Resource gathering question.

[Garcia]

So... I'm thinking of buying this game but I have to ask something before that...

Is resource gathering just as boring as in the beginning of the game?

I only played the demo for a couple of hours but it's a loop of moving 3 feet, stopping the train, gathering resources, moving 3 feet again, the "throttle" lever has no point at all.

Do we get some kind of automation early on so we can focus on combat or exploring?

[Necroscourge]

There is automation but you have to play for 12+ hours to unlock it.

[Garcia]

Thanks man, I'll probably not get that far then hah

[Niko]

We also plan to rework automation mechanics in the game and introduce simplified versions of them in earlier stages - this is scheduled for the next update.

[Necroscourge]

Also I found out that:

A: The rofleemos don't actually do anything unless you assign them to a gethering station, at a workshop they ONLY give perks. So it's just wasted space.

B: Gathering stations barely generate anything. Plus it does not matter since fuels so darn rare that you can't craft anyways.

In short, the game has pretty much no automation, you have to hire a friend of yours to float outside your train picking stuff up for you on either side if you actually want ot get anything done. Otherwise you are VERY SLOWLY trawling the map and... after 16 hours of it I am super bored. Arenas and Train chases JUST STARTED HAPPENING.

[Niko]

Originally posted by Necroscourge:

Also I found out that:

A: The rofleemos don't actually do anything unless you assign them to a gethering station, at a workshop they ONLY give perks. So it's just wasted space.

B: Gathering stations barely generate anything. Plus it does not matter since fuels so darn rare that you can't craft anyways.

In short, the game has pretty much no automation, you have to hire a friend of yours to float outside your train picking stuff up for you on either side if you actually want ot get anything done. Otherwise you are VERY SLOWLY trawling the map and... after 16 hours of it I am super bored. Arenas and Train chases JUST STARTED HAPPENING.

As I mentioned above, we already have a plan for the next patch, which involves addressing balance issues and integrating partial automation more extensively from the early stages of the game, rather than after a few hours. Additionally, increasing the significance of the train crew is part of the plan by enhancing specific mechanics with the NPC system.

However, ofc this will be done without compromising what already functions well in the game and what the audience enjoys.

[Necroscourge]

Well I am all for it. I've been streaming my play over the last few days and I am at the point where am going a bit nutty over the current play loop. There's definitely potential in the crew, there's one that had Loader and it generally makes using the crafting UI easier since I can just load the rack next to it. Though I wish it was a little more clear which racks they could operate with loader.

[Garcia]

Originally posted by Niko:

We also plan to rework automation mechanics in the game and introduce simplified versions of them in earlier stages - this is scheduled for the next update.

That's pretty cool!

[Astralite]

It gets better. The "stopping every 3 feet" is an exaggeration, but you eventually can stop less. As your train gets bigger, you have more room to move around with your rope. You can stop ahead of things you've missed and go back to clean them. This is also made easier once you unlock the grappling gun, which turns the collecting from "press e to grab" from a foot away to shooting, I dunno, 30 feet? You're instead collecting multiple items in seconds in an area. You can set the train the move and fly with it grabbing things as you go, then stop, looking back to see if you missed anything and going back for them in reverse, or moving on.
That might not sound like it's much better, but it is. Your backpack also gets bigger with research, so you're going back to your train less often.

[GreyBeard512]

Eventually you will have access to ROFLEMOs and Gathering Stations. I haven't used them, but they should reduce the amount of manual resource gathering you need to do.
In the next release, I think the devs plan to make ROFLEMOs and Gathering Stations available earlier in the game.

[Slava Ukraini]

How can I make my Roflemo collecting Resources in the void around the train?

[GreyBeard512]

Build a Gathering Station. You need to be in a depot and use the console. The Gathering Station takes an entire platform (1/4 of a wagon).

[Capt. Scruffy]

When I finally had the necessary components in place I built four Gathering Stations and have Rofleemo assigned to all of them. It helps me not have to do so much scavenging myself. I focus on abandoned trains (which are pretty good for resources) and finding lumps of coal, gasoline and ice in the void. I also am able to keep watch for any upcoming mines on the tracks. As for that damned sky shark, I stop the train when I leave a depot and I do nothing else until I see it die. I don't even care how far it is from the train. The resources it coughs up when it dies are easily replaceable.