Interview RPGVault does a Star Wolves Q&A

[Spazmo]

Tags: Star Wolves; Xbow Software

<A HREF="http://rpgvault.ign.com" target="_blank">RPG Vault</A> did an <a href=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/583/583734p1.html>interview</a> with <b>Anatoly Subbotin</b> of Russian developer X-Bow, who are currently developing Star Wolves, a sci-fi RPG about pirates in space.<blockquote>Anatoly Subbotin: Star Wolves is a 3D space RPG with tactical and strategic elements. At first sight, it really does look similar to space RTS games. But this isn't a strategy game.
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What distinguishes Star Wolves from other games of the genre? First of all, it is the setting and game universe. Frankly speaking, I haven't seen a lot of space RPGs recently. Secondly, this is quite an unusual mixture of different genres - RPG plus tactics plus strategy elements. I think that this blend will appeal to both role-playing and tactical games fans.</blockquote>That sounds pretty damn neat. Here's hoping they pull it off.

 

[dojoteef]

The next step after adding the RPG elements was to implement real-time battles with smart pauses, similar to Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.

Looks like they are trying to make Volourn happy.


The game storyline reminds me of Firefly. If they can make a game that's as enjoyable to play as Firefly is to watch, I'll be sold.

 

[Trash]

Well, isn't this game allready out in Russia and was supposed to be very good? Lets just hope they won't screw the translation.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Yeah, this game has me salivating. Really looking forward to trying it out. For one, it's a sci-fi RPG. Wow. That's kudos in my book. And for two, I really like the setting. As dojo pointed out, it's alot like Firefly and I loved that show.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Anyone that hated Firefly needs a swift kick in the nuts.

This game also looks interesting. It's been way, way too long since there was a spacefaring CRPG.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Anyone that hated Firefly needs a swift kick in the nuts.

I think I speak for Firefly fans everywhere when I say "HELL YEAH!!!"

 

[Fez]

There must be a lot of people due a kick in the nuts then, as it tanked hard.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

There must be a lot of people due a kick in the nuts then, as it tanked hard.

The reasons for that are covered in another topic here. Let me see if I can find it...

Hmmm. Can't seem to find it. The reason the show fubarred is because, first, they were shown out of sequence by the network... second, the show was thrown into the friday night lineup where it was a new show going up against some tried and true heavy hitters at the time... thirdly, the network just didn't give the show the chance it deserved. They were morons. Universal has bought the rights and are releasing the movie Serenity this coming April to theaters. Hopefully this means the show will live once more. It was a damn fine show. One of the best Sci-Fi series ever. Right up there with Babylon 5.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Another good show was Space: Above and Beyond. It was the ultimate military-themed scifi series. It was like Band of Brothers, before there was a Band of Brothers.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Space: Above And Beyond did have potential. I just felt that just before the demise of the show the writing just petered out. Maybe that show would have lasted longer if they would have had better writing.

 

[dojoteef]

Universal has bought the rights and are releasing the movie Serenity this coming April to theaters. Hopefully this means the show will live once more.

Wow, I hate to break it to you, but the movie isn't going to be released until September. It was originally meant to be released in April, but Universal thinks that too many "good" movies are coming out during that time period, so they want to position the movie in a market where they think it will do better. Check the official site for more info.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Pffffft. Figures. Joss just needs to start his own movie studio.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Hmmm. Can't seem to find it. The reason the show fubarred is because, first, they were shown out of sequence by the network... second, the show was thrown into the friday night lineup where it was a new show going up against some tried and true heavy hitters at the time... thirdly, the network just didn't give the show the chance it deserved. They were morons. Universal has bought the rights and are releasing the movie Serenity this coming April to theaters. Hopefully this means the show will live once more. It was a damn fine show. One of the best Sci-Fi series ever. Right up there with Babylon 5.

Don't forget that FOX decided not to air the pilot for the show, which kicked much ass, until after the show was already cancelled.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Good point, Saint. Sorry I forgot that. In all honesty though, I really didn't even see the show until the DVD release. But after watching it, I was like "What the heck?! Who cancelled a show like this?" and immediately did some combing on the internet. Oh, and I went out and purchased the DVD set.

 

[Fez]

It seems like a lot of people never saw it at all the first time round, which means you can't blame confusion with the episodes being out of order, as they never saw a single episode. Perhaps a bad time slot and no one could be bothered to watch it then or later hurt it, but word of mouth from the handful who did see it didn't save it either. It seems kind of silly to complain about them cancelling a show you never watched, as the reason why they cancelled it was obvious. It seems that, as it was presented, the show sucked ass, otherwise people would have watched it rather than the other "heavy hitters" you mentioned it going up against, which must have been what the audiences wanted if they stayed with them instead of watching the new show.

