Galaxy on Fire 2 – Valkyrie Dev Diary Part VI: Attention to Detail

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - love for detailYou might think Fishlabs was very busy polishing Valkyrie in the last couple of weeks. You would be right. In all the commotion and deadline pressure, however, there was still time to pay attention to detail. Or better, we took the time. This chapter will illuminate some of the remarkable fine print among the otherwise prominent changes to the epic sci-fi game Galaxy on Fire 2. Size matters and so do small changes. These low-key improvements are likely to escape your attention when flying through the add-on for the first time. All those details in sum make the game experience much more pleasant. After all, a truly immersive gaming experience is what we are after and what a Premium iPhone game is for.

 

When it comes to immersion the biggest small change is the zoom when you head towards a station and the planet behind it. Since the planets themselves are 2D, they used to remain the same size when you headed towards a station. The planets will now get bigger the closer you get. This adds to the impression of being right inside the scene.

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - Wraith heading towards a planet

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - Wraith heading towards a planet (2)

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - Wraith heading towards a planet (3) 

The asteroids have been reworked, too. Their surface is more elaborate these days. You might actually feel like standing on a galactic chunk of ore seeing the newly refurbished asteroid surface under your ship’s feet. To give the asteroid theme a new edge, too, the new systems in Valkyrie will feature far off asteroid fields. These are mere atmosphere, though, as you can neither reach nor mine them.

 

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - asteroid fields in the background

 

When you fly past the system’s sun in the background you will see a new lens flare effect. Will you notice the difference? A far more striking redo is the new explosion animation when you finish a ship. It will make the destruction of ships a highly enjoyable visual treat. We expect people to make good use of the Action Freeze tool and present ever more beautiful pictures of explosions in our forums.

 

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - a Phantom fighter destroying an enemy ship

 

The biggest bang in our portfolio of detail changes is set to change your perception of playing Galaxy on Fire 2 for good. The expanded field of view. You will see more and further into the distance- hence you will be able to operate more strategically with a wider view on what’s going on. At the same time, you need keep your inner focus so you don’t get lost when too much is going on. This fine change is both challenge and blessing and we are curious to hear what people say about game play with the effected field of view increase. Pictured below are both the old setting and the new one. Don’t be mistaken, the screenshots do not simply show a different position. Depicted is the exact same position with a different width in the field of view. What do you think about it?

 Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - the old field of view

 

Fishlabs Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie iPhone Game Screenshot - the new field of view

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41 Responses to “Galaxy on Fire 2 – Valkyrie Dev Diary Part VI: Attention to Detail”

  1. Brian T says:

    Really looking forward to the Valkyrie add-on! I’m loving the addition of the scaling planets. Will these features be implemented via an update before Valkyrie is released, or does the add on make these changes to the existing game universe? Either way, I’ll be buying it, day one. Great work guys!

  2. Raven says:

    OK interesting dev diary, but i got a question: If you can get close to a planet will you hit it when you get even closer ? Or be destroyed in the atmosphere? OR just like in GoF 2 – you get near a big cruiser and the ship changes direction diferent from the direction of the cruiser. :P Cant wait for Valkyrie. I`m counting the days lol :D

  3. Fabricio says:

    Great video! I’m really excited about Valkyrie.

    I’m a little concerned though.

    I’ve finished Galaxy on Fire 2 quite some time ago, so I ended up deleting it at some point because I needed the space. So here’s my question, to play the new storyline do I need to complete the original one first? I’ll be really sad if that’s the case. :(

  4. Fabricio says:

    And by video I meant the recently released trailer. XD

  5. Paul Titze says:

    Enjoyed GOF2, great game (best space action game I’ve played so far on the iPad), nice graphics and visual effects, looking forward to the Valkyrie and future add ons.

    Cheers, Paul.

  6. studioedit says:

    Great video looking forward to the next installation of GOF 2.

    Just one question will there ever be a GOF for the Imac and is it on the drawing board ???

