Rockfish Games, creators of Everspace 2, AMA

[RFG_Toni]

I’ve been checking out some of the concept art from the press kit and looks like there’s some sort of big space city which looks amazing. Are there plans to have other big structures in addition to space stations and this space city? Something like a Dyson sphere/Alderson disk around a star that captures its energy? Or a massive orbital weapon used by aliens. Or an Orbital Ring/Space Elevator as a means of travel

We are big fans of huge structures! Nevertheless, these assets always come with a massive workload. Therefore, we must be careful with our ideas and visions, they can easily stabbing us in the back. But sometimes we just going crazy and doing what we want! So yeah… there is hope for more of enormous stuff like this. More than hope…

 

[RFG_Thorbo]

Any funny bugs you guys ran into during the development?

I guess quite a few, though it's hard to remember them all. Mostly they consist of wild floating/crashing/clipping big objects, or unfitting sounds/voice lines.

Here's a promiment example:

https://imgur.com/a/lT6AeUu

 

[KnivesSyn]

Whats the process of coming up with different ship devices like?

 

[Bradenj21]

What's your favorite memory while developing the game?

 

[RFG_Erik]

Any cool items in the works for EV1 players?

Whats the process of coming up with different ship devices like?

We want our veteran players to jump into familiar territory with both controls and equipment alike. And while we are completely changing the formula through the itemization, we're making sure to bring back beloved weapons, devices, and all sorts of nuances the player experienced in EVERSPACE.

Coming up with new items is a fun prospect. It usually starts with looking at what we've made before, thinking about what was the most fun (and what wasn't fun at all), and seeing how we can bring new elements into the mix. As an example, EVERSPACE has a cooldown for how quickly missiles can be fired, which is far more noticeable with heavy missiles. But the light missiles can be fun spamming! So we took this concept, and dialed it up to 11: The rocket launcher is effectively a multi-pack light missile barrage weapon (without the homing capabilities). This fills a desired effect (rapid-fire missiles) while still providing familiarity (light missiles) through something new (rocket launcher).

And while some of these new items are created to fill a gap, others are created because they seem fun and appropriate for an open world RPG with lots of exploration. Since you'll be scavenging derelict ships and stations, it makes a lot of sense to have a tool that can move the debris out of the way. Such a simple thing, but it makes a big difference and opens up many new possibilities!

 

[RFG_Erik]

What are some of the ways that we as the community can do to help make your life and the development process easier? Is there anything you would like us to stop doing, or start doing more often?

Being able to work with a community is equal to how willing the community wants to work with you, so it's all about building that relationship up.

I'd say, the main thing that can help us out is by simply listening. A good listener becomes well-informed, and as such becomes a powerful ally through development.

Right behind that, is communicating. Once you've become informed, now is the time to vocalize your findings, your problems, and your solutions. These are the key ingredients to helping bridge the gap between development and player experience. It's the reason why early access exists, and why we use it!

I don't know a single thing that I could say to stop doing, because that sets a dangerous precedence. Certain things are great from certain people. Certain things aren't from other certain people. There's not really a be-all, end-all solution that everyone should do or not do, aside from the standard international rules (i.e. be respectful, be honest, be kind, etc). So, at the end of it, it's all about listening and communicating. In that order. 👍

 

[SHaines]

Thanks for the questions, folks! We're closing out the AMA now, but we really appreciate all of you stopping by to learn more about ROCKFISH Games and EVERSPACE 2!

 

[SWard]

Thank you so much for being with us Rockfish! We loved it!