Battlestar Galactica, I love it, however the new rendition which will conclude its run next year elicits strong feelings one way or another.
However I am a gamer and this is my search to find a right, and proper, game for a series that includes amazingly realistic space warfare, enter an independent group of dedicated mod-artist and their creation Battlestar Galactica: Beyond the Red Line.
Utilizing the venerable Freespace 2 engine and including a load of TLC. This game hopes to bridge the gap until such time as a commercially viable game is produced.
I took the time to download and play the demo and while the engine is dated. The engine has help up amazingly well and more to the point, it was a fun and exhilirating exhibition which truly captured the feel and grit of the Sci-Fi series.
I got a chance to speak with the BtRL Team to ask them about their development. Lets see what they had to say.
For those not familiar with your project please tell then about: Battlestar Galactica - Beyond the Red Line.
Beyond the Red Line is a free-to-play space combat simulator based on Ron Moore and David Eick's re-imagined Battlestar Galactica universe. Utilizing the Freespace 2 game engine (which has been heavily modified and updated since it went 'abandonware' about three years ago), our goal is to provide an exciting, immersive story-driven space combat experience that remains authentic and faithful to the modern Battlestar Galactica television series. Players will have the opportunity to fly and fight in human Vipers, Cylon Raiders and various other Galactica craft in single-player and multi-player missions. The demo is currently available for PC, Mac, and Linux. A full campaign is under development and will also be free to the public. The release date for the full game is yet to be determined.
How has development been progressing since the release of your demo.
Karajorma: "After the demo release the majority of the team took some time off to recover from the demands we had on us during the last couple of months before release. There has been a fair bit of progress though. The demo brought in new recruits and they have been doing some wonderful work for us and the team never really quit working. Even during our time off we still occasionally get the urge to do something."
Since this is an independent mod what development challenges have been your biggest obstacles.
Our biggest obstacles would have to be time and the law. As we all have jobs and school outside of this project, finding the time to devote to the game without getting fired or flunking out of classes is quite a balancing act indeed! As for the law, since we are utilizing the intellectual property (IP) of NBC Universal, we have to tread softly as we continue development so as not to directly violate copyright. It is a thin line, but we respect the rights of the property holders and do our best not to step over that line.
Labor of Love" is a term I use a lot but for mods and independent operations like this I find it apropos, What has been the most rewarding part of recreating the BSG universe?
Karajorma: "Hearing people say that they fought Scar and it was just like they would have expected it to be."
Oddaelan: "--Being able to write and perform my own BSG-styled lines as characters in the BSG universe (without being on a set in Vancouver).
--Arranging beloved soundtrack cues by McCreary and Gibbs, and music direction: working with the composer, __Max__, to find a balance in style.
--Coaching and working with VA to bring some favorite characters to life.
--Mixing the finalized AP mission dialogue (with the full comm effects et al), and then hearing it all come together in the cockpit of a Viper... so badass and mind-blowing."
Unknown Target: "Having people tell me that the game plays just like the show, and for people telling me that the game is just fun to play."
I know you have been getting close to adding rendered cutscenes into BSG:BtRL how has that been progressing?
Lt. Cannonfodder: "There are definately plans to add pre-rendered cutscenes to the next release. As to them becoming a reality we can't give a definitive answer since it's all still in the planning stage. Animation means a lot of hard work and we only have one guy working on them, so you'll have to wait and see."
Is there anything new that is on the horizon concerning an updated Demo release that incorporates more of your new material?
Sorry, no comment on this...yet. We like surprises! I can say that there are many exciting things in the works.
Last question, if there was anything about BSG: BtRL that you could change what would it be?
How about changing it from indie mod to financially-backed commercial game? Honestly though, probably the game engine. The FS2 engine is amazing and, thanks to the Source Code Project, quite robust--I mean, it's from 1998! But while the SCP and BTRL coders are constantly adding new features and improving the look and feel of the game, the engine can be quite limiting at times. A newer engine would likely afford us more freedom in the development of ship models, features and gameplay mechanics; but then our programmers, mission designers, everyone would have to get used to a new engine. That would take time, which we do not have. If we could go to something more up-to-date (we have discussed it once or twice) we would probably benefit in the long run, but overall we are happy where we are.
For more information concerning Battlestar Galactica: Beyond the Red Line
Please visit them at: Beyond the Red Line Website
Battlestar Galactica, I love it, however the new rendition which will conclude its run next year elicits strong feelings one way or another.
