Shoot for the Stars: Journey

This is just my experience, and it's a free app, so there's no harm in trying it for yourself. But VoiceOver keeps getting stuck on elements (usually the squares next to the fire). Also, it's unclear to me how long the fire has left, and the auto action system is confusing. Plus, VO does not say how long an action has left, but that could be true visually as well, so I won't call that an accessibility bug.
I love the idea of this game, and I'm glad the developer is working on accessibility, but as it stands, I don't think it's fully there yet.

I agree with this the game needs a few more improvements.

Focus gets worse as you progress. I have come to a point where it’s nearly unplayable. I had to turn voiceover off to build something at one point.

Developer here - thank you all for the feedback!

The focus issues you're describing are real, and they turned out to be caused by parts of the interface rebuilding themselves as resources and timers updated. The effect became more noticeable as colonies grew larger, which matches what several of you observed.

I've already addressed those issues in the latest update, which is currently available on Android and awaiting Apple's review process for iOS.

Please keep the feedback coming once the update reaches iOS. Accessibility is an ongoing effort, and several of the improvements in the latest release came directly from reports like these.

Thank you for giving the game a try and for taking the time to explain what wasn't working.

So, I downloadow this game and I am confused on how to progress. I have lit the fire and tended the fire, but I can't seem to do anything else before the fire goes out. if someone could explain how to play this game I would apreciate it.

Hi Believer,

Happy to help!

The goal at the very start is to keep the fire alive long enough to build a Fire Circle.

Here's the basic opening:

1. Use Gather Wood in the Actions tab.
2. Use Feed Fire to keep the fire burning.
3. Once you've fed the fire, Gather Stone becomes available.
4. Gather enough wood and stone to build a Fire Circle in the Build tab.

The Fire Circle is the first major milestone. Once it's built, the fire can no longer completely go out, and the early survival pressure eases considerably.

After that, your next goal is usually to build a Shelter. Later you'll unlock Analyze Signals and start earning Research Points to progress through the technology tree.

The "Next Goal" text near the top of the screen will always point you toward the next major objective.

If you get stuck again, just ask. I'm the developer and I'm happy to help!

OK, so I think I’ve built the fire circle. It says fire circle five out of five. Now it says for the build button build one? And now the shelter has popped up, but I don’t know where to get the materials to build the shelter. Also, my fire still seems to be going out. Is there something I’m doing wrong?

So I figured out how to gather scraps except when I hit gather scraps it takes me to another tab instead of gathering the scraps. I don’t know if this is a bug or if I’m hitting the wrong button. If someone could please assist me, I’d appreciate it.

I’m not saying it’s not doable but the interface is a bit clunky now. The game shouldn’t take you to another screen when you gather scraps. Better move from top to bottom to gather then. this happens from time to time but try a couple of times and it will work.

I downloaded the game but couldn't progress much due to focus issues, but we should probably build a shelter first and then light a fire there, because this "hostile alien world" is not the world where we live and breathe comfortably. So you wouldn't be able to light a fire on a planet whose atmosphere is either very thin or nonexistent, or comprised of toxic gasses rather than oxygen. So what you need to do first is build an airtight structure where you can breathe without your space suit, but you still have to keep your space suit on until you build such a shelter to keep you safe inside. So you can add real or fictional planets like Mars, Venus etc. with all the characteristics that make them, and life on them, unique and challenging in various ways. These should include everything from atmosphere, gravity, whether/temperature, available minerals or water (if any), magnetic field and exposure to solar/cosmic radiation or meteors, etc. We should also be able to have the game generate random planets. By the way, I would like to share some great sound effects with you for use in this game. Looking forward to the update that addresses the focus issue!

Hi Everyone,

The accessibility update is now live on both Android and iOS.

Most importantly: I’d love to hear how the new version performs in real-world use. If you still encounter focus jumps, unlabeled controls, navigation issues, or anything else that feels off, please let me know. I’ll continue improving it.

Thank you all for helping make the game more accessible.

Journey onward.

Everything is overpowering VO and sometimes I don't wanna use audio ducking. ambiance is too loud, music is too loud and I can't turn them off individually.

A few quick answers:

• Shelter materials: Gather more Stone and Wood in the Actions tab. Once you have enough resources, the Shelter build button will become available.

• Build 1: That’s normal. It simply means you’re about to build level 1 of that structure.

• Fire Circle: Once you’ve built a Fire Circle, the fire shouldn’t fully die anymore. If you’re actually seeing it reach zero, please let me know because I’d like to investigate that.

