![]() You can design your ships, deploy the fleet and give them orders, and then when the battle ends against the AI, you can post that fleet deployment online as a "challenge" so that other players can download it and fight against it. What's the coolest aspect of Gratuitous Space Battles? I thought it would be good to make a game where that lack of control was actually embraced as a core element of the design, rather than something to avoid.In terms of the setting, I have always loved the battles in Star Wars and Star Trek, and I don't think there are enough space strategy games that focus on big explode-y fleet battles in the way I like, so it was an obvious choice for a setting. I thought it would be good to make a game where that lack of control was actually embraced as a core element of the design, rather than something to avoid. I was also reading a lot of military history about various conflicts and realized that in many cases, the admiral or general has very little control over how things play out once battle is joined. I was frustrated by my experiences of playing big RTS battles where I controlled a ton of units but in practice, once battle was joined, it was just chaos and I felt like it was an arcade rather than a strategy experience. What inspired you to make Gratuitous Space Battles? I can only do that because the game has continued to be popular and continued to sell. ![]() I did 62 patches post-release for the game and seven expansion packs, with the outcasts being the last one. It has sold vastly more than I expected, which is why I've been happy to justify taking the time to do all the post-release support. Have you been able to make ends meet for yourself and your game development with sales of Gratuitous Space Battles? Eventually you can't patch a game any more, because you really need to tear it apart and do some major re-engineering, and I plan to start doing that around Christmas, maybe. ![]() I learned a huge amount working on GSB and on Gratuitous Tank Battles, which was the last game I released, and that means there is a bunch of stuff I know now that I can implement in a proper sequel. I think it will continue to sell and to be played at least throughout 2013, which should hopefully take me up to when I can start thinking about a proper sequel. How long of a life span do you think the game will have? How, I don't know.%Gallery-178806% You've been supporting Gratuitous Space Battles since 2009. Some indie games now make tens of millions of dollars and that is definitely going to change things in the long term. The scene has changed dramatically since then and I'm always slightly wary of the fact that it could change again. When I started making indie games, there was no Steam, relatively few online stores and the majority of people were still buying CD-ROMs and downloading from sites like. I find it weird that indie games are suddenly hip and cool, and acceptable to buy, and make millions of dollars, because this is a very recent thing, and there is no guarantee it will last. The indie scene seems to be younger, cooler and much more American than me. Kind of, although I am not a typical part of it. The game is all about ship and fleet design, rather than arcade action, and plays more like a puzzle game or tower defense game than a conventional RTS.ĭo you see yourself as part of a larger indie movement? You can watch your fleet fight, but cannot change anything mid-battle (although we have recently added direct control as an option). It's a "hands-off" battle simulator for giant space fleets, which puts the player in position of the designer of individual ships and entire fleets, and in control of the orders those ships will use during battle, but the actual battles themselves are out of your hands. Gratuitous Space Battles is a strategy/management game that plays in an unusual way. What's your game called and what's it about?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |