Starbound

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Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 7 years ago.

So is under the surface of the planet still a scorched planet? I guess that would make it hard to explore, but easy on the surface to build things?
- Roguey
I had to test this. Right now terraforming isn't finished so I went deep underground and took off my thing that keeps me from dying. It is still super hot very deep underground so the 'scorched' status extends to the core it seems. However it is my understanding that once the planet is fully terraformed it will turn into the other type completely, all the way to the core and even the background changes. There is another type of terraformer called a microformer where it only changes the current biome but leaves any planet effects in place and doesn't change the background either. I don't think you can buy these but they sometimes drop from the bosses in the ancient vaults.

But no its not actually hard to explore it is basically a mechanic to prevent you from going there without the necessary gear level. Once you fix your ship on the starter planet you can go anywhere. Just stops you from going from your starter planet to a high level planet and grabbing endgame gear.

Getting around very early game can be a pain as well but it is too be expected. Once you find teleporter cores you can make your own teleporters to put wherever you wish and travel to any teleporter from any other teleporter. The teleporter cores are rare loot but if you explore there are plenty around. Like now I have 30 cores but I have only ever made three teleporters. One for my starter planet where I have my farm, one for my first colony and one for my current colony im working on. There is also the "Outpost" that has a teleporter you can travel to.

Traveling long distance by ship cost a max of 500 fuel. If get some engineers as crew they upgrade the drive either by fuel efficiency or fuel capacity. Instead of 500 fuel for long distances, it cost me 1. Yes, one fuel no matter how far I want to go.

ed: Terraformed enough that the planet type actually changed. I checked and I can in fact take off my protective gear now.
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here is the first section of the colony. Not totally happy with it so I will tweak it some more. This is one wing of it. I am going to expand it to the left with a large open area and another wing like the one below on the other side of that. Once done it should house 15 or so people.
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ed: Finished it! Looks pretty bad though. Not sure how to make it look good.
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Thoughts on starbound? is it worth a buy? or waiting for a discount? I guess the summer steam sales arent too far away.
- Roguey


It is OK. It is only $15 USD here, i've paid more for worse games. There is a lot to do even if you only do the main story and quit. There is farming and cooking, colony building, lots of random quest, tons of items to collect (including rare 'collectibles' like statuettes and figurines) lots of weapon/armor options and vanity sets, fishing, bug collecting, a pet system, crew that can perform upgrades to ship systems and be used as landing parties, ship upgrades (increased size). For the endgame as of now there is the ancient vaults and terraforming.

Despite being written in C++ some areas have performance issues, most notably some of the main story missions. There is a bug with the painting tool that makes it a pain to paint background blocks. I'm not a fan of the terrain generation. Just seems unnatural with holes all over the place at ground level with giant 'hills' with sheer cliffs. The game is locked at 60 FPS and it looks choppy sometimes to me even though I am getting 60 FPS.

But for $15 it is a good deal, there is 15 dollars worth of content even if you rush the story IMO.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 7 years ago.

Thanks for explaining things and testing the underground. It kind-of sounds strange that terraforming effects the planet core as well, but I guess thats done for a reason. Are planets are mostly empty spaces, where you convert them to what you like via terraformers? do all planets need terraforming?

How does the game progression work? In Terraria (as you know) you had normal mode then you unlocked hard mode which gave you access to better stuff but also harder monsters. Does it work the same? or do you the planets themselves act as differcult settings? I guess materials are only stored on the current planet?

The fuel reduction seems rather massive - a 500x more efficient? Im guessing fuel is something hard to come by, so reducing it by such a large amount makes it much easier to get around.

I didnt think your building looked bad; installing windows was a nice touch. I guess you can build either go up or down? is there any kind-of limits to the size of the structures you can build? That was something that was annoying in Fallout 4, as I had some big plans which got stopped because of a limitation.

It does sound like a game I will pick-up when there is a discount; as I did enjoy Terraria.

How many hours have you played it for?

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 7 years ago.

Are planets are mostly empty spaces, where you convert them to what you like via terraformers? do all planets need terraforming?
- Roguey


No not at all. There are different biomes all the way to the bottom of the world. There are some barren planets. With terraformers you can convert one type to another or a barren to some other type.

How does the game progression work? In Terraria (as you know) you had normal mode then you unlocked hard mode which gave you access to better stuff but also harder monsters. Does it work the same? or do you the planets themselves act as differcult settings? I guess materials are only stored on the current planet?
- Roguey


It goes by material tier with an item called an EPP (enviormental protection pack). The first one you get you can use in areas with no atmosphere (basically so you can get fuel from a moon). Then each upgrade after that lets you visit extreme radiation, cold then hot planets in that order with each of those types of planets having a higher tier ore generated on them. To craft these upgrades you need to also upgrade your crafting stations with the new ore first.

