Infinity Battlescape

[DirkLarien]

Pledged at the Beta tier. More space games!

According to the description, this seems loke a very large scale versus game centered around matches running on a backing server each, that may also be maintained by players. Maybe I missed it, but are players supposed to be able to log out and back into such a match? Is there a "victory condition"? Or do players have to join one match and to see it through?

It's then completely different from what Elite Dangerous is and Star Citizen seems to be becoming. Both of those are MMO-likes playing in a virtual galaxy with some persistence for players, players being matched into instances depending on the region the're in, and a persistent but not necessarily realtime backend simulation, which feeds into the instances (at least in Elite's case). This seems to be more of a PvP game in one solar system with a somewhat automated economy, that allows players of that faction to progress if kept intact, while players of the opposing factions will have to destroy it.

Yes the battles might take really long time to resolve.... or the conflicts.
So i would compare it to planetside 2 but it still isn't quite accurate.
And of course with more funding this might get lot more complex.

And if we can get our hands on modding tools.
Can you imagine what might this become ? Look at what modders did to half life, Neverwinter nights 1 and 2, quake, KSP
You bet someone would make elite clone out of this. (ever heard of a game called Hardwar ? Or subculture ?
They were elite clones with really small game worlds but still fun.
Imagine that with entire solar system to the scale.
And crazy modder hands with it.

With framework like I-Novae engine.
Possibilities are endless.

 

[DirkLarien]

Hi there got some new pretty screens and a video.

Gaze into the star


Old station familiar looking station


[video=youtube;mR5VkZcmzTg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR5VkZcmzTg[/video]

 

[CMDR Crumpeteer]

Do planets/stations/rings have orbits, or are they fixed points in space? I couldn't find any mention of it.

 

[JonnyRedHed]

Do planets/stations/rings have orbits, or are they fixed points in space? I couldn't find any mention of it.

There is already gravity based orbital mechanics in place. The marks on the speed bar is the orbital velocity. That being said, every ship has enough thrust to make orbital mechanics completely unnecessary, although you could still use such methods to manoeuvre if you wanted. It's still a prototype and with the next two years of development orbital mechanics will be polished.

You can ask that same question here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/309114309/infinity-battlescape/comments



An interesting thread emerging here about Gravity and Orbits.

https://forums.inovaestudios.com/t/gravity-orbiting-etc/1190/

 

[CMDR Crumpeteer]

There is already gravity based orbital mechanics in place. The marks on the speed bar is the orbital velocity. That being said, every ship has enough thrust to make orbital mechanics completely unnecessary, although you could still use such methods to manoeuvre if you wanted. It's still a prototype and with the next two years of development orbital mechanics will be polished.

You can ask that same question here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/309114309/infinity-battlescape/comments



An interesting thread emerging here about Gravity and Orbits.

https://forums.inovaestudios.com/t/gravity-orbiting-etc/1190/

I wasn't asking about ships and their interaction with gravity, but your second link proved to be useful, thanks.

 

[Hellhawk666]

The Kickstarter is looking good, and their stated development direction feels "right". If they achieve their intended goals it will create an amazing triumverate together with ED and SC.

Upped my pledge to alpha level (every little bit helps ) The $250 developer forum access is enticing, but do I really want to get on a DDF rollercoaster again

 

[Crayfish]

Upped my pledge to alpha level (every little bit helps ) The $250 developer forum access is enticing, but do I really want to get on a DDF rollercoaster again

As someone who has had early access to the early press prototype I can say it is totally worth it if you have the money to spare. I can explore the current prototype for hours and it's only going to get better over the coming months as they start adding actual gameplay. I don't think I could bear the nine month wait for alpha access now I've played it. Also, you don't have to get involved in the developer forum, you can just play the game if you want.

 

[lysan]

When I backed Elite I believed we would get seamlessness like this. I'm glad someone is doing it, just a shame it wasn't Frontier.

And we still do not know how ED will do it, so I'm happy for the time travelling and reporting back on these issues.

 

[Smugallo]

As someone who has had early access to the early press prototype I can say it is totally worth it if you have the money to spare. I can explore the current prototype for hours and it's only going to get better over the coming months as they start adding actual gameplay. I don't think I could bear the nine month wait for alpha access now I've played it. Also, you don't have to get involved in the developer forum, you can just play the game if you want.

I know. I'm going to back this weekend, I wish we could get an early prototype to play with so I can zoom about

 

[cpbtrading]

When I backed Elite I believed we would get seamlessness like this. I'm glad someone is doing it, just a shame it wasn't Frontier.

