Impulse: Space Combat
Development Update
Thank you for your interest in my first game! I have learned so much about game development and the Steam process while developing this product. Unfortunately this update may come as a dissapointment to many of you, as I have decided to stop production on this title. I feel like I accomplished most of what I set out to do with this game and certainly gained the skills necessary to move on to a new project.
With college having just started for me a couple months ago my time has been limited and I have to decide on what I will allocate my free time towards. I hope you all understand that I am only one person and cannot realistically develop a new game while updating and improving an old one.
One of the difficult things about updating this game is just how old it is. This was the first game I ever created on this scale and these were the first 3D models I put together. With all that I know now, going back and working on this game is like putting a brand new graphics card into a computer from 2000. The skill level I have now far surpasses what I made back then both in terms of programming ability and 3D modeling techniques.
So having said that, I hope you all can enjoy Impulse in its current state and know that its permanent hibernation is for a good cause. I am not done developing games by any means. You have not seen the last of me!
Thank you again for your support,
Matthew
Update 0.8.5.9 Released, General Fixes and Improvements (Important)
It's good to be back! I finally found some time to get this update rolling and here it is. This update is minor and does not include any real content however it is very important in the grand scheme of things as I will explain later in this post.
Major changes
- Added a new notification system, currently in use in survival mode
- Added a reinforcement system (using warp speed)
- Added a basic third person mode (N)
- Added music to all three gamemodes
- Added a basic story to survival mode (nothing serious for now, just to show off the notification system)
Minor changes
- Fixed building menu look rotation
- Increased mining and ammo refill rate
- Added red light and sparks on death
- New framerate independent movement, rotation and mining rate (see below for more details)
As you can see this update includes some fixes many people have told me about and foreshadows some future content. One of the very important parts of this update is the frame rate independance. This will make a huge difference for those on lower end machines as movement will not change depending on your frame rate (movement becomes slower and looking becomes faster and less controllable without this). Also, mining is no longer linked to frame rate meaning that it will be the same rate for everyone. No more slow mining on low end machines.
If you find any bugs please let me know and I hope you guys enjoy this, happy frame rate independance day!
P.S. With this update out of the way my plans for the next big content update will soon be revealed. I have more done than you think ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
News Update
While school has been hectic and time consuming as usual, I have been finding some time to work on the next updates. So far I have fixed some bugs and incovieniences you guys have made me aware of (like ship movement while building).
I have also been planning out the new content that will arrive within the coming weeks. Included will be some new player death animations and effects, reinforcements that warp in via hyperdrive (or some equivalent tech), a notification system that can give the player info in the form of text boxes, and a basic story / intro to survival mode.
I feel like survival mode needs more of a purpose and context, especially seeing as I will be adding major improvements and content to it in the future.
After this update going forward will be major content additions like new ships, systems, and weapons, so get hyped! ːsteamhappyː
Thanks,
Matthew
Important News
Unfortuneately, this new update will be much delayed as this summer has been very busy for me. With school starting next week (senior in high school), my spare time will be limited even more than it is now. Do not fret however, this game is still something I look forward to developing and am constantly having new ideas for the future.
In addition, I have been approved for a discount so starting tomorrow the game will be on a 25% sale for a week!
Thanks,
Matthew
0.8.5.1 Update Released, New Cockpit interior
This update focuses primarily on the total redesign of the fighter interior for a much better user experience, and fancier graphics. These graphical enhancements also come with new targeting and navigational features that will make playing the game much more enjoyable. Here is the full changelog for more details:
Major changes
- Completely remade the cockpit interior
- Added display screens for all gameplay related UI elements
- Added targeting system, distance and target direction
- Added marker around the selected target for added visibility
- Added minimap display
Minor changes
- Improved Corvette explosion animation
- Added asteroid explosions when mined fully
- Improved Corvette turret systems
- Improved shadow quality for the cockpit
- Bugfixing
For this update make sure to revisit the tutorial, and check the manual for further expainations of the new gameplay features.
Before and after of the fighter interior:
v0.8.4 Corvette and Ship Destruction update released
Today I have released the much awaited Corvette class ship into the editor, along with a new ship destruction feature to make battles more chaotic and viseral.
Here is the full changelog for the update:
Major changes
- Added corvette class ship to the level editor
- Added a new explosion effect for destroyed ships
- Added a cell fracturing effect for destroyed ships
- Created a new type of ship AI for much larger ships with turrets (currently in use on the corvette)
- Added a new ship turret system, much more efficient than the old one used on minelayer turrets
- Added a cascading explosion system to handle destruction of larger ships (in use on the corvette)
Minor changes
- Graphics tweaks
- Small AI tweaks to accomodate encountering much larger ships
- General bugfixing
Important News
I will be out of town on vacation for the next two weeks. This means of course I will be away from my computer and unable to work on the game. When I return development will continue but for now It will be on hold, I hope you all understand.
In other news, I have been working hard on bugfixes and a new ship class, the Corvette. This will most likely come in the next update (two weeks from now). Here is a little preview of the Corvette for those interested!
Update 0.8.2 Released
Major changes
- Added advanced bloom shader
- Created a new trailer to reflect graphical changes
Minor changes
- Bugfixes
- Small color adjustments
- Small tweaks to make the bloom effects more pronounced
Note:
Although I mentioned a trailer, this is currently not visible because Steamworks is giving me trouble ːsteamfacepalmː. This should be fixed soon. You can view the trailer here if you just can't wait.
Update 0.8 Released, The Level Editor
Major changes:
- Added first version of the level editor
- Added enemy versions of the double and flak turrets
- Optimized and cleaned up the code for future updates
Minor changes:
- Added a subtle blue backlight to the game
- Bugfixes
- Small balancing tweaks
With these additions I have also completed a new ship class, the heavy fighter, but It was causing unexpected crashing problems (something to do with the model) so I am delaying that for the next update.
Level Editor near completion
In the past few weeks I have been working on a new level editor/sandbox mode. This mode is fairly simple but is a blast to play around in. You can spawn each type of unit for both sides and create your own asteroid field. In the future I will implement workshop support to facilitate the sharing of levels.
Expect the release of the editor next week (still have some testing to do ːsteamhappyː)
