Spacebase Startopia - "revival" of Startopia by developer of Dungeons

[LESS T_T]

https://www.kalypsomedia.com/us/spacebase-startopia

Spoiler

Well, it's not officially announced yet, but it was of recipients of Bayern's funding program. And this document has some details in it.
https://www.fff-bayern.de/fileadmin...ldungen/Vergabemeldungen_Games_Maerz_2019.pdf

Spacebase Startopia - EUR 500,000
Applicant: Realmforge Studios GmbH, Munich
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux; PS4, Xbox One, Switch; iOS (in planning)

Revival of the classic Startopia from the year 2001 with contemporary graphics, extended game modes, console porting and an even more profound humor of the KI VAL. Again, the economic simulation is about the development and expansion of your own space base including galactic trade and diverse entertainment options for alien visitors and terraforming in 3D. Both as a single player and as a multiplayer experience.

FWIW the developer of another Dungeon Keeper-like (War for the Overworld) is also making Startopia-inspired game called Project Aftercare: https://brightrockgames.com/games/

PROJECT: AFTERCARE

Coming Soon™!

Project: Aftercare is our next game and is well into production. It’s the next exciting step on our journey and we can’t wait to share more details in 2019! Sign up to our newsletter to stay on top of our development efforts.

I guess we'll know more about these games around Gamescom.

 

[laclongquan]

EXCELLENT! And about damn time too~

 

[thesheeep]

KI is German for AI, btw. "KI VAL" might confuse a few.

 

[Norfleet]

More vaporware? Do we actually even have games anymore, or just vaporware developers pretending they're making a game? When was the last time we had an actual game?

 

[Circuit the Short]

More vaporware? Do we actually even have games anymore, or just vaporware developers pretending they're making a game? When was the last time we had an actual game?

Around '97. When we had

Spoiler

BIRTHRIGHT: GORGON'S ALLIANCE

 

[Dexter]

 

[Jimmious]

It's the developers of Dungeons. Interesting!

 

[LESS T_T]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/840390/discussions/0/2686880925154354684/

Spacebase Startopia FAQ

Genre: Strategy/Space Station Simulation
Release: Fall 2020
Age rating: TBA
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

What is Spacebase Startopia?
[System Reboot...]
[Update 1/052020 running…Please wait!]
[Update successful!]
[Initializing VAL...]

"Help, we're all going to d... wha... Oh, excuse me, it seems my system is no longer up-to-date – [old memory status deleted] – ah, that’s better… WELCOME to the Spacebase Startopia! I'm VAL, your helpful and efficient Space Station AI!"

According to my records, this Station hasn’t been used at all in the last 17 years. How strange. Furthermore, it would appear that you are the only rational life form in this Sector. Congratulations! I hereby officially appoint you as Commander of this space station. Hopefully you will enjoy more success than your predecessor who, according to the logbook, uh… ran into some wormlike aliens… Oh, nothing to worry about, I’m sure.

To keep the same thing from happening to you, there's a lot you're going to have to do. Among other things, there’s the development of additional sectors, maintenance of the three vital main decks, as well as customer acquisition and entertainment of our extraterrestrial visitors, who provide us with sufficient energy for our plans for global improvement. Oh, and before I forget – it's probably just a bug in my security protocols, but my sensors are showing an extraordinarily high number of enemy creatures located in all other sectors.

So, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work! Let us join forces to conquer space."

SPACEBASE STARTOPIA captivates players with its original mixture of economic simulation and empire building strategy, paired with classic RTS skirmishes and a good dose of humor. In addition to the challenging single player campaign and the versatile battle mode, there are also competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes for up to four players. And if maintaining the three space station decks, entertaining eight different alien races and defending against enemy invaders wasn’t enough, there’s also the dynamic narrator AI, who is not known for mincing its words if it feels you’re not up to the task.

What are the main features of Spacebase Startopia?

• The 10-mission, fully-voiced single-player campaign will require all your skills as Commander of Spacebase Startopia as you strive to create the most attractive trade and tourism destination in the known universe.
  
• Each of the three decks will require your leadership skills to manage effectively, with the Sub Deck containing all of the rooms vital to survival, while the Fun Deck focuses on the entertainment of your visitors, and the flora and fauna of the Bio Deck provides precious resources for survival as well as a home to the graceful Dryads.
  
• Prevail against your competitors, for you are not alone on the Space Station. Sabotage your opponents' economies, attack them with Mech units or conduct trade - but beware of Space Pirates eager to board your station.
  
