SubSpace and Immortality, my opinion.

[silentdragon]

Hello.

 

I have not been involved with SubSpace since around 2001 or 2002, but before then, starting around 1996(ish) I was around a lot. When VIE went under there was a lot of work put into keeping subspace alive because it was free, extremely fun and until then was the best online game ever to exist. Hell, its graphics were pretty amazing compared to even non-online games.

 

Since the dissolution of VIE we have all known we needed a new client to stay afloat, and when Continuum was made by Priitk we clung to it extremely hard. It was originally a hacked to pieces version of subspace, which is why a lot of features that we all wanted could not be done. I am also not convinced he ever got any form of a source, considering how choppy and poorly made the client is even today. If Priitk had not been a lead programmer for Kazaa and Skype, I'd probably chalk it up to him being a noob, but he clearly isn't.

 

That being said, I know that my opinion is definitely not solicited and more than likely not shared by the currents in the community but I felt the need to share it, especially since this Phoenix thing looks like its going to be successful. So I thought I would share my opinion in the things that I feel are necessary for not only success in this one project but the overall continuation of life I see it possibly breathing into this game.

 

Instead of writing some huge manifesto, I thought I might just make some quick bullet points:

 

Whatever language you select, just make sure you're thinking about cheating and how to curb it.

 

Open Source isn't exactly necessary, but making sure you are thinking globally about platforms is, targeting Ubuntu as a launchpad project might be a genius idea, considering the linux/ubuntu userbase is typically a very good audience for a game like this.

• Minimalism
  
  • Make your first version an exact replica of SubSpace 1.35
    
  • Use the exact same graphics and sounds, since the copyright to this material is ambiguous I would wait for a cease and desist and make moves to make new graphics for a later release.
    
  • No seperate settings for arenas
    
  • No bots.
    
  • No advertisements, no big sexy graphics no embossed text in the maps.
    
  • Decide on a resolution and then stick with it, it is unfair for someone running at 800x640 to not be able to see as far as someone running 1920x1080
    

  [*]Chat

  • We all fell in love with subspace because it had a built in IRC channel where we could be tacticians and make lasting friendships. This is important but at the same time its also important to make it easy to learn and to play.
    
  • People will naturally
    

• Phoenix, cloned subspace but with some subtle features
  
  • Have a version of Phoenix with the chat removed for non keyboard media platforms for future portability, (Boxee app with the ability to plug into a gamepad?)
    
  • Customization available but not made into the interface
    
    • additional sounds added to a folder = changed sounds
      
    • additional images added to a folder = changed images and backgrounds
      

  [*]Available Zones

  [*]I feel like a very limited number of zones with mostly VIE settings will help keep things stable and easy to learn for the audience something like a google chrome app or boxee app or getting added to the Ubuntu Software Center would do for us.

  [*]

  • Alpha Zone (VIE Alpha)
    
  • Chaos Zone (VIE Chaos, no flags)
    
  • War Zone (Flags)
    
  • Trench War
    
  • Sheep Cloning Facility (You could automate a weekly schedule between Extreme Games and ASWZ and whatever else)
    

• Extra Thoughts
  
  • A tablet version with a place to put your fingers on the screen to move and shoot guns and bombs but nothing else, with no chat and minimal screen clutter would be cool as a separate available zone, ie the tablet version iOS/Android/KindleFireAndroid would all share their own zone, with only one zone option which would serve as a tool for getting them to use the computer version
    
  • Imagine a zone called Sub Space Zone (homage!), where all of the Phoenix clients can connect but their ships can only fire guns and bombs and are max greened out of the gate, so it is literally just a place where you fly around and kill eachother. Chat is disabled on the tablet versions but doesnt have to be for everyone else.
    

 

I do wish you well and I feel free to completely disagree. I haven't slept and I all of a sudden felt convicted to post my opinion.

 

Oh yeah and look into xpilot if you want to steal any of their code

 

silentdragon

eblana space police

subspace map makers guild

vie sheep cloning facility

trench wars

[»jabjabjab]

I don't see Phoenix as a replica to subspace, because it is just way too different, though same genre setup. Aphelion's perspective is to clone subspace, and then further enhance it properly with client modification.

 

I also plan to have it working on all platforms java provides, except mobile.

[silentdragon]

So what are the current Subspace Projects?

• Aphelion
  
• Phoenix
  
• SubSpace2
  
• Discretion
  

What are the statuses, programmers and missions of those projects? and are there more?

[»jabjabjab]

Well, as for Aphelion, my goal is to replicate the client, removing all the problems and issues with the previous one, removing standalone and windows dependencies, and other things. Once it is replicated, there will be possibility to add more to it.

 

essentially, there will be 100% possibility to modify anything needed at this point.

[BEEYATCH]

• Interesting post. I played SS back in 1996 all the way to around 2002ish. Strangely it was a part of my life growing up through college. I found this site in a search looking for a different gaem...
  

btw. Powerball was the ultimate evolution of SS. You need to include that.

[a tool]

horry shet. silent dragon. this is old school.

 

also, you're gonna get a gold star if you're able to actually finish the java client. i hope so. i really hope so.

Edited June 14, 2012 by a tool