GamingBolt has interviewed Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock, about Star Control and more:
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Thank you for the info, Farflame!
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Star Control: Origins - Brad Wardell Interview
- Thread starter HiddenX
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"Stardock is a company that pushes boundaries of technology in video games. The company, known for its compelling and highly addictive PC science fiction games, has pushed the benchmarks of graphical technologies before numerous times, and is looking to do so again going forward. This is the rare company, in other words, that can deliver on style and substance, both."
Come again? Now, I didn't play their latest RTS, but games like the Gal Civs and Fallen Enchantress are hardly known for their graphics. Also, the screenshots I've seen of this latest game in development seem to have adopted a cartoonish style, which devs seem to do when they want to keep the graphical overhead low.
Back when I was a reporter, this type of ass-kissing hyperbole would be completely rewritten by your editor, and if you kept on with this type of thing, you'd get your ass fired.
Come again? Now, I didn't play their latest RTS, but games like the Gal Civs and Fallen Enchantress are hardly known for their graphics. Also, the screenshots I've seen of this latest game in development seem to have adopted a cartoonish style, which devs seem to do when they want to keep the graphical overhead low.
Back when I was a reporter, this type of ass-kissing hyperbole would be completely rewritten by your editor, and if you kept on with this type of thing, you'd get your ass fired.
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Now you get quality titles like :
Are teachers KILLING your children?
And
Eternal darkness! Why the sun may not rise tomorrow.
And
"A terrible day, full of violence" claims mother who tripped in supermarket.
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Merin
Watchdog
What are the "turning it cartoony" complaints? Shouldn't they be, instead, "they AREN'T making the game more realistic looking" because, I'm not sorry to say, the game has ALWAYS had a goofy, cartoony (or puppety) look…
You know, like naming the ship of the Syreen "Penetrator" and shaping it like this -
was uber serious.
But 2, clearly, 2 wasn't cartoony…
… and, again, 3 with all the puppets instead of cartoons…
If you don't like them making the remake cartoony, that's fine. But it keeps being complained about like it is a CHANGE instead of par for the course.
You know, like naming the ship of the Syreen "Penetrator" and shaping it like this -
was uber serious.
But 2, clearly, 2 wasn't cartoony…
… and, again, 3 with all the puppets instead of cartoons…
If you don't like them making the remake cartoony, that's fine. But it keeps being complained about like it is a CHANGE instead of par for the course.
What are the "turning it cartoony" complaints? Shouldn't they be, instead, "they AREN'T making the game more realistic looking" because, I'm not sorry to say, the game has ALWAYS had a goofy, cartoony (or puppety) look…
You know, like naming the ship of the Syreen "Penetrator" and shaping it like this -
was uber serious.
But 2, clearly, 2 wasn't cartoony…
… and, again, 3 with all the puppets instead of cartoons…
If you don't like them making the remake cartoony, that's fine. But it keeps being complained about like it is a CHANGE instead of par for the course.
There is good cartoony and there is bad cartoony. Stardock is bad cartoony. It cartoonies all the wrong elements in the wrong way like the planets. Compare those graphically with Starcon 2. It does not compare well.
Merin
Watchdog
Seriously don't know what you are talking about.
I mean, the planets in two look like horrible flat, lifeless spheres... so, yes, the new PLANETS are more cartoony (and 3D-y) than the dreary colored balls of Star Control 1 and 2... so, that's what the complaining is about? The planets should be boring (or, sorry, pseudo-realistic) in contrast to the ships and aliens which will be straight out of MST3K?
I mean, okay. Cheer on dichotomy of art styles!
I mean, the planets in two look like horrible flat, lifeless spheres... so, yes, the new PLANETS are more cartoony (and 3D-y) than the dreary colored balls of Star Control 1 and 2... so, that's what the complaining is about? The planets should be boring (or, sorry, pseudo-realistic) in contrast to the ships and aliens which will be straight out of MST3K?
I mean, okay. Cheer on dichotomy of art styles!
If we are talking about a game that is trying to stay faithful to Star Control then yes it should try to emulate the graphical style more closely. And I like the Star Control planets appearance much better myself.
Compare this
To this
Zloth
I smell a... wumpus!?
It ain't all about graphics. Gal Civ 3 lets you make galaxies of ridiculous size thanks to doing the game in 64-bit from the ground up - which was fairly rare back when it was being made. Ashes of Singularity (I'm not real clear on how much of that is really theirs and how much they just publish) is big on having a jillion units all working at the same time.
That said, I got a pretty huge brown nose vibe on that opening paragraph, too. Leading technology really isn't the first thing I think of with Stardock. Super-long term support for their games is.
P.S. I tried to read the site and got some really dubious message about wanting to run the Windows Scripting host. I didn't let it and the website died.
SSIGuy
An Islander Returned
To each his own, but I like what I've seen of the art style. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!
SSIGuy
An Islander Returned
Me too... You never know with Stardock, you might get a great game but you might get Elemental (the original).
luj1
SasqWatch
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We know. The races were cartoony but systems looked normally. Which is what most complaints are related to i.e. planet appearance.
Planets look like the terrain in Worms too much imo.
Furthermore notice the obvious platformy approach to exploration. Super Mario Kart?
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Farflame
SasqWatch
Yes, old SC look better than new SC so far which is Stardock's fail. But its not just about art style. Star Control is interesting concept that has great potential for more depth, more refined mechanics, better combat etc. in comparison to charming but somehow limited old design. But it seems they are going to waste this opportunity for expanded game and do "arcade remake" instead.