Development

Tales from the inside

UPDATE: Discord, SM3 Chapter 2, Nintendo Switch, PGA 2021

DISCORD

We are setting up a Discord server for easier communications and at the same time disabling comments on the webpage.

Please join us at https://discord.gg/aj4zgJP5Kh

We will try to more regularly share information, screenshots, chat about development and what’s going on in a more informal and chilled out way. Hopefully.

SPACE MARSHALS 3 – CHAPTER 2

We are progressing steadily with the new chapter. Six out of the ten planned levels are in construction. However, building is starting to go much faster now when we have most new art assets and enemies in place. It will still be a challenge to have it out in the first quarter of 2021 with just 4 weeks left. We’ll do our best!

Nintendo Switch

We are finally able to announce that we are bringing the Space Marshals series to Nintendo Switch!

We’re in the final stages of testing Space Marshals 1 at the moment and hope to have it out shortly, followed by Space Marshals 2. We aim for the release of the third game to coincide with the release of chapter 3.

PocketGamer Awards 2021

Space Marshals 3 has been nominated for Best Action Game award over at PocketGamer.

Check it out and cast a vote if you feel like it! 🙂

https://www.pocketgamer.com/pgawards2021/vote/best-action-game/

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Space Marshals 3 – Status Update

(updated) Space Marshals 3 – 1.2.0 update is now out on iOS.

I wanted to start by saying thank you for all the awesome feedback! Both good and critical. We’re hard at work trying to remedy the newly discovered issues and get the game up and running smoothly for everyone.

There is a new game update out on Android fixing some of the issues and we are submitting the iOS update today hoping to get it out very soon. See below for more details.

Here’s the status update of some of the most common issues:

ISSUE #1: The graphics don’t look crisp on older devices
There is a new “low graphics detail” coming very soon out now on iOS and Android. Let’s call it a “retro mode”. It uses some rendering techniques similar to Space Marshals 2 and will be able to run at a higher resolution on older devices.

ISSUE #2: (iOS) Poor performance on iPhone 12
Unfortunately this seems to be a tricky one and is not only affecting Space Marshals 3. We are investigating what we can do. Reportedly the latest iOS update improves the performance slightly. Also, enablabling screen recording in the OS seems to let the game run smoothly.

ISSUE #3: (iOS) Crash on the takedown of Gavin in the tutorial.
There are two different crashes here, both are related to Game Center and are very rare.

The first only occurs on iOS 13 and happens when the OS displays the achievement notification banner. The next update will disable achievement notifications on iOS 13 to avoid this. In the meantime it may help to sign out of Game Center.

The second crash only occurs on iOS 14. We have reports that signing out and then signing in again on Game Center will resolve the issue. There is a potential fix incoming in the next game update.

ISSUE #4: (Android) Graphics are mostly black.
There is an issue on devices with Snapdragon 845 specifically. (835 and 855 not affected)

Switching to low detail graphics in the latest game update fixes the issue. We are investigating for a fix to allow higher detail settings to work properly.

ISSUE #5: (Android) Crash during load on some devices
We have optimized the memory usage in the latest game update which should allow the game to run on devices with lower available memory.

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Space Marshals 3 – Chapter One – COMING SOON

(updated)

Howdy earthlings! We’re proud to announce that we’ve just completed the development of the first chapter for Space Marshals 3. It is going through translation and final testing as I write this, and should hit the stores later this month. We can’t wait for you to try it out!

The first release will have 12 missions, where two are free to try and the other ten makes up Chapter One. Each chapter will be unlocked with an in-app purchase. We’ve decided to go this route to hopefully fund further development of Space Marshals 3 than we otherwise could. We have plans for at least two more chapters and work on the next chapters have already begun.

Coming for the App Store and the Google Play store.

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Xenowerk Tactics update out now! (updated)

We’ve just released a larger update for Xenowerk Tactics!

TWO NEW SKILLS: The scientist and ranger classes both receive an additional level 1 skill. Gun Turret and Flare Shot, respectively. This adds more player choice on earlier combat scenarios and some well-needed extra power for the new Hard Mode.

EXPLORATION MODE: This mode lets you continue a campaign after the story has concluded. It will also be possible to convert any previously ended campaign into this mode. Everything, but the Ambrosia mission threads, is playable, endlessly…

HARD MODE: There’s an easy way to implement a hard mode, just increase damage numbers and decrease health numbers. That’s boring, so we did it the hard way. The mutant horde has now become more deadly and gained various powers, such as Pyrokinesis, Radioactive Blood, Stalking, Teleportation, adding a new dimension to the tactical challenge. Prepare to go MIA!

On a more serious note, this mode is recommended for more experienced players who want some additional challenge. It is designed to be harder, but hopefully, in a fair and interesting way.

OTHER CHANGES:

  • Scout mutants now enrage nearby mutants.
  • Flying mutants in the mountain biome now cause damage and slow down on death.
  • Mutant projectiles now leave a radioactive residue on impact.
  • Clearer healing/regeneration indicator on mutants.
  • Hardshell mutants are now immune to stun effects.
  • Enemy health bars shown on tactical pause.
  • Graphics detail options added. (iOS)
  • AI path-finding optimized and improved.
  • All mails related to Command Center upgrades high-lighted.
  • Many tweaks and bug fixes.
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Xenowerk Tactics first week roundup

It’s been a very busy week here at Pixelbite. First we want to give a big thanks to everyone who has supported us and bought Xenowerk Tactics! It is tough times out there for premium games and we couldn’t do this without you.

We have gotten loads of feedback from you and the most requested feature so far is a higher difficulty mode. That and few other things are being looked at for upcoming updates.

Our friends over at Localize Direct put together an interview piece about us and translations. Check it out: https://www.localizedirect.com/posts/pixelbite-games-interview-localization-qa

And yes, we have begun working on the next Space Marshals game. 🙂

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Xenowerk Tactics sneak peek

It’s well about time we tell you guys what we’ve been up to. We are excited to tell you that our next game, coming this year, will be Xenowerk Tactics. A pre-apocalyptic RTS-like, mutant blasting game with exploration and strategy elements. In this game you’ll manage and evolve your base camp and a crew of various operatives (Marines, Rangers and Scientists). You send squads into the infected zone and do various missions, either to profit yourself or maybe to try to save the world. Or a little of both.

It is coming for iOS and Android and will be a premium game experience.


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Work in progress

We get asked a specific question a lot recently and the answer is: No, we haven’t been abducted or been slacking off… 🙂 We’re hard at work and very focused on our next project! It isn’t going to be Space Marshals 3. (That is going to happen, but just not yet!) At the moment we’re working on something new and different that should hit the stores in the second half of 2018. Hopefully we can release more information in a while.

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