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Supreme Cmdr

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Posts posted by Supreme Cmdr

  1. Battlecruiser 3000AD - Remake Worth Doing?

    in Battlecruiser 3000AD (Legacy)

    Posted

    I am not planning any construction or new features. Any remake would be true to the feature set up to UCCE v2.0.

    The only radical change that I may do is that if I remake this game, you would probably be restricted to commanding a single carrier in first/third person mode with your entire crew - in full 3D - existing in the ship and still taking orders as before. It would cost too much and take too long to build the internals of all the cap (carrier, cruiser, transport) ships in the game. Not to mention the stations.

    If you've seen the GCV-Starguard carrier (you cannot control it in the game) in the upcoming Line Of Defense game, then you already have an idea of the detail level.

    And if I go this full-3D route, depending on sales, I would consider building the other cap ships and stations, then releasing them as paid DLC to cover the costs. Which is why I was thinking of Kickstarting it. But with all the recent gaming fiascos on Kickstarter, I don't need the hassle or the shit storm that usually ensues.

    Anyway, it's still all up in the air.

  13. June 2014 Vanguard Fleet Roll Call

    in EarthCom Fleets

    Posted

    FYI. All commanders (GALCOM Military and Insurgents) who have been around (even if you only pop-in once in awhile), will get a Steam discount code to LOD when it comes to Steam Early Access next month. I will ask ShoHashi to come up with a list which I will then review and approve on a case by case basis.

  14. June 2014 Insurgent Fleet Muster

    in Insurgent Fleets

    Posted

    FYI. All commanders (GALCOM Military and Insurgents) who have been around (even if you only pop-in once in awhile), will get a Steam discount code to LOD when it comes to Steam Early Access next month. I will ask ShoHashi to come up with a list which I will then review and approve on a case by case basis.

  17. Steam Early Access for Line of Defense

    in Line Of Defense

    Posted

    @canshow Actually, that was the whole point of that missive. Not everyone in the Steam community are retards. :rotfl:

    And if you read this follow-up that I posted, you will better understand why I made the decision to release on Steam, rather than directly as originally planned.

    To all commanders & rookies alike:

    First, @lodonline is not a beta-as-release game.

    Some people don't understand the premise and logic of an Early Release.

    So start here:

    http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq

    The game is not due out until the fall.

    As the announcement indicates, this EA is our way of doing a wider public test and using backend tools we don't need to or want to develop. Which is what we'd otherwise have to do outside of Steam.

    http://www.3000ad.com/2014/06/line-of-defense-headed-to-early-access/

    Unlike most EA games, as with all our games over the years, LOD is fully funded and we're not looking for money to finish the game.

    The game was setup for Steam awhile back. For an EA type release, instead of a standard one, it is basically a case of flipping a switch. Which we did after discussing our plans, pricing etc with Valve.

    The $99 EA price tag - which has a LOT of perks - ensures that only serious people who can provide meaningful feedback through their commitment, need apply. And for that they get a lot more than they would if they waited for the final game release.

    We're simply not interested in letting freeloaders gain early access to the game, not provide meaningful - if any - feedback, while we foot the bill for the backend services, servers, bandwidth etc

    We're a SMALL independent game dev making a MASSIVE game in a genre dominated and monopolized by SOE and their popular @planetside2 series. In contrast, from start to finish, LOD was developed by less than ten people. Including third-party contractors. Yeah.

    And unlike those other guys, we don't take your money, then plonk you in useless assets (how do you like that hanger now?), a largely unfinished product or a product that may not even see the light of day. I don't even need to defend against that premise; go look at my game releases. While they may not be everyone's cup of tea, we still keep making them because we have and know our audience.

    You get in on the EA, you will be in on the ground floor of the development and as always with direct access to me - and all the fun and shenanigans that entails.

    Plus, right off the bat, one of the first areas we're unlocking, is this massive multi-deck carrier which, like we did with the recent Line Of Defense Tactics, is already the main event in another soon-to-be announced companion game. In that new game, you get to pilot it. For real. Yes, the whole frigging thing. That said, say hello to the GCV-Starguard combat assault carrier, one of GALCOM's finest.

    http://lodmmo.com/asset/starguard/

    We will be hosting frequent dev chats in the operations room of that carrier as well as inside the other already fully built stations. Your avatar comes with a host of first/third person gestures (e.g salute, wave etc) specifically for such interactions. No dancing. Unless you want to be court-martialed.

    Hopefully that clears up some of the things we've been hearing since the E3 announcement was made.

    While I have your attention, let me throw this one in as a bonus for your consideration.

    Until yesterday, there were NO female playable characters in the game. My decision to now fund and add two bad-ass female characters comes from the fact that, well, we as an industry need to start making a concerted effort to cater to our female players because good faith can only get you so far. I believe that, costs permitting, we should start doing it whenever we can.

