Arcen Games
General Category => Stars Beyond Reach... This World Is Mine => Topic started by: x4000 on August 18, 2015, 08:49:45 pm
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Release notes: https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905
I'm going to stress that this is VERY preliminary. Some of the screens are still a mess, and the way that events are triggered and the range of effects that they can have back into the game are not completely implemented.
If you want some interesting reading on some of the heavy, heavy changes that are coming, here you go: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/
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Release notes: https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905 (https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905)
I'm going to stress that this is VERY preliminary. Some of the screens are still a mess, and the way that events are triggered and the range of effects that they can have back into the game are not completely implemented.
If you want some interesting reading on some of the heavy, heavy changes that are coming, here you go: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/ (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/)
I read this document, and it says,
[size=78%]The ending is incredibly temporary right now (just says “you win” or something really lame).[/size]
[/size]
Uh...erm, but...... :D AI…
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Release notes: https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905 (https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905)
I'm going to stress that this is VERY preliminary. Some of the screens are still a mess, and the way that events are triggered and the range of effects that they can have back into the game are not completely implemented.
If you want some interesting reading on some of the heavy, heavy changes that are coming, here you go: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/ (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/)
I read this document, and it says,
[size=78%]The ending is incredibly temporary right now (just says “you win” or something really lame).[/size]
[/size]
Uh...erm, but...... :D AI…
Laughing way harder than I should be at this.
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Very cool, cant wait to get my hands on it in 7 days :).
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Well, looked at the big list there, pretty much all of which I didn't understand. Underlying complexity! Ugh. I'm way too used to "just shoot the damn thing".
But it sounds interesting, and definitely seems to be a really major overhaul. I hadnt realized you guys were changing so much! What brought on such a gigantic set of changes?
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Uh...erm, but...... :D AI…
*Rimshot
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No terraforming? Aw, I liked being able to replace tiles with race-related ones if I hadn't built something there yet. Are we just going to have the normal tiles and the building tiles instead then?
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Release notes: https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905 (https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.905)
I'm going to stress that this is VERY preliminary. Some of the screens are still a mess, and the way that events are triggered and the range of effects that they can have back into the game are not completely implemented.
If you want some interesting reading on some of the heavy, heavy changes that are coming, here you go: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/ (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XQ61PpOfTHiusfdy0D6Vjq2OjNN04GkKddpYV7ZrJE/)
I read this document, and it says,
[size=78%]The ending is incredibly temporary right now (just says “you win” or something really lame).[/size]
[/size]
Uh...erm, but...... :D AI…
Laughing way harder than I should be at this.
Hahaha... yeah... yeah...
What brought on such a gigantic set of changes?
It's just something that periodically happens when I have enough time with a project. We hit a point where things that have been bothering me (and others) for long enough finally get codified into things that I can actually do something about. Then suddenly a flurry of ideas that hopefully solve them in a way that I and others are happy about.
No terraforming? Aw, I liked being able to replace tiles with race-related ones if I hadn't built something there yet. Are we just going to have the normal tiles and the building tiles instead then?
The AIs will still be able to terraform, but you won't be. I have a whole long list of reasons for it, but not time to write out quite all of them. Some of them are related to underlying terrain bonuses and how all maps can start to be the same if you're not careful with this, etc, etc.
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Bugfix version out: https://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.906
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It's good that you have been making progress with the game.
Let's hope that the release will be that of a solid game on a solid engine.
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Knock on wood! :)
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So, can you tell me what exactly it is the Harvester does? I've never been able to find a tile where that (or any of the mining structures) actually does anything. Every time I think I've found one, they all tell me, "Nope, can't go there. I have to be placed on a resource I can use!"
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So, can you tell me what exactly it is the Harvester does? I've never been able to find a tile where that (or any of the mining structures) actually does anything. Every time I think I've found one, they all tell me, "Nope, can't go there. I have to be placed on a resource I can use!"
Wherever there is a resource of the appropriate type, you just place it there and it starts mining it. Hovering over the resource icon tells you what kind of resource extractor you need. Now the number of types of those are extremely few (harvester and the mines).
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8) Byebye teleporters
The event system sounds quite good.
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Harvest changes sound helpful. Before you had to find what harvested what, in what part of the techtree at what social progress level if needed. Or if it needed to be harvested instead of extracted.
