SpaceSimCentral

Hey EveryoneWell finally got some new info on Miner Wars. Yes it is still under development and they are looking at shipping in late 2010 with a beta starting in the summer time frame (so not much longer to wait). I have always liked the concept of this game with it having a single player element and also a persistant mp or mmo piece to the game. I think people will like Miner Wars once we get to see more and more gameplay as the year goes on. I do like the fact that we can carve these asteroids and not just destroy them and that it is all persistant so if you are working on a complex within a asteroid it will be there when you play again unless someone destroys it :)You can read more about miner wars on their website: http://www.minerwars.comHere is some of the email I received as a press release:
Quote:
Miner Wars was originally set for a 2009 release. This release was intended to be an "indie" released product. We have however decided that in order to bring the full quality to the gamers out there we will push the release until the late 2010.Keen Software House has decided to take the following steps in order to release a product that the community of 6DOF gamers deserve.1) We will start offering our game at a promotion pricing level that will be at roughly 1/3 of the final product price2) All the players that will buy the game at this promotion pricing will get a full game with no extra charge on the day of release3) Our promotion pricing will only be applied to the PC version of the game. Xbox360 release will feature a full game with future upgrades.3) All the players interested to participate on this model will receive a release in these steps:A) single-player beta featuring some basic features and missionsB) improved single-player beta with more featuresC) single and multi-player beta access with some basic featuresD) single and multi-player full game with all the features set to the date of releaseE) stable flow of upgrades for their full gameWe at Keen Software House love our community and listen to our fans.When you enter our community you will receive many more things that we only show at our forum webpages at http://www.minerwars.comThese will include: (ship model contests, exclusive access to alpha tech-demos, developer diaries, game development tips for indie developers and many more)
Some screenshots of a solar wind effect:

Hi Darkone,thank you for your coverage of the game on SSC. We appreciate it . If you would like you can get in touch with me on some new QA. We got some new things that we will share with the community and space sim fans alike. The idea and game we are building now is much bigger than originally thought. Also we are thinking of releasing a single-player beta real soon. You can find all the information on the forum. Anyway in case you are interested you can contact me anytime on tomas.psenicka(@)keenswh.comRegardsTomas PsenickaSales and MarketingKeen Software House

No problem at all DarghanI will gladly take you up on the offer on another Q&A once I see more released info on your site, so I know what is being changed and can put something good together. I think Marek's Q&A discussed a lot of the features of Miner Wars and don't want to rehash anything that has already been covered.I have always like the fact that Miner wars will basically be two different games a single player gaming experience and a MMO experience. And as more info is developed on the story I will like to see who or if the single player story will be different than the MMO experience and how they connect if you play through SP and migrate into MMO when you are done.But overall nice to see that Keen Software is awake again. Was getting worried when the information flow slowed down.And do feel free to post anything you want in the Miner Wars area here it is dedicated to the game. -D1-

I was actually reading about this game couple of days ago and noticed there werent any *new* news for a wile, same as Darkone, was getting worried, but it's good to see you're still working on it.

Hello guys,yes we have been quiet for a while because we needed to rework the strategy and resources we were putting into the game development. Marek is now really only concentrating on making the actual game mechanics. Other guys are programming some easy code parts and now were working on new concept art for the game ships. We will soon ask people from the community to help us with ship modelling in 3Dmax and there will be some nice rewards for helping us out . I am now working on making a few new videos of tunnel making, different materials present, flying ships and physics and the solar wind feature. These will be short. Nothing very professional but still very worth seeing. On any Q&A I will be glad to add any new information. You surely have my contact details and we can talk over skype if you wish. RegardsTomas "Darghan" PsenickaSales and MarketingKeen Software House ltd.

Usually when a "game" turns to the community for input and stuff it's a guaranteed success. Glad you guys are gonna go down that road. Feel free to post here some of your concept work so we can have a look at it and if it fits our style we'll get to work

I agree SolCommand. Using some fan donated models and getting that feedback will always help build that die hard community and fan base. Darghan, I wanted to write up a nice Q&A on getting more info on the differences between the SP and the MP/MMO game play.Any idea Darghan when the Miner Wars community will get to see some of the video clips?

Oh yes this is exactly what we are planning to do. We want to build the game with our community and if space sim central guys help us ALL the better . We would really appreciate your help guys. The first alpha video is being compressed on my computer as we speak . As soon as its uploaded you will know. Tommorow I have a crucial meeting with Wladimir who will work on the concept art. As soon as we are done he will be throwing pictures and you will get a feeling of our idea . And I guarantee you its going to be kickass!This is the latest update:Hello!I just want to give a brief update to you guys on how the game development is progressing. 1) We have finished some basic core features of the multiplayer web-code2) Marek succesfully tested VMWare and the game works flawlessly with it - Apple and Linux users will be able to play :)3) We are working on putting the basic elements needed for the Single-player Beta release 4) Marek is also currently working on making the installer of the game. The installer should be done until the end of the week.5) I am still working on the Videos and hope to release it real soon. If not today then surely you will have it tommorow.Tomas "Darghan" Psenicka

Looking forward to seeing the pics/vid

Darghan wrote:
2) Marek succesfully tested VMWare and the game works flawlessly with it - Apple and Linux users will be able to play
This in my opinion will be a big selling point to Miner Wars. I have tried plenty of times to play games over VMware and always hit the sluggish gameplay. So if Miner Wars can just have smooth gameplay with decent frame rate it will be a very nice addition.
Darghan wrote:
4) Marek is also currently working on making the installer of the game. The installer should be done until the end of the week.
I know it might be a bit early for this question but is Keen Software going to self distribute Miner Wars via download or can we expect a boxed version in the store? And will the installer have a built in auto patch system upon install since you do have a MMO element to the game?Thanks for all the updates Darghan.-D1-

One nice store feature: ability to pay for the game via SMS. I find it easier to put 20 $ in my phone than on my credit card.

Darkone wrote:


Darghan wrote:
2) Marek succesfully tested VMWare and the game works flawlessly with it - Apple and Linux users will be able to play
This in my opinion will be a big selling point to Miner Wars. I have tried plenty of times to play games over VMware and always hit the sluggish gameplay. So if Miner Wars can just have smooth gameplay with decent frame rate it will be a very nice addition.
Darghan wrote:
4) Marek is also currently working on making the installer of the game. The installer should be done until the end of the week.
I know it might be a bit early for this question but is Keen Software going to self distribute Miner Wars via download or can we expect a boxed version in the store? And will the installer have a built in auto patch system upon install since you do have a MMO element to the game?Thanks for all the updates Darghan.-D1-
Hi guys!You should be able to play on WMWare without any problems at all. The gameplay is smooth. This is mainly because we are using XNA to develop the game and its a good framework. Yes there will be an automatic patcher. The game will in its final phase feature MMOG gameplay. This is what we are stongly aiming at. This is also why we are working on the multiplayer part of the code quite heavily.Payments via SMS is something that we are looking at in the future. First method of payment will be paypal. Distribution will be mainly through downloads. However yes we are planning on distributing the game in the box. We already have a good number of publishers that are interested in the job

Oh and thanks for making me a VIP person .

Wish I was a VIP lol, too bad I don't work in the industry ....Paypal is cool too