Starsector - It's Worth the Wait

[aReclusiveMind]

I consider Starsector to be either the best indie space game people don't know about or the best indie space game people here aren't talking about. Since there's no thread about it, and since the next release (0.9a) is poised to add more 4X-like elements to the game, it seemed like a great time to bring people up to speed.

Summary:

- "Open-world single-player space-combat, roleplaying, exploration, and economic game"
- Has 4X elements (which continue to grow), but is more of a 4X-like / RPG hybrid
- Excellent 2D real-time tactical combat that does not require competitive RTS or arcade game skillsets
- Balanced deployment system and combat mechanics requires tactical use of various ship sizes and styles rather than just using the heaviest battleships available to you
- Modding community is robust and dedicated - entire new ship sets and even additional 4X conquest features have already been included in mods
- In development since at least 2010
- Updates occur infrequently (6 months - 2 years) and are large and feature packed
- (Currently) Only available direct from the publisher


What is the basic premise?
The official line is: "You take the role of a space captain seeking fortune and glory however you choose."
You always control and move a fleet of ships (Mount & Blade style) on the starmap. Soon, you will also be able to manage a faction and colonies.


What types of things can you currently do in the game (as of 0.8a)?

- Strike out on your own or fulfill commissions proposed by other factions
- Build up an impressive fleet from a wide variety of ships each with their own unique special ability and attributes
- Hire, level up, and assign skills to officers and then put them to work flying alongside you
- Survey distance worlds, investigate distress beacons, salvage derelicts, hunt down pirates and other criminals, uncover mysterious <redacted>, and engage in the trade of legal and illegal goods


What things are coming in the not too distant future?

- Establish colonies and setup your own faction. Manage the industries/structures, hire administrators, set up colony defense forces, install hull and weapon blueprints for manufacturing, and use AI cores to boost your colony
- Manipulate supply/demand and the overall market availability of commodities. Make your faction the primary supplier for other factions by establishing waystations or engaging in piracy
- Thematically appropriate factions with better fleet compositions and with officer qualities, behavior, and aggression appropriate for the faction.


Why is this ship combat system better than anything available in the space strategy genre?

- There are many ship hulls in the game and each one has its own unique attributes, weapon hard points, and special systems. There are also variants of these hulls that swap hard points around or swap out the special systems.
- Small ships never become unusable. They can outmaneouver bigger ships and cause significant damage. They also cost less money and command points to deploy.
- Flux is generated when firing weapons and by absorbing weapon fire with your shields. When you over-flux, your ship temporarily shuts down and becomes a sitting duck. You must manage shield and weapon usage and know when to back off and when to go for the throat.
- Ship effectiveness degrades over time during combat. Combat readiness decreases per ship the longer a battle lasts, and this can cause issues like random engine shutdowns and weapon failures. This helps balance ships out as certain higher tech ships are deadly but degrade quickly in prolonged engagements compared to more mid and low tech ships.
- Ship combat AI is ruthless and will eliminate a straggler, including you. On that same note, your friendly ships will help cover you if ordered and can allow you a timely retreat to recoup and vent your flux.
- Officer AI determines how effectively they will pilot certain ships. Don't put an aggressive officer in your lightly armored support ship.


I'll update this when 0.9a is available. Right now you can follow along with the in-dev patch notes: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?topic=13445.0
Also check out the blogs: http://fractalsoftworks.com/blog/
Mods here: http://fractalsoftworks.com/forum/index.php?board=8.0

[Kursah]

I haven't tried .9a yet...did download and install. This game is something special for sure, but it also requires time investment. That was the caveat the last time I played, I didn't have time time to dedicate to it...as such couldn't get into it enough to truly enjoy what it (and its amazing mods) had to offer.

That being said, what I have played of it made me feel that my $15 investment was worth every penny and still is. Development is slow, calculated, careful, and major. Each version update is a big deal and the dev clearly cares A LOT about this title and has a "when it's done" mentality I can respect even if it can take 1+ years between major updates.

Frankly right now, my top three space games are all $15 indie titles:

1. Void Destroyer 2
   
2. Astrox Imperium
   
3. Starsector

For the cost of one single AAA game new (or less, as many cost more than $45), you can have three very well done, yet all still in EA indie titles. All ironically are single devs as well. While each has pro's and con's, the experience they already provide gives me confidence in recommending them. :)

[echo2361]

I actually ended up buying this twice. Got it years ago under an old email I no longer have access to. I’m sure if I’d asked I could have had gotten my old key back but I know it’s a good product so I bought it again recently.

I’m enjoying the 4x elements of colony management they’ve added since I last played. Combat is always fun. I consider it my EVE Online offline alternative with lite 4x elements. Can’t wait to see where it goes next.

