Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Pages: 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7 8 ... 87

Author Topic: Starsector 0.9a (Released) Patch Notes  (Read 468335 times)

Alex

  • Administrator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 23986
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #75 on: June 04, 2018, 02:58:14 PM »

It's a per-faction "doctrine", so it's simply set for each faction. For things like ship quality and fleet size, the doctrine is not the only thing that affects them. For example, for ship quality, some of the things that factor in are stability, industry types, special items, whether it's a cross-faction import, and possibly a thing or two I'm forgetting. The result is that it's possible to have relative clunkers with ship quality 5 and near-top-of-the-line ships with quality 1.
Logged

Thaago

  • Global Moderator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 7173
  • Harpoon Affectionado
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #76 on: June 04, 2018, 04:00:58 PM »

So if we want high quality, we could start with 5, then gradually lower that as other factors in our colonies improve? Cause that sounds awesome.
Logged

Alex

  • Administrator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 23986
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #77 on: June 04, 2018, 04:17:26 PM »

Yep!
Logged

diegoweiller

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 46
  • mimimimi
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #78 on: June 05, 2018, 12:45:31 AM »

 :o

seems great :v
Logged
- And the lord poked his head out from the patron clouds, to look down on his followers in chaos and anarchy as the world was already aflame, out he tossed a canister of gasoline, and out from his mouth his words were: "Screw it."

LeoMaximus

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 10
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #79 on: June 05, 2018, 02:23:27 AM »

Let us leave our legacy in the stars. Now we shall be founders of new space nations, let us engage in the struggle of the space opera. Fighting over systems and stars in the vastness of space, filled with the symphony of war with dazzling weapons lighting up the cosmos. The scarred hulls of ships drift endlessly as a reminder of time.   
Logged

Shoat

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 262
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #80 on: June 05, 2018, 04:30:02 AM »

I've been wondering: Now that we'll be able to found and govern our own faction, will there also at some point be a possibility to join another faction as a ruler of one station/planet/system?

From what I gather these features in 0.9a will just model each faction as one single entity. But I'd hope that at some point each faction has an internal power structure of NPC governors (or admirals, or pirate lords, etc.) each controlling some piece of the whole faction, which would include the possibility of joining an established faction and working one's way up and also when one creates their own custom player faction, recruiting and managing NPCs to rule part of one's own empire.

Logged

DatonKallandor

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 718
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #81 on: June 05, 2018, 06:54:23 AM »

  • Dropping cargo pods may now distract pirate fleets; duration of distraction (if any) depends on quantity of goods ejected

That's a good first step to making pirates act like pirates not psychotic serial killers. Although I think this would also be a really good fit for a dialogue option after a successful pirate intercept.

The reverse should also be true though - player pirates should be able to demand cargo from their targets instead of going for straight murder (because a "pirate" that just kills everyone with no demands, or even if their demands are fulfilled is a stupid and unprofitable pirate who won't live long).
Logged

Alex

  • Administrator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 23986
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #82 on: June 05, 2018, 09:51:01 AM »

I've been wondering: Now that we'll be able to found and govern our own faction, will there also at some point be a possibility to join another faction as a ruler of one station/planet/system?

It's possible; we've talked about it internally. Might be a good fit for a reward from having a commission and high reputation, or some such. But I wouldn't say that it's anything "planned" - more something that might happen if it happens to fit in well with some other things around it.

That's a good first step to making pirates act like pirates not psychotic serial killers. Although I think this would also be a really good fit for a dialogue option after a successful pirate intercept.

The reverse should also be true though - player pirates should be able to demand cargo from their targets instead of going for straight murder (because a "pirate" that just kills everyone with no demands, or even if their demands are fulfilled is a stupid and unprofitable pirate who won't live long).

I hear what you're saying, for sure. The counter-point is that the game's focus is combat, and campaign-level activities should (generally! not always) funnel the player towards that. A high degree of unprofitable and bad-for-self-preservation behavior is essentially a design requirement.

