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Q&A For East India Company

Keith

Keith

Raping the Horses and Stealing the Women!
Staff member
Administrator
Well fellas it looks like the PR machine for EIC is warming up as I have been given the chance to do a Q&A again for them.

Like before I'd much let others do my job so please put below any questions you may want to ask <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

<!--coloro:#006400--><span style="color:#006400"><!--/coloro--><b>Please Note:</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
1. Not all questions will be asked, I'll take about 20 of the best ones only. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whippa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":whipa" border="0" alt="whippa.gif" />
2. I will be taking the credit for the best questions (which is all 20) <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" />
3. Any questions about modding, please keep it simple generally dev's don't talk to much about how their game can be hacked before release. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" />
4. I have been asked to submit it "In a week or 2" so expect it to take up to 2 weeks afterward's to get it back <i>(submit date 20th Feb)</i> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/readon.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":mm" border="0" alt="readon.gif" />
 
The documentation alludes to the ability of small fleet actions. How are those handled? Do you fight the battle from the ships deck or an overfly mode? Do you shift control from ship to ship or do you give orders and hope the AI complies?

During sea battles does the user get to board enemy ships and take them via hand-to-hand combat? If so how is that controlled once the battle is joined?

Does the game support seaborne attacks of harbors and fortifications? If so do we get to use of marines or other landing forces or do you unrealistically bombard harbor fortifications?

How doe Multi-player mode work? The web page states up to 10 simultaneous connections via Lan or Internet. Do the players use their current campaign situation as a starting point? Can users set up arbitrary startup situations?

Here are a few starters.
Greg.
 
bumpkin: We know this for sure:
-There will be no land action at all.
-And you can take battle to fleet command or ship-level mode.
-You will be able to walk the deck in some way.
-And there will be a 3rd party nation (pirates/corsairs)
-No country based navies, only companies.
-Multiplayer with 10 players planned.
-Diplomacy is essential, but only towards your company and your nation. Not other companies. Your nation gives you quests and money (How and when is unspecified, only "some orders from your nation cannot be refused")
-Nation-interveined politics and alliances does not influence you as the ruler of the company

Also, this was posted in their forums long ago.

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Kim_Soares wrote:
1. The engine was licensed fron another finnish game developer about 4 years ago. We have been upgrading it heavily since to suit our needs. Support for modding has been discussed, but there is nothing certain on that subject yet.

2. Unfortunately for you, no, you cannot "manually sail from London to Calcutta" :) For moving around the world, there is strategic level, where you command your fleets. Tactical battles take place in "sea-level" and there you command individual ships. The world on strategic level is open from the start of the game and you can sail where you want.

3. There is not a lot of personalized characters with a face in EIC. You'll negotiate with other companies, but there is no 3D model character for their negotiatior for example. We felt that having CIV-type 3D-diplomats wawing during negotiations around were not adding so much to the experience.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->No the land combat was taken out. There will actually be a second, different type of game by the same developer that will include that. The emphasis in East India will be on empire building and realtime intense naval battles.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Which leads me to my question 1: Is there any plans for a SDK release and will that SDK include tools for modeling?
Supporting Q: If a SDK is planned and model tools are included, will it be possible to add land to the game? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Alternative Q: To what extent will Lighthouse Interactive support modding?
Alternative Q2:To what extent will the game be modable?
(those are not nearly direct enough, I know..got this load of questions, too sensitive for the devs) <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

Also, the devs and moderators are very quiet in the forums right now. 4-5 weeks of PR, seems like translations and final stages of development are done - they are probably beta-testing by now.
Release in 2-3 months?

BTW: <a href="http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/eastindiacompany/screenshots.html?page=2" target="_blank">This game</a> was in development by Nitro Games in 2006. Looking awfully lot PotC, aye? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
The following were posted on the Lighthouse board
Con20or wrote:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I have great hopes for this game, I would love to see some more detailed sailing options.

Every sailing game has full sails, battle sails and furled sails, and maybe a spped bar. In EIC, i would like to see this expanded on with more detailed management of ship sails etc. Maybe a pop up window where you could pick exactly what sails you wanted set, with a % chance of the ship being able to safely handle it. Timidity or bad handling would lead to poor speed, aggressiveness to a mast/spar carrying away in strong winds.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Kim_Soares Response:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->About how much this is simulation of sailing: EIC does have many of the same elements as other games before it (and probably many after it). Sail configurations for example are as con20or said.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I take this to mean that detail sail management is not implemented. Is that what everyone else read as well.

Personally I would like to see a configuration item to let the user select between arcade and realistic sail control.

Arcade mode would be full, battle & furled with speed bar. Users of this setting would only get safe, average performance.

