What gave you the idea on the game?
What inspired yous to create/develop everspace ?
Okay, BIG RESPONSE time! I checked in with @RFG_Michael to ensure we got the best details straight-from-the-top as well, so here we go!
EVERSPACE itself stems off one simple element: Taking what we enjoy and know best, and champion it for the PC/Console market. You see, we previously created Galaxy on Fire 1 and 2 for mobile. And after some colorful moments in history, we left that playing field to build EVERSPACE from the ground-up, with more powerful tools, and expanded ideas. We're inspired by many sci-fi stories from all mediums, including childhood games as well. FTL influenced a bit of our progression system, since we were diving into the realm of the roguelike, while the controls stem from games like Descent and Freelancer.
After the commercial success of the orignal EVERSPACE, it actually took us several months to come up with the right ideas and forge a strong vision for EVERSPACE 2 even though the core pillars (fast-paced arcade-y 3D space combat, intuitive controls, stunning visuals) have always been in our hearts. In the end, we decided to drop the roguelike formula and go all-in for an open-world space shooter RPG driven by a compelling single-player story campaign - which is a quite unusual approach for a sequel to a successful first installment of a new IP if you think about it.
However, to really understand what aspects of the original EVERSPACE fans liked and disliked the most, and what they wished for our next game, we also evaluated some 30,000 comments on social media and 5,000 user reviews on Steam. While almost everyone loved the fast-paced 3D space combat and tight Freelancer-inspired controls, the roguelike game loop was clearly not for everyone, especially for those who were hoping for a spiritual successor of Freelancer or Galaxy on Fire 2, which we were best known for back in the day when our previous studio was one of the best in 3D mobile gaming.
We love the freedom of exploration that Elite Dangerous provides the player, as well as the added weight to traveling through the consumption of limited resources and navigation through dangerous territories. But strong storytelling and the arcade-style gameplay of EVERSPACE 2 is less about the simulation of spaceship management and more about jumping into combat, so a lot of the design ends up being dramatically different in comparison.
In fact, Freelancer is our main gameplay reference, which we took a lot of inspiration from both regarding controls and the desire for an open-world experience and deeper storytelling. Our visual look and sound design comes more from Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars, while itemization stems from Destiny and Diablo. Second-to-second combat gets its roots from classic shooters like Halo.
Of course, beyond having been inspired by other iconic sci-fi games to build our vision, we also want EVERSPACE 2 to stand out from its peers, so we are throwing a lot of our own ideas into the mix, especially when it comes to locations filled with lots of points of interest and various activities, which we believe is unique in the space games genre.
Unreal Engine 4! We're happy with this engine for a number of reasons, and Epic has been great working with.In which graphic motor Everspace 2 game is built-in?
From the QA lens, it has to be the balancing of systems. If a looter shooter doesn't have meaningful loot, that's a big problem. If a skill-based shooter doesn't have challenging challenges, that's a big problem.what is the biggest difficulty in creating games? I am new to the area and would like to know how to avoid it if it happens, please haha
Currently no, and it's not likely either. There's a story here.Does it have VR support?
We want to have a big impact when EVERSPACE 2 launches, so we are utilizing new technologies as we see fit. We are experimenting with and utilizing ray tracing in some regard and seeing how it affects performance.Will averspace2 be available on ray tracing technology, especially with the detection of modern Nvidia graphics cards?
EVERSPACE is currently available on the Nintendo Switch! HA! Just keep in mind, it does take a healthy punch to the fidelity.Would it be possible to create a stripped down version of Everspace 1 / 2 for mobile devices - eg. like Everspace for the Nintendo Switch? I'd love to be able to play it on the go, even if it means buying it again.
Yes, absolutely something we'd consider. Sure there'd be a lot to balance through that process, but I think we'd let future Rockfish figure that all out.I know EVERSPACE 2 won't have multiplayer, but if there is an EVERSPACE 3, would multiplayer be something your would consider? Or would the balancing issues be insurmountable? Not complaining, just curious.
Going straight for the throat, eh? I like you.What is the most innovative aspect of the new game?
Yes, we are already looking into end-game situations that provide incentives for the player to keep playing. One of these elements is known as the Ancient Rift, which effectively creates a wormhole through a procedurally generated sector of space for you to overcome. It's almost like a slice of EVERSPACE is plugged into EVERSPACE 2's end-game.I hear that Everspace 2 is going open world with handcrafted environments and non-linear storytelling. I do prefer that, but I was wondering whether there's going to be any procedural generation left over from the first game? That was cool too.
Hardships will always happen, especially when you have multiple brilliant minds with competing perspectives. And we've definitely had our fair share of internal conflict moments here and there. But ultimately, we have each other's backs, which is why we get so passionate about the game we're all working on. We want what's best. So does everyone else. That's the bottom line.How many hardships did you and your crew go through to complete these games(EVERSPACE AND EVERSPACE 2) successfully? And did you ever feel irritated over something while building the game? If so, what is the worst problem or difficulty you and your crew ever faced while building the game?
I love this follow-up question regarding modding!I know this was somewhat already touched on with the question of modding, but will there be a custom area building tool or a custom ship building tool with steam workshop integration? Also will there be multi-monitor support in a way you can have your map, stats, and other HUD items on the other screen?
The focal point of EVERSPACE 2 is from the perspective of a one-man fighter. All the handcrafted environments are modeled with this in mind, and all of the itemization is adjusted with this in mind. Designing around a multi-crew ship changes a LOT, almost as though a new game is created for it.Can I pilot larger ships?
Freelancer is one of several games we've been heavily inspired by. But also note, we're not trying to make some kind of spiritual successor here, either.Is the main focus of the game on exciting action-packed space dog-fights, or is the commodity trading deep enough and interesting enough that a player can enjoy themselves just focusing on 'space trucking'.
I suppose that is a bit subjective. Maybe instead I should ask: How does this game compare to Freelancer
Pulling up my response from above: 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.Will averspace2 be available on ray tracing technology, especially with the detection of modern Nvidia graphics cards?