Bring Subspace to Consoles (Ps3 / Xbox 360)

[Succeed]

Hey everyone.

 

What would you all think if you found out that Subspace was going to be available on Playstation Network Store & Microsoft Store, I know I would buy it straight away, I started this game back in 2004 and well, I'm still here...

 

If it could be done, how many of you would purchase this game, I was looking over the keys/controls and believe it wouldn't be that hard masking all the buttons/weapons onto controller.

 

Honestly, all this game needs is advertisement, it's addicting as hell, ps3 and xbox have millions of users, I know I would like to log in and be faced with 1000+ players in the same zone as me.

 

I havn't listed everything I wanted to because I've wrote this pretty quickly as I'm in a rush.

 

What are your thoughts on this idea, would you like it?

Edited May 19, 2012 by Succeed

[Cheese]

pro tip: addictive

[Succeed]

No idea how that reply is even somewhat helpful but alright, bring it to consoles and it'll get millions addicted, they'll adventure to the PC version (some will some wont) overall, win/win.

[Dr Brain]

I'm not much of a console expert, but I'd think without any way to chat the game loses its most important feature.

[insanityState]

it would bring in a lot of new players for sure. subspace to this day is still a great game

 

some problems do come to mind for it though:

 

1st being that the community likely does not have enough developers to do all of the porting.

 

2nd is even if there were enough developers some funding would probably be needed to get it off the ground and in to psn store, etc.

 

3rd would be copyright issues. no one in the community owns the trademark for subspace or continuum, and neither its assets (sounds, graphics, etc.)

[Succeed]

Chatting issue: To go to certain sub-arenas you could possibly use the 'Start' button and have a part to type ".?go ..." to get to certain areas.

 

Also, headsets would be extremly useful when you're in fast paced game, you could also link a few buttons up maybe? Perhaps the game can come with a free keyboard lool.

 

Alright so the chatting part of the game may cause some issues but i'm sure there is a workaround.

 

--

 

Yeah creating the game for the likes of being able to be playable on PS3 and XBOX would be extremly hard and would need some very knowledgable developers, if no one owns it then why not become the first? If they create such a thing and create custom sounds/graphics etc, surely they'll grant them trademark of the game?

 

I don't know how it works so don't take what i've wrote 100% as accurate information.

 

I'd love to know what it would feel like controlling a ship with the Analogs though, one for rotation and one for thrusts... Woudl love to see how that turns out.

[»ZiGNoTZaG]

Subspace requires pretty hefty servers(at least connection wise) to run a decent player count. Most console games are p2p, this is how the game companies increase profit margin even more, by not running expensive servers. Who will run the server? Just take bf3 for instance. 64 players on pc, something like half or a quarter of that on a console? A modern PC has the horsepower and bandwidth potential to host something like that. A console does not. A console port of SS would be gimped like most things on a console. That doesn't mean It wouldn't be cool even with smaller player counts and that I wouldn't have interest in it. Without a company to foot the bill for servers and somehow profit from the game enough to keep them running, however, success would be limited.

[»Lynx]

We don't have a desktop client. Out of all the client architectures that are out so far, they would *all* require significant work to port to XNA or PS3. All of the game dynamics would be really off, not just chat, but movement and objectives. The price of launching is by no means an issue, heck, if somebody coded even a working XNA prototype I would myself happily pay for:

 

1. An Xbox 360

2. An XNA license

3. The updates

 

But there are perhaps two or three people in the community that still code, and generally seem to have alterer motives behind their work anyway. Just sayin' if you can code:

 

1. A Client (secure, extendible) -- oh, and finish it.

2. A Server (secure, modular, open)

3. Tools (map editors, settings editors)

4. Finish

5. Manage the project (not let it fall to shit when it gets a few users)

 

You can probably get a job that pays *very* well. This, my fellow player, is why we don't have a new client. People have lives, and the only reason anybody would want to code a project as big of a ball ache as this for as big of a ball ache crowd as SubSpace is either for:

 

1. Money

2. The notoriety (I don't get this one, but it's just a trend I've noticed)

 

But I think others in the community have said that if you pay them X Y or Z they'll code the client, the server and let you handle the burden. I just feel that most of these people are probably on around £50+P/H or whatever the USA equiv. is, and that you'll be paying out your arse with little ROI. Sorry to be negative, but it's been a long day. You can probably monetize off a SubSpace like game in the iStores/GooglePlay etc markets but it will probably be less fun and pretty lame. /rant

[noldec]

Not enough buttons on a controller imo.

[Dr Brain]

I agree with Lynx, completely.

