[Idea] Remove Picks, upgrade The Matter Manipulator

I'm a fan of adding a bunch of cool stuff like that as well. I just don't like having a futuristic tool that is designed for breaking down and moving matter to be less useful than a sharp rock tied to a stick.

 

The manipulator will always matter because it's what you use to place blocks/furniture. (Actually do you needed it to place blocks? I never did test that myself.) You could also do something where you keep the MM upgraded just behind your chainsaw or your mining drill. Keep it flexible and generalist, but not as fast as the other tools.

 

I like the basic tools. It has a nice feeling of working backwards to move forward.

On that note, I do agree with an upgraded manipulator later in the game, say past gold/platinum/titanium/hulkhonium ore tools.

I also would like to see high tech specialized tools too. A laser cutter for only very quick single block removal and a sonic 'cough-something' for only quickly removing multiple blocks where the full upgraded manipulator is the in-between. Those tools can also have added effects such as mild damage, knockback, etc.

Same goes for building tools. Specialized tools for placing down 1x5 tiles, or even a fill tool would be neat.

 

I agree, though I think MM upgrades should come after iron tier. Gold, silver, and diamonds would be great in making circuitry in real life (crystals have properties which are useful for electronics) while they'd be horrible

No you don't need it. And why? It's a matter manipulator.

 

Selling... Point...?

"Hey man, check out this game!"
"Alright, let's take a look..."
"Check it out, it's got tons of monsters, guns, and a matter manipulator!"
"Wait, you serious?! A matter manipulator?"
"Hell yeah, I'm serious! It's got extended range and everything!"
"Dude, sweet!"
"IKR?"
"Dude, this game is awesome, how do I buy it?"

(that's how I assume people discuss selling points)

Anyway, I'd like to keep the picks, but have the upgraded MM be used for details instead of mining. More range for the MM, and more blocks for the pickaxes.
Then, later along the line, I'd like to see drills or something replace picks.

I'd also like to see upgraded versions of the other tools. Trees on higher level planets were supposed to be harder to cut at one point, meaning that a better axe/chainsaw would be handy. Also, a stone hoe could be upgraded to hoe several tiles at once.

 

Wouldn't a matter manipulator be way easier to use than a chainsaw? As in, just destroy the molecular bonds.

 

I recall they did a building trailer that ended up showing off the matter manipulator. It looked rather cool in that trailer. It was was used a lot in streams. With the combo of being cool and advertised, I could easily see someone thinking of it as a selling point for the game.

 

I agree with this as well. The game throws you into a futuristic start with a ship and advanced tech on the ship so to speak, yet you enforce the crafting of severely unrealistic tools, while it may seem like a cool idea to have them given you are supposedly "stranded at first" would it not be better to start the player on a planet and have them craft some primitive tools as part of the tutorial quest chain which then allows the player to beam back up to the ship and grab the a basic tier "matter manipulator" which from then on introduces the concept of upgrading your "matter manipulator" over using primitive tools.

This could be further backed by a short intro sequence as the game development progresses to show how you lost your tech at the start and have been stranded on the initial planet which I feel would be a better solution to the current gathering tools as well as a better start to the game.


This post was moved from another thread into this one by myself since this thread better explains the idea of higher grade matter manipulators and overall is a better written thread.

 

To me, it's as ridiculous as pickaxes in Minecraft being a selling point.

 

The idea of an upgraded Matter Manipulator does seem pretty cool whilst offering an alternative to pickaxes that we currently have, but it would be nice to see if possible to give certain modifications to it from finding certain items from bosses or dungeons that can do either of the following: upgraded range (includes placement), upgraded speed, different types of mining sizes such as 2x1, 3x1, 2x2, 2x4, etc (with the ability to toggle between upgraded mining sizes), upgraded placement size (some items that can be placed may not apply to it), new features that the MM could do like: the ability to click and drag objects around (without having to pick them up with a pickaxe or something), using a picked item to shoot it at things, and so on.

But there would also be limits how many modifications you could do it, and there could be even different Tiered MM's to go along with it that may come with one of those abilities and the modifications from bosses or dungeons would be rare so you wouldn't be able to get them that easily.

 

Pickaxes aren't as cool though. It's not the same thing.

 

Minecraft isn't as cool.

I mean, of all the things in Starbound to be excited about, why a plasma cutter with a glowy beam?
You could pick random planets, bosses, monsters, guns, swords, axes, races, spaceships, music, gameplay, potions, armor, plants, the way trees fall...
So many things are more interesting and shiny than the M.M.

 

But an all-in-one tool is something that so few games with building in them have. It's not ridiculous to think that someone on the edge of buying the game would be pushed over by the idea of never having to put up with dealing with a bunch of tools they have to switch to all of the time.

 

Well, I suppose that's your preference, and there's no reason to argue.

However, I am not a tool enthusiast, and as such, I don't care nearly as much.

