Post by hapos on Nov 16, 2011 19:56:56 GMT -5
Hi, came from this post and finally registered using an actual gmail account.
My first wish list I guess is just a verification of whether what I encountered was because I tried registering with mailinator and then tried switching it with Twitter or there's really some problem with the social verification system of proboards. I even got this while trying to preview this post:
...but I digress, this is more of a game suggestion forum and I admit I'm partially at fault for being too lazy to do a search for the issues or even search the forum for whether my suggestions are just duplicates/common requests:
More toast relating to explore and cache: I think this issue is like that of the earlier version of StarTraders (Chine Tablet can't download from Android Market so I had the misfortune of downloading a warez earlier version of StarTraders, liked the game and then later paid for the game though I still can't download it on the market, the old version not having the alliance toast and status button located during the battle encounter).
In the case of the former, it made Star Traders so hard because I kept attacking allies/failing to take into account the global overview of the factions and then basically made myself a chaos of the whole thing and being a newbie, I thought I wisely avoided the pitfalls of such dangerous words as blockades and surveillance only to realize that's the quick level up version of the game way later after I've already downloaded the most recent warez and alas this cause me to kept dying on Hard.
Now with the updated version, I'm playing on Crazy and if I get pass the initial water fuel/ship problem, the game is as easy as it is on hard because of the inclusion of the status button and the toast showing the affiliations of the encounters.
I think the first mate's first toast should be based on class. If you're an explorer or a smuggler, the first mate should be there to assure you that explore/gather and cache are not just crew killing techniques that lead you to a crew hunting/hiring expedition but rather a legitimate form of profession that those who risk it, find vast reward in.
More imbalance for blockades and surveillances: I normally like easier games so it would be strange to request for the game to be harder but I think as "potentially" dangerous the two options are, they are also brutally broken.
So broken that it destroys the suspension of belief.
For one, spies and wars are the most prestigious yet most dangerous elements of progress where the type of ruins left behind determine which and what evil overlord disguised as a good corporate officer would gather forth and create a new oligarchic slavery. Why in the world then can a newbie captain contribute to it, extend himself as a hero... and then literally make himself a strong captain from clicking two buttons? It doesn't make sense. Heroes should always take longer than criminals to gain their status. It's by design. Propaganda takes a slow hierarchy of bureaucracy to reach towards those who actually risked their lives to raise up the new demagogues. Palace Princes would more likely take credit for the officer's victory then make a blockading pilot the hero pre-galactic domination.
Yet spies can be less threatened than explorers? Explorers endanger themselves to unearth items and deliver it to the very people who would take credit in declaring they own a piece of rare valuable phlebotinum as if their ownership gives such items more value than the deaths of those who risk such items in the hopes of being able to sniff a little bit of the spice delicacies that the daily ruling class partake in.
Spies on the other hand have to weave through politics with the potential of even endangering the very aristocracy who gamble on utilizing them for their own survival.
The spy officer you recruit even need a special event on the planet to be available for hire. (I think)
Yet surveillance is only a button and an unrepaired ship does not waste waterfuel and it turns out to not need records to increase reputation after all. An assumption I had which originally made me avoid surveillance missions because records get in the way for water fuel space early on.
Blockades are worse. It's a free patrol with better goodies due to the chance of facing a super weak military force who often have bad ships for some reason or a great ship that stands little chance against a capt. capable of blockading already. (Except maybe for nightmare mode)
I don't think these need to be rehauled to fix. Just like exploration, a special menu for the spy and the blockading party could easily make these options richer, more dynamic and make faction participation more intriguing.
More shipyard sense: I love the diversity of ships in this game. It's one of the few games where even palette swaps are notable once you figure out certain things. Yet at the same time, many ships are clearly designed not to be used by the player what with their small cargo hold. Maybe allow this for Impossible players but weaving through thousand of ships simply is no fun when quick and fast is so favored over anything else except medium and quick ships maybe.
or...
Contracts designed for those ships: Some ships benefit random encounters because they are designed with the general world not needing to traverse all across the map getting contracts or trading. A light patrol makes sense for a newbie military officer IF the task was simply to be entered as a newbie military sergeant who needs to abandon or dry dock the Vae Victus for a puny ship that requires military uniformity. Outside of this, it's a button clicking shipyard distraction among those 100+ or so ships being sold. You click past through it in the hopes of finding a large ship.
