7.28.2004: UPDATE - GOLD REVIEW
It has been a busy couple of months here in the studio. We have released patches for every version of Enigma that has been released to bring them up to the GOLD edition release. The GOLD edition has been released in North America and here is our first review:

2404.org : 8.6 out of 10.

9.22.2004: ENIGMA UPDATE
November 1st ENGIMA: RISING TIDE International GOLD edition shipped to stores throughout Europe. We released through POINTSOFT Europe. The GOLD edition includes many upgrades to weapons, interfaces, ships and systems. There are several new historical weapons and we also included the full Soundtrack. Watch for the GOLD edition in North America after Christmas.

Congratulations to Lead Designer Alex Jimenez on his succesfull speaking tour for Learning Annex (San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego). For those of you who don't know, Alex has 7 top 10 games to his credit in his 12+ years in the industry.

GOLD Edition Patches will be released before Christmas for Europe, Australia and the Americas. The patches will not include the soundtrack, but they will include the ability for players to create their own patrols and campaigns.

8.17.2004: REGISTRATION UPDATES
We have just finished sending out a registration notice to help us clean out the dead email addresses in the registration database. If you didn't receive one, and you own a copy of ENIGMA, click the Tech Support link below and register (with a valid email address). We will be sending out some information in the next two weeks that you won't want to miss out on.

6.24.2004: ENIGMA PATCH UPDATE
The final patch for Enigma Chapter One is now available for the following versions:

North America: Canada, USA, South America - version 2.1.3 (a and b patches)
Auran Release: Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan - version 2.1.8 (a,b and c patches)
English Language Europe - version 2.0.1 (a,b and c patches)
German Language - version 2.0.7 (single patch: a) - GMX SPLASH SCREEN
German Language Re-Release - version 2.0.8 (single patch: a) - POINTSOFT SPLASH SCREEN
PLAY.COM release : Polish Language - version 2.2.2 (single patch: a)

The French and Spanish patches are nearing completion and will be announced here.

Patch links can be found HERE

5.20.2004: FAN FICTION CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to our Fan Fiction Contest winners:

1st place: Wesley Dean for "Exiles Cross"
2nd place: Jay Lake for "An Evening at the Hotel da Volta"
3rd place: Haiman Meyerhoff for "A Lion Among Wolves"
Honorable mentions went to: Grant Madden for "The Watcher" and Joe Curley for "The Voyage of U-41 T" Winners will be awarded cash prizes of $500, 250, and 100 dollars respectively. In addition, excerpts of the winning stories will be posted at www.warfleet.net, with print publication slated for later this year.

4.02.2004: ENIGMACON UPDATES
We've finally gotten the (skeleton) coverage and pix up from ENIGMACON.

3.17.2004: HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY
Another excuse for our programmers and artists to drink the local pub dry. In celebration we have (by popular demand) moved the FAN FICTION DEADLINE to MARCH 31, 2004. $500 first prize, $250 second and $100 first. You know what to do.

3.17.2004: AN OLD REVIEW SURFACES
Check out the GAMEBIZ review GAMEBIZ

3.12.2004: ENIGMACON UPDATE
ENIGMACON Update regarding Sponsors, The Fan Fiction Contest, Naval Art and the PARTY. Find out more: UPDATE

3.8.2004: ENIGMACON 2004
ENIGMACON REGISTRATION is now active. Register for this FIRST ENIGMACON scheduled for March 20th here in Eugene. Find out more: Multiplayer UNVEILED

3.2.2004: AN INSIDER'S LOOK AT WRITING FOR FILM AND TELEVISION
The Insider seminar site is now online. Register for this excellent seminar scheduled for March 20th. Find out more: AN INSIDERS LOOK...

2.27.2004: ENIGMA PATCH RELEASED
The first free upgrade patch for the North American release has gone GOLD. The patch is available from 3dGamers, Fileplanet and the other main download outlets. We will be posting patch links as we get them in the "ALLIES" section under the ENIGMA link.

