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Issue with using light source pack and EPP

Discussion in 'Starbound Discussion' started by Shanianowhere, Aug 18, 2016.

  1. Shanianowhere

    Shanianowhere Void-Bound Voyager

    So I used to love using my Halogen Pack because I could run around like a wonderful glowing beacon of hope in a dark universe. I could also wear wings as a mask over the less attractive glow pack and flap around wherever I bounded.

    However, now that I am forced to physically wear my environmental protection as a pack instead of as a side effect that doesn't use up apparel slots, I can no longer light my way AND not slowly die in unfavorable conditions.

    The Halogen Pack does not glow if it's in the "mask" slot and the EPP does not function if in the "mask" slot. So I cannot use both as I used to. I also cannot wear any of the other nifty pack masks because of the required EPP slot-hog. This makes collecting any fun costumes pointless if I cannot use them with the otherwise more functionally necessary features.

    Can this be changed so that the EPP has its own slot and doesn't use up my pack slot? It's rather frustrating because the "augment" chip that allows for light doesn't really work (not like the Halogen Pack does).
     
    Ablekaine likes this.
  2. MidniteSteve

    MidniteSteve Phantasmal Quasar

    Please Pay more attention. There are these things called augments. They get slotted into the EPP. One of them (light/glow level 3) gives you the exact same amount of light as the halogen pack.
    Remember, there is always a solution to a problem if you take the time to look :iswydt:
     
  3. Shanianowhere

    Shanianowhere Void-Bound Voyager

    I was paying attention, if you would read my comment about trying to use the augment and getting barely any light. You could have told me about the different levels of augment without being a jerk about it...
     
  4. MidniteSteve

    MidniteSteve Phantasmal Quasar

    I could have, but I didn't. And now you've learned something, a quick search would have also told you of the different levels for augments. As I said, solutions exist for those who look :iswydt:
     
  5. Jonesy

    Jonesy Sarif's Attack Kangaroo Forum Moderator

    But you will next time. If you're going to be blasé about being inconsiderate, consider yourself warned.
     
    ladyKAE, DooMJake, DesVoeux and 5 others like this.
  6. Masiakasaurus

    Masiakasaurus Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    This isn't really a solution though. It's a workaround, but if you use Light you can't use any other augment, and no other augment comes close to being as useful, so you're still largely locked in to an equipment loadout. Plus you lose augments when you upgrade or if you try to plug anything else in (say, a Poison augment for a Toxic world) so the augment is infereior to what the packs provide.

    To say nothing of the fact that the Halogen/Xenon packs are now useless since they require materials only found on worlds that require the EPP.
     
  7. MidniteSteve

    MidniteSteve Phantasmal Quasar

    If it's loadout lock you're worried about, there are alternatives, an oblivious glow pet, flashlights, flares, some guns have lights on secondaries. There are helmets and armors that glow. And there's always torches or cheap pixel lights. Poison augments aren't of much use, they don't protect you from the acid rain at all, and if you need it for the ocean/ponds, make a few antidotes, they last a good while. There are always alternatives to any situation. The only exception is oxygen as far as I can tell.
     
  8. Masiakasaurus

    Masiakasaurus Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    All of which is true but doesn't address the problem: augments other than light are almost entirely useless, and the Halogen/Xenon packs are a waste of resources.
     
  9. Shanianowhere

    Shanianowhere Void-Bound Voyager

    That was also a concern, losing the augments when I upgrade. Already ran into that once, which was annoying since I only get them from chests at the moment (I haven't unlocked the seller in the Outpost yet). And also being forced to choose between a constant light source and stat buffs was frustrating (Have more health or be able to see where you're going at night/underground?). Which is why I was saddened by the fact I couldn't use the halogen pack and still survive on deadly worlds. :/ It's extremely clunky to have to switch between using my matter manipulator to dig around and setting up torches (which are not infinite in number) or using a flashlight (which only shines in the direction I'm pointing instead of being ambient light). Plus not every gun has a light on it so being forced to use inferior weapons when an upgrade is available purely for the light source isn't ideal.

    I get the idea of augments and how they're nifty and all but only being able to use one augment at a time kind of makes them pointless to even have.
     
  10. MidniteSteve

    MidniteSteve Phantasmal Quasar

    Damage boost, useful. Jump/speed combo boost, useful. Healing/health boost, useful, swim speed boost, very useful, energy boost, useful. Your playstyle and loadouts make most of them useful. I will agree that the halogen and xenon packs are pretty much useless.
     
  11. Ablekaine

    Ablekaine Pangalactic Porcupine

    There is a healing augment that is veeeery useful, but I'm with this guy-I can't fathom why for the life of me they did away with EP being on suits that you change from the tech panel back to the backpacks again, and yes, the fact that the light-giving backpacks are now obsolete and pointless is just dumb. Another example of retrogression in my opinion. :nurusad:

    And the part where the augments are deleted when you upgrade the pack means you have to find three high level light augments, not just one. I'm not gonna lie, I spawned in a lightaugment3 with no shame because I knew that wasn't going to happen.
     
