The Depot entry hasn't been approved yet, but I recently put a demo of my new game Angry Moth up on sourceforge.

Basically it's a 2D tribute to space battle games like Freespace 2 and Squadron.
Video here:

Files are here (Windows binary and source).

And a screenshot:
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It should be reasonably easy to work out what's going on, but here are a few hints:
- use slide a lot!
- support your fleet. You need each other
- generally, shields go down when their energy is reduced to zero and come back up when it's recharged to about 1/4 to 1/3
- the targetting display down the bottom left indicates which part of a warship has the shield generator
- don't forget to use the command button to tell your little squadron (of two) what to do. You can get them to attack your target, cover you (the default), form up or go back and defend the fleet
- hold the targetting key/button for a second to switch from manual targetting to automatic and back again

And some known issues:
- no music yet
- the sound in general is not so great
- the "mission data" menu option doesn't do anything
- sometimes fighters fly off into the distance if there's nothing for them to do (this is fixable but fixing it properly will require a bit of work)
- there is theoretical support for dual-stick analogue controllers (with the second stick controlling slide), but I understand that Allegro has some issues with the only one I've tested this on (an Xbox 360 controller). It does work as an ordinary single-stick controller, though. I suggest mapping slide to the bumpers, using the "set controls" thing in the game

Let me know what you think!

I also tried, I'm not a big fan of this genre... But! I don't see anything wrong with this game in its current state. I didn't really screw around with your friendly AI system. So I don't have a comment on that. Just keep up the good work, with more content it will be very addictive.

This is extremely cool. On my 4th game I managed to beat mission 1, (50% casualties), it's when I "got" how to use weapons: Against fighters: lasers and launch a targetting missile as soon as your target is going straight "up" or "down", don't necessarily insist against the same target. Against warships: keep your distance, one targetted missile, and hold fire3 to spam dumb rockets while it reloads.

I admire how you've managed to make a balance: fast ships don't fear so much a big ship as they can flee and regenerate, so the player's ship has a real advantage in chasing the small bombers before they damage the fleet.
I also discovered very fast that when your warships are close to the enemies, it's better to attack from a different side: either they shoot the fleet so you're safe, or they shoot at you and this draws A LOT of fire away from your group, and it's up to you to retreat when the shields are low.
The multiple "maps" / "sensors" are intuitive, they remove the need for a separate map screen.
The visuals are very nice, with an attention to details.
If I have a critic, it's about the number of controls (keys). I think I'm going to try a different setup: For the right hand only up down left right + targetting and command, for the left hand the strafe keys and fire keys.

Some further notes:
I forgot to mention that the "sidekicks", in cover mode, are very good. They don't stay long in harm's way and quickly catch up when you retreat, they seem to team together against the fighter that you're targetting, and I saw them do "hit-and-fade" attacks against the warship I was targetting.
About the "command" key: I guess it requires practice to memorize which key runs each command. Maybe it would be easier to learn if the command menu was a cross that appears while you hold the command key : you push a direction and release command key to select a command.

   attack my target
           |
cover -- cancel -- ?
           |
    go defend convoy

I'm eager to play more missions, even though the 2nd is still too hard for me
This really brings back memories of Wing Commander (I didn't play a lot, but I found it amazing) I hope you plan to make some missions where the player can pilot a bomber ship, too slow to chase fighters (so requires his escort) and fires super-slow missile that can wipe a small warship in one shot. The generic 3-weapons system has a lot of potential, from player-aimed projectiles to auto-targetting turret like the warships, "melee" phasers, temporary shields (extra bonus if it's large enough to protect a nearby friend), temporary boosts (speed, rate of fire), deployable stuff (prox mines, ship carrier )
So far the two missions are races against time (need to do enough damage before the fleets engage), with more types of game situations this can really shine.

Fail - All Warships Lost X 2. I think I'm getting better, but I'm not good enough yet.

Re - Linux
Maybe tomorrow I'll see if I can get AngryMoth compiled on OpenSUSE 11.3 and see if it crashes / debug it for you. Is Allegro 4 the only library you used for it?

I'm only tossing ideas with enthusiasm It's the easy part, I know. Ariesnl had started a similar project, I was sad to see that it stalled.
I expect that missions take a lot of time to design (the briefings! the contextual radio messages and scripted events!), so it's really up to you to define how generic/ambitious you want the engine.
In any case, you're making it open-source, so everybody wins.

I'm thinking I got more than I bargained for.

First, there's no "pbullet.h" to include from the file "ebullet.c". I guessed and changed it to "ebullet.h" but then there were a ton of errors, so I skipped compilation of "ebullet.c".

