FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SECTIONS:
General
Game
Technical
Miscellaneous
What is Blockade Runner?
Inspired by Infiniminer and Minecraft’s voxel engine, Blockade Runner is the beginning of a Multiplayer First Person Space Adventure game that will feature fully destructible, operational, crewable 'living' starships in a massive and procedurally generated galaxy.
How much does Blockade Runner cost?
$10 for those who pre-purchase while it's in Alpha.
Why should I pay for the game now?
You unlock all the currently available features, get the game for 30-50% of its estimated final price, receive all future updates of Blockade Runner for free, and receive a discount on future expansions & addons.
Will I have to purchase Blockade Runner again?
No, once you purchase Blockade Runner you own it forever.
When is Blockade Runner’s Alpha expected to end?
We’re following a roadmap for mid/late 2012, with the Beta expected to end later in the same year.
What are some of the core features expected once the game’s out of Beta?
Currently planned core features are the “living starships” (conduits, oxygen, powerlines, etc), robust first person gameplay within and outside of the starships, a procedurally generated portion of space with quests and missions to perform, an extensive editor to make complex ships easier to create, a basic form of our intended multiplayer, and a ton of other fun things. Future expansions are planned to extend the game notably from there
What will Blockade Runner’s price be once it is out of Beta?
TBD (est. $20-$30, but we'll make that call down the road)
You've planned to have have an enormous amount of content, how will this be done by the end of Blockade Runner’s Beta?
After Blockade Runner’s Beta ends, the game will be extended immensely through major expansions.
How long do you plan to work on Blockade Runner?
This is a game we only dreamed we could make, and we have an entire childhood (times 6!) worth of nostalgic memories to build into it. As long as we can receive the support, we plan to advance Blockade Runner for a long, long time.
What happened to the old pricing model, “releases”, etc?
The old pricing model was a little confusing, and so we’ve clarified the pricing model so that it is hopefully easier to understand.
Where can I see details on the features and benefits?
In our features and benefits page.
Will Blockade Runner support multiplayer?
Yes, the game is being designed to have you and your friends work together on a starship with or against other human crewed starships.
Will Blockade Runner be an MMO?
Our goal is for something closer to Diablo than say, EVE Online. We'll be able to support large numbers of players, but for the core gameplay we're expecting between 2 and 16 players in a co-op setting. We may have a dedicated battle mode to involve the larger groups of PvP starships with more emphasis on fleet combat.
Is Blockade Runner going to be "Yet Another Mining Game?"
No, although it will have mining in the game, we're designing the game to focus on more varieties of gameplay. Specifically, simultaneous first person and vehicular combat.
Will I have an "avatar" or character to play as?
Yes. We've got to keep the poly count low, so it will likely be stylized.
Will you be able to play as Aliens, Robots, or other non-humanoid characters?
We'd like to have different playable characters that control and behave different from each other, but aliens and non-humanoid characters will be present.
Will Blockade Runner have "open world" gameplay?
Yes, however we do plan to have overarching stories and plots you can complete.
Will you have to build the ships by hand, or will there be an editor?
We will have an extensive editor with tools allow rapid ship design. Constructing a ship in the actual game will require proper materials and tools, and will be intentionally challenging.
Will ships break apart when sections are not connected?
Yes, this is a very important mechanic to Blockade Runner.
What engine does Blockade Runner use?
Blockade Runner is being built from scratch using a custom engine coded in C#, using XNA only as a rendering platform.
What are Blockade Runner's requirements?
Currently you require a PC with a Shader 2.0 videocard, XNA 3.1, Dot NET 3.5, and DirectX 9.0c.
Will there be a Direct3D version that does not require XNA?
In the future we will move to either pure DirectX or OpenGL, eliminating a majority of the software requirements including XNA.
Will there be Mac and Linux support?
Hopefully we will be able to provide a Mac and Linux solution through community assistance with OpenGL.
Any plans for a Blockade Runner port to consoles?
We feel the concentration should be on the PC for the time being. However, if Valve makes a "Steam Box" we may reconsider this.
How do you pronounce "ZanMgt"?
Zan M.G.T. or Zan Management [z-an man-ij-muhnt] will do!
Can I make videos of Blockade Runner on YouTube?
For any public non-indev version (please let us see videos of indev versions before making them public!), of course! Just be sure to credit ZanMgt "the six sibling studio" and mention that the game is still early in development.
Who does the music for Blockade Runner's YouTube videos?
Samuel "SMH" Huse, you can see more of his work at the 8-bit collective or by visiting his website (currently under construction as of June 2011): http://shelobs.com/
Who's making Blockade Runner?
The six sibling studio, ZanMgt.
Q and A / Interviews