[21st of June] Schine Bi-weekly Q&A

[DukeofRealms]

(We're going to be writing multiple QAs at the same time, previous one as well as this one and potentially the next one as well)

Welcome to our bi-weekly Q&A!

Question taking is open.

Questions taking will close on the 10th of July.

Ask any question about StarMade or its development, and we'll try out best to answer it in a forum answer thread posted every two weeks (provided it's not a secret). Depending on how many questions are asked, we may have to move questions from this session to be answered in subsequent sessions (or, skipped).

Rules:

• Please ensure that your question has not been asked previously. If it has been asked in a previous QA and listed on the answer later pile (not skipped), you may repeat it t
• Keep responses on this thread to: posting questions, notifying an author of a question that it has already been posted, and expanding on already asked questions.
• As many questions as you wish, we just might not be able to answers them all

 

[Briaireous]

How optimized do you think the game can get based on your current progress in coding.

 

[DrTarDIS]

Do you think it would be a good idea to hotlink the answers section of these Q&A into the launcher's news page?

Is horrible AI-accuracy with "0 = weapon only fires straight" intended behavior, or a low-priority bug? (source)

How'd the Retrothon go, and did it give you any ideas on the future development path?

 

[MacThule]

(Please answer as few or many of these as you want - I have a lot this time, but giving everyone fair audience should definitely take priority if a lot more questions turn up on the thread and there isn't time!)

1. From the dev team's perspective, what have been the biggest challenges so far in getting the weapons update up to standard for release (i.e. most difficult compromises, biggest technical obstacles, etc)?

2. From the dev team's perspective, what do you foresee being the most challenging part of the upcoming Galaxy development phase?

3. Can we expect to see an expansion or substantial refinement of the role played by Faction Points as part of the Galaxy development phase, or would this occur later (if it happens)?

4. Will Schine be retaining any specialists to develop the game's AI functionality, in the way a specialist was brought in to develop the fantastic new asteroids and planets?

5. Strategic-layer gameplay seems to be an high priority in your vision for this game. To what extent can we expect to see options to employ automation of the sort already used to some extent by AI to manage NPC factions become available to player factions? Particular NPC automations that come to mind as useful for alleviating player tedium and facilitating strategic level play that come to mind are:
a. NPC-style automated mining fleets
b. Automated patrol and defense fleets
c. Automated construction and deployment of ships to existing fleets to replace losses over time
d. Automation of player trade fleets to ship orders in the way the trade guild currently does

6. Will it eventually be possible to spawn from blueprints (or shipyards) directly onto a rail dock selected from a list, rather than into space or only into the shipyard itself? If so, could a function like this possibly include spawning turret entities directly to (named? numbered?) turret rails on an entity to eliminate what could well be the single most discouraging element of ship-building (i.e. spawning turrets, manually flying out to fetch them, docking them, spawning more and repeating the process dozens of times)?

Thank you all for your time!!

 

[God mode]

Permacloakers are still impossible. Intentional? Fixed, thanks!

Is the disabling of specific chambers and other systems when sufficiently damaged still planned?

It's been stated that reactor capacity was added so that other power consumers (weapons, shields, thrusters, etc) would not impact chambers. Why do you think this is something to be desired? If chambers instead consumed a percentage of reactor output, then there would actually be some incentive to build unarmed scout ships or unshielded transports. Currently, there's no reason not to outfit your non-combat ship with the strongest shields or weapons the reactor can support. Is there any other reasoning behind using reactor capacity as opposed to a percentage of reactor output to limit chambers?

 

[Ithirahad]

Is there any reason why the universe update is going into development before certain seemingly independent features that would contribute to it, e.g. any station buffs/special features which need their own blocks or chamber setups, NPC crew/Quarters, and any major new building blocks planned for the near future (including 3D stuff)?

To my outsider's eye, it seems like adding these things first would allow both Saber and the community (through Community Contracts) to continue developing ingame/block assets (including the starter station, and updating the contest fleets!) in parallel with the code and art work that other team members are doing for the universe update, without necessitating long implementation delays on the ships and stations due to having to update them for the new features after the universe stuff releases.

This in turn, I'd think, would prevent the need for more universe resets after the universe update... right?

 

[Aesthetics]

Will the Starmade Discord ever go public? Now would seem to be an appropriate time for it do be so, given the number of new creations, ships and stations alike, that we have constructed in the advent of the weapons update. It would also be a prime opportunity for some of us to address our concerns regarding that update and our findings.

 

[MacThule]

It would also be a prime opportunity for some of us to address our concerns regarding that update and our findings.

Right now is already a prime opportunity! We have all been addressing concerns here this whole time - both during the months of the dev cycle before and since release (barring those who got themselves banned for calumny and abuse during that period, of course).

Is there a particular kind of special feedback that is somehow contingent upon Schine establishing an 'official' presence on Discord, specifically?

 

[Aesthetics]

(barring those who got themselves banned for calumny and abuse during that period, of course).

That is not entirely true, but this is hardly the place for a discussion such as this.

 

[CockADoodleDoo]

This thread hasn't been locked yet even though 10th of july has passed... so I'll just ask my questions here, in order of preference to be answered.

1. will stations receive any exclusive defense chambers to help their staying power ingame?
2. How closely have you been listening to player feedback for weapons update rebalancing? Any balancing changes that can be announced?
   
3. How often do schine team members kick back and play their own game? Or does everyone have a strict work/play separation?
4. I think this one may have already been answered, but how soon will we be seeing devblogs for the universe overhaul?

 

[DrTarDIS]

*cough cough August first cough cough*