    If we - as men - keeping making these types of games and rely on women who buy and play them to suspend their belief, guess what happens if the industry doesn't start thinking seriously about this. Go see#womenaretoohardtoanimate for a sampling from the fallout of the Assassins Creed Unity fiasco.

    They are out there - where they've always been. And they are legion. They are our women - and they play our games.

    That is all. As you were.

  18. Line of Defense Questions

    in Line Of Defense

    Posted

    The system requirements for the game are fixed and we're not going to change the game to suit lower requirements.

    The game was designed in such as way that it is fun and plays well on the minimum requirements. This is why we segmented the game world to be 256 players per continent (we call them scenes). The planet Lyrius has four scenes, thus four continents. The space above has four scenes, so that's another four "continents". And that's per server.

    Having 1000s of players is meaningless if you're only interacting with a handful. And given the size and complexity of the game world, the processing requirements outweigh the "fun" and benefits of such a system.

  21. Battlecruiser 3000AD - Remake Worth Doing?

    in Battlecruiser 3000AD (Legacy)

    Posted

    canshow, on 22 Mar 2014 - 3:27 PM, said:
    The only problem imo is that you might have to compete with Star Citizen for players.

    I don't think so. They are completely different types of games. If you read up on what that game is and does, I think that should be evident.
    1) Will there be a large amount of testers (beta/alpha test access, etc) or only a handful?

    It will be as we have done in the past. A handful of internal and a bunch of external. If I do the game and it does fund, I would probably also throw it up on Steam Early Access so that we can get quality testing feedback.
    2) How heavily will you weigh player feedback, and would you consider doing project changes through polls if enough people felt a certain way?

    My development process is not a democratic one. My game. My design. My rules. This is never going to change.
    Obviously, as I have done in the past - as you very well know - I will listen to constructive feedback and make whatever changes I deem necessary in order for the game to remain true to my vision.
    3) Will there only be 1 capital ship (DLC excluded) that you can choose from commanding?

    Yes. That's clearly what I said above. One capital ship and the support craft which you or your AI crew command. Just like in the original Battlecruiser 3000AD game.
    And depending on how the game does, other capital ships and support craft can be added and funded through paid DLC. It is an exceptional amount of work to build these ships inside and out. In fact, just wait until you see the GCV-Starguard in Line Of Defense, then you'll understand the scope of what we're talking about.
    4) Do you have any "stretch goals" in mind? Do you even believe in stretch goals?

    You are assuming that I have decided to even make this game. I have not. And if/when I do, I may not bother with stretch goals because that's just going to lead to feature creep and unfounded expectations.
    5) What does the 4 million entail specifically (wages, art, etc)?

    No. I was planning on taking the money and buying an island somewhere. What do you think? :puh:
    Here is something to think about, it cost over $50K to build the GCV-Starguard through its various iterations. Think about that for a minute. And that's just the art and modeling, not counting all the additional support work that goes into it. e.g. lighting, adding functionality to things like panels, t-shafts, airlocks, DJP, docking etc
    6) Would you consider lowering your crowd funding goal under any conditions?

    No. Because then I'd have to fund the difference if it falls short. I have absolutely no intentions of putting any of my money into this game. Whoever wants it, gets to pay me to build it. It's not like I need the money or that I don't have better things to do with my time and money.
    7) What stocks are you investing in that are working out really well for you? :ph34r:

    That question is out of scope. You should probably be talking to a financial advisor :)

  22. Battlecruiser 3000AD - Remake Worth Doing?

    in Battlecruiser 3000AD (Legacy)

    Posted

    So I have been thinking about this for sometime now. Then this discussion on Steam forums - which you should go read right now - sparked my interest again.

    I know that most of you oldies have scattered to the wind due to the fact that, well, I stopped making these kinds of games. In fact, below is what I recently said on the aforementioned Steam forum topic.


    The reason that I stopped making those sort of complex games when I last did Universal Combat CE in 2009, is because there is simply no market for them anymore. These days gamers are geared toward more simpler games and nobody wants to read a game manual if it spans more than 2-3 pages.
    Also, my install base all grew up as well. Times change, life moves on. So I changed with the times as evidenced by the fact that not only did I just recently do a multi-platform mobile game, I am also about to release a more accessible all-aspect PC game, Line Of Defense, the hybrid-MMO due out later this year.
    At some point in 2010, I was in fact tempted to build a new Battlecruiser (focused on a single carrier and crew - like in the old days) title, but I decided against it and just went with LOD instead due to its more wider appeal in terms of genre.
    In fact, the Starguard carrier you see shots of in LOD was built for that proposed game and I just ended up putting it in LOD. It is a full blown Engstrom class carrier, with three complete decks - fully built. The idea was that you could pilot it right from the bridge - same as you used to do in Battlecruiser 3000AD - but in 3D this time. And as before, you'd get the full crew with their awesome AI - complete with Resnig's shenanigans, dealing with boarding intruders etc.
    Also, I'm not inclined to spend a couple million on a game, only so that people can attack me or the game for it being complex and all that because there is no way to do that game without it being complex.
    If I ever come back to doing that game, I'll probably try to crowd fund it. So if it funds, it means there's a demand for it. In which case, I'll build it. If it doesn't fund, then I was right not to do it with my own money in the first place.

