New Android Space Strategy - Star Dancer

[Matty77]

Hello there.

 

My name is Matt and I am the developer of a new Android multiplayer space strategy game called "Star Dancer - Cinematic Space Battles For Mobile".

 

Gameplay

 

Star Dancer is a strategy game which borrows from a few different game styles.

 

The conflict is waged over a campaign map of 10 planets (6 in the lite version) between up to 5 factions.

As it is a game for mobiles and tablets the gameplay has been somewhat streamlined to suit the interface.

 

There are 4 ship classes for each faction, fighters, bombers, cruisers and capital ships.

 

Research can be undertaken to improve your fleet.

 

Combat is determined by a series of behavioural settings you give to your fleet before launching an attack. Each ship class

can have its own set of detailed behaviours set.

 

When you attack an opponent you have the opportunity to seize their planet if you are victorious in the attack. Combat takes

place as a calculated simulation of the battle in full 3d with beam weapons, laser blasts and fiery explosions.

 

Requirements

 

Android OS 4.2 Or Higher

Quad Core Processor 1.2Ghz or Higher

Min. 512MB RAM

Recommended 2GB RAM

50MB Installation Size

1-4MB Storage Space Per Replay

WiFi or 4G Data Connection

 

Where to get it

 

Full (5 players, 10 planets, 5 factions) (low price - cost of a can of drink/cup of coffee)

https://play.google....lloydm.geosword

 

Free(2 players, 6 planets, 2 factions - and no ads)

https://play.google....dm.geoswordlite

 

Images

https://mattiesgames.com/media/1.jpg

 

https://mattiesgames.com/media/6.jpg

 

https://mattiesgames.com/media/11.jpg

Videos

 

https://www.youtube....4bt2zoe8Gdcq12w

[Matty77]

Added features in release 1.06 today - in game help video, additional help text, additional camera angles for the battle replays.

[Matty77]

In game screenshots from the various menus:

 

AI:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/ai.png

Fleet:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/fleet.png

Research:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/research.png

Ships:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/ships.png

Campaign Map:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/planets.png

Tips and Info:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/tips.png

Help:

https://mattiesgames.com/ui/help.png

[Matty77]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KcQ14nCgSY

[Matty77]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrefJQW4BlI

 

Another video

[Matty77]

There have been a number of enhancements (and the odd bug fix) since i last wrote here....

These include:

Offline quick battle mode.

Pilot chatter and sound effects added to battle (there was already music)

User can move camera in pause mode now (adds a bit of interactivity to the battle mode)

Shaders and explosions tweaked and improved.

Minor bug fixes (no show stoppers just some minor annoyances)

Current version is 1.26a for the lite version and 1.26 for the full version.

Personally I love space battles and so I can sit there and watch battle after battle on my phone....quite nice. The load times are a little lengthy but its worth it.

Generally feedback has been positive and reviews/ratings on the play store mostly good.

[Matty77]

Recent addition is engine flare to the fighters and bombers:

 

https://mattiesgames.com/media/nn1l.jpg

[Matty77]

As developer of Star Dancer I'm more than happy to field questions either at my email address contactus@mattiesgames.com or here about the game.

 

The game has had predominantly good ratings and reviews (mostly 5 star from people from all over the world) although the actual numbers are quite low at this stage. Unfortunately there was a single 1 star rating with no review so I was unable to address whatever may have been that user's concerns. However, as stated - the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for the game.

 

It is quite different from most games and that may be a little disconcerting at first but if you enjoy watching action packed space battles on your hand held device (like I do) then it's perfect for a quick battle on the bus as you watch the ships blast each other to smithereens in space.

 

I do have a little more work to do on the sound effects since the sound effects are inconsistent across devices - on some of them the volume is too low for the pilot chatter. I may have to look into how to address this.

 

The actual graphics scale with the power of the device. Low spec devices use lower resolution textures and a less detailed background nebula to ensure a high frame rate. Although - on extremely low spec devices it is difficult to make it run smoothly (by really low spec I mean those ultra cheap 7" tablets you find in department stores)

 

All in all even though I'm obviously biased as the developer of my own game I really love watching the space battles and can do so all morning on a Saturday morning in a nice local coffee shop.

[Matty77]

Greetings everyone,

 

I thought I'd post that Star Dancer (full version) is now completely free, with no ads, no in app purchases - a completely free

game with no strings attached.

