The (Incomplete) X: Universe RPG

X: RPG – EXEGESIS – A Creative Project by Joshua Corcoran for CCA1103

A Role-playing game acts as the foundation for limitless creative opportunity. “RPG’s” are an exciting social experience, and my goal was to build a new setting to use for such adventures. Most RPG’s I’ve participated in personally have been fantasy; wizards and knights during fantastical medieval times. As an individual however, I’ve always had more of an adoration for science fiction. The X: Universe, a franchise created by the German videogame development company Egosoft GmbH, is an incredibly expansive science fiction world built for the PC games Egosoft have developed. Founded by Bernd Lehahn in Herzogenrath, June 1988 as “Ego Software”, the company has been releasing games set in the X: Universe since 1998, with X4: Foundations set to release at an unspecified date sometime in the near future (X: Universe, 2018). As a child I grew up playing their third instalment in the franchise; X3: Albion Prelude. I was utterly captivated by its grand lore and seemingly infinitely large galaxy. I chose to build a private contractor corporation named “Antorak”, I built up a fleet of ships, gained a respected reputation and accepted all kinds of missions that paid well and needed the firepower I had to offer. That was my story among the stars. The image used on the front cover of my X: Universe RPG submission is a screenshot of that very fleet, formed up and flying forward for their next mission. This was creative, I loved every second of it, and it was time to bring this universe to the table to share with those I love spending a Sunday afternoon with.

Fundamentally a sandbox game, X3 was all about free choice and creativity. A sandbox game is essentially a game where the player has very little restriction on what they are allowed to do or where they can roam, the goal is up to them and the experience is the vast, living world around them (Sandbox, 2018). This is not unlike many physical RPG’s like Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer 40,000: Black Crusade. These RPG’s were used as a basis for mine, I frequently referred to their rulebooks for layout advise and to double check I wasn’t missing any crucial information. In these RPG’s, a game is fundamentally written and directed by a Dungeon Master/Game Master, who uses the rulebooks as a template to create a narrative that only he could imagine. The best part about RPG’s is that every player at the table also has their own interpretation and ideas for how to progress, a Game Master must be on their toes for unexpected player actions that shift the direction of the plot entirely. I aimed to capture this, this creative fun in worlds of make-believe. The X: RPG rulebook is there as a foundation and set of rules, set in the X: Universe for groups of people to get together and set up their own unique narrative in.

As I begun, it immediately hit me just how much work writing a Role-playing game rulebook is. I decided that the content was the most important aspect, as it was the complete set of rules that would allow play. In a balancing act of personal time in commitment to the project I made sacrifices to my plans of presenting the X: RPG rulebook as visually as possible. The initial plan involved pictures and diagrams on every page, I even started drawing up vector sketches of what each individual ship looked like, but I was aiming for the impossible. The presentation focus then shifted to a clean, easy to read document split up into neat categories for ease of reading. Pictures would still be included, but they would mostly just be 3D models of X3 ships to fill gaps in the writing. The Egosoft website had download links for resources detailing everything from trade goods to how to name a Teladi character, and they proved immensely useful in my production process. It even came with the official font! I installed it on my machine and used it for all of the headings throughout my document. With the proximity to deadlines with other assessments, as this project came closer to a close It was an impossibility to complete the entire project on time. I instead set out to do as much as humanly possible. The primary hurdles were hit when I got into core mechanic after core mechanic that just proved incredibly challenging to transfer to the tabletop environment. The X: Universe games are immense in size, and this was not a doable level of work I had set for myself.

As I worked on the project, it became apparent that some mechanics in the X: Universe games were just too complex for seamless tabletop enjoyment. In X3: Albion Prelude for example, every single sector has multiple, self-sustaining factories buying resources for production and selling products at their own individual costs and rates. While a computer can crunch all of this in real-time, a Game Master cannot physically keep up with this much information. There was also the whole process of adapting a first-person space flight-sim where your physical aim of a joystick determined where your lasers went to that of seamless dice rolling. I cycled through several mechanic’s choices, removing things, adding things, redoing things, all until I was left with a final result I was satisfied with.