2.4.2004: THE LASER REVIEWS ENIGMA
Lofty in its aspirations, the latest foray into the naval simulation PC gaming genre provided an interesting twist to our gaming habits. Enigma: Rising Tide takes the standard naval simulation game to a different level altogether, taking away the more tedious aspects of running a ship and focusing more on combat and strategy. In the end, you're left with a highly entertaining experience and a great naval combat simulation PC title.

[Read Jim McHugh's review here.]

1.13.2004: ENIGMACON: THE MAIDEN VOYAGE
It's time. By popular demand we are proud to announce the first Enigma: Rising Tide gamers convention. ENIGMACON will be held March 20, 2004 in Eugene, Oregon at the Eugene Downtown Hilton. Pre-registration begins January 20th.

[Watch for details here!]

1.13.2004: ENIGMA: FAN FICTION CONTEST
Now for something completely different: the ENIGMA: RISING TIDE Fan Fiction Contest. Stories must be set in the alternate history world of Enigma: Rising Tide between 1915 and 1938. Naval battle stories are preferred, but any story in the Enigma universe will be eligible.

There will be cash and non-cash prizes for the winners. Accepted stories will enjoy exposure on the warfleet.net website, in print publication for the top 3 stories.

[Contest rules and details]

1.13.2004: WAR ENROLLMENT DATA UPDATED
At long last the "Officer Enrollment" records are being processed and updated on the Factions page. This will now automatically update daily. Wonder what's up...

10.30.2003: WORTHPLAYING GIVES ENIGMA 9/10
Enigma is an attempt to combine the slower paced simulation games with the faster paced FPS games. Make no mistake: this is not “Quake on a lake”. While it’s a toned down simulation, it still places more importance on tactical thinking than quick reflexes. Actually, it’s a relief to finally play a naval game that doesn’t require the player to be a Master Seaman to figure out the controls. I’ve been hankering for a submarine simulation that wasn’t as complicated as previous offerings and Enigma fit that bill quite nicely. Creeping along in a German U-Boat at periscope depth, evading enemy destroyers while trying to sink a convoy is as close to playing Das Boot as I’ve ever come.

10.29.2003: ENIGMA EARNS ICRONTIC AWARD
The company, founded by several people from Dynamix, a division of Sierra On-Line, veterans of such titles as ‘Tribes’ and the ‘3D Ultra’ line means they should know what they’re doing… And with Enigma: Rising Tide I think they confirmed that.

10.29.2003: STRATOS GROUP INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER KELLY ASAY
The good folks at Tesseraction Games agreed to do an interview about their upcoming massively mulitplayer naval command sim, Enigma: Rising Tide. Set in an alternate historical timeline, Rising Tide is in my opinion one of the most interesting new games in production. A single-player version of the game was released earlier this year, whetting the appetites of PC Captains everywhere... [read it here...]

10.14.2003: GIGEX VERSION OWNERS REJOICE
OK, the North American Gigex owners. The last cases of Enigma: Rising Tide, destined for our early supporters - those of you who purchased a Gigex version last year - have been delivered to the West Eugene Post Office. They are on their way. Australia and Canada are being handled next.

10.14.2003: So What Are Our Customers Saying?
For a quick look at what Enigma Players think, check out the EBGames and Amazon user reviews: (Fair and Balanced you understand...)" [EB Games...]
[Amazon...]

10.14.2003: Game Chronicles Review
Tyler Todd turns in a very funny and well done review of Enigma: "In an egregious act of unprecedented marketing cruelty, the wizards at Tesseraction have declared Enigma a MMCOAHNCS; massively multiplayer cinematic online alternate-history naval combat simulation. Even Mary Poppins, God bless her rotten heart, would have a difficult time negotiating that syllabic Godzilla. But for the most part, Enigma lives up to that unwieldy acronym..." [read it here...]

