In The Black

Gameplay teaser and interview released. Ray tracing supported. Beta playable at Gamescom.
SAVANNAH, GA, May 16, 2019 — Impeller Studios’ Director, Jack Mamais (lead designer of the critically acclaimed Far Cry and Crysis and director behind the popular MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries) announced In The Black was chosen as the final name for their crowdfunded project “Starfighter Inc.”, which was their working title during development. A new gameplay teaser was also released on the newly launched website, InTheBlack.gg.“Finding a name can sometimes seem almost as hard as developing the game itself, but this one kept popping up and fit our game core exactly.” said Mamais.

Impeller’s Senior Producer, David Wessman ( X-Wing series of Star Wars Space Combat Simulators, Blood Wake, and Saints Row),noted “Starfighter Inc. was a great working title, but that’s actually the name of one of the private military companies in the game and we wanted something with a bit more mystery and ambiguity. We were immediately drawn to “In The Black ” because it evokes both the darkness of deep space, and the most desirable financial state for a skilled private military contractor.”

This week NVIDIA released a video interview from the Game Developers Conference with Impeller’s Executive Producer, Edmar Mendizabal, announcing that the team is working closely with NVIDIA on their RTX platform and will be implementing ray tracing in the game (video). Impeller’s Art Lead, Remco van den Berg, shared “NVIDIA is an exciting partnership for the studio as their technology allows the art team to match the realism from our gameplay to the actual lighting conditions that exist in space”.

Impeller also revealed a new partner, Mercuna (link), to integrate their 3D navigation middleware into the game’s AI system (which means smarter missiles, drones and NPC ships).“I am always looking for synergistic partnerships and our collaboration with the Mercuna team is a perfect example,” said Mendizabal. Mercuna CEO, Ben Lowing, added “I’m a huge fan of space games and it was part of the reason I created Mercuna 3D Navigation. We’re excited to be involved with Impeller because they share our passion for the genre and have created a brilliant game which fans are going to love. When we heard about their vision, we just had to be involved.”

The exciting news for all backers of the studio’s crowdfunding campaign is that they can expect to play the beta in Q3 2019. A playable will also be available for Gamescom visitors in Cologne, Germany. Additional beta keys will be made available via the game’s website so aspiring pilots should sign up at InTheBlack.gg. The studio is inviting interested streamers and influencers to contact them at [email protected].

About Impeller Studios & In The Black
Impeller Studios, Inc. is a United States based independent studio comprised of developers working from around the globe. The team draws experience from across the board, consisting both of industry veterans and the best new talent from the world’s top game design programs. Impeller’s debut project, In The Black, is a PC hardcore multiplayer online space combat simulator, and takes place in a dystopian future set in the 23rd century, where mankind is ruled by ruthless corporations waging a (mostly) covert shadow war for dominance of the solar system. Hard science drives the design of everything in the game including the ships, the weapons, the environment, the physics, and the special effects. Impeller’s partners for In The Black include Alienware, Logitech, NVIDIA, and Thrustmaster.

For additional information on the project, please see:

• In The Black
• Impeller Studios
• Discord
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Twitch
• Press Deck
• Box cover and poster art
• For additional press materials, preview builds, and interview requests:[email protected]

It’s been 10 months since the end of our Kickstarter campaign and the dev team has been working diligently on content, bug fixes and further improvements in eager anticipation of this day! In game software development, Alpha means “feature complete” and designates that all of the game’s functionality has been implemented. With a few features still being implemented, we’re haven’t reached the full alpha milestone, but all of the core gameplay features are in so we’re comfortable declaring a “Gameplay Alpha”.

Things might be a bit rough and imbalanced, and there is a lot more content to be added, but the core gameplay is all in and working. It’s important to keep in mind that “Alpha” is nowhere near the finished, polished gameplay experience that will be released in the coming months.

