State of the game.

RoyalWolfe · Jun 20, 2014

OK then, I used to do threads like this all the time on the old site. there were several with the same title, if you were to bother to look it up on it. these threads all had the very specific purpose. to discuss the current state of the game.

regardless of how many there was, they all were meant to pretty much discuss discuss that same same subject. also back then we could get away with a lot more re posts, as the site was so dated it just wasn't used. that also prompted me to have to think about, and take time to detail exactly what I was going to say, in my posts. so now I will take the time to do what I did way back then. time to talk about the community up front, so as not to offend others.

An address towards the game's community. (Pleas understand I am not trying to offend you)
On the old site every time I posted one, I felt stupid for doing it, why? because back then, the site was so darn difficult to navigate, I felt that nobody was reading them. there were certain kinds of feedback that was commonly exchanged back then as well. there weren't really discussions on the game itself, so much as there were on the aforementioned inefficiencies of that old site. now that we have a bright and new site, which doesn't have the above problem the community has matured a bit. this has brought with it some good things, but it also brought the bad with it too.

the good was that we started talking about the game more. the bad was that a lot of posters started making several threads about what others considered the same thing, the trouble was, they weren't correct. while they were right to dislike spam posts, the trouble was that some of their threads they deemed as the same, actually had entirely different clearly defined approaches to similar concepts.

this promoted the creation of the new like system which at the time could automatically lock threads that were reported as spam. This brought with it a new problem. They used the new like system to grief others ideas by getting their thread, which had only the flaw of being disliked by the offending poster, automatically closed. the community had suddenly turned troll. this made the web team react by changing the system to what we have now which doesn't work that way anymore.

I feel that now it needs to be said, because obviously some just don't have a sense of humor that understands less than BLUNT, you guys are getting way too uptight about this.

Warning swearing about to take place!
Lighten the hell up people! its only a damn game!

OK then, now, that the ranting is now out of the way, lets get back on topic please.
the state of game threads, back then always dealt with two questions.
how was the game doing? and how should it develop next?

the first question is pretty straightforward, in my personal opinion it is doing quite well. its developing and it has now done so in a way that makes it stand out. it is getting its own style of doing things. it is becoming more and more obvious with each new update. the systematic way the game is taking shape, also is actually now being definable in a system based way too. schema is building the game one SYSTEM at a time.

(this is why the above suggestions forum section issue, has occurred but I'm done ranting now, so moving on.)

the second question is also the controversial issue as well, but it wont be as much of a problem I think. see now with the new site, the developers can more clearly communicate with us, and now it works both ways. they read this too. and that is why we even have a suggestions section. we can talk about how the game should develop next, and do so in a civil and non confrontation way. whether you do it here, or in suggestions, we can at least do it without arguing about it right?

Syzygy · Jun 20, 2014

Only a few sentences of this were even about the state of the game.

Basically the state is:
Not too un-optimized, still lacking content but increasing in features.

RoyalWolfe · Jun 20, 2014

I do agree with you, I did go on a rant, and I apologize for that now. but unfortunately it was necessary because I would have got reported and a locked thread for not stating that I wasn't arguing or singling anyone else out. the above was because of observations I made. I didn't even have a problem with people greifing me, but I watched others do it. it needed to be said. period.

but on topic, yes your summery was appropriate. however the lats two paragraphs could also be seen as more on topic than the rest as i quote below.

lordWolfe said:
the first question is pretty straightforward, in my personal opinion it is doing quite well. its developing and it has now done so in a way that makes it stand out. it is getting its own style of doing things. it is becoming more and more obvious with each new update. the systematic way the game is taking shape, also is actually now being definable in a system based way too. schema is building the game one SYSTEM at a time.

Sgtwisky · Jun 20, 2014

IMO:

The current state of the game:
Well after the weapons update the game feels a bit more interesting (even with some of the bugs that came with it). I wouldn't say the game is lacking content at the moment but rather I think it lacks "Systems". By that I mean many of the features on the Devs "To Do" list. For example factions, economy/crafting, and AI.

I personally feel that what drives this game is not so much content, but rather how a player can interact, manipulate and change the game world around them. The content in my opinion is the things that are hard coded(like shops or asteroids). Content can also be the visuals and audio design. Systems however are what we use to interact, manipulate and change the content. In my humble opinion its the systems that make or break this game. It is the systems that will define our experience, not the content.

How should the game develop:
If its not clear above I think that systems should be hammered out first, and content should be worried about latter. Following that logic I think the next things that would be important to address are bugs, the faction system and the economy. Bugs should be worked on always so I figured I'd list it. I think these systems are likely the most important features that will be added to the game. They will vastly change how its played(more than any other feature I can think of). Thus I think starting on these early is a good idea. Doing so gives more time to hammer out issues and get feed back.

Qweesdy · Jun 20, 2014

I'd describe the current state of the game as "Schema still doesn't know what the finished product is supposed to be".

What I mean by this is that there doesn't seem to be a clear vision that Schema is working towards - it's not going in a direct line to a known target, but staggering around in random directions. Soon, work will start on the third different crafting/manufacturing system. The way power or thrusters or shields or docking works could be overhauled again at any time. The recent weapons update could be ripped out and replaced by yet another very different weapon system in 6 months time. For game balance (for everything: weapons vs. shields, large vs. small ships, economy, etc) we've gone from "no sane plan" to "never going to be a sane plan, so let's make it end-user configurable".

ToyotaSupra · Jun 20, 2014

Is it me, or does there seems to be a lot of these threads as of late?

RoyalWolfe · Jul 1, 2014

its been some time, but I also think we should by now, at least understand the basics of the game. we know what the game is at least supposed to seem to play like.

the final gameplay mechanics are still remaining to be seen however, what we have now, is enough to at least figure out what we want to do with that. we have the needed systems to build ships. we know some of the basics of building ships, that part is completely working. we are right now just trying to tweak it. its unbalanced and currently unrefined. but, it also mostly complete, the systems are all in place. we know how ships are going to work, we know weapons are intended to at least be modular, so we can adjust according to that.

i feel schema has been foreword with us as to what he is trying to to do, and that is where I feel Scheema is a bit misdirected on what to work on at the moment. i do not presume to tell him what to do with HIS game, but I do think he needs to sit down and prioritize. figure out a plan. right now the game is in a blind state.

we still need the systems to make our astronauts fully work, but, we do have enough to understand just what that is supposed to be, that the rest is just filler. what we don't know, is how the astronaut systems are supposed to work, while I do agree the crafting system did need the work, it is something I personally think, that could have waited a little. what we need it the equipment system which we have seen lingering on the wind since the recent additions of the guns device. what are we really supposed to do with these things? right now seemingly nothing. I would like to see them slotted in an equipment system which I could key bind them to, and pull them out as needed. but i cant begin to speculate, until the man himself comments on just what the hell, (excuse my swearing) he really want to do with these darn things.

there's a lot still missing, but its now getting there, and he needs to start thinking about the future.

Cornedo · Jul 2, 2014

Just updated to 0.159 and now suddenly my ship can't power itself.

Cornedo · Jul 2, 2014

Never-mind, I tried buying another ship just like it and that one worked fine. So it was just a random problem with that particular ship. Not exactly encouraging.