- End of Year Report: 2024 - 31 December 2024
It’s been a while (sorry!), so here’s a quick update concerning the state of Capital Command, last year's progress, and what comes next. State of Development Core gameplay is still the major focus. I've gone through a couple of iterations and settled into what I believe will be the final version. I'll write a separate post with more details about the gameplay iterations and the current, and hopefully final, model, but briefly: Firing Runs! Space battles are now based on firing passes: ships flying at high speed toward each other, firing their weapons while the enemy is in range, then turning around to do it again, and again, until someone either gives up or blows up. The implementation is mostly done: Game Engine: Fortunately, I didn’t need to change the flight model - ships move realistically, missiles track their targets, projectiles hit or miss, same as before. Stats Adjusments: What…
- Hooded Horse Strategy Publisher Sale - 5 October 2023
Hi everyone! Capital Command and other games published by Hooded Horse are all featured at the Hooded Horse Publisher Sale. Come check it out! Hooded Horse Strategy Publisher Sale
- Demo update - build 2022.11.10.1 now live - 10 November 2022
Greetings, captains! This update delivers a significant overhaul of the game's propulsion mechanics and the autopilot. Details follow. In Capital Command, ships' engines use a limited resource to push your ship through space. Previously, engines were either actively thrusting, or recharging, but never both. The change is that recharge takes place continously, even while the engines are working. This means you never run completely out of "juice", and can always accelerate using your main engines. If there's charge in reserve, the engines will run in their normal, high-power mode. If they're depleted, they'll still work but on a lower power setting, consuming charge just as it's being generated. The autopilot has received a lot of work, mostly fixing bugs and updating it for the new propulsion mechanics. You'll see the same flight modes, but they'll hopefully work better and be overall mo…
- Demo update - build 2022.10.13.1 now live - 13 October 2022
Greetings, captains! The new demo version, now live, has a number of features that unfortunately weren't ready for NextFest, as well as some that were requested by the players in their well thought-out and useful responses. Secondary batteries (including the Scout Corvette's starting armament) no longer reset their target after they've emptied their magazine. This was a constant complaint, and quite valid. The best tactics is still to hold fire until the enemy is close enough that most shots will actually hit, so captains are advised to use Cease Fire or simply fire manually for optimal effect. I've added a trajectory marker for the ship's auto-pilot. When active, if the ship's current velocity is not what the autopilot wants, a yellow marker is displayed in the game world. I think this conveys much better what the auto-pilot is trying to do, and gives a better sense of the player's int…
- Capital Ship Warfare - 9 October 2022
Come join us for a Next Fest stream of Capital Command! See the discussion at Discord: https://discord.gg/f3j8FPD8B3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490930/
- Space Sim with Capital Ships - 6 October 2022
Hi everyone! In celebration of Next Fest, we'll be streaming gameplay footage on the store page. Come join us! Discord: https://discord.gg/f3j8FPD8B3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490930/
- Capital Command Gameplay Stream - 3 October 2022
In celebration of Next Fest, we'll be streaming demo gameplay to the store page. Come join us! Discord: https://discord.gg/f3j8FPD8B3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490930
- Demo update - build 2022.10.03.1 now live - 3 October 2022
Greetings, captains! I've just uploaded a new version for the demo. Details follow. I've reworked the ship's trajectory indicator so it's now far more useful and readable (I hope!). I've also redone the autopilot UI. Biggest change: ctrl+click to make the ship go where you're looking. You can also control the speed at which the ship moves in autopilot, and the autopilot buttons' position on screen is less intrusive. Thanks for reading, fly safe and, as always, don't hesitate to share your thoughts The dev
- Demo update - build 2022.09.05.1 now live - 5 September 2022
Greetings, captains! The next version of the demo is now live on Steam. Expect no major changes, just a bunch of fixes and some balancing work. Lots more changes and improvements, resulting from heavy player feedback (Thank you!) are set to arrive soon (-ish), stay tuned for more info. Meanwhile, fly safe and good hunting The dev
- New demo live! - 26 August 2022
Hello space fans, the new demo for Capital Command is now live, so come on over and try out the game. While it's not final, still a work in progress, it's close (-ish) to the game's final form. Probably. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts The dev
- Discord! - 8 June 2022
JOIN NOW Enough said. Come on over! The dev
- Dev Update - June 2022 - 8 June 2022
The major focus is currently on the UI and ship control. Turns out that handling space ships and situational awareness in space is hard, who knew. Still, there's progress. I've removed the little radar display and it feels like the right call. It wasn't really useable in its previous form, there were just too many things crammed on top of each other. The two indicators that replaced the radar are far more useable. The nav indicator now also has a lateral/antilateral velocity marker that indicate the direction 90 degrees off the current velocity. This is the most effective direction of thrust in order to turn, so I thought it's worth displaying. Feels useful in-game, and by definition it never overlaps with the velocity markers, so I think I'll leave it in, see how it goes. I'm liking the warning indicator even more, and have been adding a few bells and whistles to it recently (an alarm…
- Hooded Horse to publish Capital Command - 1 May 2022
Capital Command was announced to be published by Hooded Horse and a new trailer was shown in the Hooded Horse Publisher Showcase at PAX East 2022. The publisher showcase revealed new content and announcements across Hooded Horse’s strategy games. Capital Command can be wishlisted below: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490930/ The trailers for Capital Command and the other games featured in the showcase can be found at the Hooded Horse Publisher Page on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/HoodedHorse
