Feedback regarding the experience because hey, maybe it'll still matter: Played mostly on slow character progression, on rather hard customized settings (minimum starting gear etc) on Omicron and in single player mode the progression was still quite fast. While int he beginning the number of points one received per level up was okay, with time it increased enough that there were quite many leftover after I've made all the really useful/necessary choices - no specialization in any area were required, if I wanted it - I could buy it out. Possibly in multiplayer, with division of labour over longer period of time it'd do a bit better but still, one longer session of playing (several hours) mostly mining and killing stuff grants enough levels and skill points to be able to unlock enough of techs to create all kinds of decent vehicles of every type and equip the base pretty well. Regarding techs themselves, I'd suggest making a few cockpits, including the open one, a choice that can be taken straight away when one wants to unlock a cockpit tech for hover or small vessel. The stats differences aren't great enough to affect the balance, while an easy access to prefered cockpits from the get-go would allow a bit more diversity without making it too easy. I also lack the ability of creating more portable, survival oxygen generators and constructors in all other "stationary" constructors. If it's basic equipment available since the beginning of the game whose strong point is merely low maintenance cost and ease of deployment, it should be an option to make more of it if the player will lose their first set.
The emergency constructor is considered OP if you could deploy a chain of them. I'd do it, too, just to save on power consumption for lengthy tasks like ore conversion. However, just to stick to your point of "if the player will lose the first set", perhaps it'd be easy enough to limit the number of E constructors a player can deploy at any given time .. to ONE. In which case it wouldn't make any difference if you produced 100 of them, as you could still only use one.
That is a good point. I, personally, would be perfectly fine with limiting number of emergency constructors that can be deployed at a time per player to one.
Three inter-related systems. Traits Technique Technology Traits/Stats: This is you the player. Each trait has a progression bar that is filled mainly by doing things related to it. They can modify derived stats like sprint speed and duration or oxygen consumption. Examples: Endurance influences hit-points and how long you can sprint. Agility influences how fast you sprint, dodging melee attacks and aiming. Perception influences aiming, finding mats when mining or gathering. Others? Techniques/skills: This is you doing things. Most techniques have sub sections. Gained by doing. Can be modified by Technology and Traits. Example: Harvesting: Improve how fast and how much you harvest. Sub-cat: Mining More rock removed with higher yield per charge spent. Chance to gain more that node actually contains Sub-cat: Foraging (remove instant plant harvest?) Harvest plants faster. Chance to gain bonus mats from both wild and bases. Food-Prep: Chance to yield more items, upgrade quality of benefits and increase spoilage time. Others? Technology/Tools: This is research and items you create. You crashed and now your suits AI is damaged. Spend time researching and expanding your suits AI. You may find items or do things that speed up or give you specific Tech. There can be different start settings with how damaged your AI is slowing or speeding up the game. Example: Totally Destroyed - you have the tech to make a Bow and Arrows (weapon) and a Pick-Axe (gathering tool) Basic Tech enabled - you can make a gun, starter blocks and basic tools (current game) Advanced Tech - everything unlocked Possibly have the factory linked to your Tech so you can't fabricate parts you don't know and have a maximum block count limited by your suits AI Memory size? AI could change production speed.
I had a similar idea awhile ago. Checkout Suggestion: Creating a more dynamic background and individualized player I'm Not a fan of magic gains Aim is a function of the Mouse and Player, not a skill that can be changed with a number. Weapon Proficiency on the other hand can influence game play. Example Weapon Proficiency Shot Guns Reload Times are Quicker Recoil Recover is Faster
can we just scrap the current system where your level dictates what the machines you touch ate able to build? the tech tree should be changed to a research tree, or focus on player stats, perks, etc. the survival constructor can't contain the schematics for other devices? I never understood how building thrusters requires me to pick weeds.
Because the current system is a band aid fix till they get the REAL one Coded in... which'll likely be a good long while.
I suppose it's a base that gives them something to build off of. but imagine if they go to a research method similar to fortresscraft. or Factorio!
