Limit Theory is an indie space game promising “an infinite number of star systems to explore”. It’s also got one hell of a cool scanner.
OK, so that might sound like a strange thing to focus on, but take a look at it! Start at around 8:15. Scanners in games are a weird fetish of mine. From Batman to Sleeping Dogs to Mass Effect, there’s something about the art of looking for something through bright lines that’s both compelling and soothing at the same time.
And this scanner looks great. It sounds like it’s at the very heart of the game; being an enormous procedurally-generated universe, it could be tough finding stuff to do, so this scanner will let you track down everything from resources to bad guys.
Thank Gunpoint creator (and fellow sci-fi UI fetishist, it seems) Tom Francis for spotting this. And while you’re at it, check out this first look at Francis’ next game, which in my dreams is an official FTL expansion.
Limit Theory Development Update #13 [YouTube]
Comments
3 responses to “To Explore Space, You’re Going To Need A Fancy Scanner”
Aw man, I used to love the long-range scanner in Star Raiders back in 1979.
I’d still love a reboot of that game, it was astounding for the time. Actual 3D Depth for the space battles, a separate long range scanner, front and rear POV views from inside the ship, refuelling, a galactic map to travel around the universe, damage to engines, shields and navigation. Awesome stuff considering it was ‘in the home’ only a year after Space Invaders.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Raiders
There was a remake/reboot of Star Raiders for the PS3. It didn’t review well.
I watched a few eps a little back, the guy’s really making some insightful design choices. Hard to believe one man job, when you see how far his builds come in a month.