SpaceSimCentral

Hi all,I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to Rogue System--a new Space-Sim that I've been working on for a while. I cut my teeth on classics such as Elite, Wing Commander, the X-Wing series, etc. I was very sad to see this genre fade away and I honestly think it's time for a revival. Rogue System will try to capture the FUN of those classic games while also adding some fresh new elements. Some things you can expect:Fun, challenging flight combat with an added sim element for a more engaging flight environmentOriginal story line between missions which changes based on player actions and interactionsA campaign made up of scripted, key missions, strung together by several dynamic missionsCombat capable AIUser-controlled take-off and landingSpace Traffic Control around the carrierA variety of mission typesExtra-Vehicle Activities and ship to ship dockingFPS mode with the ability to walk around your carrier, and later inside freighters, stations and other large vesselsOpen-Ended, exploratory environment which begins after the story endsThe idea is, so that this doesn't take years to finish, is that it will be released in stages. The first part would be the main, Wing Commander-like game. The second would be the addition of Elite-style play. Another would be FPS gameplay with boarding actions and such. Also, the game is VERY moddable so users could create, say, a Star Wars, etc. mod if they wanted. Eventually, multi-player would also be added. All of these elements are in mind while the initial, core game is being developed so in many cases it is just the content that will be missing at first.If you're interested, there are two WIP videos on youtube (the second having been put up a day ago) that you can look at. I do the voice-over on the fly, so sometimes it's a bit rough, but it does a decent job of showing you the current state of things. Keep in mind that currently visuals are secondary to gameplay, so there's is a LOT of placeholder art in there right now.Video 2: {C} can find a link to the older video at {C}[url]http://www.fingerscrossedinteractive.com[/url] in the "media" section. Forgive me, but the site is VERY WIP right now, so don't expect a lot at the moment :)I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. I've already put a lot of time into this, so much that it would be silly at this point not to carry it through to whatever end ;)Thanks for your time,MichaelEdit: Sorry--looking around I realize this probably should have gone in the commercial Indie section--feel free to move it

Congratulations Crisis what you've implemented looks very polished and hardcore.

Welcome to SSC CrisisVery impressive vid, there have been a number of people asking for this sort cockpit immersion in games. As you demonstrated in the vid with the engines being damaged will the player be able to reroute power from other systems or attempt some sort of repair to the ship system in order to get them running again.

Thanks for the positive feedback, gents :)About re-routing, etc: not only do you have your batteries, APU's, and engines (ships can have one or more of each) you'll also have things like solar arrays and other power sources. Each of these only supplies so much power. So, while losing the engine might mean losing some higher level systems, you'd still be able to route power to core systems from these other power sources and they would keep running as long as the power held out and they didn't overheat (APU's and engines also provide required cooling air). Likewise, engines and APU's also require both a fuel source as well as cooling fluid. So, long story short, there are a lot of resources to manage and as long as you can distribute them properly then things will still operate, even in dire situations...System interaction is still in the WIP/experimentation stage, but you get the general idea of where it's headed--if you want to survive in combat not only will you have to know how to fly, but you'll also need to understand your ship rather well. The trick is to keep this sort of interaction from becoming tedious, so there's a bit of a balancing act there. I won't really know just how far to take it until everything is modeled properly :)Oh, also--repairs--that would really depend on the type of ship you're flying. I mean in a fighter you're not going to have much in the way of spare parts. But certainly in a freighter where you can get up and move around you'll be able to do things like this. Again, the trick is to not over-do it so that it becomes tedious. That will take some playtesting as well when the time comes...

Hi Crisis Your working on some nice things here, I especially liked the cockpit functions and ship system setup you are working on. The shield effects and the launching of the missiles were a nice touch as well. Also the AI going into different stances (off/def) is nice. I noticed that they just stopped attacking but will they know they are out matched and try to escape or call for help?
Crisis wrote:
Open-Ended, exploratory environment which begins after the story ends
How will this be done? Are there gates, or can you just fly to anything you want in in the system.Welcome to SSC and I will add Rogue System to the game listings.