Realistic mode the user would have detailed sail control. A dialog could be used to control which sails are set or furled, the angle of the bracing and how tightly sheeted. The dialog could also allow the user set royals, skyscrapers and studding sails. Users of these setting could achieve optimum performance and could also encounter the loss of spars and masts when carrying to much sail. Mismanagement could also result in slower than average performance or even stop the ship mid-ocean, ie heave-to.

Another Question. I could have sworn I read somewhere that the game period spanned a couple hundred years. For the life of me I can not find the reference. If the game does span a significant time frame do the ships age? Wooden sailing ships require constant maintenance. They needed periodic refits and bottom cleaning. As they age they also tend to loose strength due to rot and decay. Older weaker ships were mere likely to succumb to catastrophic failures during storms and say combat. Seems this would also figure into the economic model if you need to take ships out of service for several months or replace ships due to age.
 
EIC designer Blog excerpt:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So, the first step on the road to becoming a military might is to buy some warships to protect your traders. All your ships are organized into fleets. You can have a maximum of twenty fleets and each fleet can have a maximum of five ships.

In order to protect your trading ships you can create mixed fleets that have both ship types in them. Other possibility is to create fleets of warships that you then assign to escort trading fleets. If a fleet with escort is attacked, attacked party can choose to fight the attacker with the escorting fleet instead.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Questions:
1) Can elements of a fleet be re-arranged/combined only when the the fleets are in same general area? If so is it possible to preform the re-arrangement after notification of immanent battle but before battle ensues?

2)Say my empire controls a large portion of the map. When I leave the relative safe area I encounter one of my friendly patrols. Would I be able to change the makeup of the two fleets or assign a portion of the patrol as escorts? Can I reinforce my patrols at sea or only when they come back to port for resupply & refit?

2) Can fleet commanders commandeer ships for their fleets on the fly from other fleets?

3) If I have the max number of fleets created what happens to captured vessels?

4) If I loose a fleet action does that mean all my ships were either captured or sunk?

5) When a fleet of warships are escorting a fleet of trading vessels and combat is joined I pick the warships. What happens to trading vessels? Can I tell the trading fleet to flee? Can I have the traders disperse so as to possibly limit my losses? If my warships are defeated is the next battle between the trading ships and crippled attackers of the previous battle?

Just some more Ideas. I know you probably want to hear from others.
Greg.
 
I dont think there is anything wrong about asking questions, bumpkin..Let Keith have all the material he needs.


But now, that we know the game will not be modable, nor contain landbased action I dont think people care that much about the game. Just you and me. And maybe just you, when it comes out and I finally realize, that Civilization-At-Sea sure would have been hip in the 90´s, but it takes more to catch people today <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=301019:date=Feb 13 2009, 01:32 AM:name=PeterWillemoes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PeterWillemoes @ Feb 13 2009, 01:32 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=301019"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But now, that we know the game will not be modable, nor contain landbased action I dont think people care that much about the game. Just you and me. And maybe just you, when it comes out and I finally realize, that Civilization-At-Sea sure would have been hip in the 90´s, but it takes more to catch people today <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Personally the POTC landbased action is a bit over rated in my opinion <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />o) . Sort of DOOM set in the 1600's. The tactical naval action <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bounce.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":b:" border="0" alt="bounce.gif" /> is what got me excited about POTC and now EIC. Although I was hoping EIC would implement unit based land actions were attacks are carried out with small squads or platoons. It may come be there in a future release. I think is was left out because of time.

I think modable is a nice feature but it is also a double edge sword. First it is good because it can create a lot of interest and possibly sell more copies. On the other hand it can seriously impede the developers for income generation through mod pacs and addons. Some modders get down-right upset and expect to be paid for their efforts if the developer wants to add their works to a mod pac. This gets into a whole gambit of legal issues of ownership. Please don't misunderstand that I am against modding. I generally look for games that allow users to add new maps, scenarios or artwork because it can add to the game experience. It is just my opinion that there are few instances where extensive modablity works out. Some of the flight sim guys have made it work. But then Microsoft has more money than it know what to do with.

Enjoy.
Greg.
 
Well things are a bit quiet around these parts.

The Q&A is off to Kim now and he will get back to us within a couple of weeks <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
According to one of the posts on the Lighthouse forum Amazon will be shipping the game March 5th. Just about the time you get your answers posted. Should tie in nicely with the release.

Cheers.
Greg.
 
Well I think it's done now.

Kim, in his reply to me said he was going on vacation for a week and can answer when he gets back.

Considering he's the lead designer I'd say things are wrapped up.
 
Does indeed. Will have to wait and see.

I am very interested in reading Kim's response. Although in the case of EIC the decision was made long ago.

Now all I have to do is talk the wife out of 40 beans.

Greg.
 
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