Blog

A patch for Space Crüesader has been in the works for the past week and a half or so that should address a lot of issues (and non-issues that’ll make the game more user-friendly).  Here’s a short list of some of the changes you can expect:

– A new option to disable backgrounds completely!
– Two more options under “Flashes” that will allow you to lessen the flashes and fireworks,
without completely removing them.
– The ability to always upload scores, even if you have flashes off and backgrounds off.
(New icons will be placed next to entries, so players can tell if that entry was made with
those options off)
– The highscore table will now update every minute if you’re viewing scores.  This should
help if you’re hanging out waiting for a score sync to happen.

This patch should be coming soon, and I’ll post the full change log when it hits the Marketplace.  I’m currently hung up on two things, but once those are cleared up (either for better or for worse) the patch should be out pronto!  Here’s the things I’m currently working on getting sorted:

#1 I’m trying to get the umlaut removed from the ‘ü’ in the Marketplace title so dimwitted Bing can find it (seriously, who would have thought that Bing couldn’t connect the dots? — no pun intended).

#2 I’ve been very diligent about trying to make all old saves compatible with the new format.

At the end of the day, this patch should address a lot of the issues I’ve seen reported.  I know that this is a bit light on the info, but once I’ve got some more info to share, I’ll do so.

On November 30th, a review for Space Crüesader was posted on Indie Gamer Chick.  Generally, this is where my fellow indie developers prepare for the no-doubt brutal shredding of their baby.

I was no exception.

When I emailed Indie Gamer Chick to let her know that my game was out, I was expecting the inevitable review to be pretty brutal.  Twin-stick shooters are a pretty over-crowded market on XBLIG, and while I was confident that mine was a good game, Indie Gamer Chick has gone on record stating that she’s generally not a fan of shooters.  “Better cue up my bitter tears,” I was thinking as I sent the email.

Surprisingly, it was a tear-free experience.  A few days after I sent the email, Indie Gamer Chick had the review up, and it was uncharacteristically positive.   In fact, Space Crüesader is now proud to bear the Indie Gamer Chick Seal of Approval, which can be seen on its product page.  She even went so far as to say it’s one of the best titles on XBLIG, and that she loved it!

If you don’t believe her (shame on you!), you can form your own opinion for the low, low price of one dollar.

If you do believe her (good on you!), you can purchase the game from Xbox.com, or find it on the Xbox Dashboard under “Indie” (near the top of the new releases list, as of the time of writing).

If you’re undecided on the matter, then I can’t help you.  I could add a gratuitous link to the game’s marketplace page, but that would be rather silly, wouldn’t it?