nanDEMOnai - FleetCOMM: Tactical Squadron Combat (Beta v0.90)

Channel:

nekobun

Subscribers:

470

Published on March 8, 2015 8:27:20 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WktBRR_VVvw

Game:

FleetCOMM (2016)

Duration: 13:08

2,180 views

57

An exercise in vaguely frustrating tedium. So this is FleetCOMM, the game backers have been waiting two years and 10 months since it was Kickstarted to play. Apologies for the less than optimal audio mix; it was already a pain getting it and Xsplit to run at the same time (Dxtory was trying to record the debug window XD).

First off, let's just discuss the demo itself. For a version seemingly close to a 1.0 release version, there are a lot of issues. Here's my laundry list:

- Formation recording mode doesn't actually record the maneuvers I asked for. Even the wrong ones it added in the editor after the first weren't the ones I could switch to in-game.
- Formation seems to randomly switch without using the number keys to do so.
- Too much going on. The idea of having multiple abilities for each ship isn't great in concept, but turns into a mess in an arcade-y action setting.
- HUD is a huge waste of screen real estate (see subsequent points).
- Weapon icons would be better relegated to a bar somewhere with letters indicating what activates them, some sort of highlight when they're in use or toggled, and maybe an ammo counter for things like missiles (if ammo's even something to worry about, I didn't notice).
- Trim function descriptions for everything and just do a tutorial mode, or at least a tooltip pop-up on one of the F-keys, rather than eating up screen space with that all the time. Explain functions of weapons like the disruptor and the lock-on function of missiles at some point.
- Ship health/cloak/etc indicators would be better off with bars rather than xx/yyy numbers. No time to read digits should things get hectic, or even when they're slow.
- Enemy direction indicators get jammed into the margins when enemies are offscreen, should be offset from edges to make them visible.
- Completely unjustified GPU demands. As stated in the video, I had to close everything but the game and my vidcap software to get it to work. I don't have to do that with -any- other game I own.
- Wouldn't hurt to have a version of the minimap on the main play screen. Doesn't have to be as glowy as the one prior to the mission, but if you've got that intel for the pre-mission screen, might as well keep it.


Should you want to inflict FleetCOMM upon yourself and your computer for whatever reason, you can get this version from Desura (http://www.desura.com/games/vigrior), and presumably get locked in for the Arcade mode if the game ever releases. You can also back the game via http://kickstarter.fleetcomm.net, RogueStar's 4th Kickstarter attempt, this time to try and get a PS4 dev kit for a port of the game. It's on track to maybe hit 12% funding by March 22nd as of this posting, so that's your call.

As for this game and its developer's peculiar history? Here's a Storify of his "greatest hits" for ya: https://storify.com/strictmachine/from-zero-to-negative-the-roguestar-story

Slade Villena is also a prominent voice in GamerGate who's made a point of stalking and spreading numerous false claims about Peter Coffin (https://www.youtube.com/user/petercoffin), David S. Gallant (http://www.davidsgallant.com/igtced.html), and who knows who else, as well as leading a witch hunt against the IGF and IGDA with misinterpretations of illegally acquired financial data. Oh, and he's got an enormous chip on his shoulder in regards to Tim Schafer of Double Fine (Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, Iron Brigade, Stacking, Costume Quest, the list goes on).

So, uh, yeah. Support at your own risk.

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