wyvernstudios.net :: View topic

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:23 pm Post subject: New gameplay video

A new gameplay video has been posted to demonstrate the existing features of Aphelion: Phoenix Rising. The video can be downloaded at:
http://wyvernstudios.net/demo_vid.avi

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:09 am Post subject:

It looks interesting; I like the music.

I noticed that you have the same starfield setup as BOTF (like graph paper). It might be an idea to allow for a galaxy's "look" to be similar to MOO2, at least as an option; BOTF always did look a bit too inorganic.

Also, the Next Turn button needs to be bigger, so as to streamline the user's experience.

Looking forward to a playable demo,

Rip the Jacker!

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:54 pm Post subject:

Hey Rip,

Our navigation scheme is grid based, which requires us to have the stars displayed in a more rigid pattern. Much of the space around the star is reserved for icons to show fleet positions, outpost locations, etc. It's possible that there is still some room to move a star around some inside the grid, and we may investigate that in the future.

Thanks for your feedback!

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:57 am Post subject:

Hi, guys. Really nice update here – it hyped me even more about the Game!

But I have some issues with it:
- Galaxy feels a little ‘barren’; the same (yellow) color of the stars and non detailed galaxy background graphics augments that feeling (though it may be because of the pre Alfa game state);
- Grid system: I just can’t imagine how players would be able to catch each other fleets in open space – there are so many possibilities to move away. Any thoughts about this?

Nevertheless, NICE WORK!

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:43 am Post subject:

We constantly update the game and it's graphics so it's not impossible some graphics will change, but we won't make any promises. The stars might look nicer with a little more variation in color. We're not sure if we'll change the background stars because they have to have a balance between being visually rich and not interfering with the display of the map data over them such as ship locations and outposts. The background starmap must look nice but not distract the user from more important game data on the map.

With the grid system it can be hard to target a specific fleet with your own, but in the grand scheme players are trying to take over systems. A defender must try to protect their own systems and outposts. If one faction continuously has their fleets retreat, they will inevitably lose movement range and systems.

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:32 am Post subject: Hi

Hi, Brad.

[quote="Dos_Brad"]With the grid system it can be hard to target a specific fleet with your own, but in the grand scheme players are trying to take over systems. A defender must try to protect their own systems and outposts. If one faction continuously has their fleets retreat, they will inevitably lose movement range and systems.[/quote]

Yeah, pretty much my thought about the matter, so no issue.

Regarding galaxy background: detailed background isn’t about being pretty – it provides ‘landscape’ feel of the starmap, so player can easily memorize and distinguish one place in the galaxy from another.

As a solution, some space coloring, nebulae effects and different colors of stars may do the trick.

Thanks for the reply btw.

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:14 pm Post subject:

In the future, when we are optimizing things, we may add things like nebula's and such, but for now we are pretty happy on how it is. I will probably make some variation in star types as well (shape and color) will have to see how it comes out. Sometime you visualize something looking really nice, and once you do it, it's not so great. Plus as Brad said it might have the downside of cluttering the map to much, making it hard to follow. There will be quite a bit of information to digest there and the cleaner it is, the easier it will be to take it all in and understand whats going on. Thanks for the question and feel free to ask more.

Jared

Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:01 pm Post subject:

Just got my 1st wiff of this gem!

Honestly 3d map 2d grid map I am SOOO happy to see development of this kind and this game i dont know where to start!

WOOT WOOT!

My last real space strat game was MOO3! what a classic. I know a lot of loyal space strat fans decided MOO2 was the better of the bunch but it wouldnt run on my older system when I got a hold of MOO3 and now even MOO3 wont run on this one(outdated so severely)

Anyhow as far as I am concerned must haves :
Deep technology trees. By this I mean multiple offensive tech trees for each type of weapon(missile,laser,rail-gun,ect), multiple social/economic tech trees(government type,banking systems,monument,inter-racial studies,terraform-farming-mining-taxation,ect), basic research(math,biology,ect),space docking-orbital ship construction,fleet and unit studies(organization of ships in space-different fleet set ups for different tactics point defense,long range,planet bombarding)

Colony mico management+AI assisted management for faster paced PvP game. For me detailed management of each colony is AS important as colonizing a new planet!

racial attributes

Ohh man I could go on all day!

