feedback and impressions

on test, settings for first test no forum posts read, no guides read, not played or seen of the game before, so a fresh set of eyes to speak.

Alpha time spent normally is around 500/200+ hours, beta's can be a 200+, polishing is game dependent so varies per test...

this post same as all of mine are for the developers eyes, and while i may reply to others who post in here, i may not, as it's my feedback and impressions and not meant for knocking the game or up for debate with those who agree or disagree with any of my comments or findings / opinions etc.

initial impressions from first look and load,

speed of load very good resources used low, have chosen the largest map and smallest amount of sides to get a understanding of the game, next test will be max on everything to see how much difference there is and compare, then make a judgement etc.

items easy and clear to read, full screen used 1920x1080 used on a 27" LED monitor, will also switch to a 29" later and also a 19" to check scaling, default DPI is 96, windows 10 default.

first screen shot graphics look a bit cartoon like, but that's just a opinion, usable and maybe what's makes it quick, UI is good, with most stuff being laid out well on screen so not a vast amount of menu's to go through, easy of use for me is about medium, so if you have played a space game before, little tutorial is maybe needed, if you're a newer player, maybe more is needed than is first given, as not many like reading a manual or guide and now days hope for all to be shown in game, either in video or game format.

race traits and choices seem to be about normal compared to others in this type of game, having 2 locked at start gives you something to achieve but also will get you moaned at as while some will like it, some won't once bought like everything on day one as a right, but for me it's matters little, same opinion on ships, nothing new or different seen so far so about normal.

map size and options, lower than some, with max map size in planets low, and options and choices at a bare minimal for some, with some games offering a lot more options, for me the more you give, the wider the choices, but also the more combinations or errors than need testing for also, so atm it's balanced, but on the low scale compared to many i've tested.

just spotted so will comment on it, a undo button, again imo (in my opinion) it's a good feature and hope that on the hardest difficulty level this is disabled by default?

save data is encrypted but meta.table data isn't, not an issue, just another comment and findings as i look around, which i may do if i have time a lot deeper.

first screen, remember no guides read, while most will understand you need to page down to read what's below, some may not, as it looks like part of the picture, some may see it, some won't, for me i always go on the idea and plan that guides and read me's and for some even tutorials aren't read, so treat each new test if i am a new player and also somewhat of a idiot, so look for what others generally post in support forums posts, with years of practice, you see something on there level and understand how some brains work, or don't depend on there posts.

tool tips are all working well and are somewhat a bane to me, so it's good to see there all here and working and explain enough that anyone won't have to RTFM every time they are stuck, so will move on

micro management is quite high in the game atm, with no options atm to Que up on anything, once a mid to late game has been reached, im guessing this will be a pain / headache, for some (me included) i like the options of once a planet has been found and you make a outpost on it, you can then Que up what you want, slow or low numbers at first, but mid to late game it increases to a high number of slots you have, so mirco management or MM for now is lower, which will help in mid to late games and imo improves the overall feel of the game, it's a personal thing tbh, as where some like it, others don't so MM has to be balanced, a great game gives you a slider so you can have it in the options at start, so you can chose you own level of MM

some have base commanders, or leaders on each planet, as lets be honest, no one person runs a world, never mind a universe so if some of the MM can be loaded onto either the AI or you have the ability to give more than one command / build / research per turn on each planet, the return in MM is diminished by a large %

first turn didn't go well, unless you say 250k dead is a good thing back to basics, when a ship lands on a planet to transform it, the base ship is normally used to house and feed them in the first moments, if on one turn of taken a planet they all die, this for me is rather harsh, so imo all planet with life already on them, or when you first take a planet, you should have the resources in place to feed them at least until you have built your first farm, which also should be your first task, unless your daft and wish them to all starve, not a great start and most like me would be thinking along the same lines...

it's either a basic misunderstand on the game design, or a fundamental misunderstand in the concept of planet exploring and colonizing, the game needs to be more balanced so on T1, a mistake or disaster doesn't happen right away, or you will put people off, if your design is so different from others in the same sort of games, then it needs to be made clearer when you colonize a planet, like are you sure you wish to do this? as you don't have the food to feed them, build more farms first, then and only then if you / they disregard the warning, then let nature take it's cause, not punish a basic misunderstand of how the game differs from others right from the start, these are impressions and feedback and not meant to be disrespectful or saying the design is wrong, just a opinion that's my own and will be maybe shared in it's present form and design format on colonization.

