One Game a Month, part 2 - Electric Boogaloo

One day, I'm really going to have to watch Breakin' and Breakin' 2.

Having squeezed "Switch 2013" into a vaguely playable condition in January, now it's time to start the process over again for February. February's about 10% shorter than January, I'm starting late, and there are fewer holiday weekends... so it seems like it's a perfect time to increase the scope.

See also "Second System Syndrome".

Still, I've chosen a direction for the next game: Interplanetary Courier Missions. There are a bunch of places to go with this, and I certainly played enough TradeWars 2000 and Star Trek at a formative age that the obvious stuff is begging to be implemented.

I'd like to try to avoid pouring every possible space game activity into the game - maybe this game has no combat at all (what?!), which would seriously limit the scope, and keep me from diving into full-on 4X territory (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate). Maybe the first three, but that has problematic abbreviation problems.

So far, I have a ship that renders onscreen, and turns left and right when you press the arrow keys.

http://bigdicegames.com/SpaceCourier/courier.html

Nothing exciting yet, I'll admit.

Some other features that I'll want to add:

• text rendering
• fuel consumption
• saving state from session to session in cookies
• docking with planets / space stations
• randomized galaxy map
• randomized economic profiles
• ship upgrades

That's plenty, really. Not much of a game, but you know, good for February.