Original Post --- Happy Monday! We had a really great time at PC Gamer Weekender this past weekend and got some really great feedback on the latest build of Starbound, including the intro mission! We're all flying out to San Francisco this weekend for GDC, so we've got a whole lot to get done this week. Busy busy times! We've done a bunch of work on quest generation! NPCs on planets will generate quests for you that change based on what exists in that world. We've also implemented a quest compass to help you better figure out where you're supposed to go, and a quest tracker so that you can keep track of what you've got left to do. Oh hey look, Tccoxon's made a nifty video! What do you think?
This is definitely something this game really needed! I cannot contain my excitement to see the next update to unstable!
I would honestly prefer if the quest compass wasn't always there, like an item you had to craft or something.
Escort quests? NOPE Seriously though, glad to see it's not all fetch quests and "take two steps, kill, come back" quests.
It actually looks like these are done better than most. And may or may not be a preview to a sort of invasion event. Just speculation.
You don't see that circle in the upper right attached to the quest log thing? In the beginning of the video the person circles their cursor around it. Looks like a nice little set to have and seeing it moving along smoothly. Think I am going to enjoy the improvements and additions this will make.
This is going to be even better than the last update. A few hazmat scientists gave me quests a few days back but I didn't know if it was a glitch or not. Glad to see its not
Uuugh escort missions. I sure hope you guys did your AI well enough so I don't have to build a bridge over hazard while swarmed by wild life just to take an NPC home. Otherwise, allow us to just let them piggy back ride on us - disable all weapons and tool, but latch them to us and allow us to carry them home with our mobility. On a second note: I was wondering - what if during my return trip the quest giver NPC died to some freak accident like meteor rain/wild life attack/lava swimming? Would I just have the quest canceled/resolved in a different way? Or will quest NPC be invulnerable? I sorta like the emerging story that may happen with vulnerable NPC, but that would be rather inconvenient..hmmm.
Guys! You missed the important thing! Mob aggression and friendly fire is getting fixed! No more mob/merchant hostage situations! Also, the compass thing is a nice touch, though I take it that means we WON'T be getting a minimap anytime soon?
Well... Seeing as how there are a quintillion stars in the universe. although could be smaller than the world file, or drawn from it; I think it would need an extra file for the exploration part. Parts explored. That would be a lot of extra files per character. Then again it could be something related to an item, like an actual map you have to make that will be used like a mini-map, but only for that specific world. The latter could be regulated by the player more or less. So whom is to say if and when such would happen. Still quite a bit left to that one. I agree, lots of things to find awaiting for well worth it. didn't notice the friendly fire part... If true then that is a great nice thing.
On the part of an actual item to show us a map, there is a mod called Ground Penetrating Radar that allow you to see the location of ores but also show you the borders of the terrain. Borrowing from that mod would allow the devs to create a "mini map" feature in the shape of a personal scanner.
YES YES YES! Quests are something I've always wanted for the game, so I'm naturally excited. But the compass... that makes it much easier to know where you need to go. Between this, crew members, and Hylotl ocean cities, this next update is something I can barely wait for. Personally, I think minimaps are better for 3D games like Spore or Civilization 5, since there are multiple ways to go; unlike in Starbound, where it's either left/right or up/down owing to its 2D nature. The only real use I see with a minimap in this scenario is something to locate ore and chests, but there is the GPR mod as Nightmaster mentioned that you can download that does that already.
But is that showing all or revealing as you go type? That is what I am getting at with the item map thing. Yeah mods can do wondrous things, and yeah might be a good step forward, but would need some tweaking to get it to be on the go, and not be all revealed. So yes in part. I am one awaiting the full game before I tango with mods or modding itself.
Hoo... updating the nightly right away. I had trouble when doing quest for guards, they said we have to protect an npc from bandits or some crazy miniknog scientists, but seems it can't be finished. I've killed the bandits but the quest didn't complete. With this compass thing I hope I can find the bandits who were hiding.
Escort quests can be a pain, I don't remember a single game in which I found it fun. And like someone else said, I would prefer if the compass were available only in few quests too. You know, what matters is the journey and not the goal!