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1

Blog Posts / Re: Save/Load UI, Autosave, Intel Map Markers, and More

« on: April 11, 2024, 01:27:42 PM »

Thank you

Just one little addition there: In the screenshot it looks like the save time (ingame time + x minutes ago) is only shown on the save your mouse is currently hovering over. Could this please always be shown at all saves?

Ah! I'd started with that, but it looks very busy and I think hurts more than helps as far as readability. And given that there's a custom description, it feels much less necessary to show than before.

Fair enough. Please keep up the great work. 

2

Blog Posts / Re: Save/Load UI, Autosave, Intel Map Markers, and More

« on: April 11, 2024, 12:48:16 PM »

I very much like all the new QoL-features and improvements.

I very, very, very, very much like especially the rework of the save system.

Just one little addition there: In the screenshot it looks like the save time (ingame time + x minutes ago) is only shown on the save your mouse is currently hovering over. Could this please always be shown at all saves?

3

General Discussion / Re: Does anything genuinely benefit from the existence of story points and s-mods?

« on: April 03, 2024, 08:53:33 AM »

It’s interesting that people mention run-ending consequences, because Starsector doesn’t have them; it’s not permadeath and indeed the only things you lose in the absolute worst-case scenario of total fleet destruction are the ships you had with you at the time. By early midgame it’s trivially easy to have a few spare ships sitting around in docks, and in my experience that happens even without any intention on the player’s part as a result of normal fleet configuration optimisations in play. Before that, losing a few frigates and a destroyer or two is an almost immaterial setback.

Unless you are a speedrunner, there are no substantial negative gameplay consequences to defeat; only narrative complications and some fleet reshuffling which if anything keeps things fresh.

Funny, I'm currently at 330 hours of Starsector and I've never had the luxury of having any spare ships sitting in a dock.
(And no, no speedrunning-intentions here.)

4

General Discussion / Re: Does anything genuinely benefit from the existence of story points and s-mods?

« on: April 03, 2024, 08:36:44 AM »

Retreat battles without SP would in most cases either lead to the end of the run or save scumming. Both are worse options in my opinion. If you want to remove SP there, retreat battles first have to be reworked, so you can keep a substantial part of your fleet.

The second thing I like about SP is, when they give you an extra option where you have to weigh if the spent is worth it or not. Either with being able to recover otherwise unrecoverable ships or with having more story-choices, these things enrich the game.

So far I haven't used them to make skills Elite or to S-mod ships, so I wouldn't miss that option, if it would be removed.

5

General Discussion / Re: Question: High Energy Focus and Dragonfire DEMs

« on: March 26, 2024, 03:37:01 AM »

To give more details, missile damage modifiers are applied at the moment the DEM starts firing its targeting laser. So if you have a modded ship system that temporarily boosts missile damage, use it right before the DEM gets in range.

Does HEF work in similar way like if I fire a plasma cannon shot during HEF but the system ends before it can hit something does the damage bonus get removed, or can it boost the damage of any plasma shots that were already fired if I activate it afterwards?

To quote the wiki:

The damage bonus is applied when the weapon is firing. This means energy projectile weapons need to have the system active prior to firing to get the bonus, as opposed to when the projectile hits

So as I understand, damage bonus doesn't get removed if it ends before the shot hits, but also it doesn't boost the damage of shots which are fired before activating HEF. Only the shots fired during HEF get the damage boost.

6

General Discussion / Re: Question: High Energy Focus and Dragonfire DEMs

« on: March 26, 2024, 02:45:57 AM »

"This damage is affected by missile damage modifiers and not energy weapon ones."

Ah, thanks for reminding. When I thought of this question, I only checked the new wiki and there this isn't mentioned in the Dragonfire Torpedo Pod-entry.

I was just playing the game and thinking to myself how that text isn't really necessary, but I guess I was wrong.

I'm still playing around with the pre-builds (yes, yes, make your owns, I know) and with the Champion-strike-loadout having both (Dragonfire and HEF), I thought that it makes sense if they work together.

To give more details, missile damage modifiers are applied at the moment the DEM starts firing its targeting laser. So if you have a modded ship system that temporarily boosts missile damage, use it right before the DEM gets in range.

Thank you for the additional info.

7

General Discussion / Question: High Energy Focus and Dragonfire DEMs

« on: March 25, 2024, 06:20:11 PM »

Dragonfire DEMs have 3 stages:
1. Firing of the torpedo and flying into range.
2. Taking aim and charging up the laser.
3. Actually firing the laser.

At which of the three stages has the High Energy Focus to be active, that the damage gets increased by 50%?

8

Suggestions / Re: [0.97a-RC11] Vanilla colony crises fron new-player perspective

« on: March 23, 2024, 11:42:35 AM »

That's what happens when you colonize 3 planets at once. You basically opted in to big trouble by doing so. If you had only colonized one planet, you wouldn't have had near as much trouble with the bar going up so fast.

Yeah, you are right, I can't deny that was the reason, nonetheless I don't think the game gives you any hints that establishing multiple colonies can mean this kind of spike. From my perspective I see a good system with complementing planets that I can colonize at once for better synergy so I do.
And the fact that there is a clear reason doesn't mean this sort of threat avalanche is something that wouldn't benefit from some tweaks.

