Sandstorm: Pirate Wars v1.6 release notes: Performance, HUD and vfx tweaks | Forums

[AlexRocaSanchez]

After a few updates with important content and changes, this new game update improves the user experience through several performance optimizations, adding or improving visual feedback and many HUD elements, in addition to other minor and subtle tweaks and fixes here and there. What do you think about the new update?

Improvements and additions

• New battle HUD.
• New skulls bar in the HUD showing how much trouble you may encounter while travelling due to active side missions.
• Alytes now has sparkles when damaged.
• Gecko now has a repairing animation.
• New effects after buying or upgrading a ship.
• Gallery mode has been improved and now allows to share an image on Facebook.
• Game now supports Metal, which would improve the performance in iOS devices.
• Sandstorm Hazards have been rebalanced and tweaked.
• Improved the map scroll and how missions are displayed there.
• A few game tutorial related improvements and tweks.
• Several stages, cities and background objects have been optimized and tweaked.
• Tweaked particle of when an upgrade finishes or when using Boost in a Sturgeon.
• Legal popup is now shown once after installing the game.
• Now there's a small delay between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plunder reveal explosions.
• Other minor or internal tweaks and improvements.

Fixes

• Camera has been tweaked in big Scavenger cities to avoid seeing 'the void'.
• Fixed an issue that made some players to get the 'Unable to connect' error message when trying to play PvP (fix already introduced August 24th).
• Fixed the 'stuck in flight' issue, that prevented certain enemies to enter the battle in random PvE map attacks (fix already introduced August 27th).
• Several other minor or internal fixes.

[Pronofunk]

Everything looks awesome!
Pvp combat feels a lot smoother graphically. It used to lag and get a bit choppy when things got heated, but I assumed it was from playing on an older device.
Only thing that throws me off is having the energy bar in the bottom left. I have to change my left hand position so I can see it, but I'll get used to it lol.

[AlexRocaSanchez]

Thanks for the feedback! We plan to continue tweaking the main game controls somewhere in the near future so any kind of related feedback is always welcome. I have a few questions for you and the other players:

1. What do you think about having the button in the right side of the screen?
2. Where do you play? As I remember you have an iPad 2 and also an (in theory not supported by the game) iPhone 4.
3. Do you play using both thumb fingers in each side of the screen while grabbing the tablet with both hands or do you use index fingers to play?
4. Where do you think it would be better to have the energy bar? Not as close to the edge of the screen as we had it before?
5. What do you think about the new health and shield bars? Do you prefer it in the new style?
6. Do you like having the flares in the upper side of the screen next to the health and shield info? Do you prefer it in this way or in the previous one?

[Pronofunk]

What do you think about having the button in the right side of the screen?

I like the location better, as it makes combo's more efficient. I can hit it with my right thumb before changing weapons with my left index or middle finger, depending what order my weapons are set up in.
The style of the button is way cooler, but harder to keep an eye on, or notice when it's charged. I'd recommend maybe making it a different color like blue or green while charging, then orange/yellow when ready to rock. It's pulse was a lot more noticeable prior, simply because it was bigger. I don't think making the new style pulse bigger would look good.

Where do you play? As I remember you have an iPad 2 and also an (in theory not supported by the game) iPhone 4.

Home (or hotel if working out of town) on ipad.
Sometimes like to blow stuff up on lunch or coffee breaks if I'm in the mood on phone, or if at a buddies to show off. Phone is old, so yeah, it's choppy and laggy graphically, not worth pvping on. I have tried to do an arena battle on it in the past, but it cuts out before going into battle with a message saying, "They fear you! Your opponent ran away...". But it counts as a loss anyway. I just assume it can't handle the network traffic and resources required being so old. It directly states in the game info in the app store that the game is optimized for iphone 5+.

Do you play using both thumb fingers in each side of the screen while grabbing the tablet with both hands or do you use index fingers to play?

I sit with my knees up, thighs at a 45 degree angle with the pad rested there on my lap, or with the ipad flat on a table.
With this new setup: Left index and middle finger is used for selecting my attack systems, while right index and middle finger target enemy systems. Right thumb is used for booster and support systems.

Where do you think it would be better to have the energy bar? Not as close to the edge of the screen as we had it before?

I would prefer a more central location because to me, it's the most 'watched' stat. It's fine where it is, but it's pretty far from the other numbers one has to check during a battle, and it's the one you have to most frequently look directly at.
If I could move it myself, it would be the same style, but between attack and support systems, with the booster bar right beside it, and the flare count directly above them.
This would ensure none of those stats get blocked by fingers while playing, weather the player is right or left handed.

What do you think about the new health and shield bars? Do you prefer it in the new style?

I do prefer it up top, as it's easier to gauge and compare your own hull hp and or compare it to your opponent. I find shields too expensive to replenish energy wise compared to other options in most situations, and they tend to last so don't need to be checked often, so having the bar with hull hp makes sense. They are usually the last things I check, so having them up and out of the way is great.

Do you like having the flares in the upper side of the screen next to the health and shield info? Do you prefer it in this way or in the previous one?

At this time, they don't get used much, but being an important stat to check often in some battles, for me it would be better (more efficient) down above my systems and/or energy bar.

This is all just personal preference, keep in mind. I just like having most watched and fast or frequently changing stats in close proximity to each other.
Having multiple places on the screen to look at directly, takes away from watching the actual game play itself and can cost precious milliseconds in competitive play.

[AlexRocaSanchez]

Thanks again for everything! As of now we'll go back to a design more similar to the previous one: Booster button in the left side so energy won't touch the corner and flares very likely to go back to the bottom of the screen, next to the systems. In any case we'll keep iterating and tweaking the battle buttons and HUD.