"Star Trek Shattered Universe" hits stores tomorrow (January 13) and STARTREK.COM was able to ask the game's developers some questions about the new title, which was created for the PlayStation 2 and X-Box systems.
Question: Were any of you Star Trek fans prior to when this project began? Also, what other franchises, if any, has Starsphere worked on before?
Starsphere Interactive: It's safe to say that the core staff at Starsphere is made up of die-hard Star Trek fans. Some of the senior staff grew up watching the classic series' original run in the 1960's, while others got hooked by the Next Generation and the later series. It's a little known fact that if you try to call most game development companies on the day that a new Star Trek film is released you'll get no answer because they're all out in line for the first show!
Other than Star Trek, the most significant franchise that our staff has worked on would probably be Nintendo's Mario license. When entrusting its prized trademark characters to an outside firm, you can be certain that Nintendo, like Paramount, pays very close attention to make sure that it's done just right. We take great pride in our ability to handle an established license and "Mario is Missing? & "Mario's Time Machine? are great examples as they went on to sell well over a million copies.
Q: What other games have you worked on?
SI: Our team has been involved in developing a wide variety of licensed properties including the enormously popular You Don't Know Jack series for the PS1. In addition, we've worked on the long running Wing Commander franchise as well as various incarnations of the perennial Chessmaster line. As we mentioned, we have also done games based on Nintendo's Mario license and we have experience in developing several space racing and combat games.
Q: Why the Original Series movie-era (U.S.S. Excelsior) setting for the game as opposed to Original Series or Next Generation?
SI: Under the license from Paramount, the game was limited to the Star Trek universe seen in The Original Series and the first six movies that featured the original cast. In order to utilize as much of the material from this era as possible, the game was set just after the events seen in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.?
Since Captain Sulu and the Excelsior figured so prominently in "ST:VI," it seemed natural to create a game that revolved around them. Doing so also allowed us to revisit a lot of the Original Series material from a new perspective. The mission based nature of our game made it naturally episodic so we decided to re-create some of the feel of an episodic television series ? with each individual mission beginning with a short introductory movie. The overall game features a teaser, epilogue and opening and closing credit sequences just like an episode of the Original Series.
Once the decision was made to base the game around the exploits of the U.S.S. Excelsior with Captain Sulu at the helm, it obviously led us to using the movie era ships and costumes. It's interesting to note that early on in the development of the game the user interface was based on designs from TOS, with the original plan being to include an additional but separate interface from the movie-era. This concept was ultimately dropped, however, and the movie-era interface was used exclusively.
Q: How long does a game take from pitch concept to finished product hitting the shelves? How long did "Star Trek Shattered Universe" take (production only)?
SI: The time from first pitch to the start of development can vary widely and can even take longer than the game development itself. In the case of "Shattered Universe,? actual development had been underway for several months when it was interrupted due to circumstances arising from transfer of the Star Trek license from one publisher to another. Getting underway for a second time, "Shattered Universe? went through an upgrade to ensure that it was current with the state of the art in technology. In total, the game took roughly 18 months from first code to going "gold.?
Q: How does a game like this originate? Do writers come up with a concept and then programmers and designers make it happen, or is there more back-and-forth?
SI: Starsphere was asked by the original publisher to look into the feasibility of creating a Star Trek-based space-combat game for the PS2. From there, our staff went to work and came up with the idea of setting the game in Star Trek's Mirror Universe. Subsequently the idea was presented to both the publisher and Paramount, and once approval was obtained the team moved on to the production phase. The premise and high concept of the game did not go through significant changes during production, but there was a fair amount of back-and-forth on the mission structure and objectives.
Starsphere is an extremely close knit group of designers, programmers, artists and writers, with many of the staff fulfilling multiple functions. As such all team members have input into the design and direction of the game.
Q: There are many Star Trek games for PC and such. Did the design team look at the existing games to try to create something new, or are some elements inspired by other games? Is the gameplay itself inspired by any of the space battles from the television show or films?
SI: From a design standpoint, there is a distinct difference between games made for the PC and those made for consoles. Everything from the complexity of the input device to the distance between the player and the screen is a platform issue which must be taken into account. While we certainly looked at many PC Star Trek games, our mandate was to create a game that would be targeted to the console audience. That meant that the play balance would be tipped toward creating a more action-oriented and visceral experience in contrast to creating a more deliberately paced strategy game.
As for battles from the TV show or films that inspired us, the large scale battle in "The Best of Both Worlds? from TNG and the even larger battle from "Star Trek: First Contact? stand out as prime examples of the kind of intense combat we were aiming for. By the time "Star Trek Nemesis? came out with its great battle sequences, development was already well underway, but we were never-the-less intrigued to see the inclusion of Romulan fighters for the first time in the official Star Trek universe.