This is a significant milestone because we can now involve you, our fans and backers directly in helping us polish and balance the gameplay and listen to your feedback on how to improve the game. We’re really excited to hear your ideas and will do our best to incorporate them where feasible – this is your opportunity to help us design the best experience possible! The time has come to bring you even closer to the action we want to make absolutely sure that you know where to find us.

We have set up a community Discord where our community team, development team and production team will communicate directly with you. We hope to leverage Discord into a community connection point rather than a simple chat, so please stay tuned. We are also developing an area for you to submit ideas and vote on others’ ideas. Our lovely forums are also going to receive a visual update, so you’ll have multiple venues to communicate with us and follow all the latest developments.

Last, but certainly not least, we are also ramping up our social media engagement in anticipation of more exciting announcements regarding our upcoming webstore and, of course, the Beta milestone!

Our Director, Jack Mamais, and our Lead Designer, Phillip Patterson, were recently invited to demo the pre-alpha by the Georgia Game Developers Association. Video of the livestream is now online and provides a good overview of the game at this stage of development: https://youtu.be/YSByF1_xi6g?t=4s

SHRIKE-CLASS LIGHT FIGHTER: The Shrike is a small ship optimized for low mass and high acceleration; it relies on its ability to evade enemy fire, darting in and out of combat in order to carry out its mission. It may be configured for Reconnaissance, Interceptor, Strike and other roles, and can even be equipped to act as a devastating electronic warfare platform. It performs combat roles similar to the world-renowned F-16 Falcon.




HYPERION-CLASS HEAVY FIGHTER: A heavyweight champion and the largest playable fighter in the game, the Hyperion is an intimidating beast, meant to tear through all adversaries with sheer devastating firepower afforded by nine weapon stations. It may be configured for Space Superiority and Strike roles, as well as Battle Rider, Electronic Warfare, and others. It fulfills combat roles similar to the highly acclaimed F-15E Strike Eagle or the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.




PEGASUS-CLASS ASSAULT TRANSPORT: A large, sturdy multirole ship, the Pegasus relies on large propellant tanks and heavy armor to provide it with incredible endurance, allowing it press on through almost any opposition it is likely to encounter. It is extremely versatile and may be configured for Assault Transport, Combat Search and Rescue, Heavy Strike Ship, Missile Defense Boat, and more. It fulfills combat and support roles similar to the venerable AC-130 Spectre.

This class of ship was equipped with Mass Drivers capable of running off of cheap and plentiful iron nickel rubble eliminating the requirement to have hydrogen supplies transported from the gas giants.

The Hephastoi class was able to sustain a large crew for an extended duration. This coupled with it’s modular design, led to several variations in the design and a diverse array of usages.

Most of the Hephastoi’s primary systems, aside from the weapons control and fighter launch/retrieval systems, were carried over to the Atlas variant. Structural changes in the Atlas included upgraded hull armor and a reversed habitation section.

Additional research has focused on attempts to modify the drivers for plasma acceleration for destinations in the outer solar system.

Stay tuned for more shots of the MAC Atlas II and other ships.

SPACEFRAME

Tsong Manufacturing Shrike-class Light Fighter

Single-seat multi-role fighter optimized for reconnaissance and information warfare. Depending on configuration it is also suitable for precision strike, interception, and orbital defense roles. Spaceframe employs proprietary combinations of foamed metal alloys, graphene, and ceramics for extremely high strength and low weight.

* Mass: 14,000 kilograms

* Length: 8.5 meters

* Beam with sensors closed/open: 2 meters / 7.5 meters

PRIMARY WEAPON

* Long Teijun Sirdun Railgun in a spinal mount.

* Nominal Parameters:

* Output energy: 54-360 megajoules

* Power: 13-90 GW

* Acceleration: 200,000 G

* Muzzle velocity: 4,000 meter/second

* Impact energy: 40-360 megajoules

* (Nominal values determined for 5 kilogram projectile, does not account for ship relative velocities)


GENERATOR

* Convergenza Model 30 MW MHD

* This 30 Megawatt magnetohydrodynamic generator utilizes the plasma created by the reactor to produce electrical power for all ship systems.


