I'd like to start off by thanking everyone for showing up.
This is an amazing turn out.
Special thanks to Vivendi and Irrational for allowing this to take place
To start things off, let's go ahead and get the dev team to introduce themselves.
However you guys want to do that.
I'm Ed Orman, Lead Designer on Tribes: Vengeance
I'm the producer at Sierra.
I'm Glenn Fiedler, Physics Programmer on Tribes: Vengeance
Greetings, Mike Johnston
I'm the PR guy at Vivendi Universal Games - my only job here is to remind you to buy the July issue of Computer Games Magazine, which has Tribes: Vengeance on the cover. =)
Yes. Lots of new images and cool stuff in the >>> JULY ISSUE OF COMPUTER GAMES MAGAZINE <<< not that we're pushing it or anything 
I have a question directed at Mike, since he is from the Tribes community...
What is an average day in the life of a designer working on Tribes: Vengeance?
What exactly do you do all day?
He's typing
Hmm...come in early, read my email, scan some news and boards, chat with Ed about various issues, maybe work on some maps, maybe have some meetings, maybe write some documents...each day is different, I'd say
It was mentioned on Bittah.com about the single player tools that will be released. What kind of tools can we expect to see? Any kind of cinematic controls?
We've got a cinematic editor if you like, called Mojo. We're using that to create our scripted sequences and cut scenes. That will be released
Is that an in-house tool or something available on the market?
mojo is in house
It allows for camera controls, timing, playing of sound files, animation, etc
In other words, the community will have access to the same tools that we use to make the game. It's an in-house tool.
also, we'll be shipping a modified version of unrealed for mapping
How modified?
but thats standard for a game using unrealed
using unreal.
modified by the programmers and KP for tribes specific functionality Could people begin mapping now and be ready for the game?
Check out the forums at tribes2maps.com if you're interested in the mapping aspect of things...they're a growing resource for information
* TWBot sets mode: +l 1206
modified by the programmers and KP for tribes specific functionality
but, not unfamiliar to anybody who has used unrealed
Speaking of modifications...
*Stinkfist* Do you plan to include the developers of previous mods for T1 and T2 so that they can have their mods potentially released when T:V goes gold? Or possibly base a gameplay type on previous mods?
its not radically different, just extended to do what we want
We're hoping for that kind of thing to happen during the open Beta
i.e., before release
We try to keep in touch with editing/mapping community too...we'll work as closely with them as possible
+the
Will tools be available with the open beta as well?
Yes.
yep
*Stinkfist* Are there any plans for a "practice mod" like we have seen in Classic or DrinkMOD?
We're not releasing information about game types or modes just yet, sorry ;(
Hmmm
Will the mutator that has been released in other unreal games be included in T:V as well?
Any mutators that ship will be original
I assume you mean the capapcity to create mutators?
Yes
Yes, we'll support that capacity.
For the un-informed, a mutator is a small "mod" that changes some game rles without radically altering the game.
rles = rules
Lots of T1/T2 mods would actually be mutators
Ultra Renegades, for example
So would this make it easier for users to create mods without diving into scripting language?
It's easier to create a mutator than a mod, yeah, but more importantly it's easier to distribute and use them
How is that?
They're add-ons, essentially...they don't drastically change the game server. They're smaller and easier to install, etc.
They make use of existing assets, they're generally smaller in filesize.
*FastAttack* From the tribes franchise we have seen very reliable netcode and server application. I would like to know the following: compared to the older tribes titles and unreal the estimate bandwidth usage, resource usage estimate and what tools that are going to available for an admin.
KP is typing away ...
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Alright...bandwidth and resource usage, more than T1 (no exact numbers yet)...as for admin tools, I recommend checking out UT2K3 admin options if you're interested to see our starting point for server admins
There is some slick stuff there, including a feature-packed web admin interface
*FUBAR|Ascain* will we be able to have granular control over environments? IE: map makers who make mountains able to set certain textures frictionless to simulate ice etc?
It has lots of the features that the Tribes community has come to expect from mods like zAdmin
We're implementing a material-type system that will hopefully allow for control of those parameters. Can't commit to materials on terrains at this time.
Was the choice to use the UT engine as much a marketing decision as it was a technology decision? Using an already popular engine is a great way to get the name out.
sorry, it WILL allow for those parameters, hopefully on terrain.
Oo, a marketing question!
The programmers did an extensive comparison of available engines. UnrealEd came up the winnder for a number of tech reasons.
*DarkDonut* You guys have talked about different models for each Tribe. Will this effect the multiplayer with varying hitboxes/collision detection? For instance will being a light female blood eagle be different from a light female children of the pheonix in terms on size or speed?
