| | Developer Interview, Part OneAfter a long hiatus in the videogame space, Star Trek is making a comeback via Bethesda Softworks. One of the premiere titles in the relaunch of the game franchise is the Xbox 360™ real-time tactical space combat game, Star Trek: Legacy. Dr. Ian Lane Davis, creative director at developer Mad Doc Software, beamed up with Xbox.com to talk all thing Star Trek. "At Mad Doc, we're huge fans of the series (if you want to create a game in this world, you should have the kind of investment in it the fans have)," said Davis. "We understand the Star Trek universe and what it means to players—the characters, the ships, the struggles, the storylines. We're well versed in the myriad of technical questions and challenges that go into creating an amazing Star Trek experience—the art and technical assets, the A.I. and planning issues, how to create an amazing engine to bring the game to life. We know what works, and what doesn't." "This is the first Trek game with ships
from all the eras. We have NX-01 class
ships, Constitution class, Galaxy
class, Sovereign class, and many,
many more."Davis said the development team is capitalizing on its years of experience with Star Trek games. Mad Doc has been working on the core graphics engine for Star Trek: Legacy since 2002. All of that time and focus has allowed the developer to bring a cinematic look and feel to the new game. Mad Doc has also listened to the feedback from Star Trek fans from its past Star Trek games to deliver an experience that gamers and Trekkers will appreciate. Space, the Final Frontier…
In Legacy, you see the history of the Star Trek series from the very beginning, in a way that really makes sense, according to Davis. This game wraps 40 years of television and film lore into a single story. "It's the first form of media that brings all the generations together in the same place; in Legacy you see the characters, the styles, the races, the ships, the core conceits of the series unfold, evolve, and fall together to form this amazing world with all the things you've come to know and love," said Davis. The game puts you in the role of the Admiral of StarFleet, controlling a task force of ships in small and large-scale battles. It's up to you to choose the ships, equipment, and captains (including popular ones from the TV series and movies) that will lead the battle. Gameplay features real-time combat with authentic spaceships, full damage modeling, and spectacular visual effects. "In the thick of fighting you're responsible for ordering each of your ships around the map to multiple different strategic goals, but you can also jump from one captain's chair to another and personally navigate the ship, fire the weapons, divert energy, and give all the orders a captain would give," said Davis. Continued ... |
