AAA on a Shoestring … in Your Spare Time
summary
Hard‑science multiplayer space combat built by a distributed virtual studio of ~34 active contributors (plus 21 intermittents and ~50 who moved on) using an Unreal 3 prototype, Discord/Slack/Trello/Google Docs coordination and 6:00 p.m. Amsterdam standups. Project wins an atomic rocket seal, demos at PAX via Alienware and Kickstarter booths, funds a second Kickstarter after 90% and ~5,000‑backer near‑miss then a successful relaunch; design uses closed‑cycle gas‑core reactors, an Atlas 4 km capital ship, a Pegasus cockpit and coffee‑can‑sized EMP countermeasures, target release April next year.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Introduction and teaser
- 2:30About Impeller Studios
- 5:02Starfighter Inc overview
- 7:58Recruiting a volunteer team
- 12:50Crowdfunding lessons learned
- 17:30Working with a distributed team
- 23:02Science-driven design choices
- 31:03Gameplay mechanics and science
- 35:48Ship design and development
- 39:51Cockpit interface evolution
- 41:22Q&A and future plans
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