Warp Pipe (Software Developer)

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The Warp Pipe tunneling application icon.

For other uses, see warp pipe (disambiguation).

Warp Pipe was first birthed on the IGN boards by Chad Paulson (gbcentral) in the summer of 2003 as a way to play Mario Kart: Double Dash!! online when it was revealed that it wouldn't feature an online mode but instead it would feature a LAN mode. Warp Pipe got its own website soon after that, and in October of 2003 the forums were created where Warp Pipe continues to thrive. Warp Pipe is a Nintendo GameCube tunneling software program created by Warp Pipe Technologies that enables GameCube games with LAN modes (Kirby Air Ride, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and 1080° Avalanche) to be played online via a personal computer running the software. Newer versions of the software are no longer being made, but older versions are still available for use.

Warp Pipe Technologies was founded by Chad J. Paulson, who currently works for Victory Records and who has served as Director of New Media Technology at Warner Bros. Records. Chad's previous experience resides in both the traditional and digital music industries as well as social P2P-based software applications. Upon being satisfied with their work with the GameCube tunneling software, Warp Pipe Technologies began working on a video game suite called demasked, which would, according to WPT, allow for players of games to feel like they are in contact with each other. Initially believed to be something of a DS online network, Nintendo apparently did not pull through as Chad had expected. Instead, they moved onto Ahhh-Choo!, which will contain at least some of demasked's features. The game was originally planned for play in Macromedia Flash, within a web browser. After many delays of the game's release, Chad has now presented the possibility that Ahhh-Choo! could eventually be available for downloaded through Xbox Live Arcade. The Ahhh-Choo! project has not officially been cancelled, though many believe both demasked and Ahhh-Choo! to be vaporware.

[edit] GameCube Tunneling Software Developers

Chad Paulson (Chad): Founder / Project Manager
Nathan Ford (Zimans): Lead Daemon Developer
Tushar Singh (oo7): Windows GUI / Server Developer
Peter Osborne (pwo): Linux / Mac GUI Developer
Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Shigeru Miyamoto): Producer

[edit] Community

The community still thrives on the Nintendo biased message boards, the Warp Pipe forums. Some members use to use the tunneling software, but no one uses it anymore and many have never used it at all. A large majority of people were attracted to Warp Pipe during the time when demasked was being virally marketed, and many members were gained, staying for the Nintendo centric community.