12 replies to this topic

[wonko the sane?]

What can I say? I apparently have a type, and it's voxel based survival games? Who'da thunk it.

 

Anyway: On to the game. The survival aspects are surprisingly easy, so it's not a bar to the actual fun of the game: making enormous structures and vessels. Eat once in a while... that's it. Water exists to use as a recipe ingredient and to help stamina regeneration a touch. You can make power bars from vegetable proteins, and various other sundry items using the various workbenches in the world, like the food processor and the various grades of constructors. The fridge, of which you can build into not only into your base, but all your vehicles as well, prevents food rotting entirely. Which is a nice touch. Splits the line between minecraft/7 days to die where food doesn't rot at all, and games like F76 and miscreated where fresh foods will eventually rot into another recipe item or just garbage regardless of where you put them.

 

I don't think they could decide what they wanted to be the enemies in the game. So far, I've fought giant spiders, giant slimes, velociraptors, and spear wielding xeno natives. It's... a hell of a leap there. Dinosaurs, and aliens all in the same space. Meh: meats meat, I really don't care if it's giant bug, or sauropod. The food processor makes the steak taste just like beef.

 

Building! Yeah, on top of making your home base, your mobile bases, and your vehicles (You can construct hover vehicles good for planetary surfaces, small space vessels good for a jaunt around the solar system to grab rareified resources, CAPITAL ships which are giant mobile bases, and STAR BASES where in you can dock your cap ship. Oh, and a motorcycle. There, I think I got everything.) you need to construct various workbenchs, tools, weapons and armor for yourself. These are done using the various sizes of constructors, but don't get discouraged at my wording. As you move UP the constructor scale, they can build everything the smaller one could, plus new stuff. So the order is 1.) suit (which lets you crank out basic workbenches and early game foods.), 2.) survival, 3.) small, 4.) large, 5.) advanced. Everything is built in the same way; feed the constructor resources, and it'll make everything it needs (if the resources are present.) including advanced materials like motors, circuit boards, power supplies. You don't have to get bogged down either scavenging the technical parts or remembering ten thousand recipes while running between specialized workbenches. Some tools also qualify as weapons: and I can confirm that killing raptors and spiders with a chainsaw is all kinds of fun, so don't skip the tools!

 

Access to recipes are determined by player level, and which recipes you've bought on the player screen. It's divided into the various aspects (like recipes specifically for hover vehicles, bases, tools and weapons.) so you end up having to purchase the same things repeatedly because of how the game handles blocks and attachments. Let's move onto that, shall we?

 

BLOCKS! You make blocks, you place blocks. You paint and texture blocks! It took a bit to get used to how this game handles construction, but I think I got it. First off: there is no individual block physics. If a block is no longer connected by other blocks to the core for that build (be it base or vehicle.) it will turn into debris which you can pick up for the salvage. So if you want to build a structure 100 blocks wide, on a single wood log that spans 1000 blocks high: you are perfectly free to do so. Destroy the builds core, and the entire thing turns into debris. Why was it done like that? To allow the game to differentiate between the different kinds of vehicles and bases. This system also allows for the creation of blueprints, so if you REALLY like something you built, you can save the build to recreate later OR drop in something that your friends made/you downloaded off the internet. Creative mode allows for easy construction of massive structures to turn into blueprints which all you have to do is keep feeding it resources in the free mode/survival mode until it builds itself. Kinda handy if you don't feel like starting entirely fresh and just want to get to work recreating all of histories greatest atrocities on digital aliens. Now, the game handles the actual blocks exactly as you expect it to... maybe? It offers dozens of shapes of both utilitarian and artistic kinds, allowing you to make your structure in basically the closest possible way to your imagination. But be warned: a block is still a block. If you change the size of the block you're using to smaller than the entire space (like a half sized one, or a beam. Or one of the styles of ramp or cut corner.), the build engine will still qualify it as a WHOLE block for the purposes of placement of items like furniture, other blocks, or workbenchs and power generators. Yes, even if you can walk through that block. As for building ITSELF: you will have to place a starter block for your whatever: and then every block placed AFTER will HAVE to be attached in some way (either by touching the "core" directly OR touching something that's touching the core.) to the core block. It does make some designs a little awkward to build, but again: handled this way so vehicles and blueprints could actually work.

