Posts Tagged ‘AAA’

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

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

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. [full]

 

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

Galaxy on Fire 2 – Valkyrie Dev Diary Part V: Feature Trailer

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Fishlabs iPhone Game Galaxy on Fire 2 add-on - Valkyrie The official trailer for the epic add-on Valkyrie™ is here. See for yourself what you’re going to get with the imminent update to our iPhone sci-fi game Galaxy on Fire 2™ and the contained in-app purchase Valkyrie™ to be released 28th April. I hope you’ll agree that the new content is worthy of a premium trade shooter! In a completely voiced story line Keith T. Maxwell has to face an enemy who, unlike the up front warring Voids, is a malicious snake in the grass. The darker than ever galaxy, despite the glorious defeat of the Voids, still is on fire. Keith remains dangerously oblivious to what is going on for almost too long. In the meantime his anonymous foe is relentlessly pursuing the selfish goals of his very own evil conspiracy by means of deception, manipulation and intrigue. The life of Keith and many other galactic citizens is threatened while they are fatally oblivious to the danger they are in. Will Keith prevail? In any case, Keith has some neat new technical features and splendid ships aiding him in the quest for galactic peace and liberty.

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Now, when we say epic iPhone tradeshooter, we mean epic. Buzzing into a hive of intrigue and shooting his way out of lethal tight spots are just the right challenges for a hero like Keith. Yet, to prove that his heart belongs to a true hero he must set out on a voyage far more adventurous than his warp into the future. He must journey within. After all, what is the true price you pay for ever larger sums of money? If your only motivation is lots of hard cash, whom are you really serving? Like never before, Keith is torn between his intuitive gut feeling and what he thinks needs to be done. Will he know what is right? Will it be too late? Well, well, I’d love to tell you how it ends, but that would exceed the page capacity of our dev diary.

Galaxy on Fire 2 – Valkyrie Dev Diary Part IV: what’s new

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Fishlabs' Galaxy on Fire 2 sci-fi iPhone game - upcoming update and add-onA good gimmick makes the gamers’ life enjoyable. Nuke them all? Take each one of them down with a single mighty laser shot? Or rather hunt them down in a suicidal yet glorious manner without armour and standard weapons? A premium iPhone game like Galaxy on Fire 2 gets a lot of kicks out of the possibilities and variations offered through varying weapons and item combinations. Even more so the Valkyrie add-on. Our dev team had a good time thinking up new items and weapons bringing a new edge to sci-fi iPhone gaming. The imminent update for Galaxy on Fire 2 will sport some amazing new features and new ships free of charge, while offering the Valkyrie DLC with a wider array of new features as an in-app purchase. In this chapter I proudly present to you my personal favourite features for the iPhone version of Galaxy on Fire 2 update and its add-on Valkyrie. [full]

 

The Kaamo Club in the imminent update for Fishlabs' iPhone Game Galaxy on Fire 2

A screenshot showing the Kaamo Club, the first station that can be privately owned in Fishlabs' award-winning iPhone Game Galaxy on Fire 2.

 

Let’s start with the coolest new feature. Own your own station. That’s right. No more bribes for corrupt security officers, no more selling your old ship when buying a new one and no more storage capacity limited to the cargo hold of your ship. Well, all of these aren’t completely obsolete, of course. But owning your very own station in the new system Shima is surely changing the game for good. And it is included in the free update. You can either buy it as an in-app purchase or satisfy the demands of the notorious Mkkt Bkkt who is offering his station Kaamo Club to you for sale should you choose to unlock it. Since he used it primarily as a party outpost attracting shady visitors it looks more like a space pub than your regular station. A more aggressive change of the galactic scenery is the introduction of turrets on Terran battle ships. Should you find yourself at odds with the Terran faction you better think twice about getting near those. Then again, you might love the challenge of taking all of them down.

 

A Terran battle cruiser in the soon to be released update of Fishlabs' iPhone epic Galaxy on Fire 2

The terran battle cruisers will not be the same after you updated. Turrets will make life a tough one for any enemy of the faction. The turrets will be introduced in the free update, which also contains the add-on Valkyrie as an in-app purchase.

The Phantom Fighter - the secret star in our iPhone game Galaxy on Fire 2

He has been called for loudly in our forums - the Phantom Fighter. Also included in the free update along with two other retro-ships from the first Galaxy of Fire title.

