Kat, Aoloebio, and Jim SGR Dev Chat! ( #stargate-resistance )

Where am I? Home / Past Events / Kat, Aoloebio, and Jim SGR Dev Chat! ( #stargate-resistance )

( 1 Vote )

This is the chat transcript from the channel #Stargate-Resistance on February 5th, 2010. In total, we had more than 100 questions asked. Feel free to go over them below. We will post a revised revision of this text below at a later date to allow you to directly link to the question and answer.

We also released four really-high-resolution screenshots mainly of the Stargate in SGR on the Earth map from the Goa'uld side. You can get those by downloading this torrent: http://replayirc.com/rircsgr.torrent or via this ZIP download, http://zoeff.replayirc.com/ReplayIRC-SGR.zip. In total, they are 85MB.

If you have a ReplayIRC account, feel free to login with it to the right and post a comment or your thoughts at the bottom of the article.

<bc> Welcome Kat, Jim, Khestral and Aoloebio to the chat today.
<bc> Feel free to introduce yourself :D
<CME_Aoloebio> Hi everybody!
<CME_FireskyJim> I'm Jim Brown, Creative Director
<CME_Khestral> Hey all good to see you all here :D
<CME_Aoloebio> I am one of the level designers here at firesky.
<CME_FireskyKat> Hello! I'm a producer on Stargate Resistance, glad to see everyone here!
<CME_FireskyJim> Oooh, Kat's Dev Diary video coming soon! ;-)
<CME_FireskyKat> you heard it here first
<bc> Awesome :D

Question from supremeaaron: will existing worlds have extra maps added? i.e. Piramess
<CME_FireskyKat> Yes we are already working on expansion content which will include unlockables tied to rank / experience etc.

Question from supremeaaron: will there be unlockable gear/weapons/armor as you gain galactic domination and personal experience points?
<CME_Aoloebio> Achievements will be used as a base point to unlock more weaponry and gear for certain classes.

Question from Kami: I guess you have reused a lot of the models and props from the Stargate Worlds?
<CME_FireskyJim> Actually, while we've used some things from SGW, a vast amount of the art and assets were created specifically for SGR

Question from supremeaaron: How will the ranking system work in SGR? Will it be like colonel for human and primta for goa'uld, ashrak and others for Jaffa or will they all be the same?
<CME_FireskyKat> The two factions do have different and appropriate ranks

Question from Kami: Where will we able to see out achievements, in the game and possibly also on the website?
<CME_Aoloebio> Achievements are visable on the class tab after a player has logged in. We have plans to display achievements outside of the game on a website as well.

Question from Kami: What kind of update system will the game use? Judging by the weekend street test it will use the built-in updater and Steam / D2D other similar websites will only be used for purchasing and initial download (patches and other ext...(question cut off)
<CME_FireskyJim> We use our own patcher/launcher, that will keep you updated, but you'll also be able to download patches, and the main client will be kept updated.

Question from Grover: will people be able to make custom game modes for SGR?
<CME_Aoloebio> Custom content is being created by the development team for post-launch and is tied in to the galactic domination. Therefore we need to keep content creation to the dev team.

Question from Murzin: is the reason that player hosted dedicated servers not available at launch because the servers are using netcode optimized for SGW and a player hosted dedicated server will be available when one is released that uses SGR netcode
<CME_FireskyJim> At present, we have stats, achievements and ranking/leveling that require secure code to be fun/fair. We will implement systems shortly to allow people to run their own servers unranked. and also working with partners to provide servers and facilities to allow ranked player run servers

Question from Mobu: How easy is it to pick up the controls - is it intuitive?
<CME_FireskyKat> We have made the controls as familiar as possible using some gaming standards as well as keeping controls fairly similar between the classes. Of course we have an online user guide to offer help if needed and custom key-bind options.

Question from yellowperil: Will there be any EU servers at launch ?
<CME_Aoloebio> We are using Hypernia to host our servers at launch. They have EU servers, and as our player base grows we will meet their needs.