  7. Doshashade says:

    AMAZING!

    i love the GOF games. Most amazing, valkryie! i hope for this in a different update because i have yet to see them in valkryie. I got GOF2 at 6:50 on the day it came out. I hope to do the same for valkryie!!!

    What i want to see

    1- explorable planets
    2- flora fauna, plant life on planets.
    3- having to actually explore the station to get to the space lounge, hanger, and other stuff. Maybe make the hanger where you fly and the shop… the shop. Basically more on ground freedom

    XD XD

    find me on openfient- dosha I ofgs

  8. Howard Bloom says:

    It looks great. Just wondering if a 1st person cockpit view will be added?

  9. Benten says:

    Problem with add on. Add on button response is ‘please wait’ and nothing else. In game I get called everytime I load it by cornelius asking me to wait at station kanado. No mission indicator appears and nothing happens when I visit kanado. So far I’ve completed game have void ship and bought space station available since update.
    How do I activate Valkyrie? Please help

  10. eobet says:

    I only have an old iPhone so I doubt I’ll enjoy this game on it.

    However, I also have a Macbook Pro, and I bet I really would enjoy this game on that one!

    Any chance we will see Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie in the Mac App Store?

  11. Fabricio says:

    Ok, I found out you do have to complete the original story to play Valkyrie. Oh well, I guess it’s my fault I didn’t upload my saves. Still, I love this game so I’m playing through again to get to expansion and I already noticed the free updates. Nice stuff. :)

    You guys should consider a 3DS version, this game really is great. Is Galaxy on Fire 3 on your plans?

  12. Fabricio says:

    Ok, I found out you do have to complete the original story to play Valkyrie. Oh well, I guess it\\\’s my fault I didn\\\’t upload my saves. Still, I love this game so I\\\’m playing through again to get to expansion and I already noticed the free updates. Nice stuff. :)

    You guys should consider a 3DS version, this game really is great. Is Galaxy on Fire 3 on your plans?

  13. philippe says:

    now with walkyrie on my screen i see ( chargement …) its all
    so nice bugs !

  14. WILLIAM says:

    I would gladly pay up to $10.00 for a way to create my own ship the way I would like it to be, ie turret capable 6 gun points 4 secondaries 1000 cargo space 25 add on slots just for the fun of it.

  15. ashwyn says:

    Dear Sir,

    Why dont you release more HD game sfor symbian S^3 phones ? we want more games !!! Please !!!

  16. eon says:

    Loved Galaxy on Fire 2 and just completed the Valkyrie add on which was fantastic. Went far too quickly for my liking, which was such a shame as it was so good. I really hope they have something else in the pipeline to keep it going especially as I have not had a chance to really test the Nemesis :-)

    Thanks. eon

  17. Andrew says:

    Add on is great fun, the storyline is impressive, however I hope it will be continued: Alice could make a friendship with the Voids and she could try to damage the galaxy with the help of them and the Khador Drive…

    The new items and ships in the add on are awesome, I bought all of them. The own station was a great idea too – I love the game.

    I really think that an online fight could be great fun. There could be a new system were you could go and fight with other real players, you could fight against your friends….

    To sum up I like the game and hope that the story line will be continued and I think that – if it is possible – an online gameplay, in a new system would be fun. :)

    Andrew,
    one of the players.

  18. Mack says:

    Hi, brilliant game. Finished valkrie, have the latest update, but there still appears to be no people at kaimo space lounge…. Hmm
    Would like to see some sort of money system, like being able to sell your looted booze in your own bar on kamo… Or a way to build / buy a factory to make energy cells to add on to your spacestation.
    Revenue earned from visitors to your system, buying the produce. .. Something to keep it more playable after the main story’s finished.
    Perhaps small 59p add ons in the interim between main story expansions…. Say, a pirate rebellion or a new system added.
    How about a combat rating system? And a scanner that tells you the type of ship your facing..
    Great game
    :-)

  19. pdot says:

    is these GOF2 and Valkyrie only available on iPad and Symbian-type phone? i would love it if there is one for standard Sony phones… hoping for the best, tq

  20. gartxakurra says:

