Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

GSB: Galactic Conquest

cliffski

Right, here we go, Gratuitous Space Battles: Galactic conquest is now on sale for pre-orders / beta. You know the drill by now. The game is in beta, so it might be a bit flaky here and there (hopefully not), but you can buy it and download/play it now anyway, and I will be releasing a patch or two for it before it’s considered final.

Here is the website:

http://www.positech.co.uk/gratuitousspacebattles/galacticconquest.html

Obligatory video:

I’ll be waiting 24 hours before I send out a proper press release, and tell people on my newsletter. I’ve never done a game with as much server-side integration as this before, so I’m slightly wary of having a sudden mad dash to promote it in case the server blows up. I’m pretty sure it will be fine.

One final warning: This expansion REQUIRES an internet connection, because of how the game works. It downloads enemy fleets from the central server, as they are player designed. it also uploads your fleets (rarely) to serve as cannon fodder to other players. This game just will not work if you can’t connect it online, so don’t buy it if that upsets you / is inconvenient / reminds you of fascism. Make SURE you can browse challenges in the normal game before buying this expansion.

Also, the game really needs you to be on the latest version (1.48). Auto-updating should be happening today/tomorrow for everyone. If you don’t have the latest version, and the patcher won’t run for some reason, you can re-download the whole game (it’s ready-patched). Email me if the link is dead (cliff@positech.co.uk).

For anyone wanting to know every detail about gameplay before buying it, here is the manual:

http://www.positech.co.uk/gratuitousspacebattles/media/Campaign Manual.pdf

I hope it sells a few copies, and it works, and I don’t look like a prize idiot :D

20 thoughts on GSB: Galactic Conquest

  1. Yay! Now to see how well I can play the beta with my steam copy of gsb….

    On a side note in line with your previous post about buttons and visibility inorder to preorder the expansion I had to scroll all the way down the page, not just click the big buy now button on top (that only leads to GSB itself and not the GC/preorder stuff)

    But campaign! Yay!

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  3. Purchased.

    About time! ;)

    I expected the expansion to cost more than it does. Looks like a great deal.

  4. @andrew I know right?

    Side note I can confirm it will work with a steam version of GSB, but I am curios that I never needed to enter my product key for the Campaign mode… Also when I make dumb mistakes like forgetting to give half my fleet orders it’s really painful… /headdesk/

    Excellent job cliffski!

  6. I was expecting a higher price, but I love it so far. I am going to have to rethink some of my fleet designs, but I cant wait to spend a lot of time conquering the galaxy. Thanks Cliff!

  7. Really looking forward to this. Not only will I be able to play GSB on my Mac now, but the Galactic Conquest looks like something that can keep my interest for awhile. Been following the project for some time now, and am glad for you that it’s coming together. Hope it’ll deliver.

  8. Cliffski, you magnificent bastard!

    I ordered before I remembered that my card won’t do overseas purchases….but apparently you’re partnered with someone on this side of the pond….YAY! So I grabbed the Nomads expansion I’ve been waiting on Steam to add. Hell, I was already there.

    So far I’m pretty impressed. Got my ass handed to me (I expected that, sadly) but I’m really digging the possibilities. And only 7 bucks…not bad at all. About the only comment I’ve got so far, are that it’d be nice if you could zoom to the cursor. Also, when it officially goes “gold”, are there any plans to allow for customizing the galaxy? I’m mainly just thinking of number of planets really.

  9. Indeed, it is not very expensive. But players would need to have GSB already. So I guess that you plan the extension to boost GSB sales. Then a package would probably make it easier for newcomers…

  10. This looks pretty cool.

    More interactivity is still necessary for me to want to buy this.

    Your paradigm is actually pretty realistic however considering command lag over those huge distances.

  11. This has totally gotten me playing GSB again. But I’m really sad about the game balance – it seems like there’s very little potential for making wildly differing designs that still have a chance. I feel VERY limited with the possibilities in designing fighters. :(

  12. Omnitronic,

    That’s one thing that had me a bit worried, too. Thing is, since the various opposing fleets are drawn from user challenges and such, they’ll be evolving as well. Given a little time (and maybe some degree of tweaking in how Galactic Conquest uses them), I’m expecting I’ll have to have various specialty fleets in a single “galaxy” in order to counter different threats. So far in my first real go at the campaign, I’m pleasantly surprised to find an Alliance threat that’s virtually immune to the ships I put together to conquer the neighboring Order worlds.

    I agree that this should eventually make it into a bundle though. This is probably Cliffski’s way of throwing existing GSB fans a bone…we get early beta access, and he doesn’t have to worry about any of the rough edges scaring off potential new customers.

  13. Haven’t managed to play much thus far, but this is definitely one step in the right direction to make GSB much more replayable :)

    I also went ahead and bought the DLC bundle so I could have more to play around with. I was immediately faced with a race I’d never seen before. Also, damn, it’s hard! Sometimes they have loads of fighters, sometimes they don’t, I never know what to expect, and I’ve not managed to get two fleets together.

    I also think I’ll need to redesign ships for more emphasis on frigates, since those cruisers are so bloody expensive!

    Is there a possibility of multiple factions that can war between one another, and enemy fleets moving around? Or at least modding capabilities to allow this? :)

  14. I know what you mean anvifolk, having not played multiplayer before, I never really had much problems balancing crew and material costs of my deisgns before, and am now having to do so… That and the first fleet I met was a push over, the second 3 times as strong. Which is actually excellent in some ways, although a tad shocking to go from the previous to that… :)

  15. Was very happy to buy this.

    Out of curiosity, how often does it upload your fleets? Do they become visible as normal challenges, or do they go in a specific silo just for the campaign?

  16. hi,
    just learn about the beta Galatic conquest. sounds great and i look forward to preorder it. I would like to ask a question before. I am on mac and i have seen no instruction for the mac version. Does this beta works on mac or do we have to wait a little longer ?
    thank you anyway for your excelent work.

  17. Let me just say that this is exactly what GSB needed! I thought the core game was good, but found it too be overly strategic and didn’t have much fun tweaking my fleets to get the best possible result in each challenge.

    The campaign gives me more battles that are less strategy intensive, but gives me a great over world strategy game (that reminds me a lot of Ascendancy).

    A true campaign mode is what this game really needed. The challenges and multiplayer was good, but now I feel like there’s a much more tangible goal to strive for than earning a few more honor points.

    Thanks Cliff!

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