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Vector Squared -- Starbound Community News, Issue #23

Discussion in 'Starbound Discussion' started by nababoo, Apr 15, 2013.

  1. [​IMG]

    Greetings, and welcome to the 23rd issue of percolating news, Vector Squared. Last week, Vector Squared looked over community issues such as winners of contests, forum downtime, forum issues, and the all-important preorder speculation. We drive up in an armored Ferrari with the preorder dominating a third of the issue, another fan competition, a greeting to the newcomers, and the guest wallpaper for April.

    Brace yourselves. The Starbound is coming.

    Table of Contents
    Somewhat Breaking News! Pre-Order And Rewards!
    While forumgoer Coin was browsing through the list of available medals, he made an interesting discovery. There was, sure enough, a new section of medals called Preorder Rewards, which contained several different “Donor Badges”. Each badge had a different theme; one a penguin, another a heart, another a bolt of lightning and the last a sword. Initial speculation is that each badge is probably for a different tier of donation, or possibly randomly assigned. According to some users, they may even correspond to different Chucklefish games.

    Soon after, Tiy mentioned on the IRC that the next issue of the Starbound Chronicle will contain preorder details. In another IRC statement soon after, he revealed further details. He said that the preorders would be available “tomorrow” (which has already passed). He also announced the following tiers:

    [20:07] <@Tiy> Pixel tier - 1x copy of the full game, when its ready. 1x copy of the beta, when its ready, 1x starbound soundtrack, 1x experimental soundtrack (66 tracks total i believe)
    +4pack
    [20:08] <@Tiy> Silver tier, all of the above + a contributors penguin forum badge
    +4pack
    [20:08] <@Tiy> Gold Tier - all the above, the forum badge is tier 2, you get to name an NPC
    [20:09] <@Tiy> Diamond tier - all the above, tier 3 forum badge, you get to name an npc and your name goes in the credits
    [20:09] <@Tiy> Platinum Tier - all above, tier 4 forum badge, you get to name an npc, name goes in credits + you get to design a hat
    [20:10] <@Tiy> Solarium Tier - game (when ready), beta (when ready), soundtrack, tier 5 badge, name npc, name in credits, design a weapon (its design, how it fires/swings)
    [20:12] <@Tiy> Avian Tier (Price: Free) - no game/soundtrack, but you get a nifty forum badge in return for tweeting about the game
    [20:12] <@Tiy> The high level tiers are pretty expensive, kickstarter style, theyre for people who really want to invest in us
    [20:12] <@Tiy> but I think the base price is good, $15 for the game + a 66 track soundtrack
    [20:15] <@Tiy> second lowest is silver
    [20:15] <@Tiy> around $20, or $60 for a 4 pack

    For further details, refer to Ketoth’s thread here. Tiy also said the price at the time of preorder will be around $20 ($60 for a four-pack), and that the price will be higher at launch. He also clarified that a release date is not yet set, but instead remains at “2013”.

    The following day, true to Tiy’s word, the pre-order for Starbound became available. Sure enough, each tier corresponded to a different badge (there were also several new badges that had not initially been found, including a shield, a star and an Avian). Several hundred thousand dollars has already been given by tens of thousands of backers. The pre-order and its success has gained significant attention in both gaming and social media. This has put the forums into overdrive somewhat, with new members registering by the score while many new threads are made regarding the pre-order. I can only imagine what will happen when the beta arrives. :eek:

    To add extra incentive, a new race will be added if more than $500k is raised. The details are covered in the following article.

    And as if we didn’t have enough thrown at us, the devs have even included the penguin animation, located next to the amount of money raised.
    [​IMG]
    (with bonus Novakid).

    The developers also confirmed the presence of multiple penguin animations for differing amounts of money given, which was further reinforced by the collection of fine images.
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
    A wonderful group of our favourite friends.

    And the Internet itself is confirming the magnificent success of the preorder, with quotes such as:

    See more glowing reviews of the preorder’s progress on this thread by Alluvian_Est-Endrati.

    The preorder page is here for the none of you who missed it. A new pre-order / beta support section has been added to the forums as well, and can be found here if you either need or wish to provide assistance. You may also want to keep an eye on Zangoose’s checklist of funding and backers here. But for now, it’s time to celebrate!