    I need a new ext? I already have finish Walkyrie

  21. gartxakurra says:

    Sorry for rpeat me . I enjoy with the game and I think that if you can build your ships maybe it can be more fun, another idea is to be a pirate !! I want to be a pirate and destroy all the cargo ships and all the ships of the galaxy. The online plataform is a good idea for me is a very short story I need more missions and build my own system with my ships to defend like the Loma system . Thanks for give me a lot of fun here you have a happy customer

  22. GeorgKupitz says:

    Hey Mack and gartxakurra,
    thank you guys for your ideas and input! We are certainly taking the GOF series to the next level and suggestions like the ones you are making are a great help to us. After all, knowing what the players think and want is a huge asset for us.
    Personally, I couldn’t tell how the GOF story continues. What i can tell, though, is that lead developer HCK is having open ears and open eyes for what the players say ;]

  23. gartxakurra says:

    Thanks for you answer , for me the best thing is to have missions and need money for configurate the best ship but I think that you need to loose this status when you have failed a mission or when your ship was destroy for the pirates . When you have a bad match you don’t have any problems you only needs to recharge the last match and this a little fault maybe if you need pay a big amount to retourn to your last status maybe will be more fun.
    thank again

  24. Paul Titze says:

    Hi,

    Finished the Valkyrie addon, great stuff. Some suggestions I’d like to see in the next update:

    - Ship should be able to sustain damage when colliding with other ships (at the moment you flythrough other ships and nothing happens).
    - Add a speed control for the ship so it can be changed or come to a full stop.
    - Add another view from inside the cockpit.
    - Add more sections to space stations to be explored.
    - The Kaamo Club space station bar is always empty and needs people.

    Cheers, Paul.

  25. Ryan says:

    the game is awesome… if there is another add on (hope there will be many more), here is my 2c for what it is worth

    to keep the game interesting longer –

    joining factions or becoming the perminant leader of a faction by completing a series of missions ( also capable of losing status if you destroy one of your crew)

    bigger battle sequences against large opponents that you have to fight strategically ( maybe opponents that can see through cloaking)

    a “topgun contest” where you face off against increasingly challenging opponents before going for the top spot

    consequences for losing a fight like starting back at a shuttle and having to make it back to your space station to pickup stored equipment/ ships

  26. Sean says:

    Could use a little more attention to detail…

    After working hard to raise enough money to buy the best of everything in the game, including finishing several complex blueprints, literally HOURS into the game, it glitches on the main story quest. Now nothing spawns anywhere, I can’t complete the mission, and I don’t have extensive saves since I was relying on the auto-save system in the case of destruction. Now it consistently hangs whenever trying to leave my current system.

  27. huge GOF 2 Fan says:

    I think the Valkyrie update was great, but i have one suggestion.
    make it possible to change your station
    something like go to another station and get the blueprints of it
    and then for a lot of stuff u can make ur station look like it

    PS liberator rocket is great i made 1200 of them

  28. Franklin says:

    hello all,

    i was wondering if you have any plans as in turning this into a mobile mmo game or online gameplay thru game center game ?

    iOS games could really use a space mmo!

  29. admin says:

    Hi Franklin, recently we’ve been very busy with bringing GOF2 across platforms and making it available for the Mac as well, but now that GOF2 Full HD is about to be released very soon, we’re putting more thought and effort into the idea of creating a multiplayer version of GOF2 as well. We’ll keep you posted as soon as there are any news! :)

  30. Santyaga says:

    Hello. I’m wondering – will Valkyrie addon be available for Android users (THD version)?

  31. Robert says:

    Hey guys!

    Long time fan of the games! Loved the original, and loved 2 even more!! Loved it enough that I bought it for my android G2x just so I could keep playing! Now what I want to know is when o when are we android users going to get the Valkyrie update!!?? WANT IT BAD!!

  32. admin says:

    Glad to hear you guys enjoyed GOF2 that much! :) Unfortunately, only time will tell when “Valkyrie” will be available for Android… of course, we hope you won’t have to wait too long for it, but right now we can’t make any promises about it.