Second, you used the 'itoa' function in input.c without including <stdlib.h>, so I included it, but guess what - my version of gcc must not have itoa anymore. It was deprecated anyway, so there's a looming 'implicit declaration of itoa' that is bound to crash if I finish compiling it. Nix that - I substituted sprintf for itoa and #included <stdio.h> in input.c. After that it finished compiling.

Third, there's a truckload of warnings left over that I'm not going to mess with. Some are about unused variables, but there are lots of warnings about possibly using uninitialized variables you might want to check out :

-------------- Clean: Release in AngryMoth ---------------

Cleaned "AngryMoth - Release"

-------------- Build: Release in AngryMoth ---------------

Compiling: briefing.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/briefing.c: In function ‘report_text’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/briefing.c:2585:6: warning: unused variable ‘dest_rank’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/briefing.c:2583:6: warning: unused variable ‘elost’
Compiling: bullet.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/bullet.c: In function ‘bullet_explodes’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/bullet.c:1002:22: warning: unused variable ‘speed’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/bullet.c:1003:6: warning: ‘target_x’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/bullet.c:1003:16: warning: ‘target_y’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: cloud.c
Compiling: display.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_convoys’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:697:9: warning: unused variable ‘j’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_final_details’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:1852:15: warning: unused variable ‘col’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_HUD’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:2105:20: warning: ‘select_y’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_pshield_circle’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:4918:14: warning: ‘d’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_bullets’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:3368:49: warning: ‘x3’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:3368:53: warning: ‘y3’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c: In function ‘draw_a_ship’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/display.c:803:8: warning: ‘angle_draw’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: display_init.c
Compiling: eclass.c
Compiling: game.c
Compiling: input.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/input.c: In function ‘get_input’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/input.c:79:7: warning: unused variable ‘istr’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/input.c: In function ‘run_player_secondary’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/input.c:1408:9: warning: unused variable ‘i’
Compiling: level.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/level.c: In function ‘setup_player_wing’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/level.c:2664:6: warning: ‘angle’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/level.c:2664:13: warning: ‘dist’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: main.c
Compiling: menu.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c: In function ‘menu_command’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c:620:7: warning: unused variable ‘p’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c: In function ‘player_joystick_input’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c:702:6: warning: unused variable ‘j’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c: In function ‘run_controls_setting’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c:1051:7: warning: unused variable ‘button’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/menu.c:1050:8: warning: ‘inputted’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: message.c
Compiling: palette.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/palette.c: In function ‘blend_function’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/palette.c:460:9: warning: ‘output’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: ship.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘carrier_launches’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:278:10: warning: unused variable ‘e3’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘ship_explodes’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:3965:6: warning: unused variable ‘y’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:3964:6: warning: unused variable ‘x’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘wship_starts_breaking_up’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4070:6: warning: unused variable ‘y’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4069:6: warning: unused variable ‘x’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4068:6: warning: unused variable ‘c’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘jump_clouds’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4415:9: warning: unused variable ‘i’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘destroy_ship’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:5008:13: warning: unused variable ‘tar’
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘turret_find_target’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:2234:13: warning: ‘actual_dist_fighter’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:2234:34: warning: ‘actual_dist_wship’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘wship_part_explodes’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4571:9: warning: ‘x’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:4571:12: warning: ‘y’ may be used uninitialized in this function
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c: In function ‘run_ships’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/ship.c:346:6: warning: ‘target_dist’ may be used uninitialized in this function
Compiling: sound.c
Compiling: stuff.c
Compiling: text.c
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/text.c: In function ‘generate_message’:
/home/edgar/ctwoplus/progcode/allegro/AM_demo_Source/text.c:46:6: warning: unused variable ‘i’
Linking console executable: AngryMoth
Output size is 681.49 KB
Process terminated with status 0 (0 minutes, 26 seconds)
0 errors, 35 warnings (0 minutes, 26 seconds)
 

Fourth, and I have no idea why this is happening - it compiled and ran - but when it finished loading, the up and right keys were stuck down and it kept scrolling through the menu changing settings. If I held down the down key it stopped moving up, but kept cycling through the option. If I held down the down and left keys then it stopped cycling and scrolling. It sucks, but the game is unplayable for me due to this bug. It's possible that it is because I am running OpenSUSE through a VirtualBox VM, but the up and right keys aren't stuck anywhere else in the OS, so I still have absolutely no idea why this is happening. It happens in both Debug and Release mode.

I set my controls for sliding left and right to A and S, cannons to L Shift, Fire 1 and 2 to Z and X, command to C, and target to space, along with Up, Down, Left, and Right to move. It feels pretty natural and you can use one finger on the left hand to slide and two others to fire.

And in other news, I finally finished Stage 1. Yay for me!

I did read your post, but I thought I'd try to compile it anyway. You know, shits and giggles.

Why should I use snprintf when I know an integer can't possibly be longer than 10 characters and I use a buffer more than large enough to handle it with sprintf?

