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Babylon 5 To Explore Unknown Territory

Can Yosemite Entertainment's forthcoming space combat simulation exist in the Babylon 5 world and still show some new features?


September 16, 1998

Babylon 5 reportedly will have first-person space flight sim combat and strategy elements.
Babylon 5 appeared at ECTS recently looking very far from finished. But what was on show looked polished and played well, implying that Yosemite and Sierra have adopted a stance of producing quality, not quantity. Concerning the game's progress to date, Next Generation Online asked designer Marc Hudgins and writer/co-designer Randy Littlejohn for the latest news.

On what platforms is Babylon 5 being released? What is the estimated schedule for the date of release of the game?

MH : "On PC in Spring 99, and other platforms are possible."

I understand Babylon 5 includes both real-time first-person combat and a strategy element involving ships. How do you hope to link them together?

MH : "We've got it nailed down really well, but we don't wish to discuss it at this time."

Is the game going to be mission-based, or freely explorable? How has this been developed?

MH : "It will be mission based within a dynamic, freely explorable universe. You will get missions, but how they play out, who is involved and how you execute your mission is entirely up to the game and the player."

RL : "Both. We have devised something that we are calling -- for lack of a phrase with more bite -- an 'evolving universe' where the player has a great deal of autonomy, but also the responsibility to live with his or her choices. You won't be playing missions over and over until you get them right. You take part in a scenario, do what you do, and get to live with it. The universe continues to evolve."

How is multiplay going to be incorporated into the game? Will gameplay be possible over the Internet via a web-site or gamers' forum?

MH : "Multiplayer has been an integral part of the game from day one. It will be playable in several formats including campaign and melee. Internet play is a definite."

Do the developers watch the TV show? Marc, you are quoted on the Babylon 5 website saying that you are working "to make sure that the game is as visually faithful to the show as is possible within the limits of available technology". How will this be implemented in the game? What characters, scenarios, ships are included in the game?

MH : "We all are quite avid viewers of the show. It was a small bunch of fans here in Oakhurst that first lobbied our management to do a B5 game. As for simulating the look and feel of the show, we are using the original 3D computer models from the show as templates for our game geometry. We will be including as much of the B5 universe as possible in faithful recreation (planets, stations, ships, politics, etc.) As for characters, that's still in the planning stages as we write the script, but we will be including many of the major characters in the game.

RL : "JMS (TV Show Creator Joe Straczynski) signs off on everything we do. Regarding story, Christy Marx and I do the research (with much help from Babylonian Productions), come up with story concepts, submit them to Joe by FAX, and he sends back his approval and/or notes. Also, Christy Marx has many years of working with JMS and wrote for the first season of the show."

"Regarding ships, we are also adding new ships to our game for well-known alien races in the show whose ships we have never seen. These ships were designed by an artist who has designed other ships for B5 and these have been approved by JMS. Our own Lightwave artists are creating these models in-house.

"And finally, we are using the music of Christopher Franke, who of course creates the awesome music for Babylon 5, and who is doing some original music for our game. You'll be seeing characters from the show, but which ones is TBD."

Following on from last question, how do the graphics (by Netter Digital) and sounds (by Christopher Franke) help to recreate the show's environment? What (revolutionary?) techniques are used? How did they come about - from where did these ideas come?

MH : "By using the same visual and musical elements as the show, we will be far closer to the original source material than if we tried to recreate it on our own. There will be literally no interpretation, it's all a subset of the original material used in the show itself."

How were the missions/scenarios designed? Is there any (in)direct relation to previous TV shows here, or are the plots in the game totally original? How is the game presumably split into sections, rather than one continuous campaign? Do actions from one scenario affect any further scenarios (i.e. how linear and story-driven is the game?)?

MH : "The game's story is ostensibly a direct branch of the B5 story. That is, we are continuing the saga, adding detail to the story established by the show. Our story is carefully written to dovetail with the show. We aren't just "using" the B5 universe as a setting. We are endeavoring to be a part of the B5 cannon. We are working closely with JMS to ensure that what happens in the game is plausible, allowable and true in terms of his vision of Babylon 5.

"Our story is non-linear. We are creating a dynamic universe where all actions and outcomes have consequences that ripple down the line. This isn't going to be one of those games where you need to replay a mission again and again until you succeed in order move the game forward. If you fail, you will have to live with that failure."

RL : "The missions/scenarios/story elements are extrapolations from the story over-arc that JMS created at the beginning, and re-creations of some historical battles. The way that the game evolves, in terms of "sections," is under wraps, I believe. Everything the player does in the game has an effect on the evolving universe. The single-player game is story-driven, but it is uniquely non-linear and non-branching."

What marks this game out from its many competitors in the market? Are there any features or characteristics taken from or advanced upon other successful games of this genre? How does the team rate the competitors to Babylon 5?

MH : "Without giving away things we are keeping under wraps, I'd have to say this game will be a landmark in the genre. In many respects we are trying to redefine the genre. We aren't satisfied with creating a Wing Commander or X-Wing clone. Those are good enough games, but we think we can do better -- especially in terms of gameplay. Much of our design philosophy has been to identify the things we like in the genre, and more importantly identify and either fix or remove the stuff we think stinks. It's all about making a FUN, immersive experience. Anything that gets in the way of fun or immersion in the world can't be allowed."

RL : "We are doing our best to make this game a new benchmark. I have confidence that it will be just that. Marc, Dan and I spent a great deal of time before we started on the design surveying (in depth) what is out there. We spent months arguing, kicking around the smallest details, and otherwise submersing ourselves in game esoterics. And then we set out to do it all better - so much better that two years down the road when it is time to ship this sim it will be horrifyingly competitive. Well, we'll see how well we achieved that goal this coming spring."



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