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[karamazovapy]

I am in love with this game.  It's like multiplayer Asteroids with a stack of cool weapons, defensive modules, and game types.  Best of all, it takes a huge open-ended approach with a built-in level editor and Lua scripting support for AI bots and dynamically generated levels.  Available for free for Windows, OS X, and Linux.  I recommend using a dual analogue stick!

GAMEPLAY VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

In Game:


A look at the editor:


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SOURCE

FORUMS

Any ideas on how to make the game better or more appealing for new players?  General feedback?

[baconman]

Gonna tinker with it awhile and see what I come up with. The concept looks rad as hell though. Rock on.

[karamazovapy]

The community right now is painfully tiny, so don't be surprised if the servers are empty.  I recommend kServ.bots as a demonstration of what can be done with the basic game mechanics.  The level change password (for now) is 'tigforums'.  Thank you for looking!

[watusimoto]

I was on yesterday, and there were lots of players.  It was pretty cool!

[Average Software]

Oh dear, they've found me.

I used to be the Mac mantainer for this.  How's it going?

[karamazovapy]

We've got multiple developers doing really great work these days, but we want more players!  Download!  Test!  Play!  Feedback!

[Tanner]

I remember Zap! That was a fun game.

[karamazovapy]

Sadly, the developers abandoned it while there were still bugs everywhere.  A hard core of the community stuck around and kept playing until a new developer came along and saw the potential it had.  Under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Bitfighter was born.  There have been massive additions and fixes.  The editor is now incredibly user friendly and more powerful than ever.  Users can write scripts to dynamically generate levels or code their own bots.  Bot navigation meshes are automatically generated when levels load, making user bots a level of magnitude better than the Zap! line-of-sight bots could ever be.  An Armor module has been added.  Sensor has been expanded to allow the new Spy Bugs to be placed like mines and pass information to the team's command view.  Further, shots fired can been seen on command view when sensor is equipped.  Level designers can specify auto regeneration timers for turrets and force field projectors, making maps more interactive and less stale.  Team-colored flags can only be moved by team members in Zone Control and Retrieve game types, adding a whole new element to their level design arsenals.  A HOSTILE team has been added to the game, whose turrets attack all players and whose force field projectors block progress for everyone in the game.

I could go on and on, talking about the improved administrative commands, fixes to hosting games, all the fantastic .ini customizations that are available to personalize the experience...but really, you just need to try it for yourself.  Once upon a time, this was just Zap! with a few of the bugs fixed.  Now it is its own game and a project under active development in its own right.  It really is incredible.

[BattleBeard]

 This is SO fun. Yes, I shall be a regular member for a few days, probably.

[karamazovapy]

Glad you like it!  Does anyone have any specific feedback?  How can we make this game more accessible to new players?

[BattleBeard]

 Seems fine to me--maybe have a unskippable tutorial level first time playing?

[karamazovapy]

For a while, we had a Bitfighter Tutorial server up that hosted a level full of instructions and explanations.  Would something like that be helpful, or just skipped over?  Do you think we need to integrate a tutorial into the client?  I think the help/instructions pages we have are good, but I don't know how many people bother to scroll through them all.

[Zoomber (_ks sidekick)]

Oh dear, they've found me.

I used to be the Mac mantainer for this.  How's it going?

Super.

You should take a look at the source right now. We've really worked on the mac project since.

(although latest code might not work on mac yet, haven't gotten to making it up to date, so try branch 15a)

[watusimoto]

I'll second that.  We replaced ALUT on the Mac client and all the crashing issues disappeared.  Things have been really stable ever since.  I will also add that I feel you did a great job getting the Mac client on the right track, and creating a good foundation for all the work that has gone on subsequently.

I'd say things are going better than ever at this point.

[karamazovapy]

If you're looking for a chance to test this out with a ton of people, there's a big game event coming up Friday night, September 9th, 8:00 pm - Midnight Eastern US Time.

We often get 20-30 people playing at a time, and it's a great way to see how the game works with a large number of players and huge teams.

Also, there are prizes.

Click here for more information.

(edit:)
We could really use feedback about how the game functions with large numbers, since we don't often have the players for really big games.  However!  We've been picked as one of reddit's playdate games of the week!  It should be a good opportunity to test the game with a larger crowd and let us know how you feel it functions with a higher capacity.

If we get lucky enough...
Does the game "work" with 20 people per team?
Do we need to adjust the rules for really big games?
Do level designers need to consider different variables for crowds?
Should we start to enforce player caps when a server hits a certain player load?

There are lots of questions to address, and experienced opinions would be highly valued!

[kidchameleon]

Nice game, nobody online to kill though 

[Zoomber (_ks sidekick)]

we tend to have groups of players at all different times. I usually find players in the early after noon, (i live in pacific timing), but most players are asleep by nighttime.

[karamazovapy]

There will be a community-wide event Friday, November 4th.  If you can download a copy of the game and test how it holds up with a lot of players, we would really appreciate it!

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