Question from RIRCGuest891: Just curious, for humans, what rank basis(if at all) are you using(Airmen ranks? Army Ranks? Marine Corps?)? And will you start out as E-1 or O-1(An E-1 would be enlisted, starting off as Airman Basic, O-1 would be 2nd Lieutenant.
<CME_FireskyJim> Ranks for the SGC are indeed based on the air force, starting with airman, but jumping into the officers ranks midway through (guess you passed the officers course ;-). System Lords have their own rank system, as closely matched to the very little info we have from the show as possible

Question from RIRCGuest605: Will SG:R be coming to Steam?
<CME_FireskyKat> We are currently in discussions with Steam, we don't have a date that we can share with you, but will provide an update as soon as we can

Question from Murzin: will a player usable tool-set eventually be released for the community to make mods?
<CME_FireskyKat> It is something that we are considering for future as we know it would be very popular :-) Right now with our Global Domination system where each battle matters, we need to keep things in house to make certain that system stays secure, fair, and fun!

Question from yellowperil: Will we be able to have clan badges/tages ingame ?
<CME_Aoloebio> A player can set their display name when they create a FireSky account and they can add clan tags via that system

Question from yellowperil: will there be a web page were we can see our stats, and will we be able to get banners to show these stats for forum use ?
<CME_FireskyJim> Yes, we'll have a website that shows you all of your stats. That will get more robust in the coming weeks after launch, as we track MANY more stats than are show in the game client. Support for external systems to grab the stats will be explored post launch

Question from Murzin: is CME hosting the server browser or is another vendor like steam hosting the server browser ?
<CME_Aoloebio> We are hosting the server list shown in the galactic map screen.

Question from supremeaaron: will we see an expansion involving the Pegasus galaxy and a playable map with Atlantis?
<CME_FireskyJim> I'd really like to explore Atlantis, and visit the Pegasus galaxy, and Jonathan is DYING to make an Atlantis map. But we need to see how the movie resolves Atlantis, so that will likely be a later expansion

Question from supremeaaron: what time can will the dev video be up at today?
<CME_FireskyKat> by end of day today...I will also post on Facebook to announce it

Question from RetroX: If play now, and SGW does eventually get released will there by any perks for supporting you guys?
<CME_FireskyJim> I'd love to do some level of tie in for SGW and SGR, but right now, we're not exactly certain how some of the SGW elements will resolve. We'll certainly be in the same universe ;-). And perhaps there will be some SGW goodies for SGR achievements, etc.

Question from yellowperil: are there any Easter eggs in the maps, secret rooms, etc?
<CME_Aoloebio> If such a thing were to exist, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you!

Question from Ihavenoname: Will the FAU Riot Suit, Gold P90, Renzette Combat Regalia, and Nakesh Gauntlet for cosmetic effects only?
<CME_FireskyKat> Yes the combat packs available currently are cosmetic, in the future there will be unlockable weapons in the future which do have an ingame effect.

Question from Kami: How many people have worked and are currently working on SGR (programmers, artists, composers, qa team, etc.)?
<CME_Aoloebio> We have a credits screen which will indicate the staff past and present here at FireSky that have worked on the game.

Question from yellowperil: Is the game still on target for its release date ?
<CME_FireskyJim> Yep. We're considering on turning servers on a bit early for preorders. How early? Well, let's keep checking with the engineers about that.

Question from Ihavenoname: Will future expansions be free or will there be a price to it?
<CME_FireskyKat> We will have both free and paid content expansions. Shortly after launch there will be a free DLC containing a new map and gametype as well as some new achievements and other goodies.

Question from Murzin: for the key binding options, is there a text file or text config file for people to edit/modify their binds manually so they can bind multiple actions to a single key press ala the source engine? or is it only configurable in-game.
<CME_Aoloebio> The keybinding options from in game can be set outside of the game in a config file. However only one command can be set to any given key.

Question from [3pa]: How do you plan to be competitive against games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2?
<CME_FireskyJim> Last I checked... neither of those have a stargate ;-).

Question from Ihavenoname: I saw in the game play trailer that some guy died from a Goa'uld without firing once even when facing the Goa'uld. Does this mean the weapon can jam?
<CME_Aoloebio> A function of the Goa'uld ribbon device is that it debilitates the targeted player, thus removing their ability to move and rotate and even fire. However the drawback to using this weapon is that it requires concentration and any damage will interupt your focus.

Question from supremeaaron: Kat do you own many cats?
<CME_FireskyKat> I once owned a cat, then learned I am allergic to cats. Irony no?

