Stellar Evolution is a print-and-play tactical boardgame I've been working on with Cascade Studios that you download to play on a tabletop at home. The setting has some good fun Sci-fi basis and I'm hoping to flesh the boardgame out with a small free game that allows you to explore the setting as well as show some locations you'd not see in a mainly space-based game.
Story-wise the game casts you in the role of a young pilot belonging to the crew of the H.M.S Iago, a battleship in the Terran Armada. Earth is at war with the Maramarter, an alien intelligence formed of energy that possesses robotic bodies forged on giant factory worlds. The Iago is tasked with clearing a system of four factory planets that is within staging range of Earth itself, and you're set to head up the biggest strike mission the ship has ever staged.
PLANS FOR THE GAME?
At this point I'm looking to make a relatively short game that takes in just four distinct missions over four different worlds. On each you are tasked with finding and destroying a factory but the method and events of the linear story will differ. Conversations with branching trees and optional events to earn you additional scenes are also planned, with each mission having at least two such elements. You could play through directly doing only plot-essential missions and complete the game quickly or take the time to explore and get a more rounded experience. The game will eventually be a free downloadable extra on the main Stellar Evolution page, and be a part of the series canon.
GENRE?
The game will primarily be a roleplaying game (RPG) with an Active Time Battle system and all that entails. The idea here is that you level your ship and buy items for it rather than your character (who will remain unseen). In sections where you are out of the cockpit you'll explore in first person screen-by-screen and occasionally indulge in a little point-click action. Ultimatly I'm looking for an easy-play hybrid of adventure game and rpg that aims for a happy medium between combat orientated space warefare and puzzle/exploration of worlds.
GRAPHICS?
I'm drawing everything from scratch, 100% solo. Mostly using Photoshop but based on thumbnail design sketches and samples of the artwork used in the printed version of the boardgame (scaled down from the high-res versions I created in that case). There's an anime-style look to characters and scenery and a chunky feel to everything that keeps it from delving into the 'gothic future' territory. Hopefully the whole thing will maintain the feel of an animated series with saturday morning pulp TV feel.
CREATION PACKAGE?
I'm planning on using the Games Factory Pro, which I own a copy of and have tinkered with in the past. I currently have a working build of branching conversation trees and an active time battle system, as well as graphics resources being drawn from scratch in Photoshop and then imported as animated characters. If additional people volunteer for the project I may consider a change in package based on their experience, but for now this is a one-man project so expect a slow gestation period between demo and game stages, etc.
SCREENSHOTS FROM CURRENT BUILD
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The bulk of this game takes place in a location of space close to Earth called the 'Versane System', which plays host to the four main objectives of the game. These four objectives are spread out across four very different worlds within the system, and you will have to travel between them in order to accomplish your overall goal. Luckily for you the ‘H.M.S Iago’ is your base of operations throughout the game, and it will ‘Jump’ into a close orbit to each planet in turn as the game progresses, launching your fighter and giving you a clear run at the world in question. This is where System Maps come into play. From these you will chart a path to the planet in question (possibly taking the odd detour in order to achieve sub-quests) by fighting your way through the orbital defenses across multiple locations. You can of course double back to the Iago at any time in order to buy supplies and evaluate mission objectives among other things.
Obviously you can’t rush to the end-goal right away, you’ll have to take it one location at a time as the map unfurls but can double back over any location as many times as you like. The actual layout goes something like this (when streamlined to just the basics) with the next location only appearing on the map after the first is cleared:
Those areas on the map bigger than the average location (or ‘Quad’ – short for Quadrant) represent battles, which count down to zero as you fight your way through several rounds of combat in order to clear them for rewards and additional story development scenes. Completion of the main mission alone will only score you a moderate rank, whilst finishing each of the sub-quests (which are optional to the game) will up your ranking and increase the reward you receive at the end of the mission.
DEVELOPMENT NOTE:
At this time I have completed the first System Map (which will make up the first half of the demo on release – the second half taking place on the planet ‘Primos’ itself and use a different play style) and am working on populating each of the points with tough battles and some imaginative set-pieces. I have also fully developed the first briefing sequence to include several questions you can ask, and am working on the Iago’s many different in-game functions.
Combat in Stellar Evolution runs on an ATB system. Enemies run on a timer and possess their own Shield (HP) and Attack (Attack - duh!) values. Squads are treated as one huge entity which must be whittled away at in order to reduce their numbers to one and then destroy. Obviously when their timer is full they attack, damaging your own shields and drawing you ever closer to that killing blow.
You as the player pilot a 'Kite' class fighter which has its own Shields rating, as well as a visable 'Recharge' timer. When the timer is full you can do one of three default actions:
Attack - which fires standard Lasers directly damaging the enemy unit.
Scan - which will give you the Name, Shield total and Damage total for each time it attacks.
Escape - which has a 50/50 chance of either successfully fleeing a battle or wasting this rounds action.
Outside of battle you can level your fighter in-dock on the H.M.S Iago, which will increase both the speed of your recharge meter and the total damage dealt when you attack. Your shields do not increase in total, making purchasing items an essential part of prepping for larger battles, but otherwise regen fully between fights or if you flee.
There are three items that you can purchase with your Credits (this game's currency won from battles or after completing missions and sub-missions) whilst in dock. These items are seperate from the timer in battle and appear as three small icons on the bottom left of the screen to be used at any time. Missiles (M) count as an extra attack and deal a single point of damage, Ion Charges (I) shoot a single shot that scatters an energy dampening wave across the battlesite, a single-hit kill on some enemy types but useless on others. Finally the Reboot (R) resets your shields to full. Each of these items can only be used once but you can stock up in up to 10 of each at a time.
DEVELOPMENT NOTE:
At this time I have a working model of the complete battle system made and animated, as well as the levelling and items system in place - but no Shop/Outfitter's in which to purchase or level the fighter. I have also completed an opening cinematic using the in-game engine to show the fleet arriving at the start of the game (with seven layers of panorama-style scrolling!)
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Ben Warren 
WHAT IS STELLAR EVOLUTION?
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