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

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Messages - Audiopulse

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General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 21, 2016, 10:59:44 AM »
A small area around their rifts in Hyperspace is actually considered their territory - sorta like how countries that border the ocean consider a certain amount distance out to sea as still their territory.

As for the running out of fuel... you just gotta get a feel for it - the game tells you how much fuel you use per LY and how much its going to cost you to jump. Bear in mind that using Emergency Burn uses up your fuel too. I have a pretty large fleet and I suck up something like 55 fuel per LY and I don't go to any of the distant systems without at least 1800 fuel.

Yeah, I remember that about Hyperspace bordering Systems. Personally I feel it doesnt fit so well with Hyperspaces scale as it is, because I wasnt really that close to their Jumppoints. I couldnt even see them, yet.
If Scale is to remain as-is I would prefer if Faction would maybe still fend off hostiles around the entry-point, but not enforce actual law about Transponders and whatnot. At the least I would like to know when I enter certain areas. Border-patrol seems to know where their turf begins or ends, so why cant I?

Regarding getting the feel ... well, youre right that it is possible to 'get a hang of it', but I think thats not how a well-polished game should work. Roguelikes sometimes go that way but they also offer quick'n'easy restarts at the press of a button, if they are any good. Starsector is not a roguelike.

You know - I said it before that I feel Starsectors more complex, strategic Aim doesnt mix very well with the way we move about in-system and this is one of the reasons why: I am never truly aware of my fuel-consumption. I know where I would have to look and I see my current amount of fuel every now and then, but I am certainly not conscious about it. Its easy to dismiss it as my own fault, now, but shouldnt Fuel, consumption and my consecutive Range-capabilities more prominent? Its kind of like you had a car and the fuel-meter is in your glove-box: You can get a feel of how far you can get with one tank and you can check it by pulling all the junk from your glovebox to look at the meter - but that is not an elegant solution, no?

Maybe it'd be nice to have a sort of "Navigation Assistant." Like having a GPS but in space. Clicking at a destination would show a waypoint indicating the time of travel, fuel requirements and so on. Heck there could even be an option to automatically create a waypoint to a known destination that uses hyperspace routes that are safe (you know, those places without nebulas in them), and it'd alert you for any hostile or unidentified fleet that comes within x distance from you.

If you so wish, you could still soldier on through nebulas in deep space, but then you would have to take control of the helm yourself. Kinda makes sense to have some sort of navigational device in Starsector, because IT'S THE FUTURE.

Waypoints are actually a very good thougt! You know, we already move by pointing and clicking with the mouse, but it does actually make a lot of sense to 'plot courses' against wiggling your mouse all over the mousepad while keeping the Left Mousebutton pressed!

Most important about this - while plotting your course (in pause-mode, one can presume) you also get the time necessary to ponder over your Supplies and Fuel - the game gets an opportunity to present those informations to you on-screen (Im not counting the miniscule display at the bottom left).

I was thinking about this as I couldnt figure it out how both could come together: Starsector is said to go for a more complex and strategic way, and yet moving about in system-view feels very much arcadey. You keep your mousebutton pressed and wiggle your mouse round about your fleets circle. While that might work for a small band of Corvettes, it doesnt really feel like commanding an all-mighty fleet with one or several Capships, or does it? Turn-based would fit more in this case, but I knew this would never be a viable suggestion.
Plotting courses in Pause-mode versus 'direct control' or 'direct steering', though, could be a good solution. Once again I am reminded of how you would control your Uboat in Silent Hunter-games. Controll is less direct. Your most immediate option of steering is ordering the rudder to certain degrees star- or portside for a continuous turning or a definite heading (heading north is 0° - heading South is 180° etc.) ... the most comfortable option I used the most, though, is simply plotting a course on the map. You are basically giving up control to your helmsman, whom you order where to go.

By plotting courses on map youre always given time-to-arrival. I dont remember how the amount of fuel was displayed, but it could just be shown next to these waypoints as well, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2T4SCjBUAM



Edit: Id like to add something - while this may all in all sound like I was possibly not satisfied with Starsector - that is not the case! I like the game as it is and I am having fun with it none the less. I also welcome opinions different of my own. Just to get that out.

