Citation :
Will you be able to damage a ships systems from the inside intentionally or non-intentionally? Absolutely! Follow-Up: Would you be able to elaborate on how you see the details of that working? Thanks for answering my question! There are various systems in a ship, gravity, power, oxygen, various hazards, your engine, shields, etc. - when you start playing with power in the ship, for example, you can accidentally overload a system and have to run and fix it! or you could... 'accidentally' throw a grenade into an unprotected gravity generator  For ship boarding, what have you all come up with for actually entering other ships e.g. cutting through the hull, forcing hatches, shooting out the windows, etc.? you can cut through the hull, sneak on board through many mischievous techniques, blasting hatches, etc. entry points are very carefully chosen, however. essentially they're 'vulnerable' points of a ship/station. Windows are generally extremely fortified. What games are you drawing mechanical inspiration from? A mixture of Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six, Arma, Delta Force, Kill Zone Does anyone on the team have any experience whatsoever on games like Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six, Arma, Delta Force, Kill Zone? yes we have a very experienced fps team here! How do you mix those games, for example, some are "1 shot kill" with wounds. Others are "health bar." Some have tactics with distinct roles, others are homogenized where anyone can do anything... I dunno, it sounds like you listed the 5 most successful tactical shooters while deliberately staying away from action shooters. Which "rainbow 6," for example? The original was more about planning and tactics where the console-itis versions are about run and gun... Its more about some core fundamentals and the overall theory of how they're played, not necessarily how your gun points at the screen and how fast you move. We reference that more as a, some elements here, some elements there... mix them together.... ???? .... profit! Have you looked at DUST 514 and the Project Legion from CCP Games? Specifically the ideals they are going for, not what they currently have No, but i am a huge fan of Planet Side 2 which has some similar concepts. I love large scale cause&effect gameplay! When can we expect to see an alpha version of the FPS module released? early next year! How will damage be handled in the FPS mode? Are we looking at personal shields or just body armor? Generally just body armor but you can get gadgets to give you boosts. On top of this, what sort of health mechanic do you plan to use? And if the player is wounded, will the experience slower movement and greater weapon sway etc? Absolutely, your limb damage will have severe impacts on how the mechanics work - and it is limb specific too, not just an overall of 'oh youre kind of hurt'. For example, if your left arm is hurt but you throw grenades with your right, your right throw won't really be impacted. Will people be able to select their dominant hand? Or will everyone be presumed to be right-handed? it is planned for players to choose their dominant hand it will have a direct impact resulting from limb damage. Can you provide an example of the kind of gameplay experience you're looking for? Maybe a description of what an encounter between two players might be like in terms of lethality, weapons used, moves used, length of play, etc? there are so many. lets just pull one randomly from the sky. A Persistent Universe experience. I'm a stealthy, solo player. I find a wrecked ship, i know scavengers will be around soon. I find a crate and put myself in it. I let the scavengers take the crate and put me in their ship. When i'm on their ship, some time later, i get out of the crate. Very quietly, i rummage around and find some goodies i like. I steal those... now i can either - A) Jump out the airlock and call a ride or B) go to their engine room and self destruct their ship or C) quietly hunt and execute the entire staff and take their ship.... or Z) they could have scanned the crate properly before loading it, blasted it with their ship and me with it.... Will the death of a spaceman mechanic be addressed in fps gameplay itself, making the players inherently more cautious? For instance, some games allow characters to heal automatically, while others allow med kits to restore all health. Will there be more realistic approaches? Med kits only restoring to a certain point (80%) or only taking effect temporarily (boosting health for 5 minutes) or minor gunshots tearing holes in space suits so the vacuum of space can kill? You are absolutely correct on all points, maybe not the tearing holes in space suits part but on other systems yes. the mechanics are built to discourage players from going ballistic and be very cautious while playing. Is it fair to say then that you could expect to see people playing the FPS more like splinter cell, with lots of quick ambush type firefights? yep, the stronger armors (TITAN armor and Heavy Armor) may have longer, face to face combat. My main concern with the FPS module is that realism will trump gameplay. One of the concerning things to me and many other people is that the POV of your character seems to be bound by some arbitrary animation that causes you, when turning, to reset your torso, causing a odd stutter like feeling. I understand that a person would need to to reset ones body when turning however it yanks the player out of the immersion, by attempting to create immersion. My question is how are you balancing issues such as this, where the fun is quite obviously being trumped by a clunky albeit realistic mechanic? I think many people would appreciate a more conventional mechanic to a mechanic that is intrusive. This is definitely introducing challenges, to us as designers its important to nail down the right mixture to where it feels fluid and non-existent. This will be an ongoing polish but it feels great right now and will only get better over time What is the timeline for the FPS module release? Is it going to be upgraded incrementally? The FPS module will be released early next year and receive continuous updates Ships can have AI crew members if its a multi person ship and the player "hires" AI crew members to fill out the roles of their ship (alternatively your friends could do this). I would imagine that those crew members would take up arms if your ship got boarded or if you boarded an enemy ship. Humans only at launch but there are alien species in the game with their own ships, languages, commerce etc. and they are scheduled to become playable but not until X time after launch. Correct ^  Can you give an insight on how the cover system will work? Will cover be destructible? there will be some destruction but its not a key component as most of the environments are, well, solid metal cover has a smooth interpolation system that will allow players do all the various moves they would expect in cover (lean/peek/crouch/move in cover/etc.) As you said, almost everything in a ship will be solid metal. So will there be a way that bullets (if any are still used 900 years into the future) or lasers (if possible) can bounce of those surfaces when they hit at the right angle? There may be ricocheting bullets but its not currently a major focus. FFirst and foremost, thank you for doing this; it's a wonderful thing to be able to directly interact with the people helping to make Star Citizen a reality. Couple of basic questions, feel free to go into as much detail as you can: What kind of improvements can we expect for player movement, both animation wise and as far as controls/feel? What options will be available to us as far as movement goes (prone, lean, slide to cover, etc.)