Question from RebelArms: Will there be a Character leveling system (ranks etc?)
<CME_FireskyJim> Yes. And MAYBE you'll need to be a certain rank to unlock certain achievements, or complete certain ones...

Question from Ankios: in the end, will the preorder be available only on D2D or will we be able to preorder in on another website?
<CME_FireskyKat> With our current launch date that does seem likely doesn't it? However we are considering some type of "event" when the other purchasing options become available.

Question from supremeaaron: can we see space combat? like say over Piramess to try and break down the System Lord blockade.
<CME_Aoloebio> The current set of maps does not contain any space based action. We do have lots of plans/ideas floating around in our heads and we all would like to incorporate features like these in future maps.

Question from Floyd: Why did you funnel funds into this instead of SGW; How was that a positive funding choice?
<CME_FireskyJim> No funneling, and it was the only choice at the time. Economy tanked, money ran out at peak burn for SGW. This keeps studio alive, and is a game we're excited about. SGW kept alive, and moving forward.

Question from supremeaaron: In the class diary entries, the SGC team is called "SG Regiment 2" is that not a bit non called since all teams are called SG1 up to SG24 or 26?
<CME_FireskyJim> Yes, the original SG teams were numbered. But, that was when the teams were small, specifically designed to explore and defend. Now, we're at war. So the SGC has formed larger units. Similar to the ship crews, etc.

Question from supremeaaron: how much will the armour/ emote kits cost to buy and what will they contain? Also will their be a description of them up on the SGR site soon?
<CME_FireskyKat> If not scored as part of the pre lauch bonus, the kits will cost $4.99 each and contain a unique armor, weapon, and emote for 2 classes. Yes a description will be available for the other two packs shortly.

Question from Murzin: will people be able to change their display name at will ala source games, it gets kinda boring to use the same name day after day after day after day...
<CME_Aoloebio> Players can change their displayname at anytime on the firesky website, it is not a one time deal, unlike account names.

Question from [3pa]: How will having a Stargate help you against games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 other then being a name of a franchise that as become dulled for many due to the new serie being less interesting then the past one?
<CME_FireskyJim> Our game has the achievements, rank/leveling, etc. of these other games. But our combat pacing is different. In MW2, I tend to die instantly (still think it's fun). Ours rewards teamwork directly, and is a bit more survivable. And, still... we've got gate!

Question from RebelArms: What would be the maximum amount of players on the biggest map? Can we see vehicles in the future?
<CME_FireskyKat> Currently our maps are balanced for 8 v 8. In future we may produce maps for larger or smaller battles. Vehicles? Sounds fun, we'll see :-)

Question from Murzin: will the devs/producers be required to spend time in-game so they can keep up with how the players play vs envisoned so that intelligent changes can be made unlike other shooters
<CME_Aoloebio> While we may not be required to play the game, we all have loads of fun during our mandatory playtests every week, so expect to see a lot of the dev team playing alongside you. What we observe from there will most likely influence what things we change.

Question from supremeaaron: Will we see more classes/races introduced overtime? like Serraking, Wraith etc.
<CME_FireskyJim> yes. ;-)

Question from Mordag: Will it be possible to create a "bridge" between the forum account and the game account?
<CME_FireskyKat> Currently no, post launch we may move the forums to be a corporate Firesky forum which would be tied to your Firesky account.

Question from Ihavenoname: So did you devs watch Stargate before or after you joined CME? :D
<CME_Aoloebio> I can speak for myself as being an avid stargate fan prior to working at FireSky and I know a lot of the staff here also were fans prior to being employed!

Question from supremeaaron: whould you ever consider putting in SGW worlds like Harset and Omega site?
<CME_FireskyJim> Unlikely before SGW ships, since that game will continue to evolve. But I'd like to see some crossover after that. We'll see.
<CME_Aoloebio> On top of that, if you happen to see areas from Lucia or Harset make their way into the game, enjoy them as much as we do.

Question from supremeaaron: Why isn't Gabriel here?
<bc> (he's getting lunch)
<CME_FireskyKat> We keep Gabe locked in a dungeon to patrol the forums...it is almost time for his bread and water

Question from Ihavenoname: Oooh! Will you get to dial the dialer in Dial It Up? (I know its a DHD. Called it a dialer just to say dial as much times as i can :D)
<CME_FireskyJim> Dial Home Device? ;-). At some point, yes. Initially, gate travel is to specific places, through already dialed gates, but we're exploring using a gate dynamically on maps, too.

