What should Starbound really be about?

Ok, Hi there.

I'm WinterExez, and for the longest time, I've been debating with myself what starbound actually is.
Is it a terraria clone, or a minecraft clone?
Is it a game about exploration, or is it just a building simulator.

I've already bought the game, and make no mistake, i love how fun and vast the game is. Especially when you play with friends.
I love the randomness...ness.
I love the art style.
I love the music.

BUT, what i feel uncomfortable with is how much MINING there is in game. Now, i'm not complaining about the mining, just that how much this is similar to games like terraria and minecraft. Should Starbound's core gameplay really revolve around the advancement of tiers and mining or ores? Well, i don't know about you, but in my opinion this is clearly why many people say Starbound is a terraria clone.

And i don't care how much you, or even me, deny it, it clearly has too much of a resemblance.

I believe the only way Starbound can escape out of this is to MOVE its focus and core gameplay to one of exploration. Mining and crafting should only be a secondary mechanic, not the main feature. I'm talking about things like space stations where players can accept quests, and planets that you have to save from the grasps of an interstella empire. Players should be constanly moving from planet to planet and not staying on one to build a house and mine coal. I would love to see premade planets, not premade dungeons. I want opposing factions fighting all over the universe, and i want to be right smack in the middle of it.

And before you all start hating on me, I know that starbound is in beta, and Chucklefish may very well be implementing all this in the next update. I just wrote this to express my own opinions, and i would love to hear your's too.

 

I agree, emphasizing mining in a space exploration game is really rather droll, but I don't think the game puts too much emphasis on it right now. More ways to get materials other than mining would be nice, but most of the interesting dungeons and best items and such are on the surface anyways.

 

I have been playing for a day now and I have hopped planets no fewer than 6 times, the only mining I do is for ores and coal, then I explore the caves and surface for what is around, and seeing the different planets and areas of it really makes it worth while. While the textures look similar the planets do not feel like another, everything is slightly different making it feel like an unknown and exploring has me slightly on edge as I have no idea what to expect when walking through the cave networks with only a torch, a silver pickaxe, some meat chunks and a Hammer I 'acquired' from a village on the second planet. Yes there is mining in this game and you can easily progress to other places on surface mining or stealing from locals, even though not all the content is available the core mechanic are still exploration. Though id like to see more underground dungeons and maybe some sort of space pirates or something like that.

 

They're actually going to be adding this. Beta was supposed to be Starbound, just "Without the storyline", so no quests... Yet.
Soon, though.

 

since when is this a space exploration game?

 

I agree with the OP, although I believe they expressed that they will add more "space" themed patches in the future, right now it's just the barebones hop-to-hop planet mechanic.

It's not exactly a space exploration game, it's just one of the things that stand out.. that doesn't make it look like some terraria clone

 

I always thought it has been from the start. From the game's description, i quote "In Starbound, you take on the role of a character who’s just fled from their home planet, only to crash-land on another. From there you’ll embark on a quest to survive,discover, explore and fight your way across an infinite universe." and "Starbound lets you live out your own story of space exploration, discovery and adventure.". That's why i really hope they'll focus more on exploration.

 

Since always?

Literally the entire damn description is about space exploration. Discover. Explore, Encounter. Investigate. Find. Mystery. These are the words Chucklefish chooses to describe the game. If you don't think that's what this game is about then you obviously haven't been paying any attention to the game at all.

 

I think it should be starbound, oh wait it already is.

 

I think we'll know what it should really be about once they finish all the tech levels, get all the mechanics working, stomp the major bugs, put in all the major features they're tinkering with (weather being the most recent), and in general get the game ready for full release.

Until then, Starbound is the adventures of rogue archaeologists from the Apex society in my book. Explore the cosmos, meet interesting people, steal their cultural artifacts and put them on my ship.

 

-but there is barely any gameplay taking place in space....

"Visting planets" is really just a nicely integrated way of selecting "create world" in other games. I dont see how that constitutes as "exploring space" any more than exploring a world in Minecraft/Terraria. I'm not saying SB doesnt add anything unique to the mix, but its practically the same concept.

Most of the hype ive read about this game is that its a spiritual succesor to Terraria. I see no problem with that description as it accuratey describes the gameplay experience. i.e- mining, building, finding loot. It takes that formula and adds NPC villages and quest.

Its more Terraria than it is X 3, Evochron Mercernary or even Mass Effect.

 

Starbound should be a game of ultimate adventure, freedom and exploration, not a mining simulator. Sure, it is good to have mining in the game, but it shouldn't be a main objective of the game like Starboud.

 

I like the mining and crafting, it's a sandbox game, I should be able to play it how I like it/

 

Being a sandbox, it is what you want it to be to some degree. For me, I dream mainly of multiplayer ship combat (hopefully Tiy doesn't change his mind about it), as well as the constant run of the mill quest for LOOT.

 

Cultural artifacts? They those shiny things I accidentally pick up when I'm strip mining some alien goof's valuable walls and floors? I was wondering about them.

 

I like it too, but it shouldn't be the only way how to advance in this game.

 

Current big emphasis on mining derives from the fact that:

i) most of the best items need to be crafted rather than found.
ii) progression to next tier can only be crafted

Balancing loot drops to compete with crafting is needed.
Ideally, scrapping galaxy map progression altogether with a single unified galaxy would be lovely.

New mechanics also needed to distinguish Starbound from Terraria in core gameplay, like passive grinding; experience, skills, or other methods of rewarding the player for time spent playing rather than simply ore/loot gathered, which is all abruptly rendered obsolete in next tier anyway.

More item slots and stats, multiple tech use would be good. Etc.

 

-but thats what kind of game this is. Its like saying you shouldnt have to kill people to advance in GTA or a GTA clone.

This game is going to need a whole HEAP of content if you want it to be an actual space RPG without mining, building. It may get there (after a few years), but right now its a mining game with a space motif. If this game doesnt require its MAIN gaming mechanic, you leave behind a very shallow randomized planet "exploration" game.

 

Says who? It should be whatever Chucklefish intends it to be. If they want an amphasis on mining and crafting, so be it. Things like combat, quests and endgame may take centre stage later down the roadmap.. This is still baby steps in the games development.

 

I would personally like it more if the exploring apart of the game was more advanced so that you could advance through the tiers without actually mining/with very little mining. (yes, this might include stealing from/slaughtering villages).
Hopefully this is a thing that will happen. I would like mining to be for exploring as well, not "go get x amount of ore to make a sword/shield/armor/tier advancement stuff.