[20:02] [ND]Awen: Hi DrBeta, Beta testers will be selected when we're ready to allow the public into the game. For right now, we're internally testing and we're just not at the point yet to let the players in. However, when we are ready we will certainly announce it on our website. 
[20:02] Brekkee: *Shinzon45* Will the DANCER engine be manually manipulated by players? Thank you.
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[20:03] [ND]Istvan: We've implemented a toggle allowing players to choose between two variants of the DANCER engine.  One allows control very similar to Jumpgate Classic's flight, whiel the other is easier to get comfortable with, for newer players.
[20:03] Brekkee: *Flybye* How will latency issues be handled between players in different countries?
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[20:03] Flybye: Yes.  Am wondering if there will be a master server, or if players from different countries will be seperated by different servers
[20:04] [ND]Draker: Jumpgate Evolution will be a sharded game and thus we plan to have shards located around the world which should reduce latency. Also, there's lots of things you can do in terms of code to fight latency such as dead reconing and more complex prediction - it IS a big issue for us so we spend quite a bit of time on it.
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[20:05] Brekkee: *cander* In reference to your latest interview about the UI Istavan, is there any more information you can give us how much power we will have using Flash to customize our UIs like will we have access to the scripting language ActionScript?
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[20:05] [ND]Istvan: Regarding UI, aside from the fact that we *can* open up pieces of it using Flash/ActionScript, we've made no firm decisions yet on what and to what extent it will be open.
[20:05] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will you be offering a high texture optional package for people with high end systems?
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[20:06] [ND]Awen: We will have high textures across all systems really. However with that said, there will be different sliders and options available in the settings. 
[20:06] [ND]Awen: er in the in-game settings that is. :) 
[20:06] Brekkee: *Karash* I would like to know about any sort of factional warfare system or squad vs squad warfare that will be supported in JGE.  What do the devs envision us fighting over in the JGE universe?
[20:07] [ND]Draker: Obviously combat is a big part of the game and so we want to take advantage of as many types as possible. Obviously the game will have PvP of various kinds including nation vs. nation (i.e. solrain vs. octavius etc). Squads were a big part of Classic and we expect them to be in evolution as well... I'm hoping we can formalize squad vs. squad stuff much more than we have in the past.
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[20:08] Brekkee: *Karash* 2nd Question:  How customizable will ships be with modules and equipment?  Will there be a one best fit for most fighters like in JG:C or will function be part of setting up your ship more?
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[20:09] [ND]Istvan: Hi, Karash.  We're still building in some major changes to the equipment system, but we're striving to avoid having a single "best-fit" for individual ships.
[20:09] Brekkee: *DrBeta* What will be the main differences between JG and JGE?
[20:09] Brekkee: *DrBeta* WHen will JGE be released?
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[20:10] [ND]Draker: There are tons of differences between classic and the new game - to kind of nutshell it: all new visuals, a fuller universe through AI and greater accessibility. Going beyond that the game will contain many things that MMOs have added over the years. For example: loot, more interesting missions, larger scale combat, more integrated PvE and PvP systems. We plan on releasing in the 2nd half of 2008.
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[20:11] Brekkee: *Spades* Compared to EVE Online, what will PVP be like? Open pvp? Restricted? Faction? Full loot?
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[20:11] [ND]Awen: Well obviously EVE is a point and click flight scenario and we'll have free flight combat. That's a large difference.  Our space will contain both PVP and PVE models but we're really not ready to release those details yet.  I can say, that it will be fun. 
[20:12] Brekkee: *StretchandVern* hi guys, great work youre all doing on development of this stellar looking game. are there plans to extend the "jumpgate" to wormhole types at all?
[20:12] [ND]Istvan: Thanks for your kind words!  Of course we're kicking around a number of intriguing ideas for variant gates, but it's unclear what will beimplemented by release and what may wait to go in during later continuing development.
[20:12] Brekkee: *cander* Will the new AI system and server allow you guys to provide more events with less need of human interaction from your end?
[20:12] [ND]Draker: The AI system does a lot of things to help deepen the gaming experience and we do plan to make it sufficiently interesting to keep people well entertained. Having said that I don't think any AI can take the place of human GMs and I actually think that those experiences will be a big part of the game as well.
[20:13] Brekkee: *Gnolie* Will the story be a reimagining of the original jumpgate storyline or will it "reset" the story? Will we see elements like Sentients still and GM driven content?