  33. 32years old Korean says:

    I m very waiting for second add-on or GoF3, day by day.
    Please make it in a hurry.

  34. 32years old Korean says:

    And I wondering why enemy ships doesnt fire missile or bombs.
    They seems to have a same lasergun but colors getting powerful.
    They also have same hull and no shield every type of ships I think.
    I want pirates weak Hiro and dangerous Mantis.

    I\’m not good at English. I have many things to ask and suggest to you but I can\’t.
    Oh one more thing. Kieth is too ugly.

  35. Tobi says:

    Don’t worry, Keith is still years away from going into retirement… we’re already working on more add-ons, spin-offs and so on, but it’s still too early to give concrete details.

    As for the weaponry of the enemy ships, I can’t say for sure why they don’t have missiles and bombs, for example, but I guess that this might have made the game a bit too hard for the players. However, who knows if Keith won’t have to fight better armed ships in the future as well…

    As for his looks, well, I’m pretty sure that Christine would beg to differ with you on that. ;)

  36. Bruiser says:

    Can’t wait to play the expansion. Finished the main game a week ago, won all the medals and still can’t buy Valkyrie through the add on Button! So frustrating cos I’m desperately wanting to give FishLabs my money but you won’t let me!

  37. admin says:

    @Bruiser: What device do you play the game on? If you’re using an iOS device, you shouldn’t have any problems installing Valkyrie as well. If you’re playing Galaxy on Fire 2 on an Android device, you’ll still have to wait a little cause Valkyrie is still in the making for that platform.

  38. Rodrigo says:

    Hey guys, I bought the game 6 days ago and just finished it… But I’m really looking foward for de Valkyrie add-on for android. Is is really going to come out someday? I don’t mind waiting if the answer is YES! :D Love the game!

  39. admin says:

    Hi Rodrigo, we’re already working on bringing “Valkyrie” to Android as well. As for now, we can’t give you any more info about the porting or name a concrete release date, but we’re trying our best to make sure that you’ll be able to play “Valkyrie” on your device in the future as well. Stay tuned! As soon as there are any news, we’ll post them on our website, our blog and our social media channels.

  40. Everett says:

    Hello to everyone at FishLabs!
    I just wanted to say, I\’ve really enjoyed your work.

    I picked up GoF for my iPod waaay back when, used to use it to show off how a developer could really take advantage of the platform… put many hours just flying around to kill time. I think I was level 14 or 15 by the time I had 100% of that galaxy explored?

    I was even more delighted when GoF 2 came out, and had a more non-linear, ply-your-trade type of feel to it than the first game. That was something I loved about a certain shareware game (series) for Mac, EV: Nova being the single most and longest ever played game in my entire repertoire. And now I have a 3D, modernized version on my mobile devices! I also highly appreciated that not only is GoF2 playable on my 2nd Gen iPod Touch, but also that it played natively on my iPad 2 when I bought that! A gorgeous game, also give the music and sound effects engineers a pat on the back – it sounds so clean and rich, meriting a listen on good headphones.

    One thing I would suggest… having voice-acting helps the games stand out and add interest, but the acting usually sounds like someone reading a script rather than a character speaking his/her mind. The way they stumble over the pacing of their delivery kind of kicks me out of immersion. I\’m no actor myself (that would be my girlfriend, haha), but hopefully this specific tip can help your talent improve.

    In any rate, I highly look forward to more conflict-embroiled, space-faring, and content-rich work from FishLabs! :)

  41. Tobi says:

    Hi Everett, wow, it’s always very cool to hear from GOF fans of the very first hour! It’s awesome that you spend so much time playing the game and still enjoy it today! As for the voice acting, we had even invited professional actors into our sound studio and had them do the recordings. But we know that there is still room for improvement. So fingers crossed you’ll enjoy the voice acting of future GOF installments a bit more… ;)

    As for more space battles, more space trading and more space adventures, we’re definitely gonna work on that. Keith has far from flown his last mission yet!

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