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[LtFEED]

Howdy!
My name is John Grisnik, I am the lead developer at Platoon Studios. We are a very small indie development company based in Redding, California, USA. We specialize in PC and laptop games for Windows (and eventually SteamBox). Our game, Bionite: Origins has just gone into BETA and we're finally confident enough to release it to the public. To say the least, the game was extremely difficult to develop and took over 5 years to get to BETA.

Bionite: Origins is a unique hover-tank based game that blends FPS and RTS elements in a Battlezone-type style. Players command units to construct bases and defend them in first or third person view. An additional satellite view (RTS) is used to command team defenses against attacking enemy, execute complex attacks on enemy assets, and deploy turrets to defend team assets. Tanks and vehicles are grouped into formations and squads to capture resources from the enemy. With missions on several planets, the goal is to destroy the enemy bases. Players need to manage critical resources such as BioOre and electricity successfully in order to triumph in battle.
   
Backstory Summary
BIONITE: Origins is the first in a series of games set in the future of mankind. The mysterious element called “Bionite” is accidentally found on Venus by a crew of prospectors looking for deposits of Helium3. They soon learn that Bionite has a very unique quality that has laid dormant for thousands of years. In order to extract the Bionite a massive mining operation is built on Venus. As the result of a minor disagreement with the military, a group of scientists are banished from Earth and form their own faction dedicated to stopping the military. Because of its nefarious uses by the military and the spread of mining facilities throughout the galaxy, the Rebel Faction has dedicated itself to stopping all Bionite production. Players can participate in battles on the Military Side (IMI) or for the Rebel Faction. Sniping an enemy vehicle for infiltrating the enemy base is a great way to launch a sneak attack…

Key Game Features:

-Command Battles on Multiple Worlds
-23 Vehicles and Units to Build and Command
-Customizable Weapons Loadouts
-Complex Wingman Command System
-Customizable Vehicles
-Customizable Wingman Attack and Defensive Patterns
-Construct Bases with Defensive Perimeters
-Form Complex Attacks on the Enemy with Customizable Squads
-Player Ranking System
-Strategic Resource Management of BioOre and Electricity

What We Are Working On:

-Multiplayer Version with up to 32 vs 32 on one map
-Release on Steam in Early 2016
-More Weapons and Vehicles
-Many More Maps
-Turn Based Missions
-Moddable Content
-Organizing LAN Gaming Center Tournaments
-Expanding the Vehicle Module System

Box Art:

Vehicles and Buildings:

Screens:




HUD Diagram:


I wrote the code for the game, made the HUD and Front End in Flash (which was a complete bitch to do), did all the assembly, made most of the static models, all the skeletal mesh rigging, most of the texturing, just about everything. I have a ton of experience with Unreal Engine, and finishing games, please ask questions if you have any, THANKS!

[LtFEED]

If you like games that require a manual to play, here is the link to ours:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4knU4_98Er3VktTenBUbnNWSDA/view?usp=sharing
its about 30 pages.

also we have a series of run through videos explaining how to play:

[LtFEED]

We just our Steam Release Date for: 11/05/15 06:00 PDT

[TimeSlip]

Nice! Looks great. Played Battlezone when it first came out. Really enjoyed it, and haven't really encountered its like since. The world needs a game along similar lines, will be keeping an eye on it. Good luck with getting it over the line : )

[LtFEED]

Thanks TimeSlip!

The worlds needs a new version of BattleZone 

[LtFEED]

Just before sending the game to Steam, we decided to redo the vehicle cockpits. We are adding most of the RTS elements to the vehicle dash, so when the pilot is in first person (inside the vehicle), they see the command screen, power meter, scrap meter, wingman status icons, and the vehicle status readout on the dash, rather than on the HUD. Pending the final round of tests, the Single Player version will be on Steam by the end of this month (November, 2015).

Here are two screens and a video of the Bayonet in action:





720 Utube Vid:

[Malefactor]

Ive been following on FB.  The release date came and went. When will you be releasing on Steam?

