The Conduit
Encyclopedia
The Conduit is a first-person shooter
video game developed by High Voltage Software
for the Wii
console. The Conduit was first revealed by the developer on the video game website IGN
on April 17, 2008, and on October 29, 2008, the developer announced that Sega
had signed on to be the game's official publisher. The game was released in North America on June 23, , in Europe on July 10, 2009, and in Australia on July 16, 2009.
Development of The Conduit began in October 2007. The game makes use of the Quantum3 engine, a game engine
designed by High Voltage Software specifically for the Wii. The engine allows effects such as bump mapping
, reflection and refraction, and gloss and detail mapping to be implemented in the game. High Voltage Software's goal in creating the engine was to make The Conduit a comparable experience visually to games on the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. A sequel, Conduit 2
, was announced on March 29, 2010.
The campaign storyline focuses on an alien invasion of Washington, D.C.
in the near future. The alien race, known as the Drudge, uses the eponymous portal-like Conduits to deploy their forces throughout the city. A shadow government
organization called the Trust sends newly inducted agent Michael Ford into the area initially to disrupt a terrorist threat, but he quickly becomes embroiled in the fight to stop the invasion and save the capital from destruction. The online multiplayer feature of the game can support up to 12 players and includes several game modes such as "Free for All
" and "Team Reaper," and has voice chat
capability through the Wii Speak peripheral.
and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
, first-person games which had well-received Wii control schemes. The Conduit offers user customizable control features, such as the ability to alter the size of the bounding box, the speed at which the player can move the camera, and cursor sensitivity. Furthermore, the player can adjust these options in real time, without having to leave the adjustment screen to try the changes. The developer also included the option for the player to change the control layout, so that any gameplay function can be mapped to any button or motion on the Wii Remote
. Other customizable aspects include the player's maximum running speed and the layout of the game's HUD
; the elements of the HUD can be moved to different locations around the screen or removed.
The Conduit provides an experience typical of a first-person shooter
, focusing on combat in a 3D
environment and taking place from the first-person perspective of a playable character. A unique feature of the game is a device known as the "All-Seeing Eye," or ASE, which is recovered by the player early on and used to solve various puzzles. The ASE can detect hidden traps and enemies scattered throughout a level, and reveal secret features in the environment that can help the player to progress, such as uncovering invisible doors and platforms and other interactive objects.
The main enemies of The Conduit are an insect-like alien race called the Drudge. Their forces are divided into five main types: Mites, Drones, Skimmers, Scarabs, and Invaders. Mites are the smallest forms, some of which can fly and others explode when in close proximity to the player. Drones are adult-form Drudge that serve as common soldiers, and Skimmers are an alternate adult-form that can fly. Scarabs are much more powerful than Drones, equipped with heavily-armored exoskeletons and powerful weaponry. The most dangerous enemies are Invaders, giant quadrupedal insectoids that serve as bosses
. Other enemies in the campaign include Drudge-controlled United States military personnel and Trust agents.
The Drudge also incorporate various devices to defeat or hinder the player. Among these is the Drudge portal, or the Conduit, which can be placed throughout a level to allow Drudge enemies to spawn from them until they are destroyed by the player. Other Drudge devices, such as Drudge-healing Regenerator Units and radiation-producing Pulse Boxes also appear in the game. The game's Quantum3 engine provides the Drudge with advanced artificial intelligence
that allows them to adopt unusual strategies in combat. Such strategies include recognizing when the player is open to attack and then charging the player, or running away and seeking cover when outmatched.
and team-based modes. In "Free for All" category modes, each player is independent and can attack any other player to score. In the "Marathon" mode, players must score as many kills as possible within a time limit. Other "Free for All" modes include "Three Strikes," which limits players to only three lives per match; "ASE Football," where the player who captures and holds the All-Seeing Eye device the longest wins; and "Bounty Hunter," which involves each player hunting a specific opposing player and receiving penalties if the wrong player is targeted. Team-based modes, under the "Team Reaper" category, focus on cooperation between players to achieve a specified goal. "Marathon" can be played with teams in "Team Reaper," and a "shared-stock" option can be activated which forces the players in each team to draw from one limited pool of lives. "Team Objective" is a capture the flag-like mode where each team must find and capture an ASE more times than the opposing team to win.
The online multiplayer supports up to 12 players simultaneously, although a player capacity of 16 was originally planned. When seeking an online match, the player can choose playlists with randomly-selected players from locally or around the world, or with players who have exchanged friend codes. Maps for the multiplayer are taken from places seen in the campaign, but are redesigned to better suit the different multiplayer modes. Voice chat
for the online multiplayer is included through implementation of the Wii Speak peripheral, and is available only between players who have exchanged friend codes and are on the same team. The Conduit was the first third-party Wii game to use the accessory. While in a Free for All match, players are only able to hear the six other players closest to them on a level. The developer stated that the decision was made in order to cut down on the substantial amount of noise created by 12 players speaking at once.
is shaken by several unusual and tragic incidents. A mysterious flu-like disease known as "the Bug" has swept across the region through local water sources, resulting in high-security locations being left understaffed as government workers are afflicted. Months after the initial outbreak, an alleged terrorist attack destroys part of the Washington Monument
, and on September 11, a senator
is killed by another terrorist cell reportedly disguised as members of her staff, greatly heightening local and national tensions. Most alarmingly, an assassination attempt on the President of the United States
occurs only weeks after the previous attacks, carried out by the president's own Secret Service
detail. In the midst of these events, Agent Michael Ford must overcome the onslaught of the alien Drudge and the humans under the Drudge's control, and defeat the masterminds behind the invasion.
), a Secret Service agent who is inducted into the Trust after saving U.S. President Charles Thompson during an assassination attempt. John Adams (voiced by William Morgan Sheppard) is the enigmatic commander of the Trust who sends Agent Ford into Washington, D.C. to combat a rising terrorist threat and recover stolen Trust technology; he is later set up as the game's central antagonist. Prometheus (voiced by Kevin Sorbo
) is introduced as the terrorist leader, but becomes the sole supporting character and assists Ford's efforts against the Drudge.
tunnel, some time after the invasion of the alien Drudge. Fighting his way through utility corridors, Ford comes upon a massive Conduit embedded in the atrium of a Metro station. After defeating the aliens' defense, Ford enters the Conduit.
The story then flashes back to five days earlier, before the invasion, as Ford is contacted by John Adams, leader of the mysterious Trust organization. He informs Ford of an upcoming operation to recover a Trust prototype stolen by the terrorist Prometheus. The Trust has set up an ambush at Reagan National Airport to capture Prometheus as he flees, and Ford is assigned to ensure that if the ambush fails, Prometheus will be apprehended at any cost. During the operation, the Trust agents turn against Ford and he is forced to battle his way through the airport to the Metro train that Prometheus is supposed to be using. As Ford reaches the forward train car with no sign of Prometheus, a wounded scientist tries to destroy the train. Ford survives the explosion and regains the prototype All-Seeing Eye. Alarmed at Prometheus' ability to turn his own agents against him, Adams orders Ford to infiltrate Prometheus' base at Bunker 13, a defunct Cold War
-era facility, and hack into his lines of communication. After Ford destroys a cache of mind-altering chemicals, Adams betrays him, saying he will tell the President that Ford died fighting the first wave of the Drudge invasion. Ford is then contacted by Prometheus, who offers him a way out. Emerging from the bunker near the now combat-damaged Jefferson Memorial
, Ford eliminates a Drudge force and is airlifted to safety by Prometheus' helicopter.
Ford is dropped at the Library of Congress
and told to demolish the Drudge nests hidden in the sewers below before the city is overwhelmed. Prometheus reveals that he was a former member of the Trust who became disillusioned and defected with the All-Seeing Eye. He explains that Adams had been manipulating Ford, and had made him destroy the Trust-developed neuro-toxins in Bunker 13 to cover the organization's tracks. At this point, Ford assumes Adams and The Trust are cooperating with the Drudge in order to take control of the country. Desperate to upset Adams' plan, Ford storms the White House
in an attempt to save President Thompson. During the rescue the President is led to believe that Ford is a Trust agent; thinking that the Trust can avert the crisis, Thompson signs over executive power to Adams before escaping on the Marine One
.
Ford eventually finds the Trust's headquarters, and learns that the existing Drudge are being created and deployed into the city by Trust-maintained Conduits. After fighting through the base, with Adams taunting Ford and jamming Prometheus' communications signal, Ford reaches a chamber holding a single captive alien being who reveals himself as Prometheus. Prometheus explains that he was used as the genetic blueprint to clone Adams' army of Drudge, who at this point are revealed to be creatures created on the Earth and are not aliens, and persuades Ford to kill him to prevent Adams' work from continuing. Ford, after hesitation, complies and proceeds to clear out the rest of the base, when Adams activates the base's self-destruct sequence to trap Ford. Prometheus then speaks to Ford from the ASE, where he uploaded his consciousness before his death, and instructs Ford on how to reactivate the Conduit network in the base. After fighting his way through the last of the Drudge, Ford enters a Conduit; his fate is left ambiguous. During the credits, Adams can be heard speaking to an unknown alien contact, where he reveals himself to be Enlil, an alien exile who has been on Earth for 240 years. Adams/Enlil reports that Prometheus is dead, and that the plan to take control of Earth is still in effect.
. The developer began considering creating a new game for the Wii
that would cater to the "hardcore" audience. The game was designed to have a comparable experience to games on the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
despite the hardware limitations of the Wii. The game's announcement was seen as something of a surprise because the company had largely been known for its licensed titles which had been marketed mainly to younger audiences. By the developer's own admission, many of these licensed games have received mediocre reviews in the gaming press. Eric Nofsinger, the development team's Chief Creative Officer
(CCO), claimed that the company saw potential in the Wii early on, but noted that much of what has succeeded on the Wii so far has been family-oriented or Nintendo-promoted games. Nofsinger went on to say, "The other titles that have come out in that vein have been a bit lackluster. The games that have done well are the casual games so publishers see those as viable. We’re trying to do something that really hasn’t been done to its full extent to my knowledge." In October 2008 the developer confirmed that the game was at a pre-alpha state and the majority of development was being shifted to the multiplayer mode, and by March 2009 the game had reached the "post-beta" stage, with most work involving debugging
and play-testing. In early June 2009, the developer announced that The Conduit had gone gold.
The Wii MotionPlus
attachment, revealed by Nintendo
during Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, was originally intended to be compatible with The Conduit, but the developer later decided against incorporating it due to unresolvable technical issues and the lack of features in the game that could take advantage of the accessory. Eric Nofsinger stated about the Wii MotionPlus that "We were really excited, going back and forth with Nintendo on how to integrate [Wii MotionPlus] and what the best use for it was. But when we actually implemented it, it really didn't bring that much to the table... But maybe for a future version we'll revisit [Wii MotionPlus], and if we can build something around it that makes sense."
by Robert Temple
and Chariots of the Gods
by Erich von Däniken
, as well as the films Cloverfield
and They Live
, among other works.
called Quantum3. Upgrading the game engine, which had previously been used by the developer in several other titles, began in October 2007. This engine "allows the developer to create graphic effects normally seen on other consoles with vertex and pixel shaders." These effects include bump-mapping
, reflection and refraction, light and shadow maps and projections, specular and Fresnel
effects, missive and iridescent materials, advanced alpha blends
, gloss and detail mapping, motion blur
, interactive water with complex surface effects, and animated textures, among other things. The Quantum3 engine also includes advanced artificial intelligence, allowing for enemies in the game to possess "human-like behavior." According to Eric Nofsinger, "Our [High Voltage Software]'s goal is to be the most technically innovative Wii developer on the planet."
High Voltage Software set a goal for a steady 30 frames per second frame rate
with no flicker
for the game. The development team had previously claimed that it had a goal of 60 frames per second, but in the end it was decided that development time would be better spent on the game's other features and that it ran smoothly enough at 30 frames. Red Eye Studios, a subsidiary of the developer, supplied motion capture
d animation
for The Conduit.
During E3 2008, the developer debuted a playable demo of the game which consisted of the first half of a level included in the actual game and showed several of the Drudge enemies, as well as several different human and alien weapons. Environmental effects showcased in the demo included reflections in glass objects such as windows and the scope of the player's weapon, water effects, and textures. Following E3, High Voltage Software updated the Quantum3 engine with several new features, including a depth of field
effect, heat distortion, and specularity
. The developer also claimed it was working to increase the number of predefined death animations that occur when the player kills an enemy, so that each different enemy type would die differently depending on the weapon used against it. Also featured is a "color curve" system in which the screen colors desaturate progressively as the player takes damage, with the colors completely desaturating into black and white upon the player character's death.
also being hired after expressing an interest in the game. Metz explained how Stocco was brought into the project, saying "From the hundreds of CDs that come across my desk, there was one that had recently stuck out to me. It was called Epic Textures from a company called Epic Score... With a little digging I found out that the man behind those awesome ambient tracks was mostly Diego Stocco... I gave Diego a call and he was very excited to help us out with the project." In creating the musical score, Stocco built several unique instruments as needed, such as a "DistroDrum," an acoustic drum combined with a toy piano, and a "Metal Contrabass," which consisted of piano and bass strings attached to a garage heater.
For each level of the game, a different soundtrack
with three different parts was created; these parts were "ambient," "mid-tempo," and "upbeat." After creating the tracks, the main instrumental sounds of each one was combined with others to produce more tracks. Sound Designer Ed Dulian would create music that suited each level and event in the game's campaign, and fellow Sound Designer Mark Muraski worked to implement the music in the game itself. Rick Nielsen would supply guitar riff
s that were overlaid upon the main soundtracks. The game features an adaptive music system where music in the game will change when the player enters combat or completes an objective.
While working on the game's voice acting, several placeholder recordings were used for each character until Lead Designer Rob Nichols contacted William Morgan Sheppard, Mark Sheppard
, and Kevin Sorbo
to voice the lead roles. To provide voice for the alien language of the Drudge, two local actors were hired, Tom Taylorson and William Dick. Located throughout the game's levels are radios and televisions which include different stations, each of which was voiced by a different actor. High Voltage Software obtained permission to use recordings from the Wilco
album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
taken from the Conet Project on these different stations. The game also supports Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound.
The publisher was finally revealed to be Sega
on October 29, 2008. Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, stated "Sega shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for." The announcement came the day after Sega added a file folder for The Conduit to its file transfer protocol
website, which sparked rumors that the publisher might have been chosen to support High Voltage Software's game.
In May 2009, a video mashup contest for The Conduit sponsored by the creator of the software program ACIDPlanet
and in association with the game's developer was announced. Participants are asked to create and submit a video of in-game footage from The Conduit using the available video clips and game audio tracks on the ACIDPlanet website. Winners received assorted merchandise from Sony Creative Software
, Sega
, and High Voltage Software, and the winning audio mixes were included as a bonus track with the game's official soundtrack
. The soundtrack however, was never officially released.
.
based on 79 reviews. In general, the game's praise is mostly centered on its technical success, online play, and intuitive controls, while its criticism is centered on the storyline and single-player experience.
Nintendo Power
praised the game as proof that first-person shooter
s work well with the Wii console, and further complimented the customization allowed by the control system, calling the experience "seamless." Points of criticism were that the story was simple and predictable, environments lacked the destructible elements of many other contemporary games, and that the All-Seeing Eye device featured in the game was underused. The online multiplayer mode was favorably compared to that of the Halo
video game franchise, and was noted as "impressively smooth." The reviewer concluded by stating "[High Voltage Software] can at least lay claim to the best pure first-person shooter on Wii." Official Nintendo Magazine criticized some campaign levels as repetitive and "a chore," and asserted that "the Drudge aliens are aptly named." The multiplayer mode was called a welcome addition to the Wii's online shooter lineup, however, and the reviewer noted that the plot was "a lot of fun" due in part to cut scenes that helped tie events in the game together. Overall, the reviewer believed that the game lacked inspiration, but was still an enjoyable shooter video game.
IGN
lauded the game's customizable control scheme, considering it to be "the tightest, most comfortable control scheme of any console-based first-person shooter to date" as well as the "engrossing" plot that "throws you for a loop now and again...[and is] all made more immersive by way of excellent voice acting." The reviewer noted that the game was "very much a straightforward, linear FPS focused on simple run-and-gun gameplay" but that "the gunplay in High Voltage's project is no less intense or enjoyable" as a result. Criticism included that "you will find yourself fighting the same small selection of enemies throughout the adventure" and that "it's not revolutionary." The multiplayer mode was complimented, but the reviewer claimed that some online matches would lag, making some games "unplayable." GamesRadar
stated the game was "fun, controls well, and is, at times, quite beautiful... yes, for a Wii game." The voice work for the campaign mode was praised as "stellar," but the reviewer described the overall storyline as "a shell of rather vanilla conspiratorial intrigue." Multiplayer was noted as being "a cut above" other Wii online games, and the reviewer summarized by saying "The solid, yet unremarkable single-player won’t win any awards, but The Conduit still features the most finely honed online outings available on Wii." GameSpot
praised the game as an "undeniable success" from a technical standpoint, calling the controls "outstanding" and the graphics "top-notch." The game's other features met with criticism, however, with the reviewer calling the single-player levels generic and monotonous and the multiplayer "unremarkable." The game's main fault, according to the reviewer, was that it was too generic, with the technical successes overshadowed by "wasted potential."
Game Informer
felt that the game's multiplayer elements were strong for a Wii game in the genre, but the single player mode seemed to be "little more than a thinly disguised sequence of arenas whose doors magically unlock after you've cleared the area of hostilities". They also praised its weaponry, calling it "inventive", and the graphics, but noted that the controls, particularly the aiming, felt shaky, and that the Wii remote itself was the biggest problem getting in the way of smooth control, with the placement of the "secondary buttons" being "poor".
Classic Game Room
gave a positive review. They declared that The Conduit was an enjoyable first-person shooter on a platform nearly void of them. They also praised the online multiplayer, claiming, "...it works like it should."
gave it three awards: Best Shooter Game of E3 2008 (Wii), Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008 (Wii), and Best Overall Wii Game of E3 2008. GameTrailers
also gave the game Best Wii Game of E3 2008. The game won the worst box art award on Gamespot
. "It's like the artists who created the box art had a checklist of bad sci-fi cliches from the nineties, and went through the list checking off as many as they could." IGN nominated it for both the "Best Shooter 09" (Wii) award and the "Best Multiplayer 09" (Wii), but lost to Dead Space: Extraction
and New Super Mario Bros. Wii
, respectively.
's June reporting period, which lasted from May 31, 2009 to July 4, 2009. From its initial release in North America on June 23, 2009 until the end of the June reporting period, The Conduit sold 72,000 units domestically. Sega
announced in their Q1 2009 financial report that they had shipped 150,000 units in North America
and Europe
in the game's first week. In February 2010, High Voltage Software CEO Kerry Ganofsky told IGN that The Conduit had sold over 350,000 copies.
After months of speculation, Conduit 2
was announced on March 29, 2010.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by High Voltage Software
High Voltage Software
High Voltage Software is an independent game development company located at Illinois' Hoffman Estates. Established in 1993, it now employs approximately 95 staff members. Red Eye Studios, a motion capture facility, is a wholly owned subsidiary of HVS...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console. The Conduit was first revealed by the developer on the video game website IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
on April 17, 2008, and on October 29, 2008, the developer announced that Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
had signed on to be the game's official publisher. The game was released in North America on June 23, , in Europe on July 10, 2009, and in Australia on July 16, 2009.
Development of The Conduit began in October 2007. The game makes use of the Quantum3 engine, a game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
designed by High Voltage Software specifically for the Wii. The engine allows effects such as bump mapping
Bump mapping
Bump mapping is a technique in computer graphics for simulating bumps and wrinkles on the surface of an object. This is achieved by perturbing the surface normals of the object and using the perturbed normal during lighting calculations. The result is an apparently bumpy surface rather than a...
, reflection and refraction, and gloss and detail mapping to be implemented in the game. High Voltage Software's goal in creating the engine was to make The Conduit a comparable experience visually to games on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. A sequel, Conduit 2
Conduit 2
Conduit 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii video game console. It is the sequel to The Conduit...
, was announced on March 29, 2010.
The campaign storyline focuses on an alien invasion of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the near future. The alien race, known as the Drudge, uses the eponymous portal-like Conduits to deploy their forces throughout the city. A shadow government
Shadow government (conspiracy)
The term shadow government besides its party political meaning can also refer to what is sometimes called "the secret government" or "the invisible government" , an idea based on the notion that real and actual political power does not reside with publicly elected representatives but with private...
organization called the Trust sends newly inducted agent Michael Ford into the area initially to disrupt a terrorist threat, but he quickly becomes embroiled in the fight to stop the invasion and save the capital from destruction. The online multiplayer feature of the game can support up to 12 players and includes several game modes such as "Free for All
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
" and "Team Reaper," and has voice chat
Voice chat
Voice chat is a modern form of communication used on the Internet. The means of communicating with voice chat is through any of the messengers, mainly Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, inSpeak Communicator or Windows Live Messenger...
capability through the Wii Speak peripheral.
Gameplay
The shooting controls of The Conduit were inspired by Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionMetroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is a first-person action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the tenth game in the Metroid series, and the final entry in the Metroid Prime trilogy—excluding two spin-off titles. It was released in...
and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is a first-person shooter game for the Wii and the PlayStation Portable. It is an installment in the long-running Medal of Honor series of World War II games. Each version was built from the ground up for its respective system. The Wii version was announced at Nintendo's...
, first-person games which had well-received Wii control schemes. The Conduit offers user customizable control features, such as the ability to alter the size of the bounding box, the speed at which the player can move the camera, and cursor sensitivity. Furthermore, the player can adjust these options in real time, without having to leave the adjustment screen to try the changes. The developer also included the option for the player to change the control layout, so that any gameplay function can be mapped to any button or motion on the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
. Other customizable aspects include the player's maximum running speed and the layout of the game's HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
; the elements of the HUD can be moved to different locations around the screen or removed.
The Conduit provides an experience typical of a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, focusing on combat in a 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
environment and taking place from the first-person perspective of a playable character. A unique feature of the game is a device known as the "All-Seeing Eye," or ASE, which is recovered by the player early on and used to solve various puzzles. The ASE can detect hidden traps and enemies scattered throughout a level, and reveal secret features in the environment that can help the player to progress, such as uncovering invisible doors and platforms and other interactive objects.
Campaign
The single-player campaign mode of The Conduit consists of nine missions. The story is told primarily through cutscenes between missions, but television and radio broadcasts are also scattered across a mission area for the player to seek out. These broadcasts are not necessary to fully understand the story, but provide background information that supplements the overall plot. In addition, as the player explores the game more subtle clues in the environment, such as a precisely placed object in a certain historical location, can be discovered which are meant to provoke questions about elements of the story. The intention of this was to reward players who want to explore and understand more of the story, while not taking away from the experience for other players who only want to complete the game.The main enemies of The Conduit are an insect-like alien race called the Drudge. Their forces are divided into five main types: Mites, Drones, Skimmers, Scarabs, and Invaders. Mites are the smallest forms, some of which can fly and others explode when in close proximity to the player. Drones are adult-form Drudge that serve as common soldiers, and Skimmers are an alternate adult-form that can fly. Scarabs are much more powerful than Drones, equipped with heavily-armored exoskeletons and powerful weaponry. The most dangerous enemies are Invaders, giant quadrupedal insectoids that serve as bosses
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. Other enemies in the campaign include Drudge-controlled United States military personnel and Trust agents.