10.7.2003: GOLDEN TRIANGLE Review
Heres a review from September we missed. A very thorough review from Dale Farris. You need to read this one. [more info...]

10.02.2003: GAMEZILLA Review
Daniel Buck turns in a review for Gamezilla: "...Enigma is an excellent game in itself. All strategists and alternate history buffs will want to add this one to their collection." [more info...]

09.23.2003: TAG Files 1.7M Federal Lawsuit
Tesseraction Games filed suit in District (federal) court today for breach of contract against UK publisher GMX Media, Ltd. The 1.7 million dollar lawsuit cites unpaid royalties, substantial and un-remedied breach, inaccurate sales reporting and initiation of product sales outside of licensed territories. Tesseraction is also seeking injunctive relief against the publisher. [Full Complaint]

09.23.2003: Recent Overlooked Reviews
Here are a couple of reviews we overlooked earlier this month.
The first is an interesting review from Ted Brockwood over at Daily Game [read it...]
The second review was done by a journalist who hates the genre. Check out the cheeseball rolled up by Adam Shirley for PC GameWorld - [read it...]
The third review is from Kevin Giaccobi over at GameZone, an admitted novice to the genre who nevertheless comports himself fairly. [read it...]

09.23.2003: WARCRY Review
"Enigma: Rising Tide has it all; great game play, fantastic graphics, and a hands free interactive voice command. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and annoy the hell out of your spouse or girl friend as you yell at the computer giving it commands." [more info...]

09.17.2003: Developers Journal opens October 20
Work on Enigma multiplayer is in full swing and we will begin posting Developers Journals to keep you up to date on the progress beginning October 20th. Find it under the Enigma heading: Engineers Journal.

07.26.2003: ENIGMA REVIEW @ PCGAMEREVIEW.COM
If you're a fan of Enigma: Rising Tide, then post some positive reviews on pcgamereview.com! [more info]

07.25.2003: ENIGMA INTERVIEW WITH KELLY "EAST" ASAY
Kelly talks about Enigma's development, realism, and release. Check it out! [more info]

07.23.2003: ENIGMA SCREENSHOTS @ WORTHPLAYING.COM
Check out the latest screenshots from Enigma: Rising Tide. [more info]

07.04.2003: Q&A WITH KELLY "EAST" ASAY
Kelly talks about developments up to this point, including a North American release of Enigma via Dreamcatcher Games, game updates, and the upcoming multiplayer release. [more info]

07.02.2003: DREAMCATCHER GAMES TO PUBLISH ENIGMA
Dreamcatcher Games is now the North American publisher for Enigma: Rising Tide. Look for it on store shelves August 21st. [more info]

06.21.2003: MORE WAR STORIES ADDED
If you have any exciting tales from the sea to add to the compendium, be sure to send them in with a screenshot. [more info]

06.16.2003: THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
An interesting analysis of the current demand for wargames: [more info]

06.16.2003: TELSTRA ENIGMA OVERVIEW (from May)
From the Telstra Game Arena: [more info]

06.16.2003: ICRONTICGAMES.COM REVIEWS ENIGMA (88/100)
"The graphics are at times breathtaking, the movement of the ship, the rolling seas and the way your view from the periscope or binoculars is obscured by the waves in heavy weather are all very nice touches..." Check out the full review (UK version): [more info]

06.13.2003: MULTIPLAY-UK REVIEWS ENIGMA (7/10)
Catachan takes his turn at the helm and turns in a succinct and interesting review (UK version). [more info]

05.27.2003: WARGAMER.COM REVIEWS ENIGMA
Wargamer.com has posted up a Jim Cobb review of Enigma: Rising Tide's retail release (UK version). [more info]

05.27.2003: SUBSIM REVIEWS ENIGMA (88/100)
Subsim Review has posted up a full review of Enigma: Rising Tide's retail release (UK version). [more info]

05.09.2003: ENIGMA OFFICER'S LOUNGE ONLINE
The folks at Tides of War have agreed to host the Enigma Officer's Lounge. (That's an online chat room, btw). [more info]

04.27.2003: ADRENALINE VAULT REVIEWS ENIGMA (3.5/5)
Get the review on the Adrenaline Vault, Rob Beschizza gives a 3.5/5. [more info]

04.22.2003: NEW WARFLEET.NET GOES LIVE!
This is the site for all information related to the upcoming multiplayer release of Enigma: Rising Tide. Stay tuned for updated information on the continued development of Enigma, from the Tesseraction Games team!

