Jumpgate Evolution :: Spaceships Types Revealed! (Now with more screen shots)

[waylander]

They have been running a beta, right? That's not just something they are going to start next week or something...

Its pretty scary when a game is supposed to launch within 60 days, and no large scale beta has been done.  When that happens, it goes in my "don't buy for 90 days" list so I can see how good or bad the retail release is. I'm tired of blowing money on games that are terribly unstable or laggy at launch.

[SnakeCharmer]

Because we know having thousands of beta testers for months on end guarantees success, right?

[UnSub]

Because we know having thousands of beta testers for months on end guarantees success, right?

Rhetorical question is rhetorical.

[Ratman_tf]

Because we know having thousands of beta testers for months on end guarantees success, right?

Rhetorical question is rhetorical.

And unnecessary. Nothing guarantees success. No-thing. No matter how much investors wish it wasn't so.

[Etro]

What's the average price for a game in pounds?

Usually about 30-35 quid for a PC game if you are buying retail

[Mrbloodworth]

Dev Answers From the Forums

[Azuredream]

Dev Answers From the Forums

Why?? WHY.

[Mrbloodworth]

What?

[Hindenburg]

Manual docking, I suppose. Will most likely become a very boring procedure after the first couple of times.

[Bzalthek]

I envision such docking protocols as seen in Venture Brothers

[Mrbloodworth]

Jumpgate Evolution Developer Diary, Part One


NowGamer.com Hands-on with Jumpgate Evolution:

[Azuredream]

Manual docking, I suppose. Will most likely become a very boring procedure after the first couple of times.

Yeah, this. I wouldn't judge too early (it might end up being trivial) but I don't get why docking isn't just automatic.

[Salamok]

Until i know different i am going to think of this as being on par with not falling off the platforms in EQ/Kelethin, for a noob it requires some paying attention but after playing awhile you don't even think about it.

I think I am more wary of the bank/warehouse space being spread accross the galaxy.  I certainly hope they have some sort of in game auto updated warehouse inventory sheet that I can pull up to see where all my treasures are stored tracking this by hand would fall into the not fun category.

[Nija]

I don't think it's manual docking like you're trying to return one of your fighters to your battleship in a D.S. game. I think this is going to be on par with "pointing the ship to the right docking hangar on the structure".

I'm fine with that, as I don't really care for the autopilot to within 500m and hit enter to dock stuff that seems popular these days.

[Venkman]

Manual docking seems more about separating ship characters in a skills-based game. In that context it makes sense. The harder a ship is to fly, the harder it should be to dock.

Having said that, not having a tractor beam do this automatically feels unnecessarily pedantic for a next generation game. As such, I suspect there'll be tractor beams handling off of this by launch.

[Murgos]

Seems to me you could just make the tractoring in of the ship to the hanger bay take 60 seconds but let a good pilot manage it in 15.

If you want you can just get close and hit 'dock me' and go get a coke or you can dock it yourself to be faster.  This fixes some of the pvp problem of people playing dock/undock games too.  If they have the skill to sit outside the station and shoot people and then fly into the hanger, good for them.  If not, let them get blasted waiting for the tractor.

[Nija]

Seems to me you could just make the tractoring in of the ship to the hanger bay take 60 seconds but let a good pilot manage it in 15.

If you want you can just get close and hit 'dock me' and go get a coke or you can dock it yourself to be faster.  This fixes some of the pvp problem of people playing dock/undock games too.  If they have the skill to sit outside the station and shoot people and then fly into the hanger, good for them.  If not, let them get blasted waiting for the tractor.

Yeah, this sounds like a great idea. If you're far away and you select station, dock, it'll go as fast as possible until it's within tractor beam distance, which is whatever, and then tractor you in slowly which takes ~1 minute. So essentially you'll get done whacking your foozles, select the station you want to warp back to and dock, then go sit on the throne. You'd come back docked, if you were as safe as you thought you were, or toast if you are in hostile territory.

Then for manual docking you'll have to slow to a speed of X while being entering the hangar, which is a particular graphic on a particular side (or sides) of the space station. Not just anywhere and certainly not while on autopilot. This can be done as fast as you can do it. Have fun.

