I first heard about this somtime right after you guys released the first demo. I loved it then and I am very that the game hsa been a success for you who developed it. I have only played your demo for the version now called Eufloria.
You have made lots of good little changes, I expecialy like the how easy it is to select the number of units to send. The map scrolling is a little flaky. Somtimes you cannot scroll the map with the wasd keys, and the zoom in out method just dosent always go in the desired direction. I didnt get into alot of the advanced features, so what I saw of Eufloria in the first five demo stages was pretty identical to Dyson.
Two things bugged me. One was that while the graphics are sharper, it seemed that the details of the seedlings and planets were easier to zoom in on and bring to focus in the Dyson 1.2 version. The other thing is how suddenly there is an "Empire" narative in the background told by a "mother tree".
Part of the beauty of the early Dyson was it's absolute minimal simplicity. Space seed/bugs that grew on trees and colonized asteroids needed no explaination, needed no narrative from any sort of sentient mother tree. It was a wholy natural and organic experience, a simulation of a the very primative drive in all organisms to survive, multiply, and flourish. Every time the demo used the word "Empire" i died a little inside. It evoked images of Sid Meers Civilization, and aspects that should demand a natural explaination, such as the grey seed coruption, took on political overtones. Dyson is not Civilizaion,. While that is a good game, it does not apporact the level of simplistic beauty and sophistication of Dyson. Dyson dosent need to borrow from empre building simulations. It was much more natural feeling when the enemy colonies were "hungry" and seeking ot "fertile soil". The "Empire" narative really destroys the natural organic feel of the game.
All in all though, its a great game. It is beautiful and soulfuly soothing. thank you for it.