The coolest aspect of this project was I contacted Egosoft to ask permission to use their Intellectual Property. Bernd Lehahn himself responded, saying he was more than happy for me to go ahead, just as long as it was non-commercial. He also encouraged me to share the final product with both Egosoft and the community. I was ecstatic from this response, I had to do a good job now! It also got me thinking, I could almost submit the X: RPG in it’s first form for this project, and then take on a wealth of suggestions from the community beyond this semesters conclusion. This project was becoming greater than just a University assessment, it was now a love-letter to a world I grew up with and the people who created it and enjoyed it along side me. I know that my submission will not be perfectly balanced, there will be things that are “over” or “under” the power curve. What excites me is the community involvement in helping me tweak this into something greater over the many days, months and potentially even years to come.

This project has been a very time consuming but enjoyable experience, and I am satisfied with my first almost-complete version. Following the conclusion of this semester I will see to it that the rest of the ships, the ship upgrades and the pilot talents are added to the end of the document. The Character sheets, Ship sheets, station sheets and sector map will also be included. After completion and the sharing of this project with the community, I eagerly anticipate their feedback and involvement following. If it takes off I will likely take the time and effort to mold the rulebook into a more visually appealing document while incorporating suggestions and improvements that the community brings up I am bound to have missed.

Attached with the link below is a download of my mostly complete PDF for the X: Universe RPG I set out to create.

X Universe RPG

Work Examples

Over the course of this semester I sunk my teeth into the “Unity Engine” – A cross-platform game development platform for two-dimensional and three-dimensional videogames.

The work is crude, they are small projects completed in a few weeks, but I am quite proud of my first steps into a proper industry standard development toolkit.

The three projects cover three different types of game:

• A Top-Down Space Shooter (like “Asteroids”) – “SolarSail”
• A 2D Platformer (like “Mario”) – “Rain”
• A Top-Down Tower-Defense (like “Bloons TD”) – “Tpwahz”

The purpose of these game prototypes was to demonstrate particular skills, primarily in understanding C# coding and the Unity UI. Projects were worked on in tutorial sessions, with a submit-able project ready by the set due date. No external work would be provided to hand in a passable product if all tutorial content was followed, but it was strongly encouraged to do something “extra” to set yourself apart. Each of my games above tried something not included in the tutorials as a result.

“SolarSail”, the first game I produced, saw me adding an “energy” counter to the game that was spent when firing lasers or using the main ship thruster. To recharge the player simply points their Solar-powered Satellite into the sun; located by the way the light is casting over the game area. Actually programming this was rather tricky, involving a bunch of behind-the-scenes invisible rays being projected out from in front of the satellite that collided with objects. If the ray was obstructed, it never reached the “sun” game object off-screen, and thus didn’t trigger the ship recharge. I also added an asteroid spawning script that spawned new asteroids in each corner of the game every 5 seconds after an initial 10 second delay. This proved pretty neat, after a few minutes the game gets crazy! I did have some trouble with the physics though, on slower computers the ship may seem really sluggish, barely able to move. This is because my code for engine thrust refreshes each time the screen does – so on older machines where they can’t run the game as well, the framerate is lower, and thus so is my repeating “add force” command.

“Rain” was the second game produced, using the 2D side of Unity. I deviated quite a bit from standard here, opting to go for an “exposure avoidance” prototype instead of a typical jump around adventure platformer. Using the same “raycasting” from “SolarSail”, the little guy you play is made of fire, and he’s gotta stay out of the rain! the ray is projected vertically, and if there’s no platform blocking the rain it hits the sky object and triggers player damage. Note how I didn’t program damage into colliding with each individual rain particle. The rain effect is purely visual, actually making each particle an object that tests for collisions with the player would be incredibly resource-intensive, slowing the game down. I basically ‘cheated’ getting wet with a single, invisible, vertical line doing all the work for me. You’ll also notice this game has a main menu! A simple one with a single button (play), this was part of the assessment, to learn about transitioning between scenes. The thing I like most about this game is that all of the assets, apart from the rain particles, were 100% made by me. No imported, pre-made sprites, I drew them all.

