You will become a hacker -apkrig in the new Czech game Netspectre
In Monday’s vidcast, we talked to Martin Ziegler from the Warhorse studio about his own game, Netspectre. We will now return to this topic and imagine a new Czech title also on the web in the form of a classic article. Martin decided to fulfill his long-held dream and embarked on a cyberpunk hacking game. “At first I took it as fun in my free time, but over time it came to me as an increasingly interesting idea, which I started to take more seriously,” he told Vortex. When he started showing it to his friends and colleagues, other people joined him and the result is a smaller team of enthusiasts who now create a playable version in their spare time. It already exists at the moment, but it is not yet available to the public, because it still lacks a basic introduction that would acquaint the player with the title and its rules.
“We mechanically build on the established foundations of the genre, but this abstract cyber environment allows us to quite untie and experiment.”
In Netspectre, you become a hacker who overcomes security systems and traps to enter foreign networks. But behind it all, of course, is a comprehensive system. “You build a hacking machine, accept hacking jobs to make better parts / programs, and end up trying to master the main run they win,” says Martin Ziegler, roguelike gameplay.
And how does Netspectre actually play? “We mechanically build on the established foundations of the genre, but this abstract cyber environment allows us to quite untie and experiment. During the run on the net, mechanics have a fairly broad mix of basic math, the ability to orient themselves in a complex situation, making decisions with incomplete information, and sometimes the iron nerves under time pressure, ”attracts Martin Ziegler. You can get a better idea from the first videos.
It’s not just the game itself. The authors create their own world, in which they tell short stories so that the player’s efforts have a global framework. “You can finish it all in an hour, but every time we run it, we create everything procedurally again, so the idea is high replayability, which will allow you to get to know the world and the mechanics better and immerse yourself more,” promises Martin.
We wake up in a ruthless futuristic world ruled by corporations, while governments play the role of administrators. The authors emphasize lore and storytelling. “We invent and cultivate our own world for a long time, which we then present in the game with short playable scenarios that always give an insight into some of its details. The facts about the world will eventually be wanted to go with the game, either directly in it or somewhere sideways, “said Martin.
As for the team itself, in addition to Martin, it also consists of Karel Kolmann from Warhorse, who helps with the world and writing, and Oliver Torr and David Štrobach, who compose music and create sounds. In addition, a few other friends have to help with other aspects of the project. In addition, the authors are looking for an illustrator and graphic designer. It is not a team in the true sense of the word. The developers have come together for the purposes of the project and are devoting themselves to it beyond their usual responsibilities.
The game also wants to impress with its distinctive audiovisual presentation. “It’s not very good to see yet, because so far we’ve focused more on gameplay,” says Martin, but that will change. “We want to have atmospheric illustrations for every story, and the guys put it together to say I’d say a remarkable soundtrack,” he adds.
Source: Netspectre
As already mentioned, there is a playable version in which all the basic mechanics work and which can be played from start to finish. “Now it remains to play it further in terms of gameplay and start working on the resulting audiovisual, which will replace the temporary graphics,” concludes Martin. The content will also gradually expand. The authors would like to provide Netspectre to pre-alpha testers in the first half of next year. They will be selected from players who have shown interest in the title by then. So far, Netspectre is only aimed at the PC.
You can find more details about the project in the aforementioned interview in Vortex # 192. But you can also watch Netspectre on Twitter or read in developer diaries. The authors have also launched an official website where you can contact them or subscribe to the newsletter.
