I rarely write reviews for games, but since I notoriously see a few things pop up in other reviews the time has come!

I believe this is a GREAT survival game. The physics simulation makes this an amazing resource to learn (and utilize knowledge you might have learned elsewhere) thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and more. The base building in this game is insanely satisfying - reaching that point in a new save where you can switch from "OMG OMG IM GOING TO DIE I NEED THIS AND THAT NOOOOW!!!" to "Hm, should this wall be black or gray?", and then looking back and seeing the progress you've made is a feeling I haven't gotten in any other game.

For the past year or so I've seen continuous updates, where new content is added - the devs really do work on this game, and it does seem as if the devs really want to "finish" the game.
It is undoubtedly still in EA. Bugs will occur, features are still missing. But it is VERY playable already - and I'm a thousand percent certain of this, even though I unfortunately don't have the time to play this continuously for a month or so to finally finish a save.

Now, as for the other reviews:
1. "THE DEVS DON'T LISTEN!!! THEY BANNED ME FROM THE DISCORD. REFUND DONT BUY!!"
I mean, cmon. It takes a few minutes to go onto the Discord and see how active it is, including the devs responding and getting into discussions with players. I have no complaints here.

2. "THE UI IS HORRIBLE WHY WOULD THEY NOT MAKE A MINECRAFT INVENTORY!!!"
That's kinda the point. The devs took clear inspiration here from Space Station 13 and for me - this was honestly one of the biggest selling points. It does take time to get used to, but it's also ridiculously fun - you gotta give it a shot though. It's really not that difficult. You have two hands - you use them as if they are your two hands. Sometimes you need just one item, sometimes you need one item in your left hand and one in your right, etc. It's really not that hard - just learn it.

3. "The tutorials don't work and this game is hard. Unplayable".
The tutorials are an issue, yes. To be frank though - I don't think the tutorials will ever be in-depth enough to actually understand what's going on around you. There's a million videos on youtube that you can watch - not only tutorials, but also playthroughs. WATCH THEM. The store page here very clearly states that this is not a casual game - and it's true. My 12 year old brother wanted to pick this up - I told him very clearly "No, you won't have fun". You need AT LEAST a basic understanding of thermodynamics and fluid dynamics to have fun here. I mean - I studied aeronautical engineering and I'm still not sure if I fully get what's going on all the time - BUT THATS THE FUN PART!! The opportunity to actually use, in a simulation, the knowledge you can get in those fields.

Overall, if you like physics, if you like survival building games - get this. I, for instance, really enjoyed playing modded technical minecraft before - this game, for me, scratches that same itch, and some others. This game is really worth the money. I fully recommend it, but you NEED to put in the time to actually learn it. Even after buying it I let it sit in my library for a few days while I was still watching some more playthroughs on youtube, just to have an idea of what's going on. Be ready for the first few days on a save to be stressful - you need to set up a few things before you're actually surviving. After that - do what you want to! It's a survival game. You will not get a quest saying "Do this!", nor should you get one. Set your own goals and accomplish them - play in a way that's fun for you.

Played the game for over 4 years. Was an active participant in the Discussion forum for all that time. The moment I make a thread complaining that the game has been getting worse and worse, instead of better - mainly because with each new 'update' a whole host of game breaking bugs are introduced - the moment I do that, I get banned from the forum because 'the game is used by children and my username is offensive'.

Sure, forget about the fact that this is one of the most famous pubs in London, with a sign the size of of a plane on the front of it in the most central place in London. That's not offensive but the moment I complain the game has bugs - it's offensive.

Don't buy this game. It's fun for 5 minutes until you run into the latest bug they've introduced: nothing works.

They have a Discord but they won't let you enter unless you give them your phone number. I'm part of over 100 communities on Discord, not one asked me for a phone number before joining.

They're doing everything possible to stop people from actually complaining so here I am, resorting to the last thing that I have available to me - actually leaving a bad review because the game now not only has a whole host of breaking bugs, but you can't even hold the developers accountable for it because they'll find every reason to try and silence you so more can just be duped into buying it.

Stationeers wasn’t worth $35 for me.

Let's compare it to another game, "Satisfactory."
Satisfactory is:

• at its current peak price, $30, cheaper
  
• has had fewer years in early access...
  
• Satisfactory is a game that feels finished already.
  
• It Is visually and auditorily stunning
  
• Above all — you learn by having fun during every step!
  
• Although Stationeers seems smaller, both these games are similar in complexity. And yet, the design of Satisfactory is in another league to this one.

So no, and forgive me.

I do not feel content with the alpha state of this game. Maybe if it was $20, going to $30 in a couple of years after huge changes?? I'm glad so many people figured this game out, or *enjoyed* the work. But I just wish this game was different.

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Smooth Simulation: Multiplayer works well, and the simulation runs without major bugs 90% of the time.

Complex Builds: Incorporates electrical systems, water piping, hydroponic crops, oxygen generation, and more. Think "Oxygen Not Included 3D" but in early alpha. If that's your jam, you might love it.

