Author Topic: Stormkeeper interviews ShadowGorrath about HomePlanet, the Coli and Ancients  (Read 3414 times)

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Offline Stormkeeper

  • Interviewer Extraordinaire
  • 211
  • Boomz!
Stormkeeper interviews ShadowGorrath about HomePlanet, the Coli and Ancients
Stormkeeper: So tell me about HomePlanet.

ShadowGorrath: It has 2 types of movements, Newtonian flight and only glide. And it (glide) is a tactic. Without it you'd be ripped to shreds in a moment. Missiles are also very devastating. Your limited countermeasures won't protect you as well as FreeSpace. I remember my first encounter with a missile in HomePlanet. As a result, I had to restart the mission. Then there's the thing that fighters can move up to an unlimited speed in full glide. The ship can move in all axis Also, the game uses fuel. So if you run out of fuel, you can just wait till an enemy fighter picks you off.

Stormkeeper: Fuel. Eurgh.

ShadowGorrath: Well, you got a lot of fuel though. So it just means not to stay in a mission for too long. Unless you gotta protect something. Funnily enough, I can't manage to beat one mission where I have to protect a station.

Stormkeeper: Are there refueling stations?

ShadowGorrath: Dunno actually. Haven't gotten far in the game.

Stormkeeper: You never thought of making a mod of it?

ShadowGorrath: Nope, too different of a game. Ok, then could we try that interview? If nothing interesting comes out of it, then you'd just drop it, and I'd give you a Colossus, k?

Stormkeeper: Depends. What kinda Colossus? The one you use as a bat?

ShadowGorrath: It is standart issue for the Colossus. They all have the bat feature.

Stormkeeper: Personally, I feel that there's something to be had for FREDing a mission where the Colossus bats Shivan bombers and fighters away.

ShadowGorrath: Honestly though, I don't understand why you guys hate the GTVA Colossus. I love that ship.

Stormkeeper: Why?

ShadowGorrath: It's powerfull for it's job, looks amazing, gives the "oh wow!" moment, etc. Especially after I saw it in the Rogue Intentions campaign.

Stormkeeper: Rogue Intentions? How'd they use the Colli?

ShadowGorrath: You never played it?

Stormkeeper: Not sure I have.

ShadowGorrath: Good campaign. Well, mind if I spoil something about it, regarding the Colossus?

Stormkeeper: Yea, go ahead.

ShadowGorrath: Well, in one mission, you protect your corvettes, and an NTF destroyer jumps in. Your corvettes are damaged and all, so the NTF destroyer can make quick work of you all. And when the situation seems desperate, the Colossus jumps in and nukes the NTF destroyer. Well, in that mission, it was an epic moment.

Stormkeeper: It does sound like a suitably epic moment that would leave an imprint. Have you used the Coli in any of your mods, or are planning to?

ShadowGorrath: No. However, I was planning on making a mission for NTV ( to apply for joining NTV, before I scrapped that idea ) that had the Colossus in it.

Stormkeeper: Why?

ShadowGorrath: The mission turned out terrible, with a lot of bugs. I wasn't satisfied at all, and too lazy to redo it. Then, I realised that I'd be working on too many mods. So I scrapped the idea.

Stormkeeper: So how many are you working on now? Generally speaking.

ShadowGorrath: Let's see... 3 announced mods, 1 unannounced, a lot of mini-mods. End War takes a priority for now, since I am motivated to keep working on it. The unannounced one isn't probably going to even be finished. It was an old idea, with a horrible plot, which I scrapped at that time due to the lack of skills. In other words- it is canceled, but I consider working on it, because I am thinking of reviving it once I am done with End War and the Ancient-Shivan War.

Stormkeeper: How long have you been working on End War and the AS War?

ShadowGorrath: The Ancient-Shivan War has being worked on for around 10 months. End War is for 1-2 months. Funny thing is though, that despite the time difference, End War's mod pack is much closer to finish.

Stormkeeper: Why's that? Is it because the AS War needs alot of newer stuff?

ShadowGorrath: Yes. The Ancient-Shivan War mod is based on the Ancient perspective. I need to make a lot of new stuff for it, preserve the Ancient feel ( like the one in the cutscenes ), and make it believable. Afterall, how likely is for an Ancient pilot to be using terran head animations, or HUD?

Stormkeeper: Point. And you have to come up with Ancient faces yourself, because there's no canon information on them.

ShadowGorrath: I have a different thing planned for that. I want to leave the idea on how an Ancient individually looks like to the player. That way I am not forcing my ideas on how the Ancients look like, and leave place for the player's imagination. This also helps me so that I don't need to actually make the Ancients in-person.

Stormkeeper: I'm not sure I get it. So how will you do the Ancient head anis?

ShadowGorrath: The concept I have for that is easy- have some sort of "Incomming Message" type of CBAni. But here's the hard part- how to make it so that it doesn't look too empty, too terran or too boring. That's why I am patiently waiting for some sort of better idea to come to my head.

