Hi,
i really like you game. I have spent the first full 2.5 days with it after I saw it at NOOKRIUMs channel on youtube.
I have played alot of games since 1998. Alot!
This game has alot of new and interesting features. I have read your blog post on surveying and on some other topics. I say, your thoughts on skill and stuff are ADVANCED. Good job. Im impressed by your dedication and motivation to make a gooood game.
If you care, here are some thoughts from me. (I want your game to be fantastic also. =) ):
On weapons:
I have a favorite small ballistic gun. The Railgun. But it is so rare. Searching every market at every spaceport is so timeconsuming and not so nice.
Maybe make a list, in which every ordonance/tradegood is listed, so that it can be flagged. If you arive at a base/planet which has that stuff, it gets flagged and you get note on the base/planet screen. (Like the flagging option for components in FALLOUT 4.)
On recources....:
I played the first few tries on normal. Then on easy mode. Normal is like Roguelike. Easy is like semy Roguelike. I really struggle to keep the recources in stock. If a relief fleet with food arrives at the place before me. The credits on easy are really starting to drop. Keeping recources in stock is sometimes a one bet on one card thing. This isn´t so nice, at it reduces the fun in trying the different ingame features, like scanning a derilict 40 lightyears away.
...and sceleton fleets for derelict scanning and surveying purposes.:
For finding another way to fill up on recources, I once tried to put a fleet together, which only the most needed ships to scan derelicts. Putting the fleet together took maybe 30 minutes.
I took:
-The starting scavenger ship,
-the starting drone carrier,
-the tutorial crew transport,
-a 300 units Tanker and a
-a 300 units freighter.
Which enough machinery, fuel and supplies to do a scan + some survey. As soon as i left JANGALA, a scavenger /neutral fleet engaged me. They where hanging directly over the exit of the base. I had not even a second do avoid them. THATS NOT FUN!!! Please find a solution for that. I spend 30minutes to prepare to try something out in your game and then that frustrating stuff. This weakens my suspension of disbelief and makes me and surely other players to quit the game.
On savegames:
-With that one savegameslot per game, it´s not so easy to try different things from specific states in the game and I dont want to do stuff over and over again to try different things out. I would be nice to be able to load a savegame from lets say 3h ago.
On escorts:
Is it possible to get a funtion where I can define an escort for a specific ship before the batte? As im quite a beginner still, i get missile and fighter focused somehow early sometimes. It would be nice to know that the LR PD frigate is around all the time.
On deploymentpoints before a battle:
I have 120 deployment points available at the moment. Why? Why 120? Can that be more than 120? Can it be less than 120? Is it dependent on something? On what is it dependent?
-I wonder so much. Can there be a tooltip or a mousover text, which explains it?
-On navigating:
In the system view, a clickbutton under every planet, which sets the course there instantly, would be very helpful and would mak the GUI a little faster. As I use the system view alot and I hate the extra neccesary clicks. This game is about navigating space and different systems all the taime. Please make it faster and less "clicky".
-On the intel screen with the prices:
(I wasnt able to make screenshots.)
If I hover over the item, lets say FOOD or VOLATILES on the star map, it gives the information like price, demand, availability. It also says on which location that is. Like a planet or station. The name of the planet or station is in grey text.
-It would be nice to have that location name already in faction colour in that particular information popup.. That makes it easier to decide if you want to go there, regarding your faction standing. Lets say im ultra hostile towards that blue faction. Then I know the information that I should not buy VOLATILES at their place fastly very clear on the information screen, where I decide where to go next for a good deal. If I notice that to late, i have travelled already there and burnt recources, which can be very game crippling.
Intel screen, faction overview:
With Hegemony i have a standing of 48~ish. It says "Welcoming". I could buy their middle tier ships by taking a Commission if i wanted to. How much standing is needed to get the Battleships? How much standing is needed to even see stuff in the military markests from the blue faction?
Generally, to take some missions or be able to do other stuff, there are standing requirements.
-Please put the standing Levels information into the Faction screen. I want to get along with the blue guys. But how much do I have to increase my standing, to be even able to see what military equipment and ships they do have over in their military market and military ship market.
-On ALT-Tabbing out:
If i do it once from full screen mode i cant get back into the game with full screen mode. After ALT-Tabbing once, my taskbar is visible and parts of the game are not visible any more because the screen was slided to the left.