Star Traders: Frontiers

Started by spelk, January 10, 2018, 06:50:25 AM

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spelk

#15
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."

airboy

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.

jamus34

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.
Insert witty comment here.

Geezer

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.
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.  George Bernard Shaw

airboy

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.


Geezer

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.  George Bernard Shaw

Boggit

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:
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airboy

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.

JasonPratt

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
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Jarhead0331

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.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


bbmike

Ok, I bought it! And yes, where is that backstory?
"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplace of existence."
-Sherlock Holmes

"You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."
-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you!"
-The Doctor

"Before Man goes to the stars he should learn how to live on Earth."
-Clifford D. Simak

Geezer

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.  George Bernard Shaw

Jarhead0331

Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


bbmike

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplace of existence."
-Sherlock Holmes

"You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."
-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you!"
-The Doctor

"Before Man goes to the stars he should learn how to live on Earth."
-Clifford D. Simak

airboy

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.