Elemental: Stardock’s secrets revealed

from JoeUser Forums

Elemental is the most expensive game Stardock’s made. Which isn’t saying much since Galactic Civilizations II had a budget of around $800,000. 

Elemental’s total budget is probably less than Civ V’s cutscene budget (which based on what I’ve seen was well spent). 

So how does Stardock make a game like Elemental with so few resources? How do we hope to have a successful game in what is considered a “niche” genre?

The answer is in two parts: First, you guys. Seriously. Word of mouth is the only realistic way that independent game studios can still release games like this. 

Second: The tools  Beta 4 will go into great detail on this but since this week has involved us spending a lot of time cranking out content for the Magic and Adventure categories we’ve had a lot of time to spend with the bundled tools.

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This is what you see when you click workshop

 

So if I want to make, say, a goodie hut, the first thing I need to do is go to the tile editor.

Let’s say I want to make a tomb. I’m no artist but I know how to play with legos…

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Now, let’s add some “stuff”

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Then some effects (these need icons still)

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Then save it:

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Then with Impulse::Reactor,  share it with the world if you want and they can choose to add it all within the game:

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Other things you would then do is give users an item that already exists in the game or go to the item editor and make your own items.

Over the next several months, we’ll be enhancing these further in free updates to keep making it easier and easier to make and share cool stuff with other players. 

I must admit, it’s pretty darn fun.

But this is how we can make a game like Elemental. It’s so easy for us to add “stuff” to the game to make each experience fun and different. 

Then wait till you’re able to add your creations to your own maps complete with their own quests:

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(the above is the beta 2-B map btw, after the beta 2 series, we move to the random maps).

94,181 views 47 replies
Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

Can we see a preview about how we would link in Quests? 

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Yea, when I get a chance I'll do that. I did make a Youtube video (user:draginol) where I started that.

Here's the tomb in game:

CursorFX - Customize your Windows cursor
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

im a fan of having easy to do or share mods.

Not sure why other games dont have a network or ease of use. I mean its 2010. So thanks guys.

Hopefully map in map and dice rolling will be available or modded into the game somehow for tabletop or adventure games.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

That is amazing. Can't wait to get our hands on the editor. Maybe release early AKA NWN and some others so the modders can get to work?

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Oooo there better be something totally epic in that center region surrounded by mountains. 

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Editors are a game all by themselves and I can't wait to play!

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Well am sold... wait, I already was! (Many times over)! :drool:

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Thank goodness we get a new map for 2B. I'm so sick of the current one:P

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

This is the type of thing that is going to really going to take this game from Awesome to Epic. People talk about how great a game is, but they only play it for a while. As it's got a very short "Life Span". But this game by it's very nature is going to be very replayable. And then you throw in the other side, allowing the user to create things to enhance the game.

I loved ship design in Gal Civ. That was great, but this is even better. By leaps and bounds. (Hell I wouldn't be surprised if the next Gal Civ springs from the bones of Elemental.)

Thanks for the insider preview Frogboy! (ps that's what I thought.. a new video was up over on Draginol!)

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

 

Does the GCII budget include DA and Twilight, or just the base game?

 

Quoting Gorstagg, reply 9
This is the type of thing that is going to really going to take this game from Awesome to Epic. People talk about how great a game is, but they only play it for a while. As it's got a very short "Life Span". But this game by it's very nature is going to be very replayable. And then you throw in the other side, allowing the user to create things to enhance the game.

I loved ship design in Gal Civ. That was great, but this is even better. By leaps and bounds. (Hell I wouldn't be surprised if the next Gal Civ springs from the bones of Elemental.)

Thanks for the insider preview Frogboy! (ps that's what I thought.. a new video was up over on Draginol!)

 It might have to.  Elemental really makes me want GalCiv3- as GalCiv2 was a very good game that would be even better with some of Elemental's features.

 

 

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

:)  Just my opinion, but if Sins had an editor like this?  Totally Awesome!  :)  I mean IC already gave us

alot with the tools and the mod-ability of Sins, but to drop items, or customize ships, or planets, or skyboxes would be Fantastic!  :)   Maybe not in this one as Trinity is the cap for Sins, but what about Sins 2?

Just hopeful wishing is all, but its nice to see Elemental with such cool features, looking forward to it.

 

-Teal

 

 

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

Any chance of sharing some details of how the Impulse:reactor is going to work?  Is there a beta of it that we get to provide feedback on?  Is there some kind of community ranking of Hot mods etc etc? Inquiring minds want to know!

The ability to easily find high quality mods and easily use them strikes me as something that can really give Elemental a chance to dethrone Neverwinter Nights as my longest played game. 

Reply #15 from Elemental Forums Top

Completely Awesome!!!! Must Have....Now!!! :)

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

You know, this excites me as much as the game itself. Possibly more. I'm an active Oblivion modder (and modded Morrowind as well), and the tools they gave us are clunky and lack any automation, making for many long and repetitive tasks. We're told, "These were the tools we needed to implement the game -- little more, that's why they're kind of rough." I wonder sometimes if anyone at Bethesda has ever used good tools, because if they'd spent a few dozen hours refining them, they probably would have saved a couple hundred hours of real development.

Oblivion modding has matured to the point where the editor itself is starting to be extended through in-memory hacks, and some really exciting stuff is on the horizon... but if Elemental's tools are as good as they're starting to look, we might not have to wait five years to see what the community is really capable of!

So I'm curious: there's a real-time component to Elemental with the simultaneous turns, and it handles fluid movement within a tile. Can the turns and tiles be removed completely by a modder, turning it into an RTS engine?

Reply #17 from Elemental Forums Top

Looking forward to the random maps! Anyone notice Dungeon in the "Save it" screen shoot, yah!

Reply #18 from Elemental Forums Top

Elemental’s total budget is probably less than Civ V’s cutscene budget

:O

Reply #19 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Hawawaa, reply 7
Well am sold... wait, I already was! (Many times over)!

*puts shades on*
I'll second that 

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top

Sounds almost like the system in Spore, but without the suckiness of not actually being a game!  :grin:  Great work guys!

Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top

Im still looking for the secrets....

 

Wait you mean its just "I madz gad taals. I can haz game now?" Well congratulations for figuring that one out...

:P

Reply #22 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Raven, reply 15
Completely Awesome!!!! Must Have....Now!!!

Indeed....now all we need is a "Spore-like" creature creator..*_*

Reply #23 from Elemental Forums Top

First of all, the tile editor looks pretty comprehensive and seems to work well.

Will the item editor allow us to create clothing/armour pieces or is it for designing stat only effects on clothing/armour pieces?

Reply #24 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Aractain, reply 21
Im still looking for the secrets....

Wait you mean its just "I madz gad taals. I can haz game now?" Well congratulations for figuring that one out...

I hope they didn't figure that one out, they seem to have been onto it for awhile. =p

Reply #25 from Elemental Forums Top

Awesome :D I hope Stardock stays independent for ever I mean Stardock did something EA,Activevission or Ubisoft wont be able to do in years to come and they are the big shots...well I hate EA they killed C&C but now a better strategy game came to be :D Im starting to hate FPS because every 9 out of 10 games is a RTS 3 out of 10 is against Russia or has to do with killing Russians like wtf isnt that kinda raciest? im offended by this -_-" ...im just happy a Strategy game like Elemental is coming out and has great modability and most probably story also cant wait fot Total war Shogun 2 but thats out of topic ^^" Go Stardock rain hell on the evil emperors of gaming