Istvan's Update:
Recent Ramblings
On 11 October 2007, after the Live server hardware change and
release of patch 1.0112, I got online in the Live game for a couple of hours to check
things out and talk to people about the patch. While I was on, I fielded some questions
about JGE from the folks that were also online at the time. Striker from the JGE team also
joined the chat near the end. I was asked to provide a record of what became an impromptu
dev chat, so I've cleaned up the log to extract all the questions and answers, and am
providing it to DarkSpace Dispatch for publication to the community. Since this was a chat
in the public channel, I've mainly left typos and whatnot as they were, unless a
correction was needed to improve readability. Where I found in the log a missed question,
I've added an answer. The dev chat log follows. Enjoy!
- Istvan
[Istvan] So,
while we wait ... I'm willing to try to talk about JGE if people want to know things.
[Delphi] Ok, JGE, what do we keep/lose when switching to JGE?
[Istvan] Delphi,
we're planning to KEEP JGC going when JGE releases.
[Istvan] JGE
is another game... so you can always go back here to play.
[Delphi] so we would create new characters for JGE?
[Istvan] yes,
though we'd like to pass everyone's name into the new game.
[Istvan] we
haven't worked out a reservation/key plan yet.
[Delphi] I would definitely like to keep my name as it took 3 years to get it
[Goose] ok JGE question: Joystick Required show concepts for a Quant and Oct ship. What
ship classes are they?
[Istvan] Goose,
the oct concept we released is a light fighter type.
[Istvan] I
believe the Quant concept release was a transport.
[Magnus-Ex] very important question: folks at JSR were suggesting aim aid tool like was in
starlancer, so you only have to keep target in some area in center. Question is: i hope IT
WON'T be
[Istvan] Magnus,
we have no plans to make an aim-aid any different from the existing Duelist function.
[Magnus-Ex] fantastic
[Magnus-Ex] tnx Ist
[Delphi] will the dualist be a little more accurate though?
[Magnus-Ex] subsystem damage thingy Ist? The one that you started implementing here. Will
it be in place?
[Istvan] Delphi,
Magnus. We're not far enough along for me to address either of your questions yet.
[Astraeus] ist? will voice chat be implemented?
[Istvan] Astraeus,
voice chat is considered Jumpgate's "killer app". It's totally necessary to most
pvp play. We're looking at integration possibilities for JGE.
[Astraeus] how about when will we be able to get more info/screens of new ships and their
types?
[Istvan] Astraeus,
that will occur as more screens and concepts are released to community sites over the next
few months.
[Delphi] any time estimate for the beta?
[Istvan] sorry,
no estimate for the beta yet. "when we're ready". But we're putting more in the
new game than I think you guys expect, so it's not like we're going to just beta a
'facelift' of JGC.
[Istvan] we're building on Classic, but JGE is a new ball of
wax.
[Istvan] there looks to be a lot of adds to gameplay.
[Istvan] some are in progress now and future screenies will
doubtless help provide clues.
[Delphi] will JGC continue "Forever"? or just till the last pilot leaves?
[Istvan] well, really, if the last pilot leaves it wouldn't
make a lot of sense to keep it going.
[-DT-] we got a price on jge yet?
[Astraeus] oo good one dt
[Istvan] -DT-,
I'm afraid not yet. It will be on a par with similar games in the market, though.
[Delphi] special price for JGCloyalists?
[Istvan] Delphi,
it's too far away to talk about pricing schemes.
[-DT-] is it 1 pilot per subscription?
[Istvan] -DT- funny you should ask
[Istvan] we're doing multiple pilots per account, because
that's standard in a modern MMO.
[Astraeus] will there still be only three playable factions?
[Istvan] Astraeus,
to start, yes.
[Goose] Istvan: will JGE ships have lateral thruster controls?
[Astraeus] please? :D
[Istvan] Goose.... already functional in the pre-alpha code.
[Istvan] verts and lats.
