Author Topic: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)  (Read 6577 times)

Offline x4000

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Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« on: June 16, 2015, 02:17:15 pm »
New one!  http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Stars_Beyond_Reach_Beta_Phase_2_Release_Notes#Version_0.894

Restart your steam client to force a quicker update if you want.

This one fixes some more post-0.890 bugs, but it also revises the early game experience somewhat substantially when it comes to citybuilding.  It goes out of its way to make things easier, give you the tools for a basic city right from the start, and then let you just "get on with it" that much faster.  The whole thing with having to place explorer camps is also gone, which I'm sure will be cause for joy for many. ;)
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Offline Mick

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2015, 03:25:49 pm »
The whole thing with having to place explorer camps is also gone, which I'm sure will be cause for joy for many. ;)

*cheer*

Offline kasnavada

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2015, 04:42:33 pm »
One of your main goals is accomplished.

I actually want to shoot at stuff now to expand =).

Offline crazyroosterman

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2015, 04:49:56 pm »
The whole thing with having to place explorer camps is also gone, which I'm sure will be cause for joy for many. ;)

*cheer*
but but but I liked placing explorer camps .sniff sniff.
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Offline kasnavada

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2015, 05:02:30 pm »
 ;)

The building is still there.

Offline Mick

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2015, 06:33:16 pm »
Awww I was hoping explorer camps were removed completely. I don't like the mini-game of maximizing the number of camps possible.

Why not just a starter science building with a stipulation that you can only build one of them? Or better yet, just roll that science gained into the lander itself and ditch the whole thing.

Offline Shrugging Khan

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2015, 06:42:17 pm »
Yeah, the camps are a little silly.
I honestly tend to just ignore them...the little things always end up being in the way.

Can we think of a new role for them?
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Offline Aklyon

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2015, 06:47:37 pm »
The camps tend to give you a varying amount of science though. If you have enough space you can get almost a science lab of science out of them per turn until they start getting demolished to make way for things they are in the way of.

Offline Mick

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2015, 06:54:02 pm »

Can we think of a new role for them?

How about this:

1) A single explorer camp can be built in each neutral territory bordering your own.
2) The camps provide some science, and reveal the territory they are in.
3) When a territory is taken over by you or someone else, any camps in them are destroyed.

This will give them use a little more through the game as you build out.
Perhaps make them a bit more expensive to build so they aren't just an immediate no-brainer every time an available territory can have one built.

Maybe dump the science part completely and have them just be what they say.. camps for exploring.

Offline crazyroosterman

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2015, 07:05:37 pm »

Can we think of a new role for them?

How about this:

1) A single explorer camp can be built in each neutral territory bordering your own.
2) The camps provide some science, and reveal the territory they are in.
3) When a territory is taken over by you or someone else, any camps in them are destroyed.

This will give them use a little more through the game as you build out.
Perhaps make them a bit more expensive to build so they aren't just an immediate no-brainer every time an available territory can have one built.

Maybe dump the science part completely and have them just be what they say.. camps for exploring.
I like this idea as much as I like managing explorer camps the way that this new mechanic has made them very strange thematically I don't agree with taking away their science production though unless a special early game building replaces their production this would make getting new techs early on a complete drag.
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Offline x4000

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2015, 08:13:12 pm »
Cheers guys. :)

Explorer camps aren't on the top of my list for now, and I kind of like the little minigame with them -- gives an interesting early-turns things to do, and an added purpose to some of the territory.  But we'll see.

I'm glad that there is now an incentive to shoot your neighbor for land, that is good. ;)

The rest of the diplomacy overhaul can now commence, so that you can start working properly with those other races as allies, as well as dealing with them via the sword, heh.
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Offline crazyroosterman

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2015, 08:27:54 pm »
Cheers guys. :)

Explorer camps aren't on the top of my list for now, and I kind of like the little minigame with them -- gives an interesting early-turns things to do, and an added purpose to some of the territory.  But we'll see.

