itch.io

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions - I really appreciate you taking the time to think about this!

I’m already working on improving the endgame and balancing so there’s more to do without it turning into pure grinding. I’ll definitely build some of your ideas (especially the defense and rebuild mechanics), but they probably won’t be exactly the same because of technical limits and how the current systems work.

Still, this gives me a lot of good direction. Thanks again!

Haha, the helmet does look a bit like the Helldivers ones, but it’s pure coincidence. I wasn’t familiar with Helldivers until I saw your comment and checked it out.

I’ll make it clearer that destroying a planet gives you extra Dark Matter.

For the traps, I agree it doesn’t make much sense for them to stay once a guardian joins. Your idea with Yuki’s gun is fun, but just going through the trap a second time might feel too simple. I’m thinking about adding something like close combat training so you can actually counter it properly. The other traps will probably need their own requirements too.

I’m already working on expanding the gameplay - more stuff involving the guardians, planet protection events, and overall story.

In the Settings menu (the hamburger menu - top right corner), find and click “Import Save Backup” - a text input will appear where you should paste the contents of the save. See screenshots.

I really appreciate you being patient and understanding about it. I get wanting to max everything out, especially when some upgrades still have a long way to go. The current slowdown after Nyx is definitely not ideal, and I agree it’s not super satisfying to just leave the game idling. That’s one of the things I’m actively working on for the next update.I’m trying to add more meaningful things to do in the endgame without letting people hoard too much Dark Matter before the new systems are ready. I don’t want to have to reset anyone’s progress later, so I’m being a bit careful with it for now.

Haha, noted - I’ll try not to commit any more crimes against guardian deployment.

I’m really glad you like the new ones! Unfortunately I can’t let all five be active at the same time right now. There are some performance limits (especially with how fast the guardians can attack), since this is still running as a web game rather than a proper game engine. I’m planning to move to Godot in the future, which should give me a lot more flexibility with this kind of stuff.

That sounds great! I really like the direction you’re taking with this.

I’ll definitely be using parts of it in the lore, especially the Nova Serena angle. The whole “they’re just animals that have the same right to live” pacifist reasoning fits her character perfectly.

The ideas for the other guardians are also really good, but I probably won’t include most of them in the main dialogue. I want to avoid making the eaters feel like the central focus of the story. That said, I really like what you did with Nyx. In my mind she’s someone who was once a good person but eventually gave up fighting against the corrupt system. I can see her being forbidden from dealing with the eaters as part of the Obsidian Core’s war doctrine - letting them weaken smaller civilizations without the elites having to lift a finger.

I really like the direction you’re going with. The idea of having threats that create gameplay outside the main planet feels like it could add some nice tension.

I’m definitely going to explore how something like this could fit into the current mechanics. At the same time, this kind of concept makes me think about the protagonist’s starting point and backstory - like whether Earth was already conquered, or if these space vermin nearly wiped it out and the Overlord was the one who saved it, essentially becoming the leader of Earth before going on to conquer the rest of the galaxy.

Because it’s such a significant part of the story, I feel like it might need some gameplay connection rather than just being pure lore. I’ll have to think about how to tie it in properly.

Feel free throwing more ideas on this.

That’s a really cool idea! I like the concept of having clickable threats outside the main planets. I’m currently looking for ways to add more things to do without it turning into mindless grinding. Adding full new guardians takes quite a bit of time, and I want to avoid long stretches with nothing to do between updates. In the next version, guardians are getting tier upgrades and proper stats. I’m also thinking about giving them health and defense so they can actually get damaged or even die during a run. Would you be up for expanding on your idea a bit? Like how you imagine these “eater” enemies working mechanically or fitting into the lore? I’d love to hear more.

I actually used to have an endless planet at the end, but I heavily nerfed it to take only 1 damage. My goal was to stop players from hoarding resources before future updates - something which, judging by your other comments, you are dangerously good at :D

But seriously, you make a fair point that the game currently slows to a halt after Nyx. The reason for the hard progression cap is that I’m still balancing upcoming mechanics and the Dark Matter / Ascension economy. If I let players grind infinitely right now and the DM economy breaks, I might be forced to wipe everyone’s Dark Matter in a future patch. I definitely don’t want to do that.

