Issues/remarks of my first hour hands on with the new (and hotfixed) version :
- Once you get dumped into combat for the first time during the tutorial, i didn't see any big mention going 'push tab to go to ship view and leave map/command view', and if it was, it should have been a lot more clearer. Would suck for someone to think that's how the combat looks like. Also, it'd be nice to integrate the combat tutorial into this larger one. (Maybe allow the tutorial combat missions to be played from the Simulator? That'd be great.)
- I really love the skill system. It has 'chunky' perks which are within reach without 'farming'. Each category has some things you'd think to invest points in. Feels well balanced, if interesting how Fighters, being still a weapon system, falls under Leadership.
- Uhm.. the click-and-hold in the interface @ system map is a no-no. It doesn't seem to be used anywhere else so far (aside from trading) so makes it unnatural. This isn't mentioned by the tutorial either. Just 'clicking' (falsely taking the first option) takes you to 'show planetary info', which sure, has Lay In Course, but then i ask why do we have the alt-click menu? Also 'In-system'... doesn't really work as a button. It's a status, you don't expect it to be clickable. "(Click to) focus on system map" would be better.
- Regarding the system map, reversing the controls might work better, left click to drag, as that's the generally used command, and leave right click to take over the 'alt-menu' function like it usually does, and pop up the above mentioned control.
- Also regarding the system map. It'd be nice to have a bit of line-vector traces/trails, at the very least on planets and such, so we know which way they're going.
- lol, i can right click hold and spin the planet. Sure, i'll take it. I like the inertia it has too.
- Given 'priming', i'm not sure why that can't be extended to all the active abilities? With a toggle in the options menu or somewhere to completely disable? I'm sure misclicking Emergency Burn sucks as much or even more. Also, since Going Dark turns off the transponder anyway, shouldn't that be under a priming system as well? Just think this is an all-or-none kind of option.
- Still think an unsticky drag is better than click-click trading/looting between places but eh.
- Minimap could use some hover-over tooltip functionality, to take over the constant tabbing into and out of the map which was a series staple.
- Clicking minimap to set course, right now it clicks through. (also a way to 'unplot' a course?(LE: saw above minimap), maybe even some visual indicator of where we manually clicked?)
- Inhabited/Names is kind of a bad filtering system.. Wouldn't it be best to have a marker for inhabited places? Like asterixes around its name or something like that? And keep a single filtering option?
- It's great the game pushes you to quicksave often.
- Autopilot isn't very smart. That's good. You can suck in the cost of repairing corona damage with autopilot when you don't care, and be careful when you do. Nice.
- The world tutorial is fantastic, with its tiny storyline and how it threads all the mechanics together. Really brilliant. Could use a bit more atmospheric entry though.. with the salvaging bit. Feels gamey compared to the rest of the tutorial.
- Damage per shot statistic for energy weapons? It's there for ballistics.
- Hybrids slots have the same color as ballistics. (to be fair, coming back to the game after a while, the icons for the hull slots just seem like they could use a revamping)
- After i got the initial 'large' fleet, i got worried that i won't be able to supply it but after a few battles, on Normal, i found that to be not that large of an issue as i was used to. The balance so far seems to give enough supplies as to not "kill yourself with victories" as was the way before, which is great. Also, it's great we get to skip the 'hound vs wolf' 'hound vs reaper' 'hound vs buffolo' phase of the start game, as well as pushing enough ships on the player as to actually make it appear as a 'fleet game' instead of a 'solopilot' game.
- Sensors and the 'ducking' mechanics work pretty nicely and add dynamics to the galaxy map, and the added geography via the various backgrounds is fantastic.
- Borderless fullscreen? It is 2017.
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So that's where i left it for the moment. Just done the tutorial and flew around the initial system a bit making fits and blowing up fleets. I have to say, the game really does seem a lot more streamlined and balanced. We've been hammering at it for so long, it's clear the feedback was put to good use, and that really shows in what we got here. Well-done Alex.