All the tools are inadequate.
Admins need far more power and in-game tools to keep a server running.
Also consistancy is missing.
My online admins can issue a /shutdown command.
They never know if it will reboot the sever or actually shut it down (either can happen).
They then need me to come and reboot the server (via my host access).
The server.cfg (and other files) have obscure entries with poorly (often no documentation). The wiki for server.cfg apears to just be a copy/paste of the .cfg document. What is the point in that. It needs proper explaination of EXACTLY what each line of the config does. Only a dev can do this, someone who has read the code and sees what the commands are meant to do.
Also, things do not seem to work
ie ADMINS_CIRCUMVENT_STRUCTURE_CONTROL. Doesnt matter what I set it to, I cannot enter other factions ships.
Catalogue manager poor?
What about a template manager?
What about having different catalogues for AI?
Trading guild using the same ships as pirates, ridiculous.
I could and sometimes do, go on. But actually it is getting a little tiresome for me. I dread each update as many things supposedly fixed are not. Many things that were ok get broken. Many new bugs appear each update. Each time a new idea, it rarely works as intended and then 2-3 updates it may get repaired.
The bug list contains bugs that are 2 years old and still not fixed.
Please do not read this in anger (and if you do, then grow up).
But, WHEN are the developers going to take this from a play doh sand box for them, to a finished product?
AND, believe me, I read the dev stuff when I can and I do see they are working hard.
I LOVE StarMade. It is something that, as an engineer in real life, I can really appreciate.
But, I do not have the time to keep jumping from hoop to hoop just to get my server to run in a half crippled way (constant reboots, lack of Java heap space, broken tools and mechanics).
The game is fantastic when it works.
Saying to me that it is still alpha is not an excuse. Add all your toys then (3-6 months). Then make them work (another 3-6 months).
FINISH IT for goodness sake or at least make a timeline so we can see if you actually are planning to finish.
I would like to know as I only have one lifetime and I hope to play the finished product within it.