I hope we haven't discussed this before, but the Trese Brothers have their new spaceship/trading/crew managing RPG game Star Traders: Frontiers out on Steam in Early Access at the moment.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/335620/Star_Traders_Frontiers/
And it's looking like a goodie. Especially if you're into speeding around the Star Traders Universe (which has been likened a smidge to Dune) sorting out your ship bits, trading commodities, doing missions, possibly spying/smuggling/pirating and managing your boisterous crew.
Hand crafted RPG stories, but mixed into a procedurally generated Universe with random events and narratives to cope with. Mutinies! *shudder*.
Anyways, might be something folks are interested in.
Thanks for posting, going to check it out.
Been on my wishlist. :nerd:
almost bought at christmas - spent a long while watching lets plays - looks very good
As additional info, Space Game Junkie did a podcast interview with the Trese Brothers (although the audio was a bit shonky in places) where they discuss the mechanics intimately.
Here on the Youtubes
or audio..
https://www.spacegamejunkie.com/podcasts/sgj-podcast-230-star-traders-frontiers/
On the Trese brothers web site under the Forums/Community, there is a sweet guide/tips page (lots of very interesting information if you want to find out some of the ins and outs of the game).
http://startradersrpg.proboards.com/thread/15766/st2-unofficial-players-guide-tables
Theres a vid playlist of short training clips
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLay1GrDAMWK5xUh4ZN-RM42_mtzrBDfwo
There is a Wiki
https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Star_Traders_Wiki
Getting Started Guide
https://startraders.gamepedia.com/Getting_Started_Guide
Because the Star Traders Universe has been established in the previous mobile games, there is a huge amount of Lore stuff
available...
Two Star Traders fiction novels available for small change at Amazon/Kindle, Google Play etc..
http://www.tresebrothers.com/fiction/
A forum based choose-your-own adventure comic, drawn by the artist of the game (I think)
http://startradersrpg.proboards.com/thread/13498/vigilante-skies-star-traders-comic
They say on the podcast, that the game should be
in full release within around two months. From what I've played of it, and I haven't got very far, it seems to be fully featured and very playable.
I own this game, for about two weeks. I like it. There are some balance problems, and some of the mechanics aren't well explained, but for what it tries to do, it does very well.
The best mechanic is prioritizing your character build. If you wish to be a trader, than any old rust bucket will do, but you might want to upgrade your trade, charisma, and negotiating skills.
For a bounty hunter, it might be the reverse. Get yourself a bad-ass ship, and have fewer points to spend on your personal traits.
I need to play this to completion before a final grade, but this game does appear to have legs, and depth.
This game is now out of early access. Seems for $11.99 that this one is a no brainer, for me at least. Anyone play the release version, and have any thoughts?
I picked it up when it was 20% off over the weekend. Haven't had a chance to play yet though.
Quote from: jamus34 on August 06, 2018, 11:40:00 AM
I picked it up when it was 20% off over the weekend. Haven't had a chance to play yet though.
+1. Booted it up and looked around a bit, but haven't spent any real time with it yet.
It looks quite good and surprisingly deep -- definitely worth taking a chance on at $12.
Have been trying to get into it, but I am bored to tears. First off I guess you have to read the lore book to understand what is going on. No real tutorial to tell you what the hell everything does, so you just wind up clicking buttons trying to figure things out. I'm guessing if you really want to put in the time, you might get something out of this game. But so far it is a real slog to get there.
It looks to be my kind of game, so for $12 it was an easy decision to pick it up. I started reading the lore book last night and created a character. So far it has caught my imagination and am looking forward to the adventure ahead.
Quote from: bboyer66 on August 07, 2018, 03:31:35 PM
Have been trying to get into it, but I am bored to tears. First off I guess you have to read the lore book to understand what is going on. No real tutorial to tell you what the hell everything does, so you just wind up clicking buttons trying to figure things out. I'm guessing if you really want to put in the time, you might get something out of this game. But so far it is a real slog to get there.
I had the same experience with their previous games on the iPad, despite positive reviews.
Nonetheless its cool to see these one or two man projects.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Another interesting game to buy.
I hate all of you even more! :pullhair:
Quote from: bboyer66 on August 07, 2018, 03:31:35 PM
Have been trying to get into it, but I am bored to tears. First off I guess you have to read the lore book to understand what is going on. No real tutorial to tell you what the hell everything does, so you just wind up clicking buttons trying to figure things out. I'm guessing if you really want to put in the time, you might get something out of this game. But so far it is a real slog to get there.
There IS a learning curve. I may revisit this one, now that it is out of early access.
