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[OratorGames]

Hello,
We would like to get some feedback on our latest project "Blue Libra" (http://orator-games.com/index.php/games/blue-libra/). We will post updates in the future showing changes and asking if you like them or not .
Let's start with a promo screen and quick description.



Blue Libra is a space strategy game featuring neon art style and simple, easy to use interface. Game will be multiplatform, including iPad.
We would appreciate feedback regarding the art style and gameplay [based on what can be seen on screens and short description at the end of this post].







The three screens above depict the general feel and menu layout.
The following screen shows battle and that's where we could use feedback the most.


Original screens with better quality http://orator-games.com/index.php/games/blue-libra/blue-libra-screenshots/

Its a work in progress, we will change ships graphics and add more stuff like asteroids or nebulas.
How do you like ship sizes? Small dots are fighters. Round blue shape is an explosion animation, looks more natural in game than on a screenshot. Large blue thing is the main ship (graphics will change for it to look more like in the promo screen). There will be ships with sizes in between of those two.

How do you like neon art style next to realistic style for planets?

As for gameplay: We hope to cover the entire battle in just one screen (1024x768 ipads resolution) to avoid scrolling as much as possible, although we will probably introduce larger levels too for the sake of variety.

Battle is inspired a bit by an old Amiga game Deuteros. Although battles in Deuteros were automatic in Blue Libra you will have general control over fleets. With exception of capital ships, player wont have control over individual ships however but only over their groups. He will be able to split or merge fleets and the tactical part of the game lays in combining ships so that they operate best together as each of them has some special features. Some deal more damage to shields, other to armour, there is area damage and aiming at more than one target at the same time etc. Ships are classified into small, medium and large ones, and some of them deal more or less damage to other classes. Destroyers for example will deal more damage to small fighters than to large battleships.

Player can capture planets and space stations which will serve as supply bases (increasing total number of available ships) and production facilities. After each mission player has access to upgrade screen for ships/fleets.

This is not a complex strategy game. We like to keep the gameplay relatively fast and simple.

Its a commercial project by a tiny indie studio. Final price will not be high. iPad version will be sold probably for 2-3$.
So, please share your opinion. Would you like this type of game? What would you like improved?

[Mikademus]

The splash and main menu screen are spot one. Good and suitable graphic style. The planet selection screen suffers from the thick, straight lines. Perhaps thin, dotted or pulsating lines would work better? Also, the planets are all rimmed with a white gradient that is distracting, quite misplaced and perhaps unrealistic.

Because there are too few things--are there even ships there?--it is almost impossible to say anything about the battle screen except for that the same problem with the planets' light hazy halo is even more manifest against this backdrop.

[sabajt]

the neon graphics look great to me.  i can imagine this looking really sharp in a dark room beaming out from an ipad.  

concerning the battle screen: if the game itself is engaging, the smallness is something i could get used to (and it still looks pretty sharp on the larger picture from your site)... but it would be very nice to have a zoom - or at least an option to switch to a close up view.  for some people, the battles will be the most important part of the game, so being able to show more detail there would be a big plus.  even the menus are extrememly detailed, so it would seem a shame not to put more effort into the battles.  you mention that you want to keep it 1 screen to scroll as little as possible.  is there huge technical overhead for scrolling or supporting closer views in your game?  if not, i would encourage looking into it.

good luck with developement, looks to be shaping up nicely so far!


--- edit ---

just read the comment above and i agree with what mikademus said about the planet screen.  compared to the sharpness of the other graphics, it needs some improvement.

[OratorGames]

Thanks for comments.
Scrolling is and works, we have it ready for bigger maps (which we yet want to see if they are fun or not). Zooming... well, technically it's possible, but we are using sprites for almost everything. We would need to make bigger assets. Otherwise zooming in would only pixelate things.
But we really appreciate your input, we'll try to deal with this.