I don't think the game should bury the sci-fi.

Some of the people in this thread are exceptionally rude, kudos to those guys.

As for me, I'm with you OP, but I've given up on the devs (no offense at all to team Chucklefish) working the game into the sci-fi adventure I was hoping for, particularly because they're not making the game for me, which I understand completely. I'll just wait for the modders to work their magic, to get rid of the well... the magic, among other things.

When I heard sci-fi adventure, I didn't exactly picture pickaxes and torches and swords that shoot magic bubbles and stuff. Just chillout and wait for the inevitable sci-fi overhaul mods.

Speaking of mods, there's a matter manipulator one that gets rid of the necessity of the pickaxes if anyone's interested. http://www.nexusmods.com/starbound/...ound/ajax/moddescription/?id=8&preview=&pUp=1

 

What I really want is the MM to get some heavy upgrades: speed, adjustable grid size, etc.

That thing is basically the be all end all for altering your environment, direct control over physical matter. Can't get more sci-fi than that.

 

You do realize the devs could have just as easily put that in?

"That's the story!" makes no sense as a defense, because it could easily be changed.

In an alternate universe you'd be arguing with OP complaining about starting with a jackhammer, when the character just ran for his life in a random ship, not making sense, saying "It's the future, why wouldn't ships in the future that are used to explore planets come standard with planetary mining tools?"

 

What? I'm not saying lore wise it's not a valid reason... I'm saying "it doesn't make sense with the story" is not a valid reasoning for why it can't happen, because the story could be changed. The ship you stole is a mining ship. Bam, crisis averted, jackhammers and mining helmets with flashlights on them for everyone. I get why the pickaxes makes sense with the context of the story, but that story could be changed at any time... It's not even implemented in the game yet.

Not that I expect them to change it, which is completely fine, but saying "it can't change because it was written that way" is nonsense. Like I said, in an alternate universe, you'd be arguing how "of course there'd be a jackhammer on the ship... Its main job is to explore planets. Mining tools would be standard issue!"

 

two words.

Its beta

 

I now require a warhammer 40k race mod.

 

I like the pickaxes. They give me motivation to chew my way through the game until I reach drills, rock hammers, mining explosives and perhaps a nice mining mech.

The MM isn't a staple nor is it outperformed. The MM has a different role to a pickaxe, it's slower but it has range. Don't wanna dig into a wall or build a climbing platform to reach that gold ore? then use the matter manipulator. Same deal if you wanna help a friend mine something, but you don't want to take their ore. Stand back and use the MM and you won't take their loot.

Having said that, upgrading the MM would be nice, but it should always be a step behind your current tier of shorter ranged mining tools. A game with no strategic choices is a boring game.

 

Well it's really more of an alpha seeing as it's not feature complete, but beta isn't a word you throw up to stop people from commenting on aspects and choices that they don't think work. Part of the point of having an open beta is to allow fans to critic the game before it's released. They even have a leave feedback button on the launch screen that takes you right here. When you try to avoid critic by saying "its beta", your not helping.

 

...

Well, I guess you got me there. Good job.

 

The more uses a tool has, the less efficient it is likely to be.

I have a Swiss Army Knife with 60 tools, but if I know I'm going to need a screwdriver, an actual single-purpose screwdriver is vastly more efficient than the one on the knife.

 

What makes you think that "being able to manipulate matter in any possible ways" means this should be a -fast- process compared to a a tool, even a basic one, that is meant at excelling at manipulating it in one way?

Or that such upgrades will not be coming later for the manipulator? The manipulator is like a swiss army knife. It can do everything, but it doesn<t mean it is meant to be good at it.

The way I see it, the character has only just the core basic tools normally available with his limited knowledge and means, and will develop or discover more advanced means as soon as his logistic capabilities are improved as he gets access to more advanced facilities and knowledge(through discovered recipes telling ways he can make new things).

Which, who knows, -could- involves specialized professional-grade matter manipulators, rather than the civillian swiss army knife thing we start with.

 

Two words for a non-hunting ranged weapon early on.

Cross.
Bow.

^^

 

Reminds me of how I never managed to find a 2-1 VCR/DVD combo that wasn't a piece of crap back in the day.

 

I DON'T THINK THE GAME BURIES THE SCI-FI.

 

I'm under the impression the intention of the game's pacing is to start us off as primitives scraping by to being super high-tech, planet-scale terraforming killing machines stomping around in a mech. Kind of like teching up in Empire Earth or Civilization!

Frankly, when I first started, I figured I'd be on my first world for a while looking for something suitable to fuel my ship. Didn't expect for it to run on logs and coal.

 

i agree about the pickaxes but for a different reason as I would rather have a central tool used for all resource gathering.

However I do like using swords and bows in the early game, when we eventually get to the later tiers with guns it's going to make those weapons all the more awesome ! The weapon progression in this game is going to be a great system IMO.

 

The MM is unique to SB. They should run with the idea and make it the defining and iconic tool of the series. The pick axe feels so minecraft/terraria.

There can still be progression, just tie the upgrades in with the same amount of required resources, and make us upgrade each function individually.

 

ants you

I didn't really notice it till you said it, but running an interstellar starship on wood and coal is kind of funny. It also contributes to the early game's feeling of being primitive or being too much like terraria as others have put it.