Star Apocalypse Windows game

- update 31-may-2012 -
The Combat Prototype sourcecode is available, open to anyone willing to have a look, so they can see what's required to make a very basic game in OpenGL and C#.

- update 06-march-2013 -
Development of the game is contuining, but at a very slow pace due to real life commitments.

If you wish to make suggestions, feel free to post on the forums of Star Apocalypse or contact us directly here.

Star Apocalypse is the reinvention of the 4X genre. The game is a real time game of intergalactic civilisation, using the computation power of modern computers to run advanced simulations on cultural, technological and societal interaction and development.

Alpha Gameplay

The Alpha gameplay and graphics will be very basic. In the alpha, you start out as an organisation like modern-day NASA or any similar space flight organisation. Your objective will be to lead humanity into space, and try to get a self sufficiënt presence in space.

This all will happen in a totally random-generated universe. The universe is already set up in such a way that it can accomodate Beta-phase gameplay. It is a universe of 500 stars, each with their own scientific stats. The universe is meant to be as scientifically-accurate as possible. It will feature systems with planets, asteroids, planetoids, stars and more. These will all have scientific stats, like planets having atmospheres with pressure, temperature and such. Planets and Stars will also have an escape velocity. These will all influence the handling of ships, populations, etc.

Speaking of ships, those will have real scientific stats, like mass, thrust and such. This will all calculate into ships having a limited range and a limited set of objects they can take off from. In fact, range won't be limited by a hard kilometer distance. If you want to travel to the next Star System, you can do so, but it'll take you thousands of years, if not more. Range will be limited by your Delta Velocity Capacity. This is roughly the capacity to change speed. You can save on this, by using other celestial objects' gravity to slingshot yourself to your destination. This will cause a trade-off between speed and propellant consumption.

Once you have the technologies to become self-sufficiënt in space, competitors will also start to challenge you. They will compete for the same resources (which are limited). You win the game by being the first to settle a colony in a nearby system. In the Beta, the win condition will be different, although alpha gameplay will be preserved.

The graphics of the Alpha won't be meaningful, to say the least. It will be a simple Windows Forms application, with some parts of it having OpenGL rendering (like the Map). The goal of the Alpha is to test basic gameplay mechanics and to be able to quickly prototype things. By the time of the Beta, we'll start working on providing proper graphics.

Features of the Alpha:

• A scientifically realistical universe, featuring systems with planets, stars, asteroids, planetoids, moons, oort clouds, kuiper belts, and more! And these all orbit eachother!
• Semi-realistical spacecraft movement, based on acceleration instead of max speed.
• Start as a modern-day space-flight organisation, and become self-sufficiënt in space.
• Research technologies and explore planets with rovers and probes to increase your knowledge.
• Hard-scifi setting!
• Design starships from the ground up, with realistic stats for each component.
• Build bases on remote planets, moons, asteroids and planetoids.
• Compete with several other players or AI's for the same resources (*)

What the Alpha won't have:

• Shiny Graphics.
• The gameplay as described below. The beta will form the transition period from the above to the final gameplay.

* - This will be implemented in a later Alpha Build.

Final

In Star Apocalypse the player takes control of a society just as it is about to reach the stars. The player will guide them to found new colonies, construct massive fleets, and improve their economy. So far, nothing new to the 4X genre.
However, the player will not directly control everything, he is in fact limited to the options available to his central government, not even necessarily his entire populace on his home world. Thus the player will play a game of internal politics as distant colonies and minorities will strive to better their lot in life. The player will be just as busy keeping the empire together as he is expanding it!
The player will try to guide his civilisation as best he can forward into the galaxy and the future, where new technologies, unknown species and ultimately, ascension from the corporeal form await him, amongst other things.

Setting

Star apocalypse is set in a not so distant future, where man is just and about able to start mining the solar system, all the way to a very distant future where man travels from one end of the universe to the other in the blink of an eye.
The map is a galaxy system much like the milky way, with thousands, if not millions, of stars to explore.

Features

• Internal politics: A faction, like yours, is a rather fuzzy term that can contract and expand.
• Full galaxy map: You will never be done with exploring due to the sheer size of the map (which is random generated each time!).
• Societal evolution: During the game the cultural values, desires and AI behavior evolve.
• Open ended tech system: Allows for constant inclusion of new technologies to the game.
• Dynamic Universe: Civilizations rise and fall over time, the player starting right in the middle of it.
• Scientific Realism: Our aim is to make the game as scientifically accurate as possible on every area.
• Timeline from the start of space flight till the distant future.

Target audience

This game is made to appeal to the science fiction fans, fans of the 4X genre & strategy games in general, and people who enjoy political/historical simulations.

Game goal

The goal of the game is to lead your civilisation as best you can; what this means however evolves along with your society. This is subject to the cultural values of your society, which bring certain expectations and focus to your society. It is dependant on the stratification of your society; a civilisation base on slavery requires a large military to maintain it. It is dependant on on your dependency towards other colonies; Rome needs the Egyptian grain. Etcetera. From being a brutal warlord to an enlightened technocracy, your goals evolve with your society.

Highlights

• Watch your society evolve from a third rate ‘new-to-space' culture to a vast, galaxy spanning civilisation.
• Carefully manage the balance of power on which you rule your subjects, or face uprisings and revolutions.
• Survive in a galaxy that is in constant turmoil, wage war on interstellar scale, craft powerful alliances, or go isolationist and try to keep the galaxy out of the door as much as possible.
• We will try to keep the game easy to modify, so fans can build their own variations!
• We prefer the game to be released under a pay-what-you-want scheme, but if Desura doesn't allow this, we'll look for different ways to allow donations. Possibly coupled with several editions of the game.

Sounds like something you'd like to play? Why not watch this profile, comment and participate! We can always use community input!