Rockfish Games, creators of Everspace 2, AMA

[RFG_Uyu]

I suppose 2 questions, how long did it take to make the gace from inception to release date? Second would be can I run this smoothly on a GTX 970?

Hi! We made up the first ideas and concepts in the year 2017 (I even checked our internal Wiki-tool for the first entries because I feel it's ages ago.) We will release the game in early 2022. So from the first idea to release it will take us about 5 years. Wow, now that I see this myself again, this is a lot of time!

@RFG_Michael gave a comprehensive answer to hardware specs. Read it below.

[...] On a PC gaming rig with an i7 and an RTX 2070 Super, ES2 runs on epic settings in 4K at 60 fps most of the time at its current Alpha development stage (aka not fully optimized yet).

At the low end of the hardware spectrum, I'm currently playing the Alpha in 1080p at 30+ fps on my 6-yo gaming notebook with 16 GB of RAM, powered by an i7 @2.6 GHz and a GTX 970M, which looks still a bit better than ES1 on low settings (probably because of pre-calculated IG in ES2 vs. real-time lighting in ES1, but I'm walking on thin ice here).

Recommended specs will probably be close to my 2-yo gaming notebook with 16 GB of RAM, powered by an i7 @2.9 GHz and a GTX 1080, capable of running ES2 with mostly epic settings in 1080p at stable 30 fps.

For the final game, the goal is to hit 4K at super-stable 60 fps on an RTX 2070 Super or equivalent on high+ to full epic graphics settings.

In any way, you definitely(!) want to run ES2 on an SSD - the faster, the better! Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

 

[Narcos]

What is the process at Rockfish Games from the birth of an idea to realization? How many ideas have been shot down due to budgetary, technical or ridiculous reasons? What are some of the craziest ideas you (or the crew) have had that didn't make it into ES1 / ES2?

 

[RFG_Thorbo]

Hi so the game is based on what kind of story

It's an origin story we created with Everspace 1. Here's a deep dive to our narrative. If you want to know the whole story of the predecessor @RFG_Erik made a video where all story sequences are aligned.

Uhh, so many questions... tldr. So sorry if repeating something:

How's the monetization model going to be (read: pay once, be done with it or new incentives coming along at a steady pace)?

Yes it will be pay once, play always. We believe that micro transactions don't belong in a single player game. It's hard to tell though, if and what kind of DLCs there might be in the future, as we can't even say what exactly will make it into the release, yet. I can promise though, that we aim for the best experience possible at release.

 

[Skeletal]

Are there any hopes of a radio/jukebox for our ships in the future? In space no one can hear you sing karaoke

 

[RFG_Michael]

Planning any RTX optimizations for the new 3000 series of cards?

DLSS 2.0 is high on our list. We also saw some promising early test results with RT shadows. However, they don't work correctly within the double-precision range of numbers that we're using for ES2, yet. We have to wait for Epic to fix the issue in an upcoming version for UE4. Generally, RT reflections don't make a lot of sense in open-space games, so you most likely won't see those in ES2.

 

[RFG_Uyu]

Are there any hopes of a radio/jukebox for our ships in the future? In space no one can hear you sing karaoke

We once thought this might be a good idea for a Kickstarter stretch goal. Ultimately, we scrapped it and but it on a long long list of "nice to haves" because of course this is a ton of work and not time spent on the core gameplay mechanics which are really near and dear for us. But hey, here's hoping.

 

[GiveawayRat]

Hi Eric,
Have you always wanted to be a developer or you just ended up being one? Congrats on your achievements btw.

 

[RFG_Uyu]

What is the process at Rockfish Games from the birth of an idea to realization? How many ideas have been shot down due to budgetary, technical or ridiculous reasons? What are some of the craziest ideas you (or the crew) have had that didn't make it into ES1 / ES2?

The process for ideas, be it gameplay or art, is rather uncomplicated. Gameplay ideas generally are prototyped fast and being tested by the whole team in gameplay tests. Then we discuss them after we tested them. There are other gameplay ideas that are not so easy to prototype fast - these we jot down in our own wiki type tool and comment on them. Everybody is free to do so. Vice Versa every team member (we are about 20ish) is able to pitch ideas for missions, art, gameplay features, weapons, everything that makes the game more fun and immersive.
How many ideas have been shot down? Of course, we all try to stick to basic common sense so you won't see anyone on the team being "let's add multiplayer lul, easy!". Because that's hard and we know it! So we mostly know if a pitch of an idea makes even sense or is a waste of time and money.
We have a lot of crazy ideas but we are an experienced team and generally know what we can do and what we cannot do, because either we suck at it or it's not in our budget (meaning not unlimited time to develop a feature and don't come up with a product). We are an independent studio and pay all our bills ourselves. Which is good!

 

[Red Rum is Yum]

In gof 2, when docking at a station, we would have the splash screen of our ship docked inside. If we click on space lounge, the screen would transition to a bar where we could tap on npc’s and get jobs from them. So whilst we couldn’t walk around a station, we did get this immersive feeling of going to different rooms in a station.
Can we expect something like this in Everspace 2? As an example, if we go to the ship dealer, the screen will transition to some sort of garage inside the station. If we click on job board it could transition to an equivalent space lounge? If we click on shop it would change the screen to something that looks like a shop.

 

[RFG_HCK]

In gof 2, when docking at a station, we would have the splash screen of our ship docked inside. If we click on space lounge, the screen would transition to a bar where we could tap on npc’s and get jobs from them. So whilst we couldn’t walk around a station, we did get this immersive feeling of going to different rooms in a station.
Can we expect something like this in Everspace 2? As an example, if we go to the ship dealer, the screen will transition to some sort of garage inside the station. If we click on job board it could transition to an equivalent space lounge? If we click on shop it would change the screen to something that looks like a shop.

