Starmade Q&A

[22SAS_Wimp]

Another Q&A? Great, more notes to write.
Nah, just kidding, I don't mind. :D


I have some questions for you please Calbiri.

1. I was wondering if there are any new colours or shades of existing colours planned for hull and lights, and whether more block types such as deck plating, bulkhead, carpeted floor or ceiling panels (EDIT- Pre-lit! Ceiling with strip lighting in them!) might be a possibility (these would have no additional functionality but just be different textured blocks we can build with beyond building with hull and various types of terrain)? I would personally like to see more decorative computer panels too.
2. Similarly, the plants and flowers we find on planets are not cube shaped... will there be any other non-cube shaped blocks that players could use on their ships (eg cables, machinery, toilet (lol), stairs and railing (hand rails, not minecarts :p)?
3. In the .14 update we got the functionality to choose the direction of gravity from Gravity blocks, but will we be able to orientate the block itself too so that we can choose which direction the block itself (texture) is facing.
4. Another new block type I think people would find useful could be a PlexCanopy (?name?), which looks like PlexGlass but works like PlexDoors, allowing players to build a cockpit on a fighter without needing to put a door somewhere on the ship. Could this, or something else that allows the creation of an opening cockpit, be introduced?
5. In the first Q&A, you mentioned that ship "coring" will not be a function of destroying a ship in the future. I am interested in the implications of that beyond how a ship is destroyed, ie what is the plan for the shipcore in the future - will the core still be the block players "enter" in order to control a ship or can it be hidden away and other blocks used to control a ship? If it is - will players get additional features to allow us to alter how we interact with it (better handling of how players exit the core and ability to move it within a ship)? If not - what will be the alternatives be (eg the chairs that players have been crying out for maybe)?
6. You also mentioned an activation block which I find interesting but had some questions about it's functionality. Will blocks that currently have no on/off function be able to be connected and turned on/off (such as power and shields)? And can activation blocks be linked together (for example, I connect all my exterior lighting to one activation block, my deck one lights to another and deck two lights to a third (and so on, allowing me to turn on/off specific groups) which I then connect to another activation block (allowing me to turn on/off all lights simultaneously), I also have all my power blocks connected to one and all my shield blocks connected to another, and those 3 (power, shields & lights) activation blocks are then chained to ANOTHER one used as a master control power up/down block)?
   An idea I had about the activation block's functionality (which you may already have thought of) is to have two modes: "invert" (which I guess would be how it was going to work) - where anything that's connected to the activation block that is currently off gets turned on and everything that is on gets turned off when activated and visa versa when deactivated (great for opening an exterior door and "closing" a ramp made from plexdoors with one click, but would suck if you're turning off all your lights and there was one that was accidentally already off that then gets turned on); and "switch" - where when activated everything connected that is off gets turned on but anything already on stays on and when deactivated everything connected that is on gets turned off except (again) anything that's already off stays off.
7. In part 4 of the first Q&A you talked about the 2 types of AI crew, but it wasn't clear what these 2 types were or what their differences would be (you said "Think of your crewmen like an away team - they're the ones you can actively control. What you can do with your 'other' crew members, is you can set them to a task and leave them to it") Forgive me for sounding dumb but I didn't fully understand the concept from this. Could you go into more detail about the 2 types please?
8. It was also mentioned that stack sizes will be limited. I was wondering if that is going to be an update coming soon or nearer v1 release?

Thanks Calbiri, and I look forward to playing your voice over & over & over & over & over again soon.

 

[PseudoGold]

- Will boarding become a function of the game at any point?
- Are there any plans to introduce a more customisable appearance for your character (lights, custom helmets etc.)
- If there are plans to introduce civilised worlds, will we have cities on planets complete with NPCs?
- Is there life on Mars?

 

[LemonQuasar]

In the future, would it be possible to construct parts of a ship like the cockpit and engines by placing numerous block types in the ship itself to create the desired ship part, such as constructing a cockpit out of a chair and a computer terminal in front of it, or constructing a gun out of a barrel crafted out of hull, a firing block, and ammo? I feel like the current system of having blocks with complete functionality of a specific ship part makes constructing ships too easy, rewarding pure mass of functional blocks over innovative ship design. In addition I just think constructing a ship part through actually building the part, rather than crafting it through numbers of materials is more interesting.

Also, is there a possibility for holo-flags in the future?

 

[22SAS_Wimp]

- Will boarding become a function of the game at any point?
- Are there any plans to introduce a more customisable appearance for your character (lights, custom helmets etc.)
- If there are plans to introduce civilised worlds, will we have cities on planets complete with NPCs?
- Is there life on Mars?