Possibly now that there seems to be a gap in the market which is Firefly-shaped, due to nothing better being on TV for the moment, it has a chance to get the glory you think it deserves. Sometimes the reruns can be more successful than the original run. I think that happened with the original Star Trek series. If that hadn't been rerun then Shatner wouldn't be able to keep himself in girdles.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, FOX has never been too bright about time slots. They put The Tick up against Friends and Survivor, and wondered why no one watched it.

Another thing that hurt Firefly was that FOX pre-empted it with baseball through it's short run. When you start a show off in a bad time slot, and then only periodically air it because of sports, it's not going to do well.

What they probably should have done is air the pilot, which was already shot, TWICE in two different time slots. Sunday night would have been a good choice for one of them since Sunday night is when FOX beats out anything else. Tuesday would have been a good choice for the other night.

But honestly, FOX was, and still is, more interested in cranking out low budget reality TV shows than it is about doing high budget, decent programming. When Firefly came out, it didn't come out on the FOX that brought us X-Files and several other choice, good shows. It came out on the FOX that brought us Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire and various other crappy, bullshit reality TV train wrecks.

FOX's big hit now that isn't a reality show is 24. If it had been released under the circumstances of Firefly, it wouldn't have lasted to a full season either.

 

[Fez]

Urgh, yes, FOX hasn't exactly been doing a stellar job. You're right about the rest too. I guess until someone puts you in charge of FOX we can look forward to reality TV and more reality TV, it's cheap to produce and gives voyeuristic thrills which keep the ratings high. I can't wait until this current trend fades away and we can get a bit of variety and something decent to watch (and give what few good ones are being made a chance).

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I would love to be on a reality show like the real world. I'd be an even bigger asshole than I am now. I'd just be drunk all day, wearing a stained wife beater, boxer shorts, and smoke a really obnoxious cigar, and live out on the couch by the TV, where porn would be playing on full blast 24-7.

 

[Fez]

You are just giving them more ideas! They'll get six months of programming out of that sentence. Though the chance to see you put the usual freaks they put on those shows in their place might be worth watching.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

You know it's kinda sick, but if I were on a reality TV show I would probably beat off in front of a camera and give the camera a nice present ala "Silence of the Lambs" prison scene.

Edit: srry for dereailing the topic.

 

[Fez]

Classy.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

HAHAHA Fucking great!

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Urgh, yes, FOX hasn't exactly been doing a stellar job. You're right about the rest too. I guess until someone puts you in charge of FOX we can look forward to reality TV and more reality TV, it's cheap to produce and gives voyeuristic thrills which keep the ratings high. I can't wait until this current trend fades away and we can get a bit of variety and something decent to watch (and give what few good ones are being made a chance).

When FOX started, it used to make the trends. Now it just follows them. FOX changed the face of TV sitcoms with Married with Children, a show that ran 11 years, IIRC. The X-Files ran nine years. The Simpsons has been running forever and is still going. Other channels started coping those successes.

Now FOX is following the trends of the other channels. When Who Wants to Be a Millionaire came out, FOX practically turned itself in to a game show network. When Survivor hit the air and was successful, FOX became a reality TV network - or tried to.

Instead of offering alternatives, they're offering status quo. What's worse is that it's someone else's established and popular status quo. Instead of setting those trends, they're just chasing them. It's kind of funny how their prime time TV shows follow trends when their main successes have all been in areas that buck conventional wisdom and trends set by the other stations. Even FOXNews got to be on top by not being like CNN and other news channels.

 

[Fez]

Now it is the standard, and expected practice of all the media to copy other rivals and the latest fad, so we get nothing except shows about reality TV for a year, then home improvement or gardening or documentaries about one or two subjects. There were many media companies which used to be interesting and were capable of surprising and entertaining me, but now I find myself rolling my eyes at the obvious scramble to outdo each other on the latest trend (hey it's not who wants to be a millionaire, it's who wants to marry a millionaire). It's a pathetic round of one-upmanship until someone finally notices everyone has stopped watching and then the "writers" (and I use that term as loosely as possible), try and invent something new, and the rest of the wastes-of-flesh copy it and alter it just enough to avoid legal problems. If I worked as management on these companies I would have sacked the writers as being obsolete, who needs writers when all they do is photocopy the last big thing? Pathetic.

I find myself watching less and less TV as time goes by, a good thing I suppose. Now the only thing I might watch most days is the news, though any kind of bias in an "objective" source trends to annoy me too.