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[20:14] [ND]Awen: I'm really quite excited about our story to the new game. We've been set 100 years in the future and we have Keith Baker of Ebberon fame writing our LORE out right now. There will be both similarities and yet some key differences.  It's really cool and you'll see more details released on our website in the coming months. 
[20:14] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will there be any options for the players to have besides building war materials?  e.g. civilian transport missions, production of food stuffs, etc
[20:15] [ND]Istvan: Yes, we're building in a number of options in the economic and missions systems to provide things to do and reasons to do them that aren't related to someone's war effort.  That said, supplying someone's war effort will pretty much always be an option for interested parties.
[20:15] Brekkee: *Karash* Will multifactional squads be allowed to participate in inter-national warfare...or whatever system you devise?
[20:15] [ND]Draker: I think what you mean is if solrains and octavians can be in the same squad? If so, the answer is yes. We want the relationship between squads and nations to be as player defined and possible and I think forcing a split between the groups isn't the best thing for Jumpgate Evolution.
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[20:17] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will there be a story mode/campain option?  If so, will the campain be available to play with several players?
[20:17] [ND]Istvan: Well, since the game is an MMO, the object is to provide an online experience with other players.  At present we have no plans to construct an offline single-player campaign game.
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[20:19] Brekkee: If your question has not been answered please feel free to send it directly to me until our Question Taker returns!
[20:20] Brekkee: *Radi* Are you going to balance ship profiles for PvP?
[20:21] [ND]Istvan: Yes, we're working closely with the artists to ensure that wildly unbalanced profiles don't enter the game, but probably more relevant is the fact that the equivalent of the game's targetting computer really won't have the issues we were familiar with from JGC.
[20:22] Brekkee: *DrBeta* Has the pricing structure for JGE been established yet?
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[20:23] [ND]Awen: We've been looking at alot of different pricing structures and we haven't yet decided on one yet. But again and I know you guys are tired of hearing it, we'll let everyone know plenty of time before release. 
[20:24] Brekkee: *Gnolie* Second question. Will the billing system be greatly improved I hope? A couple of times I've thought of reactivating but the billing system is really archaic.
[20:24] [ND]Istvan: Gnolie, we're actually implementing an entirely new billing system with a new service provider for JGC in the extremely near future.  Watch JOSSH for details.  For JGE, billing systems will depend on arrangements with our publisher and are not yet established.
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[20:24] Brekkee: *Ambro* How will JGE handle players who do not want to be tied to Faction politics and wars?
[20:25] [ND]Draker: One of the things we are always looking at is the relationship between player interaction and player interference. What we want to do is make sure that people feel like they are making a difference but not insofar as it "breaks" the game for others. As an example, let's say I am a member of nation a and I am PERSONALLY at war with nation b... that won't necessarily impact your ability to interact with the nation I am at 
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[20:26] Brekkee: *Frijj* hi all, great game btw. i was wondering what kind of new "resource gathering" activities there are going to be available in this version?
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[20:27] [ND]Draker: although there may be some things that are affected. We also want to make sure that the style of game play you enjoy is affected by those actions; so if you have missions that are directly related to faction or nation war; those will be more affect bye those states, if that makes sense. It's a tricky issue we want to work on as it does create a lot of value.
[20:27] Brekkee: *Frijj* hi all, great game btw. i was wondering what kind of new "resource gathering" activities there are going to be available in this version?
[20:28] [ND]Istvan: Well, we're planning an entirely new implementation of mining, and we've already put into our pre-alpha build a form of salvage.  We're looking hard at ways to make arty-hunting a more interesting part of the game.
[20:28] Brekkee: *netburnr* We would like a clarification on "Safe Zones".  There have been many discussions between players and no real answer yet, will ships be invunerable, or will there be an AI presense that makes people safe(er)
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[20:31] [ND]Draker: The answer is that we want to make sure that we make a game that is compelling for PvP and PvE players. In general this means that people who want to PvE only are protected from those who want to PvP, but that PvP players have useful things to do througout the game. In that specific case we feel that the point is that if you want to PvE and are being constantly killed, that is not a fun experience so those players need t
[20:31] [ND]Draker: . However, if your game gives the "best stuff" for PvE actions, it's a PvE game, if it does it for PvP actions, it's a PvP game. There are example of games that do both well, and we want to make sure we are addressing both of those play styles. One thing I find interesting is that most games don't let you "level up" in PvP and it's normally something you do at the end. I would like it if JGE didn't have this limitation.