It definitely wasn't a "marketing" decision - we were open to any engine that Irrational and Thrax agreed would be best.
Heya DD, great question
The goal is for the models to be similar in volume enough to allow for unified collision boxes.
In short, no, bounding boxes will be the same...tricky, but yeah, it pretty much has to be that way
Just to be clear, we mean unified across all 3 tribes
thassright
*DarkDonut* Do you plan on having a big update pack like the UT2k3 team did, including classic maps rom Tribes 1 and 2 along with new gametypes, as well as more singleplayer content (like the extra missions for Splinter Cell), or will further updates to the game be small and less content intensive?
Thrax is typing furiously
Any big updates will likely be sold as an expansion pack.
Are there any planned already as some developers have done?
AKA Are you leaving some features out of the game in order to sell another product later down the line.
Not yet, but we're getting to the point where we may want to talk about it  . As for features, we're not leaving anything out for a later expansion pack. That's the great thing about having a single player story with the game.
Speaking of that, How long do you expect the single player campaign to last?
We can tell the next part of the story and give you some new MP content at the same time.
Depends on if you're as good as KP, or if you play like Marweas
Average
We're aiming for around 10-20 hours of game-time, depending on player skill.
How do you plan to intergrate or prepare the player in single player for the multiplayer experience?
SP uses all the elements from MP. Familairty with those elements will be grown over the duration of the SP campaign.
What kind of plans do you have for the demo features that were included in Tribes?
We don't change the rules between SP and MP, so the player gets a consistency of experience that can be translated into MP.
Ah, demos
We'll support what T2 supports at a minimum...that means client-side recording and the ability to start and stop them at will
Unfortunately, rewinding is impossible, but...
...we do have server-side recordings, which is pretty exciting new feature for Tribes.
Server side recordings?
Basically it allows you to record everything that happens on the server and then play it back from anyone's perspective, or as a fly-around observer.
woah
This is built-in to the Unreal engine, so we get it for free.
Would that then be possible to stream out like T2TV or something similar so that viewers could view any perspective?
This would let a ladder create a Mutator that would automatically record a match on a server and send the recording back to the home office for official review.
Yes, in theory, but the server-side recordings are quite large...we're not quite ready to discuss our plans in that regard just yet though.
*iNVAR* What sort of plans (if any) do you have for making the game less susceptible or even immune to cheats?
We've identified common cheats, and we're working to address them. It's certainly affected the basic design of user interface, for example.
*FUBAR|Ascain* What type of performance hit will the serverside demos take on a server? will it effectivly limit the number of players supported?
No, it shouldn't...we'll perform tests when the time comes
*ATF_Mais* Is there any plan for the multiplayer aspect to include story-like elements such as tribe specific bases, or will it conform to previous Tribes titles with basically "mirrored" bases/terrain?
Regarding cheats, we have design solutions, programmatic solutions, and ongoing support from Epic for the underlying engine...just felt I should add that.
vgt
All of the SP assets will be available for the creation of MP maps. Mirrored bases are a way to balance a map, but not the only way.
Yeah, we're actually steering away from mirrored maps
Balanced, yes, mirrored, not so much
How are you doing that?
Lots of testing! =)
Hours of play-testing
*rypht* What will the skin size be for T3's high resolution skins? For instance, in Tribes 2, the base Hi-Res skins were 512x512 and the low-res were 256x256, can we expect to see something that allows an even greater level of detail (outside of the special effects)?
There are a lot of maps to learn from too (T1 and T2)
From our lead level designer, Jay Kyburz: up to 4096x4096 in theory, but currently our textures are 1024x1024 for the body, 256x256 for the head
*Apotheosis* Will there be terrain types (or environments) that affect a player's movements or weapons, other than water?
That's similar to the terrain type question before...we're not commenting on that just yet
ditto
*NeutralX2* My main turn off to T2 was the speed of the game. For example there were no "cap routes" because the enviroments wernt very ski friendly. Do I have to worry at all about this for T:V?
No
Blunt and to the point
*[FT]UberGuy* Mapping in T1 and T2 divides into "client-side" and "server-side" maps, with server-side only really making it when added to a popular map pack. Will this remain the same in T:V, or will there be some better way to distribute map objects like buildings to the client?
KP is typing ...
Damn you and your tough questions Paul! We currently support what Unreal supports, but we'll re-evaluate that as necessary. Unreal supports maps packaged up in pieces, which can be delivered accordingly, but it doesn't have the Tribes concept of server-side maps
*InvalidName* While there has been discussion about having an open beta, will there still be offical beta sign ups for a closed beta as well?