The fuel reduction seems rather massive - a 500x more efficient? Im guessing fuel is something hard to come by, so reducing it by such a large amount makes it much easier to get around.
- Roguey


It isn't too bad to get fuel. There is a (IMO) silly mechanic though. On a moon once you start harvesting the fuel a slow moving unkillable mob chases you until you leave. It will one shot you if it touches you. It is easy to avoid if you stay on the surface or dig a shaft you can get out of quickly if you want to grab a large amount at once. I don't like it, seems like they did it because they couldn't figure out a better way to do it.

I didnt think your building looked bad; installing windows was a nice touch. I guess you can build either go up or down? is there any kind-of limits to the size of the structures you can build? That was something that was annoying in Fallout 4, as I had some big plans which got stopped because of a limitation.
- Roguey


There is a limit downward for sure, however imagine a large world in terraria how far the underworld is at the bottom of the map. That is the down limit. Not sure about up though. I heard if you go far enough up there are actually asteroids, so I don't know.

It does sound like a game I will pick-up when there is a discount; as I did enjoy Terraria.

How many hours have you played it for?
- Roguey

Steam says about 100 total. I think 60 of that was from a long time ago though. Just remember it isn't Terraria. I don't want to tell someone to buy it thinking it is a Terraria clone or something. It has some common element but it is a fundamentally a different game. The universe is infinite and all the planets are generated. There is a surprising amount of variety of things to see and do.

Check out the Starbound wiki: http://starbounder.org/Starbound_Wiki for more information.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 7 years ago.

Thanks for all the info, looks like ill be buying this game when its discounted - just that at the moment I already have quite a few games to get around. I understand that Starbound isnt the same as Terraria, and to be honest im glad its not a clone.

Do you plan on doing much with it over the next few weeks?

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 7 years ago.

Do you plan on doing much with it over the next few weeks?
- Roguey

Not sure. I got everything that I want ingame, working on getting a few achievements and considering doing some custom interior work on my ship and building an actual base. Doing the base thing now. I've just been putting all my stuff in my ship and it looks super messy:
Picture


I was considering trying the Frackin' Universe mod for it after finishing off everything I want. Don't want to just add it to my game because it changes everything so I'll have to backup my universe and start fresh with the mod. Assuming I play it at all.

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.


Dining room in my new base.
Picture


This game is much like Terraria in the respect that light level doesn't affect mob spawning. The shelves attached to the glass bothers me a bit but I just assume that is normal in the far future. Progress on the base overall is slow going. Got the entrance done but it needs some decoration. Here is what I got so far. It is built into a "hill" on another terraformed planet (terraformed from barren to a dark planet). So yeah, not much done, just got my crafting stations setup with a bit of material storage (not final location). The elevator is much, much longer than it appears in the image. It is long enough that it will kill you 10x over if you fall down the shaft. Thinking about making it multilayered so you don't have to run back and forth forever to do things. Still need to add themed crafting areas and gardening area. I may add a dedicated kitchen along side the dining area even though I don't do any cooking anymore since I just buy food from the merchant in the base. The hangers up top are for the mechs to be added soon and parking for the hoverbike.

Picture

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.

So yeah turns out my base was off by like 3 blocks and I had to tear it all out and do it over Roll eyes.

I took the opportunity to change the room design a bit. What do you think of this one? Do you have any ideas for designs? (that is the same room btw just with and without the fossil)

Picture

Finally finished my fossil collection so I am going to put a museum of all the fossils and art I collected on the next level down. Under that level i am thinking of putting a huge garden area. I have the rooms for the top level sized properly now but haven't done the backgrounds on them yet, just the one above.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 6 years ago.

I was considering trying the Frackin' Universe mod for it after finishing off everything I want. Don't want to just add it to my game because it changes everything so I'll have to backup my universe and start fresh with the mod. Assuming I play it at all.
- Sinxar

Yea I can understand that. Maybe it the mod might be worth trying later on, when you feel like restarting. I tend to back things up too but never get around to playing them again. End up restarting anyway Smile

The shelves attached to the glass bothers me a bit but I just assume that is normal in the far future.

How so?

So yeah turns out my base was off by like 3 blocks and I had to tear it all out and do it over

You had re-build the whole base for 3 blocks? seems a bit harsh?

I took the opportunity to change the room design a bit. What do you think of this one? Do you have any ideas for designs? (that is the same room btw just with and without the fossil)

Looks pretty neat. hmm.. not sure what to say about the design. Looks kind-of a bit dark and moody? but the whole base is that kind-of design, so it fits well.



Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.

Installed the Frackin' Universe mod and made sure to clear out my old universe and characters. Having fun with it.

Reminds me a lot of the technology minecraft mods, specifically Gregtech but not nearly as hardcore. Found it has a lot of other mods rolled into it as well. I added Frackin' Music, Enhanced Storage and Invisible Clothes to start with. The only thing Invisible Clothes does is basically add vanity items much like the "Familiar" clothes from Terraria.

I didn't realize it until last night but it also includes a storage network type system that also handles liquids (think Logistics Pipes or Applied Energistics from Minecraft, but again not quite that complex).

