Starpoint Gemini 3 Developer Diary #2
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The latest developer diary for Little Green Men Games' space-action RPG Starpoint Gemini 3 is mostly focused on the upcoming game's technical side. As such, it lists a good deal of recent engine improvements that should make the latest installment of the Starpoint Gemini series look and run much better. On top of that, the diary also mentions a couple of gameplay-related improvements. Check those out:
Gameplay Improvements
New Ship Control Scheme
All playable Ships in the Starpoint Gemini series had similar movement functionalities, mostly inherited from the first entry in the series which mimicked movement in naval combat. The only changes in controls came when we moved on from fighting on a 2D plane to full 3D movement in Starpoint Gemini 2. We added pitch and roll... and that was it. You'd still only move forward at various speeds and align your 4 shields to best cover your weakspots. It didn't bother us at the time because we expected capital ships to be a lot less maneuverable, and it added to the significance of careful movement during battles as players were expected to commit to a course once they've set it.
Alas, with Starpoint Gemini Warlords it became clear that smaller capital ships such as gunships, corvettes and frigates needed more maneuverability to stay alive in large fleet battles, so we did our best to reduce their weaknesses by boosting their angular velocity and acceleration. With those ships taking the center stage in Starpoint Gemini 3 it was finally time to add lateral, vertical and backwards longitudinal movement to the mix, as well as improved camera behavior to properly convey such complex movement to the player. This will allow ships to traverse narrow paths in minefields, giant asteroids or derelicts with ease as well as simplify navigation during battles.
Mechanical Ally
In Starpoint Gemini 3 we're finally adding a manually controlled drone into the mix. This miniature player-controlled character has additional functionalities oriented towards expanding base gameplay as well as the opportunity to enter and retrieve resources from smaller derelicts and cave formations.