I think Thrax is typing...
Maybe not. No, the whole point of an open beta is that its open...there'll be no signups for a closed beta
*Witch* Will there be T1 and T2 terrain convertor? This would probably be hard to implement, since engine is different, but many T1 players at least would probably love to play some old maps with EXACT terrain, even if it doesn't fit to gameplay 100%
We will have a closed beta before the open beta. It probably won't involve signing up. It will be very small.
More like an Alpha test.
The true beta will be very open. As open as we can make it.
Oh yeah, that reminds me...I made a T1 terrain exporter that I should release to the community. And T2 already supports terrain exporting. Then it's just a matter of importing the terrain into TribesEd and mess with the scaling. I've experimented with this, and you can get it feeling pretty damned close to the same.
So we'll probably see a lot of T1 map remakes
Do you plan to release any with the game?
We're committed to making a new game...the community is more than welcome to create remakes, though
Will there be any special physics applied to the flag to allow for more dynamic control of flag toss without going as far as Team Rabbit?
Yes, flag physics will be more detailed in some ways, but it won't be nearly as crazy as Team Rabbit, and before you ask, we're not touching the flag-discing issue just yet =)
:-)
*PolishBoy* Question: Will there be more features to the voicepacks? And will you be able to add and change your own sayings without having to use an extra program like TricHed?
All done through UnrealEd.
Along those same lines, will we get the Tribes1 taunts back with good voice actors?
We're taking the best of T1 and T2 taunts...no guarantees about the voice acting =)
"G'day mate!" (just kidding, all recording is done in Boston)
not if KP is doing it ...
*FalseMyrmidon* Will there be a way to convert demos to a regular movie format such as .avi built into T3?
Yes, but we're not yet discussing the extent to which it'll be built-in
Can you put to bed the rumor of a grappling hook in Vengeance? Will it be in or no?
vgt Special
Sorry, we're not discussing weapons yet =(
*insub* In reference to skiing, will it be any different from t1 or t2, i found t2's ski different from the original quicker t1, would it be more towards t2 or towards t1? or will it be totally different, via complexity, or something else?
Toughie...I think I addressed this issue in a FAQ
In short, the goal is for skiing to be easier for new players, but more challenging for veteran players.
Can we dispell thoughts of speed caps?
I'd classify T1 as having skiing that was very difficult for new players but challenging for veteran players, whereas T2 was easier for new players but not quite as challenging
No speed caps.
*RabidLlama* "will the "Ragdoll Physics" just be stock UT-style or modified? the UT one's really buggy at times"
Glenn Fiedler has done a lot of work with ragdoll. It will be suited to our game, not UT.
*DarkDonut* Using the new physics engine will we see an even more free movement range, using multiple jets instead of just back ones, being able to rotate or gyro, or will the flight be like earlier tribes game?
(Gaffer is Glenn)
they already look kick-ass
A bit more info on the Skinning question from earlier from Andrew James (Lead Artist): "We can use any combination of the following Skin layers set up in a Shader: Diffuse, Opacity , NormalMap, PerPixelSpecular, SpecularityMask, PerPixelReflection, PerPixelReflectionMask, SelfIllumination, SelfIlluminationMask"
We're not *radically* changing the mechanics that underly jetpacking...that's all we can really say for now
*Cauthon2* As far as the "tony hawk with guns" quote I think we've all heard at this point. How extensive will the sports arena be in terms of games you can play in it etc? Will there be an official footbal mod?
These are questions that have already been answered, but...Tony's quote was just an example. It wasn't intended to suggest a focus for the game, but instead one possibility out of many
*tribalbob* Will SP missions be objective based, or will they just be deathmatch style missions like the SP in the original UT? if so, what sort of objectives might we see?
SP will be objective based, not just an MP map with bots.
*Rooky* how much non-esential eye candy will maps contain solely for the wow factor
The objectives will be structured to work with the story.
Rooky - as much as we can pack in there. Lower-end computers should have the option to tone it down to improve performance.
*PsioniX* i sent this to Rayn, but heres my question: Will T:V be accomodating to both 56k users, as well as broadband users? Or will it be mainly geared towards the broadband users?
but you won't be able to affect things that determine gameplay (such as changing the fogging distance).
Along that same lines... Will we see the same interpolation issues that are plaguing T1 right now?
Thrax is gonna cover this one.
Performance should be similar to UT2K3 over the modem. As for every other MP game ever made, you'll wish you had broadband, but you'll still be fine playing.