Thank you. The AI switching from offensive to defensive (or neutral/navigation): The idea here is that, as you saw in the video, when an AI is attacking but is getting hurt they will switch to a defensive posture--in most cases this would call for an evasive maneuver to upset the attacker's firing solution. He did this in the video when he changed direction and extended away from me. Once he feels he's succeeded he will go back on the offensive. The "problem" right now is that the AI only has a couple maneuvers to choose from. Maneuvers are classed and ranked and once they have a good deal to pick from and score they should be much better at flying for the situation at hand. Pilots are persistent on both sides and they will learn over time the maneuvers that work best for their ship.Also, even though an AI may be on the defensive if a shot presents itself they WILL take it assuming their mental state isn't such that they have completely lost the will to fight. And yes, they will call for help, try to extend from a fight if they need to regroup, or even try to escape if they feel they simply can't keep fighting (unless they are VERY aggressive, in which case they may just go down fighting instead).It sounds like a lot of smoke and mirrors, but the basics for almost all of these reactions are already there. They just all need to be tied together...In a later module open-ended gameplay will be added. It will be added later simply because there is too much content to try and produce up front and I don't want the sim to take YEARS to come out. I'd rather release it in parts, each part adding a new experience, new campaign, new ships, etc. Once open-ended play is added you will be able to move anywhere within a system, and from system to system, using a variety of means:--standard engines for local travel--"Dark Drives" that will move you about a system quickly--"Warp Bubble" generators to move from system to systemThere are other things, including gates, that may be of alien origin or ancient tech that you will have to explore to find. The Galactic Arm is generated when you start a new game, so things will never be the same. However, there will be a lot to explore so you may never NEED to start a new game The Galaxy Generator already works--it was the first thing I developed. So you see, what I have right now are a lot of core bits and pieces. The next step is to start bringing all of these things together into one cohesive package.Thanks for the welcome. Please feel free to ask any questions--assuming it doesn't concern a feature that I don't want to reveal just yet (and there are a good few of those) I'd be happy to answer
DarkOne wrote:
Hi Crisis Your working on some nice things here, I especially liked the cockpit functions and ship system setup you are working on. The shield effects and the launching of the missiles were a nice touch as well. Also the AI going into different stances (off/def) is nice. I noticed that they just stopped attacking but will they know they are out matched and try to escape or call for help?
Crisis wrote:
Open-Ended, exploratory environment which begins after the story ends
How will this be done? Are there gates, or can you just fly to anything you want in in the system.Welcome to SSC and I will add Rogue System to the game listings.

Just a heads-up: If anyone is interested to have a look I posted a very small updated over at my forums with a few shots of the new cockpit interior I'm working on. As I mention in my post, this is not final art, but more of an intermediate step between where I was and where I want to be. Anyway, here's the link:http://www.fingerscrossedinteractive.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4I also updated the development blog over at my site, too, if you're interested:http://www.fingerscrossedinteractive.com/Cheers...

That second pic is a nice concept and would you plan on putting ship info on those three screens and the HUD that you can interact with would be great. Kinda like the old Janes AH64 games when you could interact with the actual screens and do important functions on them like loadouts, cargo, fuel, shield power, powerplant distribution and other possibilities. Nices pics though overall.

Thanks.Yes, the MFDs will be functional for various systems. Core system functions are handled through the hard switches on the consoles, but you'll be able to perform deeper-level functions for each system through the MFDs. The HUD will basically be redundant information in case the Helmet mounted display fails. Likewise, there will be backup gauges for core ship systems in case the MFD system is knocked out.The immediate goal is to get all the switches hooked up. And, I JUST came up with something very cool for the cockpit canopy that I honestly don't think has been done before SO, I'll need to create a new system for that...