• Gather Scraps jumping to another tab: That sounds very similar to the navigation bug that was fixed in the latest update.

Could you check your version number for me? Open Settings and scroll to the bottom:

* If it starts with 2.7, you’re still on the older build and the update may not have reached you yet.
* If it starts with 2.8, then I’d like to dig into this further because that would be a different issue.

Thanks for sticking with it, and feel free to keep the questions coming!

Panais — you've nailed it exactly. The game should not jump you to another screen when you gather. That's a focus bug on my end, not anything you're doing wrong.

And thank you for sharing the workaround of moving top-to-bottom and retrying. That genuinely helps people until they get the fixed build.

Good news: the fix is already approved and rolling out. Version 1.1.2 shipped this week, but App Store updates release in waves, so you may not have been offered it yet. You don't have to wait for the automatic rollout: open the App Store, tap your profile picture in the top-right, scroll to pending updates, and pull down to refresh. Shoot for the Stars should then appear as an available update.

After updating, open the game, go to Settings, and scroll to the bottom. If it reads 2.8.x, you're on the fixed build and gathering should stay on the correct screen.

If you update and the jump is gone, I'd love to hear it here. And if anything still feels off, please tell me, because there's another polish pass coming right behind this one.

Enes — thank you for the thoughtful note, and I'm sorry the focus issues got in the way of your first experience.

Good news: version 1.1.2 is now available and fixes the navigation and focus problems that were reported. If you don't see the update yet, open the App Store, tap your profile picture, and pull down to refresh your pending updates. In-game, Settings → scroll to the bottom should show version 2.8.x.

On the design side, I think you'd enjoy where the game is heading. The idea that each world should present its own survival challenges — atmosphere, temperature, resources, radiation, gravity, and so on — is very much in line with how I think about expansion. Later locations already start moving in that direction, and I'd like future worlds to feel like distinct problems to solve rather than the same place with bigger numbers.

The fire-first opening is a deliberate choice to create that "stranded with almost nothing" survival moment, but I really like your suggestion about harsher worlds requiring different life-support solutions. I've made a note of it.

And yes, I'd love to hear the sound effects. The only thing I'd ask is that they're either your original work or properly licensed for use in a commercial game. If they are, feel free to send them over and I'll happily take a listen.

Thanks again. Feedback like this is a lot of fun to read because it shows you're already thinking about the world beyond the first few minutes.

Jonathan — yes, and thank you for flagging it.

You're not missing anything: the Music and Sound FX sliders are not working correctly on iOS right now. We've had a few independent reports of the same issue, so it's definitely a real problem and not something specific to your device or setup.

I'm already working on a proper fix by rebuilding the audio controls. As part of that work, I'm also splitting Ambience into its own channel, so you'll be able to adjust Music, Sound Effects, and Ambience independently. That should address your request to control them separately.

I know that's especially frustrating when you're relying on VoiceOver and need the game audio at a comfortable level. In the meantime, the master mute option in Settings does work, although I realize that's not nearly as useful as proper per-channel volume control.

The audio update is already on the roadmap, and I'll post when it's available. Thanks again for taking the time to report it.

Downloaded the update but the focus issues persist on my side. I made the sounds myself. I mix and blend audio recorded or synthesized by me with sounds that I download from websites like freesound.org. I did use and modify some CC0/public-domain sounds and incorporated them into my sound effects, but that should be okay. I can also share the source audio with you if you wish me to, so I just want to contribute to the game and I do know how copyright stuff works. I kindly ask that you credit me though.
PS: Also acknowledge that I will either request free access or ask you to stop using my sounds and replace them with others if you make the game paid, because I'm providing these sounds for free and I want the game to remain free as well.

On the focus issues: sorry you're still running into them. Version 1.1.2 fixed the major screen-refresh problems, but there are still a few focus edge cases left, and I'm actively tracking those down now. If you happen to notice a specific example, I'd love to hear it.

One thing that would help: when the problem happens, what does VoiceOver announce right before you double-tap? Does it announce the control you expect, and then activate something different, or does focus move somewhere else first? Any specific example you can remember would be useful.

And I'd genuinely love to hear the sounds.

The only complication is that I have to be very careful about licensing. Because the game is commercial, I need to be able to verify that every sound included in it is either your original work, public domain/CC0, or otherwise licensed for commercial use. The tricky part is that when sounds are mixed from multiple sources, especially places like freesound.org, I need to know exactly where each piece came from and what license applies to it. Some licenses require attribution, some prohibit commercial use, and some are fine with no restrictions at all.

