Thom Robertson, the guru behind the popular multi-player game Artemis and owner of Incandescent Workshop, has released an update to the iOS version of Artemis to match his PC version of the game. Incandescent Workshop released version 1.701 includes a number of fixes, new features, and changes including:
- All references to USFP have been changed to TSN.
- Engineering damcon systems have been adjusted, so they (hopefully) don’t fall out of sync with the server.
- Collisions have changed, from a soft bounce to a hard bounce. This changes how space objects bump against each other, in a subtle but significant way.
- Vector normalizing code was changed to trap a zero-normal condition
- Removed “invisible to sci” from Skaraan abilities
- Changed the way torpedo unloading is handled. “tube lock” should no longer exist.
- Enemy fighters often showed up with USFP textures and science details. This has been fixed.
- The ship option controls on the Helm and Main Screen consoles (when NOT playing) have been changed. there’s no longer a “submit” button; changes are automatically submitted.
- Show/hide arcs in weapons now also has the option to show player arcs only.
- Made drones fall into black holes.
- fixed problem with comms text color over time.
- DAMCON Team Replenish message always poped up when docking, even if no teams took casualties. Fixed.
- The warp slider has been recalibrated, so you have to drag it all the way up to reach warp 4.
- Clients and servers both now have a toggle button called “3d Chase Camera” that lets you choose a chase cam OR an “out-the-window” view.
- On the client login screen, there’s now a bit more information about the status of the login attempt.
For those of you who have never played Artemis Starship Bridge Simulator, the game is a multi-player game in the truest sense of the word. The game is played with up to 6 players per “Team” all in the same room. One major difference between normal multi-player games where the gamers can be anywhere, this game requires their physical presence, communication and teamwork to be shown in person.
So called “Artemis Parties” have been popping up since the inception of the game, mainly at gaming conventions or Star Trek fan club group meetings. Artemis gives the users the experience of operating an actual star ship bridge as many have only seen in the now famed Star Trek series of television shows and movies. Each player of the team fulfills a particular role within the team. They include:
- Captain
- Engineering
- Science
- Weapons
- Helm
- Communications
Each role require the player to focus on their area and fulfill the captain’s orders as given by the player in that role. Communication between the team members tends to be very military like and the team that is able to communicate with the shortest amount and clearest of words, generally does better. In many parties, people switch off on the roles to gain as much experience as possible over each role of the game.
The 56 page manual (PC Version) which is available for free download from the Artemis SBS website, gives the player a good basic understanding of all of the things that this game entails including methods of communications and terminology used within game play. Artemis SBS comes with 11 built in levels and really anything over 4 starts to challenge most teams. It takes a highly trained and experienced team to beat Level 7.
One feature of the iOS version of the game is the ability to use a single iPhone as a server. this feature makes it easy for those who have multiple iOS devices to setup an Artemis Lan Party quickly and almost any where there is a space for 6 people, even in the middle of the park really.
Many people who come into the game thinking that this is an easy game to play are soon overwhelmed by the amount of actual time it takes to operate smoothly as a team and to understand all of the idiosyncrasies of their position within that team. Some people have in recent days taken to specializing in the roles and replaying them with each successive party they attend.
For more information about Artemis, check out the Artemis SBS website at:
http://www.artemis.eochu.com/
You can also follow the updates for Artemis on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/ArtemisSBS
If you have developed your own team and wish to open or announce your Artemis Parties to the public, you can do so by registering on the Terran Star Navy events website at:
http://tsn.eochu.com/