Question from Zoeff: The Atlantis spin-off sometimes had overlapping storylines with SG1 and the other way around - Will the same thing happen with SGW and SGR?
<CME_FireskyJim> Sort of talked about this earlier. I'd REALLY like to have some crossover storylines, and adventure between the two games, and perhaps even achievement tie ins. But SGW needs to be completed, first, then we'll look at those opportunities.

Question from Murzin: will people be able to use custom/special characters like the alt character table for custom names or like brackets for like clan tags as seen in other shooter types
<CME_Aoloebio> We will be allowing players the option to use special character keys in their display names for clan tags and whatnot. On top of that, if we find players attempting to bypass our language filters, expect to see themselves banned.

Question from yellowperil: What has been your toughest hurdle ingame creating maps?
<CME_FireskyKat> I'll answer on behalf of the Designers...The toughest thing has been narrowing down the list to just a few! I have seen so many fun ideas in the works that will be coming your way...watch out1

Question from supremeaaron: on the SGR manual that Kat posted on the forums, it states that all commanding officers assassinated, does this mean you are killing some name favourites like Walter and Siler?
<CME_FireskyJim> Well, first the diaries explain in a bit more detail, that only some were actually killed. But, more importantly, the attack occurred on Saturday, and as we all know, our favorite characters take the weekends off ;-). Was a red shirt day ;-).

Question from Murzin: in the videos i have seen of gameplay, the jaffa staff blasts seem to travel slow enough to be easily dodged. is that on purpose or something that will be tweaked?
<CME_FireskyJim> Jaffa blasts are a lot more like a rocket, than a gun. Shoot for the feet of your foe, and try to anticipate where he's going to be. You can hit multiple targets with the big blast's splash damage, and a direct hit scores massive damage. I regularly rack up massive kills using it like artillary

Question from Grover: On the 22nd it was announced on the SGR site that there would be a contest, has it been drawn yet?
<CME_FireskyKat> Yes it has and we will be announcing the winners early next week!

Question from supremeaaron: can you name any other worlds/maps you are thinking of adding in the future?
<CME_Aoloebio> Anything that you have seen in the show has potential for showing up in SG:R as well as new planets. So that is a pretty big list!

Question from Murzin: What about changing the screen where you connect to a server to be a gate dialing sequence as if you were dialing and travelling to that world, and/or while waiting for respawn?
<CME_FireskyJim> We've looked at a lot of different things we can do. The challenge is that players will frequently travel through the gate, or join servers, and we don't want to make them wait out a long sequence. Also, it's very important to communicate the galactic dominance as they choose maps to play on. But we'll be exploring more things like that shortly

Question from supremeaaron: How frequently will SGR be updated?
<CME_FireskyKat> As far as major updates, we are planning for a free DLC shortly after launch as well as major content expansions sometime after the DLC. Smaller updates like fixes and minor features will of course be pushed as they are needed and ready.

Question from Grover: would it be possible to include a sort of space battle expansion to the game (like the system in battle front 2)?
<CME_Aoloebio> There are currently no plans to include a ship to ship combat mechanic in our game. But it is also in our minds as something we would like to see done.

Question from Murzin: is the OTSS (over the shoulder shooter ) camera point fixed or can players zoom in to a fine detail, or out to provide a wide field of vision or is it a fixed point?
<CME_FireskyKat> Currently we are fixed in third person mode. Obviously the sniper can zoom in with the use of his scope (also VERY handy for sniping Ashraks). Allowing various points of view is something that we will consider adding down the road.

Question from Ihavenoname: after SGW is made, do you plan on continuing support for SG:R(patches etc.)?
<CME_FireskyJim> SGR is a completely independent game, and our team is enthusiastically at work now on expansions, and will continue to do so as long as people enjoy playing it

Question from Ankios: with all the expansions, how much do we have to expect to have paid, let's say a year from now ? Do we have to expect a cheap game with everything ? or will it cost the same 40 - 60 $) or more than other games ?
<CME_FireskyJim> There's a tradition with games that have expansion content that as expansions are released, the previous ones are bundled into the main game, at a reasonably constant price.

