Upcoming 'Space Trader' Game Based on Quake 3 Engine
posted by arn on March 4th, 2009 4:28 PM EST in Upcoming GamesHermitWorks Entertainment Corporation let us know that they are getting ready to release Space Trader: Moon Madness for the iPhone in the first quarter of 2009. We first reported on this game back in April of 2008.
The developers were one of the many who had ported Quake 3 to the iPhone platform and is using the Quake 3 engine as the basis for their Space Trader game.
Space Trader: Moon Madness is a 3D trading game set in a science-fiction universe. The game offers you the chance to seek out power and riches as you become increasingly proficient as an interstellar trader of highly sought after merchandise. Assume the role of a Space Trader trying to make a profit buying and selling commodities, everything from medical supplies to food and precious metals. The goal is to make as much money possible within the time limit. Visit various locations in search of the best deal and be sure to look for side quests to help you achieve the highest score.
The game uses dual analog pads for controls. The left pad controls movement through the level, while the right pad controls the direction that the player faces.
The game is said to offer a "fully 3D world". This early developer video doesn't really show much of the gameplay but does offer a peek at the controls:
This looks pretty fantastic.
ivebeen waiting long for this
Control looks like iDracula in 3D.
Wow, this looks awesome… graphics look great!
If you went back in time and told my 1999 self that the game engine I was desperately trying to get to run on my PC at more than 20 FPS would be something I'd be playing on my phone in ten years…
I wanted my "elite" fix when I first read the new:(
Still it show a lot of potential! It looks like a nicer version of anachronox (fantastic but ugly game)
I actually have a different sort of game in mind when I think about a "space trader" game. I hope that this video is just showing the part where you can land on a space port talking to the locals after you're done exploring space in your awesome spaceship loaded with strange ore that you mined/bought/stolen from meteorite/planet/freighter.
I want my Privateer!
Beat me to it, alexandre!
But Anachronox was an awesome game! It was based on the Quake 2 engine. What made it great, though, was the atmosphere and story! I don't expect that to appear in this form on the iPhone, unfortunately. At least not this time.
yeah anachronox was something lol, the story was absolutly insane, I never laughed that much playing a game
ahhh good memories…
Looks promising. i hope the devs let us switch the "sticks" as i move with the right stick and look with the left. i just bought a thrustmaster controller yesterday for my PS3 because it's fully programmable so i can play Oblivion.
That game lets you customize every button, but not the sticks…
Well I sure like the Bassnectar STS9 remix video soundtrack.
I hate rain on everyone's parade, but I don't think I'd put too much stock in what this company has to say. I foolishly bought the Mac version of this game about a year ago, expecting a 3D of the Palm game with the same name. What I got was a game with about five-ten hours of gameplay. That's it. Requests made for an open-ended mode has been completely ignored for more than a year. The developer promised updates that never came (sounds familiar, right?) and therefore I'm highly skeptical that this game will live up to it's potential.
I hope it does, though.
I actually still play Anachronox on my PC still to this day and I would love for it to show up on iphone
Looks ok, controls don't look the greatest and man that music is bad
I too was expecting something down the lines of Privateer/Elite. Such a game would be awesome on the iPhone and wouldn't even need to be full 3d.
How about Master of Orion 2 for the iPhone? Any developer up for that?
ala Homer Simpson, "boooooooOOOooooring!"
It looks okay. But where is the game? Assuming it will be a space-trading sim like the Privateer, it will have tables, trade windows, shopping-cart interfaces, and lots of stats. It looks like it's trying to be immersive with the 3D but how much time is really spent walking around in a trading game?
Looks really boring. Low frame rate too.
Controls and graphics look tight for a 3D "trading game"
If a developer were to use this engine and control scheme to a FPS game, how would shooting be implemented?
Just curious….
If anyone had the right mindset, they would search Space Trader on google and find that this game is also on the PC. Its not a First Party big budget game, but its a decent first person rpg/sim game.
Good thing we have idiots hear that can't stand a slow game.
For lazy asses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Trader
It reminds me of Mass Effect somehow…