Capping progression is my way of protecting your save files and ensuring that when the new content drops, you actually have something fun to play for!

Hey, thanks so much for the detailed feedback - I really appreciate you digging into the numbers like this!

I went through everything and fixed the issues (fixes will be available in the next release):

Sustained Assault Matrix (Hold Duration) - Yeah, the tooltip was still showing the old +10 seconds per level. I had lowered it to +5 because +10 felt way too strong, but I forgot to update the text. Fixed.

Agility Training (Guardian Shots/Second) - The tooltip was showing the base +0.10, but because of guardian-specific Vanguard figurine multipliers it was actually giving +0.15 on some of them. Now it shows the real value for each guardian. I also fixed the UX around the 5.00 hard cap which is needed because of performance limitations - the button now properly shows MAX and stops buying so you don’t waste stardust on levels that do nothing.

CPS Prestige (21 vs 20) - This one is intentional, not a bug. The 20 CPS limit only applies to external auto-clicker programs (it samples real physical clicks). The in-game hold-to-autofire runs on an internal timer and is allowed to go a bit higher (up to 21 at max prestige), so you won’t get flagged for using it. I’ll make this distinction clearer in the patch notes so it doesn’t look like a contradiction.

Re: your question about how a rapid auto-click would even translate into a hold click - you’re right that they’re fundamentally different. A generic auto-clicker spamming mouse-down/mouse-up events would trip the detector, but the in-game hold feature sidesteps it by design, since it’s the sanctioned way to go fast.

Thanks again for the thorough report - these fixes should be live in the next update!

In my mind, you play as one lone Space Overlord conquering the galaxy. You do command armies, spaceships, and advanced weapons (which you upgrade), but at its core, the player is still a single individual. And yeah, I didn’t realize that but the current warfare upgrades feel off - they make it sound like you’re building more units rather than growing your own power. I’m now considering changing the upgrade system to focus more on personal power and make everything clearer.

Pyra Valeria (the second girl) is intentionally written as stupid - all bark and no bite, constantly overestimating her own abilities. However, I do want some guardians to feel genuinely powerful and threatening. I’m still figuring out the best way to make that work mechanically while keeping the story consistent.

Yuki (the ice fox girl) isn’t meant to be physically strong. Instead, she’s smart and tries to exploit the player’s main weakness. The core idea is that the protagonist is an overwhelmingly powerful tyrant, but his thirst can be used against him by sly guardians. And I want this to be main theme of the game. For example each guardians ask to spear their planet and if you do you they will join you, but if you agree you don’t actually destroy their planet on that run - something that gives extra Dark Matter. Same goes for the Simulator - its better to spend Dark Matter on upgrading your power until specific thresholds until unlocking specific guardian’s scenes becomes cheap.

Thanks for pointing this out - it really confirms what I’ve been feeling. I need to put more work into both the lore and game mechanics. Right now I’m focused on adding more planets and guardians (patrons voted overwhelmingly for new content in a recent poll). Once that’s up to speed, I’ll spend more time improving the overall gameplay and story consistency.

Hey, the import/export save feature will take a few more days. At the latest it’ll be out this weekend, but I’m hoping to deploy it earlier if I can squeeze in some time.

Hey, sorry the game keeps resetting on you! I’m still figuring out why that’s happening for some players.

Good news - I’m adding a save import/export feature soon (aiming for the next 1-2 weeks) so you can backup and restore your progress easily.

For now, the best way is to play on my website: https://spaceoverlord.io/ and click the “Install app” button in the main menu. That fixes the save issue and gives auto-updates.

I’ll also add an easier install option directly on itch.io in the future.

Thanks a lot for the feedback - it really helps!

To contact me on Patreon, you need to become at least a Free member first (just join/follow the page). Once you do that, you’ll be able to send me a message directly, and I’ll reply there. I’ll also send you a quick welcome message after you join so it’s easier to reply. Let me know if you run into any issues!

Where are you experiencing this? On spaceoverlord.io or on itch.io?