That's not to say that the specific options you're talking about wouldn't be good. They might be! I'm just saying that stuff like that - that lets you avoid combat - should be evaluated in terms of gameplay and not assumed to be good because it makes the behaviors more believable or realistic. Some of that is good, both because it opens up player options and makes things feel more believable. Too much of it would be bad.
Logged

Cyan Leader

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 718
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #83 on: June 05, 2018, 10:15:44 AM »

Have you thought about how to explain this to new players outside of the tip screen in the menu? Since there is no menu option like in dialogues it will require players to be quite experimental, which isn't something good IMO since those that need this the most might not know about it.
Logged

Alex

  • Administrator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 23986
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #84 on: June 05, 2018, 10:18:01 AM »

It's a minor option and more "neat thing for someone to discover" than primary game mechanic. Probably shouldn't have even put it in the patch notes :)
Logged

PapaPetro

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #85 on: June 05, 2018, 11:20:16 AM »

Bigtime hyped dude.

Been sooooo looking forward to this.
Logged

Chronosfear

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 211
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #86 on: June 05, 2018, 11:45:32 AM »

I´m hyped! again! ( as with every major patch note and/or dev blog )
Can't wait to build my own destiny and help to build a better hegemony  ::)

But you need to/consider another option:
Since you let us go over the officers cap ( while we still cant use them until we send them into the void ( ... the science is leaking out )

Give us the ability to store officers ( eg. when we have our own outpost )
could be done ( spontaneous idea )
-a building ( cryochamber or something ) also possible with some upgrades to increase capacity ( and a monthly fee depending on the level of the building )
-just send them to have some free time ( but also at a cost .. you have to pay for their free time ) and therefore also available without another building but again only with our own outpost.

so this is not a no-brainer and the slots are reserved for the best of the best.

« Last Edit: June 05, 2018, 11:51:22 AM by Chronosfear »
Logged
Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

My words are backed with nuclear weapons
Gandhi (Civ)

Dark.Revenant

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2806
    • View Profile
    • Sc2Mafia
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #87 on: June 05, 2018, 12:11:23 PM »

It's a minor option and more "neat thing for someone to discover" than primary game mechanic. Probably shouldn't have even put it in the patch notes :)

The way I see it, it's not so much a primary game mechanic but a mechanic I like to call "I'm screwed and I need something to bail me out quickly".  Basically, an option to prevent Game Over, even if it's costly.  Like a Megalixir in Final Fantasy or $0.50 at an arcade.
Logged

PCCL

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2016
  • still gunnyfreak
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #88 on: June 05, 2018, 03:00:59 PM »

I hear what you're saying, for sure. The counter-point is that the game's focus is combat, and campaign-level activities should (generally! not always) funnel the player towards that. A high degree of unprofitable and bad-for-self-preservation behavior is essentially a design requirement.


Don't mean to tell you how to design your game, but thought I'd voice my opinion on this.

I respectfully disagree that combat should be the focus (or, at least, the overwhelming focus the way that quote presents it as) of the game. To me, the game is at its best when it immerses you in the world as a small business owner with a home port, small fleet, jobs to take and mouths to feed. The "fun" of the game, in my opinion, comes more from "how can I stay afloat with what I got" than "woohoo let's blow up another pirate fleet". The front page of fractal softworks seems to reflect that at least to some extent:

Quote
Starsector is an in-development open-world single-player space-combat, roleplaying, exploration, and economic game. You take the role of a space captain seeking fortune and glory however your choose.



I would also argue that, even if the game is meant to funnel the player into combat, it does not follow that "a high degree of unprofitable and bad-for-self-preservation behavior is essentially a design requirement".

Combat, in my opinion, is at its most exciting when the outcome is in doubt. Frequently, I see my fleet of something like 2 destroyers and 2 frigates being attacked by 3 (D) frigates. Without the ability to auto-resolve, this does begin to grate. Even if the game is meant to funnel players into combat, I argue there should be a distinction between "fun, exciting combat" and mop-up chore. There are two arguments against this that I can think of, I will try to represent them the best I can and address them below:

The first argument is that the CR consumption more or less deals with that. I argue it does not. I regularly play on 2x - 3x supply cost and, in mid/late game (3-4 cruisers and assorted support vessels) supplies cease to become an issue.


The second argument is that it's difficult to distinguish between fun, exciting battles and chore ones. This is a little more nuanced and I'll wall-of-text my response below:

I understand this point, I am a fairly adept player at this game (it's been what, 6 years since I bought it now?) and a painfully easy fight to me may not be so for other players. This, I suppose, stems from the fact that the game doesn't really have a difficulty setting (other than the easy mode, which I don't think is discussed very much and I can't comment on because I don't use).