I've played EGL over 1200 hours in the solo mode. Opinion---I've tested out vessels and base configurations to the point where I've decided that elaborate structures can equate to major power consumers which means I would have to mine Promethium until my cerebellum fell out. So for me, conservative bases and vessels are good (hint: use the Factory before you warp out). I've found that underground bases early in the survival game allow me greater survivability in the solo mode. I've discovered that pre-planning what I build in this game has paid off. To respond to the questions--- - What do you think about the current system? Having a starting point for the play is a must; things can always be tweaked. It's good that the developers are actively soliciting for feedback. - What could be improved? Allow the player to control alien base weapons once a base is captured (I captured a Rados base and the drone base on Aitis--I can't control the base weapons). Get the vessels and bases air-tight so we don't have to wear helmets. Preview developing: personal equipment, drop rates, and gathering methods, etc. - Is level progress too fast / slow? It's too fast; a player can mine and gather his/her way to level 10 easily. - Tech tree and unlock points? The tech-tree is appropriate. It gives hints to the player---examples: the reason why its necessary to construct the assault rifle early in the game and why mining is so critical (see in-game Blueprints and the Factory). - Other feedback? It is unclear whether ore on the planets will "rejuvenate" over time. If it doesn't, why should I establish any kind of permanent base on any planet in the solar system except on Akua? I can just warp out, mine my brains out, gather equipment/materials, and warp back "home" to a breathable planet until new planetary systems are unlocked. Hey, what about that? A progression to unlock certain planets and/or planetary systems? Example about the ore: When I landed on Aitis, there was only one Gold ore deposit (a total of 13), two Promethium deposits, three Erestrum deposits, and five Sathium deposits (seed 526277). It is unclear how mining on a PVP planet while playing a solo game will work. I mean, that's why I play solo---I don't want a player/sniper evacuating my skull after I've spent the entire "day" mining iron ore just so that he can loot the ore. Overall---you have given us a well-planned Alpha; don't stop developing.
I wrote out responses to all the original questions but it turned into an unforgiving text wall. So I'll just sum it up using the last question : - Other feedback? Really awesome start / alpha game. However, in my opinion there are several basic game play dynamics that severely limit the game. 1. Market Places - Currently this reduces motivation to move around the galaxy (really bad). Gone are the days of flying around in a trade ship. Currency, good. Instant transport of goods, bad. 2. Factories / BP - Way to easy to make BP and spawn them instantly. Why should server admins have to make rules about when BP can or cannot be spawned. BP makes PVP on EGS different than almost every other game out there (in a bad way) 3. Tech Tree / Experience Points - Can we please have research stations? It would be great to do something similar to this: 1. Research stations are a component built on a BA or CV 2. Stations generate RP (Research Points passively) 3. A player can only have 1 research station generating passive RP at one time 4. You can sit at a station similar to a seat and this gives the research rate a boost. 5. Different biomes give different amounts of RP 6. The more you research a certain biome the less RP it gives you 7. You can collect and bring different items to the station for bonus RP 8. Different biomes/items would have tech tree specific benefits. So bringing back a weapon would add RP to the weapons branch for example 9. Allow players to share research discoveries (book item?), but sharing of tech would take x number of minutes to take effect and only one tech can be shared at a time. So if you have friends you can learn their tech, but it takes time. Imho this would be a game changer! People would have a reason to explore the game and everything in it. Never analyzed an egg plant? Go find one and get some xp! Please implement something like this. People would love it. 4. Warp Drives - Currently players can warp out of a system instantly from any location meaning that the entire galaxy can be traversed instantly if you have enough crystals. So the game space is really tiny. This is not very appealing in a Space game. Make Warp drives have a cool down or implement Zones that must be traveled to in order to use the warp drive. I think that Space Engineers ruined their game by overly complicating everything. If you overly simplify things that's just as bad. Make people work for what they want. As long as people know how to get it they will have no problems with this. EGS is way to simple imho.
So having taken a break from the game since this abortion of an XP/techtree was put into place, my comments from Oct 2015 are still valid; TLDR: It adds nothing to the game. In general I'm very pleased with the overall progress the game has made, but then I've been playing SE, and Keen puts the bar on the floor. So starting anew, but not really a noob. Played a bit in survival on medium to see what changed get the hang again, creative to make new designs (since workshop wasn't a thing back then), off to a new medium survival start, played that until the end (did all missions, taken all planets, killed everything in sight). Currently on a new survival game on hard settings. At level 17, gathering up last few resources for my CV, and should make 20 around then (which is required for my CV anyway). So on medium it wasn't really an issue since leveling was fast enough. Suprisingly on hard it wasn't really an issue either since surviving and gathering materials I was too busy to build anything requiring unlocks, and this is even having lucky loot finds of an advanced constructor early on. So the techtree becomes a minor inconvenience either way, occassionaly making one wait to build something, but for the most part easy enough to deal with for an experienced player. All it really seems to add is add pointless clicking and the occassional agravation because you forgot to unlock something you want to build, and may need to go grab another level because of your oversight.
