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[Psycho Society]

What's stewing in Starfarer's development at the moment? I hope there's gonna be some interaction in the game down the line. I think someone referred to character development as a sort of content tap for the game. Interesting for replayability, but it doesn't add much. Honestly what Starfarer needs most at this point is to have some kind of meaning in the campaign. Relationships between groups, trade, structures to make your actions in the game significant.

I know all this stuff will come in time, just wondering what the road map for the game is currently.

[Gothars]

just wondering what the road map for the game is currently.

Alex is a bit secretive about that, probably to avoid disappointment on our and pressure on his side. I personally would be very interested in that, in changes of plan (and their reasons) even more so. But I guess not everyone would react positively, so I understand.

That said, the next feature release after the patch will most likely be Officers.

[Sendrien]

Developing content before having finalized the structure of gameplay is tantamount to painting the insulation before putting up the walls of a house. So far, Alex has used a very logical (and time-optimal) sequence to developing Starfarer, even if it means less up-front enjoyment for beta players, but this is why we pay only half the price. If anything, we should support Alex in persevering with this sensible development plan, because it means less redoing and reprogramming, and ultimately a faster release of a final product.

Think of it this way. The more time Alex spends on structural and gameplay dynamics for Starfarer, the more robust the game will be. There is a lot of modding talent out there, and since the rate of content consumption is always significantly faster than the rate of content development, you really want as robust a game as possible, as this will enable the modding community to produce better content and enhance replayability beyond the standard content that is delivered with the final version of Starfarer.

Plus, content is relatively easy to develop once everything else is in place. Good gameplay, on the other hand, is extremely hard to find and rarely emphasized in today's market of high production value and eye candy. Starfarer is one of the few titles out there which seems to have its priorities in the right place. We would do well to encourage Alex to stay his course!

[Alex]

What's stewing in Starfarer's development at the moment? I hope there's gonna be some interaction in the game down the line. I think someone referred to character development as a sort of content tap for the game. Interesting for replayability, but it doesn't add much. Honestly what Starfarer needs most at this point is to have some kind of meaning in the campaign. Relationships between groups, trade, structures to make your actions in the game significant.

I know all this stuff will come in time, just wondering what the road map for the game is currently.

I agree with your assessment There are also some other things the campaign could use - such as interesting travel and stronger/better connections to the combat layer.

It's not at a point where I'm ready to start talking about. (Sheesh, "secretive"? Makes me sound like the Illuminati!) I can make the following non-statement, though - I'm really, really excited about where it's going. Some design issues that have been bothering me are being addressed in what seems to be a very satisfying way. Of course, won't actually know for sure until the rubber meets the road.


@Sendrien: That's rather how I think about it, too - except for the part about content being easy. It's very time-consuming, and getting it polished will take some time. But yeah, it makes sense to develop the structure first, and then build the content out based on it - though there will be a feedback loop there where some dynamics probably won't become apparent until enough/the right kind of content is in place.