A polished gem with great potential!
There seems to be an RNG ship market, I’ve reached level 4, and have upgraded to the Lvl2 Courier. I like it because of its range, and because it’s narrow and seems to slip past the asteroids a little easier.
The controls are unique, but seem work well when you get the hang of them. The option to reverse them might be nice. So you can put your finger behind your ship and pull back to go faster? It can be hard to navigate with your finger in the front. A way to see what % throttle you’re at would be nice too. Or maybe a throttle slider on the edge of the screen.
If I had any suggestions, I’d say-
Maybe make your effective view range expand slightly with level or something? Or reduce damage taken by collisions? Something to help mitigate the collision damage in some way as you progress. They’re very hard to avoid unless you travel very slowly. (Although the progressive system failures as you try to limp home are pretty cool)
Some sort of map so you can find stations you’ve discovered and maybe resource zones would be helpful.
Some information windows so you can see what stuff means, or does would help. For example, my ship says “prototype” on it, I’m not sure what that is. Being able to tap on the word and have a window pop up would be nice. On that same note, some module explanations would be nice as well. I have a couple different scanner modules, I don’t really understand what they functionally do, or how they differ.
Oh. And a way to manage, buy, and sell modules. Like maybe I can have a storage at the station to put modules not in use? Or sell them? Or maybe have a market for them like the ships? Maybe this exists in game already, if it does I haven’t been able to find it.
Last thing, would be to create a discord, and put a link it in the game. It’s always nice to have a community of fellow players to ask questions help eachother progress, and I think it would also help to guide development.
I hope this game gets the attention it deserves. From gamers and the developer alike. Great work!
Response from developer
Thank you so much for the detailed review! It’s great to hear that you’re enjoying the game, and I really appreciate you taking the time to write down all these suggestions. Quite a few of the things you mentioned are actually already in the game or coming in the next update - but your review also shows me where I still need to do a better job explaining them. For example, “Prototype” is a quality rating. Ships in the market are randomly generated, and Prototype is the rarest and best quality tier for either the hull or its built-in systems. So you actually found a particularly nice Courier! The ship market and garage definitely need to communicate things like this better. There are also modules that can improve things like view range, hull strength and field repairs as you progress. Previously visited stations can be found in the Logbook under “Stations”, where you can set one as your home station and navigate back to it. The Compendium in the game menu contains more detailed explanations as well - although ideally the game itself should explain enough that you don’t have to go looking there. Module management is already being expanded for the next update, including station storage and the ability to sell unused modules. I’m also adding more explanations and tips throughout the game. I really like your idea of an optional reversed control scheme. Keeping your finger behind the ship would leave the area ahead much more visible. A throttle indicator is a good idea too, and I’ll keep both in mind. And yes, development is continuing – there’s quite a bit more planned. Thanks again for playing and for the thoughtful feedback. Reviews like this are genuinely helpful! P.S. About the scanner modules: they can have five different bonuses: Ping Range – increases the range of your active ping. Reveal Range – objects become visible automatically from farther away, even without a ping. The small circle around the Ship. Signal Lifetime – detected signals remain visible longer before fading. Ping Charge Regen – your ping recharges faster, so you can use it more often. Analysis Power — analyzing an object takes less time. Also helps read harder resource slots, up to a limit. Your comment made me realize that these differences really need to be explained better in the game as well.
Controls
Response from developer
Thanks for your feedback! I’m glad you’re enjoying the game. A small tip that might make the controls feel more comfortable: you don’t need to keep your finger on the screen. Once you’ve set a direction, you can lift your finger and the ship will continue flying on its own. To stop, simply tap anywhere in open space. I’ll definitely keep your joystick suggestion in mind, though. Thanks for taking the time to share it!
