Jumpgate Evolution: What JGE Can Learn from Sci-Fi Games

Stradden

MMORPG.com writer Bill Murphy takes this look at what NetDevil's Jumpgate Evolution has to learn from its predecessors in the sci-fi MMO market.

Jumpgate: Evolution is sort of a re-launching/re-imagining of the original Jumpgate which NetDevil released all the way back on September 25th, 2001. Never quite a blockbuster success, Jumpgate still has a loyal following to this day, and obviously the staff at NetDevil have a passion for the IP. Later this year (at least we hope so), published by Gazillion, NetDevil will unleash their new spaceflight MMO unto the public. A lot has changed in the industry since 2001, and NetDevil themselves have launched and closed another online offering in that time. And with the game still pretty under wraps, here are some of the major things we hope the developers keep in mind while crafting Jumpgate: Evolution.

Read What JGE Can Learn from Sci-Fi Games.

sa1yaman

"Later this year, published by Codemasters, NetDevil will unleash their new spaceflight MMO unto the public." -

citation needed.

Call me a troll w/e. But after last year fiasco, when it had exploded during F&F testing all I have seen are rumors that it got ****canned, team members relocated to other projects (LEGO, Kung-Fu panda world )

Xerathule

 Yeah I think we should make space Purdy! haha

GreenWidow

Originally posted by sa1yaman


"Later this year, published by Codemasters, NetDevil will unleash their new spaceflight MMO unto the public." -
citation needed.
Call me a troll w/e. But after last year fiasco, when it had exploded during F&F testing all I have seen are rumors that it got ****canned, team members relocated to other projects (LEGO, Kung-Fu panda world )

 

Seconded.  I go to their website daily.  They have not told the community a damn thing in the last year.  Most of us are pretty pissed off about it to be honest.  If you have any information with any legitimacy I'd be interested in knowing where you found it as well.

No citation means your making it up.  How about some responsible journalism here?  Maybe?

Kyleran

I suspect right now they've tossed all of their eggs into the Lego basket and are more interested in bringing that game to market and not so focused on this one right now.

There's probably still some folks working on JGE, but I think the best talent is building the other game.

 

Daedrick

Wow, so if you guys are right, this article is completly meaningless. Heh, anyway, on another note, what about black prophecy?

Grifin

  It dosent help that the've made this look like vaporware for years now,Wake me when the meats on the table.

Renko

The first thing NetDevil needs to learn is how to convince people this game isn't just vapourware.

shr4pnel

This game reminds me of Darkfall... just went too long under production not because they were making a great game but because they have very little budget. I do not support small companies because they will not last long (especially since the big boys will release MMOs like FFXIV, SW: TOR, WoW Cataclysm, etc.).

jmpreiss

Originally posted by shr4pnel


This game reminds me of Darkfall... just went too long under production not because they were making a great game but because they have very little budget. I do not support small companies because they will not last long (especially since the big boys will release MMOs like FFXIV, SW: TOR, WoW Cataclysm, etc.).

 

CCP was a small company that has managed to hit it big. If everyone were like you, we would not have the phenomenon in the market that is EVE Online.

 

Another small company is CRS. While they've not hit it big like CCP, and they do not share the same success story, look at how long Battleground Europe has been around. That game just won't die!

 

So, do not say that small companies will not last long.

Aryas

Originally posted by shr4pnel


This game reminds me of Darkfall... just went too long under production not because they were making a great game but because they have very little budget. I do not support small companies because they will not last long (especially since the big boys will release MMOs like FFXIV, SW: TOR, WoW Cataclysm, etc.).

 

Everything begins somewhere, and even the big boys were small once. Often the small, the new and the weak are the most innovative and daring, because they have to be to survive. Your pals on the other hand, will likely err on the side of caution and pump-out stagnant wank because they've got too many stakeholders to appease.

