This change of how to get resources is tiring me off.

[𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕕𝕠𝕟]

You will say that we need incentive to go to other planets, and I agree. But the way that is done now, is like a carrot on a stick.

Build a base, need resources in another planet. Move to that planet, and start another base, grab a fewe. Need another one, grab some of these new, move to another planet. Find out that you need more. Go back. Go to another planet, rinse and repeat. Go underground, find the same things. Explore the surface, find the same things.

What I want to say, is that the game got "thin". A lot of empty space.

It should be other incentives to travel to another planets, like some resources would be more common, or rare. Different structures, pehaps some lore to find. Unlockables, not only cosmetics but some special craftables.
But we should at least find all resources in some way or another. Even the trade system can become tiresome, and come very late in the game, when I find more useful to just travel and find the resources, than scrap a lot things for a few resources.
Game must be designed with cooperative in mind, to spread the content the way it is.

I'm trying to enjoy it. Finally got my big shuttle with a hydrazine truster, but I'm not feeling interested into play it, as I was before these changes. Because when the game is not bothering me with bugs, it makes me feel like working.

[Buddha]

Originally posted by Shaidon:

it makes me feel like working.

I know what you mean. There's lots of things that I like about the update, but now the resources are very hard to find, and the cave systems are generally pretty empty, and look really hard to navigate with any kind of vehicle. I'm having to do quick dashes from my shuttle on Novus to see if I can find any lithium and get back before I run out of oxygen. I died a couple of times, one time falling down a deep hole. Getting to my body was super hard without power for lights and so little oxygen. I had to go hunting for resin to get some canisters so I could dig a sloping path to my body.

This is all good fun, but eventually I'll have all my resources and my base finished - then what? Alien structures could hint at a new direction later? I hope so.

[stecph]

I personally think that this resource gathering is just a cheap and lazy way to keep the player busy.
They even took away the relaxing pleasure of cave dwelling with a vehicle, what a pity.

This game is not a relaxing way to spend some free time anymore, neither is a challenging survival game, what is it then?

I hope they will adjust it, but as it feels like they rushed the release, I am pretty sure where this game is heading....once again, pity.

[Menzagitat]

Originally posted by Shaidon:

...
Game must be designed with cooperative in mind, to spread the content the way it is.
...

And so the single player experience is being dropped to favor multiplayer.

[powbam]

Originally posted by stecph:

I personally think that this resource gathering is just a cheap and lazy way to keep the player busy.

A bit of an ignorant response. It's a sandbox game, like Minecraft. Literally the meat of it all IS resource/byte gathering. And you're going to accuse them of laziness for building around the only thing there is to do in the game?

Sometimes I get the strong impression that people who clearly have no idea about what game development consists of shouldn't be allowed to comment on the subject, only to showcase their ignorance of what they are commenting on. If only.

[Mr. Fibble]

The progression of development was always more sideways than forwards.

When the alpha had its final update ages ago my worry was that they'd not do anything to make transporting stuff between bases any less clunky and faffy.

The only improvement is that we no longer have to sit and wait in orbit for 20-30 minutes if we happen to miss a planet. Teleporting is an emergency option given that you have to do multiple hops and can actually suffocate during the transition if you go to one thats not been tethered up.

[Mharr]

It's longer than you think, Dad!

I haven't really engaged with off-world mining so far, I just picked up enough iron and tungsten for a trade rocket and shredder, then switched my entire economy over to scrap and dirt.

[stecph]

Originally posted by powbam:

Originally posted by stecph:

I personally think that this resource gathering is just a cheap and lazy way to keep the player busy.

A bit of an ignorant response. It's a sandbox game, like Minecraft. Literally the meat of it all IS resource/byte gathering. And you're going to accuse them of laziness for building around the only thing there is to do in the game?

Sometimes I get the strong impression that people who clearly have no idea about what game development consists of shouldn't be allowed to comment on the subject, only to showcase their ignorance of what they are commenting on. If only.

What part of "personally" you don't get?
I can send you a drawing, or a Venn's diagram to help you out.

That was my own opinion, I understand that you are a self entitled "I know all", but that keeps being my own personal opinion.

That's a chore, nothing that makes me think or use my brain....you have your taste, I have mine, but I surely would not call a total stranger an ignorant just because he has a different opinion, i have manners and my education does not allow me such style drops.

[sgargoyle]

we wanted plot or something to drive us they gave us grind with more grind to make it entertaining then some grind to balance it all out

[sgargoyle]

this game is nothing like mine craft at all the minecraft schtick is getting really old. mine craft had an indepth crafting system and creatures that would come to kill you. you started in a not safe way and had to make yourself safe or you get attacked. this is nothing like that in the slightest streach of the imagination. the only similar aspect this game has is a lack of story. story is not needed if you have something that drives you... getting new upgrades because your board isnt driving you to develop safty. this is not by any streach of the imagination a survival game its a "childs sandbox" with all the padding a helicopter parent could want hell they even took out the storms

[Mharr]

Well, there's groups that want a lot of different things from sandboxes. I mostly want robust mod support so this can become Space Minecraft.