 

Every time you start a new game, it generates... a solar system. A bunch of planets of varying degrees of danger, with accompanying rewards. Rare equipment and resources are found on harder to survive on planets, requiring ever more expensive and technical equipment and vehicles to attain. If you plan your stuff out well, you can make small structures and vehicles which fit all your needs and requirements, including storage and processing (a constructor can make ingots from ore, but a smelter does it faster... and automatically? I think.), but what's the point of having an ENTIRE solar system to exploit if you aren't going to bother exploiting it?

 

Edit: and that's just me recovering from the tutorial! There's literally HUNDREDS of different POI's (points of interest.) in the game which spawn rare equipment and resources, enemies, and are generally worth the effort to exploit and explore and I've BARELY even touched on those myself yet. Apparently there are scuttled and almost abandoned capital ships and space stations out there, full of all kinds of kit waiting for the adventurous, the brave or the clinically insane.

Edited by wonko the sane?, 10 July 2019 - 06:56 PM.

[wonko the sane?]

Welp, today I learned that not all biomes are created equally. I found a swamp: it was full of relatively harmless animals, and the ones that meant me harm were slow and sparse. It was also full of different kinds of harvestable plants: spice, natural stimulants, natural sweeteners, grains, corn, herbal leaves. A cornucopia!

 

I then proceeded into the savanna biome: it's full of hugging spiders and raptors! Bring a weapon. Bring ammo. No, more ammo. NO. MORE ammo. You are not listening to me: bring more ammo.

[wonko the sane?]

Alright... so I got around to building my own hover vehicle! I managed to make a reasonable reproduction of an imperial rhino transport... which actually isn't saying much cause the rhino is a hugging box on treads. Photos will be taken before I dismantle the damn thing. Turns out that there's more to engineering than just slapping some drills on the front and expecting it to make a good mining rig. I got it slanted into the ground for my newest mine by forcing myself to figure out how to add stuff to the shortcuts power menu, and actually sorting the hover engines by front, middle and back, and just turning off the front ones. Then I managed to jam the damn thing IN the whole because the detector (think giant antenna.) managed to lodge itself, and force the back hovers to wedge against the ground. I was able to get back OUT of the hole by removing the detector, and judicious use of the t2 thrusters I installed.

 

So yeah... as marvin the martin would say "back to the old electronic brain".

[wonko the sane?]

Alright! The rhino!

 

The profile. I originally had decorative molding around the outside, to make it look like the plating around the tread housing, but removed it as it interfered with the turrets line of fire. Yup, one on each side.

 

Face! I loved what I managed to accomplish here. Looks genuinely tanky AND you actually had a pretty good view from the driver's seat.

 

The rear! An automatic hatch and ramp, all you have to do is power the vehicle up (which you can do from a reasonable distance away by just looking at it and accessing the power menu.) and they both react as you approach and retract when you walk away.

 

The inside. It was roomy. Two regular cargo boxes, the harvester box, an 02 tank and filling station, portable cloner, ammo box for the turrets, Two fuels cells, the generator and two passengers seat. There was room enough for more passengers, probably a fridge and some other stuff, but I wasn't interested in pack that in yet, this was just supposed to be a test build to see what I had worked out so far.

 

[wonko the sane?]

The Zinax attacked my base today. They almost destroyed my home. I was able to fight them (largely thanks to a T2 assault rifle I scored raiding an abandoned drone base.) off, and because of the drones I destroyed: I was able to build the drill tool. Which allowed me to move my entire facility underground quickly and effectively. I just need to buy some base level turrets and the next time they attack (which shouldn't be too long. They really don't like me... for some reason.) it'll sort itself out. In the mean time, I just need to upgrade the surface level blocks a bit to ensure a greater degree of protection.

[wonko the sane?]

Alright! a brief update and a lesson!

 

I built my first SV (small vessel.) which I dubbed "the angry bird". It was largely based off a federation shuttle, but it also me trying to make a small, roomy, aerodynamic, oxygen bearing vessel to take jaunts into orbit and around the planet with. It was technically good enough to make it to the moon. I learned a lot, stripped it to it's bolts, and built a Z-95 headhunter with an amoured cockpit. Used the z-95 to circumnavigate the planet, and found some more POI's and bases to explore later.

