Outspark Blog

Greetings all!

It’s that time again. Upped the prize redemption amount this time so that more of you get a chance to play. The last game seemed a bit easy for most of you so here’s a brand new post for you guys, this time, no hints!

For all of you newcomers here are the rules:

• Open up the photos that are linked to this posting below
• There will be an official code somewhere within the images
• The code may be within one, two, three, four, or in a combination of all five images
• Take the code, or what you think the code may be, and enter it in at: http://www.outspark.com/redeem/ (Outspark login required)
• If code is correct you will receive a success message and the free item!

Each code will give you access to one in-game cash shop item for Fiesta, Secret of The Solstice, and Wind Slayer. The codes will be redeemable once on a single character for each game and will only be available to the first 20 accounts. So have fun, see some of the team, check out the place that continues to inspire the fun, and get a free item while you do!

Photo 1

Thought I’d take a stroll with the camera.

Photo 2

I think the bricks give this place character.

Photo 3

Recent poster.

Photo 4

The ultimate showdown.

Photo 5

Can anyone guess whose desk this is?

Photo 6

Another random pic on my stroll.

Here are the hints for this week:

• None

Too easy? Too hard? Let’s discuss here.

Don’t have an Outspark account yet? Join the fun!

 Click here to register for free.

Earlier last week two of our GMs battled it out in a Twitter contest to see who could get more followers in a given time. Guess who won. I’m not surprised considering all the server shouts he was doing while even I was in-game. “No I’d rather not ‘Stalk you now’ Silky”.

Anyway, here are their accounts in case you’d like to follow them and hear their random GM thoughts.

http://twitter.com/GM_SKiNG
http://twitter.com/GM_Silkypico

I now know that SKiNG went to get his hair cut at 1am in the morning on May 21st. Status updates FTW!

And while we’re on the topic, Outspark has their own Twitter accounts for you to follow for each game and for the current offers:

http://twitter.com/Outspark
http://twitter.com/FiestaGame
http://twitter.com/SolsticeGame
http://twitter.com/WindSlayerGame
http://twitter.com/ProPowGame
http://twitter.com/OutsparkOffers

Feel free to join.

There’s been a lot of talk around the office about Prestige Class lately so I thought I’d take the liberty to give you all some extra insight. What it essentially represents is the next evolution to those who are going for that new level cap and specialization, with the rewards of having unique abilities which very few people have obtained so far. I took a minute with [GM]Silkypico to ascertain his thoughts on the matter, to which he then first replied: “Jawsome!” Thank you Silky for the cheesy 90’s cartoon reference. So what else?

“Every great game consists of three parts. The first part is called ‘The Pledge’. We introduce you to the first class change to start a path to get the players hyped. The second part is called ‘The Turn’. This is where you’ve decided to stay on this path and prepare for evolution. The user is already committed into playing his/her role. But it’s not enough. Gamers want to grow and lust for power. That’s why there’s the third part, the hardest change, the change we call ‘The Prestige’.”

Smart alec… (It’s from The Prestige in case you’re wondering)

So what did [GM]Rayse have to say about it? “I think it’s great. It gives that extra added specialization to define what you really want to become in-game, giving your character that much more identity and distinction.”

So there you have it, let’s go for it! I’ve only got 80 levels to go until I can start resurrecting! Anyone want to quest with me?

Read the full news post and class specifics here.

Outspark  is proud to announce that it has been named a 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America Award Finalist.  

In San Diego, from May 11-13, an exclusive audience of C-level entrepreneurs, government officials, senior business developers, corporate strategists, and venture capital funds reviewed the future of technology and witnessed the Red Herring Top 100 awards.  Recognized as the most promising private tech companies in the U.S. , nominees were assessed on both quantitative and qualitative criteria such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their ecosystem.  200 Finalists for the Red Herring Top 100 were selected from more than 2,000 entries.  http://www.herringevents.com/northamerica09/redherring100.html#winner

“We are honored to be a finalist of the 2009 Red Herring Top 100 North America award, and to be in the company of fellow recipients like Twitter,  Zynga, RockYou! And Offerpal.” said Susan Choe, Outspark Founder and CEO.  “This award further validates our leading edge efforts in redefining engagement in the gaming space.”

