unlock awards option

[Insomniac]

Please put an checkbox in the option menu to unlock all awards, so that less serious players have the choice to enable them.
Sorry I put this in the wrong spot last time

[Slide87]

But...^^ So where's the challenge for unlocking them^^??that's the funny thing guy =)

[Insomniac]

Oct 29, 2011 8:28:20 GMT -5 Slide87 said:

But...^^ So where's the challenge for unlocking them^^??that's the funny thing guy =)

I'm not really interested in the challenge when I'm playing basic/normal... maybe make it a basic/normal option only
I especially want big tent, I almost had it, 1 Rep point away and I died

[Slide87]

Mmm ok so maybe the chance to unlocking awards extended to all the difficulties =) or not?? It should be more simple and it doesn't remove the challenge^^

[slayernz]

Hiya Insomniac,

First up, playing on basic or normal levels are inherently easy enough that once you get past the first 10-20 character levels, focusing on pilot and stealth, and after you've picked up a nice ship, you're pretty much indestructible. You can fly around destroying and blockading with impunity. If you do have an off day, you can't die so all you do is lose some cash.

If you're doing that, you don't need any of the unlocks that are available on harder difficulty levels. They make the game kinda boring because it's already so one-sided.

Secondly if you are after something of value ... the Big Tent award isn't that exciting an unlock really. You get an extra cargo hold that provides from memory 10 or 12 units of extra storage, and some additional protection against enemy weapons fire. But there are much more valuable unlocks out there that would be worth your while going after.

Even as a casual player, you will find that doing Basic/Normal will become very easy for you. When it does, move up one teeny notch to Challenging and you'll be able to unlock a bunch of awards.


Examples include the Thousand Suns award, with the 25 unit W-F tank, and the Doom Reaper II Escape shuttle.

Going up to Crazy level (which is a jump up), you'll kill a few characters off for sure but again, once you get a captain up to around level 20, it becomes "almost" easy and you'll be able to go after the Clan Hero and Syndicate Hero unlocks. Those two unlock Ships of Honor and Ships of Power, which are seriously cool ships that make game play on all levels of difficulty easier.


So that's the idea behind the unlocks ... some of the essentials for playing at higher difficulties are available at the first step up from normal ... and the stuff that you'll need to survive at really hard levels are unlocked in the appropriate level. At basic and normal levels ... you don't really need much at all.

[Insomniac]

I tried what you said slayernz but I can't even get 10 years in without dying even on challenging.
In my opinion this game is the best android strategy game.
however it could stand to take a few things from pirates and traders
-save games
-"ironman mode" turns permadeath on and save games off
-long press on cargo types to sell all
-plunder ports raids
-faction "treasure ships" rumours I.e a ship full of artifacts (rare)
-turn toast for patrolling, blockading and surveillance off put results on bridge screen where it shows fuel and moral

[blackgauntlet]

Pirates & Traders vs. Star Traders is like Dungeons & Dragons vs. Shadow Run. ;D

[Cory Trese]

Nov 4, 2011 13:02:54 GMT -5 @Insomniac said:

I tried what you said slayernz but I can't even get 10 years in without dying even on challenging.
In my opinion this game is the best android strategy game.
however it could stand to take a few things from pirates and traders
-save games
-"ironman mode" turns permadeath on and save games off
-long press on cargo types to sell all
-plunder ports raids
-faction "treasure ships" rumours I.e a ship full of artifacts (rare)
-turn toast for patrolling, blockading and surveillance off put results on bridge screen where it shows fuel and moral

Saved Games -- Not possible in Star Traders game engine.
Iron Man Mode -- Not possible in Star Traders game engine.
Long Press to Sell All -- On the To Do List
Plunder Port Raids -- Not compatible with Star Traders Universe
Faction Treasure Ships -- 2 Types of Rumors Already Cause this, 1 Type of Random Event + already exists as random encounter with Space Hives / Space Hulks (I found one with 1,212 Artifacts yesterday)
Turn off Toasts for Bridge Menu -- Added to To Do List

[Insomniac]

Thanks!! Long press and bridge menu toasts off are the important ones!! What rumours are those? Merchant ships hire guards?

[ab357]

Hi Cory,

By now I'm sure you know my wish list by memory;)

You know I don't want to give up my stats I've earned in the Basic Level. I would like to earn all unlocks in the Basic Level, an Imperial Class ship availability. I have 16,300 exp points, on level 163, with a Grade 18 ranking with both Devaltos and Rychart and would like to have a medium to fast ship that I can fully armor and arm with at least 150 holds.

I'm sitting on more than $200,000,000 so I don't mind it being expensive.

I know it appears I'm in the minority around here but I play to get away from real life stuff and don't want to have to keep starting over so I don't want to leave Basic Level. I also don't want this to loose its function of being fun for me to play. I really think there are more out there like me than hard core gamers that want to spend weeks overcoming a challenge.

Aren't games supposed to be fun to play? LOL

[Cory Trese]

My honest wish is that you would give my game a chance to be fun!

Sometimes I feel like I have created a bicycle -- but you refuse to ride it.

You want to carry it around, but complain while you carry it that it isn't a very fun toy.

All I can do is ask you to try to use it the way it was design to be used.

.......

Keep your Basic character. Try a new one.

Think about this like playing a level in a game.

I play to get away from real life stuff too.

Thanks again for your posts and e-mails@

[ab357]

Cory I am playing your game to be fun. Isn't the point the have fun the way I prefer? If the idea of the wish list wasn't to list your wish preferences, I apologize.

Don't worry I'll either accept the game as is or leave it.