Still more ships request: Part of the difficulty of the earlier games I feel is that ships are simply vague. Speed for example. Medium speed with quick agile sounds good until the Wolf Vector is heavily damaged and then fast sounds better despite the fuel consumption. Problem is, where does that leave room for the slower and less agile ships? Cargo hold? Too little.
Consider this. I bought the Pride of De Valtos because it seems to have the highest cargo hold in the wiki list and the initial ships. I think I traded it from a death frigate but I can't remember.
Death frigate lasted me forever despite my, at the time, not knowing that high warrior pilots can still benefit from Torpedoes because red hulls are the key to boarding.
The Pride? 1 hit death from being rammed with full repairs. Why? Because it had med agility and it was unupgraded. To a newbie player, there's little clue that a major ship of honor (I'm assuming this is a SoH since it didn't appear until I unlock that achievement) would be designed to get 1hit Killed despite the fact that it's called a pride of a faction.
On top of this, I think there should be an auto-battle for when ships dodge too much. On crazy with a vanguard paragon V with 29 tactics, it could get up to 200-300 turns with no one hitting each other. Worse, torpedoes seem more accurate than guns, so if you lack torpedoes, your loss. Watch as battles take forever.
More independence Finally, I think the game is just short of a story to be absolutely epic. (Though it is great already considering the reputation of both the developer and the game)
I just think a game doesn't need a writer to have a story. Or rather, whoever wrote the game already added tons of backdrop to the game.
It's rich. It's just not integrated enough. For example, there's a lot of distrust against the corporations (which I would assume are the factions) and it is kind of realistic that the independents can't become strong even with an exemplary hero backing them and that most players would prefer preying on the weak for early blockades/surveillance (so I read) but then it's left alone even though if independents became special factions, that alone would make being independent more desirable in a story sense. There's none of that in ST though.
Take these into consideration:
I've seen at least two retired pirates own independent planets. Therefore independent piracy should be not only profitable but desirable correct?
Yet instead of this what we have is a broken naming system where people need to go to a forum to be told that faction pirates are instead more like privateers and that true privates are those waving no flag.
But! ...these very same independent pirates need be no more relevant or different than faction pirates except for their flag
In truth, if these were truly independent pirates, would it not make sense for them to instead be non-independent pirates? After all, there's a reason the game does not allow you to be an independant spacer. It's suicide. No trade permits, few contracts and worse poorer victims with more danger of water fuel loss at a far higher degree of travel. What then would lead such men to be independent pirates?
What instead should happen is that "true" pirates and bounty hunters should have a harmonious predatory relationship.
For newbie bounty hunters (those who haven't raised quickness equal to strength according to one guide), independent pirates should be their first forays. After all, it doesn't make sense for factions to simply trust anyone who can afford a cheap death warrant.
I say trust because even though realistically they can just hire lots of bounty hunters to chase the same target, the faction loss from a contract loss proves they take high note of everyone who fails such a contract.
It could work like this: Kill an independent pirate and the bounty hunter would then immediately gain a delivery contract mission to return to a planet.
It doesn't even matter if the reputation loss from fulfilling a contract remains with the messenger. Bounty hunters hunt pirates to eat, not to become famous. That's what factions are for.
In turn, independent pirates should have a special feature of being like vultures. Instead of encountering pirates like a random encounter, a captain may have to be forced to immediately fight two ships back to back.
That is to say, an independent pirate encounter would happen when a capt. has subdued a merchant ship but instead of heading towards the looting screen, they may have to kill off a pirate ship first. Destroy the ship and the capt gains access to the loot. Run away and the merchant just becomes an officer ship you have to kill but worse, as you gain zero loot.
On top of this, independent planets should be the most interesting planets. After all, with freedom, comes diversity.
There should be some planets for example that host aliens in disguise. After all, what defenses does an independent planet have against hostile aliens?
This is where things like the additional difficulty for blockades and surveillances come in. A spy with a menu can avoid/figure out such death traps. This would often make the easiest blockades into the most difficult ones except for when one is an Alien Hunter. Then it's a way to save up on not waiting for eternity for an alien ship. (Though I haven't reach this point with the game. I'm only referring to the forum posts I've read.)
When not flesh coats for the unknown, independent planets should also have things that make up for their lack of trade embargo namely loyalty. After all, entertainers should be a blessing, not russian roulette for the captain because even high morale crews leave.
