iPhone: Gravitations - (by JLOOP)

[TheSecondSeven]

Youtube link | Pop Up


I initially developed this app in my spare time over the span of many months. Once it got to a pretty "complete" state I brought in the company I work for (a team of 8) to do the art and help with the final push of getting Gravitations complete.

The main motivational factor behind building this was to be able to see how people will use the tools I built in ways that I could never think of. There is no right way to make a mission and there are no expected solutions either.

The app is FREE and there aren't any in-app purchases. I want as many people as possible to be able to experience it and hopefully enjoy creating their own missions and playing everyone else's missions.

While art was being produced, I made a more action-oriented Explore mode that breaks the convention of you setting your path before you fly and instead lets you fly anywhere you want in the universe I made. I can picture this mode turning into a game of its own but for now it is just an extra in the puzzle game.

You can also play the entire game (minus Explore mode) on the web at GravitationsApp.com. Click "Play" at the top to get to the game. Any missions you make there will also show up in the iOS app for people to play, and vice-versa.

If you'd like to learn more before downloading it, we have a video we made for the Kiip Build Fund on that same website. Warning there is a really lame video of me walking through a sample mission at the end. We really should get around to making an actual gameplay trailer.

Any feedback is appreciated. I am really interested in what types of the missions were difficult to understand or just didn't come through very well in Flight School. I want to have everyone understand the few simple mechanics behind the game as easily and organically as possible. I know that can always be improved.

Thank you for your reading this. I hope you get your time's worth out of Gravitations,
Michael

[TheSecondSeven]

Added a Gameplay Trailer to let people get a feel for the game.

[CygnetSeven]

Interesting, I'll grab this tonight.

[KevinS]

Looks interesting, definately will be checking this one out!

[SwabTheDeck]

Seems pretty sweet! Are there any plans to add new items like nebulas or something?

[TheSecondSeven]

Originally Posted by SwabTheDeck

Seems pretty sweet! Are there any plans to add new items like nebulas or something?

Thanks!

Nebulas haven't come into my mind, not quite sure what they could do.
But I do have ideas that I need to test and see if they work in practice.

To name a few:

• Supernovas - setting a time limit on how fast to solve a mission
• Asteroid Belts - Forcing your ship to fly the minimum speed while passing through the belt(to prevent from crashing into the asteroids)
• Aliens - That try to capture to the nearest astronaut before you do. Forcing you to prioritize astronauts.

I am always interested in suggestions!

Michael

[TheSecondSeven]

Update 1.0.1 is ready and now is just waiting to be approved!

• Added check marks to the Online Missions page. They indicate which missions you have solved.
• Fixed a potential crash dealing with the Probe and Timers
• Fixed the bug where you would lose all touch control of a mission except for the UI and would have to quit and come back.
• Made the game prioritize selecting a beacon over creating a probe from the starting station.
• Made it so your zoom level affects how precise you need to be when touching objects. Helps when zoomed all the way, mostly.
• Limit the amount of each object that can be put on each level. The current values are set at: Planets 50, Anti-Gravity 25, Astronauts 25, Mines 100, Black Holes 5, Fuel Canisters 15(Going to lower this to 10)
• Did a revamp of how people with the iOS 6.0 updated over the air bug are affected. If you are using Game Center, you wont be affected at all. If you aren't you will still be able to play online and post missions but you will be tied to a general iOS 6.0 bug account named "Lost In Space"
• Fixed the bug where if you were ordering by Newest it would reset back to Rating, while not changing the button, after going back to the Online Missions page from a missions detail page. It now remains on the order you were on.

Update 1.0.2 will include the following and more!

• Having it save the last solution you did on a "Your Mission" before you submit it. So when you submit the Mission it also submits the solution,so the user doesn't have to solve the mission again to get their solution on the leaderboard.
• An elegant way of saving online missions and being able to play them when you don't have an internet connection.
• At least start tracking when people view solutions so that the account of the solution can get some points for their solution being viewed. May be a later update when you can actually view player's accounts within the app.
• Mini screenshots for tips in flight school
• Blow up moons when mines run into them