I'm glad that there is now an incentive to shoot your neighbor for land, that is good. ;)

The rest of the diplomacy overhaul can now commence, so that you can start working properly with those other races as allies, as well as dealing with them via the sword, heh.
I like explorer camps its just that mics idea would make them better not being able to place explorer camps in adjacent territory's is strange thematically and means they just end up getting in the way fairly quickly 2 I'm happy diplomacy's getting some love!.
c.r

Offline mrhanman

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2015, 08:59:09 pm »
It's been several releases since I've played, mainly because I couldn't come up with any new, constructive feedback and them time got away from me.  I've been keeping up with development though, and I saw a post where Chris asked those who had stopped playing to continue to sit out until the game became "new" again.  It looks like there have been a ton of changes since .814, so I was wondering if now was a good time to jump back in or should I wait till territories get polished some more?

Offline Zebeast46

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2015, 09:16:33 pm »
It's been several releases since I've played, mainly because I couldn't come up with any new, constructive feedback and them time got away from me.  I've been keeping up with development though, and I saw a post where Chris asked those who had stopped playing to continue to sit out until the game became "new" again.  It looks like there have been a ton of changes since .814, so I was wondering if now was a good time to jump back in or should I wait till territories get polished some more?

I wholly recommend getting back in, personnaly I found the territories to be a really good addition to the game, and I honestly think that this is one of the final huge changes to the gameplay structure but I could be wrong, But yeah, totally recommend getting back into it.
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Offline Misery

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Re: Beta 0.894 (The Early Experience)
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2015, 10:03:50 am »
FEEDBACK:

Firstly, map is sooooooo much better. Not even close to as much blank open space. I actually care about it now. I pay attention to the scouting now. It has variety, and even if you are a new player just starting out, it just looks like there's lots of STUFF to look at and examine.  This really enhances absolutely everything.

The territories thing is the other really great addition.  Expansion makes sense here, the way to grab them also makes sense. I like the teleporters. Sure beats the old daisy-chain of military buildings, yeah?  Military.... sorta makes sense, I havent grasped that yet (I've only had about 100 turns right now and have to stop for the day).  So far on my map, pretty much every territory has something or other in it that is desirable for whatever reason.

One problem: sometimes I'm not ENTIRELY sure what that reason is.  Adjacency bonuses are easily explained, but I've no idea exactly what I'm going to be doing with these magical ants or whatever they are.  All I know is I have a harvester or whatever there and it's stuffing them into storage, and then they will.... do.... I really dont know. All I know is that for some reason, I want these. But there's no hint as to why, and this goes for all things of this nature.

Wonders are much easier to understand though.  One big suggestion: Make these stand out more! A couple of them, it took me awhile to notice, particularly the World Tree, which blended into a small forest it was in.  I didn't notice it for some time.  Since these are useful things, highlighting the hex that they are on would help.  I'll stuff that suggestion into Mantis I think.

No diplomacy happening or anything like that, so all I know about the Boarines (only race I've encountered so far) is that they talk via amusing noises.  And that stuff I want is in a territory adjacent to them.  They dont seem to be doing anything at me yet though. 

Tech tree is a little more interesting now, but still needs a bit of work, though I'm not sure how.  The earliest bits of the tech tree I still handled in a very linear way which likely isnt going to change though.  Also, the ways to increase science output are not entirely clear.  I can place down a science center or whatever once every million years or so, and then stick computing clusters to it, which do.... something. They want some sort of resource that I dont see anywhere to attach themselves to.  I'm not sure if the thing is actually doing anything yet without this mystery resource.

The status bar:  Having all the numbers faded is a bit of a headache to look at.   Also, percentages, these confuse me.  Because math, or something.  It doesnt matter how long I look at the employment one, I still have no idea what the heck it's trying to tell me until I hover over it.  Derpy, perhaps, but math and such is my arch-nemesis.