The Drudge also incorporate various devices to defeat or hinder the player. Among these is the Drudge portal, or the Conduit, which can be placed throughout a level to allow Drudge enemies to spawn from them until they are destroyed by the player. Other Drudge devices, such as Drudge-healing Regenerator Units and radiation-producing Pulse Boxes also appear in the game. The game's Quantum3 engine provides the Drudge with advanced artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
that allows them to adopt unusual strategies in combat. Such strategies include recognizing when the player is open to attack and then charging the player, or running away and seeking cover when outmatched.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer in The Conduit features 13 competitive multiplayer modes for online play, with seven different maps and 15 weapons to choose from. Multiplayer modes include standard deathmatchDeathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
and team-based modes. In "Free for All" category modes, each player is independent and can attack any other player to score. In the "Marathon" mode, players must score as many kills as possible within a time limit. Other "Free for All" modes include "Three Strikes," which limits players to only three lives per match; "ASE Football," where the player who captures and holds the All-Seeing Eye device the longest wins; and "Bounty Hunter," which involves each player hunting a specific opposing player and receiving penalties if the wrong player is targeted. Team-based modes, under the "Team Reaper" category, focus on cooperation between players to achieve a specified goal. "Marathon" can be played with teams in "Team Reaper," and a "shared-stock" option can be activated which forces the players in each team to draw from one limited pool of lives. "Team Objective" is a capture the flag-like mode where each team must find and capture an ASE more times than the opposing team to win.
The online multiplayer supports up to 12 players simultaneously, although a player capacity of 16 was originally planned. When seeking an online match, the player can choose playlists with randomly-selected players from locally or around the world, or with players who have exchanged friend codes. Maps for the multiplayer are taken from places seen in the campaign, but are redesigned to better suit the different multiplayer modes. Voice chat
Voice chat
Voice chat is a modern form of communication used on the Internet. The means of communicating with voice chat is through any of the messengers, mainly Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, inSpeak Communicator or Windows Live Messenger...
for the online multiplayer is included through implementation of the Wii Speak peripheral, and is available only between players who have exchanged friend codes and are on the same team. The Conduit was the first third-party Wii game to use the accessory. While in a Free for All match, players are only able to hear the six other players closest to them on a level. The developer stated that the decision was made in order to cut down on the substantial amount of noise created by 12 players speaking at once.
Setting
The Conduit takes place in the near future, as Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
is shaken by several unusual and tragic incidents. A mysterious flu-like disease known as "the Bug" has swept across the region through local water sources, resulting in high-security locations being left understaffed as government workers are afflicted. Months after the initial outbreak, an alleged terrorist attack destroys part of the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
, and on September 11, a senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
is killed by another terrorist cell reportedly disguised as members of her staff, greatly heightening local and national tensions. Most alarmingly, an assassination attempt on the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
occurs only weeks after the previous attacks, carried out by the president's own Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
detail. In the midst of these events, Agent Michael Ford must overcome the onslaught of the alien Drudge and the humans under the Drudge's control, and defeat the masterminds behind the invasion.
Characters
The Conduits protagonist is Agent Michael Ford (voiced by Mark SheppardMark Sheppard
Mark Andreas Sheppard is an English actor and musician, born in London of an Irish-German background. He is often credited as "Mark A. Sheppard".-Personal life:Mark Sheppard is the son of actor W. Morgan Sheppard...
), a Secret Service agent who is inducted into the Trust after saving U.S. President Charles Thompson during an assassination attempt. John Adams (voiced by William Morgan Sheppard) is the enigmatic commander of the Trust who sends Agent Ford into Washington, D.C. to combat a rising terrorist threat and recover stolen Trust technology; he is later set up as the game's central antagonist. Prometheus (voiced by Kevin Sorbo
Kevin Sorbo
Kevin David Sorbo is an American actor best known for the roles of Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda and Kull in Kull the Conqueror.-Early life:...
) is introduced as the terrorist leader, but becomes the sole supporting character and assists Ford's efforts against the Drudge.
Plot
Agent Michael Ford regains consciousness in a collapsed Washington MetroWashington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
tunnel, some time after the invasion of the alien Drudge. Fighting his way through utility corridors, Ford comes upon a massive Conduit embedded in the atrium of a Metro station. After defeating the aliens' defense, Ford enters the Conduit.
The story then flashes back to five days earlier, before the invasion, as Ford is contacted by John Adams, leader of the mysterious Trust organization. He informs Ford of an upcoming operation to recover a Trust prototype stolen by the terrorist Prometheus. The Trust has set up an ambush at Reagan National Airport to capture Prometheus as he flees, and Ford is assigned to ensure that if the ambush fails, Prometheus will be apprehended at any cost. During the operation, the Trust agents turn against Ford and he is forced to battle his way through the airport to the Metro train that Prometheus is supposed to be using. As Ford reaches the forward train car with no sign of Prometheus, a wounded scientist tries to destroy the train. Ford survives the explosion and regains the prototype All-Seeing Eye. Alarmed at Prometheus' ability to turn his own agents against him, Adams orders Ford to infiltrate Prometheus' base at Bunker 13, a defunct Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
-era facility, and hack into his lines of communication. After Ford destroys a cache of mind-altering chemicals, Adams betrays him, saying he will tell the President that Ford died fighting the first wave of the Drudge invasion. Ford is then contacted by Prometheus, who offers him a way out. Emerging from the bunker near the now combat-damaged Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
, Ford eliminates a Drudge force and is airlifted to safety by Prometheus' helicopter.
Ford is dropped at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and told to demolish the Drudge nests hidden in the sewers below before the city is overwhelmed. Prometheus reveals that he was a former member of the Trust who became disillusioned and defected with the All-Seeing Eye. He explains that Adams had been manipulating Ford, and had made him destroy the Trust-developed neuro-toxins in Bunker 13 to cover the organization's tracks. At this point, Ford assumes Adams and The Trust are cooperating with the Drudge in order to take control of the country. Desperate to upset Adams' plan, Ford storms the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in an attempt to save President Thompson. During the rescue the President is led to believe that Ford is a Trust agent; thinking that the Trust can avert the crisis, Thompson signs over executive power to Adams before escaping on the Marine One
Marine One
Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the President of the United States. It usually denotes a helicopter operated by the HMX-1 "Nighthawks" squadron, either the large VH-3D Sea King or the newer, smaller VH-60N "WhiteHawk", both due to be replaced by the...