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General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 20, 2016, 02:00:14 PM »
I just ran into some nitbits that didnt seem right with me, again.

I forgot turning my transponders off after entering a Luddics Church-system. Some small-scale fleet flew over and gave me the usual yadda-yadda about transponders being off. I complied, stood down and went my ways.
After I left the local planet another fleet came by demanding id keep my transponders on, again. I checked - they were. I guess they noticed me from far away before the first guy came up. This should be changed to have allied fleets 'talk to each other' so im not charged twice for one felony.

Theres a good chance you already knew this, but just to make sure :) I helped myself for the time being and shredded those Beliebers to the tiniest bits and pieces possible on my way out.

Somewhat later, though, I got hit up again for my transponders being off by the sindarian empire. This time I feel its actually wrong for them lecturing me in - what I would call it - 'international seas'. Hyperspace should/is lawless space so I should be free to go dark whenever I want ... especially as smaller fleets may need use it to survive a hunt.
This is not "their space", as they pronounced it, after all.

...

Well, and finally ... it was right after that when I got a reduction on my standing with the hegemony because I shredded those Church-people earlier. That, also, struck me as odd: Both faction dont list each other as Allies - so how should I know? It also makes we wonder who I can actually fight against apart from pirates and Bounties without having to fear penalties.

Right after, I ran dry on Fuel and stranded in an uninhabited system after a successfull bountyhunt there - probably thanks to my two newly captured Frigs I tugged along ... well, I knew about the concept of fuel and I realised I was going somewhat low on it, but I wonder a little how I was supposed to tell I would never make it out of there again.

All in all, I have to say, with the greatest respect to your concept, Alex, I think its getting a bit much of planning and thinking around corners. Im saying that with some caution as I dont know whats about to come for the game, but right now I feel it gets a bit in the way of things.

3
Bug Reports & Support / Re: helping out allies - ships crash
« on: January 16, 2016, 09:16:56 AM »
... hmm. Actually, looking at it from another angle, this isn't too bad. Added an automatic shutoff to travel drive that's initiated when there's any collision danger (except for very small asteroids).


 ;D

4
...and while were at it - id like to be able to test-fly ships before buying them. As far as Im aware theres no way of telling how good some ships turning-ability is, for example.

5
Suggestions / Re: Looking at the Starsector fuel & supply economy
« on: January 16, 2016, 08:36:19 AM »
Many different views and I could go with most of them - only one I would like to add to:
Because that is what any kind of vessel in history has and will consume.
I find having to watch my flux tedious. Should the devs remove it?

Realism doesnt make games fun. Thats why you dont have to refuel in GTA, either.

I guess, like most things fuel is something that will fall into its place along with all the other tradeable goods once the first piece of industrialisation gets implementd - until then Ender does have valid points, though.

6
Suggestions / Re: Looking at the Starsector fuel & supply economy
« on: January 15, 2016, 04:44:03 AM »
Hello from another Newcomer or Comeback-er  :D

As with you, im just adding my perspective - not claiming I am necessarily right with it:

In general, I favor the Supplies & Fuel-mechanic. It was made to add more of a strategic sense to the system-map. In my own Feedback I came at this from a different side: I think in-system-gameplay is just too arcadey and fast, as of now. I dont find myself pondering much about Fuel and Supplies but mostly zooming around the map. Yes I could pause at any time to plan ahead, but I dont really know what to plan, really. Asteroid-belts covers your signature and helps to ambush fleets - okay, what else? Besides, hiding goes both-ways: What if a much bigger fleet suddenly turns up right beside me?

This is less of a suggestion now, but an example: If we were traveling the system on a Gridmap things would slow down and make strategic planning easier. Much like I do with ships in Civ 5 anyway: Can I make it there in 3 rounds to secure that passage? Will the relief-fleet be here in time so i can draw back for repairs? And will the relief hold out long enough for me to come back?
This would also solve us being able to manage several fleets, should that be an option later. Because right now I could not imagine how to keep an eye on - lets say my main-fleet and those tankers I sent for resupply.

