StarControl Forums
Here is a video (from the debugger) of what we're working on:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuBwidOf1nOuippDcuUXf_fsMtAxwQ
Idle question, but with the Sol system in general, will you be putting any sights to see based around our early exploration? Landing site on the Moon or Mars, crashed probes, etc?
I've finally found the time to play the new patch a little. I will play it some tomorrow, too. I've only played it a little so far.
It seems to be moving faster than it was, or maybe it just feels fast because I haven't played it in a month. If it is moving faster now that is probably a good thing. I am TERRIBLE with a keyboard, and on top of that you can do different things with a gamepad or keyboard. “Equal but different.” So I can't do a lot of the things that I am wanting to do, in addition to fumbling around on the keyboard I've never been able to play these kinds of games with. So if it seems too fast for me to do well that is probably a good thing. Because...
My first impression is that it is a LOT more fun than it is before. I even had my very first ever “that was awesome” moment in it killing the Scryve with the Tywom when both of us only had 2 or 3 health left! With the keyboard thing, combined with my never really liking fighting the AI in games like this outside of the adventure of SC2, I had never truly “been into” playing it. But always attributed fighting the AI with no context (a game with no “future”) boring me. Almost every moment of the two games I just played were exciting too me, so it has obviously been made a lot better. This is just my first impression after having played just two games, of course.
Scryve speed and turn rate... The Ur Quan in SC2 was also much faster and maneuverable than it should have been as part of making it the “big, bad relentless ship”. And SC is all about unique designs that break the rules in both directions. A lot of what I have said about the ships are how you do it “by the rules”. Those are exactly the rules that SC ship design seeks to break. But, of course, you need to know the rules to break them well. The Scryve works really well for what it is meant to be, and it is one of the more fun ships to use. So, as James Brown would say... “What it is, is what it is.”
It's probably because I grew up on primitive arcade games, but I really dislike the asteroid barrier a lot and would prefer just a “straight and solid wall”. At the same time, it is very obvious that modern gamers think this is just strange. So I thought of one last compromise as I was playing. Could there be a barrier with the asteroids behind them? It is invisible, and light's up like a shield being hit, so it normally just looks like asteroids unless you bounce off of it. You bounce off like billiard table bumpers, and weapon shots are absorbed (“bouncing bullets” suck unless there is a point too it). The modern gamers might not like the barrier, but that “random, jagged edge” is annoying too us old school arcade guys.
I like the asteroid edge because you can try to fly between the asteroids to get some cover.
After playing SCO for 3 or 4 hours the last two days, here are some comments on the current state of the ships...
Tywom – You can really see and feel the difference of having acceleration present with this ship. All of the ships have a much better feel too them. They look better in the way that they are moving on the screen, too. This is a big part of what is making feel “more fun” now. The ships are moving in a better way that “looks and feels” better to the player. I know that it will make it a little less maneuverable in terms of changing direction, but that is the point. I would give this ship a little less acceleration than it has now, so it “lags” or “drags” more through a 180 change in direction. This “has a good feel” too it. Only use it against itself in testing this, so the enemy ship is moving the same and you see and feel it happening “in both directions”. Worry less about tactics for a moment and just make it feel good too yourself. It will still be fine in the end, and if you like it then what you do with Tywom becomes a new baseline for other ships. Except for Drenkend, of course, because...
Drenkend – Oh my god! Don't touch it anymore in terms of maneuver!!! This is a perfect “look and feel” for a “medium-big slow ship” to have. It feels really, really good like this. The far improved boarding pods are also making it much better. The boarding pods work in a much better way now. This was one of my favorite ships before, but now might be my favorite just because of how it moves. In my mind, anyway, it moves exactly how it looks like it should move. And the way it moves has a more than good, but a really great feel too it. I would call this ship “done” when it comes to how it moves, it feels very, very good.
Dannath – It's probably just my knowledge of the tactics of the situation, since most people seem to not like this ship. Against humans this ship seems like it would probably be in the ball park of being balanced. Against the AI, I can't really use this ship. It is, and always has been, very easy to clear the entire lineup of enemy ships with just Dannath. Sometimes they get me before the end, but not often. But this might just be my understanding of the situation, Dannath is the ultimate retrograder of this group of ships and the AI doesn't react to that tactic at all. This is only with the AI, human players are going to know to stay close too it or die. Most people seem to dislike this ship and think it is kind of weak, from the posts I've seen, so this is probably not actually an issue. Not many SFB experts are going to be playing SCO, because there aren't many. Even if all of them played it, that wouldn't be many... haha!
MenckMack – I've never liked this ship and still don't. Mines deny areas and discourage pursuit, so it doesn't actually have an offensive weapon. A good human player might be able to do some useful things with the mines but the AI never will. Then it makes carbon copies of it's own generally useless self. I've just never liked this ship, to use it or fight against it.
Trandals – This ship's basic design was “gold” for Star Control right out of the box. It “breaks the rules in both directions” in such a classic way that if it were in the original Star Control games it would fit right in as if Paul & Fred had meant for it to be in the game all along. It has always just been waiting for final tuning with the final group of basic designs.
Mowlings – With a gamepad I would expect this to be one of my more well-liked ships of this group. I can't hit things well enough with it too use it well with the keyboard. Calling in Jeff has never had much excitement too it, and still doesn't. Could he say something ominous when he enters the map, like the Sinistar he was based on? Jeff is also an example too those who ask for multiple ship combat of the camera problems of having more than 2 ships on the map at the same time with SC's camera, that issue is why the map is often zoomed out so far when Jeff is on the screen.
Earthling – The Earth ship has been in good shape for quite some time now.
Phamysht – It feels like it turns too fast. It doesn't “look and feel” right too me with this turn rate. I think is that its turn rate seems very high compared too its speed. I love the gun, and its secondary ability is useful. But it doesn't move well right now from my perspective.
Pinthi – This ship has a VERY good “look and feel” to the way it moves. I like the weapon, I love the fighters (I use all the things like fighters and drones in SC very well). In fact, this is my new favorite SCO ship in terms of fun now! I like it even better than Tywom and Drenkend, which had been my favorites before (other than Dannath, of course). It has a great feel too it, much like Drenkend. I would call Pinthi “finished” when it comes too how it moves just like Drenkend. Pinthi might be too powerful overall, though. I am clearing most of the enemy lineup with it now, kind of like Dannath.
So, I actually have a Top 5 list of SCO ships for my personal style of play now...
Dannath
Pinthi
Drenkend
Tywom
Earthling
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