Either way, I don’t see why this would happen - these are just lightweight assets. The only possible cause I can think of is a slow internet connection.

If you haven’t already, try installing the PWA. While playing, it downloads and stores all the assets locally so you can play offline.

The anti-cheat actually tracks CPS pretty well (it even allows short bursts above the limit). For some reason it glitches on itch.io though - sorry about that.

The 40 CPS cap is intentional for an upcoming feature. I use autoclickers myself, so I wasn’t planning to fight them at first… but then I had this evil idea: what if the Galactic Enforcement catch you and force you to watch the opposite of cute anime girls? :D And what if the limit randomly shifts just to mess with people?

That led to a punishment-skip via a quick Guardians lore quiz (the thing most players want to mash skip on). I love working on that lore, but I don’t want to force it on anyone. The whole system is mostly just for the meme at this point :)

Everything is available on SpaceOverlord.io plus some bonus content even for free members. I’m already working on import/export save functionality and it should be ready this weekend. That said, it will still take a bit longer before I can push a new build to itch.io due to some other fixes I’m working on. If you really need to restore your current progress in the meantime, feel free to reach out to me on Patreon and I’ll see what I can do to help you manually.

Thanks for noticing the guardians’ personalities! I’m having a ton of fun working on their stories, dialogue, and behavior. It genuinely makes my day when people appreciate those details. I’m currently exploring ways to deepen their stories even further with real in-game consequences - rewarding paths that unlock new lore, scenes or powerful boosts, and penalizing ones that can cost you progress if you choose the wrong option. Really excited to see how it feels in practice!

A place for any comments, questions, or thoughts about the game. Just say whatever’s on your mind!

Hi! Sorry for the delayed reply - I somehow completely missed your message.

Thanks for the detailed feedback! I’ll get those bugs fixed ASAP.

About guardians joining your conquest: there’s a dialog that pops up right before you destroy the planet. The guardian offers to join you (or other scenarios) if you choose not to destroy it. Also, destroying planets gives bonus Dark Matter on ascension, which is especially worth it the first time. The bug you ran into is probably making that dialog skip or fly by too fast.

Thanks for letting me know! There was indeed an issue, and it’s now fixed on the website. I’m also finishing up a new itch.io version that will be released today.

Hey, thank you so much for the feedback! I haven’t abandoned the project at all - and I have no plans to! Honestly, I’m having a blast working on the game. I’m dedicating most of my free time to it, even if the updates have been slower than I’d like. The main reason is that I’ve been doing a ton of R&D behind the scenes. I’m an experienced developer, but I’m not the strongest when it comes to creating game assets and scenes. The quality and consistency of the first two Guardians (Nova and Pyra) wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be, so I ended up going down a huge rabbit hole trying to improve them. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount, but fixing those assets turned out to be way more challenging than I expected… and honestly, I don’t even want to admit how much time it took.

I’m the kind of person who’s very work-focused and I rarely use social media, so posting updates isn’t something I’m used to yet. But you’re right - I need to get better at that if I want to keep the game visible and build excitement. So I’m taking your advice to heart! I’ll start putting out dev logs more regularly (aiming for at least once a month) so everyone knows I’m still hard at work. Thanks again for the great suggestion - it really means a lot!

In the next 3 days - I’m working on it every chance I get. There is also more recent version on https://spaceoverlord.io/

Yep, it kind of pointless at the moment, I’m planning to add guardian upgrades which in turn boost the crits. I’m not sure if I will have that though, and might actually go with your suggestion instead.

I’d really love to have a Discord, but I don’t have much experience setting it up. I’m worried that adding one more thing to manage might overwhelm me, especially since I have a day job. But in the future, I’ll definitely get one started!

Yeah, that’s definitely a bug. I’ll have it fixed in the next release!

