StarLife - an indie sci-fi 4X in development

[Hoverdog]

Hey guys,I hope this is the correct forum to post this thread.

 

We’re Purple Orange Games, and we are currently developing StarLife, an independent sci-fi 4X game. We already have a tech demo showing rudimentary combat and currently are preparing for a Kickstarter that will air late March-early April.

 

Though the space strategy genre never really died out, newer releases have not even come close to the venerable ancestor, Master of Orion, they lacked that special something that made it one of the best games of all time.

 

Our goal, of course, is to rectify this situation.

 

Our core design philosophy includes:

 

- Varied races with unique gameplay - +10% growth? Research halved? A bonus to combat efficiency? Meh. These are not game-altering changes. We strive to make species really different. Each one is going to have a trait, ability, or gimmick that forces the player to readjust to a new strategy.

 

- Complexity as a means to an end – most of today’s games are catered to the casual gamer, and thus stripped of many features and lacking depth. On the other hand, we feel that stockpiling gimmicks and mechanics that have no real influence on the game’s flow and only make playing more of a chore is a dead end. Complexity is a must, but it has to serve the player, not the other way around.

 

- Technology more than just a linear progression – again, latest 4X games struggled a lot with coming up with a sensible tech system. Separate trees that you select and research one by one are not interesting the slightest. In Starlife, we are trying to put some meat on these bones.

 

- Quick, but tactically satisfying combat – battles are one of my favourite parts of strategy games. Unfortunately, most of the time they are considered of secondary importance and are either simplified or tend to drag. Starlife will feature hex-based combat system rooted in board games that is quick to resolve and offers a tactical challenge.

 

- No unnecessary micromanagement – Micro is always a bane of 4X in longer, bigger games. Our plan is cutting down on it without limiting players’ choices.

 

- Your subjects are living creatures (unless they’re robots) – Have you ever felt that those billions of subordinates on your colonies are mindless drones that need constant babysitting? Well, we have. That’s why in Starlife citizens actually have will of their own. They are quite helpful, but, if mistreated, can make your rule a pain.

 

 

 

How research will probably look like:

Research

Range of a species’ knowledge is divided into two groups:

 

Concept

CONCEPT - defines innate civic skills and notions of a race.

 

For example: CONCEPT OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE, CONCEPT OF TELEPATHIC LANGUAGE, CONCEPT OF TRADE,CONCEPT OF WALKING, CONCEPT OF FLOATING, CONCEPT OF FLYING, CONCEPT OF DIPLOMACY, CONCEPT OF WAR, CONCEPT OF DECEIT, CONCEPT OF MUTATION, CONCEPT OF BUILDING and so on.

 

A race that has no CONCEPT OF TRADE won't be able to trade with other species. It will, however, have an option to learn about this Concept:

·It can OBSERVE OTHER RACES. Observation and coexisting with a species utilizing a concept will earn knowledge points, and with time full understanding will be achieved. SPYING can increase the rate of gaining knowledge points.

·It can ASK FRIENDLY RACES or allies to teach them about the Concept. This is the fastest way, but it requires the goodwill of another race.

·Finally, it can INTERROGATE CAPTURED ENEMIES. This method is faster than observation, but necessitates declaring war and disabling enemy ship in a won battle. Some races cannot be captured or interrogated.

 

 

 

Technology

TECHNOLOGIES - defines knowledge that can be researched and applied directly, improving one or more aspects of a race.

 

For example: AGRICULTURE IN ZERO GRAVITY, ADVANCED TOOLS IN SPACE MAINTENANCE, PRIMITIVE LASER IN VACUUM, UNDERSTANDING ALIEN ENTERTAINMENT, TRACTOR BEAM BEYOND SAVE & RESCUE, DEEP FREEZED FOOD IN LONG SPACE TRAVELS.

 

There are FOUR WAYS TO LEARN A TECHNOLOGY and one way to EXPAND IT.

·The first way is to RESEARCH the technology yourself.

·The second way is to STEAL OR TRADE the technology from another race.

·The third way is to have your CIVIL POPULATION RESEARCH THE TECHNOLOGY for you.

·The fourth way is by PROTOTYPING; if you capture or steal an enemy ship that contains technology you don't have, using the vessel will make you start to understand it.

Each technology can be RESEARCHED AGAIN after gaining knowledge of it to further improve it.

 

Any of the four above ways will give you ACCESS TO THE TECHNOLOGY, but combining them will enhance the design greatly. Each method represents a different approach to the problem, and thus will give you access to different information.

 

Prototyping is the least effective way to learn new technologies but it's great to improve ones you already have. Civilians can be made research a technology, but though you save time, it costs a lot of money and isn’t very effective when it comes to improvements. Stealing or trading can be used to quickly gain access to new designs. It’s also the best way to augment existing techs.

 

Both concept and technology research rates vary from race to race. Some may excel at prototyping, while others have perfected the art of interrogation.

 

 

 

 

Most of areas of the game are still being designed, so don't hesitate to suggest and post any ideas!

 

 

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