Rockfish Games, creators of Everspace 2, AMA

[RFG_HCK]

Any plans for an everspace 3 do you think? ❤

Let's finish this on first, ok?

 

[Misfire]

What was your favorite music track from ES1? What about your favorite so far from ES2? Any snippet of it you can share?

 

[RFG_HCK]

Will the locations we can explore only be within the different star systems? Or are there plans to have locations outside of a system in the middle of no where?

Currently, all locations are within star systems. There will also be some unusual ones systems with strange anomalies. Locations in the middle of nowhere would have no sun so there would just be darkness. I think that's not something we want.

Are there plans for fleet based super weapons and Larger fleet class ships to form battle-groups? In turn large scale campaigns between clans/ AI?

Yes, we would like that. It's just not implemented yet. It's a question of performance and balancing.

 

[RFG_HCK]

Did Everspace (1) ever have a different name at one point before its release? Like, for example, a place holder name? Plus, what inspired a name like Everspace? It sounds fun and catchy, but it's not something I could see coming off the top of my head; which is to say it's unique without being long-winded. I always find little trivia tidbits like this fun.

Yes, we had a long list of ideas. Can't find the list anymore but EVERSPACE was not on it. If I remember correctly our technical artist just said it out aloud someday (probably when thinking about Everquest) and everyone was like "Yes, that sounds good!". Until then, we called it RSG (Rockfish Space Game) which still is the project name and folder name for save files.

 

[Mangraz]

How much of the original design philosophy behind GoF do you think still remains in the DNA of the Everspace games?

 

[RFG_HCK]

How long did you spend on making this new game?
Did you fail along the way? Any cool things you learned from that experience?

It hink we started with writing down ideas in late 2017, programming began later in 2018.
We wanted to start from scratch and only took some code from ES1 over to ES2. The most important thing for us in the beginning was to quickly restore the ES1 flight behavior. After that we worked on the item system and the world design. No big fails to mention here. And we are learning more and more each day, mainly that this project is much much bigger than ES1

 

[RFG_Michael]

Yes, we had a long list of ideas. Can't find the list anymore but EVERSPACE was not on it. If I remember correctly our technical artist just said it out aloud someday (probably when thinking about Everquest) and everyone was like "Yes, that sounds good!". Until then, we called it RSG (Rockfish Space Game) which still is the project name and folder name for save files.

Actually, RSG stands for Roguelike Space Game as former working title of the predecessor of ES2

 

[RFG_HCK]

Actually, RSG stands for Roguelike Space Game as former working title of the predecessor of ES2

Oh, right! It's been a long time...

 

[gabcdv]

Do new players need to play the first Everspace to understand how to play this new one?

 

[tgieph]

What space sci-fi fanbase do you think would go nuts for your game?

 

[MrRichTea]

Are you working on any DLC / GOTY editions?

 

[janiii]

How are you going to ensure that the game stays interesting for the long-haul, not just for the immediate release?

 

[RFG_HCK]

How much of the original design philosophy behind GoF do you think still remains in the DNA of the Everspace games?

There's still a bit in there. The game slowly opens up and after a while you can go wherever you want to. There are story missions and jobs, shops, ship vendors, you can freely equip your ship. I'd say in EVERSPACE there is more action and exploration whereas in GOF there was more faction gameplay and trading (although this will still find its way into EVERSPACE 2). EVERSPACE is a more mature series. We are still fans of silly jokes but now it just feels different, more elaborate.

 

[Cosmos96]

Are you going to get more people for the game? So a bigger studio?

 

[RFG_Erik]

@RFG_Erik not a question I just want to say I downloaded the Prototype last week and very much enjoyed it, the first thing I did was warp to another system and fly directly into a planet to see if it would kill me or force me to turn before crashing. I'm glad it killed me as it should.

It's looking to become a favourite space sim of mine and I look forward to the full release.

It's always great to hear praise and know we're moving in the right direction; the team is thankful for your words, and we're excited to show you what's next!

 

[Crygon]

I'm trying to get back into gaming after having a kid but have limited time (2-3 hours per week). Can you easily come back after a week without playing and continue? IE. Are the controls/story/tasks complex, where you'd have to replay aspects to pick back up?

 

[RFG_Erik]

What was your favorite music track from ES1? What about your favorite so far from ES2? Any snippet of it you can share?

