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Starbound Beta Thread - Begins December 4th!

R

Retro

Member
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Wait, it's out?
Yes, but in Beta form! http://store.steampowered.com/app/211820/

Finally! Now, how long is the damn Beta going to take?
We don't know, we we do know it will have 3 phases;

  • Phase 1:
    Rapid re-iteration, lots of bugs and balance changes. Very unoptimized. Characters may be deleted.
  • Phase 2:
    Largely feature complete, but lacking the main quest. Bugs and optimization work. Characters unlikely to be deleted, but still a possibility.
  • Phase 3:
    Preparing for launch, adding in the main quest and post-launch content, along with any remaining work on optimization.
NOTE:
Please keep in mind that this thread is for the BETA RELEASE and as such represents an incomplete game:
It will be buggy.
It will crash.
A lot.
It will probably run like crap on older PCs.​
If the prospect of playing a game in this state bothers you, the developers have recommended you wait until Phase 2 begins.
DO NOT take part in Phase 1 if bugs infuriate you, you don’t like spoilers, you can’t stand losing your save, or you want the full Starbound ‘experience’ the first time you play!
You may also want to refrain from complaining about those sort of things in the thread.

Read more on how the Beta will progress here.​

Is there a GAF server?​
Yes! Quote this post to see both the GAF server info and the info for our Mumble server, graciously hosted by the officers of GAFGuild, GAF's Guild Wars 2 community.
If you're hosting your own server, please PM me the info and I will add it to the list.
Please keep all server addresses / password private, we've had problems with non-GAF trolls wrecking things in the past.
Streamers, please make sure you're not entering this info while streaming!
Report problems with the server or check for updates via twitter;
https://twitter.com/StarboundGAF​

How will I download the game?​
Steam keys will be sent out to all pre-order backers via e-mail. A direct download version of the game will be provided as soon as they're able to efficiently provide it.​

Will I still be able to purchase the game after the beta is released?​
Yes, you'll be able to purchase the game through Steam Early Access and the $15 Pixel Tier and 4-pack will remain available in their store.

Will the beta be available for PC, Mac and Linux?​
Yes.

Will [insert feature here] be in at beta launch?​
Expect a good chunk of things to be missing or incomplete; it's a beta, after all.

Am I allowed to post images or stream footage of the beta to Youtube/Twitch/etc, even if I'm making money off of it?​
Yes.

Is multiplayer in for beta?​
Yes.

So, I have no idea what Starbound is all about, any info?
Sure, courtesy of Jira:

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Oh, so it's Terraria 2!
No; the lead designer on Starbound is Finn Brice, better known as Tiy, who worked on Terraria as a pixel artist. That’s the only connection between the two; Tiy formed Chucklefish after further development of Terraria was put on hold.

Gotcha, any useful links?
Previous Threads:

​
 
H

HaRyu

Unconfirmed Member
Also needs to be pointed out, please, for the love of all that is Mario and Luigi, we're talking early beta here. Don't even think about getting this game now if you want to enjoy it. Tier 1 beta test should only be played by people who can live with the fact that a game can be severely broken and unbalanced.

If you actually want a decent play experience, maybe at least wait for Tier 2 to kick in.
 
N

Nokterian

Member
Fantastic OP! My body is so ready for this and just in time for winter! Have put 45 dollars in this and i am glad being a part of it.

lawd.gif
 
R

Retro

Member
HaRyu said:
Also needs to be pointed out, please, for the love of all that is Mario and Luigi, we're talking early beta here. Don't even think about getting this game now if you want to enjoy it. Tier 1 beta test should only be played by people who can live with the fact that a game can be severely broken and unbalanced.

If you actually want a decent play experience, maybe at least wait for Tier 2 to kick in.
Click to expand...

Adding something like this to the OP, completely forgot.

Edit: And done!
 
R

Raijin_Cain

Member
Great. Have been waiting a long time for this.

Dont care if there are a lot of bugs or whatever.

Let's play!

Awesome OT, Retro! :)
 
B

Blowdrum

Neo Member
I didn't know about this game until today. I took one glance at the front page and knew I had to have it.

Very few games get me excited at first glance, and this one did. I'm so pumped for the beta.
 
R

Retro

Member
Raijin_Cain said:
Awesome OT, Retro! :)
Click to expand...

I kinda slapped it together and Copypasta'd their Beta FAQ, throwing in Jira's awesome summary infographic since it does an awesome job explaining the basics.

The actual launch OT, I really want to be special. This was sort of intended as an elaborate news thread with info.

But thanks anyways!
 
D

DPsygnet

Member
wow it's finally here !
i wonder if it can reaches our expectations... i am expecting endless pixelated awesomeness
 
V

VandalD

Member
It's so close now. I'm looking forward to seeing how well this works out in multiplayer. The whole near infinite worlds thing makes it much easier for people to claim a place of their own, while still being around to hang out and help others if needed.
 
I

IceMarker

Member
I look forward to you guys posting your impressions of the beta before I jump in and pay for access myself. Terraria was one hell of a game and if Starbound tops it then I'm all for.
 