    Wow, talk about making your case. That was, well, interesting and amusing. :)
    I agree with your points. But to be perfectly honest, the reason that I don't even want to do another complex game is because, well, I'm too old - and bored - to be dealing with the fallout of a33hats who don't appreciate those games. Look at all the hassles I've had to deal with here on Steam from two games I released in the past month alone. I remembered why I stopped even coming to my games forums here on Steam since 2010!!
    Doing a complex game these days requires a lot of post-sales education effort because a LOT of people are going to "want in", then cry foul when they don't find what they expect.
    For one thing, if I ever make this game, it will be a 1:1 re-imagination of the original Battlecruiser:3000AD game which, if you recall, only featured control of a single carrier and it's complement of 4 shuttles, 4 fighters, 4 ground vehicles. The Universal Combat series expanded way past that and just made the game way too big by giving control of over 50+ assets (carriers, transports, shuttles, fighters, vehicles) etc
    I think that by starting off with that single vision, it could work. Then I can just add new assets in future DLC releases.
    Anyway, in the Summer I will start putting something together then go from there.

    To be perfectly honest, I don't want to do it. At all. And even if I did do it, it would be because it would take me back to my roots and give me the chance to do some things differently, while also harnessing the power of modern day technology and dev tools to do the game and its world justice.

    As you all know, while the games in the series (Battlecruiser, Universal Combat) weren't perfect, they are the definitive capital ship simulations that, thus far, nobody has even bothered to match, let alone produce. There is a very good reason for that.

    Due to the massive size of my game universe, as well as the diverse characters, races and castes in the IP, these games can't be done any other way. These are complex games, through and through - and with zero compromise in this regard. If you are new to my games, please don't take my word for it, instead, take a look at the Universal Combat CE v2.0 game manual, tutorial and game commands.

    While the later games that came after the original Battlecruiser 3000AD expanded on the game's feature set, by the time Universal Combat series rolled around, I had gone completely overboard with the feature set. That series in particular, gave access to a heck of a lot more assets and features than previous games in the franchise. So if I did remake this Battlecruiser game, it would be with a view to keeping it as close as possible to the original in terms of core features.

    To that end, this is what I am thinking in terms of feature set.

    • Focus on a single player controlled carrier with its complement of four fighters, four shuttles and four ground vehicles. However, unlike the original game, these support crafts will all have different types e.g. instead of the four Interceptor MK1 fighters like the original, each of the four fighters will be from super, heavy, medium, light class.

    • Build the entire carrier, complete with fully articulated interiors. If you've seen the shots of inside the GCV-Starguard (not player controlled) in Line Of Defense, then you know what to expect. In order to save time, I may base the game on that already created Engstrom class carrier, instead of spending six (!) months again building another carrier from the ground up.

    • As in LOD, you will exist in full 3D inside the entire game. You will be able to sit in your commander's chair, pilot (or command your ship AI or AI controlled Navigations Officer, grab a weapon and combat intruders (the bane of every capital ship commander in my games), run down to the docking bay, enter a fighter and combat in space or on planets, take a shuttle on trading runs, take a ground vehicle and a team of marines on a planetary raid etc - all in first person perspective mode. Imagine running from the bridge (or somewhere on the ship) to the armory to grab weapons, grenades etc due to an intruder incursion somewhere on deck 2.

    • You will have full access to and control over your entire ship crew; still powered by high-end AI. Now you get to either shoot Resnig (if you know who that is, then you're as old as you think you are) in the head for incompetence (sadly, he may be even more nuts when he's cloned and comes back) or kick him out of an airlock (btw, these are fully functional in LOD as you will see in a new movie being released on Monday through our YouTube channel. As with the previous games, you will still be able to monitor personnel activities via PerScan computer. e.g. if the Nav Officer gets up to head for food in the galley, you will either see her get up and leave her seat on the bridge or run into her in the corridor as she makes her way to the galley.

    • You will still have access to all high-end subsystems including TacOps, Navitron, Logistix, Tactical, PerScan, Commlink.