• The dynamic narrator AI “VAL” reacts to your decisions and is always at your side in both words and deeds – mostly. Oh, and is also happy to provide the occasional (extremely unqualified) comment.
  
• An individually configurable sandbox mode as well as both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes for up to four players.

Spacebase Startopia in numbers

• 30 different rooms
  
• 7 alien races + 1 droid + 1 mech unit
  
• 4 players on multiplayer
  
• 3 different game modes

Who is developing Spacebase Startopia?
Spacebase Startopia is developed by Realmforge Studios, located in Munich, Germany.
Realmforge Studios are the creators and masterminds behind, amongst others, the critically acclaimed Dungeons series, headlined by the recent Dungeons 3 (94% on Steam).

What engine does Spacebase Startopia use?
Spacebase Startopia uses the latest Unity Engine.

Which platforms will Spacebase Startopia be released on?

• Spacebase Startopia will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
  
• It will be the first Startopia game ever released on consoles.

When will the game be released?
Spacebase Startopia is planned for release in Fall 2020.

Will Spacebase Startopia include multiplayer?
Yes. There will be cooperative and competitive multiplayer for up to 4 players.
In competitive multiplayer, players will all be placed randomly on the station. Whenever a player expands their territory, there’s a risk that an opposing player could be waiting behind the next locked door.

What languages will be available in Spacebase Startopia?
The game will support English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian, with subtitles at least.

Will there also be a retail version?
Yes, there will be a retail version of Spacebase Startopia on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

Will players be able to customize the aliens, or even be able to create their own?
No, there are no customization options for the aliens in Spacebase Startopia.

Will Spacebase Startopia feature modding support?
No, Spacebase Startopia will not feature modding support.

What performance level can we expect from Spacebase Startopia?
As development is still in progress and optimizations need to be done at a later stage, this cannot be specified at the moment. Nonetheless, we are aiming that the game will smoothly run at an average of 60 FPS on a mid-range PC and at 30 FPS on consoles. Most probably performing slightly better and in 4k on the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.

Will the typical dark humour that Realmforge Studios is known for, be back?
Yes, VAL (virtual artificial lifeform) will be the helping AI for the player and will inform them about important things going on in the game. Sometimes useful for the player, but be aware that sarcasm subroutines are working in normal parameters at all times.

What is the estimated playtime for the main campaign?
This will vary according to the skill level and playstyle of the player. As an estimate, we are aiming for a playtime of around XY hours for the campaign, not including any in sandbox mode, multiplayer and so on.

How deep will the building, simulation and RTS elements be?
Primarily, the game will stick to its core and will be a space station builder, where players have to maintain their space station, according to the needs of the visiting space-tourists and the requirements to keep the station running and of course, expanding.

However, the player will also have to face down intruders or other challenges that a space station might come into contact with. These challenges will require some combat skill and will be RTS-based. Various aliens/mechs will help the player fight off intruders and/or other threats to the space station.

I wonder if and how the original developers, Mucky Foot guys are involved in this. AFAIK they have IP rights to the original game, not Square Enix (Eidos). Just license?

 

[Mazisky]

Startopia was a great game i played a lot at the time! It's so nice it's being remade

 

[Rahdulan]

Every fiber of my being objects to this.

 

[Azalin]

Lol @ the "breathtaking" joke

 

[Alfgart]

I love Startopia. IMO it's still one of the top 3 best tycoon games ever. But this... dunno, the trailer looks so bland and uninspired. And you can already see the decline here:

Spacebase Startopia in numbers

• 30 different rooms
  
• 7 alien races + 1 droid + 1 mech unit
  
• 4 players on multiplayer
  
• 3 different game modes

Original Startopia had 9 alien races (visitors) plus some others like vermin, space cats and penitents + 3 kinds of worker droids + 1 security droid. And waayyy more than 30 rooms, even if some where just variants.
This will probably be shit

 

[Nutria]

It looks promising to me, like they actually are focusing on the stuff that the original game did well. Multiplayer is one of those things that I wish they would drop, but whatevs.

 

[laclongquan]

1. Not a bad trailer. The style is consistent and interesting.
2. No human race is a bit disappointing~

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Developers of Dungeons

I'm sorry, but

 

[Space Satan]

Know the Mark of the Mediocricy and Shovelware well and steel your mind against their lies and treachery:

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/spacebase-startopia-sticks-closely-to-2001-classic/

Spacebase Startopia sticks closely to the 2001 classic
Realmforge doesn't want to mess with a great formula.

