Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Next Generation

Last week, I mentioned that it was time to start over with Stellar Fortune.  I just wasn't very happy with the direction of the game.  Since then, I have made good progress on the new version.  It is actually very different from the original, but I think it has potential.  Continue on for a look at the new Stellar Fortune and testing details.

The biggest difference is that I have gone from using the Unity 3d engine to a basic web browser. It's not very flashy, but it allows me to concentrate on depth and not the visuals.  The playing field has also changed quite a bit. It is now a grid (think graphing paper).  Since this game is much more asynchronous, a grid is more forgiving.

The other big change is that I am leaning towards making this multi-player instead of single player.  It turns out going multi-player would actually be easier and probably a lot more fun.  More on that later though, as the game is still in its infancy.

Want to take a peek?  You'll also help me test browser compatibility.  If it doesn't work, please leave which browser you used in a comment.  Check it out here:

NOTE:  Turning it off for more work, thanks for testing! Might get strange errors until full functional again.

http://alpha.stellarfortune.com/

So, what is going on here?  First up, it creates you a ship.  Then it sets a destination and plots a course.  This is done using an A* algorithm which still needs some work.  You can see the route it has chosen for you and some hazards which may be waiting for you.  They don't do anything right now, but you get the idea.

You should notice the ETA going down and your route getting shorter as you move closer to your destination.  I know, it's not too exciting, but it is testing out the client/server infrastructure.