I imagine everyone with broadband is thinking "please don't let 56k in" while everyone on 56k is thinking "please let me in!"
I don't think the issue is interpolation, I think the issue is whether or not interpolation is an issue in the first place =)
:-)
Will the user be able to customize their interpolation?
Or will it be a hard coded variable?
The Unreal engine provides server-side control over MaxTickRate, but the client will always be able to set the quality of their own connection...that's the only way to accommodate both broadband and modem users
Hard coded variable... ???
=o
Oxymoron
:X
*aK00Ma* What changes that were made from T1 to T2 do you feel 'worked', and therefore be carried on in T:V?
That's a totally loaded question...
Ed is typing
That's hard to answer, as it could cover a wide range of subjects. Certainly, we've looked at both games when compiling the feature list of T:V.
how's that for a non-answer ...
There are a ton. I think that one example is that vehicles got better in T2 (not perfect, just better).
Debatable, but yeah, overall T2's variety of equipment was more effectively used, I'd say
*FUBAR|Ascain* How will server browsing be implemented? Will there be a built in server browser? How about support for external browsers such as ASE?
Built-in server browser
We look at how they changed, how those changes effected gameplay, and from that we learn about how to make even bigger improvements.
*Robiliard* How do you plan on making the bots ski like human players? This seems it would be a bit on the tough side to program AI for, and would make the bots either have a serious advantage or disadvantage.
We have our best people working on it...I suspect they'll never match a human player in terms of mobility and movement-related decision making, but our goal is to at least make it fun and interesting to fight against them
what do you think will make T:V a huge contender in the gaming market?
====== 1 hour mark =======
It's oh-so-supportive community? =o
:-)
=)
would've been better without the grammar error
The crazy monkey fans like the people in this room.
*Skewed* How important would you say deployables will be? In Tribes 2, turrets were extremely effective in stopping cappers and HO in base; and still in classic they can kill the "fun factor" of pubs...how do you plan on dealing with them in T:V?
Just a sec Matt, someone is answering that question
np
Regarding making Tribes: Vengeance a contender - certainly I'd say the pairing of Tribes with Irrational Games is a great pairing and the team's love of the game will show through
Deployables are an enhancement. They're not meant to take over the game from the human players. They're designed that way, but I'm sure there will be tweaking done in Beta.
There's really no other game out there with the freedom of movement of Tribes, so I've always felt that's its strongest point...with T:V we hope to show the world what that's all about. As much as some of you frown upon the SP experience, it should help to draw in new players, and that's something for everyone to be happy about
I think a lot of you with gameplay questions can take that last answer from Tesla to heart.
I'm getting a lot of item questions... So I'll try to combine them into 1 question.
In T2, a player was overwhelmed by item choices. So many turrets, grenades, weapons, packs, etc... How do you plan to make this easier on the player?
Better interface for equipment selection, clearer differentiation between items. Unification of the function of some items with others. Can't comment on specific items at this time.
In general our equipment variety falls in between T1 and T2
So more than T1, but less than T2?
That's right...keeping in mind that variety is different than complexity
We also want to make it clear what the functions of those items is, and why one is useful as compared to another.
is = are?
vgd
*Robiliard* will there be in-game voice communication? Instead of having to use a thrid-party tool such as Roger Wilco.
Not commenting at this time, sorry
*captain_kickass* Do you plan to insert a system of statistics into the game? or will it be too heavy? will there be a life time tracking of MAs?
We have plans for stat tracking...we're not revealing any additional details yet
*dommy* UnrealScript as far as I know doesn't support client scripting unless its scripting for an entire mod (so the server would have to be running it.) How is this going to affect client customizability? Will UnrealScript be extended or another scripting language incorporated?
Excellent question
He's writing an excellent answer ...
Unreal doesn't support client-side scripting. This is very different than T1 and T2, and it's something we'll all have to come ot grips with. We're making changes to ensure that client-side customizability is still possible, so don't worry about that. But client scripting won't be as viable, which also means that cheating won't be as viable.
ot = to
Ouch
That removes quite a bit of what made Tribes so great.
*ShifterNocturnal* my Q: Why did you guys decided to take the browser out? I thought it was a really inovative feature and was one of the reasons i bought T2. How is the tribe system gonna work?
I should mention that client scripts are still possible when used in conjunction with a server-side script
It's a limitation that we've had to accept if we want to maintain the integrity of the game.
So if the competitive community agreed on particular scripts, they could be run on servers, thus providing a means of "sanctioning" client-side scripts
Reasonable
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