 

This is a $300,000 job (~1 man year at $150/hr) to develop a game where the community is largely opposed to any sort of capitalization. Lets be honest, most of the people that play this game only play because it's free.

 

If you make $5 a box/download (not the end price, but the amount the company makes after expenses, such as hosting servers) then you'd have to sell sixty thousand copies to even get your original investment back. SubSpace *might* have as many as 60k players at the moment, but most of those wouldn't switch, especially if it cost them hard earned money to do so.

 

I don't think it's realistic to approach this from a "lets make some money" perspective, because there's no good way to do it.

 

The best you can hope for is someone to finish a client for the love of the game. We've got a couple of people building clients with that in mind, and all we can do is pray that their love sustains them through to the end of the grueling process that is game development.

[»jabjabjab]

but it doesn't love me back. :-/

[Drake7707]

I have to agree with Lynx, I had loads of time in college when I wrote DCME, but now that I have a full time job as .NET developer I rather spend my free time in something that's not related to programming or is a day, 2 days tops work.

 

Even if someone were to do it for the money, which may or not may be raised by a kickstarter run (which is also a good way to gauge interest), it would have to be a full time job for a while to even remotely finish it in a proper time frame. Not everyone who already has a job would risk his/her current job to do a year project that has a good chance of not working out in the end.

[X_PennyWise]

I'd play it about as much as I play Minecraft on my 360. Rarely.

 

I play Minecraft on Xbox because it's the only way to reach my half-ass "gamer" friends with indie developed games. They're all CoD and Madden guys, so in that respect, I think it's a good idea to get those players to play SS.

 

Buuuuttttt it would cost too much. We don't have millions like Notch does, unfortunately. Personally, I'd always prefer the PC client solely because of the customization aspect of it. I always felt that was the best part of SS, being able to create your own zone.

 

 

Think about this approach instead. What if, instead of trying to code a new client for PC/Xbox/PS3/iPhone/Android, we try to make zone customization and hosting simpler? Run with me on this one. DCME was a great improvement to the horrid map maker (SSME? Idk, I forget what it was) that we had before. Let's improve DCME now. Make it sleeker, and simpler, and much more universal. Here's what I mean. Please forgive me if DCME has any of these features, it's been years since I've used it.

 

-DCME will include a feature to directly access a tileset archive THROUGH the client. Browse the archive while your mapping to pick the perfect tileset. I used to hate having to download sets through ssdownloads, unzipping, then opening them only to see that the tileset is shit. Have it right there, in a clear window with clear screenshots of each set.

 

-DCME will include a settings editor. The archaic settings editor within the SS client were a pain in the ass. Like I said before, it's been years since I've created a zone from scratch, so I don't know what people use to edit settings anymore. The point is to include a settings editor within the map editor. Also, dumb down the settings terms so even newbs can understand it.

 

-DCME will include a testing feature which would launch your zone for testing instantly. My tiny understanding of programming makes me believe this would be the most difficult of features, but to me it seems necessary.

 

 

You could elaborate on these, and even add some related features. The goal is to create a single editing program that is both simple and extremely useful. Now, for the kicker.

 

Start a zone where it's primary draw is that it is purely player created arenas. The main map is a portal arena to the other player run arenas. Bots instantly upload arenas, advertise them, and track statistics of the most popular. Every week have a "Arena of the Week" or something. Once again, the simpler, the better. You could even include the upload feature within this new DCME I'm discussing, that would be ideal.

 

Finally, bundle this new editing client WITH Continuum. Anyone that downloads Continuum, gets the editor right with it. Every once in a while, this community gets behind advertising in some way. The problem is we keep advertising the same thing. It's old news, and there's no reason for anyone to try the game for the first time. If you bundle this new editor, then you actually have something to advertise. "Hey check out Continuum with our new customization client that lets you create YOUR own zones instantly and easily." I think that just gave me a little wood.

 

Put editing at the forefront of Continuum, it's what drew my friends and I to this game over a decade ago. Players want this now more than ever. You see the constant uproar about DLC and other crappy marketing practices by big name games, and companies like Ubisoft and EA have been trying to destroy the PC gaming community by denying the ability to mod more and more each year.

 

I don't know, this is just something I've been tossing around forever. Maybe there already is something like this out there, but I think we should at least make customization the primary selling point on SS/Cont. Rather than trying to overhaul our client or port it, maybe it would be easier to make a single, simple, and universal zone editor?

[Grandias]

You could always just spam the internet with it, chats, and forums and such.

