Abstract- A mission/exploration based space shooter.
Genre- SciFi
Platform- Game Maker 7/8

Story
Enter Earth - The colonization of space has only recently begun, but many see it as a sort of paradise, a haven.
Of course, Earth's situation hasn't changed much. Countries remain ignorant and hostile, hosting a facade of peace with eachother as they race to control this new territory. Meanwhile, the people believe(and are given no reason not to believe) that this new paradise truly exists, ignorant to the war and chaos that have spread throughout space.

Characters
At this point in time, there are no characters. You play as a pilot during a massive war. A silent protagonist. A soldier who is merely following orders. Aside from that, you've got your faceless superiors and their orders for you. More will come as it's developed, but one thing remains the same - This is war, and there are no heroes, only those who still live.

Credits
All current music composed by Haruyoshi Rukudo.
Sprites created by KnightSoft, originally used in a game called Star Knights.



Screen Shots



Features
*Real-time space battles on a multitude of scales.
*Full customization is planned. You'll be able to install new weapons and parts on your ship, and tweak it to your preference.
*Full 360 degree movement and attacking.


Controls Etc
The game is controlled completely by the mouse. Movement is achieved by holding down the right mouse button and guiding your ship, while firing your main weapon is done with the left mouse button. Eventually, there will be secondary weapons available, and likely alternate keyboard controls.


Update List
10-25-2012
*Added acceleration/deceleration to the current movement system
*Increased player speed and projectile speed
*Improved missile homing
*Sharpened and fixed the transparency on some objects
*Replaced MP3 BGM with MIDIs for increased loading speed

10-27-2012
*New title screen
*New title and battle music
*Test mission removed. There is now a full(but still simple) tutorial mission.
*Message box system finished and implemented. Nothing amazing, but adds to the game in it's own way.
*Some layering issues corrected
*Adjusted movement and projectile speed once more.



Download(Tech Demo V1.0)
Download(Mediafire, 11.16Mb)

Re-opened at Rast's request.

Thanks. As of now, I've done quite a bit of updating, and just finished a (very)small tech demo. You can download it in the first post, or from the link below.

Download(Mediafire - 11.2Mb)


Keep in mind it's a pretty short "demo". It shows off the main menu, the work-in-progress Ship Index, and one short mission. Currently, I'm reworking ship AI, so the only enemy is a stationary boss-type enemy that fires homing missiles. You'll be able to get a feel for maneuvering and the way the game plays in general. For those that can't be bothered to read the first post:

Controls
Right click and hold to move towards the mouse.
Left click to shoot towards the mouse. Your weapon fires in two shot bursts. If your energy is too low, only one shot is fired.
Pressing and/or holding Spacebar will activate your ship's power relay, using energy to restore the ship's shields.


General Info
*Your energy(blue bar) regenerates over time.
*Homing missiles have limited fuel, and will automatically explode after traveling for a while.
*While homing missiles are faster than you, a quick turn at the last minute can help evade them.



In Progress:
*Further improve homing missiles.
*Touch up enemy ship AI.
*Implement missile countermeasures(falres, etc) to help deal with homing missiles.
*Add an "active" shield that can be toggled on/off to divert damage to the energy bar. Alternatively, add another shield health bar that takes damage first, with the current health bar acting as the ship's hull HP.
*Buy GM8 to remove that stupid watermark and allow me to use faster methods of loading MP3s
*Implementing a message system and tutorial and beginning work on the first mission

This will probably be the last tech demo. Any further updates and the like will only be added when a real demo is out. I plan to have 6 total missions(including the tutorial mission) and some minor customization ready in the first real demo. Feedback is welcome(and much needed!).

Download(Mediafire, 11.16Mb)