POWERPLANT / MAIN THRUSTER

* Thermosphere Dynamics Type J4 Closed Cycle Gas Core Nuclear Reactor (GCNR)

* Fissionable Fuel: particulate uranium

* Engine mass: 6,000 kilograms

* Thrust: 300,000 Newtons

* Specific Impulse: 3,000 seconds

* Exhaust Power: 4.5 GW

(Nominal values determined for high purity gaseous hydrogen propellant)

MANEUVERING SYSTEM

High speed maneuvers are accomplished via 32 Thermosphere Dynamics Reaction Control System vernier thrusters to grant a full six degrees of motion. RCS thrusters run off of the Thermosphere Dynamics GCNR feed removing the need for separate systems and propellant. Slower orientation changes are achieved by a fluid-stabilized Tsong Manufacturing control moment gyroscope (CMG).

SENSORS / ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEMS

OPSYS Opti-Eye Active Electronically Scanned Array pulse-doppler radar with a very low probability of intercept and high resistance to jamming. High bandwidth high speed data link for sensor data fusion with other platforms. Broadcast capabilities for electronic and information warfare modes.

We hope that you enjoy these kinds of updates. We will share more ships, designs and other cool stuff every week!

For a 3D representation of the Shrike, check out the video below.

We’re confident that we will hit these funding tiers either via crowdfunding, investment or bootstrapping based on revenue after launch. In the interim, check out what we’re thinking and let us know if this jives with your expectations for the game!

For more information about our crowdfunding campaign, please refer to our Kickstarter Page.!

Thanks,
/Coray & The Starfighter Team

Funding Tier Feature List

Tier 1 – Core Multiplayer Experience (New Features)

• Single Player Bot Match – Don?t want to play online? Prefer to hone your skills offline before taking on the world? Enjoy a good comp stomp? We?re excited to announce that no matter what level Starfighter Inc. gets funded, the game will include a simple Bot Match Single Player component, where players square off against AI-driven opponents set on pure, unadulterated meatbag massacre.
  

Tier 2 – Big Multiplayer Experience

• Multi-Ship Seats ? You drive, I?ll shoot. Players can jump into the pilot seat while a buddy mans the turret, optimizes the ship?s performance, or manages on-board troops, drones or ships.
  
• AI Carriers ? AI Carriers manage the resupply and maintenance of fighters in the field. Players launch into combat from them and return to get rearmed or repaired, or to get a new ship if theirs is destroyed.
  
• Troop Transports ? Behemoth ships that carry troops into battle. Often the goal of these ships is to twist, bash, and smash their way through combat to dock with the target ship, then unload their troops for a boarding action.
  
• Boarding ? Players can dock their Troop Transports with large capital ships in the hopes of disabling key systems, key personnel or capturing the ship altogether. Players get their ship into docking range, initiate the board action, then jump into a turret to defend their bird while the Combat Troops do their thing inside the ship. Bonus points for a clean extraction.
  

• Drones ? A major component of warfare on the frontier is unmanned drones. Light, cheap and able to pack a punch, these small autonomous robots are launched from bigger vessels, then carry out their prescribed orders around the battlefield.
  

Tier 3 – Episodic Content & Narrative Backstory

• Episodic Scripted Missions ? At regular intervals, a new mission drops, moving the story forward. These missions are modularly built from multiplayer game modes.
  
• Player-Driven Storyline ? Players control the story! Based on how many players take a given action during a weekly mission or based on how many players succeed or fail in a given objective, the Starfighter writing team adjusts the story to reflect. Notable players, groups, ships and achievements are highlighted via this storyline.
  

