New 'Level' System Disincentives Space Exploration

Builder is probably a subset of achiever. I'm talking about the Bartle Test, for the record. It's a pretty well recognized thing.

. . . and yes, I get your 'joke' and did laugh at it.

 

I admit, I am much like the "pirate looter" class in this game, but being the Floran viking-esque savage that I am, shouldn't that be juggled and balanced with the other play style, the miner?

The racial advantages that will be added later in the game should give advantages in the style you wish to play as well. Glitches and fish people are clearly better for mining and sticking around underground due to the nature of the underground, Apex and Avian clearly seem better for exploring a surface due to their mobility, and Floran seem better at being warriors due to energy absorption. If we calculate this into the fact, why don't we all just start playing Glitch? After all, mining is the only way we can get anything valuable now, and way faster.

 

The Bartle Test? Oh dear, I'm less in the know about these things than I knew was possible. I'm afraid I've no idea what in the blue moon the Bartle Test is... I should go and look that up then.

 

It is a beta. Yes its true there isnt much to "explore" when your exploring gains you nothing better then whats on another planet. When more unique planet gear comes into play. Ice planet for ice gear etc. There is more reason to go there. Maybe even random events who knows etc.

 

Are these in the current development map? I don't really know where to find that.

If so, then my issue is somewhat assuaged, but I'd like to see some of the suggestions in this thread given light of day to the devs as well. Some of the things other people suggested here were quite good.

 

Honestly. I don't know if its in the developers maps. I assume it would follow such an idea. Themed planets for themed rewards. I could be wrong but I don't really see why it wouldnt be there! Maybe it should be a suggestion

 

I thought I was playing a game primarily about exploration and fun, not maths.

 

looking at the Pirate VS Miner model as an example. Over time, the loot available to a miner crafting their own gear should be somewhat comparable but not the same, to a Pirate who has invested a similar volume of time planet hopping and looting gear.

would most people agree to the idea in that design?

 

If such a thing were possible I think it would be the perfect blend of a game. I'v yet to see it though. :O

 

no doubt it's a tricky balance, but has anybody actually formally delineated between these emerging game play strategies. have the developers planned for these two emerging play styles or is this just a result of their design? do they intend people to be 50/50 pirate and farmer to smoothly advance through the game or can each game play type advance adequately on their own?

 

I don't understand why levels were purged entirely. After all they have a scaling on weapons and dps. Couldn't they just make some higher health or higher damage monsters that give potentially more loot in the early sector?

It's early beta but this does feel like a pretty big oversight.

 

Tbh to do such a thing requires two fundementally different types of gameplay to cater towards hardcore players who like that style. There will probably be never enough "Pirate" and never enough "farmer" for the other. Hence why i'd be surprised if you could find a perfect balance. Usually i'd say the perfect blend is something that can make an innovating system which requires one to really dip into the other because you want too!

 

Nothing is set in stone right now. Goto test new stuff to find out how appropriate it is. If it really is a bad idea im sure they'll change it.

 

Actually, the opposite should be true. Increased scarcity of villages would require a exploring a larger sample of planets to find one.
If they were everywhere, there would be no real incentive to explore once you do find one unless the gear offerings varied greatly between villages.

 

It ISN'T due to the level system, it's simply due to the fact that planets weren't very diverse (apart from cosmetics) to begin with. The only thing setting them apart was the threat level. See this thread here on my suggestion:

http://community.playstarbound.com/...y-and-the-upcoming-change.44173/#post-1463886

 

Am I the only one who exploited the fact that all you ever needed to go to were level 9 19 and up planets in that pattern? I could easily find a chest with a weapon with high armor penetration or NPCs that would be knocked back enough that I took no damage.

You have no reason whatsoever to go to a low level planet aside from steamrolling mobs for pixels or finding structures. This update makes it so you have reason to go around.

 

we use the term "balance" to describe it, but it's really not an issue of balance.

it has more to do with parity in experience. actions + time = similar qualitative results that seem different. this can be achieved by first grasping that there are two gameplay styles and then making the odds of hitting a rare planet similar to the odds of hitting rare ore deposits at various depths in the dirt. also, at the end of 2 hours of gameplay, the pirate should have a bunch of gear and loot while the miner is sitting on a pile of precious metal. when the looter sells his loot at a shop his value gained should be comparable to the bulk value of the ore. farming can be applied to the same thing. for example, every time you pluck a plant you could have a 10% chance of pulling 3 seeds or even a rare hybrid seed (if they existed), with this rarity throttled based on level to be comparable to mining and pirating.

 

That exactly ! Damn if they add such features to the game I'll be contempt !

 

Nit pick the wording however you wish, I feel that the game did get dumbed down simply because people didn't understand the armor pen system. A blurb in the codex - a quest tutorial perhaps, could have helped smooth that over instead of getting rid the old system entirely. I'm not saying that it was without faults (it most certainly had them) and yes... yes I am COMPLETELY aware this is just the beginning of beta so let's not run over that dead horse please..

I feel like all the weapons are going to be basically the same. You're just going to look for the ones that do the most dmg or have the highest dps since there's knockback involved with a swing... And more often than not (much as I love spears - and I am currently using an awesome lightning one) I feel people will be using swords or hammers for the downward slash attack.

First in dealing with those annoying flying monsters, and also getting at those mobs that are in just that certain position where a crouch and slash will safely do the trick.

Anywho I've rambled on long enough, just wanted to get that out there. I miss the armor pen system and the monster/planet levels. Though I still do enjoy the game and am of course looking forward to see how it all grows as time goes on. I do hope, however, that there's perhaps a balance between the old and the new here..

 

Except that if you increase work without increasing reward in a similar fashion, people will simple refuse to partake in the content.

No, you aren't. But this was a problem with how armor pen gradiated. You shouldn't be able to one shot things with a weapon that's just a level or two higher, which would have made getting a single level armor pen 10 (or equivalent DPS now, about 100ish) weapon not enough to let you steam roll. If things took a few hits to kill you'd also need armor, which you'd need to get ore to make, which would require being vulnerable and dying a bunch.

You could still do it. Suicide runners will suicide run, but it's only a niche subset of gamers that enjoy repeated suicide runs. (A lot of us don't even enjoy the 3-4 runs at a threat 9/10 planet it required to get a chest with a weapon in it)