Supernova 2: version 1.0.3 is here!

I’m very proud to announce that the BETA version 1.0.3 of Supernova 2 is ready to be tested 🙂 I tested it myself for some days and seems to work fine, but as always, I prefer to be sure before releasing it officially… so if you have already bought the game, you can start playing with the ship customization, or check the new statistics screens, or play in the brand new Skirmish Mode (full speed into battles!).

If you haven’t bought it yet… what are you waiting for !? try the new, longer demo, that will let you try the game for more time than before, with less limitations.

BETA version game download links:

http://www.didone.com/games/SpacewarTrial.exe (Pc version)

http://www.didone.com/games/SpacewarTrial.zip (Mac version)

A fun diversive: Summer Session

I’ve recently published a game made in collaboration with Hanako Games, called “Summer Session”. It is quite different from my “usual” games, but I was always open-minded and willing to experiment, so when I found a very good manga artist (Rebecca Gunter) and a great writer (the girl who runs Hanako website), I decided to give it a try. It is of the genre of “dating sim”, a sort of adventure game in which you have to try to date out other girls, everything presented in a fun way.

When I played the first alpha, I was already excited because the game was exactly has I had in mind: a fun, relaxing game, with multiple endings so that you could replay it several times, and a small “simulation” part in it (when you have to decide your weekly schedule).

You can download the game for Mac and Pc (a Linux version is also available and will put online soon) in the adventure games section of my site Tycoon Games. Below a few screenshots of the game itself:

your secret diary karl in computers room

Supernova 2: custom ships!

the new custom ship screen!I’m getting excited… I’m programming in these days the Custom Ship screen of Supernova 2, and it’s going to rule 😀

I’ve changed so much in this last update (still in the works) that the game seems almost another game! or better, can still be played like before, but if you enable both Real-Time Turns in management part and the Skirmish Mode, it feels and plays like a completely different game!

Unfortunately I won’t have the time to put the Global Random Events into the next 1.0.3 release yet… but I hope you’ll understand: as it is, is already the biggest update I’ve ever done for any of my games in terms of change of gameplay, new features and enhanced playability (the only other big update I can compare with was when I added the Quest Mode for Magic Stones).

I was very motivated because I got some very bad reviews from people that compared S2 to the classic famous 4X games… the problem is that Supernova 2 is NOT, and NEVER WAS, an attempt to surpass giants like Galciv2 and such. It is a wargame, a classic wargame with good (I hope) rules and units, with a more deep simulation behind it than the usual ones.

Anyway, a pity they reviewed my game in version 1.0.2. I’m sure if they would play the new update that I’ll release probably next week, they would change their mind…yes, I’ve changed also the click sound and the main menu music! 😀

What you'll see in next Supernova 2 update

No isn’t out yet, I’m working on it. I don’t think will manage to include the Skirmish Mode in this update because if you take a look at the list below, you can see it is already a HUGE update (will change the game completely, hopefully in better way!).

What you’ll see in version 1.0.3

  • added new random unique technologies like Timeshift and Psionic weapons or Cloning Centers
  • added “Ship Customization” screen where you’ll be able to create custom ship blueprints modifying an existing one: each device now require a certain amount of space, but the possible custom combinations are thousands
  • added the “Event Summary” screen where you can see a log of all the in-game events, from turn 0 until the end
  • added a real-time turn option during the game macromanagement part, so that time advances automatically without you having to press end turn

Not bad eh? :p probably the biggest update I’ve ever done to any of my games. I was undecided if to finish first my other game Planet Stronghold but I decided to upgrade Supernova 2 since now I am still “fresh” of coding it… a few months later and would have been much more difficult to do.

Estimate release date… don’t know, I hope end of this month, at least the BETA 🙂

How to lose a potential customer: phone verifications

Yesterday wanted to advertise my games (old and new ones as well), so thought to try those blog advertising services.

I had already used their services in the past, and must say that got some positive review and traffic from the posts. So yesterday wanted to buy more ads, and went to one of the 3. Unfortunately, even if I had previously bought lot of posts from them (over $500 value), they decided that I couldn’t buy anymore if I didn’t call them by phone (of course a USA number) to verify my credit card info! (big cheer sound)

Of course, being european, I am not surely going to call someone in USA to verify my CC info. Also, what they need to verify? they expect me to tell my CC number over the phone? no thanks, is much safer to use the web! 😐

So they lost a potential good customer for a totally useless anti-fraud system (expecially in this case since I already bought several stuff from them before). No problem, I’ll go with the other 2 who aren’t so dumb to use such system (they even let me use Paypal actually!). I’m not saying which one of the 3 is, but is enough to browse their sites to find out… 😉