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Archive for July, 2014

Galcon 2 – beta30 – Bugfix update

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

Hey, thanks to everyone for all the feedback on beta29, I’ve put together a beta30 with a whole mess of bug fixes. If there is a bug you reported that is still not fixed, please report it again! Backers can get the update here for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. iOS coming via TestFlight shortly.

Besides bugfixes, I’ve done a bunch of minor UI improvements. I’ve also added indication in the lobby if a player has chat turned off. I’ve also re-introduced the CanCan feature from past Galcons!

Again, I’ve reset all the coins, rankings, etc. I’ve been cleaning up a fair amount of stuff in the database, and this makes it so I can see if things are working right now. The coins you have in-game are not the coins you paid for.

I’m going to be online for a little while *now* so if anyone wants to check it out with me, please stop by.

Have fun!
-Phil

P.S. Please leave feedback in the forums!

Galcon 2 – beta29 – Major update & tournament

Friday, July 25th, 2014

Ahoy again! Another exciting update is ready to check out. Backers can download it for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. iOS version will be in email (sorry to people who signed up late for TestFlight, I’m out of slots.)

Tonight at 8pm MST I’ll be hosting the beta29 Tournament. Try to join in!

Following are the highlights from over 100 changes in the game, overhauling just about everything.

Zero Lag
I decided to do some serious re-working on how the client and server interact, and I’ve updated the game to simulate zero lag when you play. It makes the game much more responsive!

Good Game
I’m excited to introduce this new feature – whenever a player makes an in-app-purchase, they will be given a cache of bonus coins. After a good match, tap the “Good Game” button to award some of these coins to the players.

Help section
I’ve added in documentation for all the nitty gritty of Galcon 2 right into the game. Find out how betting works and what chat commands are available.

Trophy Vault
Get ready to start building the worlds largest trophy cabinet! The trophy vault allows for multiple levels, so there’s no limit to how many trophies you can showcase.

Drop-In feature
In most game times, players can now drop-in mid-game and join the action. Once a server is full, or in a tournament, or with active bets, drop-ins are no longer allowed.

Stats Rework
I’ve consolidated “Progress” and “Experience” to a single “XP” stat to earn stars. The flags don’t decay and are used for match-making. Lastly the wings never decay.

There are dozens and dozens of more things. Here’s a few more bullet points:

– Tournaments – multiple admins, multiple servers, cross-server approvals
– Chat bug fixes – Multiple tab completion, iOS fixes “.commands”
– Lobby improvements – UI, icons, smarter timer, away/play spam lock
– Store – 30 day and Forever purchases. Sectors now free.
– iOS – fixed crash on resume, fixed some orientation bugs

Thanks for all the feedback, it’s been a huge help in figuring out what needs to get done to Galcon 2 to ready it for launch! I’m hoping to get this into open beta very soon now!

As always, please leave some feedback on the forums!

Thanks!
-Phil

P.S. I’ve reset the stats, inventory, coins again. I’ve given coins to everyone who has an account. These are not the coins you purchased yet.

Galcon 2 – beta28 – Tournament Day!

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

Ahoy there! Get your latest build of Galcon 2 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. iOS build will come via e-mail to people who signed up. These builds are available to backers only.

The tournament will be at 1pm-4pm MST on Saturday July 12th. I recommend showing up an hour early and just checking out the game beforehand. I’m going to be moving towards an open beta pretty soon, so we’ll have more players online regularly then, but for now, this tournament is your best bet!

Please leave some feedback in the forums after you play the game! For a detailed change log, see the previous update.

Hope to see you there!!
-Phil

Galcon 2 Tournament Saturday, July 12th from 1pm-4pm MST

Monday, July 7th, 2014

Hi there! This week we’re going to do a scheduled Galcon 2 tournament to ensure that more people can get together and play the game. The tournament will be at 1pm-4pm MST on Saturday July 12th. I recommend showing up an hour early and just checking out the game beforehand.

I’m going to be sending out a new beta prior to the tournament with lots of changes from the last beta. There was some pretty heavy discussion in the forums as to what the launch version of Galcon 2 should look like, and I got Nanno to help me figure out which requests related best to the things people have been asking about during the beta. I’ve done a bunch of work to get those key features added into the game.

Just to give a preview of the beta, here’s a list of the major things changed from my change log. There are over 100 changes since the last beta.

Game Changes
– added new standoff-timer
– added in the good bot and bot-skill matching after a few rounds
– have MORE planets by default

Lobby Changes
– fixed teams such that you can’t team swap, added auto-balance
– added delay between rounds
– vertical split of lobby screen on landscape views
– added clan name into lobby list of players

Server List Changes
– add in auto-match feature instead of server list of public servers
– allow modded servers to work again

Store Changes
– have in-store preview of planet surfaces
– have in-store screen tell you how many days left of a cosmetic
– removed classes and just have sectors

Other Improvements
– censor filter feature
– have game skip login page if a login already exists
– fixed: macs / starting up the game and swapping in and out of fullscreen causes screen to go black
– added more tab-completion keywords
– created fancy trophy widget

Anyway, no new beta today, but keep an eye out for the next update to download it and check it out. Very soon I hope to put the game out as an “open beta” so anyone can play and we’ll have people online more regularly

Thanks!
-Phil