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Guns of Icarus Online

gomidoggomidog
edited June 2011 in Video Games
So remember that game I made back in 2009?
It's getting an MMO reboot. We've been working on it for the past year, parallel to us doing Creavures, and alpha is probably going to start this fall.
This go around, we have classes, trade/economy simulators, PVP, ship customization, towns etc. all while keeping the core battle style (Man turrets in First Person, repair, platform around the ship) of the initial proof of concept indie game.
There are also guns. So many guns. You should see all of those guns we made.
Our first attempt at a teaser website is up. While it is not perfect, I think we did pretty good without having a dedicated web designer. (One of the programmers put it together.)
Guns of Icarus Online
We will also keep posting concept art and production art over at the muse blog. As an indie studio working on our first large title, we've decided that we need to be open during the production process. We don't have the budget for big cinematic TV trailers, so we may as well take a cue from NS and generate interest with open showings of our process.
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Comments

  • AndrewAndrew
    Will there be multi-crew ships? My friends and I have always wanted an MMO where we need to work together to achieve a goal rather than just "level up our X."
  • gomidoggomidog
    edited June 2011
    Will there be multi-crew ships? My friends and I have always wanted an MMO where we need to work together to achieve a goal rather than just "level up our X."
    Exactly. A crew on a ship is kind of like a guild, and there can be multiple ships in a fleet. They all need to coop to manage gameplay and fighting while on the ship. The rank needed to own and build your own ship is a privilege, and those who do not have it must crew as engineers/gunners under a captain. You shop around in the beginning for a crew to join while in town.
    Post edited by gomidog on
  • AndrewAndrew
    Exactly. A crew on a ship is kind of like a guild, and there can be multiple ships in a fleet. They all need to coop to manage gameplay and fighting while on the ship. The rank needed to own your own ship is a privilege, and those who do not have it must crew as engineers/gunners under a captain. You shop around in the beginning for a crew to join while in town.
    OMG <3 <3
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    Will it be open beta? sounds interesting.
  • gomidoggomidog
    Yes. You can also sign up for the alpha on the site.
  • RochelleRochelle
    Will it be open beta? sounds interesting.
    ATW9K team? Make it so.
  • AndrewAndrew
    Yes. You can also sign up for the alpha on the site.
    Is this the e-mail subscribe or some other sign up?
  • gomidoggomidog
    I think so? I am not really sure.
  • RymRym
    You want a table outside of the main open area upstairs at ConnectiCon for Guns/Muse? I might be able to arrange something. Steampunk is big there after all ;^)
  • AxelAxel
    This. Sounds. Really. Awesome.

    BTW, can I have an internship over at your company next year? XD
  • gomidoggomidog
    You want a table outside of the main open area upstairs at ConnectiCon for Guns/Muse? I might be able to arrange something. Steampunk is big there after all ;^)
    Perhaps. You getting me that AA table, right? I really need to know so I can get that tax form.
    BTW, can I have an internship over at your company next year? XD
    It really depends on your skills and portfolio. I can't promise anything, because now we have a bit more press and a reel of completed games, we get a lot more applicants than we used to. Because of budget concerns, we have to limit our personnel. However, we have had RIT people do co-ops with us before. RIT discourages unpaid internships, but we have had capable programmers do their senior co-op and then join our staff post graduation. Right now you are just out of freshmen year, so I would urge you to go local/internet. I did my first internship locally in Rochester, which kind of sucked, and then I did my second in NYC, pre-junior year, while crashing at Rym and Scott's place.
  • AxelAxel
    By next year, I meant starting in Summer/Fall of 2012. Didn't mean to be vague. Unfortunately, I probably couldn't do an unpaid internship, simply because I will not have the funds to keep myself alive otherwise.

    But yeah, your company is awesome, and if some lucky chance happened, I could apply for an internship there someday.
  • CremlianCremlian
    edited June 2011
    By next year, I meant starting in Summer/Fall of 2012. Didn't mean to be vague. Unfortunately, I probably couldn't do an unpaid internship, simply because I will not have the funds to keep myself alive otherwise.

    But yeah, your company is awesome, and if some lucky chance happened, I could apply for an internship there someday.
    Don't settle for slave labor :-p Emily is a cruel master of the whip :-p
    Post edited by Cremlian on
  • RochelleRochelle
    Don't settle for slave labor :-p Emily is a cruel master of the whip :-p
    So that's how Rym got those marks.
  • AxelAxel
    Zing!
  • gomidoggomidog
    *Wippish!*
  • ChurbaChurba
    edited June 2011
    I'm looking forward to this. I haven't played a huge amount of the original icarus - while the game was hilarious fun, the netcode was pretty shonky, and it gets a bit lonely flying my blimp about like a steampunk forever alone guy - but what I did play, I liked. Most likely will buy this.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • AlexAlex
    edited June 2011
    Sign up for the alpha, and in some months you'll get to help me make this round of netcode less shonky*!

    *It's already less shonky than it was in the original GoI. Also, I find the word 'shonky' hilarious for some reason.
    Is this the e-mail subscribe or some other sign up?
    Yes, that's our "tell me more when there is more to tell" list.
    Post edited by Alex on
  • ChurbaChurba
    edited June 2011
    Sign up for the alpha, and in some months you'll get to help me make this round of netcode less shonky*!

