This must be what it felt like to play Defense of the Ancients back when it was a mod for Warcraft III.
Read the latest Rush, Boom, Turtle here…
But what this concept most needs is flashier graphics or a lot more personality.
Actually, I think it’s missing an explanation of exactly what you were talking about in that article. I didn’t get these design subtleties at all when I tried force myself through the tutorial. Did I miss this buzz in the thread here? You’ve made it sound like a clever strategy game instead of, well, a spartan looking little 4Xish thing. I guess it needs to convey the big picture and why we should be excited before it dives into the mechanics of a tutorial or quick scenario.
Tim, excellent point. It’s probably a matter of documentation. The first three tutorials are just the mechanics, but I think the fourth tutorial, which is labeled something like “intermediate tutorial”, is a small campaign that I think addresses some of that.
It’s also unfortunate that there’s no real manual. Instead, there’s a rather loosely organized Wiki.
-TomIt makes me realize how much I owe to the buzz on Internet forums or articles like these. I can put up with just about any videogame turnoff as long as there’s a cheerleader telling me it gets better!
You know I’ve been eye balling this game for a little while now and I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger on it. I Think I shall in the next few days though even if I don’t put much time into it. For 20 bucks I’m willing to take a chance now that I’ve read something about it.
Tom, Cliffski’s game is called “Gratuitous Space Battles”, not “Gratuitous Fleet Battles”.
I’m glad you managed to give the game a go Tom, you touch upon some of the key points to the game, and also highlight some of the areas that the developer does need to put some work into. I believe there is currently a bit of a graphics overhaul at the moment. I think the developer is also signed up here as x4000, and he’s very forthcoming in discussing the game with folks who are interested.
There are some video tutorials that I found helpful in getting started with the game. And if you are interested in his design concepts its well worth reading his essays and articles on the AI design for the game posted at his blog.
Also, if you do want to know a lot more of the intracacies of the game and its current development, sign up to his forums, there are daily discussions between Chris and the players about facets of the game and where they are being taken in the future with his regular (almost weekly) iterations of free DLC.
Great article Tom, and another thumbs up for the game!
To save others the trouble of looking him up, here’s the Qt3 thread about AI War: Fleet Command where he hangs out.
A game for us turtles? And it’s on impulse? Putting this next on my list to check out, right after I finish Knights of the Chalice.
This sounds like it might be worth checking out. I’ve been thinking of designing a 4X turn based crime game, but got stuck, and this threat mechanic with distinct wave markers may be the solution I’m looking for. I had something similar, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it work plausibly without getting convoluted.
This has been sitting on my HD for a few weeks now, and I never got around to actually playing it. Now I have to.
Troy
AI Wars: Fleet Battles has been keeping my comp-stomping self happy for a while now. Now if I could only get my hands on GSB, I would be even happier!
Troy, you should give it a go, perhaps have a co-op with Tom, or even invite Chris Park along and he can show you the “full monty” in terms of new features etc, and I’m sure he’d be up for a guest slot on Three Moves Ahead, if you asked him.
Chris has uploaded a new trailer for the game today, to emphasize some of the stuff thats in the game…
Yeah, Chris is the one who asked me to take a look at it. I want to give it a good solid weekend or two first. Seriously considering asking him on the show from what I’ve seen so far.
Damn these maps are big.
Troy
Just saw this thread. Thanks for the review, by the way, Tom!
That is actually in the works now. Current estimated completion date is September 10 or before.
Pro tip: exact dates are a really bad thing when dealing with gamers :)
True. :)
It is now August 16th. How is the manual coming? Are we still on target for a September 10th release or should we expect it sooner?
There should be drafts of a manual sooner on our forums, but I can’t make any promises on that. I’m not personally working on it, but rather this is the project of one of our forum moderators who is also a community leader and quite an expert on the game (and an excellent techwriter). The progress on the manual is really dependent on his schedule, which I can’t directly control (as a part-time contractor he sets his own hours), but he’s very confident in a September 10 release. If it comes in earlier than that, I’ll of course be happy, but I can’t control that or demand it.
The wiki and the tutorials really should have pretty much all of the information you need, it’s just organized in the format of tutorials and a categorized FAQ. For people who prefer manuals, that might be a little jarring, but the info is all there. If there is something that is overlooked, there’s a very friendly community of expert players on our forums who are always happy to help new players, too.
I wish I could have done a manual before this point, but on account of a number of factors that just was not feasible. The tutorials and wiki were the most sensible option for a lot of reasons, and I still believe that they are extremely viable, but I’m very excited to see an actual manual in the works just because I know some people do have a preference for that format of information. So, short answer is that it’s coming! No delays that I am aware of at this stage.
I was facetiously illustrating Jakub’s point but thank you for earnestly trying to keep us informed. I own the game but haven’t yet committed to learning the game yet.