The folks behind the upcoming space fighting/mining game, Miner Wars 2081, sent word that a new alpha version is available — only for folks who’ve pre-ordered the game — with features such as a new UI, better weapons, improved AI, an in-game editor and more. Click below to read their entire email, and for some more screenshots.
Keen Software House proudly presents new Miner Wars Pre-Alpha release featuring in-game editor with prefab modules.
NEW PRE-ALPHA RELEASE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT https://www.minerwars.com/Downloads.aspx
GALLERY WITH NEW SHIPS, WEAPONS ETC. AVAILABLE AT https://www.minerwars.com/Pics.aspx
Eight months have passed since our last release – and today we are proud to announce our new Pre-Alpha release featuring in-game editor.
New in-game editor with prefab modules:
Build your own space ship, space station or any sort of space-like edifice you can think of. These structures are be made from prefab modules, and in the future we’re looking to feature ’total destructibility’ for these objects. Prefab modules include tunnels, lattices, beams and panels as well as diverse chambers and special devices. You can also upload your hand-made sectors to the server and let your friends play them! We are looking forward to your comments and suggestions, especially the interface and usability of our editor. Some of the prefabs are not 100% finished – you can recognize them easily because of their purple color with no real texture – you can still use those, it just won’t look that pretty (yet!).New game features, including:
– Completely new GUI including lots of cool HUD icons.
– New player weapons.
– Improved AI (added waypoints, guard mode, more realistic combat behavior).
– New physics engine with multi-core optimizations.New rendering engine, featuring:
– Image Space LOD (Level of Detail) – seamless LOD with no popping artifacts.
– Deferred rendering with unlimited light sources.
– Dynamic shadows / Cascade Shadow Maps (CSMs) with blended cascades
– Improved ship lighting from engine thrusts.
– Upgraded shaders, looking even more gorgeous.
– New render quality setting – EXTREME – designed to take advantage of newer hardware.
– New models, textures and audiovisual content.Upcoming game and editor features:
– Modular mothership weapons – large weapons and turrets that can aim and shoot at enemy!
– Special prefab types – lights, speakers, particle generators.
– Personality-Based AI Behavior and Group AI Behavior – simply set the AI behavior within the editor, choosing from several pre-scripted AI pilot and commander behaviors (coward, aggressive, sharpshooter, defensive and more).
– Event-driven music – many new music tracks programmed to fit within the context of the current gameplay situation (fight, chase, harvest, deep space…).
– Special prefab types – lights, speakers, particle generators. –
– Hundreds of new sounds by Dan Wentz and prefabs from our 3D artists were made (https://www.minerwars.com/ForumTopic.aspx?id=1943), they are just waiting to be brought to life and interlinked with other game content.
– Upcoming rendering engine features:
– Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO).
– Image-Based Anti-Aliasing (FXAA).
– HDR with tone mapping, environmental textures, bloom/blur.
Have you played this? Over at GWJ there has been much talk. It seems like it could be interesting, but I just don't have anything to go on.
I tried it a while back, but it kinda chugged along on my admittedly aged system, but the concept was neat. The game flew fine when I was out in space or drilling through an asteroid, but inside a station it slowed down. There also wasn't much THERE there at the time, but it totally has potential if they fill the universe with stuff to actually do and players (human and AI) to interact with.