When you hear talks about “the power of the cloud,” probably Microsoft’s Xbox One and Windows 10 game Crackdown 3 will come to mind. The title uses cloud technology by Edinburgh-based developer Cloudgine, and, today they reached out with a press release revealing their proof-of-concept game They Came From Space.
The game has been created to showcase the the power of the tech, and its ability to bring cloud compute services and cloud-based physics to video games.
They Came From Space draws obvious inspiration from classic sci-fi B-flicks from the fifties, allowing players to destroy entire cities. Another rather interesting factor is that it features cross-platform PC and VR gameplay. It’s an online multiplayer action game that lets the player using a VR headset control a massive alien Overseer, while players on PC take the cloche of smaller and agile drones.
Below you can read an official description of the game, and a series of bullet points explaining its features:
“You’ve found a new planet, so filled with precious energy that even their buildings are imbued with it. Annoyingly, another faction has also noticed and your brood-mother never taught you to share…
In ‘They Came from Space’, you control either an alien Overseer (in Virtual Reality) or one of their drones in a 50’s B-Movie Alien Invasion.Overseer and Pilots work together to destroy mankind’s primitive structures and harvest the energy contained within, whilst battling a rival faction attempting to move in on your claim. Destroy the town, harvest the energy, and use it to chase off your foes.
As the Overseer, use destructive powers to destroy the town around you, wrenching buildings from their foundations and destroying all that stands before you. Destroyed buildings provide energy for your Mothership, and once you have enough, you can charge your laser and destroy your enemy’s protective dome. Once the dome is down, attack with everything you’ve got. If you destroy them, their fleet will be forced to retreat in shame back to their home planet.
As a Pilot, fly around hoovering up livestock, people and small pets, along with any exposed energy, before returning it to your Overseer to help charge the laser. Hunt and destroy enemy drones to steal any energy they have gathered. When the enemy’s protective dome is shattered, attack and destroy their Overseer and show them who are the true conquerors of Earth.”
- VR / PC Cross-Play – VR Alien Players & PC Wingmen Players
- Up to 10-Player Online Team Battles
- Fully Destructible and Dynamic World
- Cloud-Powered Physics
- Streaming Director Cameras
- Stream Chat In-game
The press release also included a statement by Cloudgine CEO Maurizio Sciglio, promising that the company’s tech can “super-charge” games with “unprecedented levels of compute power.” Interestingly, he also explains that it will be able to do “so much more beyond physics.”
“Game development has been long awaiting a drastic change-up – a new technology that can truly expand possibilities and allow developers to super-charge their projects with unprecedented levels of compute power. We created They Came From Space to give developers a clear, fun idea of how powerful Cloudgine’s cloud-based physics, rendered at 90fps, really is. And believe us when we say that this is just an introduction into what Cloudgine is capable of – there’s so much room for continued innovation with our platform and there is so much more coming beyond physics that it’s, frankly, hard to imagine how far talented developers will push it.”
Cloudgine President Dave Jones also commented, explaining how the game isn’t just a showpiece for cloud tech:
“Our team doesn’t only focus on the brilliance of cloud-based technologies – we also pride ourselves in our ability to develop groundbreaking in-game features and concepts. They Came from Space is not only an amalgamation of what’s possible with Cloudgine, it also shows how VR can smoothly integrate with other platforms. And if you’re fond of streaming your gameplay, I think you’ll find our cloud-rendered video streaming to be particularly useful.”
They Came From Space is in development for PC, compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and for the moment doesn’t have a release date.