    By Jonesy


    Starbound Preorder Stretch Goals
    Following the massive influx of cash in the preorder, the Starbound team has stated one of their stretch goals -- the Novakid, a new race for Starbound. Achieved once the total amount of money given is more than $500,000. Seeing the current trend, that certainly will be reachable in the next few days.

    The Novakid has been seen in a suggestion thread (Meet the Novakid) in the past, published by forum user Bietol, very similar to Suika Ibuki’s Anodyne models. In fact, the two suggestions are going to be combined, somewhat, and be made into the Starbound version of these plasma-based fiends.


    This goes to show that the devs are alive and watching the threads for some brilliant idea for the game. Just like the Nazgûl. So don’t be afraid of the Mogul blade of silence, publish and publish away, comrades.

    The race described is a group of plasma-based, intuition-following stargoers. Born from the mystical origins of their unrecorded past, they are aloof from different races, stemming from their short attention span and difference between them and other creatures. Their lore shall be implemented by demanrisu with the same level of finesse as the rest of the original six, as long as the $500k goal is reached.

    A wonderful sign that the developers are willing to go further beyond the usual limits and do whatever it takes to bring a good experience to the forum users.

    ~Nababoo


    The Ever-Elusive Easter Eggs
    Following the hunt for Easter Eggs in the Character Generator, AstroBlast has made a thread to display what Eggs have been found and how they were discovered. So far the thread shows three different Eggs, all to do with a specific character name displaying first-tier racial armor. Apparently by typing IFoundAGlitch into the Generator's name box, a set of first-tier Glitch armor is revealed on the character. Similarly, typing in IronEagle and MasterApe reveals first-tier Avian and Apex armor, respectively. Since then, plaYer2k has updated the original Egg-hunting thread with the Easter Eggs and methods of discovery as well.

    By Jonesy


    Tiy Holds an Ask-Me-Anything
    A few hours before the publishing of this week’s issue, Tiy held an AMA on Reddit. The place is a veritable gold mine of information, releasing information about, well... anything you can ask. There’s already been a lot of replies and requests, with the staff responding to most of them.


    My proverbial cousin Bacon made a thread about this as well. It shows off some of the more interesting answers, and more game information. It'll probably serve as a point of discussion regarding the matter from here on.

    Certainly something worth looking at if you’re trying to go for a refresher on your Starbound informations :)

    ~Nababoo


    Camz’s Monthly Fan Competitions
    CyberCat Camz returns this month to bring you all Starboundheads a new fan competition with juicy rewards!

    April’s contest is actually a writing competition, the goal being to produce a story about the main character escaping from his/her home planet as it is invaded by an alien race. Some engaging entries are bound to emerge and all those with an interest in literature should find it both appealing to participate, as well as read what others have written.
    [​IMG]
    There are a couple of rules, such as word limit and such, just to keep things in check, which you may see in the “official” topic right here. That thread is also the place where you may share your entry once it is ready. Should you want to discuss the competition, entries, give feedback or so, you should check out the secondary topic instead.

    Once again, the rewards are a £15 steam voucher for the topdog, a £10 steam voucher for second place, and a £5 steam voucher for the third. It’s very nice of Camz to bestow upon the three winners such pleasant rewards and we all appreciate his devotion.

    Some users have already started participating. Feel free to join the fun and good luck!

    By: Keeper


    Community Newcomers -- A Greeting and a Hello
    Well, well, well. You’ve finally arrived. Hello and welcome to the Starbound community, newcomers! You’ll find your stay here quite hospitable, as long as you avoid the tiger pit to the left there.

    Unsurprisingly, a massive number of new users flooded into the forum after the release of the preorder, and more arriving every day. As a result we’ve seen quite the upwelling of activity in the General Discussion forum and other places besides. This should prove to be a very fruitful time in the forum’s history, and perhaps signaling the dawn of a new age. And champions shall ride to victory and vanquish the beasts of the northern-- ah, well, we all can dream.

    Be kind and receive the new blood with a hearty shake and a good hand. Offer assistance, smile, and be cheery. Hooray.

    ~Nababoo


    April’s Issue of the Starbound Chronicle
    [​IMG]


    Well, my friends, you can unbrace yourselves! The pre-order is indeed here, as you are very likely aware of.

