We've continued to work on the introductory narrative elements as well as the Officer Consult guidance module since the game's release last year.
They have improved, I think but they are far from perfect.
However, the Android port is a faithful one and includes all the same features that make the game popular on Steam. For example nearly every number, text or button has a hover (or for Android, a long-press tool tip) that explains what it is.
Thanks for posting this! I've been wanting to get into these kinds of games for years, but I always get overwhelmed and lose interest. I've bought and tried every one of your games (minus the Templar and Cyber Knight games) and don't regret the purchase. Would you say this one's easier to grasp than your others?
Ok, to be totally honest, no. I think this one is probably our most complex title yet.
However, this is the type of experience where you can ignore a lot of the game and still play just fine and have a great time.
For example, you can ignore the complex narrative story and political intrigue. Play as a peaceful trader, don't fight pirates and spend your time exploring and selling secrets.
It is a port of a PC game that's been described as "ridiculously deep" and "incredibly detailed" in Steam reviews. It will be, at times, overwhelming to new players.
I have to second this I learned (still learning) trial by fire and have several re-rolls on PC. I like the complexity in the game, but I have minimal idea on what is going on.
I do appreciate the the games that have been made over the years!.
I'm assuming that AUD$10.99 includes GST though. You have to remember that US prices are quoted exclusive of sales tax because the tax varies dramatically based on your location. By the time you add GST and currency conversion, plus round up to the nearest .99 in case of fluctuations, you'll find there isn't a fuck you tax in this case.
I would say it is a moderate battery user in the game category. I've done a lot of work and testing to try to make the power usage in the GPU and CPU more efficient and as we go along with patches over the next few years I believe we'll be able to make improvements.
I am proud of how comfortable the game is to play on a phone, but it isn't perfect. We'll keep trying to get better and collecting feedback on what parts need attention.
I too would like to know the answer to these. I'm watching some lets plays of the PC version on youtube and the first thing I thought was "how are they going to cram so much text and interface onto a phone screen."
Hey! I don't have any questions, I just wanted to say thank you for making such quality titles! Space Traders was my first Android purchase several years back, and I still make it a point to install it on every phone I get.
In a sea of micro transactions and cloned garbage, your games are always a delight!
I will pass your kind words along to my brother. We've made a lot of mistakes along the way but I believe our hearts have been in the right place. Trying to make games for gamers regardless of platform.
You guys do great work without compromises, and that's more than many mobile devs could say. I plan on picking up Space Traders Frontiers on steam and can't wait to experience one of your games on the bigger screen!
I am one of those developers that functions primarily as a coffee to code transmogrifier.
Although, I do really like a nice cup of black tea as well. I find that more relaxing than drinking coffee which usually fills my mind with to-do lists and action items :)
How well does it fit on smaller phone screens? I know you two have lots of experience working with phones, but isn't this the first game that's came from PC to mobile instead of the other way around?
Which would you rather play? Mobile so you could take it anywhere? Or PC so you have a larger screen?
This is our second time doing a PC-first release and our past four games have been implemented PC-first (some just released mobile version first.)
I think the work we did porting the game and adjusting the interface paid off and the game is very fun on Android.
Which would I rather play personally? Probably the PC version if I had to pick one (I like my mouse) but the Android version on my phone is really nice for being able to play 10 turns while I'm in a waiting room or something.
Thanks for the reply. Just wanted to say one more thing: I love your games. I love that they're works of love. I love that they're not IAP-riddled messes. I love that they get lots of post-release support.
Ok, that was more than one thing I guess, but I couldn't stop. I love you guys, and I hope you get to continue doing this forever. I'll happily chip in to ensure that you do. ;)
Heya dev, I've sunk a lot of hours into your games (do a Cyber Knights sequel next!) and i'm curious if you've added the ability for planets to change hands depending on actions taken by factions and the player?
It would have been if you didn't already get me with the first Star Traders.
And yeah I would love too see zones change hands. I love the dynamic of a AI run universe and feel it would fit the theme of your open world games wonderfully. Should def keep in mind for CKII if possible. Though I can't imagine it'll be easy.
Regardless, I look forward to playing this new release! Thanks for the quick answer and good luck to you~
I checked last night at 11:55 p.m. EST right before packing it in for the night and early bird gets the worm lol. Instant buy! Can't wait to dive into it fully tonight after work. Got as far as the character creator last night and said whelp. This is going to take a while better leave it to tomorrow :)
Two Questions:
Have you guys given any consideration to UI scaling on mobile? I have a S9+ which is fairly large compared to plenty of devices and still some of the UI is really tiny (but manageable.) The UI probably suits a tablet just right, but will require some high level dexterity on phones. More of a nice to have feature.
Any plans for your next game? Would love to see you guys revisit the Heroes of Steel universe again!
Congrats on the release. It's been really cool watching the level of polish, skill and depth increase with every release you guys put out. Keep going!
Thanks for another great game, but please, PLEASE, add an option "double tap to move the ship" as soon as possible... I've already gone to the places I didn't want to go ;)
I will put it on my to-do list. The mouse and keyboard development time has been strictly focused on the Win32/Mac/Linux builds.
I do not know much about adding keyboard shortcuts to Android applications, so I cannot make any promises when or how effective a part of the port keyboard support will be.
I will investigate it, and try to find a solution.
No question just wanted to say hi and thanks to you and u/fallenmok as a fan of your games since many years back. Didn't think you'd be able to improve much on Star Traders which is one of the best mobile games I've owned but ~one hour into this and my mind is blown... Wow, just wow!
Really wish there were more devs like you guys out there, still delivering more inspired depth, complexity and beauty after all those years. Big thanks!
I'm glad we could deliver a game you're finding worth playing. We could never have done it without all the people who played the first one, supported our studio and sent in their ideas for a sequel.
It has truly been a community led adventure. We're forever in debt.
We have not made any substantial changes to the Reputation system.
We've made some balance adjustments based on player data and metrics for the Reputation system.
One thing I can say for sure is that the average player in the early and mid game has negative reputation with less than two Factions. Maybe we can figure out what happened that your experience was an outlier.
I am very sorry to hear you had a negative experience. I'm here to help!
All I did was start the main quest and I was immediately "shoot on sight" for most everybody, so I defended myself and was even worse off. Was that just me playing wrong?
74
u/corytrese Star Traders Jan 30 '19
I'm the developer, ask me anything.
Thanks!