Hi all, It's been a LONG time since my last post (which I'm sorry about) and things have progressed a LOT since then. Quite honestly, making the transition from a prototype to a pre-alpha was like trying to bust through a brick wall and has taken every spare waking moment I've had for several months. But, we're on the other side now and things are gaining a lot of momentum. With your indulgence, I'd like to direct your attention to the first full article for Rogue System with the folks over at SimHQ put together. You can get a lot of good info about where I'm taking this, and the niche I'm trying to fill for the "hardcore / DCS" crowd. The first of a series of teaser videos was also released with it. Our website is in a transition state, but that will soon be rectified. We're also on facebook, tumblr, etc where you can get further information, as well as screenshots when they're posted, etc. I will do my best to try and get back here to answer questions, although my time is extremely limited as we're preparing for February. Anyway, here's some links if you're interested in a bit more info. Article: [url]http://www.simhq.com/_air15/air_543a.html[/url] Teaser:  [url]http://www.roguesystemsim.com[/url] [url]http://www.facebook.com/RogueSystemSim[/url] Again, I'll do my best to pop in and answer any questions here. Cheers to all...

I will resurrect an ancient meme for what I've seen in this thread Good job, man!

Nice interview Crisis. Will be keeping a look out for you Kickstarter in February, will you be having a physical edition of the game.

Nice interview Crisis. Will be keeping a look out for you Kickstarter in February, will you be having a physical edition of the game. We'll be offering things such as a spiral-bound version of the flight manual and such, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to create a physical addition. I'll investigate it further and see if it's something that we can feasibly offer. Thanks

Great idea this going with an avatar as well as the usual ship and and cockpit. Scott: Well, since I haven’t seen the design docs nor played these titles that’s a tricky question to answer. However, what I can tell you is this: from day one my goal has been to create the most detailed space combat / trader / explorer to date and to put you "in" the cockpit via your pilot "avatar". To my knowledge no space sim, past, current, nor upcoming, will have the same level of system fidelity.By doing this I’m hoping to challenge the player to get the most from their ship in the worst of circumstances; to feel the panic of the situation through their pilot avatar; and to have the satisfaction of setting a crippled ship down safely after a gut-wrenching mission.The type of immersion and interaction I’m talking about isn’t just clicking a button to activate the scanner and seeing the onscreen pilot press a button. This is about all the things that go into making the scanner function properly, and how to best use it under various conditions. It’s about witnessing the effects of your pilot beginning to freeze to death – trapped in the cockpit of a dying ship in the shadow of a planet. You’ll see the condensed breathe, and hear the chattering of teeth and the labored breathing. All this, I feel, is Rogue System’s "hook" the pilot / ship / player relationship.

Just a head's up--there's a new teaser up on youtube:  This one had some specific goals. Namely, showing the functioning EFD (HUD) gauges; interacting with the EFD button controls; some early effects work; and finally the results of pilot error. In this case, I turned off the left gun's overtemp fail-safe. The resulting explosion blew it off the ship and damaged a couple other systems. Thanks for the kind words above. I'll try to keep you all posted with info as it comes... Cheers

Great vid Crisis  If I understand the Article the minimum game will be like a Wing Commander style game with later modules adding different features to the game.

Great vid Crisis  If I understand the Article the minimum game will be like a Wing Commander style game with later modules adding different features to the game.If we meet the minimum KS goal, yes, that's correct. The team size at the point will be very small and that will be what we can build within the development cycle. If we meet stretch goals then the team size increases and we can do more. My personal hope is that we can at least do a limited form of free-form play that we can build on after release. We'll see how it goes. But yes, the core of RogSys is a WC-like, branching campaign, with dynamic missions for maximum "replayibility" until we can get extension modules added. Glad you liked the vid. There SHOULD be one more before I start putting the final material together for the KS...

Hi all. I thought you might be interested: I've uploaded the third and final January teaser to YouTube. This one shows early shield and missile effects, as well as an accelerated version of pilot reaction to G stress-in this case tunnel vision to unconsciousness. I had to accelerate the effect to fit the timing of the video  Cheers... 

Can't wait to see more

If anyone is interested in a bit more info, there's a new Q&A up here: [url]http://www.spacegamejunkie.com/featured/rogue-system-qa-bringing-hard-core-simulation-space/[/url]