After 3 long years, my hobby game project is almost done. Looking for any and all feedback!

So 3 years ago, I decided to take my skills as a professional software developer, and avid board/video game player, and make the game I always wanted. It's a 4-player strategy game that takes place in a sci-fi setting that mixes the deep strategy of board games with the awesome visual simulation that video games offer.. and it has online multiplayer! You can play by yourself against AI opponents, or join some friends in a free-for-all or human vs AI battle for the galaxy.


This started as a "passion project" and I think that's one of the things that will help make this game stand out in the competitive world of strategy games. It offers a new experience to players in the genre due to its disdain for strict rule sets and the balance towards faster games. You can play an entire game in 50-75 minutes, or set the victory conditions to any one of the longer variants that can last really as long as you want them to.


And what I mean when I say "disdain" for strict rule sets.. there are tons of events in this game that fundamentally alter how the game plays based on players choices. Politics and diplomacy are at the forefront of the games design, and the outcome of these political agendas can gimp construction of space fleets, lock down a planet from being conquered, create uprisings, the list goes on. Any of the games mechanics can, and will, be fundamentally altered throughout the game to create a unique experience every time you play.


There is a ton more I can talk about, but if you're interested in seeing some of the general gameplay, check out this preview video I made. Thanks for reading!

 

Online Multiplayer and why we felt it was a critical part of Falling Stars


Most people are reminded more of the huge issues that online multiplayer brings to a 4x game rather than what it adds. There's a good reason for this. 4x games are balanced towards solitary play (if they're balanced at all), they require a lot of time to manage your empire and each turn can take up to an hour to finish, if not more depending on the game and the player. Micro level games, where you are in charge of production for each system, or even each planet, are simply not geared towards fluid multiplayer games.


Even ruling out turn-based games, RTS or pausable RTS have the same problems. Most of the games require you to either stop the game in order to decide on what you want to do (which would be horrible in a multiplayer setting). If they don't require that, they are just so darn long that 100 turns would take weeks or months to finish with another player. That kind of commitment is not reasonable to expect.


So, why did we decide to have multiplayer in spite of these hurdles? Because the game was balanced to have the features of a contemporary video game, while also relying on the type of macro strategy and back stabbing that makes board games so enjoyable to play in one sitting. While I have personally been inspired by MoO and SoaSE, this is not the exact same type of game as those. You play a commander who makes 5-10 major command decisions per turn, which can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, and each of which carries a huge impact and rewarding gameplay. All games I've played have required careful set up and strategic decisions in order to block another player, or make a huge play. I'm not spending tons of time reading through long tech trees, or checking up on every planets production, or even setting up governors. I'm planning how I can overthrow the leader of the galactic council, or flank the strongest military thread! These are BIG decisions that don't require dozens of turns to plan, it all happens fast.


Ok, so that being said, how long does a typical game last? I've mentioned this before, and the only real limiting factor is how many AI opponents you have. A 4 player game against other human players will take 60-75 minutes, whereas a single player game against AI can be over 45-60 minutes. An hour seems to be about as long as most people can allot from their day, and we've tried to stay true to that.


Now, what about those players who want a game they can drag on, and come back to later? There are multiple victory conditions you can choose from, some much longer than others. What I referenced above is our "vanilla" ruleset, which is what the game is balanced towards. This is a 20 victory point game where you gain VPs from technology advancement, battle, politics, and other in-game missions. But if you just want a total extermination variant, or a larger galaxy with more victory points, these are totally configurable, so never fear!


Alright that's my spiel on multiplayer, I'll get back to the tactical actions next time!

 

You need a better trailer video imho to get people excited about the game. I like strategy games and still found that gameplay video to be a yawnfest.

 

Yeah I know what you mean, we do have an actual trailer. It's kind of 50/50 what people like to see.

Haha, if he's anything like my teenage brother-in-law, then that's about as articulate as it gets!!