They are a total pain. I haven't tried the game yet, because it sure sounds complicated. I like the idea, though. I will try it when I get more courage, and when the music can be turned off. I find music a distraction when gaming. I do not want to cover up important info with music.

VoiceOver focus isn't reliable even without double-tapping anything. It gets stuck on a certain element when I just flick right with one finger as if that's the last item on the screen, but then it jumps to another element when I tap near the bottom of the screen with four fingers to go to the last item. As for the sounds, you don't really have to repeat the same thing over and over. I already told you I knew where you were coming from and I get your concern, so I'm just trying to help and I already used terms like "CC0" and "public/domain" in my previous comment so I do know what I'm talking about.

So, I’ve been able to get to tier Tech five and I’ve built quite a bit but I’m coming across the problem where my autos aren’t working. For example, I’m not collecting research from my research desk or stone from my stone crusher. When I go to the auto tab. It says they’re off-line, but I’m not sure what that means. Also says to drag to re-order and I’ve tried dragging, but I haven’t figured out how to do that with voiceover yet. If someone could clue me in how these work I could progress much faster I think.

“Offline” doesn’t mean the building is broken. It just means it isn’t getting enough power.

All your powered buildings share the electricity produced by your Generator. Check the top bar: you’ll see something like “Pwr: X / Y W”. The first number is how much power you’re producing, the second is how much your buildings want. If demand is higher than production, some buildings get switched off and show as “Offline.”

The easiest fix is simply to make more power:
• Build another Generator or upgrade the one you have.
• Keep Fuel stocked. If your Generator runs out of fuel, power drops and buildings go offline.

On the power-priority list: you’re right that reordering is difficult with VoiceOver right now. I’ve already added accessible Move Up / Move Down buttons for that, and they’ll be in the next update.

For now, though, you probably don’t need to change priorities at all. If you produce enough power, everything stays online and the priority order doesn’t matter.

Hope that helps!

It sounds eparate from the double-tap problem.

If flicking right stops as if you’ve reached the end, but the four-finger tap near the bottom reaches another element, then VoiceOver is not traversing the screen in the correct order.

To fix the right thing, I need two details:

1. Which screen or tab does this happen on?
2. What does VoiceOver announce for the element where flicking gets stuck?

That should point me directly at the part of the screen breaking the navigation order.

And sorry for repeating the licensing concern. You clearly understand the CC0 / public-domain side, and I should have picked that up from your previous message.

Thank you again for helping with both.

VoiceOver focus is on "I have a lighter" when it behaves as if it has reached the last element. It jumps to "Discovered: Threat" when I tap with four fingers near the bottom of the screen.

“I have a lighter” and “Discovered: Threat” gave me two very specific landmarks to work with, and they confirmed this is a real VoiceOver navigation-order issue rather than user error. VoiceOver is treating “I have a lighter” as if it’s the last item it can reach by flicking, even though there are still accessible elements after it.

I don’t have the root cause pinned down yet, but I do know where to start looking now, and your report narrows it down considerably.

Thank you for taking the time to track it so precisely. Reports like this are incredibly valuable because they turn “sometimes VoiceOver gets stuck” into something I can actually reproduce and investigate.

So, I’m trying to craft fuel to do stuff in my combat tab, but my generator keeps consuming it before I can do any of the actions. Is there a way to turn my generator off temporarily so I can do stuff in the combat tab?

So, I’m trying to craft fuel to do stuff in my combat tab, but my generator keeps consuming it before I can do any of the actions. Is there a way to turn my generator off temporarily so I can do stuff in the combat tab?

Go to the Auto tab, find the Generator, and toggle it off. While it's off, it won't consume any fuel, so you can save fuel up for Scout Patrols, Intercepts, Assaults, or other combat actions.

Just keep in mind that powered buildings will stop working while the Generator is off, so once you've done the combat action you'll probably want to turn it back on.

Later on, fuel becomes much easier to produce, so this gets a lot less restrictive.

So first, when I am navigating the auto screen, it isn’t showing all of my autos. It’s showing the first floor and then it jumps down to build and the craft buttons. When I work my way from the bottom up, I keep getting this drop-down menu for the assembler. It pops up even when I don’t click on it. It’s starting to get in the way and is slightly frustrating.