Hello everyone! Today I wanted to do an exclusive development blog about pricing (and the future versions of Iron Armada) answering many questions the community has asked.
Keep in mind, before anything else, that Iron Armada is currently an early access game. I cannot stress enough... that if you do not enjoy Iron Armada in its current form, you are not obligated to purchase it what-so-ever. We totally support anyone watching and waiting, to wait until the game meets their expectations before they buy =) However for our loyal early supporters: the people who truly believe in our game... and want to help us succeed, your purchase will go directly towards helping this game develop. Drakeling Labs never did any Kickstarter, or any other crowdfunding project for this title... because we believe in letting players choose to support a game, based off of its current build... not off of vague promises of a better game. So with that said... please remember. If you would like to support development, you can purchase the currently available Pioneer's Edition of the game... and participate in our early alpha builds (and receive the full game at launch.) However if you would otherwise like to wait... until the game is further along in development, before you commit your money... then we entirely encourage you to do so! With that out of the way, let's answer some questions =)

Question #1 - What will Iron Armada cost on release?

We thought we had our price nailed down to 15$... but then after thinking more (and also finally having access to Steam's storefront API) we realized that there are so many other ways we could price Iron Armada to better suit our community. For instance... I would love to have a free version of the game available at launch. Games like Unturned have done INCREDIBLY well by allowing their players to optionally purchase the game, and support development... but still allow everyone (regardless of purchase) to still play. I would love to have something like that for Iron Armada. However we're not currently entirely sure HOW we would implement something like this. Steam has a limited number of ways to manage your game's pricing, and some of these methods require Valve's approval (or complicated technical requirements that need to be completed before you are able.) Because of this... we're taking our time during early access to better understand Steam's storefront API, and what pricing options we're given during release (and what effects each option will have down the road.) In the mean-time, we have a founder's early access edition of Iron Armada available to anyone who wants to immediately access the game... and support development. However if anyone feels they would like to wait until the game is more completed until purchasing, then we entirely encourage you to do so!

Question #2 - What is currently in Iron Armada?

Everything advertised on the store page is already in the game! We do not advertise any feature, or any aspect of Iron Armada... that isn't already included in the current version. Currently in Iron Armada there are:

• Fighters, frigates, and capital ships that each player can build themselves.
• Resource mining, destructible asteroids, and capture-able planets (that we want to expand upon soon!)
• A structured team vs team gamemode, where two sides compete to capture planets, destroy enemy ships, and harvest greater resources.
• Cooperative ship features, including player manned turrets, boarding other ships, salvaging derelict vessels, and capturing enemy craft.

Currently there is only one gamemode in the game, but each server has the ability to create its own new maps, starting ships, and gamemode layouts! However by default, we have included three ship designs and three default maps for new servers!

Question #3 - When is the release date for Iron Armada?

Iron Armada took about two years of development to reach Steam Greenlight, and then one year of development to reach Steam Early Access. Overall, as we gain more support (and can afford to feed ourselves!) development is progressing faster! This means I expect Iron Armada to reach a full release much sooner than we expected... but there is also considerably more work to do than our cycle leading up to Steam Greenlight! So ultimately... I can only say: our early access cycle will have to take as long as the game needs! We want to continuously update Iron Armada regularly, so that our community can see and feel the progress we are making... however I definitely don't want to release the game before it is ready! Many games (like Rimworld) took the time they needed during early access to really refine their game into something special, something that exploded when they finally decided to launch. I would love to follow in those same footsteps... and take the time we need to make this game great, and use Steam's Early Access platform to its full purpose... as a place to grow our game right, to connect with our community, and to deeply incorporate all our early supporters into the development (and decision making) process of the game <3 Hopefully that is something everyone from our community can fully understand and support! We're here to make something great... and to put our money where our mouth is. If you don't like the game in its current form, and don't want to buy it... we completely endorse that. However if you want to come on this journey with us, and support our game that you believe in... we humbly accept your support, and we look forward to making this game together with you =) Thanks everyone who has been a part of our game so far, and to everyone else watching and waiting... we hope we get to meet your expectations soon =) Links for our community portals: https://forum.bluedrake42.com https://discord.gg/ironarmada Cheers! ~ Bluedrake42 Drakeling Labs

[ 2017-12-31 20:39:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Iron Armada is a space-faring ship-building game that supports singleplayer, multiplayer, and cooperative gameplay. Harvest resources while defending your faction's mothership. Construct frigates, fighters, and stations to fight against hostile forces. Play as a key part of your crew, board enemy cruisers, kill their crew, and commandeer enemy craft. Wage all out war until your faction emerges victorious. With multiple ways to play, no two missions are ever the same.

MINE RESOURCES

Construct new ships using the resources your team mines from asteroids, salvages from wrecks, or captures from planets. Your scrap can be used to construct fighters, frigates, destroyers, or even larger ships for your team.

BOARD ENEMY VESSELS

Hunt down, assault, and board enemy vessels crewed by other players. Capture their ship and refit for your own armada, or salvage their wreckage to augment your own craft. Target ship sub-systems to paralyze critical ship components. Immobilize or cripple enemy cruisers prior to boarding, to maximize potential salvage.

CONSTRUCT MASSIVE SHIPS

Build giant vessels, fully crewed by your friends. Construct manned turrets, rail guns, crew medical bays, ore refineries, and all other critical ship systems. Build fighters to support your cruisers, or frigates to ferry your mining crews. Assemble your armada, rally your forces, and lead your team to victory.