"This week we get interactive, that is to say, we take a good, long look at how in-game interactions are fine-tuned, then it’s time for another Sprint Report.
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In this episode of Inside Star Citizen, the focus is on the importance of interactions in creating a realistic and immersive game environment. The interactions in the game determine how reactive and simulated the space feels, driving emergent gameplay. To showcase the different interactions possible, the development team has created an “interaction zoo,” where designers can explore and draw inspiration from various interactions between entities.
One of the key interactions highlighted is with doors. The team wants to ensure that doors in the game react as expected, to avoid breaking immersion. They explore different behaviors for doors, such as automatic opening and closing, enabling/disabling proximity sensors, cutting power to doors, using wedges to pry doors open, and having locks with their own state and health. These complex behaviors create a world that feels real and allows players to plan and react accordingly.
The video also provides updates on ongoing development projects. The graphics team is working on adding iridescence to the hard surface shader of the Talon light fighter, showcasing different luminous colors that change when observed from different angles. The vehicle tech team is developing a radar object collection subsystem to revamp and unify scanning and radar functionality for vehicles and FPS players. Refinery decks and colonial style homesteads are also being worked on, with concept meshes being reviewed and evaluated for further development.
Overall, interactions play a crucial role in creating an immersive and enjoyable gaming experience. The team aims to refine and expand the interactions seen in the “interaction zoo” and incorporate them into the persistent universe. Through ongoing development updates, players can look forward to improved visuals, revamped scanning and radar, and the eventual implementation of frontier towns and player-created outposts in the game world.