[Grandias]

Or maybe you could find out some way to make Subspace some free add on for something like playstation make it free that way we get players and maybe you can make money from it idk

[jackisace]

I would like to mention that I have played ss on and off for about 10+ years and would love to see it ported to xbox and also play the same servers, not sure if it would be possible but would be great.

 

I have a bit of an understanding with xna and I'm sure I could quite easily make a port but i would have to see some of the code for the pc server and client for me to be able to interface the 2 platforms, without that I would only be able to produce a xbox only system. Also I am going to need the consent of the people who own the game before I can actually release it to xbox live for legal reasons (not that there will be any money involved but you never know..)

 

If anyone could assist me on these matters please feel free to let me know my email is jackisace@gmail.com.

 

I shall get the project started as soon as possible.

 

PS i am happy to do it free of charge just for the experience

Edited October 6, 2012 by jackisace

[spidernl]

Last post was in June, damnit.

[spittnacid]

I'm an old school coder so I don't know newer languages but it strikes me odd that something written for 56k dial up modems and 100mb processors not to successfully work on vastly superior connections and hardware sounds like an excuse. As for communications that's actually silly as you just do voice chat. I can see the p2p being an issue but I'd be happy with 8vs8 flag games, we rarely have that now. The whole concept of subspace is so SIMPLE, satisfying yet has a indeterminate depth as far as skill that makes us keep coming back. I almost feel like a weirdo amongst fellow gamers.... so what do you play? Well I play this 17 yr old silly lil 2d space shooter but its fun.... idk. Don't understand why this type of game, because IMO it is a genre all in itself, isn't marketed, improved like for instance mobas. Tiny niche but hardcore gamers.

 

I think the main thing we need to back away from is the current client that no one even owns. I don't understand why or what is so hard about simply building everything from scratch and from the ground up. With all the combined effort of basically working around the original game exe, a new engine could have been made.

Edited January 31, 2013 by spittnacid

[Dr Brain]

Nothing is hard, per se. It's extremely time consuming though. Remeber this game was developed by someone being paid to work on it full time. While I'm not familiar with the exact amount of time it took, I'd bet it was at least 6 months, though more likely a year.

 

Look at all the publically announced clones over the years (to say nothing of the private endevours, such as my own group). How many have reproduced enough of the SS functionality to viable? Exactly 0. That should tell you a lot about the amount of time involved in making something work.

[witness]

Honestly I wish someone would recode the whole thing. Screw ps and Xbox for time being. the game it self could be improved by 10 fold.

Add more ship rotation points for one. Aka sister game infantry has more.

Add one tile, ie tile that ships can't fly thru, but any ship can shoot thru. This is more for a graphical point of view. (Like shooting from one island to another without using thors)

Better support for name, squad resets. Current policy is ridicules (max amount of names like 5, want another name, one of the 5 needs to be reset then)etc.

Weapons upgrades, duel bombs anyone?

Angled tiles, that redirect bullet from angle. I think Phoenix project actual might do this not sure about bullet deflection direction tho.

HTML allowed in news etcetcetc

I honestly could go on and on, and I'm sure any of us older players could add a ton more also.

 

Catid?

Edited February 2, 2013 by witness

[Dr Brain]

Honestly, I wish someone would pay me $100,000 to recode the whole thing.

 

I honestly could go on and on.

 

EDIT: it's not clear because of the page break, but my post was parodying the one that came before.

[Cheese]

ill do it for $99000

[Lone Outlaw]

Yeah if only Richard asked for 100,000 instead of just coding a new client from scratch for nothing, damn we actually have useful things being done for free. =/ retarded world

[Dr Brain]

He's not coding a new client. He's coding a new game. You'll also note he expects to make money from his efforts (and there's nothing wrong with that, mind you), so I wouldn't say it's being done for free.

[Lone Outlaw]

Semantics, that i didn't care about to begin with.. Donation of 5$ is different from 100,000$ just to start.. no there is nothing wrong with free market enterprise..

 

Rich started making the new 'game' because ultimately he wants a new game, personal motivation,

Coupled with programming is more of a hobby than a job, so motivation number two is that it's something he would do anyway. HE WOULD program on the side whether it was a new 'game' or something else entirely.

Motivation number three is that he enjoys programming, since it's a hobby. i call it a hobby because it's something Rich learned on his own, of his own free time, signifying he likely enjoys it. Not forced to sit in a class room to learn.

Considering all of the above, even if he got zero profits he would still have went through with coding a new 'game'. Which leaves us the last point, might as well get paid for what you enjoy doing, inevitably would do, and want to do. Hence he added donations. MONEY WAS NOT THE STARTING FACTOR. It was the end result.

 

Good day.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Lone Outlaw