Microsoft Sends More Mixed Signals About Milo

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Microsoft Sends More Mixed Signals About Milo

Microsoft is giving Milo and Kate credit for things it might not have actually done.

There seems to be some confusion at Microsoft over how Frontier Development's Kinect launch title Kinectimals [http://www.amazon.com/Kinectimals-Xbox-360/dp/B002I0J8RQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288884842&sr=8-1] came into being. Microsoft has once again said that the technology used in Lionhead's imaginary friend simulator Milo and Kate found its way into Kinectimals, despite protests [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101822-Frontier-Kinectimals-Doesnt-Share-Tech-With-Milo] from Frontier when the very same thing was suggested earlier in the year

Microsoft's Alex Kipman reiterated that Milo was never meant to be a commercial product. Instead, he said, it was a sandbox where developers learned how to use all the tools that Kinect brought to the table in a single experience. The knowledge gleaned from working on Milo, about how you could make strong emotional experiences using Kinect, not to mention the Kinect technology itself, had "migrated" over to Kinectimals, which Kipman said had many of the same virtues, only with a cute tiger cub in place of a young boy.

"This is one of what I would say was one of the key innovations," Kipman said. "That captured people's minds with Milo - this idea that we could create an emotion engine, an engine that would fuse these human input behaviors and create a relationship with this imaginary character. What I think you see in Kinectimals is precisely that."

This all sounds fine, but when Microsoft Game Studios' Phil Spencer suggested the same thing back in July, Frontier Developments' chairman David Braben was very quick to deny it, saying that Kinectimals had been in development before the studio had even become aware of Milo's existence. Assuming that this isn't some attempt by Microsoft to save face after showing off a game that was too ambitious to ever be released; either Braben or Kipman is mistaken. Considering that for a while Microsoft couldn't seem to make up its mind [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101744-Microsoft-Milo-Just-a-Tech-Demo-UPDATED] whether Milo was just a tech demo or not, it seems reasonable to assume that it's Kipman that has the faulty information.

Source: Games Industry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2010-11-03-ghost-in-the-machine-pt-2-interview?page=1]


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Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Apr 1, 2009
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
that tiger still looks creepy, never trust a smiling cat
 

Rainboq

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Nov 19, 2009
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*sigh*

Seriously? This is just sad, they should just release Milo and remove the confusion.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Look, Microsoft, I've even called you your proper name now, so you'll find it in your search engine, can we have a talk?

I know you're upset about losing Bill, who was - after all - the guy who actually created you, your Dad, so to speak. And I know you're scared of that big bully Jobs, whose actually doing what you do better than you'd ever dreamed. And I know that Sony and Nintendo are biting at your heels but...

There's a group of people here. People who own PCs. People who have been, often inadvertently, using your products since 1982.

These are people you've ignored, lied to and treated with total disrespect for decades, due to you spreading your love into a little happy console commune called Xbox Live.

Now everyone is just used to you lying, press statements you put out are used as barometers as to what you're really hiding. Windows 7 is judged as being "not as bad as Vista".

Don't you think that instead of damage control, you should be putting your thoughts to actual positive PR for all the people who have bought your products for the last thirty years or so, rather than squeezing their balls?

Just a thought. Say, how's that Zune going?
 

The Cheezy One

Christian. Take that from me.
Dec 13, 2008
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I'd like to have the milo software, assuming it works, it would be really cool. Like a real life tamagotchi. Until it becomes a weird 35 year old loner
 

megapenguinx

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Jan 8, 2009
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Why do all the Kinect characters (that aren't your avatar) look so creepy?

Uncanny valley much?

I also don't have very high hopes for Kinect yet. I still need to see a killer app before I go ahead and drop $150 for it and waggle my arms about
 

Flauros

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Mar 2, 2010
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yeah, i dont think they will ever (or should) release milo. Its a tech demo. Its not procedural created, hes going to say the SAME THINGS every time. It would be cool, playing with him like hes the EYEPET, but of course their HYPE MACHINE gave people the wrong idea that its BRAND NEW SPACE AGE TECHNOLOGY, where you can talk and have conversations with a boy.


Cmon now. Who hasnt talked with ALICEBOT. Even if it was advanced as that, its voice acting, still going to say the same things every dam day....
 

xhable

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Oct 17, 2008
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Just wait for it, the "Project Milo is most definitely under development still" message could well be along in a bit.

I've worked at companies with communication like this (all with bad management, and idiots communicating with the public)

You can't draw any conclusions about Milo until something tangible is shown, for now assume it is vapour-ware.

The confusing statements are a symptom of bad leadership and bad communication.
 

SaintWaldo

Interzone Vagabond
Jun 10, 2008
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Logan Westbrook said:
"That captured people's minds with Milo - this idea that we could create an emotion engine,"
Hey, doesn't some OTHER company already make something called an emotion engine [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_Engine]?
 

cerebus23

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May 16, 2010
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most of the kinect launch games are getting rather meh reviews anyway, and the hardware is getting the same. if this stuff sell 3 million units it will be nothing short of a miracle considering you have to rearrange you entire house to accomidate the thing to play games with it, nm the cost.

who care if they stole milos brain for their kitty game anyway. proably easier than writing code form scratch, especially with interactive kitties.
 

felixader

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Feb 24, 2008
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I think it could have somehow have to do with the fact that there has been money invested in the development of Milo and Kate and now the one or other Leader tries to cover their asses inb saying: "Look! All this money HAS actually been leading to something! Huh! Huh!"

Just in case, you know.
 

pneuma08

Gaming Connoisseur
Sep 10, 2008
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Logan Westbrook said:
Lionhead's imaginary friend simulator
Calling it what it is, eh?

Edit: I like to think that a lot of Molyneux's games are imaginary, at least when he's talking about them.
 

pneuma08

Gaming Connoisseur
Sep 10, 2008
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The_root_of_all_evil said:
Windows 7 is judged as being "not as bad as Vista".
To be fair, Windows 7 is also being judged as "an improvement to Windows XP".
 

Macgyvercas

Spice & Wolf Restored!
Feb 19, 2009
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*grabs rifle*
*sights in on tiger*

He looks all sweet and innocent, all right. But cats are sneaky bastards. The first sign of trouble and he's toast.

The_root_of_all_evil said:
Say, how's that Zune going?
Oi! I like the Zune.

felixader said:
I think it could have somehow have to do with the fact that there has been money invested in the development of Milo and Kate and now the one or other Leader tries to cover their asses inb saying: "Look! All this money HAS actually been leading to something! Huh! Huh!"

Just in case, you know.
Pretty much this. They really don't want to admit that motion controls are just gimmicky and mostly pointless (I say mostly because I'm sure there's at least one game where they work, and as soon as I can think of one, I'll list it), and they need to justify the time and money they spent on this rather than, oh I don't know, making cooler games.
 

Nevyrmoore

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Aug 13, 2009
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Microsoft, knock it off and come out straight about Milo! Are you going to release it, are you not, is it going to be used for research purposes, what?

...and on a similar note, tell Frontier Developments to get off their arse and start making Elite IV! Come on Mr. Braben, we all know we'd rather have that than Kinectimals.
 

Killerbunny001

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Oct 23, 2008
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That tiger is fucked up, if I had a kid I would buy him a real dog not Kinectimals for God sake.

In other news I think the whole let`s bury Milo thing is just MS way of backing up from what could have been a huge disaster. Let`s face it Milo would have suffered much at the hands of the less than "catholic" audience.