I like the game, but it really isn't that exciting. (A miner's perspective)

[Ramsis]

So the game itself is pretty alright. Starts off at a good pace, more or less moves at a good pace; but I feel like the game really could add some more "fun" things such as early game drones or defense systems. I'm playing as a prospector and yet for the better part of the early-ish game no ship is worth buying for it's storage save the small ones. I know this could be fixed with skills but I'm level 30 now and I'm far more interested in working with the mining tech-tree (which is way too small).

I also hate to be the bad guy here but the auto-pilot system is ridiculous.... It's ran me into about 8 stars, a mass horde of at least 10 pirates, and over a dozen asteroids. Not saying this is fixable, but to say the least it makes me request a fast travel system; I don't even care if I have to pay for it everytime I use it, but anything is better than hoping my ship is capable of getting from point a to b. Some might say this takes away the fun but for someone like me the fun is gone when I can't make it back to a quest giver because suddenly I have to try and find a way past gate-camping pirates, silly allies running headfirst into me, and an auto-pilot that doesn't know whats going on... all while trying to go between 6 systems just to get back.

Please give it some thought.

[Zer0Glitch]

It's a known issue that the Auto-Pilot gets a little... ummmm... "special". I can't count the  number of times it's went "OH SHINEY!" and flew me straight into the system's sun.

The game is still being worked on. You're going to find a number of things that don't seem "quite" right. But they are working on it. And so far I've been very impressed with the progress that's been made.

In the mean time. I'd make a drinking game out of it. 1 shot for every time the Auto-Pilot gets a wild hair in it and tries to kill you...

[Ramsis]

Also from all the digging I'm doing is 800 (without skills) really the highest cargo a ship can get? That's actually deeply upsetting

I'd like to point out a game that the game reminds me of quite a bit, Space Pirates and Zombies, or SPAZ. SPAZ is an amazing game for a few reasons:

1: It has a crap ton of ships that can all be managed, fixed, etc just like Void has, but instead of you having to give an arm and a leg for a new ship, you can actually collect the blueprints off of your enemy's wreckage. Collect enough, and BAM you can build the ship. Mind you, it still costs resources to build said ship everytime you blow it up, but money in SPAZ is a lot easier to get a hold of.

2: You aren't alone. You get two  or so other ships that will follow you around, do what you tell them, etc. You want to start a mining operation? You tell your other ships to go ahead and they will literally fly around the map, taking out enemies, and trying their hardest to strip mine the system you're in.

3: You actually stand a chance in combat. So far my biggest problem with Void is that most battles seem to be hit or miss. You either snuck up on a pirate or two and are taking them out while still having half your ship torn apart or a pirate from halfway across the map suddenly flew right into your area and wants to kill you. SPAZ has these events but between your allied helpers, the respawn system that literally builds you a new ship on the fly, and a few other fillers you seamlessly join the carnage on the field. Yeah your little puddleskipper of a cargo hauler may be stupidly weak and horrible in combat, but you have one ally who is flying a hunter-killer style ship, and the other is a drone platform that's spitting repair and combat drones left and right to cover you. Oh, and if you want to be in charge just hit a button and you swap control to one of your allies! Now you're not the one mining and hauling, you're the defender.

Some people will proclaim "oh but if they do it like that then it's just another clone." It's not a clone if it's fun.

[Hammish]

A lot of the things you're mentioning can actually be addressed with mods, though, and that's one of the unique features that VE has going into it; modification to the game, in small bits or as a whole, is /remarkably/ easy.  Anything from custom scripts to icons to custom ship models to weapons and equipment stats, they can all be tweaked or added.  If there's a feature you don't like (like the cargo hold limitation) odds are you can either use the Wiki to change it yourself... or ask over in the mods section of the forums, and someone can build you a custom fix; there are already a few people that have been around for a few months now playing with various aspects of the game, myself included.

As far as building stuff, I know originally the AT team talked about putting crafting into the game as well, but it's a future feature.  Even if they aren't able to implement it, I can tell ya that I already have a pseudo-crafting system worked out for my mod (BTC) that involves bringing pieces back to specific NPCs to upgrade/build new gear.  It will probably never be as eloquent as an integrated crafting system, but hey, it's something.

