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Jumpgate Evolution - An ION Interview with NetDevil
Recently, MMORPG.com's own Carolyn Koh had the opportunity to sit down and speak with the team from NetDevil about their work on the upcoming MMORPG Jumpgate Evolution.
Jumpgate Evolution is not a massive update to Jumpgate. It is a completely different game. “Basically, this is a response to focus testing and user feedback,” said Scott Brown, President of Netdevil. “We can’t have Netdevil just do another game. It has to be a great game.”
Once Jumpgate Evolution launches, it will run side by side with Jumpgate until which time, Jumpgate ceases to be viable, if ever. “We still have a lot of players that love the game and we’ll continue supporting it,” said Scott, “Jumpgate Evolution will essentially be like Asherons Call 2 and EverQuest 2. Set in a similar, yet different world. A world of the future.”
At the Connect event in the UK, Netdevil partnered with their UK publisher Codemasters to bring the game to players there. They were able to have the public play test a vertical slice of the game on 50 PCs. “They played the new user experience, and it was the first proof of concept that the new user experience in Jumpgate Evolution works.” Netdevil has treated Jumpgate Evolution as a “Live” project from the get go, with internal testing and developers playing the game. The story takes part in a later time and different part of space, but current players of Jumpgate will absolutely find it familiar.
The lessons learned from Auto Assault may have been painful but the take away from that is that playability and fun is key to any game, and set limitations are their mantra and design guidelines these days. Artists and developers are more creative within the guidelines and the pride in which they have crafted a beautiful and compelling space-scape within the constraints is evident. It looks beautiful.
Scott logged into the game and did not stop playing throughout the interview, although he continued to contribute and showed me many different portions of the game. What they have managed to do with the art is just beautiful as the screenshots they have released prove.
;)
“So what exactly is Jumpgate Evolution?” I asked, requesting for a description in a nutshell. It’s a spaceflight trading game. Its story, trading and economy. It’s Freelancer / Privateer Online.
“We have Keith Baker, the writer responsible for Eberron in DnD writing the back story for the game,” said Scott. “We’ve created a really rich backdrop and you write your own story. There are three nations and sub-factions. Each group provides different missions.”
“It’s all ship play,” said Hermann, “and the selection of a nation provides you a path; if you need one to follow. You will be balancing faction gains and losses when you perform missions. Factions are locked into a nation, but not to a subfaction.”
“Otherwise,” said Scott, “you are participating in a living world, and integrated system, interacting with the AI which is also moving, acting and reacting. It is emergent behavior and players are a part of it.”
“What are you working on right now?” I wanted to know. Netdevil is concentrating on the MMORPG aspects of the game right now. The auction house system, the mining system, mail system, etc. The license system is your basic skill system and these include mining, piloting and weapons. Crafting is affiliated with companies, and your affiliation level dictates the types of things that may be made. This is fleshed out and they are in the implementation phase. “We’re really, really close to be able to go into closed beta,” said Scott.
I asked also about the passage of time in Jumpgate Evolution and the spatial feel of the game, remembering the awful vertigo I’d get playing Starcraft. Items in game will have spatial locations, and will have to be moved from one space station to another. They may be sent on an AI ship or a potential job may be created – that of a Cargo pilot who will move mail from one part of space to another. Potentially, they are also thinking of real time tracking – the ability to see where your goods are in space.
In reference to the spatial 3-D experience, Netdevil is making obvious clues in their art and station architecture for what’s considered up and what’s considered down. From the accessibility standpoint, this took much longer than expected since there are not real rules in space where there is no gravity and thus no real “feel” for up and down. As for player clues while flying in space, they are working on three different camera views – third person, first person clear view and first person with cockpit – which I voted for as that would give me a point of reference to know whether I’m actually flying upside down or right side up when all I’m seeing on my screen are asteroid fields and planets.
;)
“What about the Economy?” I asked. “How important will that be and how will it be run?”
“Some items will be obtained through quests and the store,” said Scott, “but the majority will be player made. Most of the guns, engines, and bits and pieces. The components required to create and item will be player made. The stores will provide you low end items as well as high-end items that require a certain amount of faction to obtain.”