 

Me, I'll support any company that makes something I like, big or small. But I won't support greedy dinosaur companies that bask in the mediocrity of their bland output. Then again, one man's bland is another man's ton-of-fun.

 

On the subject of JGE, I like the look of this game. I haven't followed it too closely so I'm not really bothered whether or not they fire-off press releases all the time. This seems to piss some people off but I'd actually prefer it if they kept schtum and worked on making the game a good one, rather than talk a load of bollox and get people hyped about jack.

 

Aryas

lethys

 The only MMO I am currently watching is this one.  I'm still skeptical, but this is the only game I have some hopes for.  EVE without menu based combat would be fantastic.

Kaynos1972

Hmmm we could really use a game like that right now.  With the fiasco that is STO, a space MMO is really needed.  The last good one i played was Earth and Beyond, i really wish JGE could be similar to what E&B was, but look like all the previous posters are right, future looks grim for this one.

ThomasN7

is this game actually coming out or is this another Duke Nukem Forever in the making.

Kordesh

"Additionally, it would be a big bonus if space was, you know… spacious. I’m not necessarily harping on any particular game with this one, but when I’m playing a game that’s supposed to take place in something so infinite, I’d better not spend too much time looking at loading screens. For that matter, I hope NetDevil can do as they hope and keep the game on one server similar to EVE Online so that all players can and will interact with one another. If you have to zone off your universe fine, but let’s not bog down the stars with too many instances and copies of instances, shall we?"

Hey Mr. "I'm going to allude to STO but not really say it TEEHEE", if you're going to complain about instances, don't bring up Eve. They're called "systems" but in reality, that's all Eve is. If they removed the channels, STO would be exactly like Eve in function, a bunch of instanced blocks linked together by a "warp"  or "gate" to the other block. Additionally, you go on about space being empty and boring and how it should be spiced up, when thats exactly what Eve is guilty of, as the only reason it feels "spacious" is theres lots of completely empty room around the handful of randomly generated asteroid belts and crap thrown into each system.

I'm not trying to say "SEE! STO IS BETTER THAN EVE!" as that would be stupid, they're two entirely different games in two entirely different directions. However, you can't harp on one and then gloss over the other or even claim that it does the opposite when it does not, no matter how adorably clever you think you're being. 

Side note, I'm not sure why this article is even here, as it's becoming more and more clear that Jumpgate Evo is likely to never actually release anyway, and if it does, I would be highly untrusting of how it would be handled given how development has been handled thus far. 

 

A.Blackloch

It's either this or Black Prophecy. Just get it done so I can start playing!

BillMurphy

I wouldn't count these guys out yet... true enough there is no new release date (my mistake), but we posted an interview with them here just a while back, and though they may be quiet that doesn't mean the game's dead. 

Of course, I would feel better if I were just in beta already...

BillMurphy

Originally posted by Kordesh

I'm not trying to say "SEE! STO IS BETTER THAN EVE!" as that would be stupid, they're two entirely different games in two entirely different directions. However, you can't harp on one and then gloss over the other or even claim that it does the opposite when it does not, no matter how adorably clever you think you're being. 
 

 

Actually, Kordesh... I've not even played STO.  When I say I wasn't comparing it to any one game, I meant it.  I was simply stating that I want the universe in JGE to feel vast as it should.  Sorry if I made you defensive. 

-Bill

Stradden

Hey guys,

Little bad to admit to. We know it's Gazillion behind JGE now, not Codemasters and that there's no launch date yet. We've fixed both of these errors in the article.

Sorry about that!

Jon Wood

Kordesh

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Originally posted by bildo84

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Originally posted by Kordesh
I'm not trying to say "SEE! STO IS BETTER THAN EVE!" as that would be stupid, they're two entirely different games in two entirely different directions. However, you can't harp on one and then gloss over the other or even claim that it does the opposite when it does not, no matter how adorably clever you think you're being. 
 

