TREKCORE > GAMING > SHATTERED UNIVERSE > Interview

ARTICLE: Shattered Universe Interview
INTERVIEWER: Virogen
DATE: September 4, 2003

This article also contains an exclusive screenshot, several higher quality updated screenshots, and one exclusive wallpaper.

Answers below are by Andrew Iverson & Henrik Markarian, co-founders of Starsphere Interactive, Inc.

Q: A big question among Trek Gamers is whether or not the recent Activision lawsuit against Viacom will affect the game's release. So, is the game still alive and on schedule?

A: The game is very much alive and on schedule, and although we can’t comment on the specifics of the Activision lawsuit, it’s our belief that the game will be in stores shortly. TDK has already placed a great two-page ad in several of the leading game magazines.

Q: Starsphere has been Shattered Universe's developer from the beginning. Are the same people at Starsphere working on the game as the people who worked on it back before it was cancelled by Interplay?

A: Yes! Starsphere maintained its core staff of programmers, designers and artists, and once TDK Mediactive gave the green light, the team was expanded further.

Q: Very little information has been released about the talented people making Shattered Universe a reality. What can you tell us about the people working on the game?

A: Thanks for asking! Although many talented folks have contributed to the project, below are a couple of brief sketches of the design, programming and art leads:

The original game concept, story and screenplay are the work of Starsphere co-founder Andrew Iverson. A fan since Star Trek first aired; Andy was at some of the first conventions in the early 1970’s. He later studied film production and screenwriting at USC and has contributed significantly to over 14 titles during his career as a game developer. For the past eight years he has been Starsphere’s Director of Creative Development. Andy also wrote the core of the six-axis flight physics engine utilized by Shattered Universe.

Leading the game’s technical development is industry veteran Henrik Markarian. After obtaining his degree in Electrical Engineering, Henrik took what was then the unusual step of diving into computer game development. Henrik’s technical and organizational skill, combined with his gift for project management soon found him leading all console development at the software giant Mindscape. In 1997 he co-founded Starsphere Interactive where he serves as Director of Technical Development. Henrik is primarily responsible for the sophisticated, proprietary graphics engine that drives Shattered Universe as well as all other platform specific code.

Art Director Tom Howell earned his BFA in Film and is a veteran in the development of computer game graphics. Shattered Universe is his 17th published title. In addition to directing the art and art staff for Shattered Universe, Tom also originated a significant portion of the art himself. George Takei and Walter Koenig as Sulu and Chekov are the latest actors to have been modeled by Tom in a career that has seen him replicate other notables such as Dennis Hopper and Grace Jones. A fan of Star Trek since day one, his friend, author Julia Eklar, even named a character after him in her popular Star Trek novel Kobayashi Maru.

Q: Originally, the game was to feature familiar races such as the Gorn and Vulcans, as well as The Guardian of Forever. What prompted their removal? How much has the game's story changed from the Interplay days?

A: The game has actually become leaner and meaner since its inception at Interplay. An early mandate was to utilize existing assets from Interplay’s previous Star Trek games, which included a fair number of ship designs that had been developed for the Gorns and the Shakurians. Ultimately, however, we felt that the inclusion of too many elements that had no real antecedents in the era of the original cast was at odds with our desire to create a Star Trek game immersed in visual elements that were immediately familiar to both fans and non fans alike. Likewise, familiar Vulcan ship designs from the period were also scarce, so we opted to concentrate on other elements that had a greater recognition factor.

The “Guardian of Forever” on the other hand was one of those elements that we reluctantly dropped for reasons of game and story structure. We were very sorry to see it go because the art department had created a wonderfully accurate model complete with pulsing lights and animating mist, etc... Its removal is actually a good example of how you sometimes have to drop a cherished element, scene or character in order to better serve the overall story – but maybe we’ll get a chance to use the Guardian of Forever in another Star Trek game…
 

Q: What can you tell us about the Shakurians?