    • All of the carrier's powerful systems, including fully automated weapon systems (which handle PTA and FATAL sub-systems), cloaking, hyperspace jump, tractor beam, advanced shield systems, probe launch and monitoring etc will be intact.

    • You still be able to dock and trade with space stations and planetary bases.

    • You will still be able to mine for minerals using mining drones on planets. There may be support for asteroid mining.

    • You still be able to do combat in your capital ship, fighters, ground vehicles or in first person mode alongside your team of marines deployed either by shuttles or transporter. There won't be any first person combat in space - so no space walk. This feature introduced in latter games but served no purpose other than doing it just because I could.

    • You will still have to battle intruders, take on guests, take prisoners etc
    • You will still be able to capture stations and planetary starbases, bringing them under GALCOM control
    • As you progress, you will still be given fleet command and control over other GALCOM ships
    • The game will be a full-blown sandbox. No missions to follow. All you have to do is follow your GALCOM directives as you have done in previous games. For example, intercepting transports carrying contraband, intercepting pirates, raiders and insurgents, escorting diplomats through hostile territory etc. In fact, if you read the UCCE manual (see link above), aside from the multi-career (you can only play as a Commander in this game), you will be able to do the same things in that game, since those features were derived from the original 1996 Battlecruiser and improved and enhanced over the years.
    • The entire game world will be featured; not some section of it as was done in games like Line Of Defense, All Aspect Warfare, Angle Of Attack, Echo Squad.
    • All the assets (ships, weapons, vehicles, stations etc) featured in LOD will be used as-is. And since that game does not feature all of these assets, the rest will be done at the same quality level.
    • There won't be any multiplayer as that would be too complex to do properly. Those of you who were with us from when we first put in multiplayer in the Battlecruiser and Universal Combat games, already know how much hassle that was - and it still didn't work quite right. I will, however, consider co-op multiplayer in which other players can fill in the slots of AI crew e.g. you could have your friend be the Navigations Officer, one of the marines or fighter pilots on board the ship etc. And if you wanted guest who just mingle on your ship and not have any meaningful function, then they can fill in the guest slots. In short, if I do this, then any personnel slot on the carrier can be filled by human players.
    • In previous games, technology prevented us from doing the planetary bases justice. If you have seen the bases in LOD, then you should know what to expect. Though only four - on a single planet - are featured in that game, this new game will feature a base of the same size and complexity on all planets that have them. This means all forty-six planetary starbases will be built. The same goes for all the station types, all of which will be built to the same quality levels as those (which will be used as-is) seen in LOD. So no more sparce and boring planetary bases.
    • The graphics and tech will of course be top notch. However, as with LOD, I will not be building engines from the ground up for this game. Instead, I will have to choose between Unreal4 (I already have a full unused license), CryEngine or Unity5 for this game and make a custom engine out of whichever one I go with. My one concern would be that I am not certain if those engines can in fact work correctly as a node-based world system, given the size of my game world. For LOD, we used a custom engine based on Havok's Vision Engine (was Trinigy). We're never doing that again. Big mistake.
    • If I do this game, it will be exclusive to the PC. It will come with a "Do not buy this unless you're slightly mad and/or off-center" warning label. At least then the person who is going to buy this, then come bitch at me for its complexity, is going to get all they deserve. A numb brain.

    In other words, anyone expecting a 1:1 remake of Universal Combat, but with modern tech and graphics, is going to be disappointed. I'm not remaking that sort of game this time around.

    And no, as I stated earlier, I'm not going to fund it because I will most likely lose my money because I don't believe that a market for this type of high-end niche game exists anymore.

    Plus, I'm tired of making "games for assholes". Sadly there are now more unrepentant assholes than there are true gamers. So I would much rather leave my money in equity and stock investments - where it belongs. I can get by just fine by never making another game ever again, once the planned ones are out.

    So, if I do decide to make this game, I will crowd fund it. This way I know that whoever wants it, can express that by pitching in. If it doesn't get funded, it doesn't get made. Simple I think.

    Given what my other games cost to make and given the sheer amount of stuff that needs to be created, even with the mitigated expense of using a third party engine, I figure that this game will cost upwards of $4m and two years to make. And as I did with LOD Tactics, I would have to put together a separate team to work with me on it since my other teams are busy with other projects (e.g. LOD, LODTactics etc)

    Discuss!!

  25. Galactic Command Echo Squad SE Steam Release

    in News

    Posted

    This game has now been remastered and updated for an exclusive Steam release and is scheduled to go live on Steam tomorrow.

    For more info on what's new (compared to the other versions), please go to the game's page. The new screen shots will be up tomorrow, which is why the link is currently dead.

    There are currently no plans to update the non-Steam versions as this was a one-time update that we did because the game was never on Steam when it was released back in 2009.

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