04.21.2003: GAMESPY PREVIEWS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
Front page coverage on GameSpy! Enigma: Rising Tide retail release gets previewed. [more info]

04.03.2003: CHAPTER 15 DEVELOPER JOURNAL AVAILABLE
In this latest installment, Blake Hutchins talks about the retail version of Enigma to be released soon. [more info]

03.19.2003: RETAIL VERSION OF ENIGMA: RISING TIDE GOES GOLD
Tesseraction Games announced today that the retail build of ENIGMA: RISING TIDE has been certified GOLD by publisher GMX Media and is heading for a global retail launch beginning April 5th in the UK. [more info]

02.24.2003: WARFLEET.NET REDESIGN PROGRESSING SMOOTHLY
Development is coming along great! Expect to see the final release mid-April sometime.

01.24.2003: MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF 2003?
All this week, GameSpy is counting down the hottest games expected over the next twelve months. Enigma: Rising Tide is in good company! [more info]

01.22.2003: CHAPTER 14 DEVELOPER JOURNAL AVAILABLE
Blake Hutchins talks about getting ready for the retail version of Enigma, now being published by GMX Media, and adding more content to the game. [more info]

01.15.2003: EUROPEAN RETAIL IS A GO
Tesseraction Games and GMX Media have signed a publishing deal for the European Retail release of Enigma: Rising Tide.

01.15.2003: ACTION VAULT AWARDS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
The 2002 Action Vault Awards were announced today. And Enigma: Rising Tide received an honor in the "Debut Game of the Year" category. Thank you IGN! [more info]

01.15.2003: GAMESPY GAME OF THE YEAR
Check out the Gamespy Game of the Year coverage of Enigma: Rising Tide! (That's us in the sidebar). Thank you Gamespy! [more info]

01.14.2003: ENIGMA LIMITED-EDITION GOES NLA
In anticipation of our upcoming singleplayer retail release, the limited-edition singleplayer will no longer be available after today. Watch for a press release this week regarding availability of the Full Retail SinglePlayer.

01.13.2003: ENIGMA HOMELAN FED REVIEW
John Callaham reviews Enigma: Rising Tide - an 86% ranking. [more info]

01.10.2003: ENIGMA GAMESPY REVIEW!
Read the Enigma: Rising Tide review on Gamespy - an 84! [more info]

01.03.2003: ENIGMA TECHNOLOGY DEMO RELEASED
The final demo in our preview series is complete and available from any of the links on our Downloads page. This demo shows off the changes being made to the game including a brand new boat: The British "Vosper" motorized torpedo boat.

12.04.2002: THE ENIGMA DEMO SERIES
We are just finishing up the work on our 4th demo in our Holiday series of 7. Don't miss out on this opportunity to see how you do in real warfare. The demos are our recruiters, Enigma: Rising Tide single player is officer training, all to prepare you for multiplayer. And it is official: If you own the single player, you're in the multiplayer beta.