Now theres just the Harvestotron that mines animals, plants, and minerals, all in one giant thing you probably don't want a house near.
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8) Byebye teleporters
Yeah, your confusion was the main impetus behind that. I realized that I could simplify that anyhow, but ONLY because of the way scouting was changed to have a defined limit to radius a month or two ago. So it's funny, because the scouting change made it so that teleporters could be simplified out. :)
The event system sounds quite good.
Sweet!
Harvest changes sound helpful. Before you had to find what harvested what, in what part of the techtree at what social progress level if needed. Or if it needed to be harvested instead of extracted.
Now theres just the Harvestotron that mines animals, plants, and minerals, all in one giant thing you probably don't want a house near.
Yeah, exactly. :) I like "Harvestotron," heh.
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Now theres just the Harvestotron that mines animals, plants, and minerals, all in one giant thing you probably don't want a house near.
Tech Prereq: Advanced Sausage Factory Design
"Combining the greatest advancements in the fields of hot dog production and game design, the Harvestotron..."
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Now theres just the Harvestotron that mines animals, plants, and minerals, all in one giant thing you probably don't want a house near.
Tech Prereq: Advanced Sausage Factory Design
"Combining the greatest advancements in the fields of hot dog production and game design, the Harvestotron..."
Soylent Green is people!!!
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Aww a little bit sad teraforming was removed for player, was sorta interesting concept. The race with best polution clear land looked kinda fun from what I caught.
I know yourteam strapped for time, but could it be like two layer map,One is core not changeable or not changeable much(eats lots of resources or time and planet may not like it much(ok alot), but if you /Really/ need it, then with few special techs hidden in the tech tree) -- mountains deserts, swamps, seas, meadows, lakes, forests. And one or several Race specific ones that layer on top of those for each race.
So for example:
There is zenith Deserts, mountains, maybe even some strange forests, which are just grass for them, later Swamps, but no ocean
While Skylaxians, may have their meadows 1, meadows 2, mountains, oceans, but no swamps
Pelters may have their own lands.
Each land as some inpact on eco system both positive for race (good bonuses(morale, productivity, atmosphere), but also some of them negative like(planet likes less). Which makes choice would you like planet to like you, or solve this problem with soldiering/ shrines.
This in my opinion would still keep landscape interesting, and would make intereisting decisions like, which would push player to certain path in research:
- What to terraform,
- How much terraform
- How to counteract enemy teraorming I can't teraform
- How to counteract enemy teraforming with tech I have now
In anyway it is a little bit sad, but I guess it is not whole game, so I hope game wouldn't become less interesting because of it.
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The removal of the terraforming was definitely not something that was done for time reasons. It was a choice made because of how it felt to me in play. The act of terraforming was so annoying that players had us put in an automation tool for it, which was one good sign something was up right there, heh. But also there were issues with the whole atmospheric results from that not being useful.
And even if you take that part out, it becomes something where it's very common to have way too much of the exact same terrain constantly surrounding you if you are terraforming a lot. As it is the AIs will still terraform, so you feel like they have more of a presence in the map. And you'll be able to get some interesting benefits from capturing territories that they terraformed and then NOT destroying what they terraformed. So that's going to be a new thing.
It's true that a lack of time does make me less interested in experimenting with player terraforming. But also I just haven't had any experiences with it yet in this game that actually made me excited at all in practice -- though on paper I had been very fond of the idea.
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I've played with and without terraforming and I must say, it is a neat toy. I mean you can completely ignore the mechanics built around it and do just fine.
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It is ok. I'm a just a bit worried, that terraforming would be something hard to counter. Like every one teraforms so much, that atmospheric mix becomes pretty much inhospitable. Anyway, I understand what you are saying, from those old demo which I've seen the game has already interesting mechanics in reletive building placement, due to adjacency bonuses. So if it is just simple terraforming, it would be indeed look a bit separate of game, and would be boring, the same as just building same building over and over.
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I was really looking forward to terraforming. Too bad it had to be taken out.
I feel like a dimension of the game was just removed.
Any chance you will add it in the future? patch? expansion?
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Definitely never say never -- it is always a possibility. And I'm not taking out the terrain riser or the terrain bore, so you can still raise mountains or ocean, or lower mountains or make ocean.
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Removing terraforming for the player is probably a good descision, at least until a more interesting and dynamic terraforming model can be found.