The moment I sat down in front of Spacebase Startopia, Realmforge Studios' new sci-fi management romp, I was in familiar territory. I knew someone would remake 2001’s Startopia if I waited for long enough, and while they’re not officially connected, the similarities run deep. There’s the name, obviously, and then pretty much everything else.

I’m always trying to throw Startopia in 'best of' lists and I would have absolutely signed a petition for a sequel—that’s as much as I’ll do for anything—so I’m all for it hewing to the original. I was still surprised by just how closely they resemble each other, though, with everything from the layout of the station to the types of buildings and services being replicated.

Spacebase Startopia puts you in charge of a rundown, disused space station, which you can try to transform into a huge interstellar hub brimming with aliens. The station is unlocked section by section and split into three decks, each with a different role. At the top, there’s a Bio Deck that can be terraformed to meet the needs of various alien visitors. Thirsty aliens can visit the Fun Deck below, where all the leisure services can be found. Then there’s the Sub Deck at the bottom, containing everything from recycling plants to hospitals.

Cute little robots scurry around the station, building rooms and cleaning up rubbish, but most of the jobs require fleshy aliens. Bugs are natural communicators, so you’ll want to stick them on in the communications array. Greys like to probe things, so they make excellent doctors, which you’ll need if you want to combat brainslug infestations and other cosmic illnesses. Employment at your spacebase comes with perks like a snazzy uniform and… that’s it.

While the alien species all have certain proclivities, all your visitors and employees are still individuals with their own skills, tastes and quirks. It’s not been implemented yet, but eventually they’ll share their thoughts via an interstellar Twitter, a bit like Cities: Skylines’ Chirper. Some have simple needs, happy enough to just hang out in the cat cafe, but others might want a night of drinking, dancing and debauchery. For the truly hopeless, there’s the lootbox lottery, which lets your visitors fritter their money away on the chance to get a fancy new hat, which they can proudly wear while wandering around the station.

There’s a lot of joy to be had in just watching your visitors use your rooms. When someone wants a wash, for instance, they have to go through what is essentially a car wash. It’s all very playful and silly and definitely wouldn’t pass a health and safety inspection on Earth. In the disco, you can spy on them showing off their killer moves, and you can get the DJ to change the tunes to suit the dancing aliens’ musical preferences.

While visitors to your station will spend money, to make the big bucks you’ll want to trade. There’s a trader for each alien species, and you can build up industries to supply them with goods. Even the relaxing Bio Deck can be used to make you rich, as you can sell everything you grow there, or the resources can be spent on stuff you can build for your station. On the Sub Deck, you can build a trading dock and watch as the ships float in.

There are subtle changes in the details, but returning station administrators should be able to jump in without missing a beat. There are a couple of places, however, where Realmforge thought Startopia was a bit lacking. Spacebase Startopia will have a more robust tutorial and tips system, and progression will be more defined, unlocking new rooms as you complete missions. The campaign is quite a bit larger, too, and will be accompanied by cooperative and competitive multiplayer and, of course, a sandbox mode.

Combat is probably the most notable new addition. Instead of indirect combat, fights in Spacebase Startopia are RTS affairs where you get direct control of mechs that you’ve constructed. You’ll need to show enemies and competitors the airlock, and opportunistic pirates will occasionally decide to invade. Realmforge’s Dungeons series, which started out as an homage to Dungeon Keeper, also features an RTS layer, and Spacebase Startopia should work similarly.

It’s a good thing that Startopia’s formula hasn’t really dated, so despite being a bit conservative, its spiritual successor doesn’t seem like a throwback. And more importantly, it just looks like a lot of fun to play. My tour was hands-off, unfortunately, but I was itching to grab the mouse. Like other games of the Bullfrog-era, or inspired by it, Spacebase Startopia has a toybox, tactile quality that makes you just want to click on things.

Spacebase Startopia is due out in 2020.

 

[Nutria]

Thank God there's one thing in this world that millenials haven't ruined by thinking they're smarter than the people who created it.

 

[thesheeep]

Thank God there's one thing in this world that millenials haven't ruined by thinking they're smarter than the people who created it.

Minesweeper?

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

fuck yea just saw this and can't wait!

but Q3 2020 wtf? announce this shit like a week before release not a full year prior fuck

 

[LESS T_T]

From last month:



Blog two weeks ago: https://blog.kalypsomedia.com/en/a-...ng-your-space-station-in-spacebase-startopia/

A look at the colourful cast of characters populating your space station in Spacebase Startopia

In this blog post we introduce you to the character concepts for the aliens in our upcoming space management simulation Spacebase Startopia; more precisely VAL introduces itself and the concepts.

