Arcen Games announce their next game: Stars Beyond Reach

Nefaro · April 07, 2015, 02:25:41 PM

Looks interesting, per usual.

I still shake my head every time I hear Arcen's in-game theme music. Pop music .. urk.

The one at the end of the vid sounds like some Easy Listening stuff from a Disney cartoon movie.

spelk · May 01, 2015, 01:56:52 AM

Lead dev Chris Park, is interviewed on the eXplorminate 4X podcast about Stars Beyond Reach

http://explorminate4x.com/2015/04/30/strax-17-interview-with-arcen-games/

Huw the Poo · May 01, 2015, 02:37:19 AM

Cool thanks Spelk. I usually listen to their podcast but this one's going to the front of the queue!

Boggit · May 01, 2015, 01:52:50 PM

Cheers Spelk! I had Chris sort out a support issue on AI War for me at the start of the year. He is very helpful, and nice with it. O0

spelk · May 01, 2015, 06:31:02 PM

He's a good lad is Chris. he's willing to discuss the ins and outs of everything about his games and the development process if your interested. And, more importantly he takes his playing community very seriously (and has even employed some of them). Arcengames is all about its community developed games. I had early contact with Chris, and have been in touch on and off over the years, and he's just a thoroughly decent chap.

Huw the Poo · May 01, 2015, 06:36:09 PM

He's also a machine. I've never seen someone with such agility as his when it comes to fixing bugs and implementing feedback. I seriously wonder when the hell he ever sleeps. Back in the AI War development days it was a popular theory on the Arcen forum that he was an AI himself. :)

FarAway Sooner · May 01, 2015, 10:40:13 PM

Huw, I've never done more than played Arcen's games, but I suspect that's a sign of what is called "a clean code base". You can write code and develop programs so that they're easy to fix, and it takes a minimum of learning before another developer can leap in and do the same. Or you can write code that even the original programmer has trouble keeping straight.

If Arcen weren't so prolific in the number of games they release that are technically clean, frequently modded and updated, and offer decent levels of functionality, I might just suspect that they have some crazy programmers who subsist on nothing but Dr. Pepper and Cheese Puffs while coding in their basement. But, you put those two together, and it suggests to me a really good understanding of how to have a clean, modest code base do all the stuff you want it to.

That's my impression, anyways. Folks who know more about game development than I do might have better-informed opinions.

spelk · May 02, 2015, 06:51:42 AM

Chris comes from a commercial software developer background, I think it was in databases or finance. I think he cut his coding teeth in the business world, and has translated that structure and discipline to his gaming exploits. Plus he's a really clever guy! :)

spelk · October 08, 2015, 05:22:41 PM

More necroposting from the spelky!

Arcen have just announced they've stopped development on Stars Beyond Reach (for now) until March 2016, to craft a SHMUP roguelike due for release January 2016.. so not so good news for 4X players, but perhaps an uplift for roguelikers?

https://arcengames.com/stars-beyond-reach-release-date-now-2016-and-tales-of-woe-part-3-of-3

a bit more on official forums:

https://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,18040.0.html

tgb · October 08, 2015, 05:37:25 PM

The impression I got this morning was it was pushed back to January. Was it pushed back again even farther?

Nefaro · October 09, 2015, 12:08:26 AM

QuoteIt was originally more of a SHMUP with survival elements, but I've been playing more roguelikes lately and found that they better scratched the particular itch I was trying to get at.

Meh.

Not a real roguelike. It's some real-time thing.

I suppose it has permadeath of some kind, so the term "roguelike" gets tossed around, even though it's not. Most of these are more like top-down shooters or platformers of an arcade-style bent, recently nicknamed "roguelites" to differentiate them. Not a fan, myself, and since I enjoy some of the classic turn-based RPG style roguelikes I end up having to sort through the heaps of this Arcade BS all the time to find what I'm actually looking for.

I'd much rather have the 4X. But if their creative brain juices hit a wall, and stopped flowing, then I can understand if they want a break. Too many indie games out there, which could've been so much better with a bit more development time but got pushed out the door due to the dev getting bored of doing it for so long.

Huw the Poo · October 09, 2015, 12:43:15 AM

Yeah, their reasons for putting the game on hold are sound enough, so fair play to them. I can't help but be disappointed though. The wait continues...

spelk · October 09, 2015, 02:21:34 AM

Quote from: tgb on October 08, 2015, 05:37:25 PM
The impression I got this morning was it was pushed back to January. Was it pushed back again even farther?

As I read it, they were gearing up for release of this new title in January. After that, they would resume development on SBR and release in March 2016.

spelk · October 09, 2015, 02:25:59 AM

Quote from: Nefaro on October 09, 2015, 12:08:26 AM
I suppose it has permadeath of some kind, so the term "roguelike" gets tossed around, even though it's not. Most of these are more like top-down shooters or platformers of an arcade-style bent, recently nicknamed "roguelites" to differentiate them. Not a fan, myself, and since I enjoy some of the classic turn-based RPG style roguelikes I end up having to sort through the heaps of this Arcade BS all the time to find what I'm actually looking for.

I'm with you on this one Nef! I spend half my time sifting through Binding of Issac clones, or Spelunky wanna-be's or anything that has adopted one or two of the mechanics of most true rogue-likes, and now like to badge themselves as rogue-likes or rogue-lites or rogue-like-likes.. I think the term roguelike has now become a bit "trendy" for games to have in their categorisation arsenal because it might sway a few more purchases.

Space Grunts is cool and turn based, and shooty.
http://www.orangepixel.net/spacegrunts/

Nefaro · October 09, 2015, 12:46:14 PM

Quote from: spelk on October 09, 2015, 02:25:59 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on October 09, 2015, 12:08:26 AM
I suppose it has permadeath of some kind, so the term "roguelike" gets tossed around, even though it's not. Most of these are more like top-down shooters or platformers of an arcade-style bent, recently nicknamed "roguelites" to differentiate them. Not a fan, myself, and since I enjoy some of the classic turn-based RPG style roguelikes I end up having to sort through the heaps of this Arcade BS all the time to find what I'm actually looking for.

I'm with you on this one Nef! I spend half my time sifting through Binding of Issac clones, or Spelunky wanna-be's or anything that has adopted one or two of the mechanics of most true rogue-likes, and now like to badge themselves as rogue-likes or rogue-lites or rogue-like-likes.. I think the term roguelike has now become a bit "trendy" for games to have in their categorisation arsenal because it might sway a few more purchases.

Unfortunately, this new Arcen game sounds like yet another Binding Of Isaac clone.

I actually liked Arcen's appropriately tagged roguelike, Bionic Dues. Despite the background setting not so good with it's screwy bot drones (plus their weird hot-switching), and the poor look of it in general. The actual gameplay was fun. I plan to revisit it soon.