 

I created a forum account just to suggest this. I STRONGLY agree, futuristic tools could set the building/harvesting in this game apart from the rest

 

In a sandbox game - a very well-done one may I add - It is extremely discouraging to see a community that wants to eliminate options for other people.
I fell in love with the idea of crash landing onto another planet, using my bare hands to construct something, even if it is something as basic as a "rock tied to a stick". Then eventually being able to create something so different it would instill a major sense of accomplishment. I fell in love with the idea of Starbound letting you essentially be whomever you wanted to be, and truly nailing that dream. Maybe I never want to make it past a pickaxe. I love the idea of living in a small wooden house in the snow. Falling my own trees with my own axe. Mining my own quarry with my own pick, and farming my own food with a hoe. Maybe you want a super-duper high level matter manipulator….maybe you aren't tough enough to swing an axe or carry more than one item. Or maybe you'd like a chainsaw with a laser blade that immediately refines wood. You should have that option.

No? Alright then, let's go with your logic. Let's eliminate the pick, the axe, and the hoe because they are basic, because we wanted a futuristic game. Let's then also eliminate the battle-ax, the sword, the shield, the hammer, the bow (Seriously, what is this, Final Fantasy?), anything besides the most futuristic armor (yes no more standard clothing), guns..eliminate those pesky guns that I'm always being shot at with. Coal! Let us eliminate coal, because seriously, humans would of used the last of this "coal" thousands of years ago….those pesky humans. And furthermore, since when would alien planets have minerals from earth? Should they not have their own alien minerals? What is all this silver, copper, and iron that I'm finding across the universe? Let us remove all that too!When would we use a anvil to craft things? I haven't used one of those since the medieval century! Speaking of which, why do Glitch's have a medieval theme? That's so not futuristic, let us cank that too. In fact, let us remove all those themes from the past. I certainly did not pay money to play a futuristic game where I would be forced to play alongside a cowboy, an aztec, or a samurai from feudal Japan.Need I say anything about the lanterns? Come on people…Guitars! Guitar's are so 21st century. Viva la revolucion!

 

No. Like I said before, tools should be purpose based. In a game like Minecraft, separate block-breaking tools make sense, it's medieval/ancient era technology. But in a futuristic game, where you actually have a matter manipulator, it should not be the crappiest tool in the game. The matter manipulator fills one purpose, breaking and placing blocks, no more tools needed. The wiring tool manipulates wiring. The flashlight gives handheld light. The rope lets you climb. Picks and axes shouldn't be removed, they should just be low level tools. Iron being the highest level. After that, you craft chipsets for your matter manipulator. Weapons on the other hand are not tools. Variety is something to be celebrated in weapons because they exist to be fun. Tools exist for nothing else than to do what you need to do. When's the last time you actually had FUN mining in Minecraft (I'm not talking about exploring caves, I'm talking about the act of mining the ore itself). As to removing copper, silver, and iron, those are fundamental elements which are quite common throughout the universe. Saying otherwise displays a blatant lack of knowledge of chemistry. We would use an anvil while we're still struggling to survive. Gaining access to a useful matter manipulator (which should be metal working station minimum) would be badge of success! Sort of like finding diamond is in Minecraft. The reason for the Glitch's medieval theme is well-founded in lore, as to the others, the cultures don't harm suspension of disbelief. Musical instruments survive long amounts of time with instances of the lyre, the harp's ancestor, being dated as far back as 2500 BC. It's not too unlikely for instruments today to survive that long.

 

Seeing how we are starting to get off track, I'd say we should focus on how the MM could be a more viable tool in a way that is still balanced. So I'm going to throw an idea out there. Currently, the game starts you off on a random planet, and your starting quest line is to get some basic materials to build the beacon. There is an extremely good chance it will be changed and balanced over time, so I'm going to base this off of that quest but not strictly adhere to it. I was thinking something along the lines of this:

Quest 1: Using a container to get the Matter Manipulator

This quest is basically the same. Open the container and grab your gear to complete the quest. The difference is the completion message. It will now say something along the lines of "You have retrieved your Matter Manipulator, but it appears to have been damaged. It still works, but not as well as it used to."

Quest 2: Make a Crafting Bench

Besides general text changes to explain how to mine and how to open the crafting inventory, this is the same.

Quest 3: Craft a Pickaxe (New quest)

This is an entirely new quest, and it tasks you with creating a Stone Pickaxe and a Stone Axe. The starting message will be something like "Seeing how your Matter Manipulator is damaged, looks like you need to do things the old fashioned way for a while. Gather Cobblestone and Wood Planks." When you finish the quest it says "These will work until you can fix your equipment."


After that, the quests are basically the same until you get to the Distress Beacon quest. One thing to note is that the tiers will change. You can upgrade to Copper or Iron, but that is it. No Silver, Platinum, Gold, or Diamond upgrades for standard tools. When you destroy the UFO or whatever they replace it with later, you will receive a few items as a Quest Reward. You receive some upgrade items for the Matter Manipulator. The items you get are a Standard Battery, a Standard Capacitor, a Standard CTC (Control and Targeting Computer), and a Standard Lens. The completion text for the quest is something like "Good work destroying the attacking ship. After scavenging the wreckage, you find replacement parts for your Matter Manipulator. Better get back to the ship and make some repairs."

