Ubisoft's ad gurus certainly are putting in the overtime drumming up hype for The Division. We've had the usual slew of explosive trailers and beta 'tests', but they've been accompanied by interactive MacGuffins to toy with and remind us that what we're gearing up to play is, in fact, a game.
First there was the Cash Contagion microsite, which let you key in the serial numbers of your banknotes (the method by which The Division's fictional disease spreads) to find out where they've come from and how likely they are to have picked up something life-threatening on the way.
The new trailer purports that its latest interactive diorama is "the first end of society simulator", leading me to believe that whoever wrote the script was not all that familiar with videogames. I'm pretty sure the devs of Plague, Inc would like a word.
Nevertheless, it's a neat little gadget that lets you key in your home address and walks you through how many people you'll be directly responsible for infecting and killing based on your chosen route through local landmarks. It's lots. The answer is lots. You're an awful person.
According to Ubi, the simulator uses Open Street Map data along with open-source intel from NASA and IATA flight routes. Good luck?