Currently, there is only a transition when visiting the ship dealer. But it's not a proper hangar where the ships are standing in a line waiting to be sold. Since the shop and mission menus fill the whole screen we thought it would be a waste of resources to build (many different) interiors that we then have to blur so you can see the UI. I liked the space lounge in GOF2 and I liked it in Freelancer but we would have had to build the UI differently. I know, it's immersive when done right. But we had to put the focus (and the money) on other things. But who knows, the game is not finished yet...

 

[RFG_Erik]

Star Wars or Star Trek ?

@RFG_Michael: Star Trek by a long shot, especially the reboot movies.

@RFG_Thorbo: Star Wars all the way, but I don't dislike Star Trek.

@RFG_Toni: Lightsaber! But my father had pushed Star Trek a lot, so it also has a place in my heart.

@RFG_HCK: Star Wars! But I also like Star Trek though I didn't watch a lot because there were too many series.

@RFG_Uyu: This might be the most lame answer but I actually like both.

@RFG_Uwe: Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.

@RFG_Erik: Oh man there are so many angles of why you'd choose one over the other, this isn't a fair question! Regarding Star Trek: I lean towards more Picard than Kirk, but love the innovation and exploration of futuristic concepts! Regarding Star Wars: I'm a massive fan of the original trilogy and a healthy dosage of the expanded universe.

 

[Red Rum is Yum]

Currently, there is only a transition when visiting the ship dealer. But it's not a proper hangar where the ships are standing in a line waiting to be sold. Since the shop and mission menus fill the whole screen we thought it would be a waste of resources to build (many different) interiors that we then have to blur so you can see the UI. I liked the space lounge in GOF2 and I liked it in Freelancer but we would have had to build the UI differently. I know, it's immersive when done right. But we had to put the focus (and the money) on other things. But who knows, the game is not finished yet...

Completely understand! Thanks for the answer. In any case, whatever you feel is best and doesn’t waste your time is fine by me

 

[RFG_Erik]

Hi Eric,
Have you always wanted to be a developer or you just ended up being one? Congrats on your achievements btw.

It started when I was 10 years old, with StarFox 64. I played that game over and over and over again, both in the demo section of Wal-Mart while my mom shopped around, and at home that Christmas when it was brought into my family's world. This was the first game I started breaking down and analyzing, asking questions like, "why does this work this way," and "why do I find this fun."

I ended up being the annoying kid in school for this too, by the way. My friends were always like, "yeah you should play this game, it's fun!" And it turns out, "but why is it fun" is not a very engaging or appropriate question for 5th graders I guess, since it is met with "I don't know, it just is." But this was what I wanted to find out!

From that point, I began analyzing games for fun, about as much as playing them. And I doodled all the time in classes, as well. My depictions were of space combat, fantasy characters, board game tokens, and user interface design.

So, while my initial career took me into the arts, I've really been a developer at heart for over 20 years, starting when I was merely 10. I don't have the professional collegiate experience, but my hands-on is extensive!

 

[HazardousWaste]

Min system requirements?

 

[Spike Badguy]

What does the Corrosion Injector do? What are it's mechanics?

 

[RFG_Erik]

Min system requirements?

This question has come up a few times so we've added it in the initial post as well. Thanks for your question!

In the current alpha (still lacking optimization): 4K, 60fps can currently be achieved with an i7 and an RTX 2070 Super.
6-yo gaming notebook with 16 GB of RAM, i7 @2.6 GHz and GTX 970M still pulls of 1080p at 30fps.
Recommended specs (PENDING) are likely going to be around 16 GB of RAM, i7 @2.9 GHz, GTX 1080. This will likely achieve epic settings at 1080p with stable 30 fps.
The goal is to hit 4K at super-stable 60 fps on an RTX 2070 Super or equivalent on high+ graphics settings.

 

[RFG_Erik]

What does the Corrosion Injector do? What are it's mechanics?

Here, let me show you!
(This is taken while the player is at level 10. The numbers can certainly change around, and likely will, through development.)

 

[Arktilas]

Can you play with controller?

 

[RFG_Erik]

Can you play with controller?

Absolutely, good sir! And if you're wondering if you can change control schemes (for consoles) or customize buttons exactly to your liking (on PC), you absolutely can.

 

[Astrowheel]

Hello! How long does it take to create the concept art? Is there a team member that can always be relied on to create the craziest designs?

 

[Arktilas]

Awsome

 

[SirDirtbag]

Will you be having any crossovers or content inspired from the likes of Star Trek and whatnot? I think it'd be fun to have a cool little easter egg like the Borg cube that'd annihilate you if you got too close.

Nerding out here of course, but I'd really like to see this being a possibility.

 

[No_Surprizes]

When is the game coming out?

 

[RFG_Erik]

Will you take advance of the new SSDs that are appearing so the loading s are not impacted so much?

Seems we let this question slip through without a direct response, so let me fix that! Here's the official quote from @RFG_Michael:

...you definitely(!) want to run ES2 on an SSD - the faster, the better! Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

To give further clarity on this, we'd absolutely like to take advantage of the latest technology to give you guys the best gaming experience possible, be it loading in assets or constant stability.

 

[RFG_Erik]

When is the game coming out?

We're currently in an alpha phase, getting ready to transition into a beta THIS MONTH. Both of these are closed for internal and exclusive testing, however.

Otherwise, early access (which will be OPEN to jump into) begins DECEMBER this year. And the full v1.0 release is schedule for the beginning of 2022. It sounds like a long ways away, and it kind of is, but it also means we can take great care working with the community and making EVERSPACE 2 the best it can be.