itch.io

This is a great game! I think it actually plays more like a very challenging city-builder than 4X, since the gameplay is centered around a network of production and buffs between stationary objects that you build, but the theme and aesthetic of building an interplanetary civilization works really well. I appreciate how hard it is too. It's not very fun when games just hand you success, but it's not fun either when you can't get any success or learn to play any better, and you've struck a pretty good balance here.

I've still only managed 3 stars on Challenging... not sure what I haven't figured out yet, but there's so much possibility and complexity with all the colonization options and techs and slipway strategy that I feel confident that with more learning and experimenting I could figure it out.

The main thing I'd suggest you maybe change or add is an undo button. I have made a few very costly mistakes that were not because I didn't understand what to do, but because I forgot my plan for a second or my mouse slipped.  It would also allow me to learn how things work better without sacrificing important resources just to see what something does.

I built a hut and planted crops, and harvested a few of my crops, but no NPCs are coming to live where I am. Have they not been implemented yet? If they're in the game, how do I get them?

I tried out the game and it looks really cool, but there's some kind of confusing things in it. I didn't understand at first that I had to power up my engines before I could move, even after looking at the controls, and almost stopped playing then because I couldn't do anything. I did figure it out eventually, and started exploring. The aesthetic of the game is really good, I like the music and the visual style.

I like that you made them go up and down; it changes things up in a fun way! The reload meter works perfectly too, it's a really intuitive system to use and I still have to time my shots. It feels like I'm playing a real arcade game now, which is pretty cool. I'll see if I can try out multiplayer with someone and post another review when I do. Good work on your first game!

I tried it out again and confirmed that the score saving is fixed. Preventing players from spamming isn't a bad idea (depending on the type of game you're doing -- look up "bullet hell"), but giving them only three bullets at a time has some problems. Mainly, it's not an intuitive mechanic. It took me a minute to figure out why shooting felt so weird. A better idea might be to have shots on a reload timer. If you do that, having a reload bar on the screen would be really useful. That way it's really easy for players to understand how the mechanics work, and you maintain your goal of preventing bullet spam.

On a side note, if you keep up with listening to player feedback, being honest about missing bugs and fixing them when people point them out, you will keep in good stead with your players.

Congrats on publishing your first game! I tried it out and had liked it. I'm a terrible pilot though and kept crashing into the left wall; my high score was in the low 30s. I haven't gotten to play multiplayer yet so I can't comment on that, but so far there's only two issues I found in the game. First is that I only seem to have three bullets, and I can't shoot any more until they reach the edge of the screen. That can be a game-over problem in tight spots. The other thing is that the high score doesn't save between games. If you fix those two things then you'll have a pretty solid first game!