The group combat is, sadly, lacking... but even that I have hope for being able to implement in the future.  The AI supports ships that follow and move with you, ala the escort missions you can get; it's just a matter of someone working with some of the scripts to modifier the behavior of escorts, either as a role (hiring a ship to act as your defense escort) or on the fly (being able to actually toggle combat stances and the like).



Short version, though, constructive posts like these are actually very helpful, and if you like the core feel of the game you should check out the mods section either for stuff that might fix the things you /don't/ like... or to put in a request for them.  (Or, hell, just to try out something new!)  I know personally a lot of the ideas I've worked into BTC have come from outside sources, which I then refined and balanced out as best I can (for instance, my mod actually has fighter carriers with drones on them; they automatically engage your locked target once launched, if for a limited duration and with a bit of a deathwish).

Once the steam version is released for good and Workshop is available for VE, it'll be an even better option.

[Zer0Glitch]

Just to add to what Hammish just said.

I was looking through the API on the wiki the other day and what you can do in a mod is mind blowing. Seriously, what you CAN'T do is a shorter list. Absolutely insane. I expect Elder Scrolls levels of modifications once the game gets released and get traction.

[Hammish]

Yeah, pretty much the only things on the 'can't' list that I can think of are modifying the core engine or the GUI used by it.  Everything else is fair game if it dovetails in with the established variables for the game... and if there's a variable that you can think of that isn't in there, and make a good case for it, the AT guys have already said they'd look into such things post-launch. 

It's more a matter of figuring out what you want to change, then seeing if it's viable to do in the existing coding.  Tweaking values is the easiest bit (via the .XMLs), but the conversations and device scripts are done via actual JavaScript and allow for an insane level of customization.

[Lurler]

I will try to reply to all major points raised in this topic, just to let you guys know our position on everything.

1. Stuff to do, and more content, like was mentioned: drones, advanced mining, etc. We have a lot of plans for that. Mining in particular will be completely overhauled once we implemend other planned things related to industry. You will have to refine your ore if you want to use it in crafting or modification of the items, and there will be skills related for refining, upgrading, crafting, etc.

2. Autopilot. It was a known issue, there were are few bugs in there as well as the algorythm used wasn't ideal. It has now been completely rewritten almost entirely from scratch and it is incomparably  better now. It is already in the new version which we plan to release to the internal testing team shortly.

3. Bigger cargo ships? Definitely. There will be more. And not just cargo ships, but engineering ships as well.

4. Balance of combat. There are a few improvements that has been made already, and there are a few more we would like to implement before release. Especially balancing defensive equipment.

[Ramsis]

I will try to reply to all major points raised in this topic, just to let you guys know our position on everything.

1. Stuff to do, and more content, like was mentioned: drones, advanced mining, etc. We have a lot of plans for that. Mining in particular will be completely overhauled once we implemend other planned things related to industry. You will have to refine your ore if you want to use it in crafting or modification of the items, and there will be skills related for refining, upgrading, crafting, etc.

2. Autopilot. It was a known issue, there were are few bugs in there as well as the algorythm used wasn't ideal. It has now been completely rewritten almost entirely from scratch and it is incomparably  better now. It is already in the new version which we plan to release to the internal testing team shortly.

3. Bigger cargo ships? Definitely. There will be more. And not just cargo ships, but engineering ships as well.

4. Balance of combat. There are a few improvements that has been made already, and there are a few more we would like to implement before release. Especially balancing defensive equipment.

Well heck Lurler you won me over. You show me mining that's a lot more fun than spamming 4 every 3 or so seconds and I'll show you a whole plethora of players who will flock to your game. Sidenote: If you make drones that help with mining you're going to draw in WAY more players than you might think. May I request more skills in the Mining branch as well? It just seems to fizzle out so quickly; I hope to make it my ingame career.... so for the sake of multiplayer I'd love to see me having the ability to spend spend spend!

Will the player ever gain the ability to build? Say... entire stations for clans or groups, maybe outposts for rest stops? I'd love to be the miner/engineer that helps make different sectors safe with refueling/recovery spots.