    However, not only that has come this week - The Starbound Chronicle for the month of April has also arrived and it would seem that it got a tiny bit overshadowed by Chucklefish’s growing riches in regards to the pre-order business. But we, the brave sailors at the Vector Squared U-Boat, forget nothing (except when we do)! For that reason, we’re featuring the Chronicle here today. The above image is actually the first of the issue, thus being a landmark for the new era Starbound has recently stepped into.

    So, what does the Chronicle brings us this time? Well, the issue begins with a decent explanation about the pre-order, basically telling us about the tiered system overall. Afterwards, it goes on to the roadmap, where one may keep track of Starbound’s conception progress. The Chronicle then proceeds to a section entitled Community Spotlight, where the Weekly Monster Fan Art Thread as well as the Vector Squared Community Newspaper are featured. Thank you very much, Chronicle-Writers! We more than appreciate the mention. /bow The last article is actually a screenplay for part of a comical play entitled The Lusty Avian Maid, authored by demanrisu. It’s worth taking a look at, as you’re likely to get some giggles from it.

    Finally, the issue presents us a fantastic sock-wearing platypus with dangling eyeballs on its back.
    [​IMG]

    If you’d like to visit the Chronicle, should you have not received the email for some reason, check out this link right here. It was definitely worth the wait. Have a good one!

    By: Keeper


    Guest Wallpaper for April
    Despite the huge rush of information this week and the hype about the pre-order, we must not forget the wallpaper that was released earlier this week. Mainly the April Guest Wallpaper by AndreKent who’s gallery can be found on Newgrounds here.

    [​IMG]

    The wallpaper has a blocky design to it, reminding us that our favorite game is, no matter how realistic we’re picturing it in our heads,l a voxel-based game. Nonetheless we love it so, and that Poptop there is only elevating that fact. I mean look at it! How can one not love him/her/it?!

    Anyways, great job by AndreKent, love to see more of your work and congratulations on the being the April Guest Wallpaper, it was well deserved!

    - WackyWocky


    [​IMG]
    This week’s suggestion spotlight comes from forum comrade Omega Shadowcry. In this suggestion, he puts forward the idea of customization -- extreme, unbridled customisation. To quote its intro paragraph:

    What a wonderful way to draw readers in. Shardival gives us a visual interpretation of the sentence:
    [​IMG]

    This gives rise to the various categories of customizable things. Custom Mount, Mech, and Spacecraft are examples of such. The suggestion contains more examples of an outlandish imagination as well -- gigantic vehicles, mech-combining, mining operations, fortress worlds, and more. All things we’d love to see in the game, I’m sure gigantic spaceship battle.

    Check out the colorful suggestion, perhaps add to the compendium of ideas, and offer your support in these hard times.

    ~Nababoo


    [​IMG]
    This weeks art feature comes from Beaumort! He is a great new artist on the forums that specializes in drawing biomes based off Starbound. His beautifully drawn pieces really capture the sci-fi element of Starbound and its exploratory nature. Here is an example of his work~

    [​IMG]

    Make sure to stop by his art thread and give him some positive words for his great contributions!

    ~ReverseShadow


    Science Trivia
    Direct Neural Interfacing

    What if you could control a robot with your mind, or turn a television on with a thought?

    Direct neural interfacing is the technology to control electronics by detecting electric impulses in the brain and translating them into orders or instructions. What that means is that your thoughts are detected and used to control a machine or electronic device.

    This has a huge range of applications from helping amputees better control their prosthetic limbs to allowing people with complete paralysis talk through specialized computers. The technology may develop the capability of allowing people to drive their cars with their minds or send emails with a thought. There is even the possibility of being able to play videogames with your brain.

    There has been a range of experiments and tests mainly dealing with improving the capability of the software to understand what it is that the brain is telling it to do. Even now it is still difficult for the software to identify what each pattern of neural signals means. With more accurate detection apparatus and more advanced translation programs being worked out, we may soon see this technology available commercially.

    ~harnackam


    Weekly Comic
    [​IMG]
    Perhaps a bit late, but amusing nonetheless.

    Check out ReverseShadow’s Comic thread! Offer a few comments for our comic artist’s amazing work.

    ~ReverseShadow


    [​IMG]
    Q: How do you feel about the current pre-order process?
    A: Feel free to post your views as well as some feedback below!


    Closing Comments
    • Thanks for the mention, Starbound Chronicle! We sure appreciate it :)
    • Due to real life issues, Strife will not be able to write for Vector Squared (hopefully temporarily). Wish him the best of luck, everyone!
    Staff
    Nababoo -- <Insert Boring Title>
    Keeper -- Wordsmith
    WackyWocky -- Space Banana
    ReverseShadow -- Comic L0lcats
    shardival -- Legend of the Brush
    Jonesy -- He Never Asked For This.
    harnackam -- Science Consultant

    Credits


    Previous Issues:
    Issue #1 [] Issue #2 [] Issue #3 [] Issue #4 [] Issue #5 [] Issue #6 [] Issue #7 [] Issue #8 [] Issue #9 [] Issue #10 [] Issue #11 [] Issue #12 [] Issue #13 [] Issue #14 [] Issue #15 [] Issue #16 [] Issue #17 [] Issue #18 [] Issue #19 [] Issue #20 [] Issue #22

    Blue’s Fanmade Newspaper Archive
     
  2. Leokins

    Leokins Subatomic Cosmonaut

    Still loving that random monster.

    [​IMG]
     
    Keeper and nababoo like this.
  3. Awesomized

    Awesomized Oxygen Tank

    How do you have the time to put this together..
     
    druid, Jonesy, AstroBlast and 2 others like this.
  4. Oh cool, a mention! [​IMG]
    *feels like a celebrity*
     
    Ketoth, shardival, Jonesy and 2 others like this.
  5. :chucklefish:
     
  6. Leokins

    Leokins Subatomic Cosmonaut

    You, of all people, should know about having lots of time. ;) I'd say it takes hours.
     
    Jonesy and nababoo like this.
  7. And it's bereft of a link!

    *fixes*
     
  8. Leokins

    Leokins Subatomic Cosmonaut

    I swear the crying penguin makes me sad. It's like they put that in there just in case they got no pre-order purchases. :cry:
     
  9. Not to be nit-picky, but you didn't actually link the thread... [​IMG]
     
    Jonesy likes this.
  10. WackyWocky

    WackyWocky Pangalactic Porcupine

    This needs to be sticky'd. It's being buried under the huge flood of new topics.
     
    nababoo and Jonesy like this.
  11. Jonesy

    Jonesy Sarif's Attack Kangaroo Forum Moderator

    That was a pretty epic issue, and possibly my favourite yet. I'm proud to be a part of it now. :cry:

    By the way, I wonder if Adam Jensen ever asked for that video to be made?
     
    Noobih, nababoo and Keeper like this.
  12. Kirby64

    Kirby64 Space Kumquat

    Another great issue.
    Cracking code?
    PSHH, I KNEW ABOUT THE PRE-ORDER BEFORE YOU LOT, I JUST CHOSE NOT TO TELL YOU.
     
    nababoo and ReverseShadow like this.
  13. Jonesy

    Jonesy Sarif's Attack Kangaroo Forum Moderator

    Bump. We need the thread stickied, stat.
     
    nababoo and WackyWocky like this.
  14. Ghostar

    Ghostar Steakeater

    Good issue guys the Jensen safety dance made me legit giggle.
     
    Leonhartd, Jonesy, nababoo and 2 others like this.
  15. Alluvian_Est-Endrati

    Alluvian_Est-Endrati Existential Complex

    Once again, a good compilation of information from various sources, put together nicely. Well done.
     
    nababoo and Keeper like this.
  16. Great as always!:up:
    Also, nice banner.:)
     
    nababoo, Keeper and WackyWocky like this.
  17. Camz

    Camz Existential Complex

    Thanks,again for featuring the Monthly Fan Competitions Keeper! means alot!:up: Hopefully you can help me judge if your still interested of course... :)

    Your trusty Cyborg-Cat Camz Template.png
     
    nababoo likes this.
  18. shardival

    shardival Pangalactic Porcupine

    I did illustration for article about your contest, but for unknown reason it's not there :unsure:
    Anyway, here you go :p
     
    AstroBlast and blind sniper like this.
  19. With the power of magic and just a sprinkle of love :rainbow:
     
    Jonesy, nababoo and shardival like this.
  20. I thought you were just showing an entry of yours :p
     

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