[Gregorovitch]

I just stumbled across this. It looks like a serious contender to me having watched a mere couple of episodes of this LP.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHqSuWJSw8SDcF86-v9IH9jqRiZm6YsvG

It's difficult to figure out at a glance exactly what the status of the game is at the moment, seems to be in some kind of early access. But it looks pretty damn solid already to me.

Anyone got it, know where it's at right now?

[Kursah]

It's still at 0.9. Usually one major update every 1-2 years. Very well polished for an EAindie title. Great mechanics and even better mod support. Highly recommended if you like the combat style in the game, there's a lot of it.

[ESonix]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kursah:

It's still at 0.9. Usually one major update every 1-2 years. Very well polished for an EAindie title. Great mechanics and even better mod support. Highly recommended if you like the combat style in the game, there's a lot of it.

Updated every 1-2 years... yikes, was that a typo?! I've also been kind of curious about this game, but had same general concerns as Gregorovitch regarding development status.

[Gregorovitch]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kursah:

It's still at 0.9. Usually one major update every 1-2 years.

Looking at their site, they've been at this since 2010. One might wonder how, exactly, they have paid the electricity bill and upgraded their PCs over a decade never mind put food on the table. Perhaps they don't need food. Or perhaps they simply don't need money. That would fit with this answer on their FAQ I suppose:

Aren’t you worried about piracy?

Oh yeah, big time. That’s why we put actual piracy in the game as a mechanic – to ward off the evil, real world software piracy. That dark voodoo will definitely work better than any other DRM scheme. That, and chicken sacrifices. Note: we do not condone chicken sacrifices.

I had to laugh at that.

I am curious what the story is behind this though, something odd about it.

[Kursah]

Oprindeligt skrevet af ESonix:

Updated every 1-2 years... yikes, was that a typo?! I've also been kind of curious about this game, but had same general concerns as Gregorovitch regarding development status.

0.9.1a 5/2019
0.8.1a 6/2017
0.7.2a 2/2016

https://fractalsoftworks.com/category/releases/

Not sure how the devs carry on, honestly its gotta be a side project/hobby for the dev. That being said it still has a very loyal following and consistent modding. I honestly felt 0.7 could've been called complete, I've seen less from other bigger budget games. This is a good one to follow and if you like what you see in YT vids, invest in.

[AK_icebear]

I put a decent amount of time in around 0.8, it's very worth it. It oozes style and has the best space combat. Will revisit whenever they get too 1.0.

[Bou]

People I know who are playing this are saying that it's worth it.

[Gregorovitch]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Kursah:

Not sure how the devs carry on, honestly its gotta be a side project/hobby for the dev.

It may well be. Watching this LP (although the dude plays so bloody fast I can hardly follow what's happening sometimes) I have become more and more impressed with the UI. The way I see it, it's top drawer UI design using tech from a previous era, in other words at the top end of what you might have seen maybe 15 years ago in a AAA game. GC2 era sort of thing.

I think the ship equip UI design, and the plethora of stuff you can load on your ships, looks excellent for example, give any modern space 4X a run for it's money, DW especially, Stellaris, GC3, ES2, whatever.

Which left me wondering if what we are dealing with here is very experienced devs in a semi-retired state or something.

[Vuyek]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acqpulP1hLo

[athelasloraiel]

Wow. I have beta since ages. Was interesting but i didnt give it much time. Hmmm. Can u fly other ships same time? Like a fleet?

[Gregorovitch]

Oprindeligt skrevet af athelasloraiel:

Wow. I have beta since ages. Was interesting but i didnt give it much time. Hmmm. Can u fly other ships same time? Like a fleet?

You build big fleets of all sorts of interesting ships and you can fly any of them yourself in battle any time you like from what I can see. Which means a *lot* 'cos there's a *lot* of battles.

I've got up to ep17 on that LP I linked so far, I've found it that enthralling.

The only thing I've seen that makes me a bit wary is the survey slog to find a suitable home system for you to colonise. This looks a bit grindy and subject to RNG issues since the criteria for what makes a good system to colonise are pretty stringent and not easily found . But it may be more exiting than the streamer in question makes it look 'cos he's obviously a vet at the game and the new player may well find it more of a white knuckle squeaky bum type experience.

Nevertheless to me this game looks like a humdinger classic for the space junkie. It also looks solid as a rock for EA.

[athelasloraiel]

steam page link?

[Gregorovitch]

Oprindeligt skrevet af athelasloraiel:

steam page link?

Looked for it, didn't find it. I guess you have to get it direct from the devs web site.