Balancing batteries and airfilters

[sunfire]

People are right in saying maintaining batteries and airfilters is a bit overtuned in recommended difficulty right now. Especially in the early game you have zero money left over for crashes, fees, anything. I'm completely on board with the game being a challenge, but the curve is a bit too steep in my eyes. I think the right solution is not to change battery drain like some seem to suggest, but to make batteries and filters 20% cheaper. That would mean 400 for the normal batteries and 2400 for the airfilter. Still expensive, but it would take the edge off a bit, and still retain the same level of ship management.

[JinLaden]

100% Agree, there is absolutely no way you can keep up buying batteries just doing the main quests at least. I haven't even begun to salvage yet so maybe that's a way to recoup some losses.

But I'm doing the second quest haul where you have to deliver the glass goods and i already need 4 power cells and i can only afford one. So the math isn't mathing and quite frankly it isn't fun if we're having to invest 100% of profits into buying power cells.

Also these trucks don't have alternators? All this space age tech and there's no recharge stations on board? Just feels like a terribly optimized gameplay mechanic. At this point, i'm just going to start over on custom mode and see if i can find a work around for power cell consumption.

[lefty1117]

It would be nice also if there wasn't such a limited supply at the traders

[Hakgova]

Out of power, out of luck?

[Ghost Poop]

+1. Fun game, just needs some balancing with the maintenance stuff. If batteries were treated like Subnautica where you could recharge them, it would alleviate a lot of these issues.

[Nemesis]

You chose the wrong difficulty starting your game!, choose Customise at the start and tailor the game to your liking. Want less power drain done want more money done, want more less damage no problem.

[RainmakerLTU]

Power cells and filters has to be:

a) Reduced drain by 50%
b) Reduced cost by 50%
c) Unlimited supply (or at least about 3 of each) at every store.

Otherwise, new player 1 hour in game already driving with gravity off, ♥♥♥♥ flying in cabin, damaging itself because no power left for gravity control.
In the 2nd hour I found the price for new power cell is over 3700-ish, what is almost all money after first job, installed 2 upgrades for fuel eff. and hull), decided not to buy, because with such prices you can kiss my ass, all the time to work for not even for food, but for life with nothing to save for upgrades.
Also in the 2nd hour oxygen generation power cell died, and 2 cells of core systems. so I had one spare changed for oxy and took one from mag to core. Managed to deliver one more trailer for 1800 and spent it right away for 2 power cells (thankfully prices were not ssooo draconic in this system). Finally power problem postponed for an hour or so. phew.
Haha, "player must be in torment", - once dev of Tarkov said. Suddenly both air filters said they are dying, while being at 41%. WHAT? Thankfully I had one spare. So air filter problem is also postponed for 1 hour.
Someone mentioned there are salvage beacons in space where one can find batteries and filters. But nobody said where they are and how they look like.

Devs? Balance? Haven't heard off? There is thread in Steam forum about not enough batteries and filters in Demo. What other testing you need?

[Magnus Aurelius, Bright Lord]

I don't agree and am not seeing the big deal, I dont understand how people run out of battery so quick on the regular settings. I run out once every hour or so..

But even so, there's no need for changes, you can change any details you want in the custom option settings so why even ask for changes ? Just set the games to your own liking in the options and everybody else can do the same.

[Magnus Aurelius, Bright Lord]

Originally posted by RainmakerLTU:

Someone mentioned there are salvage beacons in space where one can find batteries and filters. But nobody said where they are and how they look like.

Look out for an eye icon when you travel. These are the salvage points. No matter where the salvage is, there will be an eye popping out on your radar in the UI. (the radar being, the circle around the screen that lets you know which direction is a certain shop)

[RainmakerLTU]

Originally posted by Hobotango:

I don't agree and am not seeing the big deal, I dont understand how people run out of battery so quick on the regular settings. I run out once every hour or so..

But even so, there's no need for changes, you can change any details you want in the custom option settings so why even ask for changes ? Just set the games to your own liking in the options and everybody else can do the same.

