I have been really, really trying to not read anything at all about this game, but I failed a few times. Coming into this I know the basic premise and transition from real time action to turn based. I never did watch a video (I clicked on one once, but stopped
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Into music is really great! I do the quick start, and end up in combat. I know there isn't a tutorial yet, so I'll try to keep track of what confuses me.
The first thing I am asked to do is move, and the long blue line of arrows seems really intuitive. It moves with my mouse and feels like a trajectory. I see I have a series of abilities that take ammo, but it's a lot of things, so I ignore them. Does this first into mission need so many weapons?
I try to use one of the ammo abilities, and it skips my movement phase. Is it intended that I can't use them and move at the same time?
When I click a location I am asked to select a target. I would then click a ship right away and go. I didn't realize until maybe turn 5 or 6 that, after selecting a move, the weapon display changed from my limited abilities to different "basic" weapons. I didn't know I had them, and it would have helped with the first shielded ship.
First place I go in the solar system view is to the Andors. I decide to smuggle spacefaring tech to them, because, well, who knows. It's on the way to the black market, and it sounds fun. I see the big red glowy things, and I know I don't want them to see me. I plot a course between them and click, yet now I have to pick a target? I try just double clicking, doesn't work. I right click, and that just lets me reselect my trajectory.
I try pressing space. I don't know why, but I do. It just "pauses" the game, but nothing really happens. The red radar keeps spinning on the Spy Probes. I try Fast Forward, and pressing "S" like it says under Target Ships, but that doesn't confirm the "no target" I have.
Takes me about 30 seconds to find the firing directives above the tool tip section. I see "Hold Fire" and I press Q. The spy probes instantaneously begin to spew all sorts of things at me. I barely started! And the trajectory was well away from them. I keep flying without firing, which means I have to keep pressing Q. For some reason, my finger keeps hitting space, which just gets more confusing.
I just beeline for the target, drop off the documents, and it says I am Withdrawing. That's different from the first mission, where it just took me away all at once. It says I have 4 turns left, but it keeps changing to 5. It took me about 7 or 8 turns to read the full "Preparing to Withdraw, Sir" tooptip and get to the part that mentions the delay on damage. So I then realize I need to escape for real.
I surprise myself and, what i thought would be almost impossible, is actually quite straight forward!. Dodging the incoming fire is really, really fun. Planning ahead the moves with the guns on autofire just feels right. Only thing I might want is a midpoint or something on the line, like the Bézier curve tool. Maybe that's asking too much. As is, this is really fun.
I find myself working towards one side of the map, and I keep slowing down. Since I am not actively panning, I realize I am no longer make a full length trajectory line. I need to move the mouse twice as far away from my ship as I want the line to go. ( I am running windowed, 1920x1200) Pressing 'H' to recenter helps a lot here. Holding it down makes the camera follow my ship, which is nice. Maybe a toggle? Or auto center when the turn restarts?
Turns out whatever happened in that level didn't reduce my influence with anyone. I guess all that laser fire was just a welcoming party from the Andors? Like fireworks!
At the black market, it loads a background image. I realize these always come up as pure black, and take about 2-5 seconds to load the graphical background. Is that just something about my system? The background music goes to silence for a second or two between tracks.
I don't have more time tonight to play, but I will again tomorrow! The space combat is really fun. I'm excited. At first glance, it appears to have a ton of depth.