It retains the basic formula of vanilla progression but in a more round-about way. Get armor with the specific resist you need to explore a planet with the resource you need to progress. Unlike vanilla, you can't just craft the best EPP and be done with it. In Frackin' Universe each EPP has its own resist and bonuses so you have to carefully pick what gear to take to explore those hostile planets.

It adds a lot of new biomes as expected but also tons of items and ways to craft. Should also mention there are power systems in place as well so for higher tier crafting stations and devices you need batteries and generators/solar panels etc.

So I made a crappy little house on my starter planet thinking it would be more than enough room until almost end game, nope.

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I found a Tabula Rasa planet and noticed the surface is for the most part fairly flat with no creatures to be found. No crazy weather so I decided to build a crappy base there thinking it would be large enough to finish the game, nope. Already the bottom floor is full of stuff I need but I think I'm nearing the end of the tech tree though. So have to redesign this piece of garbage. Will prolly just tear it down and start over.

Picture

Overall it is fun for me. It is like playing the game for the first time again. I find myself surprised by some of the tech you can build even the simple stuff like growing trays (so awesome) to more advanced items like the mining lasers.

I also added a few more mods and I created a collection on Steam so it is easy to subscribe to them all at once: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=936254389

So yeah overall it is pretty cool.

Oh btw the latest patch has entered public beta, so it shouldn't be long before there is a major update to vanilla.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 6 years ago.

Well, its hard for me to tell what the mod does without playing the original game, but it does look very interesting either way.

When looking at the two pictures, are they the same house? as they look very different. I wonder does the first house have a shadow effect on the roof? if so, thats pretty neat.

I guess there is some kind-of main story missions to do? by the looks of it called quests?

Its very interesting to see your progress with Starbound, im sure ill pick it up sometime.

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.

I progressed to the point where I was able to build a flying vehicle and decided to see what the height limit was for the world my current base is on. It is average sized (6000 sectors). I also tried this on a gasball (a gas giant with large asteroids in the upper atmosphere with high gravity) planet and flew upwards for about 4 minutes and didn't hit the height limit or even make it to the asteroids (assuming there are any on a gasball.

So yeah here is a short vid of that test on my base world. I jumped out of the vehicle at one point and started taking radation damage which I don't understand because my armor makes me immune to radiation and radiation burn effects, so no clue why that is.




As you can see it is quite far up there. Didn't know there were clouds like that so I guess you could build on them if you really wanted and use a teleporter to get there.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 6 years ago.

It looks like you can fly pretty high then. Maybe the radiation damage is to stop people from walking around at the edge of the map? I do find it strange how you can bang into the clouds, and the really high ones are green.

Can you customize the vehicles? or is a set design? does it use fuel?

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.

Can you customize the vehicles? or is a set design? does it use fuel?
- Roguey


Nah they are a set design. In vanilla there are hoverbikes and you can buy different colors. Looks like mechs in the coming patch are highly customizable though with swappable parts. No fuel use.

Maybe the radiation damage is to stop people from walking around at the edge of the map? I do find it strange how you can bang into the clouds, and the really high ones are green.
- Roguey

I figured it out sorta. Those ones in space are asteroids. The green part is something called "Elder Stone" and it causes radiation burn/poison. Still don't know why that type of rock does it. I tried again and you can indeed stand up there and mine the ores but have to keep off those green rocks. I went to another planet and the upper atmosphere was totally different so I am guessing it is generated like the underground biomes. The other one I visited was full of fuel crystals and a translucent block type with no rocks to be found.

Here is a vid of the Bone Dragon boss fight and the part leading up to it. It is the last storyline mission before the final boss mission. I included the cutscene before the final mission as well.



Don't worry the game runs at 60fps. I uploaded at 30 FPS to save time rendering. For some reason Movie Studio Platinum 13 takes a very long time to render 1440p 60FPS. Not so much at 1080p 30 FPS.

Roguey

Roguey avatar
Level badge Trueguey (22)
Posted 6 years ago.

Thats one pretty neat fight. It kind-of reminded me of the goblin invasion in Terraria. You did make the boss look easy, but I guess thats due to all the equipment you have. It was funny when they appeared with bows-n-arrows, then you get a gun Smile

I guess there is a lower limit to the maps as well?

Sinxar

Sinxar avatar
Level badge Cruguey (18)
Posted 6 years ago.

There is an infamous boss for the Fracken' Universe mod called The Shoggoth. I prepped for a long time before even attempting the dungeon and boss.

I was disappointed. The dungeon was very cool and well thought out with excellent atmosphere and they even included lore books. The boss though... well basically just a bullet sponge. It only has one attack that does any real damage to me. It is like a much weaker Wall of Flesh. Guessing I was too overpowered for it and should have done it sooner. The armor I am wearing is a DPS armor. Not exactly glass cannon but notably lower defense than other top tier sets but the damage bonus is quite significant, and it looks cool.




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