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over 6 years
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Rocket
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Will the game support 32-bit Operating Systems?
No. While we could support 32-bit operating systems, it means that we would have to run a separate executable. 32-bit OS also cannot utilize as much memory as a 64-bit OS. This is why the game now only runs on a 64-bit OS. This allows us to have a dramatically increased scale (more objects). Only a very small fraction of the gaming community continue to run 32-bit operating systems, so we think this will have minimal effect.
I don't like the art style, is it going to change?
No. The art style has been chosen for entirely development reasons. This is a game about systems, so an art style was chosen that allows rapid development while still offering fidelity needed for the games systems. We are able to add new things to the game within a day because it is a reasonably simple art style. We actually really like the art style as well!
How realistic is the science in the game?
We use real science where possible, but we have not hesitated to deviate for balance or development reasons. In many instances it is actually far easier for us to use real science equations than try to balance things ourselves. Good examples are atmospherics, thermodynamics, and obviously physics. However most of the chemical reactions in the game are either rough approximations or missing key components. We have to make important concessions, it's supposed to be a problem solving game about systems and the intention is not to make a simulator.
Will the game be released on other platforms?
Currently we are only scheduled for release on Steam, for the PC. We are investigating console release(s). We would consider Linux and Mac ports, should the game sell enough units. If the game sold over 300k units, we would consider a Linux port, over 500k and we would consider a Mac port.
Why is it hard for the game to be released on Linux?
We have built the game in Linux and it does run. However, it runs without DirectX and some of our graphics features only run on DirectX (such as volumetric lighting). There is no solution for that so there would be some visual degradation on Linux where there was no equivalent solution that we have on DirectX.
Most importantly though adding another version of the game involves making our already complicated build process even more complicated. One of the reasons we have been able to add so much content to the game is that we rapidly develop, deploy the build, and work with the community to get that implementation working. This has allowed us to adapt and change the game far more rapidly that we could doing it internally. The longer it takes to author a build, the less agile we become. Already adding dedicated server support, for two platforms (windows and linux) is a major development headache for us. Keeping dedicated server windows, dedicated server linux, and windows client, all running is a lot of effort and adding another platform makes it even more problematic.
Recently (October 2018) we upgraded our engine version and that involved an entire week of deep development and many all nighters. Much of that was dealing with the edge cases from so many platforms.
However, it's not all bad news! We do have plans to try and provide a Linux platform of the game. We have tested it, it mostly works. Once the game has become more stable and our build pipeline is not so problematic if it is longer - building and deploying the game on Linux will be explored. We can't 100% confirm it will work and that it will happen - but at the very least I can 100% we are going to try it and, baring no major issues, this would mean officially supporting linux. There is currently not ETA though.
Will the game have modding support?
We currently support steam workshop for distributing world saves. We have plans to support modding of additional content, such as items and structures, during the Early Access process. Supporting modding does add additional complexity and can involve unique bugs, so we are not planning to launch into Early Access with more modding support than we already have. However, our benchmark for modding support is Cities: Skylines, and Kerbal Space Program. So our planned modding support is extensive. Our modding support will be provided through Steamworks, for simplicity.
How many players does the game support?
Performance is still being bench-marked. Testing has mainly occurred with maximum 25 players. How many players supported depends a great deal on the complexity of the world the players are in. The game will support at least 8 players in complex worlds. Part of our early access plan is to work out the optimum player numbers that can be supported, and optimize the game further. Certainly, our playtesting has indicated supporting 8-10 active players in a complex world on a good PC with a good internet connection is absolutely possible now.
Will the game support Virtual Reality (VR) systems such as Occulus/Vive?
We have no plans for official VR support. We may enable VR so that we can test how the game runs with the community. This can be very complicated for performance reasons, so we do not anticipate being able to official support it.
Can I play the game in Single-player?
Yes. The game currently still runs as a host even in single-player. But there is no requirement for you to play the game in MP. One of our key design pillars is "the game should be fun to play alone", so there should be no barriers to playing alone. The game will be easier played with others, however.
Will the game have Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
We have no plans to add additional DRM from the basic needed for steam. The game will check you own the game when you login. It will exit if you are not logged into steam and own the game, as the game requires steamworks systems to run (achievements, steam workshop, matchmaking, etc...).
How much will the game cost?
The current price is expected to be USD 25. Different prices apply for different regions, altered for cost of living.
Why is the game releasing in Early Access?
Early Access allows us to grow the scope based not on a guess, but on the real interest from the community. We have scoped the game according to a niche, very modest, community size. We expect sales of about 20-50k, which is very modest and means a pretty simple game. Early Access will allow us to grow the scope before the game is finished, if there is a bigger market - which there might be - without making a risky decision in advance.
Not many games attempt the system and scale complexity that Stationeers plans, because it is hard to gauge the potential community size. This is why Early Access offers a great chance to grow the scope of your game based on interest.
Why is the Early Access period so long? (at least a year)
The game is very complex. We are focused almost entirely on systems and very little content early on. This game needs both systems, and content. If we spent six months working with the community refining the systems, then we need to spend at least as long adding a lot of content. So long as we keep the updates regular (each week, say), then it making the process exciting for both the development team, and the players.
The longer the game is in Early Access, the greater the ability for us to modify the scope of the game.
Does the game offer Dedicated Server files?
You can either host the game (run the server and play at the same time), or you can run a dedicated server. Currently, the dedicated server must run on a windows install. We plan to release Linux dedicated server files as soon as we can after release. We now have windows and linux dedicated server files that can be run without owning the game.