Many ED players still believe it is seamless. But they can maybe think again after seeing this. Although Space Engineers has the same seamless universe, with planets coming with seamless landings. As do some other space games out there.
.
Infinity is great. However, if 'Space Engine' could get ships and a game in there, then really, that would be 'the' space game to end all space games.
Well maybe.
.
Looking good for Infinity, just don't want the drive to target, to ease off.

 

[Hellhawk666]

According to the description, this seems like a very large scale versus game centered around matches running on a backing server each, that may also be maintained by players. Maybe I missed it, but are players supposed to be able to log out and back into such a match? Is there a "victory condition"? Or do players have to join one match and to see it through?

Yes, it's coming from a different direction than ED or SC. There have been fleet battle games before, but not this gorgeous and with less potential. They've thought out the player dynamics very cleverly - it combines first person pilot view for smaller ships, whilst making the capital ships third person and so supports both tactics and strategy oriented players. By nature it is unashamedly team PvP, and is treating ships etc as assets rather than role-play items.

My reading is that the current plan is for battles to be either drop-in and join affairs, or else scheduled in some way. Their openness to modding and player-servers suggests that.

Although persistence of some aspects is only slated as a longer term stretch goal, it's the thing I'd really like to see happen. That and in game organizational tools would make it a pretty amazing game.

 

[BurnyBurns]

Many ED players still believe it is seamless. But they can maybe think again after seeing this. Although Space Engineers has the same seamless universe, with planets coming with seamless landings. As do some other space games out there.
.
Infinity is great. However, if 'Space Engine' could get ships and a game in there, then really, that would be 'the' space game to end all space games.
Well maybe.

The games all work around some technical limitations. Instanced areas kitted together by supercruise is Elite's way to implement a galaxy of its size without asking for a monthly subscription (selling features as seasons though). Being a PvP battle arena with a permanently running server simulating a single solar system in real time with a maximum player capacity and no persistent universe seems to be Battlescape's way. I actually don't know how instancing/servers/players are handled by space engineers, but if it handled persistence, seamless planetary transition and a galaxy the size of Elite's without instancing and loading at some point, I'd be rather surprised. Space engine... The complexity of adding some form of multiplayer, not to mention a game design would necessiate compromises as well. Star Citzen has yet to become a game, but it'll live with compromises, jsut as all the others.

All in all, no game in there to end any of the others. Only a hell of a lot more space games to chose from than in the last decade, which constitutes a definite improvment where I'm concerned.

 

[cpbtrading]

The games all work around some technical limitations. Instanced areas kitted together by supercruise is Elite's way to implement a galaxy of its size without asking for a monthly subscription (selling features as seasons though). Being a PvP battle arena with a permanently running server simulating a single solar system in real time with a maximum player capacity and no persistent universe seems to be Battlescape's way. I actually don't know how instancing/servers/players are handled by space engineers, but if it handled persistence, seamless planetary transition and a galaxy the size of Elite's without instancing and loading at some point, I'd be rather surprised. Space engine... The complexity of adding some form of multiplayer, not to mention a game design would necessiate compromises as well. Star Citzen has yet to become a game, but it'll live with compromises, jsut as all the others.

All in all, no game in there to end any of the others. Only a hell of a lot more space games to chose from than in the last decade, which constitutes a definite improvment where I'm concerned.

The more in the genre, the better. Now that is for sure.

 

[JonnyRedHed]

INovaeFlavien CTO/President & Cofounder - recently commented -


"There's going to be a lot of variety in environments on planets even in the base goal."

And he goes on to say "Wind is already in, but doing tornadoes, volcanoes that eject rocks, lightning in gas giants ( that could randomly hit your ship ), or even better: a periodic stellar flare that would damage any ship not in the night side of the planets closest to the star. Those are a few ideas that we're playing with. Not guaranteeing anything ofc, but yeah, as you can see there's great potential."

And then added "I've seen many people play for 20-30 hours in the prototype so far, simply flying around and exploring. Doing nothing at all. And that's with 2 planets ( err, moons ). The final solar system will have dozens."

Source - INovae forums.


There will be additional effects for both warp speed and for atmospheric entry/exit, and it IS dangerous to be going warp speeds in the atmosphere for too long, though it seems also as if auto-assist will automatically turn off your warp drive before you take damage from the atmosphere.

And the dev's also have some ideas for gas giants such as putting 'Bespin style' floating factories into the cloud layers of gas giants. Transition down and up from these outposts. With Gravity and pressure effecting the ships. The effects we expect to see and experience after two more years of development. "We'd like to spend a lot more time making gas giants awesome" -game devs.


As far as I know your be able to fly down through the various cloud layers to floating factories and outposts floating between the layers of gas giants. This is already implemented for the release. The more funding means more of these cool game features like Volumetric clouds in addition to what's already implemented in the final release. The prototype your seeing in the live streams is all mostly place holder assets. Another two years of heads down development will produce so much more detail to these features.