Yeah, it definitely feels a bit pointless, especially in the later stages. You might not have noticed, but when you choose to recruit a guardian, you don’t actually destroy the planet. Destroying a planet gives you extra DP - it’s a small amount, but it’s super valuable at the start of the game. Plus, you get the added bonus of upsetting the guardian, which I personally really enjoy :D

Spot on - buffing idle damage has been the plan from the start! The auto-clicker was actually a great suggestion from Fenec250 that I really wanted to get in there. I’m definitely aware that idle damage feels a bit weak right now, but the goal is for clicking to only take you so far. Later in the game, idle damage will become essential. I haven’t decided exactly when to flip that switch yet, as I’m currently focusing on polishing the gameplay, the art, and adding more guardians and planets.

Having the game click for you is another cool idea! I’m actually considering a mechanic where guardians can be summoned to help you destroy new planets by shooting (auto-clicking) at planets for you. There are some technical challenges with that, so I’m not 100% sure I can pull it off yet, so I’ve moved it to a later development stage to try it out.

That’s actually intentional! I limited it to 1 damage per click to prevent infinite DP grinding, which gives me more control over the progression in future releases. I originally planned to set it to 0 damage, but ran into some technical issues, so I settled on 1 damage per click.

I actually ran into a similar bug in the first version when I was using an auto-clicker to fine-tune progression, which is why I added that “Planet Destroyed” screen in the first place. I’ll look into the issue you found and, as a thank you for the report, I’m going to share some alpha with you!

I’m planning to add achievements soon, along with a “Galaxy Police” feature. They’ll keep an eye out for auto-clickers and “punish” players - maybe by confiscating DP, making them do or watch something, I haven’t quite decided yet! :D I don’t actually mind people cheating, I just think it makes the game funnier. Plus, I even built an official in-game auto-clicker that you can easily upgrade to a decent speed and once fully upgraded - it is really powerful.

That’s really odd, I can’t think of anything that would cause this behavior. Could you share your browser name and version? A short video of the issue (with a link) would help me see it myself. I won’t be able to work on the game in the coming days, eventual fixes will be two week from now. Meanwhile, you can try playing the game at https://spaceoverlord.io/ and please do let me know if there it works well for you.

Thank you for reporting that! I will have it fix in the next release.

tnx, gl 2 u too

Game is live! If you run into bugs, please report them here.

What to include:

• What happened (describe the bug)
• What you were doing / which screen or level
• Device/browser (mobile/desktop, which one)
• Any error message or screenshot if possible
• Or anything else you consider helpful identifying the bug

Thanks a ton - every report helps make it better!

Hi Swonvee,

I’m sorry to hear you couldn’t enjoy the game. As Fenec250 suggested, I will add a feature that simulates clicks in the next version, but most likely such an upgrade will be added in later stages of the game, so initially you will have to click - this is a clicker game, after all.

I find your comment to be humorous, but I have to say the following in any case: If you’re not joking and are underaged, please do not play this type of games!

Hi Fenec250, thanks for your feedback!

The Stardust progression stops after we reach roughly 50% of Terra Nova, when we buy the third Singularity Cannon. At lower tiers that would be when we save up for the next tier, but there is nothing beyond the Singularity Cannon, every upgrade after that is a linear gain for exponential cost. You buy the 3rd cannon around 50% of Terra Nova, then you finish that planet before the next can be bought.

Fair point. I’ll consider tweaking existing upgrades or adding new ones. The main issue is Nova Serena’s story progression—it shouldn’t happen too fast, at least not on the first run.

After that, Pyralis is a pure grind. You only double your speed over the course of its conquest, a far cry from the ~4000x growth during Terra Nova.

I’m aware of this and working on adding power upgrades every 10 levels or so.

The Kickstart Ascension bonus is quite bad. After a few Infusion bonuses the start is so fast that the Kickstart doesn’t matter. The first point lets you buy an Orbital Laser, I didn’t upgrade it any more.

I’ll increase its bonus, but I’ll also raise its cost.

A common quality of life improvement in modern clicker games is to simulate clicks when the player holds down the mouse button over the clickable area.

Great idea! I’ll add this feature and include upgrades for faster clicking rate and longer hold duration.

Just released my first game!

It’s still early and rough — looking for honest feedback:

What’s fun or engaging? What’s confusing or broken? Any bugs you hit? What should I focus on next?

Thanks for any thoughts!