D

DPsygnet

Member
anyone know if there is any kind of difficulty level ?
the survival aspect of this kind of game is really appealig to me especially with the food meter and temperature, i want to work to keep myself alive and be forced to explore instead of farming tree and building a giant castle and wait in it.
 
H

HaRyu

Unconfirmed Member
fluffydelusions said:
How does mp work in this anyway? Never actually tried it with terraria.
Click to expand...

Not sure if there's even an MP meter in Starbound. There's a green bar under the red lfebar on the screen, but I don't recall what that is. And so far, we havent seen anythig magic yet in Starbound (spellbooks, wands), because it does seem to just stick to tech only.

Assuming the green bar is a special meter, we do know certain weapons do have a secondary effect (charge a bow,- cause a stronger attack to come out, swing a sword- power wave across the ground, etc). So assume that for now.

DPsygnet said:
anyone know if there is any kind of difficulty level ?
the survival aspect of this kind of game is really appealig to me especially with the food meter and temperature, i want to work to keep myself alive and be forced to explore instead of farming tree and building a giant castle and wait in it.
Click to expand...

There's a quest/progression system, and while the game is a sandbox/open universe type of game, its not really. The quest/progression system will more or less lock you to an area until you finish key quests. Whether or not later on, you get more choices of planets before you need to advance to the next quest tier, is an answer we don't have yet.

I guess you can say there's a difficulty level though? They've mentioned they been balancing/tweaking quests and gear to correspond with what quest tier you're on, so I would think the game does get harder, but I don't think we'll really get a feel for the difficulty curve in the beta, at least not during the first beta part.

Oh, and in case some of you are put off by the progression system, they did say they're thinking of just putting in a pure sandbox mode, but they didn't mention if it would be in outright, or you have to actually do enough quests to unlock the mode.
 
F

fluffydelusions

Member
HaRyu said:
Not sure if there's even an MP meter in Starbound. There's a green bar under the red lfebar on the screen, but I don't recall what that is. And so far, we havent seen anythig magic yet in Starbound (spellbooks, wands), because it does seem to just stick to tech only.

Assuming the green bar is a special meter, we do know certain weapons do have a secondary effect (charge a bow,- cause a stronger attack to come out, swing a sword- power wave across the ground, etc). So assume that for now.



There's a quest/progression system, and while the game is a sandbox/open universe type of game, its not really. The quest/progression system will more or less lock you to an area until you finish key quests. Whether or not later on, you get more choices of planets before you need to advance to the next quest tier, is an answer we don't have yet.

I guess you can say there's a difficulty level though? They've mentioned they been balancing/tweaking quests and gear to correspond with what quest tier you're on, so I would think the game does get harder, but I don't think we'll really get a feel for the difficulty curve in the beta, at least not during the first beta part.

Oh, and in case some of you are put off by the progression system, they did say they're thinking of just putting in a pure sandbox mode, but they didn't mention if it would be in outright, or you have to actually do enough quests to unlock the mode.
Click to expand...

lol I actually meant multiplayer :) BTW, my steam id if anyone is down for multiplayer when it comes out
http://steamcommunity.com/id/plbelanger
 
D

dark_inferno

Member
I cant fucking wait.

Already preordered and i hope the Beta wont be a huge fucking mess and it will just have some glitches that are fixable in a few days/weeks.
 
LiquidMetal14

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Invested more than I anticipated into this. With all the PS4 hoopla I find myself less excited but I'm definitely eager to try it.
 
H

HaRyu

Unconfirmed Member
fluffydelusions said:
lol I actually meant multiplayer :) BTW, my steam id if anyone is down for multiplayer when it comes out
http://steamcommunity.com/id/plbelanger
Click to expand...

Ah, okay, based on what I know so far:

- There's your standard, everyone gets on the server, do their own thing.
- There's a party system, where you send an invite to other players to join your party (you apparently need to know their character name). From the looks of it from the last video stream they did, it doesn't appear to be any sort of system wide announcement when a player hops on the server, so you just need to know when someone you want on your party is there.

Aaand... that's pretty much all we know? The important things about multiplayer we need to find out are as follows:

PROGRESSION: The issue with Terraria is when someone kills a boss, or even shove the world into Hardmode, everyone else is screwed if they're underpowered. This is sort of why on the GAF server, I specifically requested we avoid putting Hardmode on, because not everyone would be ready for it.

Now, with Starbound, what happens when someone kills a boss? Does that block everyone else from killing the boss from that point onwards? What happens if someone completes a quest that would technically change the game (like, activating a Hardmode)? Do other players who weren't participating in said event, have to hop on their own single player mode, or a different server altogether, in order to accomplish said task?

SHARED REWARDS: Well, this is a common thing among online games. Do other players in your party get some sort of shared reward when completing quests/killing monsters/finding loot?

SHARED COMPLETION: What happens if you're in a party, and someone else completes a quest? Do you get the quest ticked off as complete? Or do you still have to do the quest yourself?