Stormkeeper: I see. So this is a major obstacle in the mod, isn't it?

ShadowGorrath: In some way. The biggest obstacle though, in my opinion, is the lack of motivation. I had the motivation to make the mod with a full campaign by the end of this year, at that time! Now, I'd be lucky to get out a demo or trailer for it by the end of the year.

Stormkeeper: So, how different will the Ancients play compared to the normal FS2 play?

ShadowGorrath: Currently, it feels like flying old fossils, without shields, and trying to nuke a Shivan ship with ML-16 like guns, that do a bit of shield damage.

Stormkeeper: So they're shieldless? Do they have heavier armor to compensate?

ShadowGorrath: Ancients? Yes. They're fast though, and have heavier armour. But "heavier armour" does not mean that they have as much armour as they had in Inferno R1. And their weapons are bad. Primaries will make you cry when you try to kill bombers, or cruisers. Secondaries are better though. Capital ship weapons are good.

Stormkeeper: Will it be difficult to pummel a Scorpion?

ShadowGorrath: Semi-difficultJust don't stay in the same place for too long, or the other Shivans will swarm you.

Stormkeeper: What kind of Shivans will you face? I mean fighter wise. Cause it takes place earlier, so will we see 'newer' Shivan fighters?

ShadowGorrath: Newer? No, since it's the past. But I hope to put some new ships for them. Then there's the lack of good Shivan capital ships, that I could put there, since the Shivans are beamless. Apart from the Lucifers.

Stormkeeper: Lucifers. Plural? With shields and beams?

ShadowGorrath: Exactly those kind of Lucifers.

Stormkeeper: Oh wow. I feel sorry for the ancients.

ShadowGorrath: Me too, now that I think of what I'm going to have them go through.

Stormkeeper: And you are the one putting them through it.

ShadowGorrath:Yes. Though I shouldn't take all the credit, since there are at least 2 people helping me with ASW, that form a team; Droid803 and freespaceking. FreeSpaceFreak also made planets for the mod, but I haven't asked him yet wheter he wants to fully become a member.

Stormkeeper: So what are they each working on?

ShadowGorrath: Freespaceking is working on making the Ancient ships pretty. Droid803 is a FREDer and general modder.
*FREDder.


Stormkeeper: So how soon do you think you can finish it, or are you intent on finishing End War first?

ShadowGorrath:That depends on the motivation. I can't make any promises or predictions, because I myself don't know that. But for now, End War seems to be in the lead.

Stormkeeper: I saw that you used the Sirona and the Reyena. Did you model any new ships specifically for End War, or did you grab already made ones?

ShadowGorrath: I can't really make new ships, other than making a mesh. So I only grab already made models. However, Peterv accepted to make a superdestroyer for End War, which is a very needed ship for the mod.

Stormkeeper: We all saw that pretty bird too.

ShadowGorrath:Yes. And to dissapoint you, it's End War exclusive :P

Stormkeeper: Dang. You're an evil man Shadow. How many new ships, roughly, will End War feature in all, Vasudans, Terrans, Shivies?

ShadowGorrath: Terrans are 2 factions now, for Sol and GTVA. Well, I haven't finished adding ships yet, but I am nearing the ship limit. And I calculated that there will be only 5 free ship slots when I finish adding the fleets.

Stormkeeper: Do you anticipate that causing issues?

ShadowGorrath: Not at all. All ships will be used, so all are needed. And since I'm not going over the limit, I think that it won't result in any problems.

Stormkeeper: Well then. Do you any last words of wisdom for the readers?

ShadowGorrath: Words of wisdom? Ahh... Let me think... Join the End War, Ancient-Shivan War and NTF! Peace through power, kids! I'm outta here.


We carried out this interview in MSN again, so I reordered the conversation somewhat. The full log is attached. I also chose to 'start' the interview earlier than Shadow realised; i.e shortly after he showed me a video he made as a tribute to the unreleased HomePlanet.

Thanks for reading ya'll and thanks to Shadow for being such an obliging fellow after I sprung the interview request about a day before the interview itself.






[attachment deleted by Tolwyn]
Ancient-Shivan War|Interview Board

Member of the Scooby Doo Fanclub. And we're not talking a cartoon dog here people!!

 

Offline starlord

  • 210
Re: Stormkeeper interviews ShadowGorrath about HomePlanet, the Coli and Ancients
Hey: that's my "oh so hard to get" homeplanet gold in the interview! :lol:

I never thought that game might attract attention in an interview.

 

Offline ShadowGorrath

  • Not funny or clever
  • 211
Re: Stormkeeper interviews ShadowGorrath about HomePlanet, the Coli and Ancients
Hey, this turned out better than I expected. :) Or so it seems.

Just one thing, Stormkeeper: HomePlanet IS released. Just not available in anywhere else but Russia. Or Starlord.