“Hello, Commander.

I’m VAL the helpful and efficient space station AI and today I’m showing you an overview of the lesser creatures you’ll be manipulating on the Spacebase Startopia. Each inhabitant has their own needs and preferences, so it would be good to be prepared for the great onslaught, Commander.”



“Before we get to the alien races I will show you the highly efficient and not to mention cute helpers: the Droids of the Spacebase Startopia. They follow your every command without exception and will build rooms for you on the Bio-deck, Fun-deck and Sub-deck. In addition, they’ll clear away the garbage that your alien visitors produce.”

Now to the other – more or less – helpful creatures:



“This is a Telgor. He works in the recycling station and converts the garbage into energy. You’ve already had the pleasure of meeting one of these Telgor… (Announcement Trailer). His name was Garry… I don’t miss him.”



“This pretty lady is a dryad and works – as her nature would suggest – on the Bio-Deck. There she ensures that new plants are sown and that existing plants can grow faster. Rumor has it that dryads are metalheads…”



“This alien belongs to the alien species Grey. Greys are known throughout the universe for “aquiring” alien life forms (remember Area 51) and to learn basic anatomical knowledge about them (best not to ask further). Nevertheless, this means that Greys make excellent doctors.”



“This friendly-naive face belongs to the Leviathan species and they work in the security headquarters to ensure that evil journeymen such as saboteurs, criminals, space pirates or voracious monsters don’t get too close, or at least don’t do not too much damage if they do, and that any losses among carbon-based creatures are within acceptable limits.”





“These little guys are known as Bugs and, thanks to their insectoid swarm spirit, are ideally suited to work in the communication center. Furthermore, according to Creative Director Christian Wolferstetter, they give by far the best performance on the dance floor in the Space Disco“.



“This cuddly lady is a Gothmothorian and she entertains the other aliens formidably in the Space Disco with her ‘mad DJ skills’ at the DJ desk.”

“Commander,

You have met 6 different alien races and the droids. But that’s not all… It seems I’m missing data for two more alien races and the Mech units that will be at your side in battle. But don’t worry Commander, until the Spacebase Startopia climbs into the sky, there is still time before the third quarter of 2020. Until then I will continue to prepare you for your mission.”

 

[LESS T_T]

https://blog.kalypsomedia.com/en/spacebase-startopia-an-introduction-to-the-decks/

Spacebase Startopia: An Introduction to the Decks

In this post, we’ll look more at our upcoming space sim Spacebase Startopia and delve into the three decks you’ll need to maintain in order to keep a successful and flourishing spacebase.



First up is the the Sub-Deck. This hugely important area contains all rooms vital to the continued survival of your base’s inhabitants. On the Sub-Deck, you can construct handy facilities such as Recycling Stations, Communications Centres (handy for scouring the outside world for other sentient life), and Berths, which are excellent for maintaining your inhabitants’ sleep, food and hygiene habits.



Next is the Fun Deck. As the name implies, the focus of the Fun Deck is enjoyment. Here, inhabitants can access a variety of leisure activities such as Cat Cafes, art galleries, and, for those feeling particularly depleted in dopamine, amusement rides such as the Black Hole Drop or even a Loot Box Lottery! Remember to make things fun for your inhabitants and your spacebase will flourish.



The final deck is the Bio Deck. Home to all sorts of interesting flora and fauna, the Bio Deck (when properly managed) provides valuable resources tantamount to (ah-ah-ah-ah) staying alive. Managed by dryads – a species who make it their mission to ensure the sustained and healthy existence of all plants on board – the Bio Deck is the place to be for a ‘bit of green’ in the cold vacuum of space.

We hope you enjoyed this first look at the three decks of Spacebase Startopia. Keep it tuned to the Kalypso blog for more updates as the game sets to launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in Q3 of 2020.

 

[Chaosdwarft]

Know the Mark of the Mediocricy and Shovelware well and steel your mind against their lies and treachery:

I feel like that comment applies to most of their games, except I love the TROPICO SERIES.

But yeah so many disapointments.

 

[IDtenT]

Government funded shovelware.

More interested in what WfO guys are doing

 

[LESS T_T]

For some reason the original Startopia got a new official website by My Little Planet Ltd, company by Guy Simmons, one of the original developers of the game. Interesting lack of mentioning this revival game though.

It seems like he's going to work on updates on the original game: http://www.startopia.co.uk/history.html

The game is currently available through Steam (and hopefully soon returning to GOG), with any proceeds being actively ploughed back into refreshing and updating the original game.