We'll get answers soon enough though.
 
D

DPsygnet

Member
HaRyu said:
Oh, and in case some of you are put off by the progression system, they did say they're thinking of just putting in a pure sandbox mode, but they didn't mention if it would be in outright, or you have to actually do enough quests to unlock the mode.
Click to expand...

Oh well that good. I guess we will see next week how the game progression is gonna be , or at least get a taste of it, depending in which condition the beta actually is.
 
F

fluffydelusions

Member
HaRyu said:
Ah, okay, based on what I know so far:

- There's your standard, everyone gets on the server, do their own thing.
- There's a party system, where you send an invite to other players to join your party (you apparently need to know their character name). From the looks of it from the last video stream they did, it doesn't appear to be any sort of system wide announcement when a player hops on the server, so you just need to know when someone you want on your party is there.

Aaand... that's pretty much all we know? The important things about multiplayer we need to find out are as follows:

PROGRESSION: The issue with Terraria is when someone kills a boss, or even shove the world into Hardmode, everyone else is screwed if they're underpowered. This is sort of why on the GAF server, I specifically requested we avoid putting Hardmode on, because not everyone would be ready for it.

Now, with Starbound, what happens when someone kills a boss? Does that block everyone else from killing the boss from that point onwards? What happens if someone completes a quest that would technically change the game (like, activating a Hardmode)? Do other players who weren't participating in said event, have to hop on their own single player mode, or a different server altogether, in order to accomplish said task?

SHARED REWARDS: Well, this is a common thing among online games. Do other players in your party get some sort of shared reward when completing quests/killing monsters/finding loot?

SHARED COMPLETION: What happens if you're in a party, and someone else completes a quest? Do you get the quest ticked off as complete? Or do you still have to do the quest yourself?

We'll get answers soon enough though.
Click to expand...

How many people can fit on a server?
 
H

HaRyu

Unconfirmed Member
DPsygnet said:
Oh well that good. I guess we will see next week how the game progression is gonna be , or at least get a taste of it, depending in which condition the beta actually is.
Click to expand...

Actually, according to the beta phases (check OP), actual quest progression shouldnt even be in the first phase. Maybe some intial quests, but anything substantial would be in the 2nd phase.

fluffydelusions said:
How many people can fit on a server?
Click to expand...

Another question we need answered, supposedly only limited to how strong the host computer is. I'll be running a server stress test when the beta hits.

As a matter of reference, for Terraria, my machine can support 12-15 people w/o any real issues. 18 or higher, computer usually ends up locking up.
 
S

Skab

Member
DPsygnet said:
Oh well that good. I guess we will see next week how the game progression is gonna be , or at least get a taste of it, depending in which condition the beta actually is.
Click to expand...

They said (I think it was on Barts stream?) the beta is going to be the first few tiers of progression, then every other tier smushed into one giant tier of unstructured craziness. At least at first.
 
D

DPsygnet

Member
Skab said:
They said (I think it was on Barts stream?) the beta is going to be the first few tiers of progression, then every other tier smushed into one giant tier of unstructured craziness. At least at first.
Click to expand...


well that a good thing, the giant tier of unstructured craziness seems more appealing to me than strucutred tier :p
 
R

Retro

Member
HaRyu said:
Now, with Starbound, what happens when someone kills a boss? Does that block everyone else from killing the boss from that point onwards? What happens if someone completes a quest that would technically change the game (like, activating a Hardmode)? Do other players who weren't participating in said event, have to hop on their own single player mode, or a different server altogether, in order to accomplish said task?
Click to expand...

From the way they describe the difficulty system, it sounds like individual planets have difficulty levels from 1 to 100. As you complete the main quest, you gain access to more dangerous sections of space. At least, that's what it sounded like. So I doubt you'd have the whole universe suddenly turn into Hardmode.

Also, for those who asked about difficulty levels... they said Level 100 planets would be difficult even for well geared players. Whether that ends up true or not, I can't say, but that's their intent at least.

DPsygnet said:
Oh well that good. I guess we will see next week how the game progression is gonna be , or at least get a taste of it, depending in which condition the beta actually is.
Click to expand...

I'm expecting it to be pretty bad. The developers said Phase 1 will "move at a breakneck speed", which is why they're only doing the first stage through steam, as it allows for rapid reiteration and updating. I would honestly expect it to be borderline if not completely unplayable for the first week or two. If it ends up being better, I'll be happy, but it's a real Beta, not the usual "The game is done, here's a chance for you to see it early"-type Beta that seems to have become the norm.

Maybe I should include the full text of their Beta post in the OT, it's pretty clear on how they expect it to go...

Edit: You know what? I'll post it at the top of the next page so it's visible.
 
S

Skab

Member
Retro said:
Maybe I should include the full text of their Beta post in the OT, it's pretty clear on how they expect it to go...

Edit: You know what? I'll post it at the top of the next page so it's visible.
Click to expand...

Probably a good idea to stick in the OT anyway.
 
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