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In great news, PlanetCricket can today confirm that The Art of Cricket is back in development, with an Alpha-preview set for a release on Monday. Developers and Forum Members Legend_Master and JKartik gave an interview today to make the announcement and answer some of the main questions that will be in people?s mind.
MattW: First off, thanks for taking the time to talk to PlanetCricket. What was it that made you decide to pick the game back up again and how long ago did you make that decision?
LM: No prob.? Well, we felt the timing was right.? I actually fully expected someone else to have already made that killer PC cricket game already but alas, nope, still hasn?t been done, in fact the great PC cricket game dream has all but died off!? I had never officially announced the project was dead as truthfully I had always considered returning to work on it.? I kept renewing the domain names and stuff just in case
? We made the decision around the start of this year and our enthusiasm has steadily been growing to the stage where we?re back, much stronger than before, with way more knowledge and skill, wisdom and experience.? We screwed up before, pretty big time and don?t expect people to forgive us.? Releasing something now is more of a personal vendetta.
jkartik: For me, it was due to 2 reasons :
1) India vs South Africa. A cracker of a series. It was exhilarating to watch the indian team bounce back to win the 2nd match of the series.
2)? ?The Ashes?. The poms annihilating the aussies in their own backyard. What more do you want! ?Since am a purist (Test Lover), it was the perfect opportunity to bounce back into development. It made me realise how much I miss and love cricket.
We made the decision to ?return? to TAOC on Jan 27. The actual development started on Feb 21 once we sorted out our personal and professional lives . It was crucial to mentally prepare ourselves for the herculean task ahead.
MattW: For those not familiar with The Art of Cricket, what are the goals of the game and how did it come about?
MattW: How much development was needed over what you left off with to get to the point of this Alpha release and what features are in it?
MattW: What does this represent as far as the status of the project as a whole and what assurances can you give the community that development won?t stop again in the future leaving the game incomplete?
You can discuss this interview in The Art of Cricket forum and keep visiting PlanetCricket to get the Alpha first.
Article by Matt Whitehorn - Read More...
MattW: First off, thanks for taking the time to talk to PlanetCricket. What was it that made you decide to pick the game back up again and how long ago did you make that decision?
LM: No prob.? Well, we felt the timing was right.? I actually fully expected someone else to have already made that killer PC cricket game already but alas, nope, still hasn?t been done, in fact the great PC cricket game dream has all but died off!? I had never officially announced the project was dead as truthfully I had always considered returning to work on it.? I kept renewing the domain names and stuff just in case
jkartik: For me, it was due to 2 reasons :
1) India vs South Africa. A cracker of a series. It was exhilarating to watch the indian team bounce back to win the 2nd match of the series.
2)? ?The Ashes?. The poms annihilating the aussies in their own backyard. What more do you want! ?Since am a purist (Test Lover), it was the perfect opportunity to bounce back into development. It made me realise how much I miss and love cricket.
We made the decision to ?return? to TAOC on Jan 27. The actual development started on Feb 21 once we sorted out our personal and professional lives . It was crucial to mentally prepare ourselves for the herculean task ahead.
MattW: For those not familiar with The Art of Cricket, what are the goals of the game and how did it come about?
LM: Well, the goals of the game have not changed at all.? The idea started off out of frustration really at not being able to play a great cricket simulation on the PC with mates.? I decided that if you want something done you gotta do it yourself!? It just grew from there.? That was way back in 2006 I think from memory? Crazy that after all this time cricket gaming has not progressed.
jkartik: Our? Goal has always been to create a realistic simulation. Be it a test match at lords or an IPL match at Mumbai. The player should be able to immerse himself into the situation.
It came about because all the cricket games released so far(except for BLC99) have been horrible. The gamers themselves are aware as to why and don?t need any explanation.
It came about because all the cricket games released so far(except for BLC99) have been horrible. The gamers themselves are aware as to why and don?t need any explanation.
MattW: How much development was needed over what you left off with to get to the point of this Alpha release and what features are in it?
