Star Trader is about to enter the beta phase of development and we need your help to get the last few bugs worked out. First, however, a brief word on the features of Star Trader:
When you first register for the game (which is free), you will be assigned a planet. This planet serves as your main base of operations. You will be able to construct buildings that produce metal, mine for crystal, and synthesize deuterium. All of those materials are used in the construction of upgraded facilities and, most importantly, ships. In Star Trader, not only do you gain experience in mining for materials, but also as a Raider. The ships are used to travel to other planets to attack and raid the planet of its resources.
Also included within the game is a VIP Points system. VIP Points are used as currency in-game and can be purchased to help boost your material supplies and even upgrade some of the harder-to-upgrade buildings. You will get 1000 VIP Points for $5 and 2000 for $10. Payments are easy and are handled by Google Checkout.
Finally, I've saved the best for last. Although web-based in nature, you'll be using the Star Trader Client to play the game. Why a separate application? We've added some features that are specific to the client, plus it makes playing the game much more simple. It works with a whole variety of screen resolutions as well, unlike most web-based games that require a minimum resolution that's rather high. There is, however, a minimum resolution requirement of 800x600, which shouldn't be a problem for the larger monitors of today.
So, when is the beta going to be released? Within 7 to 10 days. The private beta period will last up to the week before launch, followed by a public beta. To get in on the private beta, simply send an email to us stating your interest. There are limited spots available for the private beta, so apply now! Be sure you include your ModDB/Desura username and your experience in beta testing, both private and public.
Good luck, and see you all soon!
The UI needs a lot of work. It's almost the opposite of user friendly. Although there are a lot larger problems with the interface I've made a few suggestions here: I.imgur.com If you're going to build a UI based game you really need to study and focus on the UI more. Usability is the #1 downfall of these types of games.
Problems:
* ALL the text is bold and not just important text or titles
* All the text is centered within the panels
* Upgrade to level X does not look like a link/button. Replace it with some kind of up arrow that you can click on as well as the text which should be underlined as users associate underlined text with links that navigate (I assume this navigates in your game)
* Your background really irks me because it's black on one side and appears to be an image background on the other side. IT's incredibly unbalanced.
* You've ALREADY established an image association with your resources so why are you using text for your requirements?
* Using copyright images. Those are the minerals from Starcraft.
* Perhaps the Fields should be displayed as a resource at the top like minerals, crystal, or deuterium and not in a badly formatted way specifically on this page. I don't really know what it's used for so I can't comment well here.
In regards to the images, they have been changed in a more recent version. I'll be posting screenshots soon.
Thanks for the feedback!