Supplies

I agree - supplies are too expensive. At least my last - otherwise well-going game came to a screetching end because all of a sudden I was paying 150 and more per unit in Corvax. There was nothing I could do about it which is where the line between "hard" and "unfair" is crossed. I didnt have enough supplies and fuel to visit another system and I didnt have a vast army so I could at least scuttle half of it to make it elsewhere.
To me both Supplies and Fuel should not limit you money-wise but simply in terms of quantity: How much can you fit in your trunk to stay out longer - or should we see vastly bigger maps in the future: How far out can you explore before running out?
I would like the underlying supense of watching your stocks, making sure you get back as well. There will eventually be the moment you cant deny that you have to go back because otherwise you would run dry half-way in the middle of nowhere - but you will try to push your limits to the maximum anyway.

I havent been far enough to comment on consumption in midgame or later and I havent had my skills tested on extensive Navigation-skills, which would have allowed for smaller Supply-consumptions, so ill just skip that.


I agree wholeheartly on Deployment-costs. Simply because I feel what they are supposed to do Supplies already do. My guess is that you are supposed to make a choice in min-maxing your fights, where you win with as few ships possible. Supplies already do that, though, where lots of deployed ships mean much higher supply-consumptions afterwards.

Fuel

I agree with most of your points. Mostly at where Fuel basically does exactly what supplies already is to us: A limiting factor that brings us back to safe havens every once in a while. There is an exception, though: Industrialisation. I could imagine Fuel somewhat easily produced, giving players who choose to invest at least some of their valuable skillpoints to industrialisation a bit of an edge over those full-blood in Combatskills.
I still agree on the cost and consumption of fuel being very high, though. Personally I would love to see fuel being only required for larger ships than frigates and/or only required for Hyperspace-transitions. From what I hear the biggest Capships are often Overpowered compared to whole fleets of smaller ships so that might counter their might a little.


My conclusion - I know Alex wants to create a challenging game and I favor that. I personally feel that how supplies and fuel work sometimes cross the 'unfair'-line. I also expect that to change with Starsectors progression ;)

Great post, well thougt out I think.

7
Suggestions / Re: single click weapon groups
« on: January 15, 2016, 04:03:59 AM »
right-click is generally used for shields and phase cloaks, no? :P

but i would also like to see an option to make a weapon group fire instantly by pressing their number key (or whatever other key that group is bound to), rather than having to switch from your current group and then fire by left-clicking. mostly of course for torpedos or other low-ammo missiles, but it could also be handy for burst weapons like Antimatter Blasters or BRDY's Sunjet beam series.
it could be a problem for weapons that have a long firing delay though, since at the moment you can only see the cooldown of weapons you actually have selected. :/

allowing weapons to be asigned to several weapon groups also sounds like a good idea. i think i've seen it suggested elsewhere before, but dunno if Alex responded to it.
Eh ... *cough* ... maybe?

 :D

Well youre right, doesnt make much sense then. But I like your alternative of single 'shots' at pressing the corresponding group-number. With that I could keep firing my Primaries, when I see an opening for my Harpoons.

"Conditional Autofire" might also be interesting to have. Im mostly thinking about when I tried my Harpoons on Autofire - they would launch whenever my target got in range, basically, when instead I thougt they would wait for their shields down.
Other Weapons already come with "special conditions" - they go for Engines or target fighters specifically. I could imagine it lending for some interesting strategies if you could bestow such behaviours on other weapons as well.

8
General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 14, 2016, 07:46:12 AM »
Thats exactly what I was thinking about :D If we wanted to show more than one ship the camera could switch every now and then or - even better - pan slowly over to other locations showing another hauler of yours coming in.

Now, here is where I got the idea from initially:
Spoiler
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I remember it struck me because the image of the Ship is just the same you see in-game with just the backdrop being a generic landing-pad that fits all.

From what Ive seen Elite Dangerous - i got the game but couldnt play it yet - also likes Ambient Stations. In fact, thats probably the first thing I remember about Elite and one of the major reasons why I wanted it. Yes, I care a lot about ambience in games:

=> Elite Dangerous - Station Ambience

And then there is Star Citizen - but thats something else I need to adress later, because there is so much more to say about :D

Just for now and for those who didnt know: Chris Roberts, whos behind Star Citizen also made Wing Commander and Freelancer and Immersion is his thing. He was the first, ive been told, who had the player able to walk around inbetween missions instead of just lining them up one after another with just a splashscreen inbetween.
Try Aquanox 1 or 2, as a contrary example, if you can. You get a little bit of interaction by textbased chats with your crew, but nothing more:

Spoiler
[close]

To me that made a big difference I realised.