- Demo Going Offline Soon - 2 March 2022
Here's why and for how long. Capital Command is still a work in progress. After last year's Next Fest, I've been able to use player feedback to make significant improvements, and it's not done yet. Over the last few months, I've started an even bigger round of changes to the game's combat simulation gameplay. These design changes were based both on player feedback, and on my own experience playing and testing the game. They are mostly to do with the controls and UI, as well as making gameplay deeper and more satisfying for advanced players. I want a game that's as easy as possible to pick up and play, but that stays just as interesting after 100 hours, as it is when you're just starting. Sounds doable. It's actually coming along nicely. Definitely not done yet, might still take a while, but I feel good about what I've changed. So why am I taking down the demo? Mostly, because it's no lo…
- Demo Update - Version 2021.06.19.1 - 19 June 2021
Faster ships. A few fixes. Yet again, no sound. In direct response to player feedback, I've buffed propulsion on all ships in the prologue. They haven't suddenly become fighters, but they hold more delta V, and recharge it faster. Maneuvering thrusters have also been buffed, resulting in faster turning and linear thrust. This should provide a decent boost to overall maneuverability, hopefully without breaking anything. Let me know how it goes. Other than that, a few more fixes, nothing very spectacular. Hope you like it The dev
- Demo Update - Version 2021.06.18.1 - 18 June 2021
More auto-nav modes, fewer auto-nav bugs. Still no sound. The auto-nav UI rework seems to be working well enough, so of course I've started to change it. Two more buttons are now present. TURN TO DIRECTION makes the ship's nose point in the direction of the camera. It's a small thing, but can be useful on occasion. JUMP TO OBJECT is more complex. It can only be used if the ship's jump drive is operational and charged, and if you have selected something. When activated, it brings the ship to local stop, and then locks in a jump to the object's current position. But if the object is moving (relative to the local frame of reference) then the jump will take you a certain distance in front of it - currently, about a minute's worth, depending on your ship. Aside from the two new auto-nav modes, I've also gone bug-hunting in the navigation code, and can now report that the auto-nav is flying d…
- Demo Update - Version 2021.06.16.1 - 16 June 2021
This update brings the navigation UI rework, more jump UI improvements, and loads of tweaks and fixes. The auto-nav rework is live. The previous incarnation was far too low-key and discreet, tucked away in the corner of the screen. Also, it wasn't exactly user-friendly, and didn't really communicate what it's supposed to do, and how to use it. Hopefully, the new version is better. In the new version, right-clicking will bring up a context menu with all the auto-nav options. Some may not be available, based on the current object you've got selected. Select an option to activate it, or right-click again to close the menu. To disable auto-nav, issue any manual helm or boost command to enter manual mode. The jump UI has been improved and polished, and is now much easier to understand and use effectively. And, as always, multiple minor tuning changes, polish, tweaks and fixes. The next updat…
- Demo Update - Version 2021.06.14.1 now live. - 13 June 2021
The next demo version is live, featuring improved jump targeting, UI scaling, prologue tuning and many small fixes. Jump targeting: this is a significant improvement. While you're aiming your jump, there's now a visual indicator on the HUD, so you can get an idea just about where you'll end up. The indicator stays visible during jump countdown, so you can judge whether the jump is satisfactory, or should be cancelled. UI scaling is also in the build. I can't really test this properly myself, so I'm relying on player feedback. It should be working. Is it working for you? Let me know. The prologue now requires you to use the autopilot at the start. This is to make sure players know it's there and how to use it. For all the expert space jockeys, have no fear: the initial objectives have been rearranged, so you'll be free to take manual control in no time. More updates are coming soon. Soun…
- Demo Update - Version 2021.06.12.1 now live. - 12 June 2021
New demo version available. Bug fixes, UI improvements and better shipwrecks. Still no sound. The biggest change is to the shipwreck system. Before, destroyed ships would spawn a few floating pieces of debris, that the player can salvage for resources. In the new system, each ship turns into one big, better looking wreck, which is easier to salvage since there's only one. Also, there are some improvements to ship destruction visuals and wreck effects. In other news, there are fixes to the jump UI, general UI, camera, damage logic, and tweaks to tuning and balancing. More updates are coming soon. Sounds are on the list, but in the near future I'll be focusing on improvements to playability/UI, to make the game's systems easier to understand and use. Thanks for playing, and keep the feedback coming! The dev
- Playable Demo (First Draft) Now Available - 8 June 2021
This demo version is still a work in progress, but you can get a good idea about what kind of game Capital Command is meant to be. The demo consists of the campaign's prologue. This is the first battle that players must face every time they start a new campaign of Capital Command. For new players, it's a chance to figure out how to play, how to fly and fight their ship, as well as a basic introduction to the game's setting and what little story there is. Advanced players who start a new campaign will also have to play the prologue. After breezing through the tutorial parts, they will have a chance to prove their skill and gain a resource boost for that campaign playthrough. Known Issues Sound not working. This is at the top of my todo list and will be fixed as soon as possible. Performance issues. I mostly know where these are coming from, and will fix soon (tm). Ship AI glitches. Not m…