  12. Lusid

    Lusid Pangalactic Porcupine

    Frackin' Universe, an extensive mod that adds a lot to the game that should be there and then some, changes greatly how packs and protection is done. Each pack protects one element (O2, radiation, heat, etc.) and adds augments that do the same. So you could have a pack that does rad and light. Or O2 and heat. It means for more packs to store but feels good actually. It also adds protections to some armor sets, so a radiation suit and the light pack with a healing augment is a fun combo for tough rad planets.

    I highly suggest it.
     
  13. Polecat

    Polecat Phantasmal Quasar

    I would note that the function you just outlined is not only counter to the point, but THE main reason I refuse to use Frackin' Universe. Largest mod out there, does so many things I want it to, and they throw stuff like this in there that are, frankly, just there to make it unplayable again. I agree with the OP, but I doubt it'll change again with the way they revamped the techs.
     
  14. Ablekaine

    Ablekaine Pangalactic Porcupine

    Also, my repeated point to so many responses involving "There's a mod for that"- I want this in the base game, I don't want to have to use a mod for it!
     
    DesVoeux likes this.
  15. Xylia

    Xylia Tiy's Beard

    "Unplayable"?

    Kinda weird you knock it without even trying it.

    Considering that a). the packs are way easier to make in FU, and b). there's lots of easy-to-craft augments, it isn't "unplayable" at all. You can have any number of pack+augment and eventually, there's a "One to Rule Them All" pack you get late-game, where you won't be needing all of your other packs at all, and then there's the armors that have immunes on them too, so you could be rocking a Xenon + Regenerate III + War Angel/Shoggoth Armor and be immune to everything, have light, AND regeneration (and yes, Light Packs have augment slots in FU, even the lowly lantern-on-stick, and YES you can make a Breath Augment so you can TOTALLY rock a Lantern-on-a-Stick and breathe on moons).

    So earlier in the progression, you gotta shuffle packs a bit depending on what planet you're going to..... but at the end.... it's awesome when you finally master all the materials and make that sweet armor.

    EDIT: Fact is, I think FU makes handling elements, breaths, and lights easier early game. At Tungsten Tier, you can make a Type-S Survival Pack which makes your entire body glow (instead of just the tip of the halogen/xenon pack) which is actually better than the light packs, you can stick a Re-Breather augment in it so you can breathe on moons, AND you can wear Mutavisk Armor that makes you immune to Rads, lol.

    There are armors that protect from Cold and Heat, too. IIRC, I used that Type-S Pack clear up until I made the aforementioned War Angel Armor.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2016
  16. Lusid

    Lusid Pangalactic Porcupine

    Perhaps i was unclear. I brought up FU because the way they handle packs is more immersive, thus it feels different (better) using them. They are only required on planets that need them (not all, not even late game) and some dark planets even require the halogen pack in a way. So instead of slapping the breathing pack on and only removing it for the upgrade you are outfitting yourself to survive in the environment present on the planet you want to explore.
     
  17. Polecat

    Polecat Phantasmal Quasar

    The point I was making, was that it creates more complexity on a system that the OP is looking/wanting to be simplified. Honestly, so am I. I think the EPP things are overly-complex and should be relegated to non-entities as quickly as possible. It's only there to gate the content...
     
    Ablekaine likes this.
  18. Xylia

    Xylia Tiy's Beard

    It doesn't "only" have to be there to gate the content, though.

    It could be viewed (and used) as resource management.

    But to each their own I suppose. *shrugs*

    And besides, if you want light that bad, torches are easy to make by the hundreds.
     
  19. Ablekaine

    Ablekaine Pangalactic Porcupine

    You actually have to use those though. When you're in an underground mining situation dropping into caves whose bottoms may not be visible, possibly surrounded by enemies you can't see, occasionally hitting caves where there is no immediate background...by the time you switch over to your torches, you might be too late. You're placing torches when you're getting attacked by enemies you can't see, or you drop into a cave so huge that the fall kills you (Which now happens quite a lot SINCE THE GRAVITY BUBBLE TECH WAS REMOVED THANKS CHUCKLEFISH) and the only way to prevent such deaths is by grappling or roping a wall and swinging, which again, you won't be able to see....

    Torches aren't going to cut what the light packs provided. We were given something great, then had it taken away, and now we want it back. Stop the #retrogression!
     
    DesVoeux and Kaede Grimwater like this.
  20. Xylia

    Xylia Tiy's Beard

    Flares, Yellow Stims, etc.

    Also, what about Spike Ball? Why not roll down there after dropping a flare? Or use dirt/stone/whatever and build yourself a ladder down? Or turn Scan Mode on, jump and then jump again right before you hit the bottom? As for enemies being down there, well, again, you can always drop a flare, no? It should give you enough light for a few seconds to get a quick torch up or something.

    *shrugs*

    I never found it to be a problem, really. You start the game using torches, but somehow you forget how to navigate with flares and torches as soon as you get the halogen pack? lawl

    EDIT: And said bubble tech was removed, I dunno, because maybe it was too overpowered in the way that it completely removed the danger of fall damage?
     
    MidniteSteve likes this.

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