I think it would be better to make the survival constructor to a part of the player instead of a placeable object , and inatead of a techtree a blueprint system where the bp get be dropped by special enemys like zirax , container in poi and over npc/escape pod's that fall from sky like meteors "fixed number of pods on survace , if you loot one another come down" . leveling traids instead of the techntree is a better way than the "ohh a akua berry , ahhh now i know how to build a warp drive " system ^^ somethink like the tes IV oblivion system where you can level each ability to 100 and with every 25 level you get a little special , for example : weapon usage lvl 25 iron view aim for weapons without scope and 1.5x zoom , level 50 : reload speed 50% faster , level 75 : taped magazines doubble ammo capazity for each weapon , level 100 : should be somethink special like a doubled headshot modifier .
Warping should take travel time. charges up and WOOOSH, but of course incredibly massively sped up compared to normal speed. Instant warp with few minor flashing effects isn't appealing. Instant warp feels more like it should be a special late game tech thing.
Who knows? Maybe someday how Warping works now will get ported over to SV 'Mini-Warp' Drives for jumping between Planets in a Solar System & CV Warp Drives will get something more fancy schmancy, like maybe akin to Warping around in the Star Trek Universe.
I would think a more skills based approach could be looked at. starting out you get core, base starter, basic fuel tank, basic generator, basic mining drill, basic pistol. killing things with pistol, unlocks semi auto rifle and T2 pistol, semi auto rifle leads to assault rifle and unlock sniper rifle, assault rifle leads to minigun, sniper leads to rocket launcher, snd so on... mining with T1 drill leads to T1.5 (a T2 drill but not auto pickup thus giving better range) which leads to T2 which leads to auto miner small whcih leads to auto miner small+n, and so on building a base unlocks hover vessel, flying in that for x time unlocks an SV starter block, flying that x time unlocks a CV starter block building a construct with wood blocks x times gives you concrete blocks and steel blocks, they intern give you hardened steel after x blocks, and combat steel after x blocks using multitool T1 x times gives you T2, which then gives you auto repair small, then auto repair small+n, and so on... picking x number of random plants unlocks growing plots and grow lights, harvesting x number of crops unlocks food processor, creating x things things unlocks fridge T1, which then unlocks fridge T2 I am not a huge fan of grinding, but picking up plants and mining ore giving you the ability to build and use a warp drives is messed up. The unlocks need to be associated some how to what the activity is being performed, or the unlocks need to be resource based (rare minerals or modules) or currency based (purchase skill modules for crafters, or skill implants) something. Having them just 100xp equals 4 random things is silly.
Speaking of messed up, why do I have to suck buggers at Sniping & NEVER be able to do it well, thus I can't ever get to use a Rocket Launcher I don't suck at & love using, because of my sucking buggers at Sniping? With that said I kinda see where ya are goin at. Ya are suggesting what some of us have already been pondering... if the Leveling Progression worked more like Skyrim's System. For example, if ya got better at using Weapons by actually USING the Weapons, not by picking Corn Dogs... & if ya got better at building Devices by actually Building Devices, not by Drilling into Rock for a long time, & if ya could get better at Building stuff & become able to Craft better stuff to build with then use it by actually Building, not by mowing down large numbers of Arachnids & Otyughs & such.
I really like the game and the current tech tree, but I think that the game could benefit from rewarding veteran players with some added convenience. After reaching max level on the first playthrough, all items in the tech tree should automatically unlock on all future playthroughs. Reaching max level awards enough unlock points to unlock everything in the tech tree, so I find that going through the tech tree and manually unlocking everything becomes a tedious exercise after a few playthoughs.
I have not read though the 20 pages, so my guess is that there will be a lot of things already mentioned. Also not sure that everybody agrees as my comments will make the game more challenging, but this is a survival game and I feel we need more survivaling to make it appealing. 1. The XP leveling goes too fast, specially the later levels. You can level to L20 in 1 day. Maybe depends on dif. setting. In survival games, I feel you have to work to get to some new tech level. Here, just start mining and within no time you are at level12. Fly around the planet, shoot some animals, harvest some plants and you are high level before you know it. 2. You can get your XP by just doing one thing (e.g. mining). I would dimish or cap the XP once you gained certain levels of XP for a certain activity. 3. As for the Tech tree. I can spawn stuff from a blueprint without a check if I can actually build the stuff from my tech tree. I just need to have the materials. So I can just make things I have not unlocked in the tech tree. 4. Survival is about choices. Do I spend time on food or mining.... The tech tree lets me just unlock more or less what I need. Plenty of points (maybe not at the first levels, but certainly with higher player levels). You should be making choices. Build a weapon or work on my SV. You could also think about putting a timer on certain items that take longer and longer depending on the level of what you want to unlock. Don't make it overly long, just not instant, where I just click on 20 things just to unlock them...