A captain who has saved (or spared) an independent spacer could get a bonus option for their service depending on their class. Spies get better access to their special menu. Smugglers/Merchants get a "tour guide" which reduces the danger of one exploration. Bounty hunters get 1 mission that count as duel of assassins even when no such event is taking place. Military officers get bonus records as if they were a spy for 1 sequence of surveillance that lasts until they move away from the planet. Merchants either unlock a sudden shortage or surplus. Zealots get cheap doctors. (I haven't unlocked the class so I don't know what they do.)
Finally,
Buttons on buttons: Just as there's an Urban button on the map, it seems alot of clicks to get to a conflict button when deciding on contracts.
Conflicts other than trade embargoes (except when a political officer is in) should also be present on the zoom map. It's by far more important and more widely needed than rumors.
Misc:
*No mutiny when one is waypointed towards a nearby planet. It leads to such silly things as "Oh sorry my dear dying man, I accidentally clicked back on an urban planet when we were out of fuel even though I plan to re-land anyway and thus we'll have to waste time dueling to the death instead of enjoying some much needed thousand year old brewed water fuel." (Especially for newbies who miss out on that little thing on the top left that serves as dates)
*Political officer extends contract length for a couple more days when it's expired.
*Mechanics repair produce metal/crystal if space is available. Also: opens up shipyard upgrades when normally there is none. Maybe even go so far as require a mechanic for some of the special upgrades such as ancient reactors.
*Military Officer shortens Boarding/Mercenary activation
*Spies help in Exploration + auto-sells 1 record to a nearby faction per movement (allows for reputation help against banned planets) but also reduces waterfuel consumption for everytime this happens.
*First mate will instead cause escape shuttle to be destroyed instead of ship when hull breaks. The result is the original ship with 1 hull. Also crew member loss. Also: free rumor.
Hopefully the above would help make these officers closer to the value of a Pilot Officer with Sail Probe and Bridge.
I really have no idea for the Scout as I don't explore except for unlocking one of the starting ships and I've never seen the Alien Hunter.
My first wish list I guess is just a verification of whether what I encountered was because I tried registering with mailinator and then tried switching it with Twitter or there's really some problem with the social verification system of proboards. I even got this while trying to preview this post:
Uhhh....
We're really sorry about this, but due to an angry bear server issues we could not load this forum. Our technicians are aware of this problem and hope to have the Err Bear under control this situation sorted shortly!
If you continue to have problems you can check our Server Status page or visit the ProBoards Support Forum for help.
We're really sorry about this, but due to an angry bear server issues we could not load this forum. Our technicians are aware of this problem and hope to have the Err Bear under control this situation sorted shortly!
If you continue to have problems you can check our Server Status page or visit the ProBoards Support Forum for help.
...but I digress, this is more of a game suggestion forum and I admit I'm partially at fault for being too lazy to do a search for the issues or even search the forum for whether my suggestions are just duplicates/common requests:
More toast relating to explore and cache: I think this issue is like that of the earlier version of StarTraders (Chine Tablet can't download from Android Market so I had the misfortune of downloading a warez earlier version of StarTraders, liked the game and then later paid for the game though I still can't download it on the market, the old version not having the alliance toast and status button located during the battle encounter).
In the case of the former, it made Star Traders so hard because I kept attacking allies/failing to take into account the global overview of the factions and then basically made myself a chaos of the whole thing and being a newbie, I thought I wisely avoided the pitfalls of such dangerous words as blockades and surveillance only to realize that's the quick level up version of the game way later after I've already downloaded the most recent warez and alas this cause me to kept dying on Hard.
Now with the updated version, I'm playing on Crazy and if I get pass the initial water fuel/ship problem, the game is as easy as it is on hard because of the inclusion of the status button and the toast showing the affiliations of the encounters.
I think the first mate's first toast should be based on class. If you're an explorer or a smuggler, the first mate should be there to assure you that explore/gather and cache are not just crew killing techniques that lead you to a crew hunting/hiring expedition but rather a legitimate form of profession that those who risk it, find vast reward in.
More imbalance for blockades and surveillances: I normally like easier games so it would be strange to request for the game to be harder but I think as "potentially" dangerous the two options are, they are also brutally broken.
So broken that it destroys the suspension of belief.
