Around the Verse Episode 21
(Citizen Star News) - 2014-11-20 -Ben and Sandi host, featuring details on new merchandise, the Thanksgiving sale, Concept Sales!
Notes, sneak peaks and much more information after the jump...
Events - Schedule trying to get out information as soon as possible to allow people get tickets to these events.
News from Around the Verse
Arena Commander
Audio for the Drake ships - different "Bitching Betty"
New missile types are being prototyped
AI Turret and ai behavior is being improved for v1.0
Squadron 42
Zero-G "traversal" animation is being improved
Big MoCap shoot in December, Sq42, Arena Commander & FPS
Concept work for the civilian version of the Javelin Destroyer has started
Persistent Universe
ArcCorp Bartender concept work
Friends list and chat system - Social Module
Asteroid Physics
Ships
Gladius tweaked and damage system prototype
Avenger Variants, roles, making them look distinct
Carrack finishing touches
Art
New allotment of guns (available in VD)
FPS
Prone animation set
Mag boots
Customer service
Expecting sales related tickets
Dog Tags ave shipped
Constellation model back in the store
Bug Smashers
Asteroid collision fail. Turns out to be a side effect of the new paint system for v1.0 and a CryEngine update that had conflicting values for geometry meshes. Code incorrectly converted collision mesh.
Art Sneak Peak
via Reddit
MVP
GrrArrgh - Playing StarCitizen for the First Time
Chris Roberts picked it out and sent it around the office to inspire the troops.
Interview - Zane Bien
Designs the UI/HUDs
Q1 - Shifty - 16:46 - What's your vision for the HUD overall? We know that it should be customizable and change its style depending on the manufacturer of the ships, but what else do you have in mind? What do you want to change, or add to make it fun and easy to read, but at the same time look awesome?
A - Visor HUD right now. Eventually projected into the world, in the cockpit. (diagetic) Thinking about customizing things. Letting pilots move the data around in their cockpit. Screen's may get damaged, move functionality. Like on real fighter jets.
Q2 - Nathanalphaman - 19:52 - When creating the HUDs, do you have in mind which buttons will do what tasks in the cockpit? In other words will the character animate and push those buttons or will it stay how it is now?
A - Cockpits will have more design features. List of 50 to 60 things being considering. Could replace as much of the menu system as possible. For the in-fiction settings of the cockpit and ship anyway.
Q3 - Amontillado -22:42 - Which ship's UI are you most excited to work on?
A - Capital ships. Cap ship interfaces have a lot of room to get creative on design. Working with Mike Northeast to figure out the functions used for "Crew Stations". Customizable. More detail if your crew screen is focused on a specific role. Captain's screen is a summary.
Q4 - Azreal Domonov - 26:00 - I understand that you've been developing web and fictional UI art since your time in school. What motivates you to spend so much time working on UI/UX design? What are the interesting challenges that drew you to the subject?
A - Photoshop around 11 years old. Creating websites for Counterstrike clans and similar. Inspiring website 2advance eric jordan (Flash for websites is terrible. Stop using, couldn't agree more. - Ed.)
Q5 - Skallagrim - 28:40 - To what extent (and in which ways) do you research real combat aircraft heads up displays, multi funtional displays, general avionics and sensors before sitting down to start work on the HUD of a ship?
A - Has been getting into A10C WartHog DCS similulator. Flight sims. Recent thing to do research. Have read through papers and manuals. Needs of the game though trump functionality. Designing a game.
More on this interview next Tues on the new Meet the CIG Devs segment
Coming HUD
Anniversary Sale on the 28th (all but said Carrack)
The Super Hornet, Caterpillar, Freelancer MIS and the M50 will be among the ships on sale over the next week. Limited packages.
Contest
Imagine the UI of the Herald.
New Merch
Little Green Space Men "Finger Guns" - (Sandi said available now, but Reverse the Verse said tomorrow, and they'll be grey.)