“Towahz” is the most recent to join the line, returning to the 3D Unity engine. A simple tower defense, I played around with a wave timer that progressively spawned enemies faster and faster. I also played around with sculpting terrain in this game with Unity’s terrain brushes. Not much else to say about this one, it certainly saw the least development time with only 2 weeks to work on it.

Controls in the games are basic, involving the use of WASD or Arrow Keys to move, Spacebar to shoot or jump and the mouse to place towers in the case of the Tower Defense game.

Provided below is a dropbox link to the three games and all their files compressed as .zip files. Within each unzipped folder will be an executable (.exe), simply run the .exe to try the game out!

Warning: My games don’t have exit buttons! Make sure when the Unity launcher pops up on running an .exe you keep “Windowed” ticked, so you have a standard window to push the close button in the top to leave.

The games are exported for Windows OS, and do not run on Mac OS unfortunately. The games are Mac-compatible, I did most of my work editing them here on campus, they’re just not exported in Mac format (lecturer request was to have windows versions in the final product).

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/601mboyht8jeqo0/AABM7DxFuMXw4aAR5DoF4BfMa?dl=0

Enjoy 🙂

Reading Response 3 – Creative Research

Research in the creative industry is essential for success. It differs from regular human activity with its forced, focused and disciplined nature. This process is a systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions (Research, 2018). For this week’s reading, Edmonds argues that the modern artistic creation process is fundamentally a research process (Edmonds, 2007). Without this research and with reliance on just regular human impulse, the quality of the resulting artwork is likely to be far lower. Research requires a defined methodology for true effectiveness. The specifics of a methodology vary between different creative industries, but still follow the basic goal of preparing and informing the artist of how they should create their piece. The application of a proven methodological strategy is important, because it grants the artist confidence in the validity of the evidence found, rather than the assumption that their unproven strategy is doing the right thing (Roundy, 2018). This research process in modern times frequently sees the collaboration of different departments, like art, science and technology, and the research methodologies of our present time generally blend these departments together (Edmonds, 2007).

“In interactive art, the artwork exists only in the context of audience behaviour. We need to understand the experiences of the audience in considering both their reflection on the artwork and the interaction design that must be a key component of such work” (Edmonds, 2007). This quote from the reading is of particular interest to me. As someone working to become a designer that creates interactive art (games), this resonates with the realisation I’ve come to over the course of my studies about how important something like target audience research is. If one were to create a game from just regular human creative impulse without regard for prior research, the game stands a very good chance of being unsuccessful. When it comes to making games, a properly identified target audience answers the most important question: “Who will buy this game?” (Ernest, 2013). Research here achieved something essential to success, without an interested audience the commercial product will fail to sell, bringing a halt to future creative opportunities.

To be a successful videogame game designer a research methodology is but one component a person is such a profession needs to have however. One must also have trained skills in areas like computer programming and writing software for example. The ability to work computer animation and graphics is also an essential skill. “Soft skills” like the ability to communicate clearly both inter-personally and by written form, or the ability to organise well and collaborate well with teams of people are also critical (Crosby, 2014). Research is an important part of the creative process, but it is not the entirety of what the process is made up of. A professional creative process is a complex mesh of a variety of components.

Reading Response 2 – Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is a technology that superimposes computer generated images onto a user’s view of the real world (Augmented Reality, 2018). Easily confused with Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality is different in that it’s adding digital elements on top of the real world, rather than blocking out the real world entirely for an immersive digital experience. AR is still very much in its infancy, with projects like the Microsoft HoloLens floating around in early development stages. VR on the other hand has been in the commercial market for a few years now, with headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC VIVE and Playstation VR making a splash starting from March 2016 (Shepherd, 2018). Sarah Downey argues that even though VR is the topic you are more likely to hear about today, “the gigantic list of future AR use cases should get you reeling at the possibilities” (Downey, 2016).