For one, spies and wars are the most prestigious yet most dangerous elements of progress where the type of ruins left behind determine which and what evil overlord disguised as a good corporate officer would gather forth and create a new oligarchic slavery. Why in the world then can a newbie captain contribute to it, extend himself as a hero... and then literally make himself a strong captain from clicking two buttons? It doesn't make sense. Heroes should always take longer than criminals to gain their status. It's by design. Propaganda takes a slow hierarchy of bureaucracy to reach towards those who actually risked their lives to raise up the new demagogues. Palace Princes would more likely take credit for the officer's victory then make a blockading pilot the hero pre-galactic domination.
Yet spies can be less threatened than explorers? Explorers endanger themselves to unearth items and deliver it to the very people who would take credit in declaring they own a piece of rare valuable phlebotinum as if their ownership gives such items more value than the deaths of those who risk such items in the hopes of being able to sniff a little bit of the spice delicacies that the daily ruling class partake in.
Spies on the other hand have to weave through politics with the potential of even endangering the very aristocracy who gamble on utilizing them for their own survival.
The spy officer you recruit even need a special event on the planet to be available for hire. (I think)
Yet surveillance is only a button and an unrepaired ship does not waste waterfuel and it turns out to not need records to increase reputation after all. An assumption I had which originally made me avoid surveillance missions because records get in the way for water fuel space early on.
Blockades are worse. It's a free patrol with better goodies due to the chance of facing a super weak military force who often have bad ships for some reason or a great ship that stands little chance against a capt. capable of blockading already. (Except maybe for nightmare mode)
I don't think these need to be rehauled to fix. Just like exploration, a special menu for the spy and the blockading party could easily make these options richer, more dynamic and make faction participation more intriguing.
More shipyard sense: I love the diversity of ships in this game. It's one of the few games where even palette swaps are notable once you figure out certain things. Yet at the same time, many ships are clearly designed not to be used by the player what with their small cargo hold. Maybe allow this for Impossible players but weaving through thousand of ships simply is no fun when quick and fast is so favored over anything else except medium and quick ships maybe.
or...
Contracts designed for those ships: Some ships benefit random encounters because they are designed with the general world not needing to traverse all across the map getting contracts or trading. A light patrol makes sense for a newbie military officer IF the task was simply to be entered as a newbie military sergeant who needs to abandon or dry dock the Vae Victus for a puny ship that requires military uniformity. Outside of this, it's a button clicking shipyard distraction among those 100+ or so ships being sold. You click past through it in the hopes of finding a large ship.
Still more ships request: Part of the difficulty of the earlier games I feel is that ships are simply vague. Speed for example. Medium speed with quick agile sounds good until the Wolf Vector is heavily damaged and then fast sounds better despite the fuel consumption. Problem is, where does that leave room for the slower and less agile ships? Cargo hold? Too little.
Consider this. I bought the Pride of De Valtos because it seems to have the highest cargo hold in the wiki list and the initial ships. I think I traded it from a death frigate but I can't remember.
Death frigate lasted me forever despite my, at the time, not knowing that high warrior pilots can still benefit from Torpedoes because red hulls are the key to boarding.
The Pride? 1 hit death from being rammed with full repairs. Why? Because it had med agility and it was unupgraded. To a newbie player, there's little clue that a major ship of honor (I'm assuming this is a SoH since it didn't appear until I unlock that achievement) would be designed to get 1hit Killed despite the fact that it's called a pride of a faction.
On top of this, I think there should be an auto-battle for when ships dodge too much. On crazy with a vanguard paragon V with 29 tactics, it could get up to 200-300 turns with no one hitting each other. Worse, torpedoes seem more accurate than guns, so if you lack torpedoes, your loss. Watch as battles take forever.
More independence Finally, I think the game is just short of a story to be absolutely epic. (Though it is great already considering the reputation of both the developer and the game)
I just think a game doesn't need a writer to have a story. Or rather, whoever wrote the game already added tons of backdrop to the game.
It's rich. It's just not integrated enough. For example, there's a lot of distrust against the corporations (which I would assume are the factions) and it is kind of realistic that the independents can't become strong even with an exemplary hero backing them and that most players would prefer preying on the weak for early blockades/surveillance (so I read) but then it's left alone even though if independents became special factions, that alone would make being independent more desirable in a story sense. There's none of that in ST though.
Take these into consideration:
I've seen at least two retired pirates own independent planets. Therefore independent piracy should be not only profitable but desirable correct?
