Great gameplay, but has some issues.

[Lurkily]

I like this game a lot . . . but it has some issues that prevent gameplay from being what it could be.

The UI seems to be optimized for a keyboard. This is 2011 folks, if you don't want to make the mouse the main control interface, at least give it the attention it deserves. Using the mouse feels like pulling teeth.

For instance: when handling components on a ship, I can't click and drag a missile from one slot to another. Instead of that one step I seem to have to click modify, then click the slot, then click again to access the menu, then click store it, then click add, then click the second slot, then select the component category, then select the component.

The behavior of the gravity beam. When you run out of cargo space, this is a pain. If you pull in a swarm of crystals at once, but run out of room, suddenly you're bombarded by a shower of crystals that are all shattered and ruined, because your beam doesn't function. I also can no longer pick up equipment, or slow asteroids

Instead of cutting off the beam, why not have it halt crystals (like it does asteroids) when you're out of storage? This way your beam is still functional, and when you run out of space, you automatically halt crystals that would otherwise destroy themselves against your hull.

The last major issue (that I've run into so far) is the charge-up weapons. Sure, they have an alternate fire, the charge. Except it's not alternate, it's primary. You only maintain rapid fire for two shots, if you hold the button down, before you begin to charge. Otherwise, you have to keep pounding at the keyboard.

Weapons with alternate fire modes need alternate fire buttons, or at least the OPTTION of using an alternate fire button, so that the primary fire can be used without interruption.

Lastly, a lesser issue I have, is bad gamepad support. Yes, there's full support for a gamepad. But you provide game pad controls that are built for a keyboard. A DPad isn't made for rotational manuevers. A DPad is specifically designed so that you have a full 360 degree directional range WITHOUT having to tap left right left left oops, too far, back right a little.

When I push the DPad south, plus ten degrees, I expect my ship to swing around to point south, plus ten degrees. It's what DPads were designed for, what games using DPads train gamers to expect, and having DPad support for a top-down game without it is just frustrating.

With all that being said . . . . . . I'm still having a ton of fun, despite some minor frustrations. Still, seeing a patch for these things would really improve things, eliminate a lot of frustration from the game. Everything's more fun when things are intuitive, work well, and when your tools (like the gravity beam,) don't actively sabotage you.

[Poo Bear]

Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying it. You're right that the UI and the whole game were never meant for mouse. The thinking behind that was the flight controls are optimised for keyboard. Therefore, all the rest of the UI should work via keyboard so you weren't swapping from keys to mouse to keys. It had some logic to it at the time Later people rightly asked to operate the UI with the mouse, but by then it really needed a complete reworking, the mouse implementation was compromised. I really should try and do something about that.

Having to bang away on the fire button is an intentional design decision that's meant to make it feel more physical, more visceral, more in touch with the death you're dealing out. I figured that having separate keys for charge up and allowing autofire would mean there were too many keys to remember and it would lose some of that physicality.

It's the same old story with gamepad support, it was never meant to have it, but people asked for it. I implemented it in a way that matched key control, but that isn't a natural fit for a game pad.

Ideal mouse control - ship faces mouse pointer at all times, ship movement is controlled by WASD. Left mouse fire, middle mouse tractor, right mouse missile. That setup would be fluid and feel right (like geometry wars), the ship would react much faster as it would be a lot easier to track targets. Only problem is it would feel quite different to key control and the altered handling would probably affect the difficulty.

Ideal game pad control - left stick moves the ship, right stick changes aim. Similar to ideal mouse control and has the same ramifications for difficulty.

In an ideal world, when using keyboard it would work as it does now, when using mouse or gamepad it would work as above. The game's difficulty and general setup would also alter to match how the ships flight characteristics would change.

I think you may be right about the gravity beam though, it's meant to add an extra element of skill, you have to anticipate when to stop, but maybe that's going too far.

Interesting food for thought, thanks for posting.

[Lurkily]

[D1398342003]

Well, it's been a few months, but this forum is pretty slow. So what the heck.

First, Lurkily, you are describing a thumbstick, not a D-pad, which at best offers 8 directions. That minor semantic detail aside, using the stick in 'point and go' mode will require two extra buttons, one for forward and one for reverse, as you need to steer without moving sometimes.

Using the mouse has a few issues. The mouse can be moved very quickly, so there will either be movement lag, as the ship catches up, or you will have instant 180s, allowing for otherwise impossible maneuvers.

I like and hate how the gravy beam turns off. I don't think that the mineral issue is a big one though, as the unlimited danger zones are pretty easy to mine in an emergency.

Collecting equipment doesn't add to your limits, but when you are full you won't be able to get more.