From a scenario stand point, in "Shattered Universe? you will find familiar confrontations inspired by episodes such as "The Corbomite Manuever?, "The Ultimate Computer?, "The Doomsday Machine?, "The Enterprise Incident?, "The Immunity Syndrome?, "The Tholian Web?, and of course, "Mirror, Mirror? ? not to mention the wormhole from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture.? We truly tried to reference as many classic confrontations as we could.
Q: Was original music composed for the game? Who composed the music?
SI: A considerable amount of original music was composed for "Shattered Universe.? Our goal was to create a soundtrack evocative of what the original TV series might have sounded like in the post "Star Trek VI" era. You can hear this in the way that the new music works with the classic "Space, the Final Frontier?? opening ? now featuring George Takei and the U.S.S. Excelsior. The excellent score was composed, produced and performed by Barry "Foz? Fasman and John O'Kennedy.
Q: Star Trek shows have technical advisors for basic science facts. How much hard science goes into making these games, in terms of the movement of ships in space, etc.?
SI: A fair amount of hard geometry and physics goes in to the movement and control of the spacecraft as well as into the collisions, explosions, etc?. But, as in the series and films, realism takes a back seat to what looks good and feels right. Were the ships to fly as fast as one might actually expect in space, everything would zip by you so quickly that you would never be able to deal with it. WWI dogfights took place at 150 mph. The space shuttle flies at 28,000 mph!
Also, in the development of space combat games the question comes up of whether or not to include "friction? in space. A frictionless environment is realistic, but nearly impossible for the player to control (remember the early coin-op "Space War??). This is particularly true from a third person or cockpit view. So, we have included friction, not to mention sound, in space. The physics remain realistic, just not too realistic.
Q: "Star Trek Shattered Universe" is based in the Mirror Universe as originated in the episode of the Original Series. What's the story of the game, in a nutshell?
SI: While on a rescue mission to save Commander Chekov and his ship from a subspace ion storm, Captain Sulu and his crew are suddenly transposed into the Mirror Universe. There, the evil Commander Chekov has set a trap for the Excelsior, hoping to destroy it.
If they can escape this first encounter, Sulu and his shipmates will have to fight their way across a hostile universe in which they have been branded as "traitors to the Empire.? Survival depends on making alliances with old and suspicious foes while doing battle with former comrades and allies. Ultimately, Sulu's fate will hinge upon his ability to convince his relentless nemesis, the evil Commander Chekov, to assist the Excelsior in its quest to return to the universe to which it belongs.
Q: What was it like working with George Takei and Walter Koenig? How long does it take for the actors to record their parts? What kind of script do they get, do they only see their own lines or do they see the whole thing?
SI: When you're a lifelong Star Trek fan it is pretty amazing to find yourself working with two of the legendary stars from the original series. Obviously, both George Takei and Walter Koenig knew their characters inside and out (although Walter joked at first, "You want a Swedish accent, right??), but it was fascinating to watch as they both added the little inflections and subtleties that truly made their characters come alive. It was also extremely memorable to be present as George finally got to read the immortal lines "Space the final frontier??
Each actor was recorded on two separate occasions: first, in a lengthy initial recording session for the bulk of the material and then, later, in a shorter "pickup? session. This allowed us to fix any technical problems encountered during the first session and also let us incorporate any unforeseen story changes that may have occurred during the game's development.
The actors get a copy of both the complete script as well as what are known as "sides? ? pages containing only their lines. Having the entire script is useful in understanding the overall context of the lines, while the "sides? are more convenient for the actors to page through during their actual recording. Although George and Walter recorded their lines separately, their conversations "together? are remarkably natural and seamless.
Q: Takei and Koenig play their own parts in the game, does the player assume the role of a specific character? Are there more voiceover actors?
SI: The player takes on the role of one of the Excelsior's shuttle pilots. In the mirror universe, the shuttles have been replaced by an arsenal of deadly fighter craft. The player will have to learn to master these unfamiliar ships in order to defend the Excelsior and to ensure the ship's survival during its long journey across hostile space.
Several alien voices also appear in the game, including those of Commander Balok, the Tholian Commander, Klingons, Romulans and officials of the Terran Empire.
Q: Are there any more Star Trek games for gaming consoles in development?
SI: To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no other Star Trek games in development for the PC or consoles. However, there is certainly plenty of room for further innovations not to mention whole new game types that could be explored within the Star Trek universe.
Q: In terms of game play, how long does the game take to play through? How many levels?
SI: The hours of game play will almost certainly vary based on the selected difficulty level (there are three) and the skill of the player, but on average it should take approximately twenty hours to complete the game. "Shattered Universe? has nineteen levels spread across five chapters, and in addition to the overall story arc, there are smaller story arcs within each chapter.
Q: Does the game have any Easter Eggs or surprises of any kind?
SI: Yes! A bonus option is unlocked when the game is completed (on any difficulty level) and, for the devoted Star Trek fan, we like to think that the game is full of little surprises.
