Dear Stormworkers,
We are making this one-off announcement to share some special news.
Carrier Command 2
We are excited to announce that over the past couple of years, we have had the opportunity to build a sequel to the 1988 Microprose classic, Carrier Command (originally created by Ian Oliver and Graeme Bird). This game has been made by an entirely separate team to the Stormworks team, using a different original game engine and original code base.
This is a huge deal for us. I grew up on Microprose games, and as a game developer, I have always had a deep admiration for 1980s video game development, where the rules of game design were still being invented, hardware was extremely limiting, and development tools were primitive. When we are not making games, we are gamers ourselves and get really excited about classic games.
Carrier Command is one of the greatest example of 1980s game innovation. It was one of the first true 3D games, and the most detailed military sim of it's time. With an open world of islands to explore, and multiple cooperating vehicles, it has been a big inspiration in the creation of Stormworks. The magic and depth of this era of gaming is sadly lost in most of todays games, and something we have aimed to repair with Stormworks.
We have been working with Microprose (yes, they are back!) to create a true spiritual successor to the 1988 original. For us, that has been about capturing the depth of strategy and mechanics of the original, then pushing this all much, much further. You command from the carrier bridge, with a literalism where every screen, button and switch has an important function. You manage manufacturing, inventory, logistics, strategy, systems, and can take over manual control of any vehicle.
Carrier Command 2 is NOT a vehicle building game, it is a military simulation and strategy game.
For many players, this sequel is 30 years overdue and we only hope that we can make it worth the wait.
You can view the store page for Carrier Command 2 here.
What Does This Mean For Stormworks?
Nothing.
Carrier Command is made by a different development team, and the work is almost complete. Over the past 2 years, we have continued to release minor and major updates to our regular, uninterrupted Stormworks schedule and this is going to continue for years.
It has been very beneficial to be developing the additional experience, skills, and technology and both games have benefitted from being built near each other.
It is really important to us that players know we are committed to Stormworks and will support and improve the game for years to come. Let's discuss how:
Stormworks Development Roadmap
Here is our current roadmap as an info-graphic. We only have space to list out the main features and not all the minor updates, improvements and fixes that we will continue to add on our regular timetable.
If you have feedback or ideas that you think should be here, be sure to let us know! We are always listening to players and will adjust the plan to respond!
Answering Community Questions
Keeping players informed and answering your questions is important to us. We are going to trial a question and answer session and ask you to submit your questions over the next few days. We are still making plans but may try and answer them in a Youtube video. If this goes well, it could become a regular feature to best keep players informed and involved in the development process.
Submit your question now by clicking on this link! Thank you for the questions! Session has been recorded but keep an eye out here on the announcements and we may do this again.
Here is to 2021 and beyond! Tune back in on Friday for the weekly announcement.
Much love <3,
The Stormworks Developers