- Joined
- Mar 7, 2022
- Messages
- 40
“Starbase is a hybrid voxel/vertex-based space MMO.” These are the words that Frozenbyte uses to introduce people to Starbase. However, many people have different ideas of what these words mean. With Frozenbyte resuming development and supposedly making some sort of announcement in April, I thought that it was a good idea to share what I think would make Starbase great. I don’t expect Frozenbyte to listen to all my ideas, but I still think that it would be nice to stake out my position for everyone to comment on it.
This will be a series of articles examining different aspects of the game so that I can better focus on each. In this article, I think that it’s important to first examine the general “feel” of Starbase. A good place to start is the frequent divide between “PvP” and “PvE” players. I am a player who embraces both styles of gameplay. I design, build, and operate mining ships and I have willingly engaged people in combat multiple times in the past and probably more times in the future. Having experienced both and thought about what I want to see in the game, I think that Starbase needs to enable both playstyles.
PvE is necessary for at least some players to perform some of the time, as otherwise eventually everyone’s stockpile of resources will run out and PvP players cannot afford to build any new fighters. Therefore, I think that the game needs to carefully balance the desires of PvE and PvP players. I think that the Origin safe zone should remain as-is, but that outside of it there should be an element of risk or cost. If players don’t want even the chance of being attacked, then they can stay just in the Origin safe zone. Outside of it, players must use their wits and resources to avoid and/or handle PvP encounters. I’ll examine the mechanics in greater detail in future posts, but if avoiding PvP entirely imposes disadvantages, costs, or greater mental acuity, then more people will start taking more risks. This way, PvE-focused players have the option for counterplay against the inevitable interest from aggressive PvP players looking to prey upon miners.
I think that this mechanic enabled prodding is important for the game, because as of February 18, 2024, the only realistic form of PvP is pre-arranged dueling. If sieges were moved to live as-is, the only reason to siege down stations would be for fun, which would eventually dwindle. Adding reasons to enable and encourage PvP outside of these pre-arranged duels is important to keep up player interest and keep the economy moving. PvE generates resources through asteroid mining and shipbuilding, while PvP consumes resources through destroying ships and stations. Without one or the other, the economy breaks down and the game becomes stale. Nevertheless, I think that it’s very important that PvE players have ways to handle increased risk of PvP beyond simply mounting a few guns on their mining ships. This deepens the game experience and promotes interaction between the two groups of people. If friendly PvP players are sharing tips and tricks with PvE players, it helps both groups come to understand each other better.
Next article I look forward to examining the balance between solo and co-operative play. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to answer them.
This will be a series of articles examining different aspects of the game so that I can better focus on each. In this article, I think that it’s important to first examine the general “feel” of Starbase. A good place to start is the frequent divide between “PvP” and “PvE” players. I am a player who embraces both styles of gameplay. I design, build, and operate mining ships and I have willingly engaged people in combat multiple times in the past and probably more times in the future. Having experienced both and thought about what I want to see in the game, I think that Starbase needs to enable both playstyles.
PvE is necessary for at least some players to perform some of the time, as otherwise eventually everyone’s stockpile of resources will run out and PvP players cannot afford to build any new fighters. Therefore, I think that the game needs to carefully balance the desires of PvE and PvP players. I think that the Origin safe zone should remain as-is, but that outside of it there should be an element of risk or cost. If players don’t want even the chance of being attacked, then they can stay just in the Origin safe zone. Outside of it, players must use their wits and resources to avoid and/or handle PvP encounters. I’ll examine the mechanics in greater detail in future posts, but if avoiding PvP entirely imposes disadvantages, costs, or greater mental acuity, then more people will start taking more risks. This way, PvE-focused players have the option for counterplay against the inevitable interest from aggressive PvP players looking to prey upon miners.
I think that this mechanic enabled prodding is important for the game, because as of February 18, 2024, the only realistic form of PvP is pre-arranged dueling. If sieges were moved to live as-is, the only reason to siege down stations would be for fun, which would eventually dwindle. Adding reasons to enable and encourage PvP outside of these pre-arranged duels is important to keep up player interest and keep the economy moving. PvE generates resources through asteroid mining and shipbuilding, while PvP consumes resources through destroying ships and stations. Without one or the other, the economy breaks down and the game becomes stale. Nevertheless, I think that it’s very important that PvE players have ways to handle increased risk of PvP beyond simply mounting a few guns on their mining ships. This deepens the game experience and promotes interaction between the two groups of people. If friendly PvP players are sharing tips and tricks with PvE players, it helps both groups come to understand each other better.
Next article I look forward to examining the balance between solo and co-operative play. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to answer them.