Problem is, you can't change difficulty after you started the game. If you wanna go with less maintenance, then start new game.
I already see how this is nice try to push people past refund window, when you find out Recommended difficulty is not recommended for you at all, you will be past 2 hours in-game.

[KishiPhio]

Bro I am so f*cking pissed right now, air filters have to be the most unfair mechanic of a game ever.
I died THRICE now from air because they cost 3K and everytime it is URGENT I get one, the shop i visit NEVER have any to buy.
What happens if you die from air filters ?
The game spawns you in a base... With no Air filters at all whatsoever.

I just died. Got 5K debt from a cancelled contract. -5K from reparation fees.
I now have to buy another filter to even be ABLE TO LIVE, -3K
I am officially 15k in debt and I have 3 days to pay it.
This is f*cking stupid.

I feel like this is just forced gameovers where the devs didn't even implement a fail-safe even though they make air filter worth 6 times a low battery.
I litterally don't know what to do ? 15K to repay in three days ? That is not possible. Game keeps giving me jobs that either pay 700 or 2k but those 2k will give me 0 bucks just because they make me go through extremely rough environments.


They could have at least made it so we get back some air when docked to a base, so you're not stuck in a hell of a loop trying to get out of debt for f*cking oxygen IN A SPACE GAME, really, how are filters worth that much

[Magnus Aurelius, Bright Lord]

Originally posted by KishiPhio:

Bro I am so f*cking pissed right now, air filters have to be the most unfair mechanic of a game ever.
I died THRICE now from air because they cost 3K and everytime it is URGENT I get one

You need to check your trucks before leaving for each deliveries.

[KishiPhio]

The end game is probably a lot better, but like.... How in the hell in this trucker's job so.... difficult to live from ????? I am always barely keeping up with costs, and the only time I manage to make money, a SINGLE mistake will cost me 4K to fix, basically all my savings.
It is ridiculous.
I'd at least appreciate it if I could reliably make money from huge paying contracts, but some dumb truckers decide otherwise and ram me from behind making me lose everything, cool.
I am constantly scraping for money, and yet, the game keeps giving you quests that... don't give money ? Just did the first solar quest and I wasted 20 minutes and 5k from an accident FOR A QUEST THAT DOES NOT GIVE A REWARD???? Come on....

Sorry, I am fuming right now because I'm probably gonna have to start all over again

[KishiPhio]

Originally posted by Hobotango:

You need to check your trucks before leaving for each deliveries.

Apparently so, and that is stupid when the shops from three ENTIRE sectors don't sell any filters.
It's just not instinctive at all to buy something that WILL put you into debt which is even more expensive than 2-3 completed jobs. It is a ridiculous cost-to-maintain for the small amount of time it lasts.

[Magnus Aurelius, Bright Lord]

Originally posted by KishiPhio:

Originally posted by Hobotango:

You need to check your trucks before leaving for each deliveries.

Apparently so, and that is stupid when the shops from three ENTIRE sectors don't sell any filters.
It's just not instinctive at all to buy something that WILL put you into debt which is even more expensive than 2-3 completed jobs. It is a ridiculous cost-to-maintain for the small amount of time it lasts.

Yeah I agree. Personally Im always lost when trying to find for Job boards.

[Olrok]

I've started to run with the grav off to just cut down on one battery I'm having to replace every like 20 minutes it feels like.

Make sure to get yourself up to 4 air filters as quickly as you can, because that seems to drastically decrease the wear on them. Downside is you will have to replace all 4 near all at once for near 10k sunk in resources. So keep an eye out for air filters whenever you can so you have 4 ready to go. I recommend checking the shop attached to the repair (not paintjob) place whenever you are in the system with one. They seem to have a stock of a couple necessities when I pop in.

Maybe add where the other random shops have a chance of having a low HP air filter in stock to at least give people something to fall back on.

Air filters do feel like once you go wrong...it's just a catastrophe. You can drive while in the EVA suit for some emergency oxygen.