I just picked up Parkitect, may be a bit! It is SO cool to be completely retired. Now, instead of playing video games 60 hours a week, I can play them 100 hours a week! I can get a LOT off the ol' list!
Quote from: DennisS on August 08, 2018, 09:30:16 PM
It is SO cool to be completely retired. Now, instead of playing video games 60 hours a week, I can play them 100 hours a week!
+1 !!! :) :) :)
Of course, the whole "getting old" part sucks...
Fraser Brown writing for RPS is a fan
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/08/09/star-traders-frontiers-review
Quote"Dune seems like an obvious source of inspiration, with the spice and warring feudal houses, but the web of politics and intrigue that spreads out across the galaxy is also evocative of both from The Expanse and Babylon 5. That's some excellent company to be in, and Star Traders more than earns the comparison. It's a galaxy that feels lived-in and coherent. It's steeped in lore, but importantly it's lore that serves the plot. Instead of just filling space or giving the illusion of history, it explains why the galaxy's in the state you find it in. And when there's exposition, it's part of the natural flow of a conversation, not a big information dump."
I went ahead and bought this. I'm hoping I can play in a sandbox as a trader/smuggler in space. We will see how it turns out.
First, I have to learn the game system.
From the time I put into this over the weekend you should be able to easily achieve this goal.
I started up two games, first following the main quest heavily and the second as a pirate. In my mind this is about as close to a "Firefly" game as you can get. Really the only thing thats missing is a more in-depth inter-crew relationships.
I just picked this up as well. Only did the first part of the arbiter story and poked around all the different screens. Going to play my first game as an explorer. Should be easy to get my moneys worth out of it.
I've played about 10 hours of this. Best sandbox space game I've seen ever. You can ignore the main plot and:
a] become a pirate
b] become a trader
c] become a privateer
d] spend part of your time being an explorer or spy (not enough money in these to make it a full blown occupation).
The galaxy is huge. The biggest thing about being an independent is building your initial contacts (people who give you missions and can upgrade your military ranks and/or trading permits) with factions other than the one you start out with.
Money is the key, and there are a lot of ways to make money in the game. None of them are exactly "easy," but it is possible to do it.
The ship combat and the boarding crew/away team combat are interesting. You have to walk away from a lot of encounters, especially at the start.
Update #95 adds dry dock queues and more: https://store.steampowered.com/news/?appids=335620
It's a great game, and the updates are very regular. In my opinion it's a quality game and the devs are really listening to the players given the frequent updates. It can get a bit samey at times, but there is also a good backstory that adds a more interesting dimension. That the crew can be constantly improved as you gain experience reminds me some of FTL, which is a cool feature. There is lots to do, and gaining influence with powerful factions adds yet another dimension to the game. :clap:
The game has a well defined back story. There is a short (24 pages with not so many words) explaining the universe, the power players, and the biggest events in the universe over the last 700 years or so. The main plot leans heavily on this backstory for the "why" behind the plot changes. The backstory also explains how the trading system came about.
I read the backstory before I started playing and it helped me get a handle on how to succeed in the Universe without taking a total power gaming perspective.
This was a well done part of the game.
Considering that the goal was to sort-of port the original Warhammer40K system, Rogue Trader (as they're mimicking Space Hulk elsewhere), this is sufficiently high praise. O0
Quote from: airboy on August 21, 2018, 09:20:41 AM
The game has a well defined back story. There is a short (24 pages with not so many words) explaining the universe, the power players, and the biggest events in the universe over the last 700 years or so. The main plot leans heavily on this backstory for the "why" behind the plot changes. The backstory also explains how the trading system came about.
I read the backstory before I started playing and it helped me get a handle on how to succeed in the Universe without taking a total power gaming perspective.
This was a well done part of the game.
Where is this located? In game? On the web? In the root directory? Thanks.
Ok, I bought it! And yes, where is that backstory?
Backstory: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hxev05ooli1rp37/Star%20Traders%20Frontiers%20Lore%20Book%20-%20Volume%201.pdf?dl=0
Thank you!
+1 O0
When you start the game in the upper right hand corner is a web link to the wiki for the game and the backstory.
I've attached a screenshot.
Quote from: airboy on August 22, 2018, 07:50:28 AM
When you start the game in the upper right hand corner is a web link to the wiki for the game and the backstory.
I've attached a screenshot.
That makes it easy, thanks!