Gameplay Focus: Managing a small habitat involves numerous interesting decisions. Survival is genuinely challenging. You have to fight for every inch. Not many other games make you feel proud to even have a working airlock haha.

Late-Game Options: Offers intricate logic circuits. There is a little robot you can automate by using real code, Assembly MIPS language. I can code, but that didn't interest me. Still, if that's not your jam, there are a handful of late-game builds like a full deep mining plant or an electrolysis setup for water and oxygen.

And frankly, you gotta love hiding in your base all cozy and building while a storm destroys everything outside.

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Price Comparison: This game feels like an alpha. Meanwhile, other survival craft masterpieces are less expensive. Such as Subnautica, Space Engineers, and Satisfactory.

Prolonged Early Access: Missing key advertised features like big Rovers or any livestock farming.

Glossary Issues: Incomplete and unreliable, forcing reliance on the unofficial wiki.

Lack of Tutorials: They've been removed to be reworked later.

Target Audience: Some games are easy to learn, hard to master. This lets beginner players have fun, and others can become proud "masters" with extra work. Unfortunately, that is not Stationeers. In this community gamers are proud for learning at all — because of the missing pieces above, and the design I'll critique below. I learned it too. And I can have fun *now*. But god. What a wasted opportunity of design, you know?

The Mining: The "Heavy Mining Drill" helps a bit, but the landscapes you explore are jagged and featureless. Caves and craters hold no random rewards. I would love to see mining get a huge redesign.

Data Collection: That other game I mention, Oxygen Not Included, handles complex simulations by providing players with vision modes for each utility. Full XRay analysis is easy. But in Stationeers we get gauges that are hard to read on small screens or tiny handheld tablets. The data is *impossible* to read if you want to use an increased FOV...

If you can get past the learning issues, screen sizes, and tedious mining, there's something else fundamentally frustrating to overcome.

While I love Stationeers' simulation, I really dislike Stationeers' basic interaction design.

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One minute you're studying the air pressure and chemical composition of your base, in order to prepare for healthy plants. But again and again, Stationeers slows to a crawl.

I've got problems. Here are some of them ;)

• Instead of 1 slick and upgradeable inventory, you have 4 or 5 clunky ones.
  
• Players are given a meager 2 hotbar slots (where even Minecraft gave us a whole hotbar). To do any action, you have to take items out of inventory and put them into those 2 slots.
  
• Building an object requires MULTIPLE TOOL switches.
  
• Also, those tools have no shortcut key options. And there is no radial wheel select either.

The menus are heartbreaking when you're trying to enjoy the sandbox. I start off excited to organize some connections or workstations. But to build any workstation, here's what you have to do:

1. Take a welder from inventory.
   
2. Take metal from inventory. Use them now.
   
3. Take a cable from inventory. Use it.
   
4. Take the welder from inventory AGAIN.
   
5. Take plastic. Use it.
   
6. Take a screwdriver from inventory. Use it. Workstation ready.

I really don't enjoy it.

Stationeers provides a versatile Alt+Click that can move everything around you. As well as an option to scroll through every single inventory slot. They're welcome options. They're not radical enough solutions though. And lots of gamers report feeling annoyed.

The point is, like or not: This game is all about switching what item you're holding.

I swear. You can be hardcore AND have a slick design. "Easy to learn, hard to master" are two tough design challenges. Stationeers is already hard to master. Below I want to explore how it could be easier to learn...

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The following would be my wishlist over the next couple of years.

Development Focus: The developer, RocketWerkz, could refine the development process of this game before juggling multiple new games.

Eliminate DLC: Integrate all content into the main game until it's finished.

Revamp Mining: Enhance landscapes a lot. Introduce discoverable stashes or lucky upgrades that change each playthrough. Add mechanics or anything to make mining interesting.


Tool Simplification: One tool for construction, one for deconstruction. Try it out. Few tools will prove themselves necessary. The tools that need to stay separate could still be out-of-the-way upgrades.

UI Overhaul: Start from scratch for a better UI. Implement a single, large inventory sidebar. Implement a classic hotbar that lets you press Y or U to assign each hand. Better yet, provide a tool slot that changes using a radial wheel. Try these out and you'll never go back to the old UI, I promise.

Upgrades: Allow crafting mods! I beg you. Upgrades let you introduce concepts slowly so that playing and learning is fun. Upgrades also let you HIDE complexity!

• upgrades for one big suit inventory (e.g., a single button to exhaust your waste tank),
  
• upgrades to add vision modes.
  
• upgrades for built-in pliers that let you splice cables anytime.

And more!

Changing Stationeers now would demand committed redesign. On top of the daunting missing content for a team (RocketWerkz) that has already used up many years of early access. And there may be bumpy roads ahead too. As these developers are releasing 2 more games to manage at once... Ooof.

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Stationeers is a unique, fascinating habitat simulation.

It's also in the same price bracket as Subnautica, Space Engineers, and Satisfactory.
So I was disappointed how often I was bored, wishing for explanations, or felt like I was trudging through UI.

So watch some Youtube first. And before you jump in, make sure you are willing to spend a couple hours studying an extra pricy alpha-stage simulation.