Having said that, after it was taken out, and having played for a little while on the newest patch, I feel that the alien races around me are vibrant and interesting visiually.
The player is stuck without UFOs and with a relatively bland building set.
I hope that there are some plans to make the visuals more appealing for the player, and for the map to come alive a little mroe. Colours and shapes go a long way to brighten up the map, as well as moving pieces.
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We do have plans for some decorative stuff that will go in the various large expanses of fairly empty area -- that's coming up before too long.
I always wanted to have things like vehicles and people moving about in the cities, but I think it will mainly be a matter of how much time we have for that sort of polish.
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I just haven't had any experiences with it yet in this game that actually made me excited at all in practice -- though on paper I had been very fond of the idea.
In my last game I'd built several volcanoes and had pushed the temperature up to the point where only the Thoraxians, the Spire and me (Zenith) could survive easily, and then suffered terribly from pollution caused by the collective air-cons of an entire Evuck city that lay upwind. The rise in pollution across the planet gave rise to a ridiculous amount of rogues, which went on to turn the entire planet into an inhospitable wasteland. 'twas glorious indeed.
No defense of terraforming here - it's not worth keeping a boring function for the rare occurrences that it's awesome. I just wanted to say :)
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That does sound awesome. :) I hope to provide alternate, and more fun and interesting methods, for that level of awesome via events and the redone buildings.
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I just haven't had any experiences with it yet in this game that actually made me excited at all in practice -- though on paper I had been very fond of the idea.
In my last game I'd built several volcanoes and had pushed the temperature up to the point where only the Thoraxians, the Spire and me (Zenith) could survive easily, and then suffered terribly from pollution caused by the collective air-cons of an entire Evuck city that lay upwind. The rise in pollution across the planet gave rise to a ridiculous amount of rogues, which went on to turn the entire planet into an inhospitable wasteland. 'twas glorious indeed.
No defense of terraforming here - it's not worth keeping a boring function for the rare occurrences that it's awesome. I just wanted to say :)
That was the exact thing I was looking forward to. Very few if any games have offensive teraforming.
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About the harvester the "main" problem I see is that you can harvest stuff... and just can't use it until much later.
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About the harvester the "main" problem I see is that you can harvest stuff... and just can't use it until much later.
Right now you can't use it at all -- but you do get crowns from doing the harvesting, so there is that short-term benefit. And when you later are able to use it, you'll be glad to have it on hand rather than scrambling for it.
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hey so sorry if this has already been answered but what's going to replace the felyns tera cleaning powers(I'm not going to read over the notes in till I've taken a look at the game the it is now) since teras been removed?.
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I'm not sure yet on the Fenyn's cleaning powers. That is one thing I do need to address, but I don't have it in place just yet. They might get a special building, we'll see. :)
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okay so I just looked over the release notes and 1 how exactly was the teleporter concept complicated? I always found it fairly simple to understand personally? 2 I'm a bit sad that the islands style map has nuked but considering that this game has been pushed back about 6 times I'm glad it'll let be more efficient(if you get what I mean) 3 wait you combined the harvesters and extractors? I've got both of those in the new game I started up?. (I think ill have to check that) ps I don't really have a comment on the events yet since I haven't encountered any
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Extractors weren't removed (will be next release), they just don't do anything right now.
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it seems to me that fair bit of things are being stripped out of this I hope that the things that are planned are going to make up for because the game at t his point in time feels a bit..empty?.(for lack of a better word)
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Well, the current patch is basically the slightly-functional version of the Big Change they've been working on since july-ish. It makes sense its rather empty seeming.
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it seems to me that fair bit of things are being stripped out of this I hope that the things that are planned are going to make up for because the game at t his point in time feels a bit..empty?.(for lack of a better word)
Did you read Chris's post where he explains how it's not the case? (https://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,17923.msg192823.html#msg192823) I'm not going to rant, but it sure doesn't sound like the game is going to be empty.
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it seems to me that fair bit of things are being stripped out of this I hope that the things that are planned are going to make up for because the game at t his point in time feels a bit..empty?.(for lack of a better word)
Did you read Chris's post where he explains how it's not the case? (https://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,17923.msg192823.html#msg192823) I'm not going to rant, but it sure doesn't sound like the game is going to be empty.
yes I did and I only meant that its how the game feels at the moment I assume that when the events have been properly integrated that that feeling will go away for me.