Yet instead of this what we have is a broken naming system where people need to go to a forum to be told that faction pirates are instead more like privateers and that true privates are those waving no flag.
But! ...these very same independent pirates need be no more relevant or different than faction pirates except for their flag
In truth, if these were truly independent pirates, would it not make sense for them to instead be non-independent pirates? After all, there's a reason the game does not allow you to be an independant spacer. It's suicide. No trade permits, few contracts and worse poorer victims with more danger of water fuel loss at a far higher degree of travel. What then would lead such men to be independent pirates?
What instead should happen is that "true" pirates and bounty hunters should have a harmonious predatory relationship.
For newbie bounty hunters (those who haven't raised quickness equal to strength according to one guide), independent pirates should be their first forays. After all, it doesn't make sense for factions to simply trust anyone who can afford a cheap death warrant.
I say trust because even though realistically they can just hire lots of bounty hunters to chase the same target, the faction loss from a contract loss proves they take high note of everyone who fails such a contract.
It could work like this: Kill an independent pirate and the bounty hunter would then immediately gain a delivery contract mission to return to a planet.
It doesn't even matter if the reputation loss from fulfilling a contract remains with the messenger. Bounty hunters hunt pirates to eat, not to become famous. That's what factions are for.
In turn, independent pirates should have a special feature of being like vultures. Instead of encountering pirates like a random encounter, a captain may have to be forced to immediately fight two ships back to back.
That is to say, an independent pirate encounter would happen when a capt. has subdued a merchant ship but instead of heading towards the looting screen, they may have to kill off a pirate ship first. Destroy the ship and the capt gains access to the loot. Run away and the merchant just becomes an officer ship you have to kill but worse, as you gain zero loot.
On top of this, independent planets should be the most interesting planets. After all, with freedom, comes diversity.
There should be some planets for example that host aliens in disguise. After all, what defenses does an independent planet have against hostile aliens?
This is where things like the additional difficulty for blockades and surveillances come in. A spy with a menu can avoid/figure out such death traps. This would often make the easiest blockades into the most difficult ones except for when one is an Alien Hunter. Then it's a way to save up on not waiting for eternity for an alien ship. (Though I haven't reach this point with the game. I'm only referring to the forum posts I've read.)
When not flesh coats for the unknown, independent planets should also have things that make up for their lack of trade embargo namely loyalty. After all, entertainers should be a blessing, not russian roulette for the captain because even high morale crews leave.
A captain who has saved (or spared) an independent spacer could get a bonus option for their service depending on their class. Spies get better access to their special menu. Smugglers/Merchants get a "tour guide" which reduces the danger of one exploration. Bounty hunters get 1 mission that count as duel of assassins even when no such event is taking place. Military officers get bonus records as if they were a spy for 1 sequence of surveillance that lasts until they move away from the planet. Merchants either unlock a sudden shortage or surplus. Zealots get cheap doctors. (I haven't unlocked the class so I don't know what they do.)
Finally,
Buttons on buttons: Just as there's an Urban button on the map, it seems alot of clicks to get to a conflict button when deciding on contracts.
Conflicts other than trade embargoes (except when a political officer is in) should also be present on the zoom map. It's by far more important and more widely needed than rumors.
Misc:
*No mutiny when one is waypointed towards a nearby planet. It leads to such silly things as "Oh sorry my dear dying man, I accidentally clicked back on an urban planet when we were out of fuel even though I plan to re-land anyway and thus we'll have to waste time dueling to the death instead of enjoying some much needed thousand year old brewed water fuel." (Especially for newbies who miss out on that little thing on the top left that serves as dates)
*Political officer extends contract length for a couple more days when it's expired.
*Mechanics repair produce metal/crystal if space is available. Also: opens up shipyard upgrades when normally there is none. Maybe even go so far as require a mechanic for some of the special upgrades such as ancient reactors.
*Military Officer shortens Boarding/Mercenary activation
*Spies help in Exploration + auto-sells 1 record to a nearby faction per movement (allows for reputation help against banned planets) but also reduces waterfuel consumption for everytime this happens.
*First mate will instead cause escape shuttle to be destroyed instead of ship when hull breaks. The result is the original ship with 1 hull. Also crew member loss. Also: free rumor.
Hopefully the above would help make these officers closer to the value of a Pilot Officer with Sail Probe and Bridge.
I really have no idea for the Scout as I don't explore except for unlocking one of the starting ships and I've never seen the Alien Hunter.
