Capital Command
Dev Update - June 2022
Still, there's progress.
I've removed the little radar display and it feels like the right call. It wasn't really useable in its previous form, there were just too many things crammed on top of each other.
The two indicators that replaced the radar are far more useable. The nav indicator now also has a lateral/antilateral velocity marker that indicate the direction 90 degrees off the current velocity. This is the most effective direction of thrust in order to turn, so I thought it's worth displaying. Feels useful in-game, and by definition it never overlaps with the velocity markers, so I think I'll leave it in, see how it goes.
I'm liking the warning indicator even more, and have been adding a few bells and whistles to it recently (an alarm sound when you've got incoming, some animations when new stuff appears etc). No more getting hit by surprise because you were looking at something else!
And, while I was at it, I redid the point-defense targeting logic. Had to be done anyway for the warning display to work correctly. It's not immediately visible in-game, but the new architecture is better optimized and works better too, so that's cool.
Tuned the ships a bit to make engine burns occur more often. It feels kind of bad to want to change course only to realize you've got to wait a couple minutes for the engines to recharge.
For the future, I've got a big gameplay addition planned and I'm pretty excited about it, to be honest. EMP pulses scramble ordnance in a wide area, and may even knock out enemy ships! Stay tuned for more.
Thanks for reading, fly safe
The dev
Hooded Horse to publish Capital Command
Capital Command can be wishlisted below:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490930/
The trailers for Capital Command and the other games featured in the showcase can be found at the Hooded Horse Publisher Page on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/HoodedHorse
Demo Going Offline Soon
Here's why and for how long.
Capital Command is still a work in progress. After last year's Next Fest, I've been able to use player feedback to make significant improvements, and it's not done yet.
Over the last few months, I've started an even bigger round of changes to the game's combat simulation gameplay. These design changes were based both on player feedback, and on my own experience playing and testing the game. They are mostly to do with the controls and UI, as well as making gameplay deeper and more satisfying for advanced players. I want a game that's as easy as possible to pick up and play, but that stays just as interesting after 100 hours, as it is when you're just starting. Sounds doable.
It's actually coming along nicely. Definitely not done yet, might still take a while, but I feel good about what I've changed. So why am I taking down the demo?
Mostly, because it's no longer a good indicator of what the actual game is like. Capital Command isn't a different game, but the experience of playing is, I hope, much improved. I don't want people to play the demo and come away thinking that it's a nice idea, but too difficult to actually play.
I do intend to make the demo available again, when I'm happy with the state of the combat simulation and UX. Not when I think it's perfect (it never is) but when I think it's fun to play and doesn't make the complicated task of flying a space battleship even harder than it has to be.
I'll provide more updates when I have more definite info. Until then, thank you very much for your continuing patience and interest in the game.
The dev
Demo Update - Version 2021.11.18.1
Bug fixes and tuning, preparing for the first closed beta.
It's been a while since the last update, and this one brings a number of fixes and small improvements but no major additions.
Most of the time has been spent working on the campaign, and progress has been slower than anticipated. The basic campaign design has gone through a few drastic changes, but I'm glad to say it's mostly stabilized and should be going smoother from now on. Or so I hope.
I'll be running a closed beta soon, where you'll get a taste for some real battles that you might encounter during the campaign. Won't be long now.
Thank you for your patience
The dev
Demo Update - Version 2021.08.19.1
Fixed prologue scripting bug. A few more small fixes and polish.
Capital Command's prologue has been broken since last build. Sorry! I think it's fixed now, the mission should work fine.
Aside from that, just some small improvements, nothing really spectacular.
The prologue is now mostly in maintenance mode. Most of my time is spent working on the game's campaign, but I'm not planning to add that to the playable demo. Instead, I'll be running a closed beta when the campaign is nearing a decent state. Hopefully that won't be later than september 2021, but no promises.
That's all for now, fly safe
The dev
Demo Update - Version 2021.08.02.1
Sounds, primarily; also, fixes and polish.
At long last, Capital Command has sound.
It turns out, my decision not to rush sounds in time for the summer Next Fest wasn't completely wrong. It took a lot of work to get sounds working even passably, and there's lots of room for further improvements and polish in this department. Still, I think this is good enough for now.
There's a twist you should be aware of.
Since I'm aiming for immersion and believability, you'll only be hearing sounds that the captain of your ship would be hearing on his command bridge.
So you'll hear your UI, as its various parts and systems provide aural warnings and feedback. You'll also hear your weapons fire, your thrusters and boosters as they burn, damaged subsystems, and of course enemy weapons as they strike your hull.
But you won't be hearing anything from other ships, because sound doesn't travel in vacuum! This might sound off-putting, but give it a try. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Other than that, minor fixes, tuning and polish, mostly (but not all) for the game's UI.
Now, the plan is to really start working on the campaign. Sounds and the prologue took way more time than I'd anticipated, so I've fallen way behind schedule.
So I'm pushing back the release date. If all goes well, Capital Command will release in november 2021.
Thanks for reading, and fly safe
The dev
Demo Update - Version 2021.06.19.1
Faster ships. A few fixes. Yet again, no sound.
In direct response to player feedback, I've buffed propulsion on all ships in the prologue. They haven't suddenly become fighters, but they hold more delta V, and recharge it faster. Maneuvering thrusters have also been buffed, resulting in faster turning and linear thrust.
This should provide a decent boost to overall maneuverability, hopefully without breaking anything. Let me know how it goes.
Other than that, a few more fixes, nothing very spectacular.
Hope you like it
The dev
Demo Update - Version 2021.06.18.1
More auto-nav modes, fewer auto-nav bugs. Still no sound.
The auto-nav UI rework seems to be working well enough, so of course I've started to change it. Two more buttons are now present.
TURN TO DIRECTION makes the ship's nose point in the direction of the camera. It's a small thing, but can be useful on occasion.
JUMP TO OBJECT is more complex. It can only be used if the ship's jump drive is operational and charged, and if you have selected something. When activated, it brings the ship to local stop, and then locks in a jump to the object's current position. But if the object is moving (relative to the local frame of reference) then the jump will take you a certain distance in front of it - currently, about a minute's worth, depending on your ship.
Aside from the two new auto-nav modes, I've also gone bug-hunting in the navigation code, and can now report that the auto-nav is flying drunkenly much less often.
That's all for now, fly safe
The dev