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.
[-DT-] will jgrotpro still work? (MISSED QUESTION)
[Istvan]
(ANSWERING AFTER THE CHAT) Since I haven't made much study of JGRotPro (it's not a
NetDevil product), I don't know what's dependent on the way Jumpgate Classic does things.
Simply, everything dependent on the old game client will probably stop working, but things
that are just dependent on DirectX for info display, and things that use a tie to a
website, could still keep working. It's worth mentioning that we're trying to move into
the game a lot of the kinds of useful info that JGRotPro provided.
[RedDwarf] I have a VERY specific question....Istvan...and it is self centered and NOT
humble at all.... "will I be invited to Beta Test JGE?"
[Istvan] Every single person with an active JGC account when
we open the beta will have their email address pulled from the signup DB and put in with
the first JGC wave.
[Delphi] COOL!!!!
[BadKarma01] sweet
[Astraeus] rockin!
[RedDwarf] GOODY GOODY GOODY!!!!
[RedDwarf] (Bounces in C0CKPIT!!!)
[Istvan] Scorch's idea is to have everyone from JGC involved
in JGE as soon as we get beta going.
[Adi564] how many signed up for the beta already?
[Istvan] Lots, Adi, but it depends on your point of view. I
can't report the number publicly, but I'm kind of impressed. it keeps going up.
[Algore] i remember JG with 500+, I shudder to think how many JGE might bring
[Istvan] if JGE is a success there will be a lot more than that
[Magnus-Ex] Ist, will Military pilot will be able to make living just with his RP/career?
[Magnus-Ex] i mean i don't want to mine... i want to be payed well, for protecting my
faction and killing enemies
[Istvan] Magnus, I haven't got an answer for you right now.
The military system in JGC was supposed to help with that, by paying Military pilots for
doing PvP things, but it's not clear what from that system will be in JGE.
[Istvan] We definitely don't want people to be trapped into
doing things they don't enjoy. it's an MMO so other people who like doing things you hate
can do that
[RedDwarf] Will I be able to hire "AI" escort fighters at some point in JGE
Istvan?
[Istvan] RD, that kind of gameplay is a major goal of what
we're trying to build.
[Astraeus] are we going to have more sectors?
[Istvan] Astraeus, we may start with fewer sectors than we
have in JGC now. But we're very seriously considering a system whereby players build
connections to new sectors.
[Istvan] The map would expand as the game gets older if this is
added.
[Astraeus] now thats a sweet idea ist
[Istvan] Astraeus, the idea has been around for a few year. I
never was able to make it happen in JGC, but at least it's now being considered for JGE.
[Magnus-Ex] Cmon Ist, just a quick duel, you know you want to :)
[Istvan] Magnus, I haven't even got a stick plugged into this
thing.
[Algore] omg, the quants come up with better excuses:p
[Astraeus] hey we have the chance to get some real info on JGE here magnus, dont deprive
us of what little time Ist has
[Delphi] wat about the economy?
[Astraeus] yes will economy be truly dynamic?
[Delphi] and will it make sense?
[Istvan] Delphi, I'd really like to discuss the econ, because
that's a part of the game I love, but it's all just in the talking stage right now.
[Istvan] We're talking about it being a lot more player-based
than what we've got in JGC.
[Istvan] i'm uncertain what direction we're going to be able
to take.
[Delphi] well then, if you could, mention the concept that anything that costs more to
make than it is woth does not make sense...
[Istvan] Delphi, I agree. Broken crap like that is going to go
away if I have any say.
[Grimbrand] Istavan has there been any talk about factional missions like what we had
during Reconstruction?
[Istvan] Grimbrand, we're looking at having more material like
that in the missions system, yes.
[Grimbrand] Excellent thank you sir
[Astraeus] how will pvp/pve be handled
[Istvan] OK, on the PvP Issue, I can't offer any kind of
decent answer yet. All options are on the table, per Scorch.
[RedDwarf] Will Pos's be able to look into the sector they are in...or have any type of
MODX abillity in that direction in JGE Istvan?
[Istvan] On POS being able to view the exterior. In the old
code, that's impossible because of the way handoff of a player is dealt with by the
servers.
[Istvan] We're studying ways to change that in JGE but haven't
tried anything yet.
[Istvan] We like some of the results we'd get by changing that
code, so we've got an incentive.
[RedDwarf] kewel!!
[RedDwarf] Uhm, ok, what about Objects in space, will we be able to jettison cargo's and
later pick up all or some of them in those sectors via insight or something in JGE Istvan?
[Istvan] RD, we're working on tech to do that and I am only
unsure about just the form of the tools you'll use in JGE to do salvage.
[Istvan] a salvage system for containers will exist.
[RedDwarf] Right On!! Thanks...
[Astraeus] hey Ist, when u have a sec, more questions
[Striker] Hey Astraeus, go ahead and throw out the question. I
will try and answer if I can. (Yes, I work for ND on the JGE project)
[Istvan] Hi, Striker.
[Istvan] Striker wrote the AI system. It's still under
construction, but the framework is done.
[Astraeus] ok is there any way for us to help with jge? write missions, write backstory
fictions, etc?
[Istvan] Astraeus, probably not. The writers working for ND
are going to cover most of this, and the missions won't be handcrafted.
[Istvan] Thanks for asking, though. The offer of support is
appreciated.
[SlimPickns] will we be able to hire, bots
[Istvan] Slim, things like that are definitely intended.
