Entropy: The Dream of a twitch

Norwegian developers Artplant, may not be a household name, but they did develop the successful browser game Battlestar Galactica Online and they're currently working on Entropy - a game that seeks to deliver on the ideas and concepts that could not be realised with Battlestar Galactica Online. We talked to Artplant's Jack Wulff about how the space combat MMO that's currently in Steam Early Access started its life and how it's shaping up.

"When we were developing Battlestar Galactica there was a lot of things that we wished we could have done," says Wulff. "And there were a lot of things our players asked us 'can you please do this and this?'. Part of it was that we weren't able to do it, because of technical limitations to get the really true twitch gameplay and get this [feeling of being] in the cockpit and you're shooting the other ships like the good old space experiences that we had growing up in the 90's. That kind of game in an MMO setting. When we did Battlestar Galactica that wasn't something that we technically we able to do, because it's quite hard in an MMO setup.

"There are other companies that have tried and worked on it for years and didn't manage it so we said that we needed a more tab targeting type of system and a more traditional type of combat. But that's really not the kind of experience that we wanted and neither did the fans. They all just wanted that real cockpit feeling. And so as our tech evolved and our experience and skills set evolved we kind of found out ways that we could deliver that kind of experience that we wish we could have and still be able to do massive amounts of battles. That was what started the ball [rolling], and then there were so many other things we wish we could have done like having a trade economy, and a deeper, more meaningful universe where your actions matter more . More of this kind of sandbox approach to it."

"There really was noone else doing that. Obviously you have Eve Online, which is an awesome game, but with Entropy we wanted a much, more action focussed approach and it's less about travelling for hours and doing this really deep and complex thing and more instant gratification. But still having a lot of those mechanics, because that's kind of what you want in a space MMO."

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Clearly, the space genre is one that has been overlooked in the past, but right now there is a ton of games on the horizon that have their sights set on space adventures seen from a cockpit view including the crowdfunded games Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen. CCP Games' are also taking the Eve Online experience to a more action-oriented place with the virtual reality enabled Eve: Valkyrie.

"Obviously, there are some awesome space games coming out now. We've been so starved on this kind of experience and it's so great to finally be able to get all these great space experiences. But when looking at what the other people are doing. It's either very much a singleplayer game or it's an arena type of game or it's a singleplayer game with a multiplayer add-on. What we really wanted to do was to do the full MMO experience with this kind of twitch gameplay."

Artplant are happy with how Steam Early Access has worked out for them this far ("has removed all the barriers between developer and players"):

"MMO players have a reputation for being toxic, and some like Mythic they closed down their forums and said that they wanted to protect their developers from their players, because there were death threats and all these kind of stupid things," says Wulff. "But I've been really amazed by how constructive and generous the community is. It's really clear that there is a lot of people who want this kind of gameplay and they want to be a part of helping us shape it."

"That's why we are on Early Access. It's not like it's a complete experience and we just need players to bug test it for us. It's actually that we're launching it in such an early stage that we can hear what they're saying, we can adjust our game. They will be a part of making sure that once it is the final game and we do the commercial launch it is the ultimate dream game for all of us. The one we've been waiting for."

The benefits of Early Access can sometimes be off-set by players, unfamiliar with playing such an early version of a game expecting a more finished product.

"We try to be very open with our communications," says Wulff. "People ask: Should I buy this game yet? And it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for the final, polished released game then no, wait a few months. If you want to take part in shaping the experience and building it, then yes."

Entropy recently got a major update with "Hostile Takeover" that introduced the faction conflict system. Entropy has three factions and the idea is that you create tension in order to incite a crisis wherein your faction can take over a system. It's balanced out by the fact that a smaller faction has more stability (harder to create tension and in turn start a crisis), while a larger faction is easier to destabilise.

"Hostile Takeover is a huge step in that direction [more meaning, more content], because what's really cool about it is the way it works as a sieging system. It really makes all your actions matter. You're not just in the universe grinding mobs or collecting ore. It affects how the political system of the different solar systems work."

The next big thing Artplant are working on is crafting. Currently they label the game an alpha and crafting is something they need in there before moving on to the beta phase.

Entropy is currently available on Steam Early Access starting at £14.99.