Quote from website:

To be selected as a Red Herring 100 winner or finalist is a mark of distinction and high honor. Only 200 companies are chosen as finalists out of a pool of thousands. Of those finalists we selected 100 companies as winners. To decide on these companies the Red Herring editorial team diligently surveys entrepreneurship around the globe. Technology industry executives, investors, and observers regard the Red Herring 100 lists as invaluable instruments to discover and advocate the promising startups that will lead the next wave of disruption and innovation.

Past award winners include Google, Yahoo!, Skype, Netscape, Salesforce.com, and YouTube.

Click here for the full list.

About Red Herring:

Red Herring is a global media company uniting the world’s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine; an online daily technology news service; technology newsletters, and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider’s access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. For more information, visit www.redherring.com.

For more information, please check out http://www.herringevents.com/northamerica09/index.html

Welcome back, Outspark fans! It’s time for another installment of “Game Masters: A Closer Look”, where we get an intimate moment with some of our most popular GMs for Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice, Wind Slayer, and Project Powder.
This time… She’s singing! She’s dancing! She’s shooting down the slopes of Oblivion ready to kick butt! Watch out! It’s time to talk to Tokara.

In-game handle: [GM]Tokara
Name: Jing
Hometown: Beijing, China
Specialty: singing, dancing, shooting pool, 3D modeling, shopping, shooting guns, ice skating, traveling, and bartending
Game: Project Powder

Straega: Singing, bartending, and 3D modeling huh? I’d have never guessed.

Tokara: Yeah, everyone says that. I’m a 3D environment artist, and I just graduated from college.

Straega: Tokara. It has a nice ring to it, where is it from if I may ask?

Tokara: There are islands that are a part of Japan named The Tokara Islands. I’m a beach person, weather permitting, and I think I could totally be a beach bum! [laughs] Honestly, I don’t know that much about The Tokara Islands, but I hope that I can visit there someday.

Straega: You seem the adventurous type then. What do you typically do when you’re not playing video games?

Tokara: Pretty much everything that I do when I’m not at work. [laughs]

Straega: [gasp!] So you don’t play video games outside of work?

Tokara: I only play video games when I hang out with my friends or if I’m having a house party. I don’t like to play games alone, unless I’m extremely bored.

Straega: What do you like most about being a GM?

Tokara: When I told my friends that I’m a GM, they thought that it stood for general manager… then I’d say, “That’s right!” [laughs]

Straega: What are your most favorite games?

Tokara: Project Powder of course, Super Mario Brothers, and Rock Band.

Straega: I’ve asked everyone else this one too so far and sometimes I’ll get an interesting response. What do you like eating while you’re actually playing video games?

Tokara: Eating? While I play? No way! My hands are too busy, but I do eat before and after, especially if I lose. I take all that anger out on food… FOOD!

Straega: Too much into the action, I see. Do you snowboard in real life?

Tokara: No, but I would love to try. It seems fun and painful.

Straega: It is rather fun, and rather painful, at least the first couple of times.

Tokara: I like challenges, and I wish I could try everything in the world!

Straega: This is the revealing one, which I have to ask. So, If you could choose between being able to fly, turn invisible, or teleport which would you choose and why?

Tokara: Mmmm, So many ppl ask me that question.

Straega: Really!? I need more random questions then.

Tokara: I think I’d choose to turn invisible.

Straega: Why?

Tokara: Because you can’t fly in bad weather! [laughs]

Straega: Let’s say that you did choose to fly. Where in the world would you fly to?

Tokara: Too many places that I want to go, so here is a rough list that I’d get done in a day. First, I’d go to a beach in Hawaii to watch the sunrise.

Straega: Don’t forget your sunblock.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Africa to see some wild animals.

Straega: Don’t forget your cattleprod.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Thailand to have some Thai food for lunch and go to the temple to pray.

Straega: I love beef curry rendang.

Tokara: Then, I’d go to the South Pole to hang out with penguins.

Straega: Don’t forget your sweater. Sorry, I’ll stop that now.

Tokara: After that, I’d go to Tahiti to go swimming, get a sun tan and watch the sunset. Then, go to Paris to have dinner and do some shopping. And at the end of the day, I’d fly to Brazil so I could party.

Straega: Sounds like quite a day.

Tokara: And I’d do the same thing every single day!

Straega: Alright! So… You wanna race?

Tokara: [For a moment, I catch a glimpse of flames in the eyes of Tokara as she stares at me menacingly] Sure!  I’m positive that I can kick your butt!

Straega: Hmmm… We’ll see about that.

Much thanks to Tokara for this interview. Check out her profile here and add her as a friend!