 

Alongside graphical improvements and the above mentioned features the imminent update will include three new old ships. The retro line makes not only the phantom fighter available, but also two more ships from the first Galaxy on Fire title. You need the update and decide to make the in-app purchase of Valkyrie for new weapon systems, new ships, new systems and items with a completely new functionality. Curious? Alright, imagine you are on your favourite trade route selling implants. Your diplomatic status is enemy of the Terrans. There are tons of enemies, your Ketar Repair Bot 2 can hardly keep up and the newly introduced turrets of the battleships don’t make survival any easier. You shoot down one Terran ship, and another one. But what is this? The ship dropped something after exploding, but this doesn’t look like loot? Baffled you zoom past the object, yet your new Octopus tractor beam collects it even from behind you. You found a signature! You kick in the new and much stronger boost flying to the next station and equip your ship with it. The Terran signature will make every scanner believe you are a Terran flying a Terran ship. What was a nightmare trade route crowded with enemies before now becomes a relaxed merchant’s walk in the park. But keep a low profile. If you attract too much attention by shooting a Terran your signature is useless. And you can’t buy them. You can sell them, though, in the black-market system Loma.

 

The signature item in Fishlabs' iPhone game Galaxy on Fire 2.

That's what a signature item looks like. Of course, there are signatures for the other factions, as well. They give those with a rogue status more flexibility and are doing honours to the reputation system of a premium iPhone game.

 

The great company Rhoda who brought us the ultimate shrinker, the Rhoda Blackhole, yet again shows its outstanding ability to capitalize on the anomalies in the laws of nature. And make great products employing hardly known phenomena. Being a marketing guy I’m sure that the aptly named Rhoda Vortex will be the latest craze in iPhone gaming. Curious? Alright, imagine you are flying along with a powerful sniper laser. You need that one shot. You need to aim that one shot perfectly. But more and more enemies start to show up. Shots from the left, from behind. Dodging maneuver, and another one, shots from the right, dodging, you fire bombs but there’s too many of them! What were you thinking equipping that sniping laser? Damn it! You need more time! Do you? Alright, employ the Rhoda Vortex and disrupt the galactic time spiral and time will slow down around you. In a convenient and focused fashion you can aim one shot after another while your enemies will hardly notice what hit them. What is slow motion to you is supernatural high speed to them. Good one, Rhoda! You capitalize on the phenomena of a disrupted vortex, apply it to the fabric of time and work it into a machine everyone can use by pushing a button. Fascinating.

The Rhoda Vortex - a simple yet marvellous feature Fishlabs' iPhone game Galaxy on Fire 2

The Rhoda Vortex, a simple item with a stunning effect. Sci-Fi iPhone gaming won't be the same now it is on the galactic market.

 

The weapons fanatics might appreciate the Rhoda Vortex the most when firing the new guns in Valkyrie. There is the much called for auto-firing turret, there are scatter guns, mines and a guided missile with more impact than the AMR Extinctor. Most notable to me, however, are not the new weapon types but the fire rate modifiers. Berger competitor Nirai proves to have both a heart and an ear for their customers by releasing the novelty models Nirai Overcharge and Nirai Overdrive. These allow the gunning pilot to modify his fire rate according to his needs or preferences. While the Overcharge will increase the damage inflicted and decrease the rate of fire per second, the Override will make your weapon outgun itself at firing – at the cost of lower damage per second. Nirai thus takes weapon customization to a whole new level and almost casually introduces a new product category Berger has not even anticipated. Now the galactic weapons market is definitely on fire, too. But with all the increasing fire power, weapon types, weapon combinations and modifications – doesn’t it seem prudent to think about defences, as well? An emergency system kicking in when only one more hit would kill you. You are then protected from all harm for the next ten seconds, which makes it a splendid choice of equipment in the fierce days of Valkyrie, the extensive add-on to our award-winning iPhone game Galaxy on Fire 2. 

The emergency system featured in Fishlabs epic sci-fi shooter Galaxy on Fire 2 Valkyrie.

This is the emergency system as seen on a picture taken using Fishlabs' exclusive Action Freeze screenshot tool for the trading shooter iPhone epic Galaxy on Fire 2.