I propose maybe a more involved difficulty setting can help with this whereby in higher difficulties, enemy fleets take you more seriously and won't engage unless they have at least even strength (or in really high settings, when they outnumber you significantly).

In the alternative, I propose an internal "player threat" tracker - a variable that more or less represents how skilled of a commander the player is reputed to be. AI fleets would (subject to some variability) only engage when their fleet strength is roughly equal or greater than the variable times the player's fleet strength, where fleet strength is estimated from ship size, quality, weapon quality, damage, and officers. So for example, the variable may start out at 0.8 (player has a reputation as a noob) and pirates may try to take on a player fleet of 2DD 2FF with 2DD 1FF with 1 d-mod. When the player beats that, the game will calculate the damage he took and readjust based on it. If the player lost 1FF, for example, the variable will remain the same; if he lost 1FF and had heavy damage to 1DD, the variable may decrease to 0.75; if he wiped the floor with the fleet and barely took damage, the variable may increase to say 1 and the next time enemies may be more cautious in engaging them.

Bigger fights would be weighed more than smaller fights, to prevent players from losing threat by feeding small fleets and then go marauding with a large one.

Hopefully that wouldn't be too difficult to implement. I feel it would add a good deal of dynamic difficulty to the game and keep funneling the player to battle without making enemies too easy and suicidal.
Logged
mmm.... tartiflette

Alex

  • Administrator
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 23986
    • View Profile
Re: Starsector 0.9a (In-Dev) Patch Notes
« Reply #89 on: June 05, 2018, 03:29:25 PM »

Since you let us go over the officers cap ( while we still cant use them until we send them into the void ( ... the science is leaking out )

Give us the ability to store officers ( eg. when we have our own outpost )
could be done ( spontaneous idea )
-a building ( cryochamber or something ) also possible with some upgrades to increase capacity ( and a monthly fee depending on the level of the building )
-just send them to have some free time ( but also at a cost .. you have to pay for their free time ) and therefore also available without another building but again only with our own outpost.

so this is not a no-brainer and the slots are reserved for the best of the best.

Hmm, this seems like a nice-to-have, really. Not particularly opposed to it! But definitely don't see making time for something like this for 0.9. Likely to be the sort of thing that'd only make it in if it helped solve another issue.



To me, the game is at its best when it immerses you in the world as a small business owner with a home port, small fleet, jobs to take and mouths to feed. The "fun" of the game, in my opinion, comes more from "how can I stay afloat with what I got" than "woohoo let's blow up another pirate fleet".

I think we're roughly on the same page here; these are all things that give context to the combat, give it stakes, and make it more fun. And that's how I try to look at them in terms of design, generally - how they contribute to the context of combat. The contribution doesn't have to be direct, but it needs to be there or a feature is at best ancillary to the core of the game.

That's all I really mean by "combat focused" and "funneling". It definitely doesn't mean "fight everything in sight all the time". Basically, my general approach is that stuff in the campaign should make the combat more fun, either directly or indirectly. Which is a pretty general statement, but it helps when thinking through campaign features and deciding which way to go about things. It doesn't mean that *nothing* non-combat-related makes it through, either. It's just a high-level approach to overall design.


Frequently, I see my fleet of something like 2 destroyers and 2 frigates being attacked by 3 (D) frigates.

Huh, really? That shouldn't happen; could be a bug that I've since fixed. Just gave it a quick test and a pair of (D) frigates runs away from my fleet of 1 frigate and 1 destroyer. Possibly mod-related?

In any case, totally agree that that's not a good thing and forcing the player to have trivial fights like that is not a good idea.



...
Hopefully that wouldn't be too difficult to implement. I feel it would add a good deal of dynamic difficulty to the game and keep funneling the player to battle without making enemies too easy and suicidal.

Hmm - this sort of thing sounds appealing at first, but I think would lead to weirdness and frustration from the player's point of view. There are many times where you'd like to fight a fleet, such as a bounty, and if the punishment for doing well was that these started running away from you... It's also tough to accurately estimate, since it could vary wildly with the player fleet's makeup, size, and currently chosen flagship. It's just too complicated to reduce to a single number effectively, and the benefit of being successful at it still seems questionable.
« Last Edit: June 05, 2018, 03:37:34 PM by Alex »
Logged
Pages: 1 ... 4 5 [6] 7 8 ... 87