 

Now, the lesson! The radar icon AND detectors! Are you buying the detectors in the tech tree? For each vessel? Good. NOW, how do they work? They work in two major ways. 1.) They will put resource deposits and POI's on your map if you pass within range of them with that detector, and all have different ranges. 2.) it will indicator on your radar icon (top right of the screen.) that there is something, and how many somethings. The OUTER red circle is the directional indicator. The INNER red lines indicate the NUMBER of potential things in that direction to a maximum of six. There can be more than six things, the indicator just won't change until less than six are still undiscovered.

 

Edit: Oh yeah! If you happen to create a design you enjoy, be it base or vehicle, put the target reticule on that thing, and his Alt and O on your keyboard. you'll be given the option to save that design to use in the factory should you choose to restart a new world, or jump on someones multiplayer server.

Edited by wonko the sane?, 16 July 2019 - 01:35 PM.

[wonko the sane?]

Alright... so the guy who's designing the POI's... yeah, he's a pretty big fan of horror games. I was in the process of looting an abandoned mining facility, and what was supposed to be a salvage run turned into "dead space" pretty hugging quick. Monsters spawning behind me, dead drops into enemy infested rooms, and an internal security system that's fully functional and entirely intent on shooting ME and not the ravening alien monsters and giant poisonous bugs. And no obvious way out. I mean: good loot in there (got me a laser pistol!) but STILL. I wanted ore and parts, not to be blind sided by something rejected from silent hill.

 

The game is pretty cross gendre, is what I am trying to say.

[wonko the sane?]

Note: when building larger scale small vessels: you need a WIDE base when placing land pads. My current airship can only stand upright on perfectly flat ground... Rolls over like a happy dog.

[wonko the sane?]

Alright, so I spent some time, ventured into orbit and onto stetia's moon. I found between there and here, a xenu shipyard. I largely ignored it. The one time I went near it: it literally began erupting weapons fire, so I give it some distance. My brother was over today, and I was showing him the game. And he said "take it".

 

I have a shield on my headhunter. Lots of ammo in the hopper, and armor rated for EVA and heavy combat. Okay, I try to take it.

 

I managed to kill all the plasma turrets (I think that's what those were.) on the hull. and settle the headhunter down on one of the smaller side pads between the construction bay and the core. I hop out and notice that something is hugging blinking off my hull. I pop out to see what, there's a literal ton of AP sentry turrets all around, not a threat to vessels but they managed to kill me while checking.

 

Re-spawn locally. Jetpack in to try to get back to my ship. Get killed

 

Do this two more times, and give up. Respawn at my base. As a note: FIRST TIME I've had to do that. Every other time I was able to snag my pack and rambo my way back through the mess.

 

However, I am NOT taking this lying down. I crank up the fabricator and crank OUT a cockpit, 5 thrusters, one jet thruster, a fuel tank, a jenny and an RCS. I then make my way back to my headhunter using the definitive "my first orbital vehicle". Jump out of the space go kart, into the head hunter, take a close lap and kill as many of the sentry turrets as I can find. Land back at my little red space wagon: salvage the whole thing with the multitool, and proceed to claim and loot the shipyard. As a bonus, the shipyard while under the control of the enemy were cranking out drones for use in orbital space. That ends now, the orbits are clear... except for some new space junk.

[wonko the sane?]

FINALLY built a bigger than a small gunship SV that wasn't an absolute boat and useless in a fight. WITH a warp drive. Took it out to the asteroid belt, and one of the inner planets. Pentaxid is fairly common on the almost innermost world, so travel in future will be readily available after a little bit of mining. Still two worlds, and one large space station ((big enough to be shown on the system over map) so far.) to explore.

 

Anyone have any idea how to go about killing a patrol ship: it's functionally an SV and not a drone, so obviously I need to kill the core, but I have no idea where to shoot it to do that, and I can't actually board it alone.

[wonko the sane?]

Alright! Time for some gameplay tips!

 

On the main control screen for bases and ships (Hit P on the keyboard.) there is a whole SLEW of useful options in there. After you're done building your thing (whatever your thing might be.), hit up the devices tab, and then hit the autosort button up at the top. There's a mouse over so you can find it. It'll take all the stuff you just installed and put them into the pre-assigned categories. Why did I just have you do that? It'll give you the full range of options for everything. The most useful part I've found with this so far is that it'll let you wirelessly connect to storage in your base (when STANDING on your base, to be true.), and RENAME the containers. No more shlepping inventory loads by hand. You can now use the drop down boxes on the inventory screen (when you're interacting with a container on your base or ship.) to select ANY of the different containers there in (couple of small exceptions. Like the some of the decorative furniture stuff.) and then just shift click to move things to that box. You unload your vehicle in a snap!

