Black Star Saga

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Black Star Saga?
What do I need to play?
Why should I create an account?

What is the object of the game?
How long do games usually last?

Explain resources / Storyline to me!

I think I found a bug! What should I do?

Will Black Star Saga work on my Linux / Mac / Windows computer?
Will Black Star Saga work behind a firewall or on public internet kiosks?
What happens if I close the browser or lose my internet during a game?

What technology was Black Star Saga developed with?

What is Black Star Saga?

Black Star Saga is an original, free, online collectible card game. No downloads or sign-ups are required to start playing. You play versus other people from around the world over the internet. You can sign-in as a guest or you can create an account.

In Black Star Saga players are pitted against each other in a strategic science fiction card game where the goal is to destroy your opponent's Mother Ship though any means necessary.

Unlike conventional card games Black Star Saga features a varied, yet thourougly strategic, collection of cards. Beginning players can choose to use pre-built decks of cards to get famaliar with the game while advanced players can create their own personalized decks using their collection.

Once in a game the object is to destroy your opponent's Mother Ship while protecting your own. Players can defend and attack using their fleet or through more subtle tactics such as deploying Crisis cards that force the opponent to complete various task or risk the consequences.

What do I need to play?

In order to play Black Star Saga all you need is a connection to the internet and a browser that supports Flash Player 7. It is likely that your web browser already has this plugin installed, and you are ready to play.

Why should I create an account?

Creating an account is optional-- you can login with guest. However, if you want to keep track of your victories and maintain a personal card collection with customized decks you will want to create a free account. Signing up only takes about a minute!

What is the object of the game?

The objective of Black Star Saga is to destroy the Mother Ship of your opponent before they destroy yours! Before getting to your Mother Ship your opponent must get through your fleet of deployed Vessels. However you can also use more subversive and subtle techniques such as starving your opponent of resources by playing Crises thus preventing them from rebuilding any garrison vessels that you destroy.

How long do games usually last?

Black Star Saga was designed to be played in 8 to 15 minutes between two players. Because Black Star Saga is played directly from the website and doesn't require an install Black Star Saga is an ideal game for gamers looking for the maximum amount of strategy in the shortest amount of time.

Explain resources / Storyline to me!

In Black Star Saga we designed the resources to be fair to both players. In other games we played it was always possible that a good hand would go to waste because you did not get dealt enough resources. We decided that we wanted a system where both players are given equal resources and their ability to manage the resources is more of a factor than luck.

Resources come from the Storyline. The Storyline is made up of 3 cards (they are on the right middle hand side during the game). The top storyline card is active for that turn and it tells you how many resources each player gets for that turn. When the turn is over, everyone's unused resources are discarded. The top Storyline card is also discarded, the Storyline cards move up one slot and another Storyline card is draw into the last spot. So, essentially, the Storyline cycles one card every turn.

The Storyline adds an element of strategy in the fact that you can see how many resources you will have to work with for the next 3 turns. Plan accordingly!

Furthermore, every player's Mother Ship processes the resources received from the Storyline cards. When the game begins, you choose how you want the resources to be processed. Generally you have 3 potential resources to distribute, and it is wise to match those resources to the resource distribution of your deck.

Lastly, some Storyline cards produce helpful or harmful effects. It is wise to pay attention to not only the Storyline resources, but also the card descriptions to make sure your carefully-laid plans are not foiled.

I think I found a bug! What should I do?

There are a two ways you can help us out and report what you found. The first and preferred method is to report a bug using the 'Report A Bug' menu item from within the game. This will allow us to look at the logs for the game you were playing and see if we can recreate the bug. Second, you could report the bug in the discussion forum where you can find out if anyone else is receiving the issue.

Will Black Star Saga work on my Linux / Mac / Windows computer?

Yes, yes and yes. Black Star Saga has been tested in Safari, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and even on the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Essentially, any browser that supports Flash at a resolution of equal to or greater than 1024 x 768 should be able to run Black Star Saga.

Will Black Star Saga work behind a firewall or on public internet kiosks?

Black Star Saga will make an outbound connection on port 8080. Unless a firewall or proxy is blocking outbound traffic you should have no problem playing Black Star Saga. Furthermore, Black Star Saga stores your account information, history and card collection on the game server so regardless of what computer you play from you will be able to play from your account with no installation or setup.

What happens if I close the browser or lose my internet during a game?

Currently the game will be marked as a loss due to disconnect. However, we will be implementing a system where you will be given a minute to reconnect and resume the game.

What technology was Black Star Saga developed with?

Black Star Saga was developed using Macromedia Flash and Microsoft's .Net platform. The Black Star Saga client uses Flash to provide an exceptionally rich graphical user interface that responds to server updates without page refreshes. This is accomplished by using Flash's ability to create a normal two-wayTCP/IP connection to the game server.

The game server system was written in .Net and is responsible for hosting games and enforcing game rules. Since all game logic is run on the server the likelihood of cheating is reduced considerably.


		FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is Black Star Saga? What do I need to play? Why should I create an account? What is the object of the game? How long do games usually last? Explain resources / Storyline to me! I think I found a bug! What should I do? Will Black Star Saga work on my Linux / Mac / Windows computer? Will Black Star Saga work behind a firewall or on public internet kiosks? What happens if I close the browser or lose my internet during a game? What technology was Black Star Saga developed with? What is Black Star Saga? Black Star Saga is an original, free, online collectible card game. No downloads or sign-ups are required to start playing. You play versus other people from around the world over the internet. You can sign-in as a guest or you can create an account. In Black Star Saga players are pitted against each other in a strategic science fiction card game where the goal is to destroy your opponent's Mother Ship though any means necessary. Unlike conventional card games Black Star Saga features a varied, yet thourougly strategic, collection of cards. Beginning players can choose to use pre-built decks of cards to get famaliar with the game while advanced players can create their own personalized decks using their collection. Once in a game the object is to destroy your opponent's Mother Ship while protecting your own. Players can defend and attack using their fleet or through more subtle tactics such as deploying Crisis cards that force the opponent to complete various task or risk the consequences. What do I need to play? In order to play Black Star Saga all you need is a connection to the internet and a browser that supports Flash Player 7. It is likely that your web browser already has this plugin installed, and you are ready to play. Why should I create an account? Creating an account is optional-- you can login with guest. However, if you want to keep track of your victories and maintain a personal card collection with customized decks you will want to create a free account. Signing up only takes about a minute! What is the object of the game? The objective of Black Star Saga is to destroy the Mother Ship of your opponent before they destroy yours! Before getting to your Mother Ship your opponent must get through your fleet of deployed Vessels. However you can also use more subversive and subtle techniques such as starving your opponent of resources by playing Crises thus preventing them from rebuilding any garrison vessels that you destroy. How long do games usually last? Black Star Saga was designed to be played in 8 to 15 minutes between two players. Because Black Star Saga is played directly from the website and doesn't require an install Black Star Saga is an ideal game for gamers looking for the maximum amount of strategy in the shortest amount of time. Explain resources / Storyline to me! In Black Star Saga we designed the resources to be fair to both players. In other games we played it was always possible that a good hand would go to waste because you did not get dealt enough resources. We decided that we wanted a system where both players are given equal resources and their ability to manage the resources is more of a factor than luck. Resources come from the Storyline. The Storyline is made up of 3 cards (they are on the right middle hand side during the game). The top storyline card is active for that turn and it tells you how many resources each player gets for that turn. When the turn is over, everyone's unused resources are discarded. The top Storyline card is also discarded, the Storyline cards move up one slot and another Storyline card is draw into the last spot. So, essentially, the Storyline cycles one card every turn. The Storyline adds an element of strategy in the fact that you can see how many resources you will have to work with for the next 3 turns. Plan accordingly! Furthermore, every player's Mother Ship processes the resources received from the Storyline cards. When the game begins, you choose how you want the resources to be processed. Generally you have 3 potential resources to distribute, and it is wise to match those resources to the resource distribution of your deck. Lastly, some Storyline cards produce helpful or harmful effects. It is wise to pay attention to not only the Storyline resources, but also the card descriptions to make sure your carefully-laid plans are not foiled. I think I found a bug! What should I do? There are a two ways you can help us out and report what you found. The first and preferred method is to report a bug using the 'Report A Bug' menu item from within the game. This will allow us to look at the logs for the game you were playing and see if we can recreate the bug. Second, you could report the bug in the discussion forum where you can find out if anyone else is receiving the issue. Will Black Star Saga work on my Linux / Mac / Windows computer? Yes, yes and yes. Black Star Saga has been tested in Safari, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and even on the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Essentially, any browser that supports Flash at a resolution of equal to or greater than 1024 x 768 should be able to run Black Star Saga. Will Black Star Saga work behind a firewall or on public internet kiosks? Black Star Saga will make an outbound connection on port 8080. Unless a firewall or proxy is blocking outbound traffic you should have no problem playing Black Star Saga. Furthermore, Black Star Saga stores your account information, history and card collection on the game server so regardless of what computer you play from you will be able to play from your account with no installation or setup. What happens if I close the browser or lose my internet during a game? Currently the game will be marked as a loss due to disconnect. However, we will be implementing a system where you will be given a minute to reconnect and resume the game. What technology was Black Star Saga developed with? Black Star Saga was developed using Macromedia Flash and Microsoft's .Net platform. The Black Star Saga client uses Flash to provide an exceptionally rich graphical user interface that responds to server updates without page refreshes. This is accomplished by using Flash's ability to create a normal two-wayTCP/IP connection to the game server. The game server system was written in .Net and is responsible for hosting games and enforcing game rules. Since all game logic is run on the server the likelihood of cheating is reduced considerably.