Question from Murzin: do the different weapons have different crosshairs or is it selectable in the options menu for the type of crosshair, and are there different crosshairs like the 4 straight angle, circle w/ dot, X style, red dot ( sight ) style, or fixxed per weapon?
<CME_FireskyKat> Yes some will including specific achievements, costumes and unlockables for a specific class, there will also be content like maps useable by all classes.

Question from Ankios: I tend to think that that kind of game needs a few different things than lots of almost the same... Which means that Six or seven maps maps with lets say half of it in the milky way, and half of it in the pegasus galaxy againstwr
<CME_FireskyJim> Agreed. The coolest thing about SGR to me is that we can have radically different types of maps/adventures. So we won't be seeing the same kinds of worlds over and over.

Question from RIRCGuest895: Will there be more external maps? As in maybe outside the SGC?
<CME_Aoloebio> Yes, there are plans to include more internal and external maps.

Question from RIRCGuest895: How much scenic damage will be available i.e. blowing holes in walls, sceneray weapon hits etc. It's the UT3 engine, so there should be some nice area damage effects?
<CME_Aoloebio> We have a lot of destructable objects in our enviornments that we hope players will love blowing up time after time. :)

Question from Gaunt: did you ever get involved in office pranks during the making of sg:r? :D
<CME_FireskyKat> Our Human Resources dept has all of those on file

Question from Kami: Do you plan to release boxed "collector" edition any time in the future?
<CME_FireskyJim> At the moment, all we're focused on is our initial release and the first expansions. But as the content grows, it's very possible that there would be such a thing.

Question from supremeaaron: has Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright, scripts writers, actors seen SGR and what have they said?
<CME_FireskyJim> We've been in regular communication with Brad Wright during development, and he's seen it, and is excited about the release of the game. But we've not yet been able to schedule a trip up there (Vancouver) to show everyone there.

Question from Murzin: what about having light and heavy versions of the weapon, and allowing "classes" to select but if its an off-class weapon only choosing the light version ( scientist getting a p90 but not M249/Para/Saw ) and soldier being able to get that but not heavy scientist version weapons.
<CME_Aoloebio> The weaponry loadouts that currently exist are there for balancing reasons. Our assymetrical gameplay requires that we pay very close attention to balance and offering all classes all the weaponry would break pretty much all of it.

Question from supremeaaron: do you think SGR will ever appear on a console?
<CME_FireskyKat> At lauch we will be PC only, as we gauge interest level moving forward we will be considering adding a console version. This is very much on our radar.

Question from RIRCGuest895: What will the ESRB rating be on this game?
<CME_FireskyJim> We're looking for a T-Teen rating, but at present we're submitted to the ESRB, with the rating pending.

Question from supremeaaron: throughout testing of SGR did you devs ever just go around as goa'ulds using its knock back attack to knock people into the pit on Whiteout just for the laugh?
<CME_Aoloebio> As some of our testers and staff can tell you, I am very mean with the Goa'uld push. You will often find me on maps pushing people around, especially into death zones like the pit!

Question from RIRCGuest895: The release is in five days. How much work is left to do?
<CME_FireskyKat> We will be ready! But on that note, we should get back to work!

Open chat at the end:

<CME_FireskyKat> yeah thanks, I was just serenaded by 2 devs
<Murzin> who do you prefer, Dr Cox, JD, Turk, Elliot, or The Todd
<supremeaaron> CME_Aoloebio im with you on the knocking people into the pit :P
<Stormtranz> :p
<DrElephantgirl> Thank you!
<Kadael> evil. :p
<Mobu> Lots of good questions answered - thanks very much Firesky!
<isuweather> thanks for all the info =)
<bc> With that said, Here's a torrent with four new screens of the stargate on the Earth map! http://replayirc.com/rircsgr.torrent
<Grover> i can finally go to bed
<Ryu> Is there a SG:R Mascot? If not I'm a very willing Kitten-Sized Dragon. (Perhaps some of you saw the x-mas card last year [2008] lol)
<CME_Aoloebio> We hope you guys enjoyed this session of Q&A
<RIRCGuest895> Sorry I was late. Nice chat. I hope someone got the full transcript :D
<supremeaaron> was the best part of the stress test
<Zoeff> transcript will be posted later RIRCGuest895
<Mobu> Thanks bc!
<Gaunt> zum

[2 replies]