Developer Blog #3 - Subspace Translation and the Tutorial

We have been hard at work this week working on some effects and finalising the script for the tutorial. 

If you want to see a more in-depth view in the development of FTC don't forget to join us on Discord

Subspace Translation
Jordan - Lead Programmer

This week I've been focusing on dealing with bugs, adding new game effects and getting ready to implement some new systems.

Subspace translation is the in-system travel method and players are going to be doing a lot of it. Moving from one spacemark to another will always have a subspace translation, so the effect needs to look cool without being overbearing. We have opted for using a gravity well (black hole), distorted space around it and a cool emergence effect. All this together looks outstanding and happens quickly enough so it isn't that noticeable to the player when they are doing it all the time. It's going to look even better with big fleets.

I've also been working on some bugs with older systems like trying to find closest jump points, adding in spacemarks and the actual translation from point to point. We want gameplay to be smooth and responsive, so getting this right is important.

We are really excited about the new systems we are implementing and hope to get some barebones gameplay done by the end of the month. Hopefully we will have some videos up next week showing our new features.

Tutorial
Richard - Lead Designer

In general terms the tutorial isn't that important, most people skip it anyway, but I'm writing the script for the tutorial so that it acts like a prologue for the game.

If you skip the tutorial it doesn't really affect the overall story, but finishing the tutorial will give you an idea of where the story came from and what was there before. 

The tutorial is set up as a training arc. Player starts at a Naval academy and goes through a series of simulations to familiarise them with game systems. At the end of the tutorial is an attack which may or may not be the catalyst for the rest of the game...

FTC is quite a complex game with unique systems that haven't been done before. I believe skipping the tutorial would be quite detrimental to a new player, but the option is still there. 

Another important use (for us) for the tutorial is it gives us a test-bed to implement all the game's systems in a linear and limited capacity, allowing us to build on them later on.

I don't want to make the tutorial feel like a tutorial, I want it to feel like part of the story. I want player's to enjoy the tutorial because of the narrative, not because it's necessary to understand the game.

There is still a great deal to do before FTC is in a playable state, but I hope you, the reader, will continue to follow our progress.