So you go up to your ship, and activate the 3D Printer. One of the Options is "Electronics Bench". Selecting that brings up a GUI for upgrading the MM. There are 5 parts you can upgrade on the MM. They are:

• Battery: Provides Power for the Matter Manipulator. Each upgraded item costs a different amount of Power, so to use higher level stuff you need a better Battery.
• Capacitor: Determines the strength of the Matter Manipulator, which is how fast it breaks down materials. This is measured in Units/Second.
• Control and Targeting Computer (CTC): Controls the range of the Matter Manipulator, and how far away you can break and place materials.
• Lens: Controls how big of an area you can manipulate at once. All Lenses can do at least the 1x1 Grid. Some can do a range of sizes (For example, a Lens might allow you to manipulate anywhere from 1x1 Grids to 5x5 Grids), and the exact size of the Grid can be controlled while you are using it. There are other specialty Lenses that can only do set sizes. For example, a Lens might allow you to break down a 1x6 strip of material. Another might allow you to break down material in a Smiley face. Some are meant for actual work, and some are rare and just for fun.
• Expansion Slot: This is a specialty slot that adds extra features to your Matter Manipulator. For example, there might be an Ore Focus upgrade that will mine out Ore and leave the ground around it intact. Or there could be a Flashlight upgrade. There could even be a Pixel Extraction item that gives you extra Pixels when you break items that drop Pixels with it. These can do fun things or they can be very powerful. To keep things balanced these would be rare, scattered across the galaxies.

EDIT: One thing to note about the Grid Size and strength of the Matter Manipulator. The Capacitor breaks down blocks at a constant rate. Lets say the rate for Block X is 1 Block per second. That means if you are using the 1x1 Grid, it will take you 1 second to break Block X. If you use a larger grid, the beam spreads out evenly over the entire area, increasing the time it takes to break that grid. So for a 2x2 Grid, it would take 4 seconds to mine, because there are 4 total blocks being mined at 1 block/second. If you used a 5x5 Grid, it would take 25 seconds because there are 25 total blocks being mined. So it is smart to adjust your grid to fit the area you need to mine to save time.

The first time you use the Electronics Bench, you replace the Damaged Lens, Damaged Battery, Damaged CTC, and Damaged Capacitor with the standard ones you just received. Those are junk now, so you can keep them or dispose of them. However, in case you ever lose your upgrades somehow, you can now print the standard items from your 3D Printer for a small Pixel fee. With these upgrades in place, your Matter Manipulator can now mine a 3x 3 Grid like the Pickaxe, and it works as well as the Silver Pickaxe currently does (which would be replaced by the Iron Pickaxe). It also has a slightly extended range.

The upgrade system is easy to use. Battery gives you Power to work with, and all other components take away Power. You cannot have a Matter Manipulator with negative Power, so you need to make sure your Battery is good enough to handle your upgrades. If not, you will need to craft or find a better one.

There is one other function of the Electronics Bench. You can customize the appearance of your Matter Manipulator. You can do this by finding "frames", which are different physical models for the MM. For example, one might look like an electronic glove with the beam coming from the palm of your hand. There could be countless other frames to choose from, to make it truly your tool. To switch frames, you simply put the new frame in the slot for it, pay a small Pixel fee, and your upgrades are transferred to the new frame, which becomes your new MM. And in case you ever want to go back, you get the old frame when you switch to a new one. For another small Pixel fee, you can choose a primary and secondary color for the Matter Manipulator, and those colors will be visible on your MM for you and others to see.

I think this is a good way to keep the current tools in the game (but scaling their use way back, keeping them more of a story item from your first world), and make the MM better. It allows for a lot of functional customization, which is important in a sandbox game. If the MM is truly THE tool of the game, this would be a good way to go about it while keeping it balanced. It also allows for your own unique look, which a lot of people would enjoy. After all, what better way to make a statement than with a fully decked out multitool that you are always going to have with you?

 

I like playing Starbound.

Have you been to every galaxy in our universe? Do you know what fundamental elements make up every planet in a fictional game?

Oh I am pretty sure if we wanted to try and break down the chemistry of Starbound to the molecular level, it would be far different that anything we know. So yes, I do lack knowledge, but I would be enlightened if you could share with the rest of us, this "alien" chemistry that you speak of.

You get a diamond pickaxe. You get a diamond pickaxe. You get a diamond pickaxe.

 

I agree with what you are saying, and I do think we should keep both. But I would like to see the Matter Manipulator wind up being more powerful than regular Pickaxes or Axes or Hoes, while keeping the Pickaxe from totally sucking. It should still be a capable and useful tool for anyone who, like you said, chooses to live the simple life on a friendly little planet. It should still be able to break any item that a Matter Manipulator can. But I definitely want the MM to be the awesome future technology that it can be.