It’s not all 18 year olds. When I was only winning 20% I had the option to decline
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I read it in one go — absolutely can’t wait for more! Thanks so much for your work, and please don’t stop.
P.S. I can definitely feel the Paul Wang vibes here, and it’s seriously awesome.
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Yeah I suspect it’s a fringe case of some kind that is only triggered in a specific way. Haven’t been able to ID it yet but I’ll keep looking.
That’s high praise, thank you! I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.
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Speaking of the eva escapade if you do do it if its not spoilerly is there concequences in the future? Cause as of the moment it seems everyone involved got away with it lol
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There are minor spoilers here (not for the future but for some specific pathways in Chapter 2) so don’t read unless you want that: You can discover this in the text down certain routes, but the Admin of the Academy kind of expect you to do something like the EVA. It’s a test in a way, to see how you handle stress and push the boundaries enforced on you. Shore leave was always going to happen, but first they push cadets into a malaise to see how they react. In many ways going on the EVA is something they look favorable upon. It’s evidence of ambition and of independent thought.
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Onto another thought if we as a mc does well in the academy i got to thinking is it posible we might be able to select officers for our ship? As a example our roommate from academy? Or perhaps from a list and strengths they may have to better balance are command staff kinda thing?
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Great demo, no request for adjustments from me,
only excitement to see what comes next!
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Just finished it and honestly can’t wait for more, dude! Definitely one of the best WIPS I’ve read so far this year that has potential to be one of the best games.
I hope you continue that potential sequel idea because I really like the worldbuilding so far.
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Loved the demo! gave me some Logh and Mass Effect vibes. Wishing you best of luck with this one.
the only suggestion I currently have is maybe have another variation for MCs who are in a similar boat as Wagner, seeing as there is an option to be the second person with a flawless streak. Maybe have less friendly interactions with fellow cadets, have someone trying to sabotage you, stuff like that.
Apart from that everything is great!
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Your ship? No. There’s a set first officer for your first command. But once you get your own Flotilla (which in universe is just a small subsection of a Fleet rather than how Flotilla is used historically)? Your Fleet? Yes 100%. Picking quality subordinates, and fostering their growth, is going to be just as important as your own stats in the later game stages.
Thank you. I’m excited to share what comes next with all of you!
That is incredibly kind. Thank you very much!
It’s definitely an interesting idea. I’ll give it some thought. Thanks for the support!
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This is pretty much exactly the game I was looking for after I first read Enders Game in grade school. Where have you been for the past 35 years?
Ok serious criticism, is the admirals child start supposed to be easy mode? Not bad if so but maybe it should be labeled as such. Playing as an 18 year old legacy it was very easy to finish undefeated. Players are always asking for god mode options so simply labeling it as such is a valid option.
Outside of battle gaming there could be a bit more choice as well as effects from previous choices. Since I had no option to not take the EVA excursion I don’t think I had any non battle game decisions at all once on the moon, and no one ever mentioned my age. Admiral Daddy was only refrenced early on and my undefeated record didn’t negatively affect any relationships like it did for Wagner despite my own sub optimal leadership. More and deeper interactions with classmates and instructors would really elevate these chapters.
I’m assuming leaderships relative worthlessness is at least somewhat intentional. I’m guessing my brilliant nepo baby is in for a rude awakening when he has to actually start leading people. However deeper interpersonal interactions would give players who focused on leadership better consolation prizes while getting spanked in the simulator. Make those builds feel like winning a different game instead of suffering for potential future rewards.
Hopefully this doesn’t sound all negative. I enjoyed the game and am excited to see what you can do with it.
My stats incase they’re helpful.
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My eight year old orphan asteroid-raised girl almost had 100 adaptability by the end and wow that is a really good stat to have! Won both battles albeit think I did lose some of the ones you don’t play yourself. The setting feels a bit expanse meets enders game which is something I adore although I do just mean in terms of vibes, still feels completely original. Lucas and the gang all seem sweet and I love how much freedom you have in the sort of person you can be.
Great demo! Excited and patiently waiting for more!
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Hey, just had a few thoughts and suggestions I wanted to share:
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Are you considering introducing any kind of distinctions for the Academy’s top students, like badges or medals? Maybe even awards for outstanding service within the Fleet later on?
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Do you have any plans to create separate lore sections for things like technology descriptions, the structure of the armed forces, ranks and insignias, uniforms, and maybe highlighting special ships that would catch our Officer’s attention?
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Could you consider adding traditions aboard the ships — like signatures from senior officers or crew members who have truly distinguished themselves (such as department heads or outstanding specialists) in places like the bridge or the armory, dated after successful missions, combat exercises, or other key events, and triumph dinner?
(A small side note: based on naval traditions, it might also be interesting to include morale-boosting practices like naming mess halls, keeping honor boards, maintaining a battle flag marked with notable engagements — things that would feel natural for a large military spacecraft.) -
Would you consider adding some unique dialogue options for Officers who started their Academy training at 8 years old — reflecting how others might react to someone so young achieving so much?