LM: Well, it was really hard to ?get back into the swing of things??.I?d forgotten the logic behind most of my code (hehe) so had to re-educate myself.? Also had some stark realisations about what we had done well and what we had done badly.? Suddenly the overall direction for the game became much clearer.? The Alpha (0.1 as we have coined it) is not so much an Alpha as a teaser, which consists pretty much of what we have been testing with these days.? It?s a rough build containing a bowler and a batsman in the stadium (Lords).? You will bowl with the bowler and bat at the same time.? No fielders, no wicket keeper, no umpires.? Whilst we had almost completed much of that stuff before, we felt it better to leave it out for this release just to focus on the core batting and bowling, in a practice environment without any pressure.? The purpose of this first build is to give people a rough sense of the controls and some of the great work we have done with physics, in particular with the stumps (some nice surprises there!), also to showcase some of JK?s amazing new animations.? It is also to prove that we are serious about actually giving something tangible to the community for once.
jkartik: Mind you, this is Alpha 0.1 and not a full Alpha. We had to disable a lot of the features and gameplay options as most of them were incomplete / half baked. This version is to only display the best we have with us atm. The most difficult part has been getting used to the engine, codes, how it all functioned etc.? To draw an analogy, it?s the same as returning to any sport after a long hiatus.
This alpha will Include 5 Defensive Shots and 5 Front-Foot Groundstrokes for the Batting.? The bowling will include a Fast Bowler, Pace Variations, Swing and Seam options to play around with. This version is more of a Teaser than a demo really. We were always criticized for being selfish and not releasing anything. Hence, we are literally starting everything from scratch, ?Just to get it out there, release something and let people know we are serious and here to stay.
jkartik: Mind you, this is Alpha 0.1 and not a full Alpha. We had to disable a lot of the features and gameplay options as most of them were incomplete / half baked. This version is to only display the best we have with us atm. The most difficult part has been getting used to the engine, codes, how it all functioned etc.? To draw an analogy, it?s the same as returning to any sport after a long hiatus.
This alpha will Include 5 Defensive Shots and 5 Front-Foot Groundstrokes for the Batting.? The bowling will include a Fast Bowler, Pace Variations, Swing and Seam options to play around with. This version is more of a Teaser than a demo really. We were always criticized for being selfish and not releasing anything. Hence, we are literally starting everything from scratch, ?Just to get it out there, release something and let people know we are serious and here to stay.
MattW: What does this represent as far as the status of the project as a whole and what assurances can you give the community that development won?t stop again in the future leaving the game incomplete?
LM: Ok, might sound a bit confusing, but we are trying to just get ?something? out asap ? this is the alpha 0.1 which is very very raw.? Then we will do the alpha 0.2 which is pretty much the same as 0.1 but with more stuff added.? Then for the FINAL (0.3) Alpha it will be the real deal, full on nets practice session with everything dolled up and polished, all the strokes and everything.? This would be a great reflection of what the full game would be like, just imagine it with fielders and umpires and wicket keeper and stuff.? Assurances? Well, I?ve learned not to make any promises anymore?.but we will definitely be more transparent this time and keep everyone updated constantly.? I can guarantee that next time if we quit I?m going to chuck all the source code etc out there for anyone to muck around with.
jkartik: The reason i stopped development was due to following things.
- 2010 was a horrible year loaded with health and financial problems. I was unemployed for? the most part, even nearing bankruptcy.? Plus, I had to live in a city for 6 months where 36 Degrees Celsius is considered Pleasant.
- I lost interest in cricket due to the extreme T20 competitions and mumbo jumbo. I just couldn?t connect with it.
- We had bitten off more than we can chew. Our task list was more of a wish list and just weren?t ready with so much pressure, hype and hoopla.Assurance ? well,? let me be blunt and say No. sorry, I cant give any assurances. Why? Because its too premature to talk about it. ?Let us first release it, see if people are ready to accept it back, see the reviews / feedback etc. only then I can give a definite answer!
One thing I can assure, is that we have learnt from our mistakes and this time,? there will be timely updates and releases ?and will try to be as transparent as possible.
MattW: How much time are you currently spending on the project?jkartik: The reason i stopped development was due to following things.
- 2010 was a horrible year loaded with health and financial problems. I was unemployed for? the most part, even nearing bankruptcy.? Plus, I had to live in a city for 6 months where 36 Degrees Celsius is considered Pleasant.
- I lost interest in cricket due to the extreme T20 competitions and mumbo jumbo. I just couldn?t connect with it.