Thanks Edgar for the control setup suggestion. It definitely feels easier to control with both hands (although some shmup addicts might find the one-hand setup easier).

I finished mission 1 but lost some ships. I wonder if it's possible to beat it with no ships lost. Anyway, on to mission 2.

Compiles OK on mingw-gcc 4.4.1 and the Allegro 4.2.3 package from a.cc, but only if I link statically (alleg_s).
For reasons that I don't understand, and apparently unrelated to the code, with alleg I had unsolvable errors.

Mission 2 complete I mostly hunted all fighters, attacking small warships only when the fleet was in contact with several of them and no fighter in sight. When the dust settled, I saw that group A had been wiped and group B was unharmed, the target base (which I hadn't even seen) destroyed.

About the code, -W and -Wall spit a lot of warnings. When it's about unused parameters or variables it's certainly harmless: only reminders of unfinished stuff. The "missing initializer"s have no consequences when the arrays are global, because the C standard guarantees initializations to zero on all platforms. But these two types cause a lot of "noise" that make it difficult to see important warnings.

By the way, you can avoid a lot of "extern" redundancies by using the following technique:

// in display_init.h
extern FONT* small_font;

// in display_init.c
#include "display_init.h" // This will make compiler catch mismatching definitions/declarations
FONT* small_font;

// in .C that need it
#include "display_init.h" 

edit:
I can't believe I hadn't seen the other weapons!! (menu "mission data" after briefing) Torpedo seems promising even if it's very hard to aim. Single rockets seems always slightly worse than the default anti-ship missile. Charged rockets are my kind of shotgun Heavy cannon seems useless for chasing fighters, so it has to compare with the missiles against warships. Tracking cannon didn't seem to track, but the scatter can be useful when chasing fighters.

The two demo mission require hunting fast ships, and I find the default weapons the most efficient. Even the anti-warship missiles do a lot of damage against fighters that run into them,

Compiling on Mac OS needed 2 fixes:
There's no itoa function so I needed to make my own.
In display.c line 2995, 'comstring' is not big enough to contain "Command: cover me" so it overwrites memory and aborts. I changed the definition of comstring to
char comstring[20];

Pete

Further gameplay comments:
Torpedo angle is affected by the inertia of the player's ship when firing. This makes it very inaccurate because any strafing or sliding makes it drift to a side : In order to shoot straight, you must be totally stopped. It doesn't compare well with the anti-warship missiles that seem to do the same damage per second (50 vs 180, but they are like 3x faster) and allow you to dodge like crazy while requiring almost no aiming. Maybe it's because you mean the torpedo for bombing tactics (fly straight into target) but there's the delay before warhead arms, and I think I've also seen torpedoes shot down by enemy cannons.

Charged rockets look efficient against a single warship protected by fighters, because you stay on the move and you reload while turning around.

The random element in missions is great for creating new situations, but it makes the difficulty very random. In mission 2 I played a game where I obliterated all fighters and bomber, but the enemy reinforcements, a group of like 6 warships, tailed the assault group B : it followed it one screen away; I had 1 minute to attack it (alone) but couldn't do much damage, as soon as group B stopped in contact of the enemy base, this squad closed the distance and caught it in a perfect crossfire.
For scenarios that are complicated like 2, you may want to limit the placement randomness, or at least compute a starting position and speed that give a fixed "time of arrival" . Two groups that attack at 1 minute interval are a kind of threat, but if they attack at the same time it's 2x more dangerous.

Torpedo: Yes, they never nullify the initial momentum, so any amount of strafing has huge consequence over distance. Really not designed for long-range aiming, which contradicts a little the speed of one shot every 2 seconds. (too short to run into ship, turn around, run into ship...)
I'd even prefer if the total shooting frequency was 2x slower, as it means I have to be very accurate 1 time every 4 seconds instead of 1 time every 2 seconds.

IMO, the 1-second buildup + 1-second cooldown mechanism would play better with an instant-hit weapon like the base's ray: you hit fire, and you know that in 1 second exactly, you must be facing a target; no matter your current momentum and distance.

As I mentioned (more or less clearly) the multi-rocket can already serve as a very nice series of bombs as you dive into a warship: it entices you to go straight ahead while they shoot one by one, but if a big blob of fire is fired agaisnt you , you can turn early and miss some shots, and while dodging and turning around you can can start reloading so it's not wasted time.

randomization: Ah my bad, I had read the source code for mission 1 and I had assumed the variations in mission 2 were due to the kind of random convoy placement or timing.

By the way I have never actually seen the "carriers". There's a lot of chaos for the player and it's very "busy", so I never could go sightseeing
It's extremely satisfying to get in the 6'o'clock of group of bombers as they line up toward a convoy, when you have fast projectiles like rockets.