Super cool and polished as always!
I really love the direction you went with the art and atmosphere!
The gameplay and customization is awesome, I just wish the lab-time was a bit shorter, because I couldn't manage to use all my exp cause the timer too soo long after a while. (Won't affect rating tho!)
Otherwise super good job! :D
Here comes the more constructive clique! (since u asked for it, sorry if I'm harsh, I know its a jam :P)
I really enjoyed the core loop of the game, the idea is solid and it fits the jam! It was fun to fly around, take down the asteroids, upgrade and try to make an optimal build. The visuals are on point and the atmosphere is great! Everything fit together nicely.
One drawback on the gameplay was that it was a bit unclear.. What was the difference between mining and damage? It would help if those systems where more distinct (maybe different buttons / actions), that would make things more clear.
Movement and aiming were a bit difficult using WASD, aiming with the mouse would be better IMO, since I I feel like these kind of games usually use a joystick, you can't really get direct aim since the keys doesn't have any input sensitivity to them.
The research system was cool and it was the thing that kept you motivated to get more exp, but it felt disconnected from the rest of the game. In its current state it feels like a loop of clicking a button -> waiting for a long time -> repeat (and you can't even spend all points at once) which makes it a bit frustrating. This led to me getting a bit bored, I even had to put on a auto clicker and do something else while it was upgrading, since I wanted to see the potential of the spaceship.
It would feel more engaging if the research was more integrated with the rest of the game. Maybe for example you invest resources or money into improves that gradually enchase your ship (over time), it is kind of the same as your current setup but there is one key difference. You invest money and then you can do something else (while they do their own thing). And then you can come back later and see their progress in the lab.
I really like the idea of expeditions, it adds a whole new layer of gameplay and complexity! These things are def not crucial for the jam but I will still add some key points and thoughts.
The expeditions where cool but it had the same flaws as the research system. It felt a bit off, it would be more interesting if expeditions were more interactive. For example: sending a certain number of ships, where more ships => higher rewards (but also higher risk?). You could deploy an expedition, play the game and come back and see whether the expedition went well or not. This adds an element of gambling and control and also it feels more alive since you're not actively waiting for the expedition to finish.
A bit over scope, but even adding simple scenarios where you decide whether and expedition is worth the risk or not would be the system way more engaging!
Now to summarize, this game is totally amazing and I played it for very long! I'm amazed in what you had time to create in such short time and this is def one of my top entries this round! The game has a strong foundation with a lot of potential!
You outdid yourself with the polish and game feel, hats of for you!
With some more clear systems and tighter integration between mechanics the game will feel even more alive! Well done! :D
