Game design update #01
So, even though I can't really tell you exactly what Skyport-Alpha is. I can tell you where we are not headed.
We are not headed down the "epic battles in space" route. If you want that kind of experience, well then there's about a thousand existing titles ready for your ship-shooting-blasting pleasure.
No, Skyport-Alpha is going to be more about immersive space exploration, trading / trade routes and interacting with the other "factions"[1] that (you will decide) will exist in the game. Now this doesn't mean you won't be shooting at or other ships won't be shooting at you, no this will happen. It's just that it will not be the main focus of the game. In addition, one of my "peeves" about most of those shoot-the-crap-out-everyone games is there is usually an inherent unrealistic cost of space battles and weapons. I'm thinking that if you shoot a missile at another ship, you should think about the cost of that missile and is it worth it (what is the ROI of blowing up another ship? not sure yet).
Playable web-demo: The next post will be about just what to expect from a playable web-demo.
[1] Inspired by Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
