Firaxis announces "Sid Meier's Starships"

[Lexicus]

Of course, Maddjinn did not think that the game was 'unplayable crap' so it's not really relevant.

Quite true.

I honestly don't see what more you could reasonably have expected to see.

Well, of course--we live in reality, where developing a video game costs money.

Use this experience with Civ BE to determine if you are one of the people who can be fooled all of the time and wake up to that fact. It's YOUR personal flaw and you're going to get 'fooled' over and over again until you change your habits. You know NOW. You didn't have this self-knowledge before this experience. Take responsibility for your own actions. Firaxis did not take the money from your credit card account. You voluntarily paid for the game and so it is your responsibility from this day onwards on to make sure that you do your very best to research a new purchase more carefully in the future to avoid the obvious distress you and others are experiencing.

Well, I agree 100% with you. I didn't buy Civ BE so this can't be directed at me

I'm certainly not experiencing any distress, except a lament for when tablet gaming didn't effect the business model.. I guess it's the crotchety old man in me I suppose there might be benefits to the whole "tablet" thing, I suppose we'll see whether Starships proves to be a manifestation of them.

I do wish they'd do Civ 6 instead of whatever they're doing, too. But I'll survive. I can keep playing IV, and V if I ever find I want to again (which I probably will when I can get a PC that can run it without incredibly long loading screens etc.)

 

[Greasy Dave]

I'm a little puzzled by this equating of a tablet game with a bad game.

Besides that, from the interview I read with Meier about game development, I didn't find anything to state that it was aimed at the tablet straight off - and the pc came later.

My understanding of his comments was that the game had many iterations - I concluded this was because it wasn't going to require complex graphics and could be changed repeatedly before being locked down.

The lack of complex graphics might be due to the tablet market, on the other hand it might also be because they don't need complex graphics in space- as most of it is...space...

I'm curious but wary. I've been left disappointed by BE- it needs to be designed further to reach it's full iteration.

On the other hand Xcom was awesome and Xcom EW the best game I've played for a long time - both run easily on a tablet but have sufficient complexity to engage me and engeage me and engage me.

On the other they weren't expressly designed by Mr. Meier.
I'll wait for the demo, anyway

 

[Lord Tirian]

I'm a little puzzled by this equating of a tablet game with a bad game.

To be fair, there is a lot of shovelware in the mobile market and even established publishers fell into the trap of producing mobile shovelware. Worse, we see a lot of that shovelware ported to PC as well without actually accounting for the platform difference, leading to things like Deus Ex: The Fall which was well-received for the tablet and slammed on the PC because it was ported badly.

It sucks that Firaxis is drawn into it as they are one of the few companies who actually try to produce good games for tablet - XCOM was a multi-platform success, Ace Patrol worked out well on the tablet and CivRev was a honest try... but you can't really fault customers getting wary after a lot of publisher basically destroyed the reputation of mobile gaming for a quick buck.

 

[s0nny80y]

http://www.firaxis.com/?/careers/career-advice

A Message From Sid

I receive lots of letters asking for advice on how to get a job in the games industry from students in all levels of school to folks in the workforce who want to change careers. Here’s what I’ve found to be most beneficial for someone who wants to pursue a career in making games.

Get a well-rounded education. The best game designers don’t just study math and computer science, but also focus on history, literature, science, and other subjects that inspire their imagination. The games I’ve made have been on subjects that have interested me. It’s very important to have strong technical skills, but it’s also important to be able to come up with cool and interesting ideas.

Have a passion for playing games. Lots of people play games, but having a passion for games means understanding them more deeply. What makes a particular game fun? Why do you like the games you play over and over? What keeps a good game from being a great game? Play all kinds of games - boardgames, card games, and video games - and play them often. But make sure to do your homework first!

Start creating your own games. Practical experience in creating a game goes a long way in an interview. It shows that you can take an idea through to execution. Even an unfinished prototype can be an impressive demonstration of your ability as a developer. You could even team up with friends who have unique skills to create a game. If you are a programmer, find an artist and designer to work with you - games today are made by teams of people, so this approach offers a great learning opportunity too.

Take advantage of internships. An internship in a game company is a great way to see first hand how games are made. It’s a way to get your foot in the door of a company and will give you hands-on experience in the business.

We’ve also gathered links to some helpful articles about school programs in game development and tips on getting a job in the games industry.

Game Developer’s Game Career Guide. This site focuses on starting a career in the video game industry. Review tips for aspiring programmers, designers, artists, and producers, read a student project postmortem, learn how to effectively answer interview questions, and check out the directory of schools with game development programs.

How to Develop a Gaming Career. Crispygamer asked Sid Meier and other successful developers to offer advice for people who want to get into the industry. Read their words of wisdom!

Landing that Game Industry Job - Part 1. Blogger James Steele gives advice on building a professional resume.

Game Career Guide. News, features, posted jobs, and a digital counselor - this site is designed to help you get a job in the video game industry. There’s lots of great information!

Breaking In. Presented by the International Game Developers Association, this site is for high school and early college students preparing for a job in the video game industry. It offers information about colleges and universities offering course work in game development, as well as a solid overview of various career paths in the games industry.

 

[Hail]

Both games put you in "captain of a starship" role. Sounds like in Starships! you will be traveling from world to world performing missions just like in FTL. They may not look alike but, there are similarities in their basic concepts.

no. Starships looks alot more like Ace Patrol in Space. player starts with a Homeworld planet and with a fleet of one, max two shaceships. he\she goes out exploring the vast space to federate new planets, obtain perks and/or research new techs.

probabaly Spaceships will not have a ship class construction mechanic similar to Endless Space. however the player will be able to exchange and/or upgrade modules in his ships.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

noprobabaly Spaceships will not have a ship class construction mechanic similar to Endless Space. however the player will be able to exchange and/or upgrade modules in his ships.

