Anima Crossing? Nice.

Anyway, whatever this is, it will probably be revealed at Nintendo's second press conferene next month. IGN confirmed that Nintendo with hold two more conferences next month, so we should all find out there. I'm just thinking M3g@t0N currently, and reminding myself to not get all hyped up. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to rock though.

NephilimSeptember 29, 2004

"The majority of which are simply ridiculous"
he proberly would mean harf of yours too

In reality they are proberly making a system to play games online for a company..which would be a different system then the orginal one that nintendo has in mine.. maybe that company had difficulty's which lag or something, so went to warppipe with a idea.
which company? dunno but they would be the sponser

People are soo over reacting, it was like that silly wireless adopter servers in japanese building rumor for gba which everyone toke on crazly which well look it wasnt true!

KDR_11kSeptember 30, 2004

There's nothing ridiculous about a handheld jumpdrive, how dare he claim that! We all know that the DS will bring us to Alpha Centauri at the push of a button!

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