[Goose] Cool
[Adi564] why dont you publish all new screenshots and news you release on the official jge
website?
[Istvan] Adi, because there is no such site yet. We're
building it as I type.
[Adi564] i mean www.jumpgate-evolution.com
[Istvan] Adi, yes. So do I. That site is being enhanced right
now. Not sure when its improvements will go Live.
[Magnus-Ex] will players in military service be able to coordinate with NPC or even
command them if high enough rank?
[Istvan] Magnus, I really want to do such functionality, but
it's not yet clear if that will get implemented.
[Astraeus] what sorts of different ships will we see?
[Istvan] Astraeus, I'm trying to come up with a decent answer
to your question about ships.
[Istvan] There's going to be most of the same -kinds- of ships
we have in JGC, but more of each type.
[Goose] Will some of the old JGC ships be in JGE with updated models?
[Istvan] Goose, it's all new models.
[Delphi] will player skins be allowed on the new ships? (MISSED QUESTION)
[Istvan] (ANSWERING AFTER THE CHAT) We're looking at some new
tech that will allow better ship customization. We're considering things ranging from some
limited kinds of decals or insignia to being able to set different parts of the ship's
paint job. However, we cannot be certain yet what we're going to actually be able to
implement.
[Istvan] Astraeus, still on your earlier question. We're
working to have several kinds of every type of ship, for each faction. There's not going
to be just 16 ships per faction anymore.
[Istvan] We haven't decided yet whether there may even be
cross-factional ships, available to everyone, but we're thinking about it.
[-DT-] cross factional? JOY :)
[Istvan] But, just to clarify, the cross-factional ship idea
is on the design table here. It will take some real work to sort the old code to make it
feasible. Might not happen.
(click HERE for
more of the chat log)
IMPORTANT:
Patch Server Switch is
Imminent
Early next week (week of 10/28/2007), the old patch server will be
taken down. For everyone who has already patched to 1.0112, this is irrelevant.
For anyone who has not patched up their local copy of Jumpgate, the transfer of patch
functions will result in extra work. The old patch software written for Jumpgate in 2001
or before does not provide for dynamic changes to the target patch server.
The easiest thing for anyone to do if you possess an installation of Jumpgate - even if you do not have an
active account right now - is to simply patch up your copy by running the game in the next few days
(before the 29th). You do not have to log in to patch up, so your account doesn't have
to be active.
I ask everyone in the community who might know someone who had an account but isn't
playing right now to direct your erstwhile squadmates, friends, or acquaintances to this
announcement, and encourage them to just take a few minutes to automatically patch up now
and save themselves a little trouble later.
Once the old patch server is gone and cannot hand players off to the new hardware, anyone
who hasn't patched must either manually download and copy a small data file that will
point their patcher at the new server, or must uninstall and then reinstall the game from
a new installer (which already exists with links in the usual places on JOSSH). I'll add
links in this thread to the data file by the time the old patcher is decommissioned.
Again, the easy thing to do is just run the game to patch up to the current version now.
Prelude:
Fantasy Gadgets
Over the next few DsD and DsD Special Report issues we're going to be doing
a little research on the myriad gadgets available for gamers to enhance the gaming
experience. We are hoping to include some actual first-hand reviews, and will be
including a wide range of ideas on how to maximize the immersive gaming environment.
One of the
first on our list is the TrackIR 4: PRO -- a head-tracking device that moves the cockpit
view as you move your head. Jumpgate Classic recently added TrackIR 4 functionality
that basically assigns the legacy "free look" functionality to the TrackIR gear.
You can check out a short video demonstration of TrackIR 4 in Jumpgate by
ND_Stryker on YouTube.
We'll be
talking about various input devices and controllers, mega monitors, chairs -- maybe even
cockpits. All the kinds of gear that when your family or neighbors see it, they'll
be shaking their heads and saying "(s)he REALLY needs to get a life!"
If you
have any ideas on certain items or kinds of gear you'd like to see discussed, drop us a
line: darkspace@jgcentral.net.
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