You walk into a dark, musty bar. Unfamiliar smells sting and intrigue your nostrils as you glance around at the otherworldy clientele.
Beady eyes watch from the shadows as somebody approaches to tell you they don’t like you and that their friend doesn’t like you either. Welcome to The Boot on a Wednesday afternoon in Burnley.
Nah just kidding, you’re at Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine, and you’re playing a stunningly accurate version of it created in Unreal Engine 4 by talented Obsidian developers.
Headed up by one Jason Lewis, there’s a team of 17 devs creating the spaceport to learn more about how Unreal Engine 4 works in their spare time. Naturally, it doesn’t hurt that they’re all self-proclaimed Star Wars fans. Probably unlike the regulars at The Boot in Burnley.
Lewis spoke to 80.lv about the project:
Originally it was just going to be the Falcon sitting in Docking Bay 94 so I could run around and look at it in real-time.
Then I thought it would be neat to add the interior to the docking bay, and then maybe some of the surrounding Mos Eisley city, then I thought ‘hey, let’s put the Mos Eisley Cantina in as well!’
It was at this point that I realised the scope of this project had grown beyond my ability to finish it by myself, so I extended an invitation to several of the artists working with me at Obsidian to help out with this project in their free time, and I got many very enthusiastic YES responses, so I divided up the work based on the time and effort commitments that volunteers were willing to put into it.
Lewis was also keen to point out that this is in no way a full game, but rather a lovingly crafted piece of art that fans can run around and enjoy.
The real kicker is that they’re working on a VR mode for the level so you can actually put yourself in the spaceport in the near future.
Ideally, while you’re sat in The Boot in Burnley enjoying a nice lukewarm pint of best.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to stories@unilad.co.uk.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.