Here's something I'd like Stardock's input on: One thing that struck me today is that Stardock just released another space game this very year: Galactic Civilizations 3. Here's what the planet design looks like in that game: What changed during the 6 months since this game's release to make Stardock feel as if this kind of look for planets is insufficient? Why is
[quote who="TheUr-quanMaster" reply="86" id="3607606"] Good points hunam and HenriHakl, I will stay my judgement until I see the finalized planets. Its just that I've never liked cartony planets, but maybe that's just me. Perhaps that will change when I see the further planet designs. I just don't know. [/quote] The problem wi
[quote who="Vaelzad" reply="64" id="3607073"]The problem is that if you differentiate the two too much then you have 2 aspects of the game that do not belong and you don't have a cohesive art direction for the game. This is one of the bigger game development challenges that we have, how do we keep the fun of SC consistent throughout the game and have it all feel like it belongs together. [/quote] But is that really a problem, or are you making it a pr
[quote who="drcdcs" reply="10" id="3604620"]Well I guess its a good thing then that Stardock is also a publisher that has the prior experience with retail releases of their own games as well as others like demigod and sins. Lol[/quote] True, they do have publishing experience, but they are relatively small in that business. If you look at their past publishing history, you'll see that, among other things, the difference in release dates between different territories is very
[quote who="drcdcs" reply="4" id="3604121"]I'm not sure how a limited-run physical release would hamper them in anyway. Still, it was just a request, nothing more. I'd love to have a boxed copy, and I know I'm not the only one.[/quote] Producing physical retail copies of games is expensive, requires connections to the right companies, is extremely complicated, and risky. Unless you're allied with a publisher that has a well-established retail network alread
This is what Spore's planet design looked like, for comparison:
[quote who="Vaelzad" reply="10" id="3604055"]Now these are closer but they still look very similar and the uniqueness of each individual planet is still missing. These planets even though they have some different features still all look the same. Could you tell what kind of surface gameplay you are going to encounter on any of them? (I realize that I'm backing my explanation with features that haven't been shared yet)[/quote] What you're describing are traits that are inhe
It seems you guys subscribe to a different idea of what "cartoony" means than I do. When I use that word, I don't mean "colorful" or "fun". If I were to replace it with one other word, it would be "exaggerated". Yes, the entirety of Star Control 2 (and very little of Star Control 3) is very colorful, but it is very deliberate about how it uses its exaggeration (ie. its cartoony designs). If you will indulge me for a moment, let me analyze SC2's design: One of the great strengt
The similarity is so strong that it doesn't really feel like a coincidence. Nice catch.
Mass Effect's planet exploration was indeed unsatisfying, but it was still the only time I can remember an AAA game attempting to copy something from Star Control 2, and that was cool in itself.
So, the planet design. It's going to be controversial among Star Control fans, trust me. I'm talking about this: I get the explanation by the devs. We're supposed to be able to zoom down on these things and go straight into exploration, which is a noble goal that has its obvious merits. There's also a major pitfall here that is making me somewhat worr
That's kind of interesting since Mass Effect's planet exploration was pretty clearly inspired by Star Control 2. In many ways, the first Mass Effect (not its sequels) is the closest I've come to playing something that reminds me of Star Control, despite them appearing superficially very different.
I guess I'm here too. I'm a harsh (but fair) critic, so this might be a mixed blessing. ;)
Riku is composing all the music on his own? Impressive. Let me know if he should need some help with that. ;)
I'm certainly up for being a Founder.
I've sent you Riku's email via a private message, Frogboy. :)
There's no need to be snippy. I pointed out the spelling simply because you were clearly uncertain about it (you've spelled it two different ways in this thread alone), and your snide comment about expertise in galactic politics is completely unnecessary. I'm not sure what you're trying to prove here. There's no need to take that tone of "voice" in what is essentially an inconsequential discussion about an entertainment product. The Star Control lore establis
Glad to hear that you're making progress. I'm not familiar with Chris Bucholz, but I don't envy him in being lead writer for this game. You just know die-hard fans will be going over every little bit of his writing with a fine comb to find inconsistencies (real or imagined). ;)
First things first: It's Sa-Matra, not Sumatra. The latter is an island in Indonesia. ;) You mentioned the reason the Ur-Quan would likely be extinct in your post: The civil war. The presence of the Sa-Matra allowed them to end the war before they fought themselves to mutual extinction. Even had they survived that war, they would have been so weakened as to not become a factor in galactic politics.
Well, for one thing it would leave the Ur-Quan extinct long before the events of the existing games, and that's no fun.
Those of you unfamiliar with video game development should temper your expectations a little. It's unusual for a game to be announced before development even has begun. Most games are announced only in the last year, or even last 6 months, of their full development cycle. This means that only a short time will pass between the announcement and people getting their hands on the game, which is what we've all come to expect after many years of seeing this behavior. </
Why is it "going to waste?" It's used in Project 6014. I don't see why the content from that fanfic would need to be used for an official game, though the talent behind it could of course be utilized.
[quote who="EvilMaxWar" reply="8" id="3447021"] To my great shame I never really played Star Control II, but I have an old buddy who was a die-hard fan and would talk to me about it all the time. So I grew somewhat familiar with it through him. If anyone can revive such a game I think its StarDock.[/quote] It's never too late to rectify that mistake. You'll find the game in its free, updated form at http://sc2.sourcefo
[quote who="DARCA1213" reply="28" id="3437963"]making a good anything is hard. Book, game, you name it. And everyone has a different opinion and interpretation. ( I'm writing a SF and the aliens are cool )[/quote] Hey, I'm writing a book too. Authors unite! ;) And yes, it's damned hard. At least I've mapped myself past the infamous swamp in the middle of the book. [quote]but please freedom of speech is important and all criticism should be said wit
[quote who="sakalava47" reply="24" id="3437830"]I think people here are suffering from "Don't mess with my game!" syndrome. Listen folks, there will always be Star Control 2. I'm not suggesting messing with canon or introducing 3-legged cow precursors. I'm just talking about having fun with an idea.[/quote] Alright, then I'll answer you seriously as if this had nothing to do with Star Control. This will be harsh, but that's because I will be honest. Game design is