Introduction
Quasar - Intron Theory is a science-fiction strategy game. This site and project is dedicated to its creation.
You, the player, are pitted against an invasion force of aliens. You are in control of the Terran
Defense Force, and are the last line of defense against the forces of the aliens. You must
balance your paramilitary organisation, with its budget, research and development, and
construction, with combat duties.
The inspiration for Quasar is derived from the XCOM series, from which mainly
XCOM Ufo Defense. It will implement the idea of an interactive battlescape,
base management and ufo interception. Ufo Defense has been
rated as the best PC game of all time by IGN.
Further inspiration comes from a wide range of other games, science-fiction
and real life events.
This project is entirely run by volunteers, all with the same
determination to create Q-IT, and make it the best it possibly can be.
Management
At Quasar open minded management is key. Brainstorming is one of our main development strategies, as it improves creativity, teambuilding and builds project momentum. Furthermore in interactive sessions, along with ongoing forum discussions, focus can be reaffirmed and questions can be asked. With the best ideas implemented, it helps Quasar to reach a new level of quality.
Quasar is managed using the standard development system of milestones. A milestone result is an executable game or game module that contains elements from all departments. The milestone approach offers us the possiblity to evaluate Quasar on a regular base.
The team will consist of three types of members. Project members are the first, they form the basis of the team, the very people who are making the game a reality. When a member has demonstrated potential and interest in project guiding and structuring, they could become a senior member of their department. Senior members are responsible for helping guide their respective departments, and liasing with the project leader. The leader is the ultimate guide of the project, keeping it to one direction.
Beneath you will find an explanation of the 5 departments at Quasar.
Programming
The high quality demand of this project combined with the little available time for most Quasar developers requires us to use the most efficient tools and workflow. With this mindset we chose to use the C4 engine and Microsoft XNA 3.0 for developing and prototyping Quasar.
"The C4 Engine is one of the most technologically advanced 3D game engines available today for the PlayStation 3, Windows XP/Vista, and MacOS X platforms ..." (read more)
"Microsoft XNA is a set of tools with a managed runtime environment provided by Microsoft that facilitates computer game development and management. XNA attempts to free game designers from writing "repetitive boilerplate code" and bring different aspects of game production into a single system. ..." (read more at Wikipedia)
Game Design
The Game Design department is responsible for defining game mechanics, and for laying the foundations of the game itself. All other departments relay to and from this hub of activity, using decisions made here to base their workloads from.
The department is the game's playtesters, where no game yet exists. They envisage the pieces of the mechanical puzzle that makes the game "tick", and they fit them together to form a coherent whole, which is then processed by the other departments who emulate the descriptions given. They invent, engineer and formulate, creating the map that the other departments follow.
Questions will be asked and answered here which will define weeks or even months of work. Game elements will be created, removed, or moved around. The most important aspects looked for in this department are the ability to evaluate information swiftly, and a willingness to make decisions quickly, without bias. That said, as with all departments, creativity is also key.
Creative Text
Whilst the text department does not utilise a variety of tools and programs like other areas of the project, it still has the rigour and determination exemplified by those departments.
The goals of the creative text section are simple. It provides the detail which will immerse the player into the world, generates the storyline which encompasses the entire game, and makes sense of the potentially conflicting scenarios that arise.
For the department, words are the method of sculpture, yet points must always remain clear. Ideas will be expressed, refined, revisited and polished, until it produces an unambiguous plot for the player to follow, providing them with the background information they may need, and interesting facts beyond.
An interest in writing hard science fiction and an attention to detail are all you need to join the creative text department.
Artwork
The workflow from the Art department is simple and straightforward. An artist chooses from a predefined list what he or she'd like to visualize. From that point a hand drawn or digital sketch is created in Quasar's housestyle. The rough outlines offer a very flexible way of evolving the general idea into a well defined final concept design. The finalized art pieces form a perfect base for either 2D or 3D art creation.
The choice of software that is used to create the visuals is heavily dependant on the member. We do not apply standard package requirements as we believe talent to be more important than software. Flexibility is key, as long as the delivered artwork data is interchangeable between members.
For your information, the 3D graphics on this site were created using the well known open-source program Blender.
Sound
Quasar's range of emotions are not fashioned by the art department, or even the creative text department, it is the sound department that creates the pain and suffering, or the anxiety for the player. Everything heard in the game, from each whirr and click, to every nerve-wracking tone, must be created. The sound department handles these tasks.
The job of this department is to create tension in the game and to provide the stimulation that art and words cannot on their own. Whilst playing the game, the player will be completely absorbed in the game, believing they are watching battles unfold, that they are part of the action.
Special effects and music may be opposite ends of a spectrum, but all need to be considered with care; the music surrounds the player, whilst a rich palette of special effects are prudently used.