I am taking a different approach to the menus in the next version of Galactic Wars (formally known as Galactic Wars 3). The previous version (1.3) used a new sliding menu that shifted to seemingly random points on an image and displayed some text for the point. It made sense since Galactic Wars does take place in space (each menu choice was a star in a galaxy). However the graphics required to do this were a big drawback, even on the Zune. This is because you can’t really have a low resolution image and have to make it much larger than the screen to get the sliding effect to look good. Because the game is going to the PC and Xbox 360 platforms, to carry over this idea would require even bigger images. In the end, it just doesn’t make sense.

So the new idea is to keep it sleak and simple. On the PC/360 version the menus will drill down a little differently but the idea is the same.

A very early version of Gato Muy Splato is now available for download one the Zune Games page.

I have upgraded GW3 for Xna 3.0 Beta and Thrust v1.1. I have included a fifth level that should be very hard and attempted to fix a few bugs. If you run into any issues, please do not hesitate to let me know. You can download the GW3 source code from the following link:

Galactic Wars 3 (2431) - 7.46 MB

This one is incredibly simple.

1. Connect Zune to computer.
2. Deploy / Run a game.
3. Open Device Center (in Start Menu)
4. Right click on Zune and select Take Screen Capture

And there you go!

Looks like Gato Muy Splato should be ready for some public play by the end of the week.

Today I am releasing the very first full version of Galactic Wars 3 v1.2 for the Zune. This version contains several bug fixes and more functionality. Most importantly, it is the first version to include high scores tracking with name input. It is also the first version to allow you to switch control schemes between the touch pad and the DPad though for simplicity’s sake all UI is controlled by the DPad regardless. I have also moved the content loading upfront so starting a new game takes much less time. Last but not least, this version supports the Andromeda (Hard) gameplay mode which gives you more points for a kill but is much harder.

As always, comments, critiques and suggestions are always welcomed!

Galactic Wars 3 (20520) - 2.58 MB

After having issues with bandwidth, I have decided to again change hosts and CMS package. This time I have decided to try WordPress. So far I am very happy with it and am finding it very easy to modify. I am working on a new release of Galactic Wars 3 and you can download Match ‘Em (Alpha) from the link below. I am also working on the pages and getting up downloads for all my work so please be patient. I am still looking for donations. Thank you to those who have donated. I am working on something special for those who have donated, though I am not sure what it will be just yet. I am also looking to start a contest for the XNA framework later this year. Donations will, of course, help that become a realization.

Match ‘Em Alpha (1875) - 2.16 MB
Galactic Wars 3 Beta (870) - 2.15 MB