[Lurler]

The only thing that stands between us and the game of everyone's dreams (and ours as well) is the number of people who actively participate in the community and buys the game. At the moment this is unfortunately very small... We are hoping the release on Steam could change this, but it is not just us, it is also in everyone's hands as well. So, if everyone can help us get the word out and make the game popular and known then we are definitely going to be adding infinitely more stuff to the game!
The simplest thing you could do is to tell all your friends and maybe make a YouTube video as well. Every bit definitely helps.

[RavenFellBlade]

Lurler, I would just like to thank you for being so open to hearing player's ideas, suggestions, and occasional demands. Your active involvement with the game's growing community has convinced me that you guys are exactly the kind of people that I want to support in as many ways as I can. I've been suggesting to any and all of my friends on Steam to check Void Expanse out.
I'd also like to ask a question: This game reminds me a great deal of a game from the 90's called "Solar Winds". Have you ever played that game, and if so, did it in any way influence the design of Void Expanse? I loved the demo for that game, and have always regretted that I was never able to buy the full version of it to fully experience it. Void Expanse is bringing back a lot of very fond memories of that game, and a few other similar ones, like Starflight. Thank you for helping to resurrect a genre and style that seems to have been dead for far too long!

[Lurler]

Thank you! I really appreciate that. Reading stuff like that really gives me, and other people on the team more motivation to continue marching forward and trying even harder
To answer your question: no, actually we never played these games, but I can see the similarity in some areas for sure But to be honest our main inspirations were Space Rangers game and TV series like Star Gate SG-1/Atlantis and a few others.

[ai_enabled]

Yes, that's really motivating! Now the code is written two times faster :-).
I spent my childhood playing on PC, and my favorite games includes Star Control 3, X-Tension, Terminal Velocity, Raptor, Parkan, Star Wars Rebel Assault - and many more other sci-fi games. But, unfortunately, I can't remember Solar Winds... hope after Steam release I will have some time to try it with DosBox!
Regards!

[Hammish]

Yes, that's really motivating! Now the code is written two times faster :-).
I spent my childhood playing on PC, and my favorite games includes Star Control 3, X-Tension, Terminal Velocity, Raptor, Parkan, Star Wars Rebel Assault - and many more other sci-fi games. But, unfortunately, I can't remember Solar Winds... hope after Steam release I will have some time to try it with DosBox!
Regards!

I'm not going to lie.  You mentioned Star Control and I instantly wanted to go and create a VE version of the weapon on the Pkunk ships.

Yes.  Hurled insults and all.

[Excalibur]

Hmm, had to poke my head in here and throw off my lurking cloak at the mere mention of Star Control. I enjoyed the original quite a bit on Sega Genesis. Then later, the sequel on PC. Still have my Star Control 2 disks and map around here somewhere.

I'm guessing that ages me well beyond most of you folks. Which is kinda sad.

Oh, well. With some luck, and alot of hard work, Void Expanse could become the spiritual successor to Star Control 2, in most ways anywayy. That'd be pretty bad ass actually.

[RavenFellBlade]

ai_enabled: I can definitely see the influences I loved ALL of those games. I've actually only just recently discovered Parkan, and have been playing Parkan 2 quite a bit. Terminal Velocity and Raptor were both amazing games that never got the attention they deserved. I spend many, many hours playing Terminal Velocity deathmatches with my friends on crappy 33.6k modems. We had a blast! I noticed you mention X-Tension... odd that you should specify that one, as it's considered by many to be the black sheep of the X franchise, and yet it is one of my personal favorites. It was really the bridge between the more linear approach to X and the more open-ended approach in X2 and onwards.

Seriously, guys, the work you are doing on this game is a wonderful modernized throwback to people like myself who have been searching for games that really press that nostalgia button, while also offering something fresh and exciting. VoidExpanse is an alpha game that has already given me more entertainment and enjoyment that the last three "AAA" major studio games that I played. Combined. I truly can't wait to see where it goes from here.

And Excalibur: Gamers don't grow old, they just become obsolete! I should know. In gaming terms, I'm a Tandy TRS-80. There's nothing quite like being a computer who's most common nickname is "TRaSh-80"! :-P