[Megathread] Starbound

[Kelimbror]

Could someone give me a quick run down of what the game is like? Also, Is terraria for Xbox Arcade only or PC/Mac as well? Is there a big difference between the two versions?

Terraria is completely different than Minecraft. Yes you destroy blocks to craft things. That's where the similarities end.

Terraria is more of an action adventure game. Yes you have to survive by building a base and preventing monsters from overruning you, but you explore to gain materials for crafting better gear and weapons (like flaming boomerangs, laser guns, light sabers, etc) for your character. It's like Zelda in that respect, if Zelda had crafting in it. Getting certain levels of gear allows you to explore new areas like the jungle, summon bosses like a giant Eyeball with teeth that tries to eat you, and eventually gives you access to a dungeon by defeating another boss.

Basically you explore, you build, you get gear, you kill bosses, you get better gear, explore new areas, kill harder bosses, repeat until you unlock hard mode which further complicates this idea.

It is available on the PC and is frequently on sale through Steam. The Xbox version, if I recall, has a little bit more content, but it's really not worth it to ruin the gameplay from using a controller.

[Treeskee]

Terraria is completely different than Minecraft. Yes you destroy blocks to craft things. That's where the similarities end.

Terraria is more of an action adventure game. Yes you have to survive by building a base and preventing monsters from overruning you, but you explore to gain materials for crafting better gear and weapons (like flaming boomerangs, laser guns, light sabers, etc) for your character. It's like Zelda in that respect, if Zelda had crafting in it. Getting certain levels of gear allows you to explore new areas like the jungle, summon bosses like a giant Eyeball with teeth that tries to eat you, and eventually gives you access to a dungeon by defeating another boss.

Basically you explore, you build, you get gear, you kill bosses, you get better gear, explore new areas, kill harder bosses, repeat until you unlock hard mode which further complicates this idea.

It is available on the PC and is frequently on sale through Steam. The Xbox version, if I recall, has a little bit more content, but it's really not worth it to ruin the gameplay from using a controller.

Should also add that as they've been asking the community about a final content update to bring the extras they added to Xbox onto PC also and I really hope they do because I'd love for a good reason to load it up again.

[Reflectionize]

Should also add that as they've been asking the community about a final content update to bring the extras they added to Xbox onto PC also and I really hope they do because I'd love for a good reason to load it up again.

As far as I'm aware, Redigit hasn't promised anything about bringing the console content to PC. It's been asked for, but not confirmed. The 1.2 update he is developing is unrelated to the console content.

[unholytestament]

Every time this topic pops back up to the front page I hope it's because a release date has been announced.

I hate you...

---------- Post added 2013-04-05 at 04:44 PM ----------

Speaking of which: http://www.playstarbound.com/roadmap/

Estimated release date: 2013

Fuck you guys...

[Treeskee]

Every time this topic pops back up to the front page I hope it's because a release date has been announced.

I hate you...

---------- Post added 2013-04-05 at 04:44 PM ----------

Speaking of which: http://www.playstarbound.com/roadmap/


Fuck you guys...

Ugh, I know!! I really wish they had an estimate in the months area... Still It's really good to see on the road map that a lot of stuff is really close to being done.

[Reflectionize]

Every time this topic pops back up to the front page I hope it's because a release date has been announced.

I hate you...

---------- Post added 2013-04-05 at 04:44 PM ----------

Speaking of which: http://www.playstarbound.com/roadmap/


Fuck you guys...

hahaha, sorry. Yeah the roadmap is good news, looks like all the big things are close to done except for questing. Shouldn't be too, too long now!

[Silverforte]

I realize there is a thread with a post from the 6th of this month, but I'm making this one to bring the same information to people and spread the word as I have with my community at Rawcritics.com

Also, the preorder is now live: http://playstarbound.com/store/

Here is the Roadmap showing their progress: http://www.playstarbound.com/roadmap/

Post regarding varied information about the game,
which is set to release in 2013. Most of this information is set in
stone, though because the game is still in-dev, it is of course subject to change.


Basic game mechanics -

The game is a 2D platformer. The core gameplay consists of exploration, building, fighting and survival. You'll also be able to run up slopes of one block so that you don't have to jump every time you want to go up or down a single block. If you played Terraria, you'll appreciate that more than most people. Being able to simply run across terrain is going to make the game much more enjoyable. Swimming will also be more enjoyable because in this game, you actually swim. You don't sink to the bottom and walk across the floor.
You'll even be able to create your own character.



The game will feature random, procedurally generated content. All of it is random. The monsters, the NPCs, the worlds, everything.

You will have a health meter


1) This section contains your health, portrait and energy as well as your party members'. The red is your health, which is self-explanatory. The green is the energy and dictates how you use your weaponry. For example, every shot you fire from a gun uses a certain amount of that energy, which replenishes over time.

2) This is your hotbar and shows what items your have on it. The two L and R icons represent the left and right mouse buttons and whatever items you have there will be used when you click the corresponding buttons.