[20:31] Brekkee: *cander* Can we expect more 'openness' of game data for use with player made tools? What is your stance on such out of game tools?
[20:32] [ND]Awen: I'm really glad that you asked that Cander! It's something that I get excited about and we've been discussing this option alot around the team lately. The short answer is yes, we are really hip to player made tools. So we're going to do some more investigating on how to make this easy and hassle free.  Our stance is that player tools  enhance the community. So it's a good thing.  
[20:33] Brekkee: *Shinzon45*  Please explain a revamped Bounty System for both newcomers and exiting veterans?
[20:33] [ND]Istvan: I'm sorry, Shinzon45, but we're just not yet ready to offer any details on what form a bounty system might take in JGE.
[20:33] Brekkee: *Karash* Since no one has asked it yet, I might as well for all the people that care:  Whats the status of Capital ships in relation to gameplay in JG:E?
[20:35] [ND]Draker: Aha. That's a big topic of debate as well :). I can tell you that we thing fighting against big ships is really fun so that's an area we are actively pursuing. A bigger problem is pilot controlled capital ships. We have thought about it a lot and there are some core problem. For example if you pilot a ship and I am shooting, how can I aim properly- what about latency? So on the player side with an action game it's much t
[20:35] [ND]Draker: ee larger kinds of ships in JGE.
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[20:36] Brekkee: *Longbow* Are things like "station stripping" and having NPC stations require materials to produce goods in JGE?
[20:36] [ND]Istvan: Longbow, station stripping isn't going to possible in the sense we were used to it in JGC, but supplying materials to various locations to support the economy, though modified, will be part of hauling gameplay.
[20:36] Brekkee: *Naken* Will you port the game to my awesome PS3? ofcourse with mouse/keyb joystick support.
[20:36] [ND]Awen: We believe that console supported MMOs are pretty exciting and if it's something that we feel will enhance our game in the future we will definitely consider it. 
[20:36] [ND]Awen: Also, we want to support as many peripherals as possible. We want it to be easy and accessible. 
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[20:37] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will there be any type of controlablle auto pilot system for capped ships?
[20:37] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will docking between ships be possible? e.g. Flying your fighter and docking with your capital ship/carrier/frigate etc.
[20:38] [ND]Istvan: We're looking first at implementing any capital ships as AI objects, as that's much easier than multiplayer vessels, as Draker implied.   We're still looking at the technical issues of docking, so I'm afraid I have no answer for that yet.
[20:39] Brekkee: *Necronis* What made you choose Codemasters and what does it bring to both sides?
[20:41] [ND]Draker: We were actually looking for someone who would really enhance our ability to create a quality product. We have a lot of experience in development and Codemasters has lots of development, publishing and operating experience and they are also dedicated to each product they release. When we began speaking with them it was a really good match from the start. There is usually a lot of speculation that the publisher will run i
[20:41] [ND]Draker: something - this is not the case at all. They have been very sensative to what we want to do and are much more concened with what we want in the game. It's really a huge win for us and I think you'll find that they will add a lot to the whole process.
[20:41] [ND]Draker: It's really us working together to make the best game as opposed to two groups with different interests... which is the way it's supposed to be :)
[20:42] Brekkee: *Radi* Are there any plans for more playable factions that original 3? Like pirates, Hyp, or aman?
[20:42] [ND]Istvan: Radi, yes, we have plans.  :)
[20:42] Brekkee: *Mabeline* Great news on the late '08 release timerame guys! You have said that sharding will only be to control population concerns, while this is a bit dissapointing from an eve player its quite understandable. Are you planning on dividing the servers into EU/US? Where are the servers planned to be set up?
[20:43] [CO]Zzeno: The current plan is to have shards spread throughout Europe and the US to accommodate players from both sides of the pond. We2019re still figuring how to do this as seamless as possible for you guys so watch this space for more details.
[20:43] Brekkee: *Startac* Do Pirates get their own pirate stations and ships, or is it like in JGC, that they have to use factional resources?
[20:44] [ND]Istvan: Startac, I'm afraid we're still developing the pirating role and supporting systems and are not ready to talk about what forms they may take in JGE.
