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Program Announcements / Starlord Alpha : Turn based space strategy game fully playable available NOW!

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IBOL
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Posted: 10th Dec 2004 17:51 Edited at: 11th Dec 2004 04:06
IT IS FINALLY HERE!
The Fully Functional demo of ASTRUM ERUS: STARLORD ALPHA
(i call it a demo because it doesn't include quite all the graphical
features and shipsets, but it is in "program anouncements" because
it is a complete and playable game.)

and thanks to nagging from previous lesser releases, there are now
in game help files!
just hit [F1] for specific help on most screens,
and [F2] for a list of hotkeys and controls.

http://astrumgames.com/downloads/AESLA_DEMO.zip

it is a 6MB zip file, requiring all the usual DBP hubub, like DX9,etc.



This is the GALAXY MAP, the main screen you use to get around in the
game. it displays the stars in a fully 3D environment, and the planets, ships, and colonies at those stars.
HELP FILES for almost every screen are now included and accessible
from within the game.
There is also a 30 page instruction book, but you can now play the
game without reading it, because of the help files.

This game is the cultivation of 10 months of work, from conception
and research,to programming and graphics work. And Yet, it was just a test.
This game was always meant to be a teaser; a preview of what's to come from the much more detailed game,
ASTRUM ERUS: STARLORD OMEGA
"OMEGA" will be every bit as good as (and hopefully better! than) any other 4X (or 5X) game ever made.
But enough about that, let's see what we've got right now with the alpha version.

Here are some things you would do in a common turn in ASTRUM ERUS: STARLORD ALPHA

-Research new technology
-Build new facilities on planets
-Build new spaceships
-Upgrade old ships to new tech specs
-Colonize a new planet
-Discover an alien technology on your new colony
-Transport people from overpopulated worlds to your new colonies
-Send ships to unexplored stars
-Encounter a new alien race
-Read reports from your explorers and warships
-Send an attack fleet against your worst enemy
-Load soldiers on to transports to send with your attack fleet
-Negotiate a new treaty with another race
-Make sure you have enough resources to run your industry
-Make sure you have enough food for your people
-End the turn by clicking the green check mark

The graphics are still not as good as they could be in some areas,
but great improvements have been made, and OMEGA is much more
important. All further non-cosmetic advancements will be made
towards the OMEGA version.

(the only limitation on this version of the game is that there are
only 4 shipsets included, though there are 12 available)



This is an old screenshot of real-time space combat,
before the ships were textured, before animated explosions,
and before the beautiful new background.

enjoy,
bob

Mx5 kris
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 04:14
SWEET! But, someone beat you to it.Malfador is releasing a 3d 4x strategy called: space empires V. I love IV, lets see if they can pull the 3d version off...any way, I love your game

Death is a mear thing, unless you are near it.
French gui
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 04:16
Hum, downloaded it, seems very cool, but I'm blocked in the second screen ,where there's the ship selection (I click DONE but nothing happens!) I'm going to read the manual...

My English is not so good I'm just French
Mx5 kris
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 04:30
only one prob. When I minimize it, and try to reopen it, it closes..

Death is a mear thing, unless you are near it.
IBOL
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 08:38 Edited at: 14th Feb 2005 07:21
to french gui:

you must make sure you spend your "race points" before you exit the screen. it is the # centered above the 18 areas.
also if you have clicked on race name or description,
you must press enter/return (they will be white if that is the case)

to mx5 kris (who changed his name to 'dead and a geek'):
they didn't beat me if they have't done it yet..."releasING"
(and yes i checked...all they have up right now is a couple of
pictures...they're not even screenshots. and their release schedule
is summer 2005. i love seiv too, but truth is truth.)
and how did you minimize it?

Mx5 kris
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 11:31
I pressed the tool bar key

Death is a mear thing, unless you are near it.
robo cat
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Location: In a cat litter tray, near you...
Posted: 11th Dec 2004 17:21
Awesome game!

The minimizing isn't his fault. Although when running in fullscreen exclusive mode you can minimize with alt-tab, it appears that it causes DBPro games to lose all loaded objects etc as it quits out often saying object/image doesn't exist when you try to open it back up. I think you might be able to disable minimizing for the game which is probably what you should do (if its possible to).

Simple... yet fun!
IBOL
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Posted: 11th Dec 2004 18:06
thank you robo cat!
i'm glad you got to play it, and like it.

i feel like i want people to email me their game saves,
so i can see how they're doing...i am that intimately
involved with this thing.

i am very excited right now, and working on the next game.
thanks again,
bob

Triple Ha
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Location: California, but I wish I was in Japan
Posted: 5th Jan 2005 10:33
Nice IBOL, I regret I did not help with this at your post half a year back. Long story.

Formerly HaHaHa. Formerly Skyblaze Paul.
IBOL
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Posted: 5th Jan 2005 12:06
thanks, tri-ha!
well, there's always the next super-duper version
that will require 10x more graphics detail...
bob

Triple Ha
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Posted: 5th Jan 2005 12:39
Heh. I'll get to you on that one.

