Are there still any fans of 3D space sims out there?
With the ongoing nostalgia for games like Wing Commander and a new wave of big PC titles like Star Citizen, we'd think so!
But there is a serious lack of this type of game on smartphones and tablets. For a few minutes of space action on the train, bus or the doctor's waiting room. Or a few hours at home.
That's why we at Ironman project have started our biggest game yet, Armada.

After two years of hard work, the game is nearing completion. But to finish it and make it the best game it can be, we need your help!


User interface graphics are not final

They came to eradicate our species.
They came to take our planets.
We will not give them up.
Not without a good fight.
Commander Nadjarev, Black Knight Squadron

A hundred years ago, thousands of human settlers that were fleeing a devasted earth reached a habitable solar system. They named it's planets after the Titans, mythological gods of the golden era. Life and technological advancement prospered on the ten planets of the system, mankind's new home.
Until the original inhabitants returned.
The Acari are a species that evolved from highly intelligent insects. It is unknown why they had left the system hundreds of years ago. But fact is that they have returned, and demand it back. We have nowhere else to go, so our only option is to fight.
You are part of the Black Knight elite squadron. Each of you will stand against a thousand ships of the Acari Armada.

   

Don't let the fact that this game runs an a smartphone fool you - this is a "real" 3D space combat game like Wing Commander (not quite as story-driven though). You will need skill, a little bit of strategy and ideally some experience with other space games.
There is no restricted movement, auto-aim or enemies that only act as cannon-fodder (well, most of them don't). This game is not too easy. But the harder the mission, the greater the satisfaction when you succeed!

 

Based on four different hull types, you can equip your ship with ten different weapons and a variety of shields, boosters and special modules. Create an agile interceptor or a bulky bomber.

   

Virtual joysticks have a bad reputation among players of mobile games. Many developers go with gyro controls instead. But they have their own disadvantages and wouldn't fit a game like Armada.
Our solution: Virtual sticks, done the right way. Flexible, configurable, crazy precise while also allowing fast maneuvers. Think of the advantages of a mouse and stick combined (except the sensory feedback of course).
Our testers usually begin to really appreciate the controls after 5-10 minutes of playing.

If you still prefer physical controls, of course you can use a gamepad or even a flightstick. (Additional hard- and/or software may be needed - if your pad works with any Android game at all, it will work with Armada.)

 

You are playing with pilots all over the world in a shared solar system. Every victory takes the human settlers closer to freedom - every defeat does the opposite.

  

A skilled wingman on your side will make any mission a lot easier. Their ship will be controlled by the computer, but their equipment and skills will match the ones of the real player.

 

We know that mobile players often only have a few minutes for their game. Therefore, the missions in Armada can be finished in 3 to 10 minutes. But don't worry - should the Armada addiction hit you (as it happens to our coder quite frequently), the next mission is ready within a few seconds. Play for five minutes or two hours - it's up to you.

Missions are generated out of 13 different types with up to 10 levels of difficulty. Escort missions, capital ship battles or pure fighter combat - the choice is yours. You will face tougher enemies and need new strategies at higher difficulty levels.

  

Don't let the IAPs in Armada deceive you. What you can buy with real money can be earned through gameplay as well. The better you are playing, the faster you will gain resources. Still, anyone willing to spend some of their hard earned money can build their dream ship for a very reasonable price.

As there is no player vs. player combat, it's also not pay-to-win. Additional items will help you against your common foe - the Acari - instead of other players.

 

At this time, the game is designed for Android systems only - sorry to all Apple users!
You will need a pretty potent device, preferable with a display of 4.5 inches or larger (the bigger the better).
For example, Samsung Galaxy S3 or higher, Note 1-3 or Sony Xperia Z (phone and tablet) work great. But the game will run on a lot of devices, it may just be not as playable or pretty on old, weak or small ones.

Let me introduce Commander Nadjarew. We have given her the difficult task of explaining why we dare to ask for money before the game is even finished.
At this state, Armada is already very playable, even if there are a lot of little things left to do. We could probably finish the game without any financial aid. But that would show in the final product, and we want Armada to be the best mobile space combat game available. We want it to rock.

Thanks a lot, Commander. You can now return to your day job of blasting aliens.

The most important thing right now is audio. Having fitting music makes a game so much cooler. But even stock music is not cheap. One piece is around 30-200 Euros. And we'd like to have at least 10 more songs for variety.
A voice actress posing as wingwoman would also be nice.  We have a good male one already, but no female one.

There are also a lot of smaller things. Little gifts for our brave testers. Additional art ressources to make to GUI prettier. Maybe a few more used test devices. 2000 Euros should be enough to cover the audio department and various small things. But like every campaign, this one also has

3000 €
Dressing up
With this sum, we could afford additional art assets and manpower to really polish the game up and help it get the attention we believe it deserves.

4000 €
Advanced flight system and enemy AI
The enemies are challenging enough as they are. But their behaviour and AI patterns are rather simple.  We would like to implement squad tactics and advanced flight maneuvers, which in the end means better AI.
The first version would probably be released without this advanced AI, so the release date (summer) is not in danger. But when we reach the stretch goal, we could start working on a big update right away, without having to wait for money to come in.

5000 €
Dynamic mission system
Armada's missions are generated on the fly. But we would like less randomness, and more dynamicness (is this a word?)
Imagine an actual war being played out on a server, and you having an important role in leading mankind to victory. Sounds cool?
Like before, this would probably be realized in a big update after the game's release.

6000 €
PC version
As the graphics engine we are using (JPCT) is also available on PC, a version for this system should be doable within reasonable time. PC users could play in the same universe as the Android guys.

10000 €
Ouya version
Maybe there are enough fans of the system that are longing for a space combat game...?

What if I like the things I've seen so far, but cannot give any money?

Tell people about it! And please guide them to this page.