- "AI and player based boarding actions are wanted by the devs." - Dev Q&A 1 part 4.
- That'd be cool!
- I think that's planned but I'll have to watch the Q&A again.
- Yes, I have seen them. :p

 

[a21173]

1. When will mod support be available?
2. When will a warp drive or FTL drive be implemented?
3. Will there be procedurally generated AI factions like in Avorion?
4. When will the weapon system be released?
5. Can there be gyroscopes implemented into the game to greatly increase turning speeds like in space engineers?
6. (if AI factions will be implemented) will the AI faction control a certain sector (in which they will have their own stations and planetary bases)
7. Will the Creatures be moddable?
8. When will we expect to see the creatures implemented
9. Will there be special blocks like rotary blocks, pistons, sliding blocks...etc?
10. Will there be more weapons for the character and if so will they be moddable?

 

[aceface]

Please ask Schema this question:

How close is the penta/tetra/corner lighting to being fixed?

 

[legoassassin57]

well, I was wondering, are there going to be faster Missiles?, I mean there kinda redundant at the moment, in a actual fight - they can be used for just blowing up debris and stuff, but not when the other ships is flying away from you.

 

[legoassassin57]

We need hats. When will the game support achievement based hats, or micro transactions?

You say "When" as if it is going to happen

 

[der_scheme]

Cloaking mechanics are broken (I made a post about that on the old forums). It's simply not possible to make a good-looking stealth ship, because hull is heavily punished by the current mechanics, which makes no sense. Hull should be rewarded, because it is shielding the outside from radiation and whatever emissions, that ship internals (power, shields, thrust) generate.
What are your plans for this?

 

[Ced2]

Will we have shipyard that will be needed to build ship in catalogue (to make more balanced building) that will take time to build a ship (bigger=longer) and have a max size depend of the size of the shypyard.

Hope it was clear :D.

 

[MineCatFTW]

Will we have shipyard that will be needed to build ship in catalogue (to make more balanced building) that will take time to build a ship (bigger=longer) and have a max size depend of the size of the shypyard.

Hope it was clear :D.

Almost sure this is planned, but it's pretty far out in development right now. I think.

 

[Jim-Dandy]

Will there ever be an end goal in Starmade?
And what would it be?

 

[11001011]

You say "When" as if it is going to happen

Exactly. I'd like to know when we can expect it in the game. I am super cereal.

 

[ArmyGuy135]

WARP DRIVES!!!!!!!!!! or jump drives at least

 

[legoassassin57]

Exactly. I'd like to know when we can expect it in the game. I am super cereal.

T_T

 

[legoassassin57]

WARP DRIVES!!!!!!!!!! or jump drives at least

Nah, warp drive's, or at least a way of going really fast, like a Mega engine

 

[Tacotown99]

will you be posting contests regurely or will it be a bit more randomized?
and will it ever be open like it was beforeso every body could make a contest?
Thanks
Taco

 

[ghettodexter]

Something I don't think anyone has asked but

1. Will AI be capable of undocking and docking to carriers any time soon?
(tired of fighting hordes of tiny fighters or hordes of massive battleships but no carriers)
2. How soon until an AI and NPC update?
(for those of us who are building role play ships or just like to play LAN or alone.)
3. Will the power and shielding between docked ships ever be balanced through the docks?
(focusing on carriers or protecting externally docked craft and turrets (better smaller turrets))
4. Will there ever be a fix for the Pulsar weapon?
(currently next to useless)
5. Please better detail on the functions of the new NPC and AI systems.
(focusing on ships usage weapon systems docking and repairing engineering or logistics commands)
6. How soon until more decorative blocks or the addition of any new blocks to the game and what is the next focus?
Thanks.

 

[NeonSturm]

Will we get [del]a list[/del] a wiki of what will definitively not be added?

How are players supposed to play with economy, faction warfare/politics, ... - is there any ideal?

When will the wiki get updated? Admin commands are outdated - no give_laser_weapon or give_metaitem helmet in official wiki.

Will we be able to make lua-hotkey combos like:

• gw = menu->weapons
• w = thrust
• fa = face -x
• ta = target previous
• ...
• cq = console available via hotkey "q" in your vicinity

To enable more actions mapped to the left hand and not have to switch between keyboard/mouse.

Will we be able to send commands from custom interfaces (similar to html and onclick="javascript:...")? Will take the task for better interfaces away from Schema and give it to the community

 

[0-0-Bram]

Lots of requests for gyroscopes for increased turning speed. I would prefer maneuvering thrusters that can be placed anywhere on the ship, and fire opposite the direction of travel. Also, if center of mass was a real thing that would be cool too, because right now you can just put thruster blocks ANYWHERE and it doesn't make a difference, which is extremely unrealistic.