3) Money and inventory button



Logbook -


As you progress through your journey, you'll acquire information about items, people, places and creatures that gets jotted down in your logbook.



Survival -

Surviving in Starbound is not as simple as not dying and eating to avoid starvation.

We have a hunger meter and a temperature meter. The hunger meter depletes, you get hungry and must eat.

Picture of cooking interface:[hide]

The temperature rating is still not in the interface unless I've missed it. The game will require you to be aware of your environment. If you get too cold or too hot, you'll need to find a way to remedy those conditions. In this screenshot, we see a player setting up camp near a fire to keep warm as the sun sets over the ocean.
[hide]


In Minecraft, the rate at which the hunger meter depletes is arguably too quickly and leads to irritating pauses in the gameplay where you must hide, stop and eat. In Starbound, the rate at which the hunger meter depletes is slowed quite a bit. A hunger meter should take a backseat to the game's enjoyment rather than cripple it, so in Starbound, we won't have to constantly keep our eyes on it. The same should apply to the temperature meter.



Combat -

In Starbound, there are no classes or level systems. Instead, you rely on your gear and its modifications. A player could potentially play a tanking role by having a one hander in one hand and a shield in the other. Yeah, there are shields.

There are several types of weapons such as spears, swords, axes, hammers, pistols, assault rifles, snipers, flame throwers, throwing weapons, explosives you throw, explosive guns and many more.








Notice how the weapons are held properly and not by the handle/hilt like they were in Terraria, which I always found awkward. Combat is still going through updates but they want to add combos at some point and possibly even a counter attack. Right now, you can do things like use both hand-equipped items as you please which, for me, is incredibly interesting because I'm the sword-and-board type. You do not take damage from enemies just because they touch you. They must be in an attack animation to harm you or you must be hit by a projectile or hazard of some type.

You can even upgrade your equipment with modifications that boost stats and give different qualities to them. Probably similar to the reforge goblin tinkerer in Terraria but less clunky.



Decoration and Items -

The devs have stated that there will be an insane amount of decorative items in the game and that you can sit in every single chair in the game... including the thrones. The themes for the blocks clearly vary quite a bit because in most of the screenshots and videos, we see space-age technology, but in some, medieval.



Hazards -

Think about disembarking onto a strange world that has an atmosphere that is poisonous to your race and gearing up in a space suit so that it becomes possible to explore it. That is indeed a part of Starbound. In the game exists suits that protect you from different hazardous elements.






NPCs, Quests and Director Mode -

NPCs in this game have their own personalities, needs and quests. If you find a NPC on a planet, you can do something for them and then they will join you and you can place them in your towns. They will have some form of upkeep though nothing is clear at this point.


They will function in their own ways, one of which is shop owner. You can do quests in the game for them and it has even been stated that you can set up your own quests easily.

Director mode will give us the ability to change EVERY aspect of the game worlds as server admins. We will be able to make quests, change different factors of a planet and even take control of an NPC character and change different settings within them. For example, I could create a character named Fenris who is the head of the royal Arctoran guard's guild. During a quest I have written where the city of Ultima is under attack by rebels, the player is tasked with gaining audience with the king in his castle but the royal guard is on full attack mode and ordered to stop anyone from entering the castle. As the players on the quest approach Fenris to ask for permission to see the king, I take control of Fenris and set her to hostile. The players must defeat her to gain entrance to the castle and progress to the next section of the quest. I would even be able to type in local chat and it would appear coming from Fenris' character rather than my account character.

As you can see, Director mode will enable us to do amazing things.

Here is an example I gave previously -
So far, what I'm thinking is setting up smaller quest events that can be done repeatedly and which do not require staff use of director mode. Then I started thinking about having larger, more intricate events that have a specific time of the week that they start and continue on for a while. Here's a run down of one I just came up with:

1) NPC Fenris (not the castle, the person) is standing on a cliff overlooking the spawn town

2) Player talks to him before specific event starting time, he has a preset line of dialogue about a forthcoming cataclysm

3) Player talks to him when event is ready to start, I take control of him using director mode and the event actually starts

4) I (Fenris) run away, leading the players toward a run down factory outside the spawn town and activate a button revealing a
tunnel leading down into the planet

5) Players participating follow Fenris down and find old ruins that go on for a while and are littered with traps

6) Using Fenris, I say something about how you must come with me into the ruins and find the tomb of *ancient evil name here* before it is released by space pirates

7) We arrive at the end of the ruin/dungeon and find the tomb surrounded by pirates. I drop director mode of Fenris and set him to friendly and then take control of the lead pirate elite NPC

8) I use him to say something about how the pirates want control of the planet and that by releasing the monster in the tomb, they will be able to take control of the spawn town after it is destroyed by said monster

9) Players engage pirates with me controlling the elite. When pirates are defeated, I make the elite open the tomb anyway and release the monster stating that you took too long, then the pirate elite dies and the monster appears

10) I take control of the monster and fly up to the spawn town attacking players then set it to hostile and take control of Fenris again and lead you, the players, back out of the ruin and to the spawn town to fight the monster

11) You all arrive and I take control of the monster and a huge battle ensues. When defeated, dialogue between Fenris and the player takes place and rewards are handed out[/hide]



Farming -

Starbound will feature plant growth and farming. You will be able to farm just as you do in Minecraft.




