OVM Beta1 test!

I am pushing the Orcs vs. Martians Beta1 out the door today. w00t! Finally.

I'm not sure why I'm calling this the Beta1. Wait, I know - because it's my game, and I want to! LOL. Well, all the major features are in and are working fairly well. But the keyword there is "major" -- there are still lots of minor features to finish, and tons of work to do. Final art and particle effects in particular are lacking.

There are also still plenty of small bugs. Though none are too critical. The game plays quite stably. Although, there is an intermittant crash on exit.

I'm planning one more test release, a Beta2, and then the final release.

What's new in Beta1? compared to the Alpha2 back in April,

* LAN and internet games now work! (although the connection UI is clunky)
* Game replays now work! (and can be saved!)
* Improved & new animations & sound effects!
* Improved graphics
* Improved random map generation (more control over the outcome, and a higher % of accessible terrain)
* Multiple tile sets!
* Improved HUD
* An on-screen popup alterting the player to attacks
* Improved game results screen
* Improved AI
* Lots more

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So here's something else new. I limited the previous Alpha tests to people I knew personally, and those tests went ok, but I didn't get as much feedback as I wanted. It was good feedback, just not enough. So this time around, I am opening the Beta1 test to all Torque'rs. Yep, that's right. You can now play OVM, and help me make the game better. I hope this will be a fun way for others to see what I've been up to, and for myself, I hope to get lots of critiques and suggestions to improve my game.

The only things I ask -- you must be a Torque licensee, and you must agree to give feedback within a couple of weeks.

What kind of feedback am I looking for? Most helpful is feedback about the overall fun factor of the game, gameplay elements, usability, what you liked and didn't like, suggestions for changes/additions, etc. If you can only think of a couple of comments that's cool, just send something that'll help me. Also, negative feedback is every bit as helpful as positive -- if it stinks and it's going to be a flop, I want to know!

To get in on the Beta1 test, send email to:

ovm_test@redbrickgames.com

and I'll reply with a download link.

Please note, this is NOT a purely open beta test! Don't repost the download link anywhere, or share the game with others. Let me control that, as I don't want the Beta1 to get too widely distributed.

Thanks in advance. I promise it'll be a fun test! Here's a short blurb on the soul of the game. (I need to get this up on my GreatGamesExperiment page)

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Orcs vs. Martians aims to combine the best of casual gaming and hardcore RTS gaming. OVM is easy to learn, and incorporates many usability features meant to minimize RTS micromanagement. However, its core fun is designed around my personal favorite hardcore RTS features.

Casual / ease-of-use features:

- only 1 resource type (but multiple ways to get it)
- only 3 units types (but they're customizable thru upgrades)
- no building or tech dependencies to memorize
- beautiful scenery
- new worker units automatically start working, w/o user direction
- when you're attacked, on-screen alerts summarize where & by whom

Hardcore features:

- different terrain has different tactical value
- different terrain has different resource-producing value
- random map generation is powerful and flexible
- full fog-of-war implementation
- unlimited upgrades, leading to interesting battles late in the game

Games typically play in well under an hour. Perfect for a lunch break at work. Also good for older gamers, who may have less free time than they used to (family, etc.), but still want to get in a good RTS experience with their buddies. You might say I've tailored the game to my own demographic group, so to speak.