All in all, Star Citizen already has some things planned around mining and other 'typical chores' that give them a new spin and can be great inspiration for Starsector. Like I said though, id like to address that in its own topic later. :)

9
General Discussion / Re: Quality of Life Improvements
« on: January 14, 2016, 06:48:37 AM »
All is 'based' on Tripads. The whole menu that appears after docking ;)

I noticed that there are a number of occasions where youd like to look up info about certain ships etc. which would only be possible by ending a talk or closing interfaces. In some instances you cant even do that and can only hope you remember it all (as in right before a fight starts at deployment: "What was that other ship again?")

At least in stations being able to split your screen would solve any situation i could think of ;)

10
General Discussion / Re: Quality of Life Improvements
« on: January 13, 2016, 03:42:03 PM »
heres another one - i often run in situations where I am, lets say talking to some person at a station and would need to look some other data up: Tradeprices of that station, my fleet, etc.

Would be great if I could split my "PDA-screen" into two windows, one remaining at where im at while with the other i can access everything else at said station. Might also help comparing different ships even from different markets at the same station.

11
General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 13, 2016, 03:30:52 PM »
Like, starting on much bigger maps where Supplemental Forces are simply placed way back? I dont know how that would work but ... it might be worth testing.

Ive been waiting for an opportunity to use my freighters as a supporting Weaponsplatform sending Pilums against enemy Destroyers.

On another sidenote - since this is still Feedback: I forgot the really great music! :D The other day I found a somewhat anarchistic system (the name I forgot) and landed at a bar - great tunes! Great Artworks, too.

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General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 13, 2016, 01:12:22 PM »
Yes, but those are not mine - my point was being able to see your own ships. Being able to admire your fleet with all of those little helpers in the back. In a perfect world I would in some way get to see them work: Repair-gantries docking at broadside with large Cruisers, Weldingsparks buzzing up every now and then. Tankers connecting with other ships, replenishing fuel ... tiny shuttles going inbetween larger ships.

We do have fair amounts of 'Background-screens' that dont really show anything. Whenever you dock at places or after battles, where the important Infos are posted in the front. Maybe thats where you could display your fleet in the background?

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General Discussion / Re: My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 13, 2016, 04:09:41 AM »
Folks who played the older space sim games seem to butt heads with Starsectors trading.
;D

@Audiopulse: thank you for your feedback! Much appreciated :)
Great! I really enjoy your work! :)

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General Discussion / Re: Cant get started - what am I doing wrong?
« on: January 13, 2016, 04:03:29 AM »
Some good input right here. Truth be told - I would have loved some grindy trading with low-paying but steady commodities, but seeing your tips about in-system trading and smuggling - at least its possible! Thank you guys!

15
General Discussion / My Impressions as a Newbie to StarSector
« on: January 12, 2016, 05:17:35 PM »
Back when I initially asked whether this game is worth 10€ in 2013, someone asked me to make sure to come back and give my initial feedback, as a Newbie, to the game - and why should I not? Here it is... :)


First things first - this game looks so unbelievable pretty. The engine-trails in system-view, the planets - oh my god the planets - and all the pretty nice explosions. Sprites are just the thing to make everything look truly beautiful when well done - and Starsectors sprites -are- well done ;)

Gameplaywise it feels vibrant, too. Everything seems to fall into place - nothing that feels tacked on, unecessary or even underdeveloped, which sounds weird for a game in its Alpha-stage. Especially when you consider todays standarts around Early Access.
Something particular I noticed that I cannot really explain: Starsector at times conveys a feeling I get from Collectible-games. Certain traits like the orbital laser burning jungles for farmland (how cool is that idea?) to some stations or planets are represented by these symbols. They feel like 'Cards' or 'Tokens' from other games that you could, by some means, win and collect for yourself when the circumstances are right ... like with cities you built in the civilization-games, maybe?

