Hello Citizens!

Welcome to another episode of DevChat, this time covering July 31st and August 1st!

First, a brief explainer. DevChat combs through the RSI chat logs, and picks out any interesting comments made by Devs. It amalgamates them, and puts them here, with quotes. While I try to provide context to the comments made by Devs here, these comments sometimes have a very off-the-cuff nature, and everything here should be taken, maybe not with a grain of salt, but for what it is. Interesting, helpful, though not always 100% official, information.

That said, here comes DevChat!

DevChat

July 31

While I’m not going to post most of it here, because it’s not terribly interesting, it is worth noting that Will Leverett spent hours in the Chat on July 31st, helping sort out problems with the launcher / build for PTU 1.1.6.

Testing

Will Leverett is working on putting together a more ‘persistent’ testing group of players, to have them test specific features, get more focused feedback, and help make the game work better, faster.

(3:25:14 PM) WLeverett.CIG: If we get some coordinated testing such as “Test these features today” with some reporting that’s built in a way that we can easily analyze the data, players can have a better voice in helping make the game better. (3:26:23 PM) WLeverett.CIG: Also, I am very excited about the new Bug Issue Council which will replace the forums for reporting bugs. It’s going to be bad ass and let’s you see active bugs that others have reported that you can repro, or submit your own.

(12:24:42 PM) sladuog: WLeverett.CIG: but nobody can test any rec items… (12:25:21 PM) WLeverett.CIG: No, you will have to fly with stock items right now for PTU. We’ll change that in the future. In the meantime, you can come Will Leverett’s PTU Navy and still help. :D

Component & Damage systems

As usual, lots of discussion from Matt Sherman about the component and damage systems.

Every ship and weapon is going to be changed with the new component and damage systems, but everything will still have its strengths and weaknesses. The system sounds complex, but it sounds like it’ll help the game a lot in the end.

(1:43:35 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Every ship/weapon/etc is getting changed as all the new components and damage system roll out. (1:47:18 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: But everything is still going to have its strengths/weaknesses, nothing is going to be a defacto-win-ship.

(3:19:20 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: It’s so complex though, we have to break it into chunks and roll things out piece by piece, but it’s also putting more priority on some other systems that need to be built out.

(4:36:45 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: The current damage system is more hard-fixed values, but the physically based damage system in the works will be based on F=mv, though it will still have some abstraction needed for balance reasons.

Sounds like Matt Sherman has been working on the components update for the past four months or so, but that it will help fill out a lot improvements for the game.

(9:46:57 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: 4mo of component work so far, still plenty left to do. But it’s gonna be great when it’s all running live. (9:47:41 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: But it’s causing so many needed improvements for the game. The physical size of the weapons isn’t going to be comical anymore, ballistic barrels will match the rounds they’re firing, every component will have its place. Going to be grea.t (9:48:04 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Just need to get a few more parts prototyped out, but we need to get the Gamescom demo in the bag before that can happen.

Ships

Apparently the Scythe blade is working, if you have one to fly. Switch to its weapon group, treat it like a missile, and you should be able to get it to work.

(1:48:12 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Scythe blade should already be working if you have one to fly. (1:49:05 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: switch to its weapon group and treat it more like a missile.

From Ben, the Vanguard is a concept model right now, meaning it’s not in CryEngine, but apparently Gurmukh has done such a solid job that CIG may be able to reuse more than they usually do. Plus, the Vanguard really needs the physically based damage system and armour changes, so it can live up to its selling specs.

(6:36:31 PM) CIG Ben Lesnick: The Vanguard is a concept model right now, meaning it’s not in CryEngine at all. But Gurmukh did such a solid job we may be able to reuse more than we usually do. (6:37:37 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Vanguard also needs to have the internal components it’ll be using built out, plus it’d really need the upcoming physically based damage system and armor changes to really live up to its selling specs.

Some nice news on the Tali; the turret guns won’t be the S1’s that it currently has in the hangar-ready version, and the shields are a lot more powerful than what was listed at the time of sale.

(7:31:07 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: I can’t speak to any sort of major overhauls, but one thing I can say about the Retaliator is more than likely, the turrent guns won’t be the piddly S1’s that are on the hangar ready version. (7:31:17 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: And the shields are a lot more powerful than what was listed at the time of sale.

Errata

More confirmations that procedural planets are a long ways out, but also a mention that we might see procedural encounters a lot sooner than procedural planets.

(7:39:42 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: We’ll probably have a few planets for exploring more than cities, but it’s not going to be like NMS where you can land/explore any planet you want at any time. (7:43:14 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Ya, procedural content isn’t really going to be major environments initially. Asteroid fields, sure, but don’t expect procedural planets for a long ways out. (7:45:08 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Yup, though one thing people usually discredit or don’t think of with procedural that we CAN leverage sooner is procedural encounters.

Some talk about careers and characters. No ‘class list’ like in an MMO.

(4:02:04 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Eh, right now there’s no plan for a rigid “select career” like you’d pick a class in an MMO. It’s more about what are you doing moment to moment. (4:03:27 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Character list, ya, but it’s still not something where each character would have some rigid profession or career assignment.

You can’t pilot a ship if you’re wearing heavy armour (possibly)

(4:14:59 PM) CIG Matt Sherman: Some armor suits aren’t going to work for pilot seats, like afaik, you can’t pilot in heavy armor.

The Gamescom demo should be full of landings, so be afraid of it going horribly wrong. Also, GamesCom will show off cool things, CitizenCon should be a more in-depth roadmap to when those things will come.

(6:31:18 PM) CIG Ben Lesnick: The demo next week is full of landings, be afraid :D

(6:34:06 PM) CIG Ben Lesnick: I think CitizenCon will get a more in-depth roadmap.

August 1

A Saturday. Much like any other Saturday. And thankfully, not much chatter from the CIG Devs. They stayed home, resting their weary fingers, closing their eyes, dreaming of starships and beer, and all was well with the world.