Some time ago I started making a game. Then the game didn't come together the way I wanted, so I made a new game. Then,... No wait, this isn't a monty python routine. The second attempt actually produced a result that I'm publishing. Just a proof of concept, far from an actually finished game, but a first step on the way of further development. Or so I hope.
You guys are the first to hear about this, because, well, if there's constructive feedback to be had anywhere on the net, it's right here. Consider this a "showing it off to the family" thing, before I start to go looking for strategic ways to get other people to give it a shot. Also, the game is kind of related to orbiter, though not in the way you might be thinking.
So what's it about? Well, the game's elevator pitch is as follows:
We're not there yet, though. Currently there's not even graphics or sound, just UI. Also, you should know that it's not a simulator. It's a dice roller. It had its beginning in a simulation experience. That is, an orbiter scenario in which I was delivering cargo from station to station and doing some bookkeeping. Then I thought it would be nice if there would be some stuff happening at space stations. So I cobbled together some dice rules and started working with some solo-rpg oracles and encounter tables and stuff to get a bit of atmosphere into my world. And at one point, after finally realising that the slower-than-light space trading thing I had wanted to make just had too many moving parts for an inexperienced game developer, I thought "You know, if you remove the requirement for spending 2 hours doing orbital maneuvers for every delivery and do some actual world building, this might actually be fun for other people as well".
There's no world building yet, obviously. Just a demo for the somewhat brutal core loop that makes it hard to earn money and easy to go screw things up. If you'd give it a whirl and tell me your opinion, I would be much obliged! You can get it from itch.io (for free, obviously, and also without opening an account, I think).
You can go get it here, there's builds for win and linux:
You guys are the first to hear about this, because, well, if there's constructive feedback to be had anywhere on the net, it's right here. Consider this a "showing it off to the family" thing, before I start to go looking for strategic ways to get other people to give it a shot. Also, the game is kind of related to orbiter, though not in the way you might be thinking.
So what's it about? Well, the game's elevator pitch is as follows:
Orbital Margins is a character-driven small-business dicerolling RPG that puts you into the shoes of an independent spacecraft operator in cis-lunar space. Try to survive in the margins of a merciless orbital economy where your most dangerous enemies are propellant costs, mortgages and customs clerks that are having a bad day.
We're not there yet, though. Currently there's not even graphics or sound, just UI. Also, you should know that it's not a simulator. It's a dice roller. It had its beginning in a simulation experience. That is, an orbiter scenario in which I was delivering cargo from station to station and doing some bookkeeping. Then I thought it would be nice if there would be some stuff happening at space stations. So I cobbled together some dice rules and started working with some solo-rpg oracles and encounter tables and stuff to get a bit of atmosphere into my world. And at one point, after finally realising that the slower-than-light space trading thing I had wanted to make just had too many moving parts for an inexperienced game developer, I thought "You know, if you remove the requirement for spending 2 hours doing orbital maneuvers for every delivery and do some actual world building, this might actually be fun for other people as well".
There's no world building yet, obviously. Just a demo for the somewhat brutal core loop that makes it hard to earn money and easy to go screw things up. If you'd give it a whirl and tell me your opinion, I would be much obliged! You can get it from itch.io (for free, obviously, and also without opening an account, I think).
You can go get it here, there's builds for win and linux:
Orbital Margins by RandomActsOfConstruction
A character-driven small-business rpg in cis-lunar space
randomactsofconstruction.itch.io