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Yep, right now the game is basically having the base set of buildings stripped back to kind of the bare essentials of core citybuilding. Most of the more extended concepts are being transitioned to a new data structure type that is more integrated with events, and more flexible in general.
The change could best be summed up as:
Prior: lots of things were shoving a few different numbers around.
Current: fewer things are shoving pretty much the same numbers around.
Upcoming: those same numbers will get shoved around, but then things also get extended to where there's a lot of thematic repercussions to choices you make, and more interesting choices, and more interesting buildings for dealing with those choices.
One good example is with, for instance, the old "let's make commerce and industry feel more different" suggestion. That can't really be done if they're just separate number systems. They'll feel basically the same, just two separate and complex things to learn that may as well be one. See metal and crystal in AI War.
Instead, making them feel different in this case means "let's make the knock-on effects of long term farming or fishing, and the opportunities that do or don't appear from that, different." That way it's going a lot further than just different loops of numbers.
Don't get me wrong, the number-moving stuff doesn't go away -- it's critical for a simulation of any depth. But there are more junction points coming up where a textual decision from you is inserted into the process. And that opens the door for more nuanced buildings without having to build entirely new feedback number loop systems to support each one (which isn't hard, but it is tedious to build and to play).
Anyhow, so yeah -- definitely feeling empty at the moment, but I'm actually kind of enjoying that because I'm stripping out everything I didn't already think was extremely good. And most of what has been stripped out is stuff that will make a reapperance in the next couple of weeks, just in a newer and more interesting fashion. Or some variant of the idea will show back up, anyhow.
With teleporters, there was some confusion with those based on some mantis reports. I could see where the confusion was coming from, and it was one of those things that I could not see a clean way to resolve. I left that alone for a while, just kind of marinating on the idea for well over a month IIRC, and then it hit me that the teleporters are really pretty pointless at this point. The scouting limitations are a lot more relevant and interesting (and the new version of scouting coming up is even better), and they accomplish the same goal as teleporters used to without the problems that teleporters had in terms of causing some awkwardness.
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Terraforming will make a return within the next few weeks, though in a different fashion: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l1zPgVQZNLXbGoc9IwWWyaCxYCxajdvun9mVF6HYaTM/edit#gid=202978034
Just thought folks might enjoy seeing what's coming.
TerraformingEngine
Terraforming takes hard work and lots of machinery. Well, this is the machinery. Plop one of these bad boys down, and it will terraform its own tile as well as adjacent tiles. Be warned, however: this is a hostile planet, so if you pack up the machinery and leave, thinking your job is done... your wonderful terraformed lands are likely to die out.
It's more costly to you, and more directed and based on machinery. It feels more natural to me, in terms of being in a hostile environment and having to really maintain things. Plus this solves all of the automation problems and "where does this terraform, and under what conditions?" sort of baloney that we would see in other cases.
The atmospheric competition aspect of this is gone, but other bonuses from terraformed land were already planned anyway -- and now you'll be able to create those bonuses for yourself, too, but with a cost in terms of maintenance of the machines that maintain the lands.
Seems like a nice compromise. :)
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nice so tera forming's just getting an up grade sounds much better than setting a slider and pumping money into and laughing at all the idiots around you.
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Yeah, I didn't like the numbers war of it. Or the way you could just paint the territory with impunity. It's a lot more interesting this way, I think.
Also, your shipping lanes idea is officially going to be part of the game (in a few weeks). Thanks for reminding me about that. :)
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it is? I guess you changed your mind then I have admit that's actually a little bit exiting.
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it is? I guess you changed your mind then I have admit that's actually a little bit exiting.
Indeed! I always liked the idea, but I had tried a version of that long before we ever went to beta, and it didn't pan out. Too complex and un-fun. I never had a better idea on how to handle it until, randomly, tonight it popped into my head after you sent me the PM about it. :)
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it is? I guess you changed your mind then I have admit that's actually a little bit exiting.
Indeed! I always liked the idea, but I had tried a version of that long before we ever went to beta, and it didn't pan out. Too complex and un-fun. I never had a better idea on how to handle it until, randomly, tonight it popped into my head after you sent me the PM about it. :)
o okay well that's a bit random but sounds interesting I'm looking forward to that.
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I need to sleep adios.