DarkStar One Interview
Written by Charles Husemann on 8/15/2006 for
PC
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DarkStar One
Space adventure games are nothing new as gamers have been flying through space fighting bad guys and trading goods since Elite hit PC’s in the early eighties. The genre has evolved since then with the Wing Commander and Freespace franchise taking things to a new level. Ascaron is putting their own twist on the genre with DarkStar One which is set to hit stores this week. We got a chance to talk to Alan Wild from Ascaron about what will they are doing to make DarkStar One unique.
GamingNexus: What was the inspiration behind the game? What is the back story for the game?
Alan Wild: We wanted to create an action game with a strong story basis, and we were keen on producing a space game. The space action genre is often overlooked, and it was our aim to fill that gap.
In terms of story, you take up the persona of Kayron Jarvis, a supremely talented young fighter pilot. The game begins with you receiving the DarkStar One, an awesome ship developed around core segments of alien technology. This ship is the life’s work of your father. Following his recent murder, the DarkStar One is all that remains of his legacy. During the course of the game, Kayron will discover clues surrounding his father’s murder. These clues lead Kayron on a hunt for vengeance… but, of course, that’s not all Kayron discovers! As you would expect, the story is not as clear cut as the original outline may seem.
GamingNexus: The space combat genre has had some great games such as the Wing Commander Series, the Freespace games, and more recently Freelancer, what things did you learn from those games and how is DarkStar One different than the games that came before it.
Alan Wild: There is a lot to learn from many games which have previously been released. DarkStar One differs predominantly through the ship design, the story and the combat. Futuristic shooters tend not to concentrate on the actual “character” you play, but instead offer a variety of ships for you to purchase along the way. Quite often it is absolutely necessary to purchase specific ships to achieve specific objectives. What we wanted to achieve was a more dynamic character structure, and we achieved this through the DarkStar One space ship. Being able to upgrade according to your own preferences allows the player to effectively build their own ship which suits their own play style, and thus prevents the player being forced down particular upgrade paths.
The combat system is much more accessible than many competitors. The control mechanisms are superbly responsive, and the addition of gamepad/joystick control was a must for us. In addition, the feel of the combat is great, and you get a genuine feel of reward and progress with the feedback through combat. Introducing a range of intelligent and technical tactics for the enemy ships adds a new dimension to combat. Rather than battles being simply target-shoot-destroy there is an exciting edge and an increased challenge. It was very important that we integrated something a bit different here, and that’s what we’ve done.
GamingNexus: A demo was released a month or so back, how was the reaction to the demo? Did you get any feedback on the demo that you incorporated into the final game?
Alan Wild: Feedback for the demo has been incredible. We’re extremely happy with the response we have received, and we have taken some of those comments on board for the final version. The majority of the bugs which were identified in the demo had already been fixed in a revised build, so we’re pleased with the stability and reliability of the game.
The next stage is to look at potential for MODding DarkStar One.
GamingNexus: Was there ever any thought of making the game multiplayer or not?
Alan Wild: Yes, and we gave it great consideration. For DarkStar One it was decided that the overall gameplay did not lend itself immediately to a multiplayer version. The focus had to be on the main story, the ship upgrades and the action and exploration. I should say this only ruled multiplayer out of the final version – we have not completely ruled out multiplayer in the future.
GamingNexus: Most gamers are used to upgrading to different ships as they progress through the game (each more powerful than the last). In DarkStar One you only have one game which you upgrade over time, how do you keep the gamer interested in having the same ship over time? Will the cockpit change at all as you upgrade or is it the same throughout the game?
Alan Wild: Having more ships and less upgrade options wasn’t an option for us that we felt would fit well within DarkStar One. In an RPG you play one character, and you gain an affinity to that character. This is the feeling we wanted to convey in DarkStar One. Therefore, as the game progresses and the ship becomes more and more powerful, there are more and more items and options for creating the ship that you want to control.
GamingNexus: Speaking of the upgrades, can you talk about the different types of upgrades that are available in the game? Will these upgrades be only available in stores throughout the game or will you find some of them scattered throughout the game’s universe?
Alan Wild: Computers, afterburners, energy shield, scanners, cargo drones, and a whole host of the deadlier weapons you mention, lasers, turrets, missile launchers, plasma cannon specialization, and many other equipment and armament items… Most can be bought from trade stations, other items can be found scattered about the ~300 solar systems, by way of missions or exploration.