Probably the biggest example of Augmented Reality put into practice would be Niantic Labs’ Pokémon GO, released in July 2016 (Leaders in Augmented Reality, 2018). Using one of the biggest multimedia franchise to date, Pokémon GO was essentially a further development of the company’s existing game, Ingress, a game about walking around in the real world to travel to key ‘AR’ locations. Overnight Pokémon GO became a global phenomenon, with the prospect of catching many beloved Pokémon finding vastly more appeal than Ingress’ battle for ‘portals’ (Hoang & Baker, 2016). I personally grew up playing the Pokémon series. The Augmented Reality experiences I got from Pokémon GO is among some of the most memorably unique and distinct memories I have to date. Here I was, in early adulthood, reliving a childhood dream with millions in the real world. The game experience was something new, it was social, and it was quite a bit of fun.

The UploadVR article brings up many examples of useful AR applications relating to my area of study – Games and Digital Interactivity Design. Not only does my degree involve my potential involvement in the creation of all the listed augmented reality technology, but it could also enhance the process through the application of use for things like conference calls, 3D modelling and design and general project management. It’s not just my workspace that could be influenced greatly by this technology however, with a magnitude of private applications across all aspects of life like medical, social and recreational leisure also surfacing with great potential (Downey, 2016). I personally think that the best thing AR can do is streamline the vast level of digital information we are all exposed to on a day-to-day basis these days. This includes digital information like Google Maps displayed with AR, so the navigation of new places could be done without prior planning or the reliance on a GPS system.

Reading Response 1 – Homeworld and its Prequel

Homeworld is a videogame developed by Relic Entertainment, released in 1999. The game tells the story of an exiled people, the Kushan, and their journey to Hiigara – their true home. Starting on the desert wasteland planet Kharak, the player takes the role of “Fleet Command.” Given a bird’s eye view of the game, the player controls the starships of the Kushan fleet, taking them through a series of jump locations away from Kharak towards their ultimate destination. Resources are finite, losses are permanent, and the galaxy is out there to stop you getting there.
A big ‘twist’ in Homeworld is the 3rd mission, where after testing the hyperspace capabilities of the Kushan Mothership a massive fleet of alien vessels appear above Kharak. These vessels without warning start fire-bombing the entire surface. Nobody on the planet survives. The scene is harrowing, filled with radio screams and powerful music. You don’t have a place to fall back to anymore, and the only people left of your species are those within your expedition fleet. You later learn that the Kushan were banished to the desert planet Kharak for war crimes over 10,000 years ago, and the Taiidan (the attacking alien race) had warned the Kushan people that if they ever developed space travel technology again, they would be eradicated. Unfortunately for the Kushan people, this had been forgotten with time, and the cost was devastating. Throughout the game, due to this setup, everyone you lose has weight. If you make it to Hiigara, you win, and the game is complete. If you die along the way however, everything about your people is lost forever. The experience I had while playing this game was that of desperation, I truly was making life or death decisions for the survival of an entire race.
Then we have Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. A prequel to the game released recently in 2016, Deserts of Kharak takes place on the surface of the desert planet with the same name. It follows a coalition of researchers venturing into the deep desert to investigate a powerful energy signature. At the time, Kharak’s climate was rapidly deteriorating, and the Kushan people had for the most part decided escaping into space was their best chance of survival. The energy signature is believed to be a chance at salvation, hence the expedition. This signature would end up being a crash site of the very ships that brought the Kushan to this planet in the first place, with jump drive technologies and a Guidestone showing the way back to Hiigara, their home.
What struck me about Deserts of Kharak was the opponents you face throughout the game, the Gaalsien. A radical and spiritual family of Kushan people, they declare war on the coalition in their quest to leave the planet. Devoted to their belief that they were put on this planet as a form of punishment, the refer to messages from their God that “fire will rain from the sky” if they were to ever touch his stars. For people (like myself) who played the original Homeworld, this is clearly a religion that has its roots founded in the Taiidan ultimatum to the species; develop space technology again and we will eradicate you. These ‘radicals’ actually have a real warning, and your coalition works towards the ultimate destruction of the planet and its people in the events of Homeworld, completely oblivious. The final words of the Gaalsien leader desperately pleading for you to reconsider still ring in my ears; I know what happens as a result of them refusing his plea. I felt so sorry for the coalition. They had the best of intensions, but I knew full well that they were doing would cause billions of deaths. Homeworld and Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak show what storytelling can do to a videogames overall feel. A good story gives you real emotions as you play through the experience. I absolutely love these games for this very reason.