[LtFEED]

The release date is any day now we decided to hold off on the release until we had the new vehicle interiors ready.  Many people in the community asked us to make the vehicle interiors look better. We thought they needed work also and decided at the last minute to redo the dash boards. We will not be adding any more features until after the steam release at the end of this month.  Once we have released on steam we will be working on the new Europa Maps (eg The Water Mine Mission), the multiplayer version, adding the Factory for custom vehicles, and expanding the weapons list.

[Malefactor]

Outstanding, Good luck.   

[LtFEED]

Thanks Malefactor

[LtFEED]

We sent the game to Steam yesterday.  

Once it gets through the review que, it will be posted on Early Access, sometime this week.
We did alot of debugging and upgraded the vehicle interiors to make it Steam-worthy.

For anyone that is tired of the same old thing done to death, you need to try this game.

Bionite is the premier action-strategy game based on the original Battlezone style FPS/RTS hybrid.

The SinglePlayer is now available with 3 maps to get everyone started.
Multiplayer Strategy and Coop against the computer are currently in development.

IF YOUR TIRED OF THE REDONE SHOOTERS OR BORING RTS GAMES - GIVE BIONITE A CHANCE TO SHOW YOU THAT THE HYBRIDS ARE ACTUALLY THE MOST FUN GAMES TO PLAY.

Bionite takes the RTS elements to the extreme and allows for the FIRST PERSON SHOOTER experience while commanding your wingmen and building bases.

We do not recommend this game to people with short attention spans or just want the 'run and gun' experience. There are a million other games that look better than Bionite, but dont require any thought or strategy to play.

Our computer AI will definitely challenge players to THINK about how to win.

Once our Multiplayer version is available on Steam, we will be tracking leaders using a ranking and points system. Get the singleplayer version now and prepare to play your friends in Multiplayer!

Please post questions or comments if you have any, THANKS!
  

[LtFEED]

Here is a new game play video of the BIODOME 24 map on Mars. We recently launched on Steam, fixed alot of bugs, and are currently working on our next update. We are working on two new maps, the "Water Mine" on Europa and the "Bucket Wheel Extractor" (working title) on the volcanic side of Venus. We have the wingman command system and the resource management system set up to play in skirmish mode against the computer. The game is currently in Early Access on Steam, with the Multiplayer version being developed for our Full Release.





Stay in touch and help us with your comments on our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Bioniteorigins/

Steam Discussion Page:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/414770?beta=0

Or get the news about the game on our website:
www.bionitegame.com

[LtFEED]

Got a new Game Play video using ShadowPlay. This one is of the Hadley's Hope mission on the Moon. It features the Lynx Tank:
www.bionitegame.com
www.facebook.com/bioniteorigins

[TimeSlip]

Wow, latest video looks really neat. Can I ask about what single player content there currently is, and what there will be in the final release?

[LtFEED]

Thanks TimeSlip!

We currently have our first 3 Skirmish Mode Singleplayer Maps available on Steam. These first three maps are Trainer Missions for people to learn the command system and how to build bases. Players can build extensive bases, multiple vehicles and attack the enemy using coordinated attacks. The wingmen vehicles are fully commandable to set up defensive perimeters or attack the enemy base. We used the Battlezone Style command system as a basis for our game.

We are currently working on the campaign missions and Multiplayer Mode (both team strategy and coop Skirmish Mode). There are many new vehicles, buildings and maps currently in the development pipeline, that will be rolled out over the next several months. Once we have the Multiplayer Mode working we will move into the Full Version on Steam. Here is an example on just one of the new utility vehicles we are working on now:

The Fueler. Still is a WIP (needs a finished surface) but you can see the animations and how it deploys. This utility vehicle will be for off-base refueling and vehicle repairs.

[LtFEED]

Hey Guys, Just want to let you know we finally got the game into beta and released it in the full store on Steam! Hotshot and I really, really appreciate the support from this community for our game Bionite. Please check out the new singleplayer missions and multiplayer maps. The singleplayer missions include trainers for how to learn the command system and introduce the backstory about Bionite and Spectralite. The multiplayer missions are full blown BZ-style strategy maps with Commanders and pilots, 1 vs 1 or up to 8 pilots per team! Here is the new Trailer for the Beta release: