Post by khanwulf on Jan 4, 2013 12:12:28 GMT -5
Greetings!
I discovered Star Traders over New Year, and it is serving as a significant distraction. You sirs, have done very well and I am pleased with my investment of $2 for the Android version. Currently have a level 15 Explorer delicately balancing the factions on Challenging....
I'll observe that in addition to influence such as EVE and Traveler on Star Traders, it reminds me the most of the old pen-and-paper game Fading Suns, which was itself heavily influenced by Dune and similar space opera. The only thing missing is a stronger and more overt "church" influence in the game, though there are certainly references.
This is going to be a kind of combined post, but I'll just stick it in the Wish List forum.
First, a possible bug: when exploring I occasionally get a result that is blank, with just the "take all/load ship" buttons. Taking all results in no notice, so I normally just hit it and "back" and explore again. This seems odd behavior, however.
Second, a related wish: after exploring and picking up the bits of my dismembered crew/self, I'd like the "explore" button at the bottom to not be grayed-out... so I can jump back in there!
A wish for an additional officer: Ship's Medical Officer, who has a chance of preventing wounds and reduces crew deaths in battle and exploration/harvesting (by a small amount). Could provide the option to land in a wild area and tend the captain's wounds over time. May give a small boost to crew morale (you care!).
Another wish: I'd love to have the option for buying-off the factions that love me so they veto my name on the wanted lists. Probably this would be based in cost on how much said faction likes me, and how much the other factions (clan or syndicate) like/hate me. It's not a pardon, it's a facilitation payment for their bureaucratic actions. Right now I'm wanted by the clans and syndicate, despite being only despised by one faction in each category... and I don't have the option of being pardoned to clear the flag. Annoying.
Wishes for ST2:
I've looked, but not found a suggestion area for your development of the next incarnation, though it's broadly hinted you're putting something together for sometime. Most of my "suggestions" are too broad for ST1, as they would require major overhauls in one area or another.
1. Port to PC. Steam would be grand. Charge more! You're not using the tablet architecture in any way I can tell that would fail to transfer to a PC gui. It would take a little work, but be worth it in expanded user base. Charge a premium for your time.
2. Bring in an Imperial faction, which also is tied at the hip with whatever religious body is at work (Templars), and generally waxes and wanes based on the power and relative independence of the clans and syndicates.
3. Incorporate event chains, and multiple-choice decision scenarios to emphasize the RPG elements. This could include character generation, spice up boarding duels (meaning even on PC you'd not need a Pirates! style action game), and enable all kind of skullduggery and sneaking around in ports.
4. More complex planets/systems/sectors. Traveler has/had an excellent and highly detailed system for rolling up sectors and populating with star systems, planets, economies and the like. I suggest looking at that and incorporating the best bits. I'd also like to see variable scale approaches, where you may operate within a solar system, then leave and be on the sector/quadrant map, which itself makes up known (and unknown) space. Contact with other vessels while between solar systems could be much more rare....
5. Borrow the lifepath character development model Traveler (and Mechwarrior) use for generating characters: so while your profession might be Military Officer, your background and career could be quite varied. Obviously this would only be of value if tied to more event elements.
You have an excellent game. Deep, challenging, and enjoyable. I'd like more! ;D
--Khanwulf
I discovered Star Traders over New Year, and it is serving as a significant distraction. You sirs, have done very well and I am pleased with my investment of $2 for the Android version. Currently have a level 15 Explorer delicately balancing the factions on Challenging....
I'll observe that in addition to influence such as EVE and Traveler on Star Traders, it reminds me the most of the old pen-and-paper game Fading Suns, which was itself heavily influenced by Dune and similar space opera. The only thing missing is a stronger and more overt "church" influence in the game, though there are certainly references.
This is going to be a kind of combined post, but I'll just stick it in the Wish List forum.
First, a possible bug: when exploring I occasionally get a result that is blank, with just the "take all/load ship" buttons. Taking all results in no notice, so I normally just hit it and "back" and explore again. This seems odd behavior, however.
Second, a related wish: after exploring and picking up the bits of my dismembered crew/self, I'd like the "explore" button at the bottom to not be grayed-out... so I can jump back in there!
A wish for an additional officer: Ship's Medical Officer, who has a chance of preventing wounds and reduces crew deaths in battle and exploration/harvesting (by a small amount). Could provide the option to land in a wild area and tend the captain's wounds over time. May give a small boost to crew morale (you care!).
Another wish: I'd love to have the option for buying-off the factions that love me so they veto my name on the wanted lists. Probably this would be based in cost on how much said faction likes me, and how much the other factions (clan or syndicate) like/hate me. It's not a pardon, it's a facilitation payment for their bureaucratic actions. Right now I'm wanted by the clans and syndicate, despite being only despised by one faction in each category... and I don't have the option of being pardoned to clear the flag. Annoying.
Wishes for ST2:
I've looked, but not found a suggestion area for your development of the next incarnation, though it's broadly hinted you're putting something together for sometime. Most of my "suggestions" are too broad for ST1, as they would require major overhauls in one area or another.
1. Port to PC. Steam would be grand. Charge more! You're not using the tablet architecture in any way I can tell that would fail to transfer to a PC gui. It would take a little work, but be worth it in expanded user base. Charge a premium for your time.
2. Bring in an Imperial faction, which also is tied at the hip with whatever religious body is at work (Templars), and generally waxes and wanes based on the power and relative independence of the clans and syndicates.
3. Incorporate event chains, and multiple-choice decision scenarios to emphasize the RPG elements. This could include character generation, spice up boarding duels (meaning even on PC you'd not need a Pirates! style action game), and enable all kind of skullduggery and sneaking around in ports.
4. More complex planets/systems/sectors. Traveler has/had an excellent and highly detailed system for rolling up sectors and populating with star systems, planets, economies and the like. I suggest looking at that and incorporating the best bits. I'd also like to see variable scale approaches, where you may operate within a solar system, then leave and be on the sector/quadrant map, which itself makes up known (and unknown) space. Contact with other vessels while between solar systems could be much more rare....
5. Borrow the lifepath character development model Traveler (and Mechwarrior) use for generating characters: so while your profession might be Military Officer, your background and career could be quite varied. Obviously this would only be of value if tied to more event elements.
You have an excellent game. Deep, challenging, and enjoyable. I'd like more! ;D
--Khanwulf