[Daeburon]

the game definitely needs more "game".

there really arent that many items. not that many things to do.

FWIW, you really dont need to build bases on all the other planets. while other planets might have some resources you need, you generally dont need that many of any one thing. package a vehicle. go there, get a backpack full of whatever you need by driving around, then go home. unfortunately thats going to mean even less to do.

i find it weird they made the closest thing to an endgame is this gigantic convoluted method of unlocking...skins...that dont even do anything.

[Targa]

Originally posted by stecph:

I personally think that this resource gathering is just a cheap and lazy way to keep the player busy.

This. It's been a long, long time since I played Astroneer. Coming back now to see how the game has developed and all I see is that the developers have purposely "stretched out" the game so it takes you a lot longer to do everything. The reason being that there's actually not a "game" here at all. It's simply just as the OP of this thread stated, a carrot and a stick.

Think about it... what are you actually working towards? Having everything researched? Building at least one of everything? Or as the post above this one stated, is the end game just about unlocking skins? There's really very little content. It's more like a tech demo.

Think about this: How difficult would it have been to make a new item... let's say an FTL space ship. This can only be built by the highest tier equipment and with the rarest of resources. Once the player builds it, fuels it, gets in and launches it, he or she is taken to the "end game cutscene", roll credits. At least that way players would feel like they're actually working towards something tangible.

[Mharr]

The current game has that exact win state, end game cutscene and all. You just don't get there by building a spaceship. The "but what's it all ultimately for" thing describes all games when you break them down, and "this is Not a Game(tm)" is just another way of saying "I don't personally enjoy doing these things".

[Daeburon]

Originally posted by Mharr:

"this is Not a Game(tm)" is just another way of saying "I don't personally enjoy doing these things".

thats not always the case. i think the issue here is that people do enjoy Astroneer, at least the first 2-3 hours of a new game playthrough, and that there just isnt "enough" of the game after that. at that point the progression breaks down, and there is little reason to continue.

its like, take the concept of chess, but before it became chess, imagine if the "alpha version" was just a 5x5 board, only had kings, pawns, and knights. there might be some interesting gameplay here, and a ton of potential, but a lot of people would be saying...hmmm, this is cool, but it would be better if the board was bigger, and there were more knight-like pieces that did different things.

thats basically the Astroneer situation. there needs to be way more "parts" that serve actual purposes. we have tier 1-4. we need tiers 5, 6, 7,8 at least, if not more. (and that doesnt mean taking the existing parts and spreading them out over more tiers, lol)

the different planets with their own biomes is a cool idea, but they serve little actual purpose, except for giving the dev a place to hide a unique resource from the player. the gameplay isnt really that different.

there is also a lot of things that dont make sense. you get tools and parts to build new bases, except you never need to. you can bring a packaged rover, collect a backpack full of whatever resource is on that planet and nowhere else, and never go back. thus going to a new planet is just extra steps of busywork, and the player is not really motivated to go live there for any reason. ok, you can go there to unlock skins, but skins arent gameplay. imo, it would be a great addition for each suit to have some kind of perk, even if its just a built in part. maybe one has a worklight, another could have a power generator, be it the organic one, or a solar, or whatever.

the game could even really benefit if suits were part of the progression. like if you needed suit X in order to do Y on planet Z. then you have an actual reason to get the suits, and go to places to get them. i couldnt care less if the suit model is skinny or fat or what color it is. i never even look at the suits.

other things just really dont make sense. the new terrain is ok, i guess...but the new caves? perhaps subjective, but a main component of gameplay in the previous version that made Astroneer fun, was taking a rover through the old caves for a couple hours on a huge expedition and coming back with several big science things to research for a total of 10-15k. now? those things dont really exist, because big science things were nerfed...but at the same time, little tiny science plants are everywhere, so there is no reason to go look for science in caves. also rovers dont work for crap in caves anymore, so that gameplay is not possible (or least so impractical as to not be fun).

then resources are also just borked in the game to begin with. why even look for them when you can just dig + soil centrifuge. why even look for science when you can just research ceramic that you make in the centrifuge. why even research anything when you dont need to leave the base.

doing it all just for the sake of a credit roll doesnt feel like a game. games can be won. can someone lose Astroneer? if you cant lose, you cant win...you can only progress through jumping through the hoops until the simulation has reached some arbitrary set worthy of a credit roll as deemed by the developer. once you reach a certain point, there is no challenge left...and i think thats why people say "its not a game". if you get to that point, you have a 99.99999% chance you could go do all the digging and get the credit roll, but why bother if the chance is so guaranteed?

resources are too plentiful (including power and oxygen), and most importantly, lives. infinite respawns also take all the challenge out of the game. one can simply ignore all danger, because there is no real consequence. how differently would the game play if you had permadeath option, or a 3 lives option?

the game needs "more". i know its planned, but planned is planned and planned is not "exists".

alpha = features being developed.

beta = feature complete, testing phase for features, optimization and balance pass.

It doesnt matter what state a developer says their game is in, the above is reality, and Astroneer is currently an Alpha.

[PANMirek]

Bro you do it wrong - just get enough materials for traiding station and you're g2g on 1 planet.