[Venkman]

It's a good idea, but I don't think it's worth pursuing unless there's something meaningful attached to it, some reason for players to want to get better at manual docking. Could be some sort of cost thing, where the longer you're in tractor beam, the more docking fee you pay. Could be that if you join the tractor beam at max range you're not exactly sure how long station control will take to let you in. Maybe something along the lines of being able to be attacked outside a certain range while still in tractor?

Just feels like you need something more than autopilot vs autopilot-you-do-yourself.

[Murgos]

It's a good idea, but I don't think it's worth pursuing unless there's something meaningful attached to it, some reason for players to want to get better at manual docking.

Saving myself a minute at a time would be more than enough reason.

I don't know about other people but straight up time based cock blocks annoy the shit out of me.

[Mrbloodworth]

Whatever bitches, you hold out for your 60 second tractor beams, meanwhile ill be performing the perfect full-g's space docking while under attack and flying backwards!

[Ratman_tf]

I hat manual docking. Fun the first few times as a mini-game, tedious as fuck after that, and frustrating when it's "realistic".

[Azuredream]

I just can't get over the fact we're talking about docking.

Our game's so hardcore you can get killed trying to dock!

[Mrbloodworth]

I just can't get over the fact we're talking about docking.

Our game's so hardcore you can get killed trying to dock!

That was JG classic, this will not be nearly as hardcore, i honestly think people are over reacting, but, eh, what ever.

[Venkman]

Nothing else to talk about at the moment 

[Draegan]

I think docking will be as simple as aiming your WOW avatar at the gates of Stormwind but just in 3 dimensions.

[Ceryse]

I think docking will be as simple as aiming your WOW avatar at the gates of Stormwind but just in 3 dimensions.

... From my WoW days I can surely see a good number having issues, then. Hell, just remembering how many people died trying to get into MC makes me shudder at how these types of people would fare at docking in JG:E.

[Draegan]

I think docking will be as simple as aiming your WOW avatar at the gates of Stormwind but just in 3 dimensions.

... From my WoW days I can surely see a good number having issues, then. Hell, just remembering how many people died trying to get into MC makes me shudder at how these types of people would fare at docking in JG:E.

People died getting to MC due to trying to shortcut things rather than actually being stupid (most of the time).

Remember you don't have to operate docking procedures with Newtonian Physics.

[Ceryse]

People died getting to MC due to trying to shortcut things rather than actually being stupid (most of the time).

Remember you don't have to operate docking procedures with Newtonian Physics.

Perhaps it was limited to the server I was on, but if they didn't die to the shortcut, they either died going down the chains or got lost and would wind up in BRD. Or, my favourite, get to the zone in and not realize how to actually zone in the first four times.

The shortcut/jump was only one of the many ways for them to die and make me fondly think of cleansing the gene pool.

[Draegan]

I can't defend stupid.  There is a lot out there.

[Triforcer]

Someone at JGE likes Tek Jansen, I suppose 

[Ratman_tf]

I just can't get over the fact we're talking about docking.

Our game's so hardcore you can get killed trying to dock!

I remember slamming into the pylons around the warp gates when I played the first Jumpgate. That's when I knew I was playing a hardcore clownshoes game!

[Ghambit]

I'm sure they can just make the docking procedures some sort of endgame quest or rep-grind to justify the existence of the mechanic (at least, that's what I would do)... then maybe all the pantywastes will stop complaining.  Shinay lootz and eccspee solves everything.

Let's face it, this game really doesnt seem to bring a lot to the table.  So finding little "minigames" in as many aspects as possible (docking included) are pretty important.  EZ-mode docking to please 'lil Johnny Thumblethumbs isnt a solution.  It's a copout due to lazy/uncreative game design.

Make precision docking a choice, and reward those who excel at it.  Make certain high-level instances manual docking required to enter, etc. 

If they were smart they'd also go with their last minute design of underground instances and implement a system similar to Descent... which requires ultraprecise piloting and shooting.  (obviously at higher levels)

[Draegan]

You have to be a troll.

Let's face it, this game really doesnt seem to bring a lot to the table.  So finding little "minigames" in as many aspects as possible (docking included) are pretty important. 

How do you come to this conclusion based on what information has been released?

[Lantyssa]

He's been down on the game for a while now.  I've commented about something similar he's said before.

[Draegan]

Yeah I know.  I can't help feeding him in this thread.