 

The game is not everyone's cup of tea but those who play it enjoy it for the most part.

 

Personally - out of all the mobile games I've played (and I've played a few) this one has held my interest for the most amount of time.

I may be biased, like a parent with its children, but once again I find myself seated in a local cafe, lost in awe at the amazing space

battles on my phone. I sit and watch the fleets engage, the beams and explosions, the dodging and weaving fighters - it is quite

spectacular and I love it.

 

So I hope you enjoy the game now that it is free - as it was originally intended to be when I designed it in January 2015. I've poured

my heart and soul into making it.

 

For those who love watching epic space battles - the game is now yours to play.

 

From Matt

[Matty77]

https://mattiesgames.com/gfx/a4.jpghttps://mattiesgames.com/gfx/a6.jpghttps://mattiesgames.com/gfx/a7.jpghttps://mattiesgames.com/gfx/a9.jpg

[Matty77]

With Star Dancer full version completely free there is no reason not to give it a try - especially if you just want to enjoy watching space battles on your tablet or phone.

 

Simple install, create a quick battle, adjust some settings and watch the beautiful space battles. I've been playing this game continuously for the past 12 months. It is not everyone's cup of I fully realise that but if you like good looking space battles on your android device there's not many better than this.

 

Oh...some points:

 

You can change the pilot chatter by placing your own numbered files in the relevant folders in your music folder (yes this game has mod capability - even for a mobile game).

Also you can adjust the music by placing your own music in the relevant folders as well.

 

Furthermore - the campaign is tough, very tough - the AI has a 75% chance of beating the player based on its current intelligence - most players struggle to defeat the AI but it can be beat if you are smart.

 

Also - you can move the camera around within the space battle environment when the game is paused - I'll let you figure out how to do that but the camera moves similar to a PC based RTS (fingers around the edge....and hold the centre to move forwards).

 

The game was originally designed with multiplayer in mind but very few people seem to play it multiplayer based on my game usage metrics but I'd really recommend that you at least try it once multiplayer with a bunch of friends - a five player campaign can be quite chaotic.

 

The current version is 1.30 and there have been numerous updates since release in October (there were a few pre release versions available prior to October when I was in hospital) but the game is now at a very stable release point and it is unlikely that there will be many further updates.

 

Note - the game though free has no advertising, no in app purchases - it is free in the most true sense of the word.

 

There is a link to my blog within the game on the tips and hints screen and here you can find out a lot more information about how the game was built, what its inspiration was, and other features I don't have room to detail here.

 

I am proud to say that this game is one of the best I've ever created (and I've been making games privately for myself and friends for the past 20 years or so on various platforms).

 

I was a little sad that the cost of a cup of coffee put the majority of potential users off playing the game - when it was paid it received about 1 download per 10 days, since going free it has received about 20 downloads per day. As a developer who has poured his heart and soul into a game (and blood, sweat and tears!) it was mildly disappointing that the release didn't garner that much attention but I'm pleased that the people who do play it enjoy it.

 

If you haven't tried it then I recommend (of course I would - I'm the developer) that you give it a shot. Note - I get nothing out of having you play the game beyond the satisfaction that people are enjoying it.

 

All the best, Matt.

 

Oh....if you want to play multiplayer and don't have anyone to try it out with I have included my email address in the game in the tips and hints section - I'm more than happy to discuss lining up a game multiplayer as long as I'm not flooded with requests (which I doubt I will be).

 

from Matt.

[Space Voyager]

Why did you go all-free?

[Matty77]

The reasoning was pretty simple.

There's no room in my interface for advertising and I thought it would spoil the game.

IAPs make no sense in this game because there aren't consumable items.

I did originally have a free and paid version but I'd noticed that the paid version was getting less than 1 download every 10 days which was disappointing to me so I thought after 3 months that it would never really rise above this so I changed it to free so that more people could play it (which is what I'd prefer) and now about 20 people download it each day....quite an increase...still not at the heady heights of a game I released in 2011 that had 4000 people download in the first 12 hours but indie development has changed....it's so much harder to become noticed these days.

[silencer_pl]

Maybe the case is that people want simple games for the mobile devices? Do you know how popular strategy games are on mobile phones?

[Space Voyager]

It really is hard to get noticed... Both PC and mobiles. The gaming industry has grown to the proportions where nobody can keep track of new games. Nor find hidden gems that don't have huge money behind them.

[silencer_pl]

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