As more and more testers get further into the game, and the new player experiences, ship designer, and Quality Of Life feedback points are being given, I think it's important to keep the following in mind:
A thousand small issues can be overlooked if the core gameplay loop is complete, solid, and shows promise.
And right now, the gamplay loop is very incomplete.
Without these pieces of the gameplay loop, Starbase is not a game, not really. What we have right now is a tech demo of a starter safezone. The world is vast and massive, but without the ability to create fuel or propellant on our own, over 90% of it might as well not even exist.
Now imagine the current state of Closed Alpha, including all its bugs and issues, but with those 3 above features included. The game world and its possibilities suddenly become endless. Groups can start coming together to work on some massive project together. Huge fleets can start to form. Natural PvP testing can begin. Big yolol defense grid projects can be designed. Territories can be claimed. Expeditions to the moons can be planned and maybe even executed. Those 3 features really do turn this into a game.
Right now, everyone has an unbreakable tether to the starter station. We make tiny trips out to the very fringes of the belt, and return. The only things we can really do from here are test out all of the premade ships, design ships of our own, and try to break things, reporting bugs. Obviously, for the beginning days of a closed alpha, there is nothing at all wrong with this. But after a few more days, the impact of the lack of the above 3 features will start to show itself more and more. Even though we are all closed alpha testers, the sentiment of "What's the point from here?" will grow until interest and activity (and thus testing) wanes. Those of us die-hards will stick around and test until our eyes fall out, but most won't.
The potential of Starbase is mind-boggling. Thinking about the kinds of things we'll be able to do literally has kept me up some over the last couple nights. The ship designer is burned into my eyelids as I fall asleep. Those 3 features are the beginnings of truly unlocking that potential.
A thousand small issues can be overlooked if the core gameplay loop is complete, solid, and shows promise.
And right now, the gamplay loop is very incomplete.
- Players (and currently stations) are unable to refine resources in any way
- Players are unable to turn refined resources directly into ship parts, tools, and weapons
- Players are unable to build and run their own stations
Now imagine the current state of Closed Alpha, including all its bugs and issues, but with those 3 above features included. The game world and its possibilities suddenly become endless. Groups can start coming together to work on some massive project together. Huge fleets can start to form. Natural PvP testing can begin. Big yolol defense grid projects can be designed. Territories can be claimed. Expeditions to the moons can be planned and maybe even executed. Those 3 features really do turn this into a game.
Right now, everyone has an unbreakable tether to the starter station. We make tiny trips out to the very fringes of the belt, and return. The only things we can really do from here are test out all of the premade ships, design ships of our own, and try to break things, reporting bugs. Obviously, for the beginning days of a closed alpha, there is nothing at all wrong with this. But after a few more days, the impact of the lack of the above 3 features will start to show itself more and more. Even though we are all closed alpha testers, the sentiment of "What's the point from here?" will grow until interest and activity (and thus testing) wanes. Those of us die-hards will stick around and test until our eyes fall out, but most won't.
The potential of Starbase is mind-boggling. Thinking about the kinds of things we'll be able to do literally has kept me up some over the last couple nights. The ship designer is burned into my eyelids as I fall asleep. Those 3 features are the beginnings of truly unlocking that potential.
