Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What other game is GSO similar to?
A: Namedropping other commercial games on a game homepage appears to be legally risky. So, I pass this one mostly. What can be said, there is no single game that was influential. If at all it is descended from Sir Meier's Pirates (© Microprose Software, Inc.). But that is true for dozens (hundreds?) of other games too. The list of other influential games would be long: table top games, board games, a car racing game, an action RPG, a few fantasy RPGs, a postapocalyptic RPG, several strategy games. Netrek can safely be named. Then there is this nice space exploration game from 1989. Hmmm... I'm not much help her, am I?
Q: How is space travel structured?
A: You travel time-compression style on a star system travel map. For interstellar travel you have to move to the outer reaches of a starsystem that face in the direction of the starsystem you want to travel to. Once you have significant distance to the star you activate your jump drive. And you will instantly appear in the other starsystem. In practice this means, that even when you only want to pass through a star system you will have to travel through it. Also, once you have jumped you will need at least a day until your jump drive can safely by activated again. So, there are no portals or jump gates in the GSO vanilla version. However, if it is really important for modders who want to realize specific ideas, I will see whether "gates" can be added to the game without compromising the AI too much.
Q: Will GSO have a multiplayer mode?
A: For the first release, GSO is planned to be a puerely single player experience. If the game finds a dedicated audience, there might eventually be a multiplayer mode - there are a lot of options that would make sense, maybe as part of an addon.
Q: Will the game be moddable?
A: Yes, it will. You will be able to add your own 3D models, textures, scripts and game tweaks. Actually, the model-import features auto-texturing: uv-maps, materials, ambient occlusion, engine and bridge lights - every model that is currently included in the game has been created using this technique. The user only has to specify appropriate material names to the model parts (like hull, engine, windowzone). Currently, I use only a single hull material (for the moment good enough). The visual appearance can be refined with decals, showing ship names, registration numbers, vents or other features. More advanced modellers will not need to worry: standard uv-mapping and custom texturing will be available.
Q: Can I construct my own ship designs inside the game?
A: You can upgrade/modify/refit your ships a lot. Having a real ship constructor as part of the game, would be nice, but there is no plan to include one at this time.
to be continued...