Digital Roar, a game development company TCCa and SEDA have been working with (while virtual, they list their location as “Savannah, GA”) has just let us in on a little secret: They have just released the first playable demo for their inaugural title, “Ascension War: Triumvirate” (AWT) and they are inviting community feedback.

Since they are incorporated in Savannah, we thought we’d give them a little help.

The demo is in its early alpha stages and Digital Roar is actively soliciting community feedback as it continues development. AWT is a multiplayer online space shooter in which players take the roles of pilots from one of three warring factions.

Digital Roar Studios is a small independent developer, and as we said, someone we’ve been talking to for awhile. They’d like to land in Savannah officially, and we’re doing our best to make that next move a more certain one.  Currently functioning as a virtual studio with team members spread across the country, Digital Roar’s designers, artists, and programmers pool their experience from the gaming industry, government, and academia.

So, welcome Digital Roar (virtually) to the Creative Coast and give their demo a spin.  It looks fun from here!

Ok, Savannah: We need your help.  We’re looking for bright, dynamic speakers in and around Savannah and the Creative Coast for an exciting event.

Ever heard of TED?  If you’re like us, you can spend hours on TED.com soaking up knowledge from the hundreds of world-renowned speakers whose speeches are online. The annual TED Conferences in Long Beach, California and Oxford, England attract the best and brightest minds to share ideas. Started in 1984, this exclusive conference was first developed around the notion that “ideas are worth spreading” and focused on bringing together the thought leaders from the areas of technology, entertainment and design. With the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Gordon Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Billy Graham and Jamie Oliver. The event has certainly expanded to broader reaches since its inception, but the purpose remains the same: bring together an area’s best thinkers and doers and challenge them to give the talk of their lives.

Well, now comes the cool part. “TEDx”. TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” but the extra “x” means “independently organized” and gives communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.  TEDxCreativeCoast will be
held in Savannah on June 18, 2010 at Meddin Studios.

We’ve all heard about the concept of “coworking” or shared space. There have even been a few valiant local attempts to make the idea fly. It’s proven to be a tough nut to crack, mainly because the right set of financial and real estate circumstances have to be in place in order for the operation to sustain itself. But that’s a whole other blog post.

What we’re here to tell you is that there is a new kid in town in this arena, and it looks promising. It’s called “thincspace”, and it’s located right smack dab in the middle of downtown overlooking Ellis Square. According to their press materials, thincspace provides “[5,400 square feet of] prime office space, priced for independence,” and is a place for start-ups, small businesses, designers, design consultants and other creative independents who would not normally want to bear the expense of maintaining an office in the heart of downtown. (Much less at one of its most desirable addresses, a stone’s throw from the new Ellis Square.)

Ashley Bowersox, a long-time friend of TCCa and a local commercial realtor, gave us the scoop:

You may have seen the recent article in the Savannah Morning News about the Transition Team. It was a “general update”, with several good quotes from Brynn and Zelda about how things are progressing.  (Check it out online at savannahnow.com)

The Transition Team has been working to understand the value of TCCa to the community and those efforts have included the recent survey that you all so generously lent your time and feedback to, the results of which are summarized below.  The Team has spent some time researching other similar initiatives throughout the country as well as the other organizations and agencies in the area with complementary missions and values.  Next, the Team will utilize this info information in a retreat in early April to map out vision, mission and strategy for the next phase of the organization.

Survey Results

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our survey. The responses were passionate and overwhelmingly positive with many of you taking the time to leave comments showing support for TCCa and providing ideas for the team.