Solarscraper 1.2

The new version has all-new visuals. Also, some sound effects have been added. There are minor adjustments to the gameplay.

Biggest game changes are:

-Scoring 15000 and 50000 points now gives an extra shield. Maximum shield amount is now five.
-It is possible to fire the laser in the warp tunnel.
-The sights are more effective for aiming. The targets in the motherships are also slightly larger.

Some tips:

-The enemy rockets can be either shot down or dodged. However, an enemy shield generator can protect the rockets too... 

-Nothing is protected from your missiles, so try to collect the missiles before attempting to take over the enemy motherships. They are pretty handy for countering the incoming rockets.

-Often it's not useful to travel the thick asteroid fields. It's only necessary in very few scenarios.

-Collecting the cards itself does not score. A poor hand can give less points than collecting four normal cargo!

-For expert players: Killing the waves rapidly gives an exponentially increasing bonus. Exploit this in asteroid fields, which are double-score zones. Failing to kill a wave rapidly resets the bonus. Missiles make this a lot simpler!

-Drumming the laser with fingers gives more rapid fire than holding down your finger.

Daft Defectors

Move quickly to collect all the loose items on the room.

The latest iOS game is called Daft Defectors, now available at the appstore. It is a platform game, where you have to progress through increasingly difficult rooms in order to reach your destination. 

Spies, agents, moles, defectors - all rushing to find the secret formula. Can you find the evidence among all the tapes, documents... it’s all hidden somewhere! After clearing the rooms of stuff you may proceed to the next one. The quick will be rewarded! Beware of enemy agents, treacherous nurses and mechanical mischief. Avoid the booby traps and bombs, yet find out how they can be made to work to your advantage! 

See the above video for general gameplay how-to and a preview of the first level. Switch between music, sound effects or silent play. Choose between left-handed or right-handed gameplay. From the introductory screen, the three different entrances access different difficulty levels. The other side of the screen moves the agent left and right, and the other side jumps. It's simple as that!

You have to time your approach carefully to avoid all moving enemy agents.

Some tips:
-Notice that sometimes you have to be careful how you enter the door, as fast movement may ruin your chances in the next room! Especially in the more difficult levels, it is important to keep control of your agent in this way.


-The scoring is awarded according to a bonus multiplier, which increases if you finish the rooms rapidly. The clock dial on the upper right corner of the screen displays your performance. If you finish "golden", you will increase your multiplier. If you only finish "silver", the multiplier will stay the same. However, if you ever fall out or finish extremely slowly, your multiplier will be removed entirely. 


-Remember to check out the previous iPad game, Solarscraper.

Solarscraper version 1.1

The solarscraper is navigating the wormhole.

The new version motivated by the observation that it is difficult for most people to play the game even on the easiest levels.

I think this is because it is hard to fire rapidly while simultaneously moving the ship. The two-handedness of the controls becomes too complex to handle.

Now it is possible to fire repeatedly by just holding the finger on the screen. Single shots can still be fired by tapping carefully. It is still more rapid to drum the screen, but this is better left for the experts!

The wormhole sequence is made a bit easier, as there are less asteroids there now. It’s supposed to be a bonus shortcut after all and not a way to lose your ship.

The sounds and visuals are richer now. This side of the game will be improved on some later release.

Solarscraper

Solarscraper for iPad is a space-themed shoot-em-up with a small tactical element. The player protects twelve different star systems from alien attack. The main game is controlled by simply turning the ship around and firing lasers at the enemies that appear in front of you. You can move your ship in the sector map by tapping the sectors around your ship. When you encounter aliens on the map the game switches to the cockpit screen where you can shoot them down.

The solarscraper ship (white) is blocking the route to the planet (blue) from the alien attackers (yellow).

If the alien forces reach the planets in the sector map, they will launch an invasion and all will be lost unless the attack force is destroyed in time. As the alien attack waves are destroyed, they leave behind cargo and useful items. The ship can be upgraded by gathering bonus weapons, shields and warp enhancements. The game features simple controls, which can be inverted for left-handed or right-handed play. The controls can also be inverted vertically.

Battling it out in an asteroid field, with guided missiles.

The game is partially a homage to various '80s space games, such as the Sinclair Spectrum game Starion. I also took inspiration from Atari 2600 games such as Solaris and Starmaster. I did not directly seek to imitate Star Raiders, but rather take inspiration from the games that followed it.

Comments can be given on this blog or sent directly to tero_h@hotmail.com

Remember to check out the next iOS game,  Daft Defectors!