Looking Back & Moving Forward

As 2024 winds down, the Battle Aces team wants to take a moment to express our gratitude to our incredible community. From sharing feedback during our Beta tests to creating jaw-dropping content, and spreading the word, this year wouldn’t have been the same without you. Together, we’ve made tremendous progress toward building Battle Aces into the most fun, strategic, and accessible RTS experience possible. 

This blog is a reflection on our journey so far — what we’ve learned from you, what we’ve improved, and where we’re headed next. Let’s dive in! 

The insights you shared during our Closed Beta Tests were invaluable. Over the course of our two Betas, we gained clear visibility into what works, what needs refinement, and what excites you most about Battle Aces. 

Survey participants were asked to rank the aspects of gameplay they enjoyed the most and identify which features most influenced their interest in continuing to play. The options provided included: 

• Fast-Paced Combat
• Streamlined Resource Management
• Deck Building
• Competitive Decision-Making
• Mastery of Timing and Control
• Ease of Learning
• Team Play and Cooperative Modes 

What You Loved and What It Means:

• Fast-Paced Gameplay (51%): Half of the respondents loved the fast-paced matches, which deliver quick, strategic action without requiring hour-long commitments. This aligns with our goal of creating an RTS experience that is intense yet approachable, perfect for players who want satisfying matches in a shorter timeframe.
• Streamlined Resource Management (38%): Players appreciated that resource gathering was intuitive and efficient, allowing them to focus on strategy and combat. This tells us that our simplified resource system is hitting the mark and providing a clean gameplay flow without unnecessary micromanagement.
• Competitive Decision-Making (32%): Nearly a third of players emphasized the thrill of tactical decision-making under pressure. This feedback validates the core strength of Battle Aces as a game that rewards quick thinking and adaptability in every match.  
• Ease of Play (29%): A substantial number of players noted that Battle Aces is easy to learn but retains enough depth to keep them engaged long-term. This balance is a key factor in making RTS games accessible to both new players and genre veterans.
• Deck Building (22%): Players found joy in building and customizing their unit decks, unlocking new strategies, and adapting to opponents. This highlights the importance of continuing to expand deck-building options and unit variety to keep gameplay fresh.

When asked which aspects most influenced their overall interest to play, Fast-Paced Combat and Streamlined Resource Management were the leading factors, with Deck Building and Counterplay Strategies close behind. These stats reaffirm our focus on creating high-energy matches with a strategic depth that feels rewarding for players of all levels. 

While we’re excited about what you loved, we’re also actively working on the areas you’d like to see improved: 

• Tutorial Enhancements (33%): A significant portion of players requested improvements to the tutorial, including:
  • Shorter, more engaging lessons to reduce onboarding time.
  • Deck-building guidance to help new players explore strategies early.
  • Tips for advanced tactics, such as countering units and understanding timing.  
• Repetitiveness (23%): Some players noted that matches began to feel repetitive, especially in AI modes or when certain strategies dominated gameplay. This feedback highlights the need for more dynamic matchups, greater variety in gameplay modes, and continued balance updates.
• Opponent Deck Influence (18%): Concerns were raised about games feeling overly determined by dominant decks. This reinforces the importance of refining unit balance and ensuring players have multiple pathways to victory through diverse strategies.

Improving the tutorial experience will help onboard new players more effectively while equipping veterans with the tools they need to master gameplay. 

• Unit Balance and Controls: Feedback included targeting issues, clunky controls, and units that were hard to distinguish. These areas are a priority for upcoming updates, as smooth controls and clear visuals are critical for a polished RTS experience.

By addressing these opportunities, we’re confident we can deliver an even more satisfying, strategic, and replayable experience.

Senior Game Director David Kim recently shared a developer update focusing on Battle Aces’ business model and unit adjustments. He reiterated that we are committed to focusing on the fun at the core of Battle Aces as we explore our options related to our business model.  

For more details, check out his full post here. 

The Battle Aces community has proven to be one of the most passionate and creative we’ve seen. Here are just a few silly highlights of fanart and memes from our Discord, Reddit, and other socials:

To the countless content creators who have produced mountains of content, from livestreams, to epic tournaments, to free resources for the community, we cannot thank you enough for your invaluable contributions. As we move into the new year, we look forward to featuring even more of your amazing creations and collaborating further with the content creator community. 

The journey doesn’t stop here. The feedback we’ve received is shaping our focus for 2025, and here’s what’s on the horizon: 

• More Opportunities to Play:
  • Throughout 2025, our goal is to offer more opportunities beyond the core closed Beta tests to play. We are currently developing the cadence for these shorter focused opportunities and will let you know as soon we finalize plans.
• Next Closed Beta Phase:
  • We’re preparing to roll out significant updates based on your feedback, working towards another Closed Beta Phase in 2025, including: 
    • Adjustments to underused units.
    • Improved tutorial experience taking in the feedback we have received.
    • Refinements to 2v2 matchmaking, communication tools, and gameplay.
• Gameplay and Balance Enhancements:
  • Expect continued balance tuning to address repetitiveness and dominant strategies.
  • Improvements to controls, targeting issues, and unit clarity are also on our radar.
• Progression Systems Testing:
  • We’ll be conducting additional tests to focus on our progression systems to help determine the best player experience while keeping the game fair and fun. Your input will remain crucial as we test these systems, so please keep sharing your thoughts with us!  
• Community Engagement:
  • More streams, developer updates, and opportunities to connect with the team as we continue refining Battle Aces. 

As always, we’ll keep you updated every step of the way through blogs, Discord updates, and social channels. 

Closing Thoughts: Thank You for an Incredible Year

2024 has been an exciting and transformative year for Battle Aces, and none of it would have been possible without you — our players, testers, and supporters. Your feedback, creativity, and passion have helped shape the game in meaningful ways, and we’re just getting started. 

From our team at Uncapped Games to you: Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you played, tested, shared feedback, or created content, you’re an essential part of Battle Aces, and we’re so excited to continue building this experience with you in 2025. 

Have a wonderful holiday season, and we’ll see you in the new year for more battles, strategies, and fun! 

Stay connected with us on Discord, Reddit, and Twitter for the latest updates.