.
Ford eventually finds the Trust's headquarters, and learns that the existing Drudge are being created and deployed into the city by Trust-maintained Conduits. After fighting through the base, with Adams taunting Ford and jamming Prometheus' communications signal, Ford reaches a chamber holding a single captive alien being who reveals himself as Prometheus. Prometheus explains that he was used as the genetic blueprint to clone Adams' army of Drudge, who at this point are revealed to be creatures created on the Earth and are not aliens, and persuades Ford to kill him to prevent Adams' work from continuing. Ford, after hesitation, complies and proceeds to clear out the rest of the base, when Adams activates the base's self-destruct sequence to trap Ford. Prometheus then speaks to Ford from the ASE, where he uploaded his consciousness before his death, and instructs Ford on how to reactivate the Conduit network in the base. After fighting his way through the last of the Drudge, Ford enters a Conduit; his fate is left ambiguous. During the credits, Adams can be heard speaking to an unknown alien contact, where he reveals himself to be Enlil, an alien exile who has been on Earth for 240 years. Adams/Enlil reports that Prometheus is dead, and that the plan to take control of Earth is still in effect.
Development
The Conduit was announced to be in production on April 17, 2008 through IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. The developer began considering creating a new game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
that would cater to the "hardcore" audience. The game was designed to have a comparable experience to games on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
despite the hardware limitations of the Wii. The game's announcement was seen as something of a surprise because the company had largely been known for its licensed titles which had been marketed mainly to younger audiences. By the developer's own admission, many of these licensed games have received mediocre reviews in the gaming press. Eric Nofsinger, the development team's Chief Creative Officer
Chief creative officer
A chief creative officer is the highest ranking position of the creative team within a company. This position is responsible for the overall look and feel of all materials, media, and branding associated with the organization...
(CCO), claimed that the company saw potential in the Wii early on, but noted that much of what has succeeded on the Wii so far has been family-oriented or Nintendo-promoted games. Nofsinger went on to say, "The other titles that have come out in that vein have been a bit lackluster. The games that have done well are the casual games so publishers see those as viable. We’re trying to do something that really hasn’t been done to its full extent to my knowledge." In October 2008 the developer confirmed that the game was at a pre-alpha state and the majority of development was being shifted to the multiplayer mode, and by March 2009 the game had reached the "post-beta" stage, with most work involving debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
and play-testing. In early June 2009, the developer announced that The Conduit had gone gold.
The Wii MotionPlus
Wii MotionPlus
The is an expansion device for the Wii Remote video game controller for the Wii that allows it to more accurately capture complex motion. According to Nintendo, the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered...
attachment, revealed by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
during Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, was originally intended to be compatible with The Conduit, but the developer later decided against incorporating it due to unresolvable technical issues and the lack of features in the game that could take advantage of the accessory. Eric Nofsinger stated about the Wii MotionPlus that "We were really excited, going back and forth with Nintendo on how to integrate [Wii MotionPlus] and what the best use for it was. But when we actually implemented it, it really didn't bring that much to the table... But maybe for a future version we'll revisit [Wii MotionPlus], and if we can build something around it that makes sense."
Storyline
The storyline for The Conduit was handled by High Voltage Software's staff, with unspecified assistance from author Matt Forbeck, and designed to focus on an underlying theme of conspiracy that would "propel the storyline and the Conduit universe." The location of Washington, D.C. was chosen as the game's setting for its iconic historical background and association with national and international politics, while the acts of terrorism that precede the main storyline were intended to provide a framework that would foreshadow the concept of betrayal for political gain throughout the game. Other elements of the game, such as secret underground passages spread throughout the city that are implied to have been built by the Trust, and the Trust organization itself, were also designed to evoke a sense of conspiracy. Various symbols, such as those relating to Freemasonry and the Illuminati, are spread throughout the game to further the conspiracy idea. The developer drew inspiration for the story from the books The Sirius MysteryThe Sirius Mystery
The Sirius Mystery is a book by Robert K. G. Temple first published by St. Martin's Press in 1975. It presents the hypothesis that the Dogon people of Mali in west Africa, preserve a tradition of contact with intelligent extraterrestrial beings from the Sirius star-system.These beings, who are...
by Robert Temple
Robert K. G. Temple
Robert K. G. Temple is an American author best known for his controversial book, The Sirius Mystery which presents the idea that the Dogon people preserve the tradition of contact with intelligent extraterrestrial beings from the Sirius star-system...
and Chariots of the Gods
Chariots of the Gods
Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past is a book written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken...
by Erich von Däniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
, as well as the films Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
and They Live
They Live
They Live is a 1988 science fiction/horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Frank Armitage ....
, among other works.
Graphics
The game is notable for the strong focus on the game's visuals by High Voltage Software, using a Wii-specific engineGame engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
called Quantum3. Upgrading the game engine, which had previously been used by the developer in several other titles, began in October 2007. This engine "allows the developer to create graphic effects normally seen on other consoles with vertex and pixel shaders." These effects include bump-mapping
Bump mapping
Bump mapping is a technique in computer graphics for simulating bumps and wrinkles on the surface of an object. This is achieved by perturbing the surface normals of the object and using the perturbed normal during lighting calculations. The result is an apparently bumpy surface rather than a...
, reflection and refraction, light and shadow maps and projections, specular and Fresnel
Fresnel equations
The Fresnel equations , deduced by Augustin-Jean Fresnel , describe the behaviour of light when moving between media of differing refractive indices...
effects, missive and iridescent materials, advanced alpha blends
Alpha compositing
In computer graphics, alpha compositing is the process of combining an image with a background to create the appearance of partial or full transparency. It is often useful to render image elements in separate passes, and then combine the resulting multiple 2D images into a single, final image in a...
, gloss and detail mapping, motion blur
Motion blur
Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single frame, either due to rapid movement or long exposure.- Photography :When a camera...