[20:44] Brekkee: *winded* Hi y'all. Great concept, looking awesome. Will there be any foul beasts to slay? Or only other ships?
[20:44] [ND]Istvan: Well, winded, depending on your opinion of scientific research performed in Jumpgate Classic, the Conflux might be described as "alive".  And there will certainly be Conflux in JGE.
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[20:45] Brekkee: *netburnr* Will JGE have the original Civ/HG/Bounty system that worked so well in JGC? Or will ND attempt to create a massive amount of "rules" (aka the Military tag) to seperate PvE from PvP?
[20:46] [ND]Draker: I think what's tough is that there are players who like both and then there are players who only like PvE of PvP. So the answer depends on what you want to do. Personally I like the idea of PvP and PvE servers - which works well in lots of other MMOs out there. That way you can tailor the rules on those servers to address the concerns of those players.As an extreme example, I always liked the Diablo 2 "hardcore" mode whe
[20:47] [ND]Draker: permanently killed - that's not a particularly mainstream play mode, but it's really fun for a certain group of people, and if it's a rule change, it's not too bad to do.
[20:47] Brekkee: *Frijj* 2nd question from me, How are you ensuring there is a definitive balance in playstyles? that one "profession" isn't more skilled than another?
[20:47] [ND]Istvan: Frijj, there's really no such thing as "skill" in a character sense in Jumpgate Evolution, so the sort of balance I think you are thinking of isn't really part of the game design.  Players fly their ships directly and choose their actions based on their own best interests, so in that sense our real objective is to ensure a balance in reward and benefit rates.
[20:47] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will players be able to construct their own ships within player owned stations?
[20:48] [ND]Awen: We want to empower players but haven't detailed the player owned construction system yet. 
[20:48] Brekkee: *Necronis* Will Codemasters be handling all parts of the world for servers, patches or will some remain in house? Also things like patch days, will they have seperate patch days or simultanous releases?
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[20:52] [CO]Zzeno: Hi Necronis, Codemasters will be providing the game worlds throughout Europe plus we2019ll be publishing, marketing and distributing the game throughout Europe and the US. We2019ll also be providing full support for the Dev Team with QA, etc.
[20:52] [CO]Zzeno: Regarding patches, we2019re hoping to get these out as close as possible across the world. 
[20:53] Brekkee: Only a few more minutes to go.. get those questions in to [QT]zigzag before time is up!
[20:53] Brekkee: *Flybye* Will you be offering native multi monitor support which does not call for having to window the game and hampering performance?  e.g. Monitor #1 main flight screen.   Monitor #2 mail system, star maps, ware marketing, etc
[20:53] [ND]Draker: IT's an interesting idea. I had always thought of dual or multi-monitor as surrounding the player with even more space, but I suppose you could break it up in a more "supreme commander" kind of setup. Nothing like that right now, but not a bad idea!
[20:53] Brekkee: *Startac* Will it be possible to make a balance between the factions on the shards? It wouldn't be good if 1500 players are on the octavius side and 500 on the solrain and Quant
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[20:54] [ND]Istvan: We have some ideas how to attack that problem that we're definitely planning to try.  IMplementation will judge how successful we are, and we may take action post-release with new tectics to balance populations, if necessary.
[20:54] Brekkee: *hmmdar* (question) Is there any chance in the future for larger ships, ie cap, that multiple players would control differnt aspects of the vessel? as in one player piloting and one or more opperating the gunneries
[20:56] [ND]Draker: We really love the idea of it. I can say that we are actively looking at "large" ships in the game. Pilot controlled large ships are tricky - multi-pilot ships trickier still. It creats problems like pilots getting dropped what happens? Bad latency is an issue how can you aim and fire while someone else shoots. If we can make it work it would be awesome though.
[20:56] Brekkee: *Longbow* Is mining still sped up by orbiting the asteroids or is a new mechanic in place?
[20:56] [ND]Istvan: We're going to have a new mining system entirely, Longbow, so I don't yet know whether orbit-mining will still be a tactic under the new arrangement.
[20:57] Brekkee: That will wrap it up for tonight. I’d like to thank the folks from Jumpgate Evolution for coming! The log for tonight’s chat will be up shortly on (Link: http://www.stratics.com.)http://www.stratics.com. Thank you all for joining us! You can join #Jumpgate to chat more about the game.