11.13.2002: ABOUT.COM REVIEW: 3.5/5
"Enigma Rising Tide will be a favorite for naval fans. Between the sound that will immerse you in the game, hours of gameplay, and online play, Enigma: Rising Tide is not a game to miss." Check out Courtney Marchelleta's review! [more info]

11.13.2002: GAMESPY EDITOR PICKS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
"Enigma: Rising Tide: The offline version had me addicted. The MMO version should be killer." Check out Gamespy's Holiday Recommendations. [more info]

10.30.2002: CHAPTER 5 DEVELOPER JOURNAL AVAILABLE
AI Programmer Zachary "Rantar" Buenau discusses the single and multiplayer AI of Enigma: Rising Tide. [more info]

10.30.2002: XGAMER NETWORKS REVIEWS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
Jim, from XGamer Networks, spends some time with Enigma, and seems to have enjoyed himself:

"Ok, I just spent several hours immersed in what to me is the most incredible game I have ever seen. Enigma: Rising Tide, the first offering from Tesseraction Games is by far the most intense naval game one could hope for.
[...]
I could HEAR the bolts and rivets popping around me. I could HEAR the wrenching of the hull. I wanted to wet myself, because it sounded so real. So, I hit the crash/dive function and went into full stop and dove down." [more info]

10.18.2002: ACTION VAULT REVIEWS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
Derek "Annihilator" Forrester of Action Vault fame reviews Enigma with every bit of enthusiasm as we had hoped! Here's a clip:

"It's testament to Tesseraction's thoroughness to detail that although its main goal is to produce a persistent state title contested by human combatants, the AI of Enigma is of such a high standard that the release of a single-player version could be justified. Those who do opt to take to the virtual oceans prior to the online maifestation's scheduled launch later this year will stand themselves in good stead, as the standalone incarnation is highly challenging, providing many hours of tense cat and mouse style engagements." [more info]

10.17.2002: BACKSTORY UPDATED
June 1: British Defeat at Jutland. [more info]

10.16.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS SINGLE PLAYER GALLERY
Catch a glimpse of what is yet to come. [more info]

10.16.2002: CHAPTER 13 DEVELOPER JOURNAL ON HOMELAN FED
In the 13th installment of the Enigma: Rising Tide developer journal, lead writer Blake "Hexabolic" Hutchins talks about the loss of his beloved ergonomic keyboard and alternative history. [more info]

10.07.2002: NEW DEVELOPER JOURNAL ON HOMELAN FED
HomeLAN continues its series of developer journals for Enigma: Rising Tide, Tesseraction Games' forthcoming alternate history massively multiplayer naval combat game. In this installment, the game's lead designer Alex Jimenez talks about sound design in the game. [more info]

10.03.2002: BACKSTORY UPDATED
December 20, 1915: High Seas Tension Escalates. [more info]

10.02.2002: NEW DEVELOPER JOURNAL ON HOMELAN FED
The Angry Ensign writes the latest Development Journal at HomeLan Fed, talking about the development team's crunch time, the push for single-player, and keeping the faith. [more info]

10.02.2002: GAMESPY INTERVIEWS "EAST"
GameSpy interviews Tesseraction Games President and Enigma: Rising Tide Producer "EAST" about the Offline game, backstory development, and the push toward multiplayer. [more info]

10.01.2002: ENIGMA: RISING TIDE SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE
The Enigma: Rising Tide Soundtrack lands in select retail outlets on Friday, September 27th and will be available from the Internet and local record outlets soon after.

10.01.2002: ENIGMA: RISING TIDE NOW AVAILABLE!
Purchase Enigma: Rising Tide from Gigex.com today!

09.25.2002: ENIGMA: RISING TIDE SINGLE PLAYER GOLD!
Amid much fanfare and rejoicing, Enigma Single Player Edition has gone gold! [more info]

09.18.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS CHAPTER 4 OF DEV JOURNAL
Action Vault posts the fourth installment to their series of developer journals from the Enigma team. "East" reflects on the progress of Enigma up to this point, and describes the warm feeling he gets thinking about finishing the single-player version. [more info]

09.18.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 10 OF DEV JOURNAL
HomeLan Fed continues its series of developer journals from the Enigma crew as they relate the progress of development. In this installment, "Hexabolic" talks about the tweaks to the offline version, testing, and going gold. [more info]