[SlimPickns] cool, ill save my cash..
[Istvan] we thnk the eventual system will let PvPers hire bot
haulers for some things, and player haulers ought to be able to hire bot escorts.
[Istvan] of course, we also want a system in parallel to
assist players doing the same with players.
[Istvan] all this is on the drawing board and subject to
modification, but the intent is there.
[Delphi] ist, have you looked at Lotro?
[Istvan] personally, no. Our Producer, though, has been
culling system ideas from other games routinely.
[Istvan] that's part of his job.
[Delphi] you might want to look at their system for PvP called monster play
[Delphi] where you could, say for example, play a Conflux
[Istvan] I'll relay that, Delphi. Thanks.
[Istvan] I think he'll know exactly what you are talking
about.
[SlimPickns] are they thinking about multi docking ports on stations.
[Striker] SlimPickns, have you seen any of the screen shots
that show the stations?
[SlimPickns] i seen a big docking deck,
[SlimPickns] dont know if two or more ships can dock without crashing tho
[Striker] Most of the screenshots have some of the largest
ships next to the docking points.
[Striker] It is posible for multiple ships to enter the docking
pattern without worrying about hitting each other at the core stations
[Delphi] you mean the docking comp won't slam us into the station anymore??
[SlimPickns] a hundred peeps waitin to dock aint gona be fun
[Delphi] but it will be nice to see again Slim
[Grimbrand] sure will heheh
[Kernel] ah, the good ole days of hundreds of people trying to dock...
[Striker] I have docked while multiple haulers are docking.
[RedDwarf] Will Big ships like Transports, HMs and Tows have Modx Defensive Turret
abillities in JGE Istvan?
[Istvan] RedDwarf, things like that are being talked about but
the tech is very uncertain at this point. We're getting ready to try some things, but we
don't know yet.
[Astraeus] so we will still use gates to get between sectors?
[Striker] The game is called Jumpgate!
[Istvan] what Striker said.
[Istvan] might involve gates
[Striker] And jumping
[Astraeus] ok bad phrasing, will there be any other method of travel?
[Istvan] Astraeus, there've been some discussions that might
necessitate a differnt travel method, but I have nothing solid to offer and none of that
stuff may really get into the game.
[Istvan] SO really, I've got no serious answer at present.
[Astraeus] also as another thought, multi-pilot vessels?
[Istvan] Astraeus, that's been discussed since before CLassic
released. It still gets discussed.
[Astraeus] i know, i just thought i would toss it out there again :D just for old times
sake
[Warlock] just kinda jumping into the middle of the conversation, so forgive me if this
question has already been asked, but, what are the possibilities of more than one PoS
being owned by a pilot
[Istvan] Warlock, I'm afraid if anything the discussions are
moving toward reducing the number of POS instead of multiplying them.
[Warlock] okay..just thot I'd ask
[Istvan] We're looking at POS as being collaborative efforts
among several pilots.
[Comatosed] I just want to upset Ambro and have a big WIN button lmao
[Istvan] Well, we're thinking of putting a big red button in
the station interface that says "WIN!" that anyone can press.
[Istvan] But it just deletes your account.
[Striker] Or better yet, the win button sends you into space
without your ship
[Istvan] Nice idea, Striker!
[Istvan] crap. but then we'd need player avatars. Oh well.
[RedDwarf] I wanna be able to catch some poor pilot's pod and haul into my hold, and then
hold him for ransom or like...sell him into slavery or something...heheheheh
[Istvan] OK, RD, that's probably a little over the top,
gameplay wise.
[Astraeus] so could we get a log of tonight guys?
[Istvan] Astraeus, I'll look into it.
[Istvan] Ambro, what's your timing for another special report?
[Ambrosius] whenever there is something special to report! . . . (Like
a chatlog)
[Astraeus] as another thought, what about planetary landing/missions?
[Wild_Bill] NO!
[Istvan] Astraeus, planetary environments will definitely not
be part of the initial release of JGE.
[Astraeus] ok just a thought
[Wild_Bill] cool idea, but not yet. let's get the beta going good first. :)
[SlimPickns] will there be a bot -killed- stat?
[Istvan] Slim, Scorch has talked about getting us to add a
heck of a lot more stats in JGE.
[Astraeus] oh btw, thank you for fixing the saitek js issue :D
[Istvan] Astraeus, Striker took care of that Saitek bug.
[Striker] I use a Saitek here at work and got fed up with it
not working correctly.
[Astraeus] my x52 works beautifuly with jg
[dilvala] can we PLEASE get a FLUX that mines the roids?
[Istvan] dilvala, lots of things will mine the roids in JGE.
[Istvan] Folks, I'm long overdue to head home. These days I
usually work a more "normal" schedule than I did before my kid was born.
[Istvan] I'm sorry about the headaches with the patch and the
servers, and we're going to be looking at bug reports over the next few days, assuming
it's not a crash bug.
[Istvan] Forums should be cut over starting late next week.
We're going to be on all new hardware at the end of the month.
[Istvan] Most of all, thank you for playing this game and for
keeping the faith for so many years.
[Istvan] I am pretty sure JGE is going to wow a lot of people.
But what makes the "wow" will be different stuff for each of us.
[Istvan] We at NetDevil are really looking forward to showing
more of JGE to the community.
[Istvan] I'm sorry if I missed some questions. I'll try to be
back now and then. Have a great night, and fly safe!
[Istvan] <-- out
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