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Missiles will be sailing through the Jumpgate
Steve Hartmeyer dropped another Jumpgate Evolution developer diary onto MMO Gamer, this one in regards to all the wonderful missiles flying around during combat. Jumpgate Evolution is built on the codebase from the original 2001 game Jumpgate (sometimes referred to as Jumpgate Classic). While some of it was simply modified, other parts had to be completely rewritten. Such is the case with the missile system. JC's missile system was simplistic in that each ship only had a certain number of hardpoints, and there was no lock-on process. Pilots usually had to launch all their ordinance quickly, which became known as "missile spam." JGE's system is being completely reworked to include a new lock-on system. This will not only eliminate "missile spam" but bring a similar style of space combat comparable to Freespace, X-Wing, and Wing Commander. Furthermore, this missile system revamp will let NetDevil include features in JGE that they couldn't put into the original. Missiles will now be defined as independently persistent objects. A suite of active antimissile countermeasures will also be available (i.e., chaff dispensers or decoys). Thankfully, the gang at NetDevil realize that for all this to be effective, it has to be easy to use. HUD elements will be clear and easy to understand, and most importantly it must be fun.Let's hope so![Via MMO Gamer]
Mining in Jumpgate Evolution
Steve Hartmeyer dropped another dev diary into the laps of MMO Gamer, this time he talks about how mining will play out in their upcoming sci-fi MMO. Apparently it was a "major pastime" for a large portion of players in Jumpgate Classic, and basically formed the game's economy. That's all well and good, and I understand the need to cater to loyal players and all types of game styles, but Jumpgate Evolution (for me) better be more about the space combat (the "fun" stuff) then sitting around mining (what I consider insanely "boring" stuff). JGE's mining is getting a whole new face lift in terms of the process and the graphical presentation. Thankfully, they intend to make it fun by turning it into a treasure-hunting activity that can be done as casually or intensively as the player wants. Whew. NetDevil will be able to provide a clearer picture in a few weeks since the whole mining experience is just now entering the implementation phase and hasn't been put through the rigors of testing yet. So if the thought of working in a coal mine (pardon the song pun) spins your wheels, check out the diary for all the details (and there are plenty).
Designing spaceships for Jumpgate Evolution
Steve Hartmeyer (programmer for Jumpgate Evolution) has written another dev diary for MMO Gamer, this time about what goes into designing the ships for their upcoming space combat MMO. According to Steve many of JGE's ship evolved from those in Jumpgate Classic. The process, which usually takes several days, is a very art-intensive exercise that starts with the creation of a style. From there a concept for the ship asset is created, a model is built and then put into a form that the render engine can use. Finally, stats (which won't be considered final until the game releases) that defines the ship are chosen. It's a very detailed entry, so those of you looking to get into the industry as a modeler will definitely want to give it a read.
JGE, PvP and you
MMORPG.com has a new interview with Steve Hartmeyer about Jumpgate Evolution's PvP component. As my "hero" Donnie Baker (a frequent caller to the Bob & Tom Radio Show) would say, "I can't wait to play this game! I swear to God I can't!"However, PvP in JGE will be... different. And that fact alone has the original game's community all hot and bothered. Understandable. Take a "small" game replete with a die-hard fan base, give it a major overhaul to appeal to a bunch of "n00bs" and you got yourself a recipe for a nice slice of Pissed Off pie. But it's inevitable... that is, if you want to make a game that appeals to more players. And that's what the folks at NetDevil want most desperately. A game, any game, is made to make money. Period.In this particular case though, Hartmeyer likens the community discussions on the subject to "religious warfare" with two very polarizing sides. One side says "No place in the game should be safe from PvP", while the other demands "Don't push your RP on me." Yikes! Talk about a thin line. But at some point the community can only have so much input and the developers have to go down the path they feel will garner the most players. Hartmeyer's journal entry is fascinating. and as you read it you can feel the sincerity emanating from the screen. It it is an absolute must read for anyone interested in this particular upcoming sci-fi MMO.
New Jumpgate dev journal on MMORPG.com
NetDevil's Steve Hartmeyer penned a new entry for the Jumpgate Evolution developer journal on MMORPG.com. Today's topic deals with the "make or break" functionality of a game's User Interface (UI). While rarely something that actually "makes" a game, if not done properly, it can certainly break it. There really is nothing worse than a clumsy, annoying UI to wreck an otherwise beautiful game. As Steve says, if a UI doesn't work players will simply go play something else. And he's right. It's ironic how this major component seems to get completely overlooked by developers. There are a lot of games that simply have wretched interfaces. Take for instance EVE Online. Over this past weekend I spent several hours in game for the first time. It's simply not my cup of tea, yet I know it is for a great many people. Perhaps it's the enormous amount of micromanagement that must be done, but to me the UI was very confusing and annoying. Which brings up another point. What may be wretched to me isn't at all to someone else. So the big question for the developers becomes: with a myriad of presentation options (and an endless number of different gamers to please), how do you build the right user interface?Thankfully, the gang at NetDevil take this question very seriously, understand that it is important, and are hard at work to make the displays and controls accessible and easy to use. This is evident by this quote from Steve in his entry: Key choices must be practically self-evident. Frustration must be minimized, especially in the first fifteen minutes of play, when the new player is deciding whether the game is interesting or not.If anyone is planning on attending the Jumpgate - Stratics COH chat tonight, be sure to drill Steve on the UI. I'm sure he'll appreciate it!
Jumpgate devs to chat in Stratics HOC tomorrow night
A big chunk of the Jumpgate Evolution team will be participating in a Stratics Central House of Commons chat this Wednesday, January 30th (that's tomorrow) at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern. In attendance will be Steve "Istvan" Hartmeyer, Hermann "Drakerr" Peterscheck, Michael "Zzeno" Rowland (from Codemasters), Nicole "Awen" Hamlett, and Grace "Binkies" Wong. The team will be answering questions about the game as well as the recently announced partnership with Codemasters Online. The chat will take place in the #StraticsHoC channel on Stratics IRC. If you've never IRCed before, check out Stratics download page to start the fun.
Jumpgate's A.I. evolves
More details have emerged from the jumpgate via Steve Hartmeyer's Dev Journal over on MMORPG.com. Steve is a programmer at NetDevil working on the hotly anticipated (at least it is for many of us here at Massively) space combat MMO, Jumpgate Evolution.Steve's latest entry, AI System: Nuts & Bolts, takes us on an amazing detailed journey through the evolution of Jumpgate's artificial intelligence system. He explains how it morphed from "simply" populating space and simulating everyday tasks of an immense number of AI ships to a system that ultimately allows players to react to and participate in spontaneous events originated by the AI itself! Uh... holy crap! No wonder the dev team is so stoked about this game's AI system. Between the comparison to X-wing games we heard about yesterday, and now learning of the off the charts Intelligence Quotient of the AI... the needle just done popped off my Hot Meter! But there's more to it then the pure glee of such a cool game on the horizon. When you realize the capabilities of today's gaming AI (not just in JE, but where gaming AI is at right now and where it will likely lead), it all actually gets a bit creepy-cool in the "Wow, this sounds a lot like the theoretical beginnings of the Matrix or Cyberdyne Systems' development of Skynet" sort of way. Things that make ya go hmmm...
