DarkStar One Interview

[falcon]

GamingNexus is running an interview (http://www.gamingnexus.com/Default.aspx?Section=Article&I=1156) with Alan Wild, the product manager for DarkStar One, about their recently released space adventure game.

GamingNexus: Most gamers are used to upgrading to different ships as they progress through the game (each more powerful than the last). In DarkStar One you only have one game which you upgrade over time, how do you keep the gamer interested in having the same ship over time? Will the cockpit change at all as you upgrade or is it the same throughout the game?

Alan Wild: Having more ships and less upgrade options wasn’t an option for us that we felt would fit well within DarkStar One. In an RPG you play one character, and you gain an affinity to that character. This is the feeling we wanted to convey in DarkStar One. Therefore, as the game progresses and the ship becomes more and more powerful, there are more and more items and options for creating the ship that you want to control.

[UnderHero5]

I tried the demo of this yesterday. I wasn't too impressed. The control options were limited (couldn't swap yaw and roll controls on my X52 in game, didn't bother checking any .ini's). It ran kind of crappy for it's graphics...
I mean, the game looks nice, but not as nice as X3, and X3 runs twice as well on my machine at full settings @1280x1024.

[bean19]

Underhero5 - Is it as obnoxious to control as X3? Is there a tutorial? A story? Gameplay that the game leads you to instead of leaving you to maybe find it?

I like the open-ended-ness of these games, but I hated X3's approach of leaving even the controls and purpose a complete mystery to the player.

[Rifter]

X3 has a near vertical learning curve. Hell, I have put in 4 or 5 hours... and I STILL feel like I have only scratched the surface. I think Dark Star One is more approchable, which is why I am looking forward to it. AND, unlike X3... DS1 does NOT feature Starforce!!!

There are just not enough games in this genre. I have already pre-ordered this game. Should be in today! :-)

[emjoi]

So does it have that orange beachball monster, and sentient planet busting bombs?

[Khash]

Dark Star One is far more simple and straight forward then X3. Of course, it's also not nearly as complex. No player-owned stations or capital ships. But you don't need a degree in macro-economics to figure it out. As a huge fan of games like Freespace, Dark Star One is a very welcome sight.

[bean19]

Khash - Well, I'm sure most of us here are smart enough to figure out X3. The problem is not the intelligence of the target audience, but that they overestimate our willingness to work at having fun. If you find that your game design has such oxymoronical guidelines as needing your playerbase to _work_ to have _fun_, then it is probably time to start over.