Party system -
You will be able to add playes to your party and play together with shared party chat.




Biomes and Space -
Biomes and planet generation are, like I stated earlier, procedurally generated. Space is as well. Space is created in sections which I forget the specifics of, but it is detailed in the Roadmap. Basically, a galaxy is generated, sectors are generated, solar systems are generated. On planets, you have biomes respective to their planets and, then within those biomes, minibiomes. Needless to say, you will not run out of things to see.



Painting -

You will be able to acquire a tool that lets you paint blocks different colors, opening up a huge range of possibilities.




Ship navigation and servers -

Servers work like they do in Minecraft. A person with a capable connection and machine hosts a server, hands out the address and players join. The server will hold a galaxy of planets and objects and people can travel to any of them. You are not bound to the same planet, you can leave the planets and go to other ones all on the same server, never having to leave it. If your server has a homeworld called Rovol and everyone is playing there, but you decide to want to venture out to Arctorus, you're free to get in your ship and do so and all on the same server.

Each player has a ship which only you can edit and nobody can kill you in. In your ship, you can setup decorations and take control of the navigation system. Enter coordinates and venture outward. The developers said that post-release, they want to implement gameplay for ship navigation similar to that found in the game Faster Than Light.




Pets -

You can capture, breed and use the different wild life you encounter in your travels. You can breed them, study them, categorize and log them, battle them and raise them.



Vehicles -

The game will feature vehicles that can be beamed down and used on the planet.


Misc stuff(pictures)-

Wednesday, April 03 - 2013


















Thursday, April 04 - 2013




Misc stuff(videos) -

Wednesday, April 03 - 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJFQDxdTnY0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU56Kh731Q0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9tHpDweXIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ5mt1pMuaI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANRHrH5qTHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3l6kSjPI50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8Ka_jqLuTc

[unholytestament]

I realize there is a thread with a post from the 6th of this month,

So you should realize what you did wrong.

[Treeskee]

Yeah!! Post in my thread. :3

[icedwarrior]

So you should realize what you did wrong.

Well I certainly don't see what's wrong. 7 days isn't a necro...

I'm actually tempted to pre-order this, even though it's this early in the development. What's wrong with me?

[Ms Andry]

Well I certainly don't see what's wrong. 7 days isn't a necro...

I'm actually tempted to pre-order this, even though it's this early in the development. What's wrong with me?

it's only 15 dollars, and it's getting well funded. I'm pre ordering it for sure for myself and my gf. I might think about even getting the 4 pack since its 25 percent off.

Honestly, Starbound is one of the only games I've actually been a little excited for.

[Kelimbror]

Wow....this updated information looks amazing. Will definitely play this. Hopefully it launches before Wildstar does.

[Herecius]

Totally did the Gold Preorder so I could add a name to the final game's random NPC name generation.

For now it's set to Herecius, even though self-insertion into the game is a bit vain. Perhaps I shall think of something better, as I can change it!

The developers said that post-release, they want to implement gameplay for ship navigation similar to that found in the game Faster Than Light.

ALSO HOLY SHIT HOW DID I MISS THIS OH MY GOD WOW

[unholytestament]

Well I certainly don't see what's wrong. 7 days isn't a necro...

Except he made his own topic saying he was fully aware of this one.

Totally did the Gold Preorder so I could add a name to the final game's random NPC name generation.

For now it's set to Herecius, even though self-insertion into the game is a bit vain. Perhaps I shall think of something better, as I can change it!

My hope is that when/if unholytestament shows up in your games they aren't some ridiculous pushover or annoying shopkeeper or something equally pointless.

[Treeskee]

Like many others I pre-ordered. Now we play the waiting game, and it will be so worth it.

[Kelimbror]

My hope is that when/if unholytestament shows up in your games they aren't some ridiculous pushover or annoying shopkeeper or something equally pointless.

Sorry, but you just set yourself up to be a miniboss zombie crusader that will be slain by throwing water in your face.

[unholytestament]

Sorry, but you just set yourself up to be a miniboss zombie crusader that will be slain by throwing water in your face.

Well so long as I respawn frequently it might be cool!

I would also like to note that the amount of cash backing the game has gone up $180k since I first saw it this morning.

[Dezerte]

Seems they have a new stretch-goal: http://playstarbound.com/stretch-goal-1-the-novakids/

If they hit $500,000 they'll dev. a another race. Currently on $289,568.

[Deleted]

Well I certainly don't see what's wrong. 7 days isn't a necro...

He didn't really do anything wrong, it's just that it's super annoying to scroll through at all that in the middle of the thread :P

[Kelimbror]

He didn't really do anything wrong

They created another thread even though we already had one. So yes, they did do something wrong. However, the information they provided was amazing so I'm glad he took the time to compile it for us.