---

 
Actually, Kordesh... I've not even played STO.  When I say I wasn't comparing it to any one game, I meant it.  I was simply stating that I want the universe in JGE to feel vast as it should.  Sorry if I made you defensive. 
-Bill

---

If thats the case then I apologize. Considering the unrelenting smear fest against STO, it's hard not to make connections, especially around here where it's particularly prevalent. I'm not particular to defending it, but the situation has gone from criticism to just unrelenting harassment and vitriol for the game for some unapparent wrong, real or imagined. I haven't seen this much hate for a game since SWG-NGE.

Serebren

The original Jumpgate was a fairly well assembled game.  It didn't have many flaws, but the ones it had were terminally bad for many gamers.

• Travel time - travel time between gates and sometimes even to stations could be very long and relatively uneventful.
• Newtonian physics - the game simulated realistically newtonian physics, with only a small drag added to make it more flyable.  A boon to some, but difficult for most to get the hang of it.
• Joystick controls - using a mouse is difficult in Jumpgate.
• Social tools and grouping - most game activities did not benefit strongly from group interaction.  While players could participate in group activities, they were usually not of a tightly cooperative nature, with the exception of some PVP activities (such as escorting freighters through PVP space).
• Music and artwork - there was not enough variation in either, causing them to become irritating.
• Ship access was level based, and also strongly affected by faction.

I did not play it for long, but I did enjoy it somewhat.  It had 3 factions, each with its own strengths.  Factional PVP consisted of controlling system control beacons, or defending them.  Pitched battles, or even skirmishes, were not common.

I don't think NetDevil needs to improve much to appeal to a much wider audience.  The original game almost had the right feel.  The travel time in systems was their biggest downfall.  I'm taking a wait and see attitude toward it, since this kind of game is difficult to get right.  I'm glad, however, that they aren't trying to hype up their game.  Jumpgate quietly entered the fray when it was launched, without a great deal of hype.  It had a fairly solid launch for the time, and a good price ($9.95/mo).  It just didn't take off, mostly because of the travel time, but also due to the newtonian physics engine.  I hope JGE does better.

pepsi1028

Originally posted by shr4pnel


This game reminds me of Darkfall... just went too long under production not because they were making a great game but because they have very little budget. I do not support small companies because they will not last long (especially since the big boys will release MMOs like FFXIV, SW: TOR, WoW Cataclysm, etc.).

 

How do you think the companies that made those top tier games started? They started small, made it big....invest in a small company so they can make a miracle happen. They can't make a game for free

UnSub

[quote]The thrill of games like Wind Commander[/quote]

In space, no-one can hear you...

I'll concur with others in this thread: JGE can learn from other sci-fi games in that as long at it doesn't launch it can be all things to all people.

Taiphoz

I hope that this article is not taken on as the general consensus simply because it's posted on MMORPG.com

Net Devils continued failure to post new information on the game is the biggest cause for not only concern but anger and annoyance and even hatred that's growing in the community.

Their argument that they do not want to release anything new until a fixed time before launch is illogical, and they are praying to god that they will retain interest until that happens, the sad fact is that most of their fan base, the people that signed up for 250k+ beta invites, have mostly all moved onto other games now, and while they might check the beta out if they get an invite its more likely that they have now invested more time and effort into another game and will be less willing to leave their new game and new character to start over.

Games like Aion, EvE, STO and a few others are just nails in Net Devils Cofin, and their banging them in harder every month that net devil fails to release information.

Pedrob

Sure hope that this doesn't turn into Vaporware, seems like the first MMO that has finally decided to copy the success of DAoC and make 3 factions for PvP instead of the usual and always failing 2 factions.

 

Aryas

Originally posted by Dvalon


"Net Devils continued failure to post new information on the game is the biggest cause for not only concern but anger and annoyance and even hatred that's growing in the community."

The community should grow the fcuk up then. Net Devils efforts won't be the undoing of this game, it'll be the retarded 'community' that intends to play it if your statement is anything to go by.