09.09.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 9 OF DEV JOURNAL
HomeLan Fed continues its series of developer journals from the Enigma crew as they relate the progress of development. In this installment, Jeff Herne details his involvement with the development team from square one. [more info]

09.03.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 8 OF DEVELOPER JOURNAL
HomeLan Fed continues its series of developer journals from Hexabolic as he relates the progress of Enigma: Rising Tide. In this installment, Hex discusses the change in the dev team's plans for releasing the game and more. [more info]

08.30.2002: 1941 JAPANESE SUB FOUND AT PEARL HARBOR
An interesting article at CNN.com about a Japanese midget submarine found off the coast of Pearl Harbor. Supposedly was sunk an hour before the Japanese aerial attacks on December 7, 1941.

08.27.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 7 DEV JOURNAL
HomeLan continues its series of developer journals from Enigma's writer Hexabolic as he relates the progress of Engima: Rising Tide. In this installment, Hexabolic talks about making the game fun to play. [more info]

08.21.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS ENIGMA FIRST IMPRESSION
Read Action Vault's ENIGMA: RISING TIDE preview! [more info]

08.21.2002: SUBSIM REVIEW POSTS ENIGMA PREVIEW
Check out the SUBSIM Review preview of Enigma: Rising Tide. [more info]

08.21.2002: MILLE-SABORDS.COM POSTS ENIGMA PREVIEW
Warning: French language. [more info]

08.21.2002: SCREENSHOTS UPDATED
Check out the latest screenshots from Enigma: Rising Tide!

08.15.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS MUSIC Q&A WITH TIM CLARKE
Action Vault shoots the breeze with Enigma Composer Tim Clarke about his background, games, and musical influences. [more info]

08.12.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 6 DEV JOURNAL
Lead Writer Blake "Hexabolic" Hutchins writes about Jeff Herne helping with historical accuracy, and how you gotta keep on keepin' on. [more info]

08.08.2002: ENIGMA FAQ POSTED
Burning questions answered in the official Enigma: Rising Tide FAQ. [more info]

08.06.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS "INTELLIGENCE REPORT"
Action Vault has posted an "Intelligence Report" on Enigma: Rising Tide outlining much of the game's features and story. [more info]

08.06.2002: ENIGMA BETA TESTING APPS CLOSED
We've received a tremendous response and interest in the upcoming Beta. Thanks to all who applied. Kelly "East" Asay is processing the applications and expects to send acceptance notices shortly. Brace yourselves for silent running and get ready to Beta!

08.06.2002: ACTION VAULT POSTS CHAPTERS 2 & 3 DEV JOURNALS
Greg "Gra" Reinmuth and Dave "oldDawg" Lauck write home about the cargo holds they call the art department. [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3]

08.02.2002: HOMELAN FED PREVIEWS ENIGMA: RISING TIDE
Mr. John Callaham of HomeLan Fed tries on the uniform of a German Kaiserliche Marine naval officer and takes a pre-Beta Imperial German U-boat for a trial run in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. [more info]

08.02.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 5 DEV JOURNAL
Blake "Hexabolic" Hutchins details the joys and responsibilities of being a dedicated writer in the game industry, and how to create a realistic living world that entertains and educates. [more info]

07.25.2002: INGAMING.COM INTERVIEWS LEAD PROGRAMMER
Lead Programmer Shawn "Raf" Eastley discusses water in games, subscription service, and more. [more info]

07.24.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 4 DEV JOURNAL
Blake "Hexabolic" Hutchins writes about the research and requirements involved in creating an alternate history. [more info]

07.11.2002: FEATURES AND BACKSTORY GO LIVE
In the ongoing pursuit of perfection, the Features and Backstory sections of WARFLEET.NET have been updated.

07.08.2002: HOMELAN FED POSTS CHAPTER 3 DEV JOURNAL
Check it out at HomeLan Fed. [more info]

07.03.2002: ENIGMA BETA TEST OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
Eugene, OR (July 3, 2002) - Tesseraction Games, Inc. announced today it is opening registration for the upcoming Beta-test of the naval combat game Enigma: Rising Tide.

