Extended Edition Android Beta Test and Feedback!

Maybe is just a coincidence but to successfully avoid the crash during the jumps, I jumped with all 15 fighters stored in the hangars.

Ever consider using a 'control point' type system for fleets? Each ship would require some number of 'command points' or whatever based on the numer of weapon and hangar slots, and to a lesser extent, their performance and hull strength. This would permit players to use larger fleets of small ships effectively, rather than small fleets of large ships, and possibly carry more guns into battle to trade off the reduced durability and the risk of ship losses.

The option to update my version of the game on android is not available. No update to be had in the Play Store. Help?

You have to click on the link to join the beta program, you didn't mention that you've done that though? Once it says "You've joined the beta" then updates should appear on the app page.

Formations still irritate me. Largely, the problem is that formation isn't something that I fret over. Facing is what I fret over. 90% of my concern for mobility is the ability to face my point defense toward missile and rocket fire. However, when I turn my flagship to the right, even if my formation is a short line with the flagship at the center, clustered tight as possible, the right-hand wingman will turn his ass toward the enemy trying to stay in formation with the flagship.

Don't get me wrong, formation cohesion is improved by it, but the core problem of unexpected manuevering remains. I still maintain that the best way to handle this would be to give ships some manuevering power. Instead of having them turn 180 degrees to move three feet back, let them 'strafe' into position when they only need to move a short distance. In transit to a new location, have them aim directly for their final location based on the facing of the flagship and its -final- location. Have ships cut speed if needed to pace the flagship, and 'nudge' themselves into position based on the flagship's CURRENT location.

This would have ships orient their facing according to their final destination immediately.

For short distances - such as turning a formation 90 degrees, usually a shift of no more than a ship's own length or two, they would immediately assume their final facing - presenting their PD to the enemy - and strafe more slowly to assume proper formation.

For long distances, this would eliminating turning AWAY from the final destination to maintain current formation. Instead ships would bear on their final destination, and manuevering would nudge them backwards to slow them a little until they assumed their position in the formation.

It would also avoid the previous problem of weak, fast ships outstripping much stronger, slower ships en route to a destination - unless the faster ship is the flagship, then you're kinda hosed. Buy a more durable, slower ship, and put an escape pod on the flagship.

The movement fixes Lurkily suggests are important. If missiles/rockets and point defense are going to be well balanced, this is an important part of it.

I'll suggest again ships with significantly different movement characteristics - saucers that can change direction without turning manuevers which always have facing (trading that for fewier capital class weapons)

I'll suggest again some hulls with different maneuvering characteristics. Saucers that can change direction without turning, ringed in point defense mounts at the cost of fewier heavy mounts. Long slim torch ships that are fast as hell, but then like elderly cows.

Honestly, I'd prefer to see things like this worked into a drive equip rather than inherent to the ship model. I don't want to play with something substandard just because nothing at my level of accomplishment has the move characteristics I like.

Also, on a random note, remember that form has much less to do with manueverability in space. Your ship can be a fat pig and still outpace any other speed demon in the galaxy if it has a better thrust-to-mass ratio. Any and every ship should be capable of turning in place, or moving without turning, to a limited degree.

With the move characteristics I mentioned, movement without turning should automatically happen on any sufficiently short-distance move order. Turn-and burns would only happen when you're a good distance form the target - otherwise your ships would adjust facing (but not to use their engines,) and 'strafe' their way into their formations.

For dodging serious hurt though, I'd like to see real upgrades to the teleport equip. It's range is almost useless - you can't close with a missile ship or escape a brawl, and it doesn't recharge fast enough to dodge anything that fires more often than nukes. These are the only uses I see for enhanced mobility, and it's insufficient for all of these.

Started a second hard difficulty game and just wanted to confirm that its impossible to complete mission 1. Also starting with galaxy 2 the game crashes a lot.