, interactive water with complex surface effects, and animated textures, among other things. The Quantum3 engine also includes advanced artificial intelligence, allowing for enemies in the game to possess "human-like behavior." According to Eric Nofsinger, "Our [High Voltage Software]'s goal is to be the most technically innovative Wii developer on the planet."
High Voltage Software set a goal for a steady 30 frames per second frame rate
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
with no flicker
Flicker (screen)
Flicker is a visible fading between cycles displayed on video displays, especially the refresh interval on cathode ray tube based computer screens. Flicker occurs on CRTs when they are driven at a low refresh rate, allowing the brightness to drop for time intervals sufficiently long to be noticed...
for the game. The development team had previously claimed that it had a goal of 60 frames per second, but in the end it was decided that development time would be better spent on the game's other features and that it ran smoothly enough at 30 frames. Red Eye Studios, a subsidiary of the developer, supplied motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
d animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
for The Conduit.
During E3 2008, the developer debuted a playable demo of the game which consisted of the first half of a level included in the actual game and showed several of the Drudge enemies, as well as several different human and alien weapons. Environmental effects showcased in the demo included reflections in glass objects such as windows and the scope of the player's weapon, water effects, and textures. Following E3, High Voltage Software updated the Quantum3 engine with several new features, including a depth of field
Depth of field
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image...
effect, heat distortion, and specularity
Specularity
Specularity is the visual appearance of specular reflections. In computer graphics, it meansthe quantity used in 3D rendering which represents the amount of specular reflectivity a surface has...
. The developer also claimed it was working to increase the number of predefined death animations that occur when the player kills an enemy, so that each different enemy type would die differently depending on the weapon used against it. Also featured is a "color curve" system in which the screen colors desaturate progressively as the player takes damage, with the colors completely desaturating into black and white upon the player character's death.
Audio
Composer Diego Stocco was chosen by Audio/Video Director Michael Metz to provide the musical score for The Conduit, with guitarist Rick NielsenRick Nielsen
-External links:* * *...
also being hired after expressing an interest in the game. Metz explained how Stocco was brought into the project, saying "From the hundreds of CDs that come across my desk, there was one that had recently stuck out to me. It was called Epic Textures from a company called Epic Score... With a little digging I found out that the man behind those awesome ambient tracks was mostly Diego Stocco... I gave Diego a call and he was very excited to help us out with the project." In creating the musical score, Stocco built several unique instruments as needed, such as a "DistroDrum," an acoustic drum combined with a toy piano, and a "Metal Contrabass," which consisted of piano and bass strings attached to a garage heater.
For each level of the game, a different soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
with three different parts was created; these parts were "ambient," "mid-tempo," and "upbeat." After creating the tracks, the main instrumental sounds of each one was combined with others to produce more tracks. Sound Designer Ed Dulian would create music that suited each level and event in the game's campaign, and fellow Sound Designer Mark Muraski worked to implement the music in the game itself. Rick Nielsen would supply guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s that were overlaid upon the main soundtracks. The game features an adaptive music system where music in the game will change when the player enters combat or completes an objective.
While working on the game's voice acting, several placeholder recordings were used for each character until Lead Designer Rob Nichols contacted William Morgan Sheppard, Mark Sheppard
Mark Sheppard
Mark Andreas Sheppard is an English actor and musician, born in London of an Irish-German background. He is often credited as "Mark A. Sheppard".-Personal life:Mark Sheppard is the son of actor W. Morgan Sheppard...
, and Kevin Sorbo
Kevin Sorbo
Kevin David Sorbo is an American actor best known for the roles of Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda and Kull in Kull the Conqueror.-Early life:...
to voice the lead roles. To provide voice for the alien language of the Drudge, two local actors were hired, Tom Taylorson and William Dick. Located throughout the game's levels are radios and televisions which include different stations, each of which was voiced by a different actor. High Voltage Software obtained permission to use recordings from the Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the fourth album by Chicago-based rock band Wilco. The album was completed in 2001, but Reprise Records, a Warner Music Group label, refused to release it. Wilco acquired the rights to the album when they left the label. In September 2001, Wilco streamed the entire album...
taken from the Conet Project on these different stations. The game also supports Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound.
Publisher
High Voltage Software began the development of The Conduit without a publisher. Soon after the game received a high amount of publicity, at least ten companies expressed interest in publishing the game. The developer claimed that one of the reasons why many of its licensed games have generated poor reviews is because big publishers interfered with the game design process, and said that it wanted to do as much as it could with the game before getting a publisher. On October 2, 2008, during Nintendo's fall media summit, the developer's CCO Eric Nofsinger stated that although High Voltage Software had selected a publisher and had originally intended to reveal its choice during the conference, further legal matters had to be finalized and the publisher would not be officially announced until sometime later that month. According to Nofsinger, the developer regards the game as the first in a potential franchise, and the chosen publisher was also open to the idea of creating a sequel to The Conduit. Nofsinger continued, "I think people are going to feel like they got their money’s worth [with The Conduit], but we’ve got a big ol’ universe of stories that we want to tell."The publisher was finally revealed to be Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
on October 29, 2008. Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, stated "Sega shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for." The announcement came the day after Sega added a file folder for The Conduit to its file transfer protocol
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
website, which sparked rumors that the publisher might have been chosen to support High Voltage Software's game.
Promotions
High Voltage Software launched a contest for user-created control configurations for The Conduit on September 18, 2008. One control scheme would be selected from the submissions and added to the game as a preset configuration, and the name of the configuration's creator would be noted in the credits. The contest ended with three winners being chosen; the results were announced by Lead Designer Rob Nicholls in a video overview of the game released on January 15, 2009.In May 2009, a video mashup contest for The Conduit sponsored by the creator of the software program ACIDPlanet
ACID Pro
Sony ACID Pro is a professional digital audio workstation software program. It was originally called "ACID pH1" and published by Sonic Foundry, but is now developed and sold by Sony Creative Software....
and in association with the game's developer was announced. Participants are asked to create and submit a video of in-game footage from The Conduit using the available video clips and game audio tracks on the ACIDPlanet website. Winners received assorted merchandise from Sony Creative Software
Sony Creative Software
Sony Creative Software is a subsidiary of Sony, focused primarily on their line of media production software...
, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, and High Voltage Software, and the winning audio mixes were included as a bonus track with the game's official soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. The soundtrack however, was never officially released.
Retail editions
The Conduit was sold in two separate versions: the Standard Edition and the Special Limited Edition. The Standard Edition includes only the game disc and instructional manual with no extra features. The Special Limited Edition includes the game disc, the manual, a 24-page art book featuring concept art made at different stages of the game's development and an alternative Special Edition case cover art. On inside last page of the Art Book are two codes to unlock a special ASE for single player mode and a Special Agent skin for online player. There is a third code that is not listed that lets the character play as a Drone. However, since the game disc and manual is the same in both releases, the codes are not unique. Purchasing the Special Limited Edition is not necessary to unlock the bonus in-game content.Comic
To promote the release of the game, Sega released a tie in comic book titled The Conduit: Orange Lights, written by Pat Dolan. The comic was made available as a free PDF file through amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
.
Reception
The Conduit has received mixed to positive reviews. The game has an aggregate average of 72.23% at GameRankings based on 64 reviews, and a metascore of 69% at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 79 reviews. In general, the game's praise is mostly centered on its technical success, online play, and intuitive controls, while its criticism is centered on the storyline and single-player experience.
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
praised the game as proof that first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s work well with the Wii console, and further complimented the customization allowed by the control system, calling the experience "seamless." Points of criticism were that the story was simple and predictable, environments lacked the destructible elements of many other contemporary games, and that the All-Seeing Eye device featured in the game was underused. The online multiplayer mode was favorably compared to that of the Halo
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
video game franchise, and was noted as "impressively smooth." The reviewer concluded by stating "[High Voltage Software] can at least lay claim to the best pure first-person shooter on Wii." Official Nintendo Magazine criticized some campaign levels as repetitive and "a chore," and asserted that "the Drudge aliens are aptly named." The multiplayer mode was called a welcome addition to the Wii's online shooter lineup, however, and the reviewer noted that the plot was "a lot of fun" due in part to cut scenes that helped tie events in the game together. Overall, the reviewer believed that the game lacked inspiration, but was still an enjoyable shooter video game.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
lauded the game's customizable control scheme, considering it to be "the tightest, most comfortable control scheme of any console-based first-person shooter to date" as well as the "engrossing" plot that "throws you for a loop now and again...[and is] all made more immersive by way of excellent voice acting." The reviewer noted that the game was "very much a straightforward, linear FPS focused on simple run-and-gun gameplay" but that "the gunplay in High Voltage's project is no less intense or enjoyable" as a result. Criticism included that "you will find yourself fighting the same small selection of enemies throughout the adventure" and that "it's not revolutionary." The multiplayer mode was complimented, but the reviewer claimed that some online matches would lag, making some games "unplayable." GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
stated the game was "fun, controls well, and is, at times, quite beautiful... yes, for a Wii game." The voice work for the campaign mode was praised as "stellar," but the reviewer described the overall storyline as "a shell of rather vanilla conspiratorial intrigue." Multiplayer was noted as being "a cut above" other Wii online games, and the reviewer summarized by saying "The solid, yet unremarkable single-player won’t win any awards, but The Conduit still features the most finely honed online outings available on Wii." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised the game as an "undeniable success" from a technical standpoint, calling the controls "outstanding" and the graphics "top-notch." The game's other features met with criticism, however, with the reviewer calling the single-player levels generic and monotonous and the multiplayer "unremarkable." The game's main fault, according to the reviewer, was that it was too generic, with the technical successes overshadowed by "wasted potential."
Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
felt that the game's multiplayer elements were strong for a Wii game in the genre, but the single player mode seemed to be "little more than a thinly disguised sequence of arenas whose doors magically unlock after you've cleared the area of hostilities". They also praised its weaponry, calling it "inventive", and the graphics, but noted that the controls, particularly the aiming, felt shaky, and that the Wii remote itself was the biggest problem getting in the way of smooth control, with the placement of the "secondary buttons" being "poor".
Classic Game Room
Classic Game Room
Classic Game Room is a video game review show produced, directed, edited and hosted by Mark L. Bussler of Inecom, LLC. The show reviews both retro and modern video games and broadcasts its reviews via video-sharing website YouTube, under the screen name 'InecomCompany', named after Inecom, LLC...
gave a positive review. They declared that The Conduit was an enjoyable first-person shooter on a platform nearly void of them. They also praised the online multiplayer, claiming, "...it works like it should."
Awards
The Conduit won several awards following its appearance and demonstration at E3 2008. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it three awards: Best Shooter Game of E3 2008 (Wii), Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008 (Wii), and Best Overall Wii Game of E3 2008. GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
also gave the game Best Wii Game of E3 2008. The game won the worst box art award on Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. "It's like the artists who created the box art had a checklist of bad sci-fi cliches from the nineties, and went through the list checking off as many as they could." IGN nominated it for both the "Best Shooter 09" (Wii) award and the "Best Multiplayer 09" (Wii), but lost to Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction has received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 82/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game 84 percent and called it "A first rate introduction to one of the finest survival horror franchises of recent years." The website...
and New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
is a 2009 side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released on November 12, 2009 in Australia, November 15, 2009 in North America, November 20, 2009 in Europe and December 3, 2009 in Japan...
, respectively.
Sales and sequel
The Conduit debuted during the market research company NPD GroupNPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...
's June reporting period, which lasted from May 31, 2009 to July 4, 2009. From its initial release in North America on June 23, 2009 until the end of the June reporting period, The Conduit sold 72,000 units domestically. Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
announced in their Q1 2009 financial report that they had shipped 150,000 units in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the game's first week. In February 2010, High Voltage Software CEO Kerry Ganofsky told IGN that The Conduit had sold over 350,000 copies.
After months of speculation, Conduit 2
Conduit 2
Conduit 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii video game console. It is the sequel to The Conduit...
was announced on March 29, 2010.
External links
- The Conduit official website
- High Voltage Software official website
- "Seeing is Deceiving" promotional website
- The Conduit Wiki