Creative Project Proposal – X: Universe RPG

Many of my evenings over the past couple of years have involved enjoying a few role-playing games (RPG’s) with friends. Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer 40,000: Black Crusade and Gloomhaven are titles we have delved into, each providing a different universe with different rules to experience. The creativity these kinds of game experiences offer is fantastic; people continue to surprise me with unique story arcs or entertaining character quirks. For my Creative Project I want to create a 4th environment we could enjoy, another setting that could harbour creative gameplay.

Most of the people in this group have played a videogame called X3: Albion Prelude, a space sandbox game filled with a wealth of content and possibility ranging from starships, weapons, alien races and an environment to explore them in. Being a single player only game where you have to create your own path, many of the group never truly engaged with the title – they wanted a guiding narrative and friends to enjoy it with, something the game didn’t offer. I wish to adapt this idea of a narrative driven cooperative experience to X3’s extensive universe as a tabletop RPG setting we could all enjoy on a Sunday night. 

The task would be to write up a cohesive rulebook. It would cover everything from running a campaign as a “game master” to the factions are and their relationships with each other. The videogame will be drawn upon for content, from which I will adapt their systems to a dice, miniature and paper based system. Looking at how other RPG’s do things will be crucial to the success of this project, as X3: Albion Prelude by nature is a very different game – how do we simulate the dogfighting skill required in the videogame with dice and plastic figures in a tabletop RPG environment in the best way possible? 

About Me

Hello and welcome to the blog for Joshua Corcoran’s adventures with CCA1103!

I was born right here in Perth, WA. Apart from a few holidays, most of them being within Australia’s borders, I have not left the country, this is where I’ve grown up. I have a younger sister and we both live with our mother and father under one roof. We also have two dogs (technically one of them is more like a small horse) and three cats, because apparently the number of pets in a household should outnumber the number of humans.

I am currently starting my second year in a Bachelor of Design for Games and Digital Interactivity. Previously I studied secondary mathematics teaching, primarily with the influence of both teaching parents and my history with the Australian Air Force Cadets as an instructor. After three years and a degree however I decided that the high school teaching lifestyle just wasn’t for me, so I pursed something I’d been doing as a hobby for most of my life – game design. It’s looking like this year will be the big one where I finally get to get my hands dirty, so I am looking forward to learning the skills a professional game designer needs. First year was mostly orientation units or content relating to my graphic design minor.

My mission statement is a clouded one. I’ve gone from the job security of mathematics teaching to the turbulent nature of the creative industry. There are multiple development companies around the world I would love to work for, however prerequisites are high and competition is tough. Perth is also very lack luster when it comes to game development, and Australia as a whole has a very small industry. Luke Brook (ECU lecturer) has been a great inspiration for me. He works here at the university lecturing game design theory while working on other projects outside of the education medium. With my teaching background I would happily begin my journey teaching game design students just like I am being taught now. During this time I would hopefully further my connections in the game design industry, sharpen my skills, develop my portfolio and then eventually make my way into a proper development studio.