From the screenshots, we know that there are different classes of ships. But not sure how the player changes classes of ships. Perhaps, it is like Pirates! where you can sell your ship and buy a new ship entirely. Or perhaps, you simply buy new modules and depending on the number of modules you have, your ship automatically changes class type.

 

[GenyaArikado]

I wonder what do they mean with character? Will they be the sponsor leaders?

I hope they release the full art of their new looks

 

[Traejun]

From the screenshots, we know that there are different classes of ships. But not sure how the player changes classes of ships. Perhaps, it is like Pirates! where you can sell your ship and buy a new ship entirely. Or perhaps, you simply buy new modules and depending on the number of modules you have, your ship automatically changes class type.

My guess is that there will be general "weight class" - with some visual customization available for each. The real ship building aspect will come from loadouts and component choices. I would also imagine general tech level will have some affect.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

 

[s0nny80y]

takes energy to maneuver in weightless space. i wonder if proximity to the center of solar systems might determine the energy potential of starships (solar sails? space magnifying glasses?). or if energy derived from different types of planets, er proximity to different energy potential planets, might affect starship potential.

 

[s0nny80y]

!!!!!!

 

[Traejun]

takes energy to maneuver in weightless space. i wonder if proximity to the center of solar systems might determine the energy potential of starships (solar sails? space magnifying glasses?). or if energy derived from different types of planets, er proximity to different energy potential planets, might affect starship potential.

Too deep on the science. I wouldn't expect that level of realism. This is not a space travel/starship oprations simulator. It's a 3.5X spaceship game.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

takes energy to maneuver in weightless space. i wonder if proximity to the center of solar systems might determine the energy potential of starships (solar sails? space magnifying glasses?). or if energy derived from different types of planets, er proximity to different energy potential planets, might affect starship potential.

I do think it would be very cool if your ship gained an extra movement point when you move towards a planet and lost a movement point when you move away from a planet as a simple way of simulating a gravity well. It would add a tactical element of taking the high ground.

 

[Gamling80]

Well this is promising. I been trying to enjoy Galatic civ III beta but the combat system is really boring. Besides the affinity system and some graphics I can´t think of any improvements I found so far compared to the old games. A space game really needs the tactical combat. Master of Orion 3 in all its is old school limitation is still the best space civ game I played.

I hope they will borrow some from Age of Wonders III which although it is a fantasy game has some great ideas that could be of use, like the flanking system perhaps giving increased hit chance when outflanking. If you haven't tried Age of Wonders yet you should.

When I heard of Civ V I realy hoped they would implement tactical battles but instead they used the gimped 1 unit per tile system which I think made combat boring and troublesome moving units around. Lets hope the big change in Civ 6 if it is ever beeing made is tactical battles.

 

[s0nny80y]

I do think it would be very cool if your ship gained an extra movement point when you move towards a planet and lost a movement point when you move away from a planet as a simple way of simulating a gravity well. It would add a tactical element of taking the high ground.

!!!!!!

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Watching the demo from the PAX panel, the game does not appear to me to be a "dumbed down mobile game" at all.

 

[NASAROG]

Watching the demo from the PAX panel, the game does not appear to me to be a "dumbed down mobile game" at all.

This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eukhuMsIg3s

 

[SupremacyKing2]

This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eukhuMsIg3s

Yes, that one. The game looks like it will be a lot of fun. Sure, some elements are simple but I don't think it is super dumbed down. It definitely does not look or feel like an "iphone game". I think it has that "just one more turn" feeling, as you will always be wanting to see what the next mission might be and what next combat situation you will face. The tactical combat seems like a lot of fun. The maps look gorgeous and fun. I like that the maps are dynamic. I like that the game gives you a cinematic view when your ship fires on the enemy shot. I like that the affinities are so clearly shown in many screens. Very cool to see your crew all decked out super supremacy. I also noticed that the BE leaders look much more pronounced in their affinities. They look level 20 or something. And while the diplomacy is very basic, I think the diplo text and affinity visuals seem to paint a more vivid picture than BE does.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

I would just add that the gameplay seems very tight to me which is a good thing IMO. The game does not try to be all things but rather seems very focused on one thing (starship adventure and combat) and on making that one element as fun for the player as possible.

 

[Lord Tirian]

Very cool to see your crew all decked out super supremacy. I also noticed that the BE leaders look much more pronounced in their affinities. They look level 20 or something. And while the diplomacy is very basic, I think the diplo text and affinity visuals seem to paint a more vivid picture than BE does.

That really jumped out to me - especially with the "bridge view", much like Civ5's diplo screens (but less expensive) really puts you into the "captain's chair" so to speak. It really paints a much more immersive picture of what's going on.

Regarding the game itself, it looks quite neat. It's definitely a simpler game than Civ, but it looks like it's easily on par with XCOM tactically and looks a lot like a fusion of Ace Combat and XCOM on the tactical level and a lighter, fluffier version of the classic 4X game on the strategy level (which was probably the part that XCOM felt weak occasionally).

Really looks like this is a labour of love and has quite some potential. But I have to say, seeing all the leaders really reminds me of what we were promised in the BE promo material, that's what it should've been like in the Civ:BE endgame.

I think they made *some* concessions to the iOS gameplay, the graphics look a bit less impressive than the PC version of XCOM or even Civ5, especially the weapon effects of we saw and the frequent use of concept art - but Firaxis was never a company with mindblowing graphics.