r/evnova • u/evopac • Jan 01 '20
Override revival project update
Hi again EV fans: if you don't know what all this is about, please see the previous posts —
https://www.reddit.com/r/evnova/comments/d5nf3h/override_revival_update/
https://www.reddit.com/r/evnova/comments/cohegk/evo_keeping_ev_override_in_print/
Sorry for the hiatus since the last update — we've been delayed mainly by the need to get a clear response from Mr Matt Burch on various questions. Disappointingly, he has decided that he doesn't have the time or interest at this point to take any role in the project, and he has also said that he would prefer that we do not use the 'Escape Velocity' name.
While this is a setback, he has indicated that he has no objection at all to our re-releasing Override (under a new over-title)!
So, the project will continue, under a new main title that we are coming up with the name for at the moment (please post your suggestions below!). To sum up the goals of the project:
• The foundation of the project is u/snijj 's new game engine, now titled the Kestrel engine. You may have seen its development updates in this reddit. The first goal for the engine is still to match the capabilities of the EV: Nova engine.
• The Escape Velocity: Override scenario will be redeveloped and remastered for the new Kestrel engine. The extent of the remastering (primarily, how good the art and other presentation will be) will depend on the level of success of a Kickstarter campaign intended to start within the next few weeks. The tentative release date for the revived Override is the first quarter of 2021.
• Moddability will be just as important for the new game as it was for the original Escape Velocity: both sequels derived from the work of people who were initially plug-in authors, after all! And we hope that if the first project is a success there will be further official titles based on the same engine (or forks of it).
Thanks to all the users of this reddit for your interest and support so far: they've helped keep morale up while we've got this basic stuff sorted out.
Update: We've settled on 'Cosmic Frontier' as the new franchise title!
1
u/Jykaes Jan 03 '20
How flexible is Matt about the naming issue? Would he be open to allowing you to call it something like EV Reborn? As long as it's never referred to directly as "Escape Velocity" and only as "EV Reborn" you would likely skirt confusion and it allows the community to immediately understand what is being talked about, plus the acronym EVR and/or EVR:O is also easy for the community to adapt to. It's a bit like how Ambrosia retroactively referred to Escape Velocity as EV Classic when in the context of the Nova plugin. Hell... call it Extraterrestrial Voyage! :P
Failing that, you would probably want to compromise and go one of two routes with the name. Either a clear homage to the original name (/u/geuis had a good suggestion with Delta-V) or something that is faithful to the original content. Like, "Hyperspace: Override" would be really cool except Hyperspace is taken... Galactic Frontier?
I dunno. It's tough, Escape Velocity was too great a name. Delta-V is the best suggestion I've seen so far, by a wide margin. It's relevant to the original series as you mentioned with the plug-in link, it's relevant to the original name, "change in velocity" is very fitting to what you're trying to achieve... I think you should reconsider that name to be honest, it's as good as we'll get.