Indie Dev Grant is a program by Kyttaro Games and Bundle in a Box where in 15$ for every 100 Bundle in a Box sold is added to the grant which then is given to a project voted by the fans.

Check out the competition. Some fine looking and otherwise interesting projects are included. I hope to gain at least a little bit of exposure for G, although it always makes me a bit nervous (yet, strangely excited) to get my game infront of people.

Here we go again, Goldwingu 2: Episode 1; Means to End v.0.14.5 [3.81MB] is out!

In this version:

• Updated LWJGL libraries to version 2.9.0.
• Removed the start-up scripts, just double-click the jar file to start the game.
• Tweaked the frequency of enemy wave appearance.
• Tweaked some achievements; Once missiles are unlocked, player gets them at the start of game.
• Player now starts with Weapon and Thruster re-charge at medium and shields at full power
• Added a noice starfield effect.

Hnnggghh! Now I know what giving birth feels like. Goldwingu 2: Episode 1; Means to End v.0.14 [3.49MB] is out!

Download it, read the Release Notes if you want to know whats new, or better yet, play it yourself. And remember to give mom a call on Sunday.

I’ve set the date for the first Alpha Release Candidate 1 for Goldwingu: 10th of May.  I’m really getting close to the point where I just need feedback from outside my brain to get forward. Before that I’ll need:

1. Video of the gameplay.
2. At least 5 (preferably more) different enemies, with different movement, attacks and other qualities.
3. A few, good, meaningful achievements.
4. Some polish to the GUI.
5. I still need to tweak the Campaign-mode a bit. The pace needs to be slower. Capability to build ships should be more expensive (i.e. it would require a big-ass ship yard, but once you have one, ships should be easy to build).

That’s the bare minimum. I’ve got a week to go. Do you think I can make it?

Creeping toward non-triviality, one release at a time. Treat yourself to Goldwingu 2: Episode 1; Means to End v.0.13 [3.46MB] right nao!

In this version (among other things, see Release Notes for more):

1. Changes to assets:
   1. Assets file and graphics have been moved to its own directory.
   2. The logic that controls enemy movements are now read from Assets file (under section BRAINS)
2. Support for global (as opposed to the medals, which are game instance spesific) achievements, with one achievement implemented (visiting all [both] stellar locations in the Campaign mode. Unlocks missiles).
3. Added two resources that are both needed for building fleets.
4. Some changes to the heuristics.
5. Production isn’t nulled after successfull invasion, just decreased.

In Goldwingus campaign mode I’ve been interested in combining the arcade component of the game with having a broader meaning to it than just advancing from level to level. So far this combinement leaves a lot to be desired.

Currently the heuristics for the different players is to just attack the planets with the weakest fleets of all of the players. This is pretty straightforward and transparent and also it means that once any one player gets an upper-hand, it will almost definetely win too. The problem with this is that players choices aren’t that meaningful. A planet is a planet is a planet.

So, I’ve wanted to add something to the game to make different planets more interesting pursuits and make the strength of the fleet in orbit less deciding factor for the player. Let’s take an example. Enemy planet A currently has strong enough fleet in orbit that doesn’t allow attacking with our fleet, but it does have is some resource that the player needs. In this situation the player can make a meaningful difference within the campaign, risking his life to get those high-value targets.

I have been thinking over several things to differentiate the planets with in value:

1. You could have different building resources that all are needed for building various things.
2. Fleets needing fuel to move and having fuel deposits of different sizes on planets.
3. Making movement between planets possible only through set paths, making some planets important because of their connections.
4. Building and restoring production capacity would be more expensive (in relation to building fleets) and conquering planets would always save some of it.
5. Planets having different levels of ‘habitability’ i.e. how much production they can actually house.

I have been thinking of going with all of these except from #3. You’ll see the results at the end of the week.

I suppose its that time of the fortnight already: Goldwingu 2: Episode 1; Means to End v.0.12 [3.46MB] is released!
In this version:

1. Two new weapon types for enemy; homing missiles and laser!
2. Changes to the Tactical Display:
   1. Added a radar to show approaching enemies
   2. Added pop-up notifications to the side of the screen to display incidental info.
3. Something of an overhaul in Campaign mode and the way the heuristics are applied. Every player has target planets that its fleets will go after, makin the fleets less individuals and hopefully making their movements a bit less erratic.
4. You can now quit a level by pushing Escape two times, once to prime the hyperspace jump engines and a second time to actually start the countdown to the jump.
5. And most importantly: added a bit of sparkle to the explosions.