"We're looking for a broad spectrum of testers for ENIGMA," said President Kelly Asay. "It's important to put the game through its paces on a decent variety of configurations so we can make the kinds of adjustments only a widespread Beta uncovers."

The Tesseraction Games development team has been hard at work since last September on the game, which is slated for release later this summer. The rapid development time has been made possible by various strategic technology partnerships. The game was demonstrated to a favorable response at E3 in May, and according to Asay, "has made great strides since then."

"It's incredibly rewarding to be at this stage," he said. "I can't wait to lift the curtain."

06.03.2002: ENIGMA WINS 1ST AWARD
GameSpy's E3 Awards have been announced and Tesseraction Games wins it's first award for ENIGMA: RISING TIDE. [more info]

05.30.2002: GAMESPY POSTS "FIRST LOOK" AT ENIGMA
Dave "Fargo" Kosak was the first member of the gaming press to get a look at our presentation of ENIGMA: RISING TIDE at E3. Here is an excerpt from his first look article on GameSpy:

"The Atlantic is a cold, unforgiving ocean. When she gets angry, the swells soar; the grey waters loom like mountains and shatter across the steel hulls of the riveted warships who dare to challenge her. Tesseraction Games invites you to step behind the helm of those warships, battling the ocean and -- far worse! -- fighting a grim war against potentially thousands of other players in a huge alternative-history naval simulation. An entirely player-driven conflict is at the heart of Enigma: Rising Tide. If they pull it off, this massively multiplayer Atlantic war could remake history." [more info]

05.30.2002: TESSERACTION GAMES CREW RETURNS FROM 2002 E3
After a week on the road, the Tesseraction Games "landing party" returned from E3, where they successfully unveiled a pre-Beta demo of Enigma: Rising Tide. On the trip were President Kelly "East" Asay, Vice-President Blake "Little Paper Boat" Hutchins, Lead Programmer Shawn "Captain Nemo" Eastley, Lead Designer Alex "Storm Raven" Jimenez, and Lead Artist Greg "Gra" Reinmuth. Over the three days of the convention, they tirelessly ran the game and showed off exciting cinematic gameplay featuring an Imperial German U-boat as it assisted a pair of corvettes in an attack on an American convoy.

"I'm happy," said Eastley. "Stability was great. Everything ran fast and smooth."

The demo featured the pre-Beta ocean, a fully functional U-boat, several corvettes, tankers, and merchantmen, and a single torpedo-launching aircraft. Weapons included torpedoes, deck guns, anti-aircraft guns, and depth charges. Shell components such as faction selection, mission briefing, and ship selection were shown, and all in-game HUD controls were enabled. The player controlled only the U-boat, but could command the camera to follow any vessel in the demo, including torpedoes en route to their target.

Feedback on the demo was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Several media representatives marveled at how nothing else at E3 remotely resembled Enigma: Rising Tide. According to these comments and others, Enigma's look and feel completely differed from the huge number of games using supersaturated colors and stupefying pyrotechnics. In contrast, passersby stopped and feasted their eyes on Enigma's rolling North Atlantic ocean, an overcast, gunmetal gray sky, a dozen detailed ship models, dramatic theme music, electrifying sounds, and above all, exciting gameplay. Several submarine and naval warfare enthusiasts expressed appreciation and anticipation for the game's debut this summer. Even a nearby booth babe kept sneaking looks at the demo and exclaiming how unbelievably realistic it looked.

"It was incredibly fun all around," said Hutchins. "A couple of the Analog Devices guys played the demo the night before opening day, and they couldn't get enough. It warmed our hearts to hear &em whoop the first time they put a fish into one of the tankers."