A: An early version of the game design called for the total destruction of the Shakurian race and homeworld! They were mercifully spared from this terrible fate, however, as they no longer figure in Shattered Universe. The Orions and their interesting ships will still be around, though, in order to keep the player on his toes.
 

Q: Did you have access to studio models of ships like the Excelsior, D-7, and Bird of Prey when making your own digital models for the game? Or were the models created by studying stills from the TV shows and movies?

A: We had access to photographs, movies and blueprints as well as highly detailed computer models of some of the ships. Sometimes these computer models were so highly detailed that they had to be reduced to something more manageable. In other cases we had to improve their definition. Generally, though, our artists created models from scratch utilizing whatever source material was available. It was very interesting to see the artists sit down and analyze something deceptively simple like Commander Balok’s giant ship, the “Fesarius,” and watch as they figured out exactly how its lights worked.
 

Q: Are there going to be any pre-rendered movies in the game?

A: There is over half an hour of pre-rendered movies featuring the voices of George Takei as Captain Sulu and Walter Koenig as Commander Chekov. Since our game takes place in Star Trek’s Mirror Universe in the time frame of the original cast “movie-era,” the art department had to develop movie-era mirror universe uniforms as well as a movie-era mirror universe bridge for both the ISS Excelsior and the ISS Enterprise. The voices of both Sulu and Chekov can also be heard during game play, mission briefings, award ceremonies, etc... We wanted to make sure that we took full advantage of our access to these legendary stars of the original series, so we included them wherever possible. It’s also interesting to note that, in Shattered Universe, Chekov is actually Captain Sulu’s relentless nemesis. It’s said a story is often only as good as its villain, and in the evil, mirror universe Commander Chekov, now in command of the ISS Enterprise, we have a great villain for our game.
 

Q: Will the game have any team-based missions where you fight alongside AI-controlled allies?

A: In many missions you will fight alongside friendly AI-controlled allies – although you are not required to fly as part of any particular squadron. Your allies might include fighters, capital ships or a combination of both and at times will even include past enemies with which you have now struck an alliance! With that said, a key element of the design was to ensure that the player is the one making the difference and not some faceless AI ally, so the impact of the allies on any given mission is limited by design.
 

Q: What is your favorite mission in the game? Why?

A: This is a difficult question, since we really like them all! In several missions we recreate confrontations from classic Star Trek episodes so you’ll see Romulans ambushing a starship as they do in the “Enterprise Incident,” you’ll see the “war-game” formation of classic Constitution class starships from “The Ultimate Computer,” and you’ll see the building of a “Tholian Web” just to name a few. Andy is particularly fond of the Tholian web because getting its construction to look right was a significant challenge that we feel turned out quite well.
 

Q: Were you forced to rewrite much of the game's engine and code to reflect advancements made since the game's engine was originally written?

A: The engine developed by Starsphere for Shattered Universe was developed entirely in-house using Starsphere’s own proprietary technology. The engine was constantly updated to add new features and take advantage of advancements in the state of the art. The game runs at a solid 60 frames/second and produces some of the most amazing visuals for a space game seen to date. We’re certain that the fans will be pleased with the look and feel of the game.
 

Q: How long will it take the average player to complete Shattered Universe? Will there be hidden levels to unlock and other hidden goodies?

A: How long the game will take will most certainly depend on the skill level of the player. There are three difficulty levels to help players with varying skills complete and enjoy the game. There are plenty of hidden items within the game’s missions and another surprise when the game is completed…
 

Q: Will the game ship for both X-Box and PS2 at the same time?

A: The Xbox and PS2 versions are scheduled to ship simultaneously.
 

Q: Is there going to be an official website for Shattered Universe? If so, when can we expect to see it online?

A: The official website is in the works. In addition, further information can be found at the publisher’s website: www.tdkm.com/games/startrek the official Paramount website: www.startrek.com, and at our developer website: www.starsphere.com.

TrekCore thanks Andrew and Henrik for taking the time to do this interview!