A departure from Jumpgate are the Battlestations – the Boss Mobs not found in the original Jumpgate. I watched as Scott took on a Battlestation by himself. Horribly dwarved in his tiny spacecraft, I exhorted him to “use the force” as he blew it up. “Do you have to escape the explosion?” I wanted to know. Both gentlemen laughed as they informed me I had just asked one of the most asked questions by focus testers. “That’s just a little too hard right there. Right now, the answer is No, but we could tweak that to make a better sense of combat reality.”
PvP? There will be some consensual areas and some wide open PvP areas, but no one will be forced to play PvP if they do not want to. The refineries and minerals, the items gained in PvP space will be specific to PvP play use. There are also PvP games – players can capture a beacon and take over a sector of space. While they claim that space, they will gain some bonuses. Another game planned is a PvP simulator which will be team against team and matched by computer AI. Netdevil is currently in the first phase of design for this simulator.
Is this a game of levels or skill then? Definitely a game of skill. “Levels are a symbol of your progress,” said Hermann, “Everything you do gives you whether it is crafting or running missions and that builds your level. It will not make you a better pilot or give you more life. You have to build your ship, get better weaponry and shields, get your licenses.”
Finally, we went full circle back to accessibility. How will you fly in this game, I asked. “Whatever way you wish! We will support joysticks, keypad and mouse, game pads, the really cool flight controls with joystick in one hand, throttle in other. They all will be supported.”
Please don't associate this game with AC2, Turbine took everything good from AC1 and threw it out the window, hence the disaster of AC2. Let's hope Netdevil is not doing the same with Jumpgate Evolution.
If everything pans out as planned, JGE will be the best MMO to come out in last 10 years.
Bye bye AOC WAR WOW and other fantasy EQ clones. And welcome back , sandbox , twitch based combat and open space !
This sounds excellent. Good news item and very full of information
Just as long as they stay away from what SWG: Jump to Lightspeed did...
and make every enemy NPC fighter craft take like a hundred hits to kill.... That pissed me off more then anything that a Tie Fighter would take a dozen or so hits to bring down.. it's a TIE FIGHTER..
gah...
It's hard to have fun, fast paced twitch space combat if you have to sit there and grind down the HP of a common fighter.
Even though your lvl is based on your skill I still wish that they wouldent put the level system in or atleast let you hide your lvl. Thats one of the things I enjoyed about EVE pvp id that you dont know what your going up against besides the ship you see. I feel like allowing your level to be shown some what discourages pvp because If a player see's that your 20+ lvl's higher then them for example then they will probably just run instead of fighting.
Well, personally I'm hoping we'll see another Auto Assault- one that doesn't die. I never played Jumpgate, but I wanted to... JGE could be my chance. Otherwise, I'll go back to EVE when i want space ships. Eiother way, i'm glad to have some real meat rather than just screenies.
Hmm maybe this will be the next game for flight junkies. I always wished they put out another Star Wars flight sim, but maybe this will have to do. Is there a monthly fee?
Sounds great, Im so looking forward to a little Joystick action
I,ve got all the flight sim gear just waiting,Now if we can just tow in derilects and strip'em for
parts.
And exhaustable fuel would be nice to.
Nice interview, sounds fun ... except...
"PvP? There will be some consensual areas and some wide open PvP areas, but no one will be forced to play PvP if they do not want to. The refineries and minerals, the items gained in PvP space will be specific to PvP play use. There are also PvP games – players can capture a beacon and take over a sector of space. While they claim that space, they will gain some bonuses. Another game planned is a PvP simulator which will be team against team and matched by computer AI. Netdevil is currently in the first phase of design for this simulator."
So basically it's Wow? Battlegrounds , arenas and maybe some world pvp objectives like in Silithius?
Damn... I really was hoping there would be player owned space, player diplomacy , territorial conquest....
whoop dee doo, can't wait to stack resilience on my starfighter and join 39 other players to take down the same spacestation for 30 hours a week again and again! Yay!