I do agree. I would make sense, if you colonize multiple systems at once, that this spike appears.
But if you manage to find a system with several worlds worth colonizing, then this should be rewarded, not punished.

9

Announcements / Re: Starsector 0.97a (Released) Patch Notes

« on: March 22, 2024, 01:12:01 PM »

Hmm, I suspect your mouse is actually on the fritz - this kind of behavior can be indicative of a hardware problem.

It could also be some deception/illusion on the player's side, because I remembered something similar.

To test that I started the game, played around a bit with a slipstream and experienced the following:
If you enter a (sufficient wide) slipstream, your fleet gets sucked into it's stream and just "sails" with it for a certain period of time. And this period of time feels longer if you enter the slipstream with sustained burn on.
In the past I thought, entering a slipstream would break the "hold-mouse-button-steering", so I clicked repeatedly again to regain control. Now after your post Alex, I tried it again, kept the mouse button down, and noticed that I still could steer the fleet that way and it was just the slipstream who "caught me inside" for some time.

A possible source for this wrong impression is, that your fleet inside the slipstream looks like it happily follows a set course straight ahead.
If there would be a visual indication, that the fleet tries to escape the grip of the slipstream but it just can't, that would clarify things here.

10

General Discussion / Re: [Poll] Migrating the unofficial wiki from Fandom to wiki.gg

« on: March 22, 2024, 04:47:10 AM »

The poll
Results

Question:
In the second question of the survey you ask "Are you involved in any Starsector communities (including the wiki)?"
What do you mean by "involved"? Does posting in this forum count as "involved"? Or is that about people who create things like mods or wiki-entries?
(Sorry that I'm confused, it's not my first language.)

11

Suggestions / Re: New mission type for church agents: Supplying the Path

« on: March 15, 2024, 09:20:48 AM »

This is a pretty cool idea. I think the one thing to keep in mind is that if this is just added to the pool of missions for church agents then every church agent will offer it to you at some point, which would make it look like everyone in the church supports the path. For this to work you would need 2 types of church agents, one that never offers this mission and one that does.

I wouldn't make it too complicated. We already have different contact types, with military, underworld and trade.
If that mission only spawns with underworld-contacts, it could be clear enough that these are some dubious individuals inside the church, not the stance of the Church as a whole.

12

Suggestions / Re: Enhancing the Save System for a Better Gameplay Experience. Pretty Please.

« on: March 15, 2024, 04:43:02 AM »

The save system was one of the first things that really bothered me in this otherwise great game:
Save vs. Save copy, deleting the wrong save because the date is shown so small and so on.
So I absolutly support every improvement in this area.

13

Suggestions / New mission type for church agents: Supplying the Path

« on: March 15, 2024, 04:30:42 AM »

Luddic Church bounties differ from other faction bounties in that way, that deserters aren't counted as pirates, but instead as pathers.
Lorewise it really makes sense, that rogue church knights affiliate themselves with the Path, because the church is too soft for them.
But on the other hand, the church ist the one faction with kind of normal relations with the Path, so why are they also the only ones who send you after specific pather-fleets?

I thought about suggesting to switch the church-deserters also over to the pirates, but it just fits lorewise too well and also it does help you to get a "green" fleet.
So next thought: "Why does the Path still kind of like the church, even if they hunt down occassionally pather-fleets?"
The answer: Financial and material support. That's how I came up with the suggestion:

Add a mission type for church agents called "Supplying the Path". These are either smuggling missions, where you have to transport certain goods to a world with an active pather cell, or a procurement mission, where you have to deliver goods to Chalcedon, Epiphany or an external pather station. The little twist: Accomplishing this mission doesn't only improves your relation with the Church, but also with the Path.

Lorewise it makes sense, that even if the Church as a whole doesn't support the Path, certain individuals inside the Church may see the pathers as a tool for their goals and thus give them some form of support.
And gameplaywise it would counter the relation-penalty you get with the Path if you do the church-bounties.
So, what do you say?

14

General Discussion / Re: Question: Custom production contract from pather- or pirate-bases?

« on: February 27, 2024, 07:57:16 AM »

Got it, thank you.

15

Announcements / Re: Starsector 0.97a (Released) Patch Notes

« on: February 27, 2024, 04:21:08 AM »

I don't understand Mortrag's dilemma, either.

With Alex help I may have found the reason for this dilemma:

I like themed-runs, like choosing 1 or 2 factions which you focus on, because those runs are fun to me and give you a clear goal (build a fleet similar to those ones).
This time I choose the Luddic Church + Luddic Path combo.
What I didn't know: Custom production missions only spawn on military planets/stations. And because those two together have only 1 military planet (Hesperus), for producing my own specific weapons I unknowingly picked the worst or hardest combo. For comparison: The hegemony alone provides you with 6 different military stations/planets.

So what I've learned:
If you want to be picky with your weapon choice, make sure you have access to enough military station.
But if you want to do a Church-/Path-run, be less picky in your weapon choice.

Luddic Path bases in the fringe have Military Base and can give you those bar encounters.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure if that was a possibility and asked about that here: Question: Custom production contract from pather- or pirate-bases?
Also, after a look in the game files, I think that the relations have to be at least inhospital (better than -50).