- We had bitten off more than we can chew. Our task list was more of a wish list and just weren?t ready with so much pressure, hype and hoopla.Assurance ? well,? let me be blunt and say No. sorry, I cant give any assurances. Why? Because its too premature to talk about it. ?Let us first release it, see if people are ready to accept it back, see the reviews / feedback etc. only then I can give a definite answer!
One thing I can assure, is that we have learnt from our mistakes and this time,? there will be timely updates and releases ?and will try to be as transparent as possible.
LM: For me it?s about 15-20 hours per week.
jkartik : Somewhere between 4-6 hours per day. Could?ve done more but the World Cup matches so far have been unusually interesting !
MattW: What is missing out of the Alpha that is crucial before you can play a full game of cricket in TAOC?jkartik : Somewhere between 4-6 hours per day. Could?ve done more but the World Cup matches so far have been unusually interesting !
LM: Fielders, Umpires, Wicket keepers, more stadiums, AI, Stats, competitions?.there?s an awful lot.? But like I mentioned before, much of these had gotten half way through before, and all of that prior code and work is re-usable.
jkartik : Hahaha. ?Almost everything ? This release as mentioned above is more of a teaser. ?It has only the basic features enough to showcase our potential.
MattW: What sort of computer will be needed to play the Alpha? How reflective is the Alpha on the overall visual quality of the game?jkartik : Hahaha. ?Almost everything ? This release as mentioned above is more of a teaser. ?It has only the basic features enough to showcase our potential.
LM: There?s quite a lot of graphics quality levels you can choose from.? Obviously the higher your specs the better it would look, but it should run pretty well on older machines (at least with the lowest settings).? There?s a whole lot more optimizing to be done before we set the specs in stone, so don?t freak out if you?re not getting 60FPS on your laptop of 5 years ago ;-O? My graphics card is an Nvidia GTX 250 (3 years old now?) and the game runs at full specs smoothly at 60fps, so anything that or higher will easily be enough.? I run it at 1280?768 with 16xAA, 8xAF, Soft shadowing, vsync, triple buffering, trilinear filtering, etc
Not going to lie ? the current graphics are crude.? Very crude.? However, by the final alpha you will be seeing a little change, i.e. next gen graphics.? Work is already under way on this.? This includes such features as high quality models with normal/bump/specular mapping, baked high resolution shadows/lighting + deferred lighting, depth of field, bloom fx, cloth physics etc.? Pretty much an entire overhaul.? You can pretty much trust me that we will really look fantastic by that stage.
jkartik: I use my laptop to develop this game. Its configuration is Dual Core 2.2 Ghz, 3GB Ram with 64MB Onboard Graphics and Windows 7. Sucks doesn?t it ? Still, I get 60FPS on low settings at 1024 x 768. Mind you, the game isn?t even optimized yet.
MattW: How do you plan to handle ongoing updates for the game? Will you be releasing minor patches as features are added or only major revisions?Not going to lie ? the current graphics are crude.? Very crude.? However, by the final alpha you will be seeing a little change, i.e. next gen graphics.? Work is already under way on this.? This includes such features as high quality models with normal/bump/specular mapping, baked high resolution shadows/lighting + deferred lighting, depth of field, bloom fx, cloth physics etc.? Pretty much an entire overhaul.? You can pretty much trust me that we will really look fantastic by that stage.
jkartik: I use my laptop to develop this game. Its configuration is Dual Core 2.2 Ghz, 3GB Ram with 64MB Onboard Graphics and Windows 7. Sucks doesn?t it ? Still, I get 60FPS on low settings at 1024 x 768. Mind you, the game isn?t even optimized yet.
LM : Once the game is released there will be constant patches and updates.
jkartik: Good Question. The? Full alpha will be released in three parts. We are trying to find the right balance which enables us to release updates regularly without sacrificing on Quality or Features. Since this is 0.1, 0.3 will most likely be the Full Alpha with the entire batting and bowling mechanism, physics and animations. ?Spacing out the updates in regular intervals will be the key!
MattW: A lot of people reading this might be wondering how they can help get things back on track, what areas do you most need help in?jkartik: Good Question. The? Full alpha will be released in three parts. We are trying to find the right balance which enables us to release updates regularly without sacrificing on Quality or Features. Since this is 0.1, 0.3 will most likely be the Full Alpha with the entire batting and bowling mechanism, physics and animations. ?Spacing out the updates in regular intervals will be the key!
