Spectral Empire Teaser Video

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.com/spectral-empire-teaser-video/

Spectral Empire is our upcoming 4X title, which is slated for release in April 2015.  This is something that we've been working on in tandem with the current expansions for AI War and The Last Federation, as well as the general ongoing work on those two games, and the linux ports of all our other titles.  Whew, busy times!



If you haven't heard anything about Spectral Empire before, I did do a written teaser about it a month ago, with some details about the races in the game and so forth.

And yeah, this video is an incredible tease, I know.  Sorry about that, I couldn't resist. ;)  Mainly this video is to test out the narrator voice and a few related things.  This guy shows up over your comm screen as you play, and is the key to... a lot of things.

As I noted above, Spectral Empire is a hex-based 4x game.  Think of it kind of like Civilization meets SimCity meets AI War: Fleet Command, mechanics-wise.  Yes, it is kind of simulation-y, as well.

Story-wise, this is set far in the future of both AI War and The Last Federation, and merges their storylines together a bit.  This game -- and this narrator -- also have some big things to reveal about the lore in both TLF and AI War.

It is still too early for us to show screenshots or videos of actual gameplay, but the internal prototypes are coming along nicely.

If you want to read some more about the game, there is a forum for that.  As is typical, in the forum I reveal a bit more than I intend just because I'm excited about the project.

Thanks for watching!

Updated Version Based On Feedback!



This updated version gives a bit of a cleaner, clearer voice and avoids some peaking early on in in particular.  I have an effect chain set up in Adobe Audition, including Nectar 2 as part of that.  I went back and made a revised chain that did noise processing earlier in, and didn't try to normalize until much later in the process.

The result is definitely a lot clearer, and I prefer it, I think.  It has less of the Darth Vader breathing sound, which I'm sad about, but it is a much cleaner and more professional-sounding recording in general.

This was recorded on a Blue Yeti Pro mic (via usb) with a Blue Pop Filter attachment, directly into Audition (so a nice 64bit recording).  Anyway, in the prior processed version, it was kind of burying the quality of the initial recording a bit!

[Draco18s]

You tease.

[x4000]

That I am.  And do.

[topper]

Quite the tease, does not really give us anything new besides a creepy voice   
I guess it is better than nothing 

If the voice is the conversation subject, I would say it is fine. But watch out for the high distortion and bass levels that may not sound good on cheap speakers. I also noticed some audio artifacts leading in to each spoken phrase. At least it sounds like a cut-off intake of breath right before each phrase starts. Cleaner breaks would be nice unless that is the effect you are going for.

[x4000]

I was going for a Darth Vader wheeze between each spoken bit, yeah.

[Hearteater]

I agree, the wheeze at the end should go. Otherwise pretty clean voice. If you care about the text, I find it pushed a touch too close to the right edge. But even that's me being really nitpicky . The title looks extremely promising. Really, the only downside to this title is how I'll find time for it and AIW (and apparently TLF).

[mrhanman]

The voice in the first part of the video was less than impressive, but it got much better as it went along.  The main problem I had with it is I wouldn't have been able to understand it without the words on the screen.

[x4000]

Updated Version Based On Feedback!



This updated version gives a bit of a cleaner, clearer voice and avoids some peaking early on in in particular.  I have an effect chain set up in Adobe Audition, including Nectar 2 as part of that.  I went back and made a revised chain that did noise processing earlier in, and didn't try to normalize until much later in the process.

The result is definitely a lot clearer, and I prefer it, I think.  It has less of the Darth Vader breathing sound, which I'm sad about, but it is a much cleaner and more professional-sounding recording in general.

This was recorded on a Blue Yeti Pro mic (via usb) with a Blue Pop Filter attachment, directly into Audition (so a nice 64bit recording).  Anyway, in the prior processed version, it was kind of burying the quality of the initial recording a bit!

[topper]

I like this version better, kind of Thanos'esque a la GotG movie.

I found this clip from the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SMk2UQhU-M

Maybe for the real trailer it could use background sound effects or music to build tension, like you have at the beginning and end or like there is in the Thanos clip.

[Teal_Blue]

Hmmm.... I really like the first recording, but that is just personal preference, listening to the second version, they are close, and perhaps yes, the second one is a bit clearer. Anyway an interesting teaser. What comes to mind is the intelligent planet from the E.E. Doc books, not sure if it was the Skylark of Space, or the Lensmen books. But they were quite creative and a wow to read.

-T

[x4000]

I like this version better, kind of Thanos'esque a la GotG movie.

I found this clip from the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SMk2UQhU-M

Ha!  I had not thought of that comparison.  I love that movie, by the way.  My wife and I went a couple of weeks ago, really having no expectations that it would be good but going on the recommendations of... everybody and all the critics.  Wow, this was just awesome.  It reminded us both of Galaxy Quest in some ways.  Really excellent movie.

Maybe for the real trailer it could use background sound effects or music to build tension, like you have at the beginning and end or like there is in the Thanos clip.

Oh yeah, of course.  This is just an absolutely barebones thing.  The sound effects and so forth were just quickly put together by me.  Pablo hasn't even started on the soundtrack for SE yet, he's still working on the TLF expansion soundtrack (which is coming along amazingly, I might add).

Hmmm.... I really like the first recording, but that is just personal preference, listening to the second version, they are close, and perhaps yes, the second one is a bit clearer

Yeah, the first version is a bit more space-suit-sounding in a lot of ways, but just gets a bit too muddy depending on your speakers, I think.  Depending on the speakers, the first one is VERY much more muddy, or else not much of a difference.  Funny how that works, but Pablo and I run into that with him mixing music, too.  Can be pretty frustrating for the audio editor, to be sure.

Anyway an interesting teaser. What comes to mind is the intelligent planet from the E.E. Doc books, not sure if it was the Skylark of Space, or the Lensmen books. But they were quite creative and a wow to read.

No comment.

[Teal_Blue]

Ooops, I take that back.      or something like that.  What is the line from Wizard of Oz, 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.'   

On another note, I know you don't want to just re-create another game, but any 'Alpha Centauri' comparisons, or diversions?
Perhaps a bit too early to ask, but I have played AC but keep losing, haha, I really have to find a game I can win one of these days. 


-T

[Hearteater]

For some reason after reading about Spectral Empire I feel the urge to recommend Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster. Not that I think the two things have all that much in common. Just that I think you might really enjoy the book.

[Draco18s]

I like the second version better.  It doesn't have any weird pops where the waveform sounds clipped.

(And to be honest, unless you're trying to make a personality like Max Headroom or his villainous, female counterpart, SHODAN, that kind of thing needs to be avoided)

[Teal_Blue]

For some reason after reading about Spectral Empire I feel the urge to recommend Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster. Not that I think the two things have all that much in common. Just that I think you might really enjoy the book.

Ah.... i have read Midworld, but hadn't gotten to Prism yet. Looks interesting, I think i will have to get that one. Thank you for the link and the interesting book.

-T