There are some seriously POPPIN' combat tracks that Gero (Sound & Video Director) has put together. My favorite in ES1 is titled, "Dogs in Space," which you can listen to from our Wiki (in a slightly lower quality version than what's in the game). It's number 38 on the list.

Original Soundtrack

Everspace has a 69-track Original Soundtrack, which was composed by Gero Goerlich, ROCKFISH Games' Sound and Video Director. The soundtrack is included with the Deluxe Edition DLC, as both .flac and .mp3 files. The files here have been compressed and are lower quality than the original files...

everspace.gamepedia.com

Otherwise, the tracks in ES2 are coming along quite well though its hard to pick favorites since there are more to come...BUT STILL, if you check out this livestream we did a couple weeks back, at this timestamp, I'm quite the fan of this ES2 track during my attack on these poor, helpless G&B convoys:

View: https://youtu.be/Ftvl4TvUjaA?t=6183

 

[RFG_Erik]

Do new players need to play the first Everspace to understand how to play this new one?

You don't NEED to, but there is a strong story tie-in for those who have played EVERSPACE before diving into EVERSPACE 2. If you're a lore-junkie, at the very least I highly encourage reading up on the story so far.

Veteran players are going to have a good sense of the controls and may start off with an advantage as well, while newcomers may take a little more time to get acclimated.

You should check out our narrative deep-dive here:
https://forums.pcgamer.com/threads/rockfish-games-studio-spotlight-narrative-deep-dive.5797/

 

[RFG_Erik]

What space sci-fi fanbase do you think would go nuts for your game?

EVERSPACE 2 is aimed largely at those who enjoy fast-paced space combat, pick-up-and-play controls, 15-30 minute play sessions if needed, space exploration, story-driven narratives, and extensive ship customization.

As such, I think we'd appeal to a wide variety of fanbases, including (but not limited to) Freespace, Freelancer, Privateer, Elite, Star Citizen, Star Wars, and Star Trek.

 

[RFG_Erik]

Are you working on any DLC / GOTY editions?

Not yet, first we need to make a game.

We do have a game plan and some ideas for DLC, but that process occurs after the base game is satisfied AND there is a desire for more. Otherwise, we'll likely make some kind of package deal to get the full ES2 experience in the future, much like we created for ES1.

 

[RFG_Erik]

How are you going to ensure that the game stays interesting for the long-haul, not just for the immediate release?

Depends on what you're looking for from a game. I think there are some...interesting...mentalities to expect from game developers in the present. We at Rockfish do not want to be creating an ever-evolving, constantly-updated game. We're selling EVERSPACE 2 at a premium price (one and done), and we want to make sure it is a fully implemented - and working as intended - experience for all.

We use early access as a way to gather important player feedback and suggestions to build into the game, making it the best it can be through our vision and through your engagement. After the game's full release, we'll likely patch elements here and there for better performance, balance changes, and additional features that could help the overall product.

From a gameplay perspective, we are making sure that we hit a 20-30 hour campaign for players in it just for a story, with the ability to explore an open world at your leisure for however long you want. And then, of course, we're also looking towards end-game content when you've maxed out your level but still looking for things to do, to add another layer of content and purpose to continue playing the game.

At the very, very least, even the most frugal will see a 20-hour game out of all of this. But the depth of the content should keep players engaged and excited for much longer.

 

[RFG_Erik]

Are you going to get more people for the game? So a bigger studio?

The team has since doubled in size from EVERSPACE to EVERSPACE 2. Which is appropriate for the scope and scale of our vision!

 

[RFG_Erik]

I'm trying to get back into gaming after having a kid but have limited time (2-3 hours per week). Can you easily come back after a week without playing and continue? IE. Are the controls/story/tasks complex, where you'd have to replay aspects to pick back up?

It's one of our foundational rules at Rockfish to ensure our product is pick-up-and-play, so you can dedicate tens of minutes to a single play session, or pound out the long haul of a multi-hour space trek!

Also, I have 5 kids myself. And my oldest is 5 years old. So I totally understand limited time per week, per day, per hour...hang on I think my wife needs something, brb.

 

[HelenW151]

Will there be an Everspace 3?

 

[RFG_Erik]

Will there be an Everspace 3?

I mean, we hope so...but we're working on EVERSPACE 2 right now, still in an alpha phase, pretty focused on that. I think it'd be a bit silly to start planning/developing another game while we're in the midst of this one, hehe.