I said I appear to be clearly in the minority but then again compared to the amount of downloads, an extremely small fraction even bother to come to this forum.

I've always acknowledged it's your baby to do as you wish. However I don't think you should have a thread asking for wish lists if offering one insults you. I also noticed my wishes weren't that far off from others.

Don't worry buddy I won't bug you again!

If I get bored playing the way I CHOOSE to, I'll look for another spacer rpg that may be closer to they way I CHOOSE to play.

I didn't say anything negative about the game. Why the hate for me? Don't expect many more to be willing to offer there wish lists after seeing that response. There are new players everyday. We aren't all star traders veterans. You could have just ignored my post instead of attack me for giving it a try the way you want me to. I also said I DID give it a try you way and didn't like it.

[Cory Trese]

I honestly believe you may have read too much into a short response.

I am very sorry that my attempt at humor was interpreted as an attack. That was not my intention.

I appreciate your input and I did not mean to offend you.

[slayernz]

Yikes ... ab357, if you do continue to read the forums, you'll see that Cory has never intentionally belittled or abused a forum poster because of a particular post. He can sometimes get a little exasperated by the content of the post itself, but not the poster.

If you are playing Elite at all, then even playing on Basic, you'll come across oodles of ships that are medium/fast with reasonable cargo holds. Given your level, you will be able to walk right up to those ships and ask them to hand over the keys. Heck, I'm guessing that you'd be able to buy an escape shuttle, and take out a Royal Class ship without breaking a sweat.


If you want to keep playing your same captain on basic, but want some of the unlocks, then what you could do is create a new captain whose task it is to achieve very specific unlocks. Eg, if you wanted the Ships of Honor, create a captain on Crazy difficulty that is just really friendly towards all factions (watch conflicts to avoid Embargoes). You won't get huge XP because you'll have fewer conflicts, but within a couple of thousand turns, you should easily be able to get to 151RP+ on each of the Syndicates (and probably even each of the Clans).

Once you have unlocked the award with your captain, go back to your basic game and you'll have those awards unlocked and ready to purchase.

If you don't want to unlock those awards ... that's okay, because at level 163 on Basic, you don't NEED anything. Seriously, I just took my basic captain out of storage, picked himself up a stock-standard De Valtos military shuttle (hull 10, engines 11, guns 12, torps 3). Because of my level (which is only 72), I still get unlimited fuel efficiency in green (and 0.3 in red). I engaged in battle with any ship that crossed my path, and won without being hit once.

In the quick tally of kills (42 kills in about 135 turns), I took out:
A Forgotten Dark class ship
A Defense Carrier class ship
A Jump Battleship
A Fallen Cruiser (which I took out with 2 shots).

I flew around without ever needing to refuel (stayed to the green zones), but I was unstoppable. So in short - pick any ship you like on Basic at level 163, and it'll be like you're flying the most powerful, fast/quick battlecruiser in the galaxy.

So I'm not trying to say "you're wrong, you shouldn't have any of the unlocks because you are unworthy" ... but rather, Basic is really more of a training ground and after a few levels, you don't NEED any unlocks to be the dominant force in the galaxy.

[ab357]

Hi Slayer,

I'm not used to playing spacer rpgs where if you fail(die) you go off to Captain's heaven. At worst, you get to start back at the last completed level.

I'm not used to not being able to work up to or gain experience to more elite type ships. Again I freely admit I'm not a hard core gamer. I am also used to paying a lot more for games.

I even mentioned in a couple posts that I am old enough (49) to have been around during the Trade Wars 2000 days. That got me hooked enough to always be on the lookout for a good replacement.

I have purchased many space rpgs computer programs throughout the years. I know you get what you pay for and at 1.99 Cory is practically giving away a very developed gaming world.

I know most app buyers don't take time to join a game forum as the download to forum participation ratio bears out.

I'm willing to bet there are more like me than hard cores like the forum members. I've already promised Cory that I won't bug him again about Imperial Class ships. Even we Basic players expect to be able to earn the right to Command a Warrior Class Battle Ship that also allows at least a 150 holds. Particularly when in the official players guide, Cory recommends always having 30 holds of W-F, weapons and electronics.

That obviously doesn't leave run for looting ships when you only have 116 holds. That's used just as an example. I know I don't need more than 10 anything at my level in Basic and actually only need probably 5. But I also don't know if it affects my success rate when carrying out contracts etc.

However I realize this forum isn't for players like me. What I didn't expect on a wish list that I act like someone that buys a bike carry it around while complaining about it. I buy cars and SUVs, nice ones at that. And I don't buy a model that doesn't have the features I like. At $80,000 to $150,000 I'm not going to buy anything I don't like.

At $1.99 I don't expect a S Class Mercedes. However I also don't expect being asked what I would like added or changed in a thread then chastised for posting.
It really is no big deal. However ones does have to consider how lurkers are discouraged from participating on a forum where the creator jumps down someone for playing the game on a level that is not only offered but is the default level when creating a Captain which is why I and I'm sure most start there. Most aren't going to take the time to look for players guides or forums they can just move on to another app.

As I've said, I'll accept the game as is or move on. Simple as that. The sole reason for this post is in response to yours. However unless I feel the need to make a bug report, I will strictly be a lurker if I come back here at all. I see from the members list many apparently chose the same option. Maybe they board is a little to elitist to foster greater committed players that will keep playing and be willing to pay more for any potential more expensive versions.

Developers choose whether their creation is primarily to be their must play game or the greatest amount of paying customers must play game. Happy customers buy more apps from the same developer, they pay higher prices for premium versions of their favorite apps, they convince their friends they must also buy that app. I thought that was the ultimate goal of the app creators.