Well, the lore behind this game is certainly very interesting, but I'm not entirely sold on the actual gameplay yet. I think the universe is large, with lots of locations to visit, the economy is interesting and crew management is pretty complex. However, everything that drives these systems seems to be exceptionally repetitive. Encounters in space and ship combat are very repetitive and if I'm traveling a long distance across several jump points, the frequent interruptions are eye-rolling. It all just gets very monotonous. Same with landing on planets or docking at ports. Subject to rank, level, reputation, etc. it's much the same.
Maybe I'm still too early? I only have about 3 to 4 hours, if that. It does have that just one more turn quality, but I can see it wearing thin at present. I certainly don't share airboys glowing opinion yet.
Star Traders is an RPG trading game - a really good RPG trading game. If you are successful, you have the cash (or take the missions) to become a licensed trader for every faction. After that, the interruptions are very brief with an acknowledgement and you are on your way.
Both space and ground battles are stylized and turn based. If you have a more experienced crew and officers, you have more options in space and ground combat. But it remains sylized space and ground turn based combat.
It is an excellent turn-based, sandbox RPG trading game. There are a couple of interesting meta-plots going on. But trade is - repetitive. You do the same types of deals on different planets to make a credit.
If you like this type of game, it is a very good game with a lot of depth. If a trading game is not something that holds a lot of interest for you - you will not care for this game.
I think this captures both what Jarhead is saying and my earlier comments. I might write a review because for some grogs this is an awesome game and for others it will be repetitive and boring. I've played a total of 49 hours and it totally hooked me for a week.
I like trading games, but usually when there is more of a management component, like setting up bases and networks, buying and selling transport ships, organizing commodities, etc. In Star traders it's just you, your crew and your ship. You buy products in one place and sell them someplace else and everything that happens inbetween gets repetitive very quickly.
Sounds like we're just playing two separate games, LoL. I just don't see it being the "best" anything yet. Definitely worth a look though, even if you have a passing interest in the genre.
I wrote "best" when I was in my two day "just one more turn" frenzy. I think it is very good for what it does. I concur that it is probably not "best" as a trading game. Very good for certain things, but less so than others in different things.
Probably worth a review. This is one of those games that probably has a very high appeal to some, some appeal to others, and is an "avoid" for the rest.
Quote from: airboy on August 25, 2018, 08:59:12 AM
Probably worth a review. This is one of those games that probably has a very high appeal to some, some appeal to others, and is an "avoid" for the rest.
I think you absolutely should do the review. I look forward to reading it!
I only have 7 hours in the game so far which is not really enough for a firm opinion. I've certainly had fun with it and will more than get my moneys worth out of it as I play more.
@Jarhead - You could check out Interstellar Transport Company for a game that sounds more like what you are looking for with fleets, bases, and such. I don't even have 5 hours in this one so it's not a recommendation from me yet, but it sounds more like what you want.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/573490/
QuoteABOUT THIS GAME
Build a galactic transportation empire! Help colonize the galaxy and dominate the competition in single player and online multiplayer. Use your business cunning to take your fledgling company from humble beginnings on Earth and it's neighboring planets and moons to the far reaches of the Galaxy. Buy ships, manage routes, conduct trade deals, build infrastructure, colonize new worlds, invest in local industry; All set in a procedurally generated galaxy with challenging AI, and Online Multiplayer. You will have a new experience every time you play.
Quote from: Geezer on August 25, 2018, 09:55:00 AM
I only have 7 hours in the game so far which is not really enough for a firm opinion. I've certainly had fun with it and will more than get my moneys worth out of it as I play more.
@Jarhead - You could check out Interstellar Transport Company for a game that sounds more like what you are looking for with fleets, bases, and such. I don't even have 5 hours in this one so it's not a recommendation from me yet, but it sounds more like what you want.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/573490/
QuoteABOUT THIS GAME
Build a galactic transportation empire! Help colonize the galaxy and dominate the competition in single player and online multiplayer. Use your business cunning to take your fledgling company from humble beginnings on Earth and it's neighboring planets and moons to the far reaches of the Galaxy. Buy ships, manage routes, conduct trade deals, build infrastructure, colonize new worlds, invest in local industry; All set in a procedurally generated galaxy with challenging AI, and Online Multiplayer. You will have a new experience every time you play.
I've had it since EA. Very good game.
Put some time into this one, and in the end I think this one is going on the shelf. It started off very well, however with the bland combat, and lack of real ship differentiation when purchasing, and the component and weapon upgrades uninteresting.... it just falls short after some real investment into the game. Trade is pretty boring and it gets real repetitive. The story was interesting, however the jumps, constant interdiction with random ships, the inconsistent missions etc... it just became too much for me in the end. I think they have a good base to the game, however in the end there is just not enough staying power, maybe in the next version. Time to warp out of this one.