Hard to handle the 3D

[Ash]

I just downloaded the demo and found it a bit difficult to see what's happening.

I really want to like this as I like the idea and the look of it, but I'm struggling seeing where ships are in relation to each other.

Any suggestions?

[DeMatt]

The basic tactic is to spread your ships out so that a given target is being hit from two (or preferably more) directions. You can accomplish this in a single 2D plane if you need to, although moving ships above or below their target generally makes this easier.

When you pick a ship to give an order to it, the game automatically sets a reference plane on that ship's current location. Every ship, friend or foe, gets a circle on that plane (showing where its horizontal position is) and a vertical line connecting the center of the circle and the center of the ship (showing its height relative to the reference plane).

You can turn the camera using the mouse - right-click and drag. You can move it forwards and backwards either by using the mouse scroll wheel or with the W and S keys. You can also make it sideslip using the A and D keys. And if you get lost, you can reset it by clicking the middle mouse button.

Given all the automation (ships by default automatically point at the enemy, for instance), the only real source of confusion I have is the use of first-person-shooter controls for the camera. While it is harder to use, it does preclude the possibility of having the camera focused somewhere obscured and being unable to fix.

Let me know if that helps.

[Ash]

That sounds reasonable - I'll give it another go. Might be just a case of getting used to it.

Thanks for replying.