By: Charles P. Jefferies
Introduction
On Tuesday we brought you an exclusive interview with the developers of the upcoming space MMO, Jumpgate Evolution – today we bring you the follow-up interview where we ask specific questions that you wanted answered!
PCGC Exclusive Follow-UpVideo Interview
You can see our initial article and original two-part video interview here. The follow-up interview is below. Codemasters developer Michael Rowland is first, followed by Net Devil president Scott Brown. Enjoy.
Thanks to everyone on the Jumpgate Evolution US Forum for providing feedback!
Your Questions
Could you tell us more about the ships and talk more about their upgrades?
There will be 150+ ships in the game, from scouts and light fighters to heavy fighters and capital ships. The capital ships will be AI-controlled only; players will fly ships that can be controlled by one human.
The upgrades will include but are not limited to upgraded weapons (laser cannons and projectile weapons), enhanced shielding and armor, and different engines. Some of the upgrades will have trade-offs so you will need to customize your ship carefully. For example, some upgraded shields may give you more protection but your physical health will suffer as a result, so depending on your combat style you may want to go with more shields/less armor or vice versa.
What about the Newtonian physics?
It is rare to see this level of advanced physics in a space game. The Newtonian physics affect how your ship moves and will definitely come into play in Jumpgate Evolution’s FPS-like space combat. For example, when you turn your ship, it will take a moment to get oriented and move in your intended direction. Ships will have damping to help counteract the physics and gravity effects, which can assist in turns; players can turn it off or use it in varying levels to get their desired manoeuvring capability.
How do the first- and third-person views work?
First- and third-person views can be switched between on-the-fly; there will be a cockpit view availble in the first person (this is currently under development). For players using joysticks, first person will be the natural choice.
Are there designated player vs. player (PvP) areas?
There will be designed areas for PvP combat; some areas will be non-PvP for various reasons.
How does the economy work and how is money created?
Factions in Jumpgate Evolution can take over various sectors and control the resources and factories there. Money will flow freely throughout the galaxy. When players kill each other or complete objectives/missions, they can collect money and other items. Items produced in factories can also be sold.
What happens when you die?
Players will not lose all their stuff when they die; rather, they will be able to restart from where they were but have to repair their ships/equipment.
Conclusion
All of the people at Net Devil (Grace Wong and Scott Brown) and Codemasters (Michael Rowland) were extremely accomodating and we would like to give them extra special thanks for allocating us interview time.
We wish them a lot of success with Jumpgate Evolution; please continue to check PCGamingCorner for additional updates and coverage in the future!
Jumpgate Evolution Website
Forum Discussion