Formerly HaHaHa. Formerly Skyblaze Paul.
Dostej
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Posted: 26th Jan 2005 22:11
Wow, looks really good.

I`m trying to code something similar, so i`m interested how you did it.

See planets seems to be made with lunar cell. Looking nice

To code or not to be...
GALACTIC X - A brief overview - http://www.angelfire.com/space2/galactix also my IDE: jaPROe - the Image Enhance plugin and some snippets and tools -
G Man
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Posted: 31st Jan 2005 12:54
It would be better if there were a way to cancel out of the program. Why oh why does everyone disable the escape key and not provide an alternative?

Intel Pentium 4, 3.4GHz, 1280MB RAM, NVidia Quadro FX3000/256MB, 240GB HD, XP Pro
IBOL
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Posted: 31st Jan 2005 18:02 Edited at: 31st Jan 2005 18:02
@G Man:
did something happen?
like a bug / glitch? i've had no reports.

otherwise,
there IS an option , "quit game" accessed from the
Utility Window
(hit "z" hot key or upper right button with filing cabinet)

i disable the escapekey because that is the way it is with
commercial/professional games. it cheapens it to just
be able to hit a key and quit anywhere.

hope this helps,
and thanks for playing,
bob

IBOL
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Posted: 1st Feb 2005 11:32 Edited at: 14th Feb 2005 07:18
@ dostej:

i downloaded some of the stuff on your website about galactic x,
but i couldn't get any of it to work.

from what i could understand, it seemed like you had some cool
ideas...

the planets in the current game are not using lunar cell,
only some of the 'splash screens' use it.
all of those planets are made using filters built in to photoshop 5.5
and a lot of time...

the NEW game (starlord omega) will incorporate lunar cell, and
no two planets will ever be the same!!!
(actually, current calculations suggest ~18,900 planets will be possible
and with 200 stars * 10 orbitals * 7 things-per-orbital,
there could only possibly be 14,000 planets in any game)


thanks,
bob

IBOL
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Posted: 14th Feb 2005 07:28 Edited at: 22nd Feb 2005 12:17
Starlord Omega Update:

development for the next version is coming along well.

- planets have been modeled.
each planet has an atmosphere type, gravity level, size, and climate,
as well as 'stability' which reflects weather and geology.
each planet can have up to 6 major moons.

- the technology system has a preliminary model.
there will be 20-40 'families' of techs, each family containing
16-40 actual technologies, AND
you will never have the same tech tree twice...wait and see...

also, the claim of 18,900 different planets is confirmed.

bob

Maleck
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Posted: 22nd Feb 2005 06:32
This looks like it is coming along quite well. I was able to play a bit more with the demo, but work has been killing me for the past couple months.

Can't wait to see the next version.
IBOL
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Posted: 14th Mar 2005 16:05
hey, wow!
i got a sticky!

and now,
the omega version is underway.
strategic ground combat, tactical space combat,
updated graphics, espionage, planet climate & stability,
polution, 35 different weapons, actual treaty negotiation,
and your tech tree will never be the same twice!
ETA: 1 year.
this will be a comercial-grade release when it happens.

bob
astrumgames.com

IBOL
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Posted: 21st Mar 2005 06:29 Edited at: 23rd Mar 2005 15:48


Further Omega Update:

694 Technologies currently exist for Starlord Omega.
35 of these are Weapons, each weapon having 9 levels.
(which adds another 315 tech levels to the game).

Pollution is modeled, with ongoing buildup, techs to clean
it up, and progressively worsening effects if you don't clean it up
(like bad weather, climate shift, increased sickness, etc.)

The new economy is based on the idea that 'less is more'.
there will still be the basic areas of Agriculture, Industry,
Resource Extraction, Research, and Shipyards, but there will
be less of them per planet, and they will produce more.
There will also be a construction Queu like other games,
with auto-fill options.

The preliminary trade model uses time-bound agreements to trade
specific quantities of specific resources, and you will have to
negotiate for them. Different races will have different needs,
and see different things as valuable.


I will be recruiting a graphics team for this project.

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coderson
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Posted: 11th Apr 2005 04:00
I can't get past the second either. The +/- keys wont work.

Wonder if it's got something to do with non-American keyboards?
Maleck
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Posted: 20th Apr 2005 01:43
Sounds really cool. I am eager to see what you come up with.
IBOL
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Posted: 20th Apr 2005 03:38
coderson,


Quote: "
I can't get past the second either. The +/- keys wont work.
Wonder if it's got something to do with non-American keyboards?
"

from that screen,
MAKE SURE that you press [ENTER] after typing a race name
or race description. if the letters in those fields is white,
you haven't pressed enter yet...after you do, everything else
should work.

omega update:
i may have got a race modeler for starlord omega.

bob

IBOL
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Posted: 14th May 2005 04:04
hey, everyone,
right now i am trying to work out a more involved space combat system for starlord Omega.
what kind of controls would you like to see for your ships and/or fleets?
bob

http://astrumgames.com
completed games: Astrum Erus, Centipoid, Hero Of Garaven, WarpFlight, Higher Ground , Circular Breakout

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