(Some admiring them for being a prodigy, others doubting if they’re ready, maybe a little jealousy here and there. Some older officers could even feel a bit sorry for them, treating them more like a kid than a real commander — giving those subtle comments, looks.) -
It’d be great to have deeper relationships with key crew members — the navigator, engineer, security chief, that kind of thing.
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It might also be cool if how the crew sees the Officer changes based on their leadership style — whether they’re seen as charismatic, cynical, honorable, ruthless, etc.
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Showing glimpses of the characters’ daily lives – their food’s taste, drink’s flavor, clothes’ feel, the ship’s hum (comfort or annoyance).
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Quality-of-life upgrades: acquiring better sci-fi food and drinks (think synth-meat with real texture, flavored algae, synthesized vintage drinks), skilled cooks, and even shipboard greenery (morale boost vs. slight efficiency/discipline hit, as an example).
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Ship & Fleet Evolution: Officer can invest in significant upgrades impacting both their vessel and the wider fleet: enhanced ship systems (engines, shields, sensors), optimized crew organization (roles, training), advanced weaponry (research, procurement), superior software (targeting, navigation, defense), and influence fleet-level resource allocation for broader technological advancements and strategic doctrines.
Really appreciate you taking the time to read all that. Sorry it was so long.
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Kind of, though maybe not as easy as it currently is playing. There are some yet to be seen drawbacks. Good ol’ Dad is not the most easily impressed or loving parental figure… That said, I might nerf the benefits of the Admiral start a little bit.
Still working on this dang bug. Once I figure out what’s going on that pathway offers some more choice. Just don’t know why its not working.
There are some rewards, but they are admittedly few and far between and not always easily seen.
Not at all! I will always welcome constructive criticism! And hey, I’m glad that I provided you with the Ender’s Game experience you’ve wanted for so long!
Thank you so much, the support has been incredible!
I’m going to address these below just because this post is already long.
Answers to your Questions
- I wasn’t. Now I am. Great suggestion!
- 100% this is probably the first thing I’m going to work on once I’m done reacting to feedback before moving on to Chapter 3.
- It’s a cool idea, I might be able to implement some of it into Chapter 3 and 4 but it would likely be more cosmetic than mechanical
- Yep! This is already on my to-do list
- There will be more people, maybe not to that extent. I don’t want to have character fatigue where I just throw names at the reader. I already have a pretty large cast of characters and most of those are either superiors, subordinates or peers.
- There’s a little of this in my plan for Chapter 3
- Yeah, I definitely want to have some slice of life sections in future Chapters
- I don’t have plans for quality of life upgrades
- I do have plans for upgrades to the systems you mentioned. Better weapons, shields, etc. it’s not currently as in-depth as you outlined but it’s there to a degree. And hell, I might expand on it when the time comes. After all, this is all based on my outline which, in the end, is still an outline.
Thanks for all this btw. I might not implement all of it, but it gave me a lot of good ideas and I’m happy you’re invested enough to put forward your thoughts!
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Interesting chapters so far thanks for sharing this!
I wonder if the 8yo start should have +5/10 intelligence instead of a debuff since they’ve caught a six-year early admission, indicating their intellectual aptitude?
Could compensate the change perhaps by reducing leadership even more and have scenarios in future chapters where their lower-than-average age puts them at a disadvantage with future colleagues, superiors and subordinates. 
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I played the demo and found it quite interesting.
Whenever you read a story on a well visited genre you have to shake some of your preconceptions, I think. I was expecting some Starfleet Academy vibes, some Ender’s Game stuff, it definitely seemed to gravitate towards the latter.
Idk if I’m entirely sold on the premise of having teenagers lead fleets because they are savants, especially since it seems we’ll not just be dealing with macro stuff, abstractly moving pieces on a board a la Ender’s Game but also personally commanding ships.
I found the actual process of studying, advancing your skills and the two matches well set up with the latter being challenging (I know people have said you can max adaptability and win, but I tried a couple of things with organically made characters and did find the difficulty level appropriate). I always enjoy stories where the character rises through the ranks, like Hornblower, and this seems to be heading in that direction. Life of a Space Force Captain also scratched that itch and I’m looking forward to more chapters. There’s already a lot of content for two chapters.
I haven’t quite seen the Dragoon Saga influence that people mentioned, I think this project stands quite solidly on its own.
Also for the record, I have to disagree with the First Contact comparison someone made. That wasn’t really an existential war for humanity and the turians weren’t really out there slitting people’s throats. This conflict gives off way more of a Starship Troopers or BSG vibe.
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I’ll be messing around with starting stats for awhile I think to try and find that balance. But I will likely have what you talked about in the future, a few punishing checks for being so incredibly young. Thanks for the feedback!
That’s fair. It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea
Me too. The “rising the ranks” journey is one of the core ideas that led me to starting this project. Thanks for giving it a look and offering your thoughts!
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Any recommended optimized builds?
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The introduction seems really interesting, excited to start reading!
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If just trying for a great demo run, adapt+int will get you far. Leadership doesn’t matter YET
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