Strike Vector Sunset

Hello everyone.

This is the end of an era. As of now, Strike Vector and Strike Vector EX are no longer available on the Steam Store. 

I’ve been apart of the Strike Vector meetups group for the past two years, and over the course of that time I have experienced wild discussions, hilarious jokes, and a friendship with people I never would’ve met otherwise. And, if you didn’t know, I wrote the fan novel Thrust Vector for the community; which is going to be the focal point of this… retrospective(if that’s the word)?

When I joined up in 2018 I simply wanted my money’s worth of a purchase on the Steam Store. Strike Vector EX at that point was subsisting on two EU meetups per week, and I attended them occasionally. However, as a still budding writer I was immensely disappointed in EX’s campaign mode. The story of Marv was poorly paced, lacked character, and was just bad for the universe it was set in. However something about Strike Vector’s world building, art style, and its titular vectors captivated not only me, but an entire community.

Thrust Vector started as an angry 2 day binge write about a Syndicate ambush on a Consortium materials convoy. However due to community interest, I decided to expand upon it. From a small 5,000 word one-shot about vectors in combat to my first full fledged novel, Thrust Vector became an exploration of the truth of promises, the ties that bind us together, and what it means to be human. And, I suppose most tragically of all, it was the first of many to come.

Escape Vector was meant to explore the ties between blood; of the relationship between fathers and sons. Assault Vector would see how the connections we make in friendship can be as strong as those made in family. And finally, Strike Vectors would be the exploration of what it truly means to be a human being.

However, with the end of Strike Vector comes the thinning of my already low motivation to finish the Thrust Vector saga. 

My time spent with the crew of the Consortium Battleship Decimator and Gaea Squadron was one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had. From Captain Nathanel Ano to Lieutenant Alek Markov, these characters will be with me for the rest of my life. And if you’re reading Low Orbital Warfare you’d probably have seen a few of their names pop up. Perhaps it’s just a part of me that I can’t let go of, but I digress.

I know that the community will still have meetups, and that despite the end of Strike Vector’s sales we as Pilots will endure. This video game will always have a dear place in our hearts, and the friendships we made playing together will last forever.

It’s ok to be sad, and I know that eventually we will come to terms with this loss. For now though, we will hold our heads in solemn solidarity; and celebrate the good times we had together.

To Paul “hellofdaymn” Chaddeission, Pierre-Etienne “bastorama” Travers, Cedric “elliotek” Lecacheur: I can not thank you enough for giving us Strike Vector. I’ll be praying and hoping for all your future endeavours, and I know the rest of the community will be as well. One day, Thrust Vector will be a full fledged saga. But for now, this will do. 

Stay safe, and see you in the skies!

• Lucas “YONO” Alekslov