Codex Interview Epoch Star Interview

[Spazmo]

Tags: Battleline Games; Epoch Star

We had a talk with Rick Battagline of Battleline Games about their space based RPG, Epoch Star.

Epoch Star is set in a distant Galaxy, in what would be our future. The human race is present in this Galaxy, but is not the focal point of the story. Epoch Star focuses on the relationships between several alien races that have formed a "Union of Stars"; a race of all consuming Serpentine creatures known as "Ignus" who ravage and destroy any planet or life form they come in contact with; a collection of smaller unnamed barbarian races that are oppressed by the Union; And a recent arrival of several new races, one race who worships a god known as the "Epoch Star" and another who claims to be fleeing from the wrath of the "Epoch Star".​

Get the rest of the dirt on Epoch Star by reading the interview--and we've also got a pair of sneak peek screenshots of Epoch Star's upcoming graphical overhaul.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Epoch Star is actually a pretty decent game, aside from the sometimes-distractingly-bad-graphics.

 

[Battleline]

Epoch Star is actually a pretty decent game, aside from the sometimes-distractingly-bad-graphics.

Hey thanks for the comment. I'm working on finding an artist to make the graphics less annoyingly bad. Plus, I'm trying to add some pixel and vertex shader effects to make some more improvements to the look. By the time I put out the final release of ACT 1, I'm sure everyone will find the graphics much less offensive than they are today. Anyone who wants to send me suggestions on how to improve the game, I answer my emails pretty quickly. support@epochstar.com

-Rick

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Is it going to be freeware or shareware?

 

[Spazmo]

It's a good thing you read the interview that I CRAWLED OVER BROKEN GLASS to bring you because that very question is in there. The game as it is (ACT 1) will remain free, but further content ACT 2 and 3 will cost money.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

It's just 'cause I like pissing you off.

 

[Battleline]

The game as it is (ACT 1) will remain free, but further content ACT 2 and 3 will cost money.

I'm hoping to eventually quit my day job for this. Writing software for cold hearted bastards is no fun... but I have a lot of work left to do, just to complete ACT 1.

BTW if anyone from my office reads this, the cold hearted bastards thing is just a joke. You're all truely lovely people.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

If anyone from your office reads this page, I'm sure they have more to worry about then you calling them "cold-hearted bastards".

I hope you can make some money of this, as that post-apocalyptic RPG you talked about in the interview (It's called something like, Age After, right?) really piqued my interest.

 

[Battleline]

If anyone from your office reads this page, I'm sure they have more to worry about then you calling them "cold-hearted bastards".

I hope you can make some money of this, as that post-apocalyptic RPG you talked about in the interview (It's called something like, Age After, right?) really piqued my interest.

My brother has written an entire novel called "The Age After", which is actually a pretty sweet story about a post apocolyptic earth, where the human race has been fragmented through genetic modification (that may have been a bit of a spoiler, I can't remember where in the book he lets you know that's what's going on). I'll try to get him to post to this thread to tell you more about it. I'm afraid if I tell you more, I may give you spoilers unintentionally.

I'm also trying to get him to give me the final versions of the stories he wrote for Epoch Star. All I have on the site so far that he's written are a few of the Race Bios.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'm working on finding an artist to make the graphics less annoyingly bad.

What is involved in that? Is it a simple matter of coming up with textures, or is there something else involved?

 

[Battleline]

I'm working on finding an artist to make the graphics less annoyingly bad.

What is involved in that? Is it a simple matter of coming up with textures, or is there something else involved?

There's actually quite a bit involved. My screens and controls could use improvements. In addition texturing objects is not as easy as just coming up with textures (otherwise my graphics would look great). Essentially the reason why my textures look kinda crappy today, is because I just grabbed some textures, and used them to texture my models. I didn't do any UV Unwrapping, and none of my textures are customized to the ships. I just purchased some royalty free textures and painted them right on. Also, many of my screens look rather amateur right now.

Right now all of the artwork has been done by yours truely, and I have no formal art training. One of the guys I am trying to work out an arrangement with, is a full time game artist. His going rate is far higher than what I can afford, but he's been flexable so far, because he likes the project. Right now we have an agreement to do 2 screens, and he has an interest in doing more screens and some texturing.

 

[SerpentKing]

Age After

Hey guys! This is John Battagline, and here'a a little synopsis of the Age After, for those who are interested.

The Age After is a fantasy-cross-science fiction novel that takes place in a post-apocolyptic era, where the earth still suffers in the aftermath of some long-forgotten planetwide disaster. Told through the narrative of a young man who has escaped the safety of his native "slave community," the story progresses at a rapid, fast-action pace designed to keep the pages turning while revealing subtle clues about what has happened throughout the centuries following the "Death of Ancient Tera." Its main character, indiscriminately named "7995-0835-05590" by his fearsome masters, journeys accross the world, learning the historical events that led to its current state of being while simultaneously discovering an ecclectic variaty of uniquely ideosyncratic places, personalities, creatures, and otherwise...

If you have any questions/comments, don't hesitate to ask me: UODealsOrders@yahoo.com

http://www.ageafter.com

 

[Naked_Lunch]

That all sounds pretty intriguing. I think you could make a smashing game with that as base material.

 

[Battleline]

That all sounds pretty intriguing. I think you could make a smashing game with that as base material.

Thanks, I hope so. Writing games on the cheap is fun, but oh so time consuming.

I just went to a IGDA meeting where they demoed a game engine called Virtools. It made me sad, because it does everything you would ever want in a gameing engine and makes it look spectacular... but it costs $10,000 per user, and another $50K when you sell your game. It made me feel extra self concious about the engine I wrote... but at least I have comfort in knowing that a lot of games that look great still kinda suck.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

... but at least I have comfort in knowing that a lot of games that look great still kinda suck.

And that a lot of games that look like shit fucking rock! :D

 

[Battleline]

And that a lot of games that look like shit fucking rock! :D

Hopefully mine will be one of those... until I can afford a few million dollars as a budget, then I will purchase the greatest software known to man. I will take over the world markets, toppeling Microsoft. I will buy the favor of politicians and force them to participate in my ill-gotten schemes... oh no, I've said too much. :shock:

 

[Battleline]

Please Excuse this shameless shameless plug.

I'm going to apologize ahead of time for this shameless plug, but my brother finally gave me the short stories he's been promising me for several weeks now. He insists they're not done yet, but I made him give me what he had and told him we could update them later. I think they're pretty good so I thought I'd drop a little plug here.

<a href="http://www.epochstar.com/stories.html">Epoch Star Stories and Legends of an Epic Space Adventure</a>

Once again, I apologize for the plug, but I do think they are very interesting stories, and they help to define the races in the game.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Were those written by your brother? The same one doing the Ages After thing?

 

[Battleline]

Were those written by your brother? The same one doing the Ages After thing?

Yeah, why?

 

[Fez]

It helps to gather as much information as possible before he kills someone and assumes their identity.

 

[Battleline]

It helps to gather as much information as possible before he kills someone and assumes their identity.

Haha

 

[Naked_Lunch]

dammit, fez! You said you wouldn't tell him!

 

[obediah]

Epoch Star is actually a pretty decent game, aside from the sometimes-distractingly-bad-graphics.

I would expect better than "pretty decent" for one of the two of the best indie games you've ever played!

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Heh, I guess you're right. Though I could conjure up some bullshit defense, but I won't.

Instead I will shit upon your grave. No biggie.

 

[obediah]

Instead I will shit upon your grave. No biggie.

I suggest you bring it in a bag, lest you feel the wrath of my zombie-arm-enema.

unless of course that's your sort of thing.