Good god, finally!

Okay, finally done with updating our iOS apps/games so NOW we can finally focus on Unity 5 and development.

<shakes head> frickin' April already :(

What IS Skyport Alpha?

>> THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT <<

Skyport Alpha (SA) is a space sim game featuring both single and (limited) co-op multiplayer game play, that sadly I have been designing and working for more than a year. The game is being designed and developed from the ground (or space) up as a co-op multiplayer. SA is not another EVE® clone nor is it just another space shooter.

Game Mechanics:

• Player death <- we are still working on this and frankly we've gone from a simple "re-spawn at last space station(save point)" to "permanent death, ship and contents and pilot; gone forever". The point is; we want it to be fun and enjoyable HOWEVER, every decision you make must affect you and the 'verse around you.

Game Play:

• Trading (of course) - of goods, passengers and other cargo.
• Exploration - explore unknown regions of the universe.
• Mercenary - hunt down raiders.

Nearly all will be driven by an organic contracts system, that will be influenced by your interactions in the galaxy.

Multiplayer Features:

• Mission based, 2 to "x" (4-8 most likely) player (short) sessions.
• Open world, 2 to "x" (4-8 most likely) player defined sessions.

I say limited because SA is NOT an MMO or at least not my definition of an MMO.

As you've read the other posts we are using Unity 3D has our engine, focusing primarily on Unity 5. While I do hope to get some (tech-preview) web builds released, SA will not be a browser based game.

Game pricing: (yet to be determined)

• Monthly fee for online multiplayer (small amount)(1)

Notes:

(1) Small fee to offset monthly user fees - if you don't want to play/access the multiplayer features then you don't pay.

Still going... strong?

Actually, the recent Unity beta's (both 4.6 and 5.0) have re-energized my development process. That new UI "stuff" is great! I just never felt comfortable with any of the old options (NGUI, dfGUI and OnGUI).

I'll be posting a lot more (refined) game design ideas and concepts over the next few days.

Stay tuned...

Finally! Progress...

Back on track and (finally) making measurable progress. Here's a screenshot of the Galaxy Creator tool. Using a seed based random generation we will be able to replicate the start of any universe created in Skyport Alpha.

Here's the high-level overview of the Skyport Alpha Universe[1]:

• Single Universe in each game
• "X" Number of Galaxies (now set from 1-3)
• Between 16 and 256 Systems per Galaxy
• Travel between galaxies will require a GALAXY PORTAL
• Travel between Systems (in same Galaxy) will use a JUMPGATE

Notes:

[1] Game design is in fluid state and can (and probably will) be changed or altered.

Unity - web player

One of the major benefit of using Unity 3D is being able to deploy web based test builds. As we progress in our development we are mindful of the limitations of the web player.

One of the limitations is the amount (size) of the data we can save. Regardless, we are looking forward to getting some test web builds published.

Happy Holidays!

Status Update

A quick design / status update: Aug-21-2013

1. Turrets: We have plasma (straight-line ball of plasma) turrets and (lock-on) missile turrets working. Moving and tracking the target, which has given me even more ideas....

2.  ROS (Reactive Organic Ships) - this race of organic beings (they ARE their ships) will transform their appearance (from GREEN (friendly) to RED (threatened)) depending on their mood.

I'll try and get a Unity Web app posted so you can see what I mean.

A million ideas riffle through my head while I hone and improve my C# and Unity 3D skills. I had to work through several problems while working on the turret systems since nearly all of the tutorials and forum posts were written in (yuk) javascript... :-p

Note: I have also had to abandon my (very nice) Apple magic mouse in favor of a (shivers) MS Home (USB) 3-button mouse which is absolutely a must (3-button) while using ANY 3D application, including Unity.

:-)