Is the release still slated for 2011?(ihavent done a seach yet just got here dont flame me yet hehe)

Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:53 pm Post subject:

A while ago we estimated the game would be complete in 2011 if we received funding within a few months of making the estimate. We have not yet secured any(though the game will be finished funded or not). This being the case we are not at a place where we can accurately define a completion date.

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 12:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the reply brad I hope ya guys get some funding. I have been dropping your link around the net some and hope it has an impact(crossing fingers but not holding my breath he he)
Anyhow I will be checking back here to see whats up!

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:26 am Post subject:

[quote="5%luck"]

Anyhow as far as I am concerned must haves :
banking systems

Colony mico management+AI assisted management [/quote]

This 2 sections are really not needed to be complex...

I really dont want banking + ai management like moo3 because that is just REALLY BAD and ruins the game...

Simple in some aspects is the way to go... i really dont want ai manages my decisions.. no thx

Like in moo2 you have 3 branches farming industry and research and you assign colonists for each one, as much needed per one... NOTHING can beat that!
I never used AI management in moo2 and yet everything is simple and clear, while moo3 is just SO BAD i played once and never returned to it.

Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 7:13 pm Post subject:

Antares,

Welcome to our forum Smile

.

Yea I also found Moo3's AI to be a burden as well and I did like moo2's assignment of units better and that heavily influenced our decision to go with a more moo2 like model. Although Moo2 seemed to get a bit of a late game over management issue in the end where you had so many systems that you either just didn't take care of them or you spent way to much time per turn. As a result we aren't adding the AI management that moo3 had and instead made it easier to manage your systems by not requiring you to have to build ship's at specific systems.
Like your reference to moo2, we do have farming, industry and research. But we added one more branch and that being "mining" from which you gather alloy to build your ships from.

Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 3:04 am Post subject:

dosJared,

Thank you on welcome Smile

[quote]As a result we aren't adding the AI management that moo3 had and instead made it easier to manage your systems[/quote]

I think i just shed a tear of joy Smile

, point up for devs.. good call not to implement that

[quote]not requiring you to have to build ship's at specific systems[/quote]

I am not really sure what you mean by this, but it probably affects gameplay and thats good enough for me... reading this posts here on forum i am giving high hopes for this game and i REALLY hope it will the one to put on the shelf next to MoO 2, which i still play even to this day... simply beacuse there was no substite for it.. yet Smile

I dont want to trash around but Galciv all sequels and MoO 3 are simply trash bin material...

Keeping my fingers crossed

Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 8:00 pm Post subject:

[quote]not requiring you to have to build ship's at specific systems[/quote]

[quote]I am not really sure what you mean by this, but it probably affects gameplay and thats good enough for me... reading this posts here on forum i am giving high hopes for this game and i REALLY hope it will the one to put on the shelf next to MoO 2, which i still play even to this day... simply beacuse there was no substite for it.. yet [/quote]

Antares,

Sorry probably wasn't clear on this, its one thing to make a game, but to discribe what you are doing accurately is actually fairly hard i've found.

The traditional method is to build a ship at a system and the ship apears at that system. Instead we made it to where if you build a shipyard in a system, that is a potential build point for a ship. The number of shipyards that you have determines the number of ships that you can build at one time. How we differ is instead of going to the system to build a ship, you go to a unified ship build interface for your entire empire. From here you add ships to a queue and decide where they will apear. You could have 6 systems meaning you could build 6 ships at the same time and have them apear at one system. This helps the late game as it take alot of work to go from system to system to select it to build a single ship, and then once the ship is build have it fly half the game screen to join the battle. Hope I have adequately answered your question Smile

Jared