LM: 3D modelling and 2D graphics (menus, GUI items).? Stadium creators please!? But we are raising the bar this time so only the best work will be accepted.? Please email me any samples of your work to [email protected]
jkartik: I personally feel, we are not worthy of any help until we release the full alpha. Nothings worse than putting your blood, sweat and tears on a particular thing only to realize it was all in vain. I?ve learnt this the hard way! But Having said that, if you still have faith in us, then we would love to see some High Quality Stadiums.
MattW: What is the control scheme like and why was it chosen? Can users use gamepads?jkartik: I personally feel, we are not worthy of any help until we release the full alpha. Nothings worse than putting your blood, sweat and tears on a particular thing only to realize it was all in vain. I?ve learnt this the hard way! But Having said that, if you still have faith in us, then we would love to see some High Quality Stadiums.
LM: Control scheme we are quite proud of!? Went through a lot of iterations mind you, but think we?ve basically settled on a really good one now.? It involves the keyboard and mouse combo and will eventually have gamepad support also.? Regarding batting, the keyboard controls the manner of stroke you play (back foot/front foot/charge) whilst the mouse movement controls the direction and the buttons decide whether it will be defensive, groundstroke or lofted.? It will all become apparent when you play the build.? We think this is really intuitive whilst retaining a nice level of complexity and simulation.? We moved away from people having to push a thousand different key combos yet retained the high level of precision and control over the strokes that we wanted players to have.
MattW: Are the file formats currently in use for TAOC the final ones? Can users wishing to make mods for the game do so using the Alpha?
LM: Well, the file formats will pretty much be the same, BUT having said that, the models and texture maps WILL be changing (see above about improving the graphics) so I would advise people not to spend any time modding the graphics for this release.? Once the FULL ALPHA is released, though, please mod away!!
MattW: What feedback are you looking for from those playing the Alpha?
LM: We?re looking for all kinds ? positive and negative.? In fact, we?re guaranteed to cop a lot of flak from this, we totally expect it.? I just want people to know this ? all comments will totally be taken on board and used to improve things.? And please remember it?s a very RAW build so expect bugs and roughness around the edges.? I just hope people will see that there?s some great stuff at the core of the game.
jkartik: I feel we are going to be flaked big time by the people who we have let down but inspite of that,we are hoping for as much feedback as possible. Positive or negative doesn?t matter. I?d rather have 1000 people giving feedback and criticizing it rather than 100 people playing and liking it. Along with the exposure, it?ll help prioritize things much better.
MattW: And finally, once the Alpha is out ? what?s the next step?jkartik: I feel we are going to be flaked big time by the people who we have let down but inspite of that,we are hoping for as much feedback as possible. Positive or negative doesn?t matter. I?d rather have 1000 people giving feedback and criticizing it rather than 100 people playing and liking it. Along with the exposure, it?ll help prioritize things much better.
LM: You may have noticed the website is under construction?? Well, it?s getting a complete overhaul too.? Was always very crap from the beginning.? About time it got in line with the plans we have for the new direction of the game.? That?s happening in the background, whilst game-wise once the alpha 0.1 is released, we?ll be hard at work on 0.2 and then the full alpha.? Once that is out we will be adding in the fielders, wicket keepers, umpires, and everything else.? There?s still a long road ahead, but there?s light at the end of the tunnel.? Fingers crossed this time.? One thing we have learned from all this is no more promises ? we are only going to announce things when we have evidence to back it up ? hard evidence e.g. trailers, screens or playable builds.? Thanks again to the loyal fans who supported us despite the constant let-downs and disappointments.
jkartik: Simple. To iron out the major flaws and issues of 0.1 and work towards giving more and more updates as soon as possible. Yes, am talking about downloadable updates / patches along with screens and videos and not just text.
A huge thanks again to Legend_Master and JKartik for their time in answering these questions and I wish them the best of luck with ongoing development.jkartik: Simple. To iron out the major flaws and issues of 0.1 and work towards giving more and more updates as soon as possible. Yes, am talking about downloadable updates / patches along with screens and videos and not just text.
You can discuss this interview in The Art of Cricket forum and keep visiting PlanetCricket to get the Alpha first.
Article by Matt Whitehorn - Read More...