    *It's already less shonky than it was in the original GoI. Also, I find the word 'shonky' hilarious for some reason.
    Already done! I'd love to be of some usefulness, especially when you're making a product I'm bound to enjoy the hell out of, it's the least I could do.

    As for shonky...Well, I was going to say something else, but that sounded unkind, so I wanted to get across that it was a bit bad - though not the worst I've encountered - In a cheery-sounding way, because I'm not grumpy about it, it could just be better - and despite being Australian slang for "Unreliable" in that context, it gets the message across. It's kind of like how I often reply to "How are you?" with "Not too shabby", which I like, because it implies an acceptable level of shabby-ness, which is good, because I'm often quite shabby, and I'll stop rambling now.
    Post edited by Churba on
  • VentureJVentureJ
    edited June 2011
    The rank needed to own and build your own ship is a privilege, and those who do not have it must crew as engineers/gunners under a captain. You shop around in the beginning for a crew to join while in town.
    All of this sounds absolutely awesome, though I remember games like Star Trek Online having certain issues regarding the "become a crewmate" mechanic. I think they were toying around with the idea of players joining other people's crews, and then ultimately building up their character to be able to pilot their own Starship. After much playtesting, STO found that practically EVERYBODY wanted their own ship right off the bat, and no one had the patience to work up to that.

    Being just a lowly Engineer/Gunner has to be just as fulfilling an experience as playing a Captain. If a new player was excited about your game because they want to captain a badass ship, they might be sorely disappointed that they can't do that right off the bat. If they're immediately thrown into a town to look for other Captains to follow, it might turn them off completely before they even started playing the game. I think you'll have to design the game to immediately grab a person, regardless of whether they joined to pilot their own ship or not. Perhaps start them off with a cinematic AI-run tutorial mission to showcase how awesome it is to be a Crewmate?

    Also, as a Captain, what would be the advantage of having more people in your crew? If there's too big of an advantage to having a large crew, then there would be little point to becoming a Captain of your own, because you would get destroyed by people who have large crews already, and your economy might ruin the game for new players. If the advantage is too small or if there is a small crew cap, then there would be little motivation to keep recruiting, and unskilled/beginner players would be left out, since Captains need to be more selective. It's a fine line, really.

    What if your game has gotten to the point where there are far more Captains than there are Engineers/Gunners? If you don't have a steady stream of new players joining your game, everyone dedicated enough to keep playing will rank up, and there will hardly be any Engineers/Gunners left to fill those roles.

    I hope I'm not overstepping any bounds by asking these questions! I think the concept is fantastic, and I really want this game to succeed. I'm sure you guys'll do great, though. Good luck, and I'll definitely join in!
    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    I for one don't think I'd like the helm of a ship. Look at games like Natural Selection, you don't always get to be commander and not everyone wants to be the commander.
  • VentureJVentureJ
    I know that, but it's also not an MMO, and not so widely popular.
  • RochelleRochelle
    edited June 2011
    I for one don't think I'd like the helm of a ship. Look at games like Natural Selection, you don't always get to be commander and not everyone wants to be the commander.
    You're Worf, I'm Beverly Crusher, and Jason's so Picard because he's beyond gay for that man. We'll make Kevin be LaForge or Data.
    Post edited by Rochelle on
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    edited June 2011
    I know that, but it's also not an MMO, and not so widely popular.
    There is always people that want to play healer, or mage, not always a DPS/Tank badass. I'd wager to say that most people will stick with gunner.
    I for one don't think I'd like the helm of a ship. Look at games like Natural Selection, you don't always get to be commander and not everyone wants to be the commander.
    You're Worf, I'm Beverly Crusher, and Jason's so Picard because he's beyond gay for that man. We'll make Kevin be LaForge or Data.
    It's a bit sad that now I get that reference...
    Post edited by MrRoboto on
  • VentureJVentureJ
    edited June 2011
    I don't think that really applies to a game where you need to rank up to Captain to be able to customize your own ship.

    You're still able to customize your character's equipment/skills if you're playing a Healer/Mage.
    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • RochelleRochelle
    It's a bit sad that now I get that reference...
    No it's not! Perhaps you can be Worf and Q because Q is so many kinda of snarky awesome.
  • AndrewAndrew
    Unless only specific classes can customize certain aspects of the ship. Make the ship a shared resource, not beholden to any one person. the group must all care for it equally.
  • MrRobotoMrRoboto
    I don't think that really applies to a game where you need to rank up to Captain to be able to customize your own ship.

    You're still able to customize your character's equipment/skills if you're playing a Healer/Mage.
    You are assuming that engineers and gunners can only rank up to captain, and not other specializations. Perhaps a gunner can aim for energy weapons or BFG's to be a better asset to the team etc.
  • VentureJVentureJ
    edited June 2011
    Considering the information given, I figured that an Engineer/Gunner would be operating weapons on the ship that were customized by the Captain.

    I guess I assumed wrongly, and my questions are invalid.
    Post edited by VentureJ on
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    edited June 2011
    I'm very much looking forward to this. Here's my question, though: For those who have already purchased the original game, will there be any sort of discount or something? I don't remember how much I paid for it, so disregard my question if it's $10 or less.
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
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