In the frenzy of Kickstarting Noble Armada: Lost Worlds, I have gotten behind on chronicling the epic adventures of RPGBaby. In fact, since I last wrote she leveled up to RPGToddler! Now two years and nine months, old, she regularly astounds me with insights far better than my own. Here are two that, for reasons that will become obvious, I have labeled 0 and 1.
Alpha Demo Away!
Developer Diary 15
We have released the alpha demo for Noble Armada: Lost Worlds. We first sent the link to our backers and are now making it available to the gaming media. Now it is available to everyone HERE.
It is definitely an alpha demo. That means that while all the functionality is in the game, we know there are a few broken parts. The balance is definitely not set. We turned off some of the main game components, like skirmish mode, and removed almost all the premade missions.
The Funded Stars
Developer Diary 14
We sent demos of Noble Armada: Lost Worlds, to our backers last night, and shortly after that the game hit its initial funding level. Thank you all very much. Now we are starting to send demos to contacts in the press and to other game devs. Check out the Kickstarter HERE.
Now it is stretch time. Many of our backers have told us what they want – more content, more platforms, more fun! The first stretch goal, for which we are already almost halfway funded, is the Campaign mode. If you have the demo, you have played Missions. These all take place within one solar system. The Campaigns will link jumpgates, allowing players to move back and forth between them – and ramping up the challenges accordingly. FYI, here is the message Kickstarter sends when you hit your goal.
Ready? Set? Scream! Your project hit its goal. Congratulations! |
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When you’re done celebrating, post an update and thank your backers. They’ll be psyched to hear the good news.
Meanwhile, there’s still time on the clock, so keep at it. So what’s next?
And last but not least, keep up the great work! We’re here to help if you have any questions. |
We plan to livestream the game again 3 pm EST Sunday, March 11 on www.mixer.com/hdiandrew. During last night’s stream we heard a lot of interest in more factions, like the Church and Inquisition. That level is not far away – $8500. What factions would you like to see?
The Game of Kickstarter, RTS
Developer Diary #13
Well, we just wrapped up week one of our Kickstarter, and it has been a frenzy of activity. Noble Armada:Lost Worlds is a real-time strategy game, but you can pause it to sit and plan. There is no pausing a Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hdiandrew/noble-armada-lost-worlds-video-game
The lead up had been a mad dash of content creation – videos, press packs, Kickstarter rewards and more – as well as outreach. The past week saw those duties exponentially increased. We’ve run three livestreams, made countless social media posts, answered a flurry of inquiries, put together more press materials, and even managed to keep working on the game.
The result? More than ⅔ funded before the end of week one! What has made the greatest impact? Clearly those people who have enjoyed our games in the past. They have contributed the great majority of the funding and been fantastic in spreading the word.
Guest Post: On Combat
Guest post by Chris Carson, lead programmer
Noble Armada: Lost Worlds bears a strong resemblance to a “naval combat” game set in space. By that, we mean winning the game requires you to properly maneuver the various vessels in your fleet to eliminate or subdue the enemy ships. Many of the concepts you would find in a naval conflict are present in NALW. As a example, one can Cap (or Cross) the T. The ships sides carry far more weapons than do the front or rear. As such, when “broadside” cannons are used, they launch a deadly barrage of fire at a foe. Positioning your ship perpendicular to the enemy allows your ship to expose the least amount of surface to the volley, increasing your chances for less hits.