Cimmerian Space is a web-based game that allows you to explore space from the comfort of your own browser. It turns out that space is filled with hostile creatures, sexy women, and mysteries that require your assistance. Before you start playing, however, the game’s developers need to raise enough money through Kickstarter to support its creation. So, why should you keep thinking about it? Because while this is not the first space combat / flight simulator game, it does have an added bonus.
In this game, you customize the ship in which you will travel the universe, and when you’ve got it just perfect, you can actually export it as a 3D model and print it. The developer of Cimmerian Space, Nick Fallon, has partnered with Shapeways in order to allow you to bring your creation into the third dimension. In fact, you can even have the ship printed in full color so that you don’t have to paint it. If you print in white resin, the plastic has a surface texture that has to be polished, something that may leave it less detailed than a plastic or resin print, but also helps to bring the cost down significantly.
Fallon cautions that the geometry of the ship will shift slightly as it moves from a 3D graphic to a printable 3D model as some areas need to be thickened in order to stabilize them. You can ensure that the model is printable through a Shapeways plug-in that will validate the printability of your particular model. You have to use an export token, costing approximately $5 in order to send the model to be printed.
There are a wide variety of hulls to choose from ranging from Corvette models to cruisers loaded with an impressive array of weaponry. The beta version of the game is set to be released in September and further options are promised if Kickstarter fundraising goals are met. In addition to running on Android and most web platforms, the game’s developer promises a free edit mode in which the ship can be modified without being constrained by hard points.
Fallon discussed the more difficult aspects of bringing his vision to life:
“We realize that building into a ship editor will be one of the most important challenges that lies ahead, and so have been working on a simple interface for the ship editor. [We] are confident that building your ship will be a fun process that will require a minimum amount of 3D skills. A simple menu will guide you through your choice of weapons, engines, and allowing you to easily move up and down the tree to change your parts. Then you will be able to place your heart, rotate decorative features, and scale within some constraints. Finally, when you have added all your parts you are ready to launch your ship or send it to print!”
Let us know if you have, or plan on backing this project on Kickstarter. Discuss in the Cimmerian Space forum thread on 3DPB.com. Below you will find a game play demo of Cimmerian Space.