this is on easy remember, what is it like on hard, they die in space on the way? only joking, i've find that out when i test it and again give feedback on so no need to comment either

Test 2, a new start so basic food problems don't alter my opinions too much screenshot sometimes work and sometimes don't on windows 10 AE, print screen with paste to paint can when you use alt tab in and out be problematic at best and a pain at worse, it's not the game or engine used, i'd guess it's a windows 10 things as it's happened before in some tests, while is slows down my replies, it's no big deal to me, but made a comment all the same, as if it does to me, others will post the same...

some of the language used in the game makes me guess that the makers / designers are from the US, as most would use Yes in place of YUP which is slang term and while it works with the cartoon graphics it doesn't add to a adult design ethos but caters more maybe to a more child like approach of the younger age group, it does fit in with the game, but also jumps out as odd to me also, so in balance it's an personal impression and for feedback only not a negative of positive comment steam forums at times and in some games can be full of kids, who will like this sort of humor or typo's, but it may go some way also to make the game with the graphics used and slang words more for the younger gamer's, and not for those who seriously play space game, aka Endless Space 2, Master of Orion, Stellaris etc etc

Lately, competition has been getting fierce in the 4X genre. This has caused a surge of titles that are either trying different approaches to the genre, or those that are trying to stay true to older formulas but still bringing in their own ideas to the table.

above post makes my point, from a online review.

with classical going down the same old worn route or new idea's, which may or may not appeal to the classical old school gamer.

but any way enough of this, back to testing.

general turn time is rapid, but game speed is slow, painfully slow in the start, with no options to alter this with so many stars already taken the slog is endless and rather slow with everything going at a slow pace, it's for me i now see why the universe is so small, go to 500 to 1000 stars and you'd be playing it for years, as it is, 80 stars will take for ever, ship speed, build speed is slow at best, but with no sliders options to increase, for me / many it's a very slow and maybe too long game with little to do in early stages but sit and wait until you can do much, some may so it's too slow or boring, so far i'd agree, but it also needs to be balanced, too much too quick, too much progress leave you with all tech and too many planets and a quick end game far too quickly, then it's game over, but replay ability is there, so imo speed matters little as if content and use ability / play ability is there, if the game finishes in a day or a week it matters little as long as you enjoy it and keep wanting to play it more.

as it is, with a fixed start for everyone, each has a long slow and maybe for some boring wait until you have enough resources to move out and do much at all, given more options to start with at the start does away with this, and is the more classical approach and is so because it works for the masses and enjoyed by the most, give less options as it is atm, please only the slower paced gamer who like less of a challenge and spend longer maybe thinking and planning than actual moving etc, for this to reach a wider target audience imo it needs to cater for more player types, not just the long slow plod it is aimed at atm i'm sorry to say, early games in most can be part of a tutorial for learning yes, but it also has to entertain the player while it does it, not slowly bore it to death clicking one or 2 buttons then next to advance the turn while you sit and wait / watch

logs sent as a test to make sure they work as designed, so far tested saves / loads / alt tabbing / screen shots, soft exit, hard exits etc and windowed and full screen and a few settings in res.

it seems to show you can Que builds, but as yet no managed to work out how, so will keep trying on this, as i don't want any help or manuals to read, i will figure it out on my own in my own time then remember it

tech building is slow yes cheated to get so far, but to know it's going to take 250 turns makes me think i'm not sure most will or would wait that long, with no options to speed it up at more cost even, or by other methods it's a slow grind

i now see automation is kicking in so MM is much less than i first thought and now is more easier now need on another test to use no cheats and once learned the basic play without and see what opinion is formed then

if you spend enough time looking, stuff pop out so another one sorted by the end of the day one test will be done and i'll be up to speed on the game as well, may still be useless at it, but will at least know how it works, or how i think it works, the 2 may be different

turn time info makes the game work much better and does lesson the MM load, as you can now focus on what needs doing and then plan on what you wish to do next saying all this, with cheating as well, the game slow pace does make me wonder what i will be like to play on hard

automation and tech Que's for me are key, now with planning and a steady expansion the amount of MM is loads more manageable different from some forms of classical 4x space games, but not that much than a beginner like me with no reading or watching or forum posts being read can pick it up and play from the start in an hour or so, with no tutorials either

mind you X number of Alpha's / beta's tests behind me doesn't make me a normal average player / person either