No. While we could support 32-bit operating systems, it means that we would have to run a separate executable. 32-bit OS also cannot utilize as much memory as a 64-bit OS. This is why the game now only runs on a 64-bit OS. This allows us to have a dramatically increased scale (more objects). Only a very small fraction of the gaming community continue to run 32-bit operating systems, so we think this will have minimal effect.
I don't like the art style, is it going to change?
No. The art style has been chosen for entirely development reasons. This is a game about systems, so an art style was chosen that allows rapid development while still offering fidelity needed for the games systems. We are able to add new things to the game within a day because it is a reasonably simple art style. We actually really like the art style as well!
How realistic is the science in the game?
We use real science where possible, but we have not hesitated to deviate for balance or development reasons. In many instances it is actually far easier for us to use real science equations than try to balance things ourselves. Good examples are atmospherics, thermodynamics, and obviously physics. However most of the chemical reactions in the game are either rough approximations or missing key components. We have to make important concessions, it's supposed to be a problem solving game about systems and the intention is not to make a simulator.
Will the game be released on other platforms?
Currently we are only scheduled for release on Steam, for the PC. We are investigating console release(s). We would consider Linux and Mac ports, should the game sell enough units. If the game sold over 300k units, we would consider a Linux port, over 500k and we would consider a Mac port.
Why is it hard for the game to be released on Linux?
We have built the game in Linux and it does run. However, it runs without DirectX and some of our graphics features only run on DirectX (such as volumetric lighting). There is no solution for that so there would be some visual degradation on Linux where there was no equivalent solution that we have on DirectX.
Most importantly though adding another version of the game involves making our already complicated build process even more complicated. One of the reasons we have been able to add so much content to the game is that we rapidly develop, deploy the build, and work with the community to get that implementation working. This has allowed us to adapt and change the game far more rapidly that we could doing it internally. The longer it takes to author a build, the less agile we become. Already adding dedicated server support, for two platforms (windows and linux) is a major development headache for us. Keeping dedicated server windows, dedicated server linux, and windows client, all running is a lot of effort and adding another platform makes it even more problematic.
Recently (October 2018) we upgraded our engine version and that involved an entire week of deep development and many all nighters. Much of that was dealing with the edge cases from so many platforms.
However, it's not all bad news! We do have plans to try and provide a Linux platform of the game. We have tested it, it mostly works. Once the game has become more stable and our build pipeline is not so problematic if it is longer - building and deploying the game on Linux will be explored. We can't 100% confirm it will work and that it will happen - but at the very least I can 100% we are going to try it and, baring no major issues, this would mean officially supporting linux. There is currently not ETA though.
Will the game have modding support?
We currently support steam workshop for distributing world saves. We have plans to support modding of additional content, such as items and structures, during the Early Access process. Supporting modding does add additional complexity and can involve unique bugs, so we are not planning to launch into Early Access with more modding support than we already have. However, our benchmark for modding support is Cities: Skylines, and Kerbal Space Program. So our planned modding support is extensive. Our modding support will be provided through Steamworks, for simplicity.
How many players does the game support?
Performance is still being bench-marked. Testing has mainly occurred with maximum 25 players. How many players supported depends a great deal on the complexity of the world the players are in. The game will support at least 8 players in complex worlds. Part of our early access plan is to work out the optimum player numbers that can be supported, and optimize the game further. Certainly, our playtesting has indicated supporting 8-10 active players in a complex world on a good PC with a good internet connection is absolutely possible now.
Will the game support Virtual Reality (VR) systems such as Occulus/Vive?
We have no plans for official VR support. We may enable VR so that we can test how the game runs with the community. This can be very complicated for performance reasons, so we do not anticipate being able to official support it.
Can I play the game in Single-player?
Yes. The game currently still runs as a host even in single-player. But there is no requirement for you to play the game in MP. One of our key design pillars is "the game should be fun to play alone", so there should be no barriers to playing alone. The game will be easier played with others, however.
Will the game have Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
We have no plans to add additional DRM from the basic needed for steam. The game will check you own the game when you login. It will exit if you are not logged into steam and own the game, as the game requires steamworks systems to run (achievements, steam workshop, matchmaking, etc...).
How much will the game cost?
The current price is expected to be USD 25. Different prices apply for different regions, altered for cost of living.
Why is the game releasing in Early Access?
Early Access allows us to grow the scope based not on a guess, but on the real interest from the community. We have scoped the game according to a niche, very modest, community size. We expect sales of about 20-50k, which is very modest and means a pretty simple game. Early Access will allow us to grow the scope before the game is finished, if there is a bigger market - which there might be - without making a risky decision in advance.
Not many games attempt the system and scale complexity that Stationeers plans, because it is hard to gauge the potential community size. This is why Early Access offers a great chance to grow the scope of your game based on interest.
Why is the Early Access period so long? (at least a year)
The game is very complex. We are focused almost entirely on systems and very little content early on. This game needs both systems, and content. If we spent six months working with the community refining the systems, then we need to spend at least as long adding a lot of content. So long as we keep the updates regular (each week, say), then it making the process exciting for both the development team, and the players.
The longer the game is in Early Access, the greater the ability for us to modify the scope of the game.
Does the game offer Dedicated Server files?
You can either host the game (run the server and play at the same time), or you can run a dedicated server. Currently, the dedicated server must run on a windows install. We plan to release Linux dedicated server files as soon as we can after release. We now have windows and linux dedicated server files that can be run without owning the game.