Est. recently · A private institute of extremely advanced thought
Three of the finest minds of our generation. Possibly of any generation. We asked each other, and the vote was unanimous.
At Plebtek we tackle the questions others are too afraid to ask, such as “what if the jetpack were faster?” and “should the tank be bigger?” Our findings are published exclusively as video games, free to play in your browser, because knowledge belongs to everyone. Even plebs.
Current research
Each division is led by a world authority in their field. The field is usually one they invented that morning.
Division of Applied Jetpack Physics
Principal investigator: Chris
A fast 2D tribute to Starsiege: Tribes. Ski down hills at 900 km/h, jet over the enemy base, grab their flag and get it home before the spinfusors find you. Capture the Flag, Siege, Capture & Hold, Rabbit and more, against bots or your friends online. It runs right in the browser: nothing to install.
Peer-review finding: “I died a lot, but very quickly.”
Play Shazbot →Department of Grand Strategy
Principal investigator: Tim
Real-time strategy in the grand tradition. Three armies, one desert: build a base, harvest supplies, earn promotions and break the enemy before they break you. Take on the AI in a skirmish, or challenge a friend online.
Research question: how many tanks is too many? Preliminary answer: there is no such number.
Play Supreme Leaders →Institute of Stick Sciences
Principal investigator: Tristan
Details remain classified. What we can confirm: it involves sticks, and it is coming along nicely. Tristan has been seen muttering about physics and refusing to elaborate, which is how all great breakthroughs begin.
Status report, in full: “Sticks.”
Coming soonThe group
Plebtek was founded by three friends who noticed that they were, statistically, the smartest people in their group chat. Rather than keep this gift to themselves, they set about building games with the help of artificial intelligence, each in a field of their own choosing, and checking in on one another’s progress with the seriousness it deserves. Membership is closed. Applications are not being accepted, and frankly, how would you even qualify?
Fellow of Velocity · Shazbot
Believes any problem can be solved by going faster, and has built a 900 km/h jetpack game to prove it. Leads the Division of Applied Jetpack Physics, mostly at high speed.
Research interests: speed, explosions, shouting “Shazbot!”
Generalissimo of Grand Strategy · Supreme Leaders
A strategist of rare vision who sees ten moves ahead, then builds enough tanks to make the other nine irrelevant. Heads the Department of Grand Strategy.
Research interests: supply lines, promotions, more tanks
Chair of Stick Sciences · Project Stick
The institute’s most mysterious mind. Little is known about his work, except that it is ambitious, involves physics and is made largely of sticks. Colleagues describe him as “probably onto something.”
Research interests: sticks, physics, secrecy
How we work
Rigorous, repeatable and, above all, ours. We combine cutting-edge artificial intelligence with our own natural intelligence, which by our own measurements is considerable.
Something would be better if it were faster, bigger, or on fire. Ideally all three.
We explain our vision to an artificial intelligence in great detail. Then again, more slowly.
We play each other’s games and give rigorous, constructive feedback, such as “Shazbot!”
The results go live on a plebtek.com address, free of charge, for the betterment of humanity.
“Socrates said the only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing. With the greatest respect to Socrates, we know quite a lot.”