Gotta love sarcasim,But I have to agree if it turns into the same oh mmorpg Bull thats in the current fainting fame mmorpg's. I'll soon be standing on the outside looking in once again waiting for changes that will never happen....And Im sure it will just be another; Man this should have been good moment that turned into crap.That happened to the last years load of hopefuls.
wish 'em the best and heres to hope'ing someone puts the new back in, new mmorpgs.
Indevor to Persevere
No problem with that. In orig JG, it doesn't matter if level 26 or 50 (the level enabled the ships and 26 was the fighter ships). Also the weapons and stuff. So you don't look at level of players, but on their name and clanname.
Hans
Great .. that is exactly what I like to hear. I guess the developers realize that unchecked PvP is unpopular and not the way to go.
Exactly true, unchecked PvP is annoying and I refuse to play in any game where it happens (yes, I'm talking to you, EVE). I have no interest in flying somewhere and getting my tail shot off because some idiot with more guns than brains wants to take a pot shot at me. It's one thing if it's consentual, it's another if you have no choice in the matter, especially if you're stuck flying through lawless zones without warning when going somewhere.
Just give the players the option to either turn off PvP entirely or opt in on a case-by-case basis and it should be fine. I'll check it out when it actually comes out.
Yes, yes there is a monthly fee. The original JumpGate, if you don''t mind the fact that it's an 'old game', is only $10/month, wheras JGE will probably be $50 for the box and then $15 month.
Hey all,
Having seen AoC turn into a laughable attempt at a 'next gen' mmo, I am looking for the next ones coming down the line, hoping i will strike gold. I've been waiting for another good Sci-Fi MMO since SWG fell apart, so I am watching this game and Stargate.
I've looked around at some of the info online, and while I only played EVE a tiny bit once, the screenshots of JGE scream EVE. Is this game similar to EVE, or will it be completely different other than the visual similarities? I also saw someone here mention 'sandbox' in reference to JGE, which instantly made me recall my fond memories of pre-cu/nge SWG, and players being able to make their own content through the sandbox flexiblity of the game world. I'm curious about how this all ship based gaming is going to translate to a sandbox MMO style. Does anyone have an example of this?
Thanks in advance!
The artificial restrictions on who you can, or can't shoot, will break this title for me. Not because I want to gank anyone, far from it. But that danger makes the game fun, not just flying around dodging dumb ai bots (npcs)
So my understanding is that jge is basically going to be the space-sim version of today's typical wow style crapfeast game. Ugh.
I am still hoping for a synergy of EvE style massive scope and complexity, including the social dynamics of the 0.0 systems and inter-corp relations, and the swg:JTL flight systems, including how different quality resources made different style parts for the ships.
I'll wait and see before getting excited about this game.
Please somebody tell me if this game is similar to Freelancer. This game was a single player game but had an option for multiplayer PvP. I really liked the idea of flying around solar systems and enjoyed the single player a lot.
Haven't played freelancer. I can say the difference between JGE and EVE, though: In EVE, you click to move (albeit in 3d space). In JGE, you will probably want to get out your old joystick. You now, WHEEEEaaauuuu *pewpew*. So in JGE all the stratergerizing is in your equipment, actual fighting is based on skillz, rather than skills.
Well, class is over... so here's my personal request to ND: Have some area be the boonies, where you can't PVP flag off, like CGZ from Auto Assault or lowsec in EVE.
I will shut up now.
I played Vendetta Online which is a similar game to this, but I found it empty in terms of content and players. I hope this fills my desire for a Space-Action-MMORPG.
Yeah, the original JG is a LOT like Freelancer. That's one of the comparisons I hear the most. Huge universe, three "jobs" (fighting, mining, hauling) that often overlap. JGE's supposed to improve on all of that.
If you liked Freelancer, give JG a try.
I have the original Jumpgate, but I have not played it yet since the demo. I wanted to wait until JGE was released which looks to be incredible. I was turned off by how complicated and non-immersive the first one seemed to be. Did anyone ever play Vendetta Online and see how it compares to JGE?