Tier 4 – Player Governed Universe

• Player Board of Governors ? Starfighter Inc. will feature an elected Board of Governors comprised entirely of players selected by their peers to represent the player body. This group will advise the development team on how to evolve the universe while managing disputes between players, corporations and other entities.
  
• Player-Created Missions ? By exposing our internal content authoring tools to our players, we can harness the power of the community to create wild new things that we would never even think of! Most of us got our start in the modding community, so this is a feature that we?re very excited to roll out.
  
• ?Black Market? Player Trading — Want to sell an extra weapon system or valuable engine module that players can?t get unless they’re affiliated with your corporation? Hit the Black Market to get top dollar from other players, but be careful! Sell too much and you may impact your reputation with some mercenary corporations…or make new friends from shadier operations!
  
• Steam Workshop Integration – Steam workshop is awesome. It allows an entire community of content creators to take part in the creative process. While we?re good at making games, the power of the community is truly staggering. As we?ve seen with games like Skyrim, empowering players to make equipment, mods, or even entire campaigns leads to incredible creativity and energy for the game.
  
• Player-Owned Bases – Players can use in-game currency to permanently purchase or construct bases. Making every decision needed to run a successful near-orbit or deep space operation.
  

Tier 5 – Capital Ship Combat

• Playable Capital Ships & Bases ? Players control every element of a capital ship or base, from power distribution to personnel assignment, to heat management. Unlike piloting a fighter, which is more about tactical skill, piloting a capital ship is much more about strategy and critical analysis?and blowing things up.
  
• Co-Op Ship Management ? Players can team up to manage bigger capital ships. Players can either divide up work over VOIP or use pre-defined roles (navigator, comms, gunner, IW, etc.).
  
  
  
  
  
• Capital Ship & Base Customization ? Just as players can customize their fighters, they can customize their Capital Ships and Bases. While outfitting a capital ship or base can be orders of magnitude more expensive, the types of missions that can be completed can provide staggering payouts.
  
  
  
  
  
• Capturable Bases ? During battle, players can unload combat troops and support staff to take control of bases in order to turn the tide of battle. Some bases provide additional resources, while others provide powerful anti-fighter or anti-capital ship defense.
  
  
  
  
  
• Base Customization – Just like players can tune any part of their ship, so too can they customize nearly every element of their playable bases.
  

Tier 6 – Dynamic Single-Player Campaign

• Dynamic Single-Player Campaign – Objective-based gameplay challenges players to achieve specific victory conditions in designed engagements that provide both tactical challenge and narrative backstory.
  
  
  
  
  
• Reactive Enemy AI – AI not only effectively pilots against the player, but uses battlefield awareness to make intelligent and surprising decisions in response to the player.
  
  
  
  
  
• Voiceover-Driven Story – A cast of talented voice actors brings the backstory of Starfighter Inc. to life, providing backstory and narrative relevancy to gameplay. Radio transmissions communicate the key details of the story, which provide complementary information to core gameplay to those players who want more story in their space shooter.
  
  
  
  
  
• Co-op Gameplay – Blowing up stuff in space is more fun with a friend! Team up with a co-pilot or wingman to take on the challenges at hand in a squadron or gunship. Worried about auto-balancing? Don?t be! These missions should be challenging enough for even the most veteran pilots!
  

Tier 7 – Scripted Cinematic Single-Player Campaign

• Scripted Single-Player/Co-Op Campaign ? A more traditional, heavily scripted set of missions that are played in linear order, this Campaign serves both as a way for players to try out a wide variety of ships, but also to dive deeper into the story behind Starfighter Inc..
  
  
  
  
  
• Story-Driven Cutscenes ? Beautiful pre-rendered cutscenes tell the backstory of Starfighter Inc., providing context and relevance for gameplay.
  
  
  
  
  
• Cinematic In-Game Events ? Those water-cooler moments (usually centered around something blowing up in spectacular fashion) that provide instant excitement and tons of fun. It?s important to us that we tell our story primarily in-game, and these cinematic moments are our vehicle for that.