Hello,
and welcome to the first dev diary for... Starvoid. Ye, that's what's it's called nowadays.
First, let me introduce myself. My name's Rasmus Davidsson, and I'm from Zeal game studio. We're also making a game called A Game of Dwarves and I use to kid around and say that this is our fun game – but that's only because it is. I have a long background in table top and RTS gaming, so to me games are all about customization, combat tactics and getting to kill other players. Not about digging and.. eh... watching dwarves not being able to take care of themselves. That's why I'm working on Starvoid.
So, what is Starvoid about? Maybe you've seen our announcement trailer? Yes. I know. Doesn't say much about the actual gameplay at all. Anyway, Starvoid is an RTS – and now you're probably thinking either “Oh no, not another space RTS” or “I don't even like RTS because of a.) I'm bad at it and I'm tired of getting yelled at whenever I try playing one, or; b.) I value my time... and RTS takes a lot of it before it gets fun”. But you know what? Starvoid is designed to be really easy to get into, have a low barrier of entry (don't get me wrong, it still has a lot of depth to it for once you've learned it) and you can even drop in and out from servers as you wish. Just as if you were playing your favorite first person shooter – only that it's with the game mechanics from classical RTS games that we love so much. And of course you can do a lot of customization between the matches. For example if you have a squad of Skitters (basic combat droid), you can chose to give them different upgrades such as flamethrowers, rocket launchers, extra armor or whichever suits your play style best.
So, basically – RTS gameplay, drop-in/drop-out servers and lots of customization. There it is.
Yes. That's the general introduction. Now let's get into a few details. I will of course get into more details in future dev diary posts! Let's discuss the commander classes.
The game is played using a commander of your choice. Starvoid is not a MOBA game (like DotA and League of Legends), so the gameplay is not all about the commanders - see them as your headquarter, but that's also a fighting unit. If your commander is eliminated, all your units are destroyed with it, so be careful about throwing your commander into the front lines to eagerly. It is your commander that is able to spawn your units into combat and you can equip your commander with lots of different gear to fit your play style. All commanders are divided into different commander classes, but all commander characters have a different take on the role they have. The currently available classes are;
Assault commanders: If you do not want to take my advice and keep your commander away from the front line, these commanders are for you. The Assault commanders focus being able to take a decent pounding and to deal some serious damage to enemy units at short or melee range. Has a series of different ways to breaking suppression and slow effects to being able to get into the enemy ranks effectively.
Infiltration commanders: If you like to sneak up on your opponent and slit their throats from behind or to plan deceptive ambushes, these commanders are for you. Infiltration commanders rely on stealth to assassinate enemy commanders, scout ahead or to vanish out of combat unharmed. They are the perfect choice for hit-and-run tactics and has a lot of surprises up their sleeves to trick your opponents to their death.
Ordnance commanders: If you like to stay at a safe distance and bringing some serious destruction upon your foes in the form of long range artillery, sniper fire etc, these are the commanders for you. Ordnance commanders are experts at long range warfare and kiting techniques. They also have a number of ways to gain battlefield awareness to know where the enemy is at and to use their long range fire power even more effectively.
Engineer commander: If you like to be able to keep your units alive through fight, and fight, and fight until they have achieved maximum rank or to support your allied commanders in battle, these commanders are for you. Engineer commanders are the support role in the game and is a valuable resource to any team. They also specialize on local defences, such as turrets and mines, to provide a safe zone to withdraw to or lure enemy units into.
Alrite! That will be all for this time. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Take care everybody, and see you around!
and welcome to the first dev diary for... Starvoid. Ye, that's what's it's called nowadays.
First, let me introduce myself. My name's Rasmus Davidsson, and I'm from Zeal game studio. We're also making a game called A Game of Dwarves and I use to kid around and say that this is our fun game – but that's only because it is. I have a long background in table top and RTS gaming, so to me games are all about customization, combat tactics and getting to kill other players. Not about digging and.. eh... watching dwarves not being able to take care of themselves. That's why I'm working on Starvoid.
So, what is Starvoid about? Maybe you've seen our announcement trailer? Yes. I know. Doesn't say much about the actual gameplay at all. Anyway, Starvoid is an RTS – and now you're probably thinking either “Oh no, not another space RTS” or “I don't even like RTS because of a.) I'm bad at it and I'm tired of getting yelled at whenever I try playing one, or; b.) I value my time... and RTS takes a lot of it before it gets fun”. But you know what? Starvoid is designed to be really easy to get into, have a low barrier of entry (don't get me wrong, it still has a lot of depth to it for once you've learned it) and you can even drop in and out from servers as you wish. Just as if you were playing your favorite first person shooter – only that it's with the game mechanics from classical RTS games that we love so much. And of course you can do a lot of customization between the matches. For example if you have a squad of Skitters (basic combat droid), you can chose to give them different upgrades such as flamethrowers, rocket launchers, extra armor or whichever suits your play style best.
So, basically – RTS gameplay, drop-in/drop-out servers and lots of customization. There it is.
View attachment grace_and_mysterious_guests_small.png
Grace - an infiltration commander - along with a few fellow commanders (click to enlarge).
Grace - an infiltration commander - along with a few fellow commanders (click to enlarge).
Yes. That's the general introduction. Now let's get into a few details. I will of course get into more details in future dev diary posts! Let's discuss the commander classes.
The game is played using a commander of your choice. Starvoid is not a MOBA game (like DotA and League of Legends), so the gameplay is not all about the commanders - see them as your headquarter, but that's also a fighting unit. If your commander is eliminated, all your units are destroyed with it, so be careful about throwing your commander into the front lines to eagerly. It is your commander that is able to spawn your units into combat and you can equip your commander with lots of different gear to fit your play style. All commanders are divided into different commander classes, but all commander characters have a different take on the role they have. The currently available classes are;
Assault commanders: If you do not want to take my advice and keep your commander away from the front line, these commanders are for you. The Assault commanders focus being able to take a decent pounding and to deal some serious damage to enemy units at short or melee range. Has a series of different ways to breaking suppression and slow effects to being able to get into the enemy ranks effectively.
Infiltration commanders: If you like to sneak up on your opponent and slit their throats from behind or to plan deceptive ambushes, these commanders are for you. Infiltration commanders rely on stealth to assassinate enemy commanders, scout ahead or to vanish out of combat unharmed. They are the perfect choice for hit-and-run tactics and has a lot of surprises up their sleeves to trick your opponents to their death.
Ordnance commanders: If you like to stay at a safe distance and bringing some serious destruction upon your foes in the form of long range artillery, sniper fire etc, these are the commanders for you. Ordnance commanders are experts at long range warfare and kiting techniques. They also have a number of ways to gain battlefield awareness to know where the enemy is at and to use their long range fire power even more effectively.
Engineer commander: If you like to be able to keep your units alive through fight, and fight, and fight until they have achieved maximum rank or to support your allied commanders in battle, these commanders are for you. Engineer commanders are the support role in the game and is a valuable resource to any team. They also specialize on local defences, such as turrets and mines, to provide a safe zone to withdraw to or lure enemy units into.
Alrite! That will be all for this time. Thanks for reading my ramblings. Take care everybody, and see you around!
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