There is already gravity based orbital mechanics in place. The marks on the speed bar is the orbital velocity. That being said, every ship has enough thrust to make orbital mechanics completely unnecessary, although you could still use such methods to manoeuvre if you wanted.

An interesting thread emerging here about Gravity and Orbits.

https://forums.inovaestudios.com/t/gravity-orbiting-etc/1190/




You can always post a question on the comments section of the kickstarter page here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/309114309/infinity-battlescape/comments

And the FAQ is here:
https://forums.inovaestudios.com/t/infinity-battlescape-faq/1112

https://twitter.com/INovaeStudios

https://twitter.com/inovae_keith

https://twitter.com/HutchingsINovae




And the very active Reddit thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/3q5frd/years_in_the_making_i_got_a_space_boner_seeing/

 

[JonnyRedHed]

Hutchings - Developer/Artist - 30km station, hovering above a new WIP planet. Keep in mind, the asset was produced primarily for the campaign trailer, and is not an indication of final quality, but rather should be taken as an example of what's possible with the tech we've built.

Additionally, it is situated just above the rings, with the central tower crossing through the rings below. A sort of transfer station for extracted or refined goods.


(images by INovaeAndre- Developer/Artist)

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../212c883fcb10cffb0a8357508a811a5eaeca8977.jpg

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../299b9dbe9af1908f4adb9b72df5d2cf42f6b15e7.jpg

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../b3b9a25bd9fc8eb71e9e0896ebba346940719164.jpg

Today on Rethe prime, lovely clear skies and brisk 350kph winds. (screenshot by Crayfish)

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../7bd97929898434c78b3c8c58f5b23f9d4f7cbb0c.jpg

Took this one yesterday staring directly into the sun. (screenshot by TARS)

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../e6046d7f36f96f3de32357833762a140002d6a1b.jpg

I-Novae: Hutchings - Developer/Artist
As some of you may have already guessed this, but we're still adding content to the Prototype. Many will recognize the station from the 2010 tech demo video.

Now an abandoned Astralis outpost in a SFC controlled system... it lay quietly in a low orbit around the Gas Giant, just outside the massive planet's atmosphere. 4 Corvette class ships "Hellions" investigate.

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../6a9d2b4cd09739f4074ee0bfbba486405a8d6032.jpg

INovaeAndre - Developer/Artist.

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../0dfedd3ed01d61b999ad8a060ffe875107dd67f4.jpg

https://inovaestudios.blob.core.win.../94c0211b77ecefad1cd4a91ccf2e3113ff5c4319.jpg

 

[cpbtrading]

I wonder how large the planets are. Yes I know! planet size, but there is usually a km guide .

 

[Jason S]

A year ago I would have backed this. I have just become weary of kickstarter games, due to some of them releasing a skeleton product and then fleshing it out with an additional paid expansion shortly after.
This has happened with ED (Although I had life time pass, so I was ok, but still) and also planetary annihilation.

I feel it is best to wait a year or two after release and buy on a 50 percent steam sale.

 

[DirkLarien]

A year ago I would have backed this. I have just become weary of kickstarter games, due to some of them releasing a skeleton product and then fleshing it out with an additional paid expansion shortly after.
This has happened with ED (Although I had life time pass, so I was ok, but still) and also planetary annihilation.

I feel it is best to wait a year or two after release and buy on a 50 percent steam sale.

I know what you mean.
I was burned too.
But mate these guys show lot more than many other companies in Kickstarter.
This team has already built something.
And that something is a proof.
It is very different from the rest.

 

[JonnyRedHed]

I know what you mean.
I was burned too.
But mate these guys show lot more than many other companies in Kickstarter.
This team has already built something.
And that something is a proof.
It is very different from the rest.

Very true. It is proof of concept. And with another two years solid heads down development it can become so much more.

 

[M66]

I already like all of what they have shown. Feels almost done to me. I would be more than happy with a hundred solar systems and spending time just enjoying the view.

Game feels like 2001: A space Odyssey....just kinda watching the universe unfold before me. Giant space battle going on, while I watch a NPC do some mining.

I love Elite Dangerous.....But it feels very much like a job to me....don't enjoy just watching the asteroids/stars/planets, I feel like I have to be making money....no time to relax and take it all in.

IB Game Idea:
I hope the Devs hide some Alien Artifacts in the solar system as a gameplay mechanic...Find the artifact and it increases your shield/weapon strength...the first side to find the artifact would have a big advantage.....But you have to find it first! As a team, You might send 3 or 4 ships to locate and bring back the Alien weapon....It's hidden somewhere in the solar system(use powerful scanners to find the location) and the other team is also looking for the item....of course the battle might be over by the time you bring back the doomsday device!!