As mentioned before, the customization of the actual ship itself depends entirely upon the player and their preferences. For example, if you concentrate on upgrading the DarkStar One wings, then you will end up with a hugely maneuverable craft, with a good range of fore weapon mounts; expand the hull and turn the DarkStar One into a massively resilient hulking behemoth with plenty of scope for turret mountings; Pile on the engine size and the DarkStar One will not only be more energy efficient, but it will also be able to cart about greater cargo loads with less hindrance.
GamingNexus: Can you undo all of the upgrade choices or are there certain decisions that are permanent?
Alan Wild: In terms of actual equipment and weapons, these are of course interchangeable and replaceable. The hull, wing and engine upgrades are permanent fixtures. All of the information a player requires to make an informed decision is provided alongside whichever upgrade the player is considering. This information relays the upgrade details such as weapon mounts, energy efficiency, hull integrity, etc.
GamingNexus: What different missions will be available in the game? Is there one type of mission that you enjoy more than another? Is there a final count of how many missions in the game?
Alan Wild: There is a collection of different missions, but no final count. On top of the main mission structure, side missions can be accepted from trade stations and from people you meet on your travels. Mission choice again depends on the player’s preferences. There are missions geared towards each of the 6 recognized careers: Pirate, Bounty Hunter, Trade, Smuggling, Mercenary, Armed Escort. The career system is entirely dynamic, and is portrayed with a graphical chart detailing exactly what sort of reputation the player currently has. This works really well, as it is an accurate reflection of how you actually play the game and the actions you take.
GamingNexus: What kind of weapons are in the game? The website talks about a “Spell Weapon” in the game, can you talk about how that works in the game?
Alan Wild: The “Spell Weapon” is a plasma-based cannon which can be configured by the player. The cannon has certain capabilities that can be unlocked with the right amount of, shall we say, ancient power. As the DarkStar One grows in strength it will become more and more powerful, and the player will be given a number of options for the cannon upgrade. Put simply, the leveling system works like an RPG skill tree and the cannon has near-magical effects. The cannon begins at its most basic level. Once upgraded, further branches become available, allowing you to have either a range of different plasma effects or a few more powerful ones, or a happy medium.
GamingNexus: Once a player has completed the main storyline of the game, is the game over or can you continue to explore the universe and complete missions? Does completing the game unlock new galaxies or change how you are perceived in the game?
Alan Wild: Once the main story is completed there are certain “extras” – No spoilers here! You can continue to play the game freely, complete further missions, and attempt to discover all the rewards that are available.
GamingNexus: What is your favorite thing about the game? Is there anything we didn’t cover that you think gamers should know about the game?
Alan Wild: The game controls and the way the ship handles. In combat it’s a joy to play. The different upgrades contribute to the feeling of the ship being an extension of your preferred play-style represented directly in-game, and the response of the DarkStar One to your control input is great. Blowing dastardly hostiles/neutrals/friendlies to smithereens is a very rewarding and entertaining experience indeed.
What else? Hmm, well, other items to cover include the persistent economic system… the 6 very different races… the real-time inter-racial alliances and disputes… the surprises in the story… the ability for the player to choose sides when such a situation arises… the realism of the game (incoming freighters may have missions on offer, as opposed to a database-generated, unrealistic mission creation)… sit inside trade stations and look out of the observation deck (watch the ships outside [freighters loading and unloading, police ships, pirates, etc] - then launch if you see something that, shall we say, ‘interests’ you and it will still be there, ripe for the, umm, picking)… the way different career paths result in you being perceived differently by the various factions…
DarkStar One is easy to pick up and play, but when you drill down into the game there’s a wealth of detail and depth to enjoy.
We’d like to thank Alan for taking the time to answer our questions and to Ted for hooking us up with the interview.
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
About Author
Hi, my name is Charles Husemann and I've been gaming for longer than I care to admit. For me it's always been about competing and a burning off stress. It started off simply enough with Choplifter and Lode Runner on the Apple //e, then it was the curse of Tank and Yars Revenge on the 2600. The addiction subsided somewhat until I went to college where dramatic decreases in my GPA could be traced to the release of X:Com and Doom. I was a Microsoft Xbox MVP from 2009 to 2014. I currently own stock in Microsoft, AMD, and nVidia.