? How much weapon customization can we expect, both for the initial FPS module release and the final full game release? Something as simple as changing optics and such, or crazy advanced like being able to change any component (stocks, barrels, triggers, etc), or add any components (optics, grips, lights, etc.) to any available rail/mount? What sort of character damage model can we expect? Get shot and there's some sparks/blood depending on armor/health, or get shot and have chunks of armor fly off to reveal clothing/flesh underneath? If someone gets hit with a rocket, do they get thrown back and fall over or are we going to be scraping them off the walls? And for my final, and critically important question, what are the chances of getting a futuristic, but still recognizable, version of the venerable 1911 to add to my collection?  Thanks again, and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us at PAX Australia. movement goes (prone, lean, slide to cover, etc.)? hey there! 1) Everything is animation driven. What your character looks like he is doing, you are seeing. This brings us interesting challenges but we're ironing them out as i write this! Movement will have walk/run/sprint/crouch/prone/slide(on knees)/sidle/cover/leaning/peeking/climbing/etc. The movement is designed to discourage players going ballistic though, so its not super fast paced like COD games. 2) The initial offering will have a little customization but more will come into play down the road. lots of attachments and ammo types! 3) I don't think the gore detail will go super far, but who knows, maybe one day! for now it will mostly be animation and particle/decal focused. 4) I'm sure there'll be the 'classic' weapons that can be found somewhere in the universe, i don't know about that weapon in particular though! Exactly how many bears are we expected to see in the fps module? Also, when the space whale is finally implemented how quickly can we expect players to be digested? Didn't you hear? There is a space bear at every security check point, at least one.... and it'll definitely maul your face off if you look at him in the eyes. the space whale will be implemented at the end of days. I've been so excited about this game since I first saw the kickstarter, and it's only continued to keep my interest. How much will FPS gameplay be part of the finished game? Will it be optional, or something you'll wind up having to do during the game? Squadron 42 has missions with FPS mechanics. The persistent universe and the fps module are 2 seperate things as well. I'd imagine you wouldn't have to do too much of it in the PU if you didn't want to. Except when you're trying to board and take over a ship, right? You could always hire other players and sit back in your ship drinking tea while they do the dirty work  Will people be able to bunny hop to avoid fire? Or will jumping be limited to prevent this? People bunny hopping and constantly jumping all around has ruined a number of shooter games for me. NO BUNNY HOPPING. What kind of gadgets will we have to work with? tons, holograms, claymore like objects, personal healing, drills for doors/vents, shields, grenades, trip wires... the gadgets will really expand and offer a ton of ways to customize your strategy. If an airlock is breached, will the vacuum in the ship begin pulling unrestrained items out of the airlock, including players? you better believe it! This introduces many mechanics. If an attacking team doesn't want to deal with them, you can also latch onto a ship and create a tunnel between your ship and the enemies, which will allow for a smooth transition. How will the transition from flying to FPS work? I'm asking because ideally you want to fly with hotas and switch to KB/mouse for the FPS. Also, will the FOV be adjustable? Some of us play close to a huge screen and a small/wrong FOV will make you sick. Generally if you are playing with a peripheral for flying you would just reach over to your mouse and keyboard when it comes time for FPS but you can certainly play fps with other peripherals, it just may not be the best input method available. The FOV is something dialed in for now but we'll explore options with it down the road. there are just many variables that come in to play with how the camera is set and how the hud is displayed that makes this tricky. Are you developing a special "netcode" for FPS, and how will this relate with the prediction-heavy code used in space combat? yes the fps netcode is very different than the space combat. Prediction is a lot lower to ensure there is very little rubber banding. My brother is a huge fan of your game and he wanted me to ask the following: Is the cover system a sticky cover like Killzone 2 and Crysis 2, or a free cover system like Far Cry 3? Its more of a free cover system like Far Cry 3 Hey there! Welcome! While mindlessly blasting away enemies can be fun, team-based and objective-based gameplay (think BF2142 titan mode) has always been much more rewarding to me in the long run. What plans (if any) do you currently have to support these aspects? The FPS Module has tons of predefined game modes and levels that are designed around perfecting your skill on a mechanic in the game. There will be lots of scenarios that explore cooperative/team based mechanics. Of course, in the PU there will be almost endless possibilities. it is best to train yourself up in as many different situations as possible! Hi [REDACTED]. What kind of modularity will weapons (Pistols, Rifles, ect) have? Can we customize them inside and out, or just externally? Extreme customization details like stacking different types of the same caliber rounds in a magazine, or adding a longer/heavier barrel? There will be attachments for weapons and different ammo types, the amount of customization will vary based on the weapon. How has Star Citizen compared to other current or past project REDACTED has worked on? Are there are specific difficulties or challenges that you face on SC that you have not faced on other projects before? The animation driven system is the most challenging aspect of the development. It means the first/third person are the same and what your character does is what you see. we've implemented many mechanics to counter-balance certain things and will continue to polish and smooth out kinks as a result of this system.
|