Our trip to visit ALTAR, Recount of our visit to the Czech Rep. Options

[PlacidDragon]

Hi all

As most "regulars" in here know, Slaughter and myself were invited to visit ALTAR just before christmas.

After a lot of writing, coordinating, etc, we have made a "resume" of our trip and of our experiences and impressions

A resume on the trip and short resume of the games can be found here :

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Plain text format

A more indepth look at the games can be found here :

Microsoft Word format
Plain text format


The video that was recorded during our visit is unfortunately not available yet, but it will be out as soon as possible

Hope you enjoy reading

[Slaughter]

And if you have any questions regarding the game(s), feel free to ask. No guarantee we can answer, but if you do not ask you will not know

[Thorondor]

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Thorondor is reaching next level of consciousness!

[Slaughter]

Whey! Let's celebr....hmm....alarm!

[Thorondor]

*soothingly* Come now, my brethren. Be not alarmed...



::

And, by the way: very nice piece of work, you guys Looking forward to see the ShakyCam™ segment.


p.s.: Vision only in 2006... *sighs*

[Slaughter]

p.s.: Vision only in 2006... *sighs*

Yeah, that's a shame . But it should be worth the wait!

[PlacidDragon]

And, by the way: very nice piece of work, you guys

Thanx, thats very nice of you to say. Glad it was an interesting read

Looking forward to see the ShakyCam™ segment.

lol

p.s.: Vision only in 2006... *sighs*

Unfortunately quite a long wait, yes. The end result will hopefully be all that much better though, personally i have no doubt that the game is going to be something very special

Graphically, animation wise, combat moves, etc that i saw beats pretty much any other RPG i can think of silly, and with it meant to be an RPG with a very strong focus on story, i have VERY high hopes, i must admit

[Thorondor]

"(...) beats pretty much any other RPG i can think of silly, and with it meant to be an RPG with a very strong focus on story, i have VERY high hopes, i must admit."

My sentiments exactly, PlacidDragon. And I haven't even seen it tick live as you did

::

That said, following your vivid description of the game's merits, and the long wait before us, hold on a second while I put myself out of my misery... *plucks own feathers*

[PlacidDragon]

hold on a second while I put myself out of my misery... *plucks own feathers*

lol, that makes two of us. Whoever said "he who waits for something good does not wait in vain" didnt know what he was talking about

[Pkovak]

If it beats Planescape: Torment in story, it has an excelent chance to be the best RPG ever created. And when you look at Original War, which was "only" RTS, I think ALTAR has potential to create such story.

[PlacidDragon]

In addition to their own creativity, i imagine that they also have ALTAR Publishing's expertise to draw on if they should feel that they need it (mainly a pen and paper RPG company if i recall), so i have no doubt that they are up to making a very good story that suits a computer game well

Now my mouth is watering....lol

[silencez]

Hi PlacidDragon!

got a small question:
can we now built our own bases? like in XCOM?
I'm happy with a fixed spot where the bases are located, but builting them like you want them would sure add dept to the game.
if we can built them, (like modular block as in Xcom), can we also research advanced buildings/defences? (like automated laser towers etc)

thnx

[Thorondor]

As PlacidDragon doesn't seem to be around just now, I'll jump in and try to answer your questions (I hope he doesn't mind *tiptoes* ).

Below I'll be pasting information from a number of sources, to bring you up to speed on the areas you requested:

[quoting from E3's co.uk special report by Mike Nino]

"Can you give your fans some more details about base-management and how it works? Will players be able to design the bases themselves? Will there be different sized bases? Will bases be of just one type such as in Aftermath?

ALTAR: Bases will be built above ground. The player will be able to design the base, there will be different types of bases. Actually, the layout of the base is not that important; it is what you build in them that counts. This should make the player actually take "ownership" of the base, and so will defend it much more fiercely."

[quoting from the Dec. 22nd 2004 RPGVault interview with Mr. Martin Klima (Design Lead)]

"(...) new territories can be also used to set up bases. A base must then be connected to the supply grid, a network of high-speed tracks that hooks it up to the common resource pool. (...) The connected base then allows construction of buildings - factories for manufacturing, laboratories for research, schools to raise the base knowledge level, and defensive ones to train local militia."

[quoting from HC.Gamer's interview]

"HCG: Will the places of our bases be fixed again or can we select them ?

JR: There are territories in the game, where you can set up your base. Other territories supply you with resources. You cannot change these territories nor reposition your bases. But you don't have to build a base at every territory."

[quoting from the FAQ]

"All production is done in buildings. Research is done in laboratories, manufacturing is done in factories, militia is produced in barracks, knowledge level is increased by schools or universities.

Each base is independent as far as defence and knowledge are concerned. Laboratories and factories work 'globally', i.e. two factories of the same type in different bases work in unison on the same item, the more factories you build the faster the item will be produced. Laboratories and factories are specialized, so they cannot handle just any research or manufacturing."

::

So,

can we now built our own bases ? - Yes.
can we also research advanced buildings/defences ? - I'd say a 'Yes' can be inferred from the above.

(like automated laser towers etc) You mean, like this ?


edit: ah! There you are, PlacidDragon Feel free to add anything I might have missed.

[PlacidDragon]

hehe, of course i dont mind Thorondor, you do a much more thorough job of providing information than i ever could

The only "addition" i might have would be another quote from the FAQ :

The bases differ only in size, shape and origin (and it is also important if a base has an access to the sea or not). It is up to you what kind of buildings will you build in a base. The buildings are essential for production – research and manufacturing. You "pay" for buildings by the resources you harvest.

I know very little of what can be researched for the bases themselves (in the way of buildings, defenses, etc), but i imagine that its a fairly safe bet that there will be more advanced buildings down the line that you will be able to place in your bases, yes