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Jobe Talks Storytelling Progression In Video Games

Ben-Dutka 10 Comments

Video game storytelling is getting better, if it's only taking small, incremental strides.

Certain developers are seeing the importance of better stories and plots, too. Take Dylan Jobe, Lightbox Interactive president, for instance. In speaking to a panel (which included Gamasutra journalists ), Jobe said that games can't just be "systems- and mechanics-based."

Although it's true that his last project, Warhawk , was an online-only action game with no story, this new project features a lengthy single-player campaign. It's one of the reasons we're plenty excited for Starhawk . But Jobe's comments are clearly general and apply to all interactive productions:

"With [Starhawk predecessor] Warhawk, the mechanics were crazy fun but the universe was just hollow. A good story and a hero makes the whole thing more compelling, and we brought in talent from the film industry to work on the universe of Starhawk before we even began to think who the characters would be.

Writing is something video games still need to improve on. There's a lot of really bad writing in video games and also in the way that the story is integrated."

Filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, a Spanish director, agreed and elaborated, mentioning EA's popular Dead Space series:

"I feel frustrated when I play a game like Dead Space that has great mechanics, but a lack of ambition in the story. If it was a movie, with its plot it would be a B-movie, not a big-budget film."

Jobe added that developers need to "more deeply consider the way their storytelling structure matches their design." Basically, it's all about incorporating a great story with the mechanical aspects of a game, and that can prove difficult. Apparently, though, we can expect something special from Starhawk 's campaign, right?

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Starhawk Beta Is Public, Ready “When The Time Is Right”

Ben-Dutka 13 Comments

I still remember the Warhawk beta. At first, I didn't have any idea what to do…and damn, it seemed slow . Then I found the triangle button.

Months later, I was having a blast with one of the first great games for the PlayStation 3. And you can bet I'm not the only gamer who wants the spiritual successor, which is in development at Lightbox Interactive. Starhawk will feature a single-player campaign in addition to what is guaranteed to be stellar multiplayer fun. Now, you want to test that multiplayer right? Well, here's some good news: Lightbox boss Dylan Jobe made a mini-announcement in the Comments section at the PlayStation Blog:

"Rest assured that Harvard [Bonin, senior producer Sony Santa Monica] and we at LightBox Interactive will make damn sure there is a really great public BETA for Starhawk."

Yep, an open, public beta. Jobe adds that we'll get a chance to play it "when the time is right" and hopefully, that'll be soon. We would also like a launch date for the final product; for now, we just know that Starhawk is slated to arrive some time early next year.

Related Game(s): Starhawk

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Starhawk: Two Flight Modes, Space Battles Confirmed

Ben-Dutka 13 Comments

Starhawk won't be here until 2012 but we're still excited. And Lightbox Interactive boss Dylan Jobe just gave us more reasons to be excited.

He answered several of the most popular questions concerning the new game over at the PlayStation Blog and first up is their decision to offer two flight modes. Jobe says they couldn't settle on a single flight mode that would satisfy the hardcore Warhawk players and the newbies, so we'll have two options in Starhawk : the default is for "new to mid-level players" and the advanced flight mode is "just like Warhawk 's 'pro mode.'" Jobe also confirmed both server lists and matchmaking for the game, along with a new over-the-shoulder (OTS) camera view, which becomes enabled when the player zooms in with a weapon.

Then there's the return of weapon pick-ups (no class-based or loadout approach), and yes, space battles will happen. This has quite possibly been the biggest aspect of any discussion involving Warhawk 's spiritual successor and now, Jobe answers quite simply:

""100% YES.The outer space environment set that the art team here at LightBox Interactive has put together is really awesome. Super fun to play on and looks great. Some of the elements are still being worked on and we don’t want to show it untill we’re 100% happy with it. But since sooo many of you guys asked, Sony was okay with me at least telling you that Starhawk was not just about terrain battles. :-)"

Related Game(s): Starhawk

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Starhawk Focus Remains Fixated On Multiplayer Fun

Ben-Dutka 16 Comments

Starhawk has been unveiled and fans of Warhawk ought to be excited.

And while developer Lightbox Interactive will toss in a campaign this time around, the focus remains firmly fixed on multiplayer. Incognito's excellent 2007 title was all online; there was no single-player element. Therefore, the fans love that multiplayer element and the designers are right to maintain that focus. Perhaps this is the reason the campaign will only be "5-8 hours long," according to Lightbox boss Dylan Jobe. But as he explained to Eurogamer :

"Shooters these days range between five and eight hours, depending on a play through. We're going to be in that range. There is some concern sometimes, when a guy in the media will be like, 'Oh my God, it's too short for single-player.' I just don't see it that way.

For example, if you play most shooters from start to finish, if you play it again you're going to get pretty much the same experience. You could go play Halo on mercenary mode or whatever. It's going to be tougher, but it's still pretty much going to be the same experience.

For ours, all the missions you play through, you can play through again and get a very different experience. You can build different structures next time through. You can unlock different medals and challenge yourself in those combat sandboxes in a different way. You can get a lot of gameplay out of it."

Obviously, though, Jobe and Co. know players will spend the vast majority of time with the multiplayer; as Jobe says, that's where the "massive hours get logged." He believes the average game time of a Warhawk player to be over 200 hours…yeah, that's a big number. But it makes sense.

Related Game(s): Starhawk

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Starhawk Leaked, Likely To Debut On GTTV Today

Ben-Dutka 36 Comments

I rarely play multiplayer-based games but man, I had a ton of fun with Warhawk .

And now, it appears Starhawk is nigh. Check out this new developer diary , which sheds some light on the very cool working atmosphere at Lightbox Interactive. Plus, there's one shot where the name "Starhawk" is seen reflected in the TV… Did they mean to do that? There are also a few screenshots and what should be the first official details: yes, it's set in space, there will be planets involved in some capacity, mechs will be featured (oooh, transformer-like things?), and the return of vehicles has been confirmed. It's exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and chances are, it'll be officially revealed on GTTV in just a few hours.

By the way, we see Sony Santa Monica's name on there. That's one studio that really likes to put its name on great games, huh?

Related Game(s): Starhawk

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Are We Nearing A Starhawk Unveiling?

John-Shepard 23 Comments

We were big fans of Warhawk and it remains one of the best multiplayer experiences available.

This is why we're all sorts of interested in Lightbox Interactive's new project. Lightbox is comprised of ex-Incognito members, including Dylan Jobe, who has recently updated his Twitter page with some encouraging information. Firstly, he says the team has encountered a "milestone freeze," saying they still have plenty to "iron out" before they make the delivery to Sony next week. Then he writes that things are "professing (yes, he means progressing) very well" and their next playtest "should be great." Now, we've all sort of assumed that they're working on Starhawk , the spiritual successor to the aforementioned online multiplayer game. Past rumors have said it'll play similarly to Warhawk , but it will be based in outer space and it'll also boast a single-player campaign. That would've been cool to have in Incognito's game, but we still had a blast winging about online. We're also hoping this update means Jobe will be able to talk more about the project very soon…

Anyway, we'll let you know if we hear anything. In the meantime, keep crossing your fingers for an impending unveiling of another great PlayStation 3 exclusive!

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