Other mechanics like the Black market enrich the immersion as well. Ever since Freelancer and before that you could turn rogue and be a pirate. Not a single spacegame I could think of that wouldnt try to offer you to be the bad guy. And like industrialization and trading - most of these games keep that at more or less shallow levels. Often because its a mere "on-or-off"-decision. Black or White. You cant really be the little low-life-scrub in-between that actually tries to abide the law but maybe has to take some shady options every now and then to progress. In games like freelancer its either "Pirates shoot you, Rheinland likes you" or "Rheinland shoots you, Pirates like you." Almost never inbetween.
Somewhat similar are the many different and justified roles ships can have. Tankers, Gantries, Transports, Tugs ... and they all have a distinct use! I can have Shuttles being absolutely unarmed but fitted for maximum speed and it totally works for the game! Now I only wish I could split forces and send Detachments to go and get Fuel for the Mainfleed hiding in some Nebula, conducting Repairs.


There are things I am grinding my teeth on, though. Things that will probably change as Alex and his crew bring the game further. Trading would be my most obvious example where it seems impossible to turn a profit. I have already been told that this is supposed to change later in the game, when prices stabilise and I get bigger ships to haul - but that can hardly be what Starsector aimed for. Isnt it the Newbies that need some stable low-to-medium paying goods that gets them around the universe and earn a few first coins? I remember hauling Water with my first Rhino in Freelancer between Manhattan and Pittsburgh to bolster myself up a bit, before chasing the story again. It was repetetive - and I liked that! Nothing like simple Mining or Hauling to relax every now and then.

End then there is the "hunting"-phase. With your fleet in system-view you get to manage fuel, supplies, Sensor- and Detectionrates as well as navigating around hostile fleets and hazards. It should have, in some way, a sort of "Silent-hunter"-feel to it, where I gladly spent Real-life-hours to chase down enemy tankers to catch and blow them sky-high while always witfully dodging other patrols and accompanying destroyers but in Starsector it feels a lot more luck-based. I feel my own sensors are just too weak and it is always just a question of time til I bump into that one contact popping up too close to turn and run and too big to fight. If I see them - they see me. Often there is just no warning sign or even enough time to "go dark".
On the other side of the coin I often enough ran out of hostiles to farm myself. Without which I couldnt grow enough to take on the bigger fleets in Hyperspace. It would be nice if I could at least get a simple blip where "something" is, withough knowing anything more of it: Size, Faction, Heading, Purpose... maybe even if it is a fleet at all. At one point I was thinking about leaving detectable trails similar to the tech-babble from the StarTrek Series. Silent Hunters Map-view might lend some nice ideas as well, here, where we had enough options to go from 100% hidden (Diving below thermal line, silent running, hiding in nebul... I mean crevices) past listening for distant engines (Like the ability we have now, only i never seem to get any returns) to revealing everything with sonar ping - for the tradeoff that you just lit yourself up like a christmastree for everyone else.


Last but not least the starving Industrialist in me wants to say something as well ;) I already mentioned elsewhere that I like big Freighters and I cannot lie. I like to look at them but never get to. You never really see all your Utilityships as long as you can successfully keep them out of battles. Isnt that a shame for all those well-made Sprites? Besides - when it finally came to my last stand and I had my Freighters retreat across the map, trying to cover them with my remaining fighters - they did look really epic. Full blasting engines and all.
So how could we make them more visible? I had a brief thougt about showing Ships of your fleet in the background of the combat-map lying in wait. Or maybe that initial cruise-phase where your deployed ships boost in from the bottom of the map? Maybe show your reserve briefly before them falling back?
One last wishful fantasy, that would require certainly more work, though, would give locations (like orbital stations, Planets and most importantly industrial sites later) a background similar to the combat-map, where your fleet closes in and occupies landingpads, dockinggantries or - for the biggest Hulks - to just park outside to be served by tiny shuttles. An Idea kind of similar to what the X-games started with their very first game: Enabling you to actively dock your ship yourself or just watch it happen with the dockingpilot installed. I wouldnt see that as mere Eye-candy, by the way. Its similar to Freelancers Edison Trent walking into the bar, the tradehubs or the ship-vendors - it is great immersion! Did you ever forget the first time you entered the Saleroom on Planet Manhattan for the first time?


Lots and lots of Text. If you read all this, you earned my respect ;) I would also love to talk about Industry, Trading and Economy - but I would first prefer to look if theres actually some Information to be found on what Alex had maybe planned.

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