The highlight stunt of the demo came when Hutchins cut his camera view back to the U-boat just in time to see his sub about to collide with one of the enemy corvettes. He hit the Crash Dive button and switched to the exterior cinematic camera view to show the U-boat (a Type IX model for those of you who want to know) dive beneath the corvette and watch as the 'vette's wake passed harmlessly overhead. After that, Hutchins sought out opportunities to show off the scene with other ships, mostly tankers and merchants.

But the "fool me once" adage applied the next time he tried it on a corvette. This time, the American warship dropped a cascade of depth charges and sent the U-boat to crushing oblivion in the virtual deeps. No one was more surprised than Hutchins.

"I didn't think we'd enabled the DC's," he said with a rueful laugh. A gleeful Asay was on hand to enjoy the inaugural depth charge shakedown. "We thought we'd give Blake a little taste of Davy Jones' locker."

In addition to the demo, the Tesseraction crew brought press kits complete with authentic-looking dossiers about the company and the project, glossy Enigma: Rising Tide propaganda posters, gritty black and white spy photos (screenshots) of selected vessels, and movie posters promoting the game. The Gamespy reps commented that it was the best press kit they'd ever seen. The website here will eventually display all of the propaganda posters and spy photos.

The crew returned to Eugene safe and sound after an all-night, fifteen-hour drive from Los Angeles, bleary-eyed but triumphant. The next step is Beta. Full steam ahead!

05.19.2002: "LANDING PARTY" TO INFILTRATE E3
Five members of the ENIGMA: RISING TIDE development team are preparing for an extended mission into the Los Angeles E3 2002 conference. It is rumoured that, in addition to intelligence gathering, a pre-beta version of ENIGMA:RISING TIDE will be shown to allies and potential allies.

The members of the Landing Party are known to be operating out of the Analog Devices and Codefire booths.

05.14.2002: ALPHA MULTIPLAYER TESTS CONCLUDED
Eugene, OR (May 14, 2002) - Tesseraction Games, Inc. announced today it has reached its Alpha multiplayer milestone for ENIGMA: RISING TIDE, the alternate history, World War II-era, cinematic naval combat game to be released this summer. "It's incredibly gratifying to be sinking each other," said Tesseraction Games President Kelly Asay. "Even in its early stages, this game is addicting." The Alpha successfully permitted over twenty ships to engage each other on the open ocean, and included the use of deck guns, torpedoes, and depth charges. When the game is released, thousands of players will be able to wage war in the open seas.

ENIGMA: RISING TIDE is designed to provide exciting, massively-multiplayer, ship-to-ship battles with very high player densities. The game software will be available free-of-charge, and following an initial free trial period, players will register and pay a monthly subscription fee. In addition to tracking its persistent storyline, Tesseraction Games plans to release upgrades and expansions every three months for the life of the game, also at no charge to subscribers. Beta signup will begin shortly after E3.

ENIGMA: RISING TIDE will unfold a detailed backstory in which three Great Power "Empires" wage war against each other using submarines, destroyers, destroyer escorts, corvettes, tankers, merchantmen, and aircraft. The game is designed to be action-filled and easy-to-learn while providing depth of strategy and cinematic cat-and-mouse suspense. Eventually, player actions and decisions will steer the direction of the alternate history story and the evolution of the online war.

Tesseraction Games has strategic technology partnerships with Intrinsic Graphics, Arete Entertainment, Analog Devices, and Cybernet Systems to give ENIGMA: RISING TIDE a strong foundation for a robust game engine.

05.11.2002: WARFLEET.NET GOES LIVE!
Tesseraction Games launches the ENIGMA: RISING TIDE website WARFLEET.NET just in time for E3. Some of the features coming in the aftermath of E3 will be the opening of the community forums, online chat and pre-registration areas. You will want to get pre-registered as soon as possible to be entered into the lottery for ENIGMA's closed beta test. There will also be an area for you to enter yourself in the drawing for a free years subscription and several other prizes (can you say hardware...). Areas of the website will remain classified until game launch and will be accessible only by pre-registrants. Keep checking back.