You 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.
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.
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.
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?
Let’s start this weeks entry with a little exercise. Try to imagine epic sci-fi universes like Star Wars or, for that matter, epic sci-fi games like Galaxy on Fire 2 without space ships! Try again. You see? But inanimate scenarios without vacuum-born transportation and war machines are not the subject of this week’s chapter on concept art. On the contrary, it’s all about space ships! They are the indisputed stars of Galaxy on Fire 2, anyway. Being visible most of the time in-game they also get the biggest part of attention in the game’s forum. That’s why the choice fell on ships readily when pondering over what visual object should featured for the concept art chapter. Fair enough, given that the ships are means of transportation for goods and characters, are weapons in themselves and allow you to show off your status. ”How can I get the Void X?” must be the most frequently asked question in the minds of GOF2 players and our forums respectively. Seeing the importance of the ships for a sci-fi space shooter you might wonder how exactly the act of creation looks like. Well, I did. And here’s what I found. [full]