 

Moving along! You've built your base. You've built hovercraft, and a space vessel, and rebuilt both a couple of times. You've got armor, you've got guns... you've got a planet full of guys who want you DEAD and started this fight without provocation... Time to raid some NPC POI's!

Here's the list of stuff I've found useful to shlep along.

1.) Your preferred weapon. We're all different, bring what you like.

2.) Your secondary weapon. I like something powerful and midrange, and a shotgun for room sweeping.

3.) a FULL stack of explosives. (so 5 bombs.)

4.) AT LEAST a full stack of ammo for each weapon.

5.) Night vision goggles

6.) Multitool (t1 works, T2 is better. Obviously.)

7.) Snacks! Preferably something that also restores health. (mouse over the food stuff for tool tips and see.)

8.) medical supplies. Either a stack of bandages or the little red glowing vial medikit thing. Decontamination kits, trauma kits and the other field kit and harder to make, rarer to find, and do much more than just restore health: so save them in your vessel for an emergency. If you're doing this in a hover vehicle; make sure you've installed a first aid station. Always be prepared.

 

So, you find the spot you wanna raid. Circle the place a couple of times to wipe out the base defenses and outside resistance. This is why you brought a vehicle. Let it do the heavy lifting. While circling, try to find the obvious front door. I've only run across two rixan POIs which requires a flying vehicle to access, so, you know, think ahead a bit. Park near the front door once you're clear, break out your chosen weapon, and head inside. The first thing you need to is to start destroying enemy spawners.

These things:

The thing under the dead body. Shoot them till they blow up. It'll stop more enemies from spawning in behind you. Run around the entire base, kill everything, and destroy all of these teleport pads. You've now secured the base. At this point, you want to find the base core (which you've probably already done, it'll look like the core in your base and vehicles, but in a different colour. Maybe.) and destroy it. You can shoot it till it explodes, or you can use the bombs you brought. Plant one on the core, get clear, and enjoy the light show.

 

Now. Time to loot! There's THREE kinds of containers to keep your eyes open for.

Ammo Boxes:

They'll look like this. They'll have ammo for you OR for base and vehicles. If it's a kind you don't currently use (or used to use and don't cause you've moved onto something else.) you can either stockpile or deconstruct it.

 

You also want to keep your eyes open for this one:

These will have prometheum power cells, fusion cells, or rarely; pentaxid crystals in them. All of those are useful, so check every one of these you can find.

 

But the honey pot is these:

These are "alien containers" and they have the best loot in them. Not only do they have better loot by default: but they also change their colour based on rarity. All of them usually have good stuff (weapons, medical supplies, armour, armour mods, weapon components, ammo, rarer processed resources, fuel...) but red and purple containers will usually have an epic weapon, like the red weapon I'm toting in the picture. They're often hidden in the bases behind grates, locked doors, swinging walls (which might only work when the power is on, so BEFORE you destroy the core.) and such. Which is why you brought your multitool with you. Set it to salvage, clear out the crap in your way and go to town. Look everywhere, crawl into air ducts, make judicious use of your jetpack.

 

If you've got the time and inclination, you can then go and literally strip the base to the ground. You'll end up with a massive surplus of steel plates and hardened steel plates which go right into the construction of the various grade of steel blocks for base and vehicle construction. Those plates can ALSO be fed directly into the factory in the place of the listed ingots if you just want to manufacture someone else's ship design instead of doing it yourself.

 

So there you have it. A quick a dirty guide to not only looting alien POI's, BUT a quick and dirty guide to unloading the truck when you get back home.

[wonko the sane?]

Life cycle of your home built vehicles in empyrion.

 

1.) wow... this ride sucks. I better steer clear of enemy emplacements.

2.) Cool. I got enough resources to improve the material and add some weapons. I bet I can take out some enemy poi's now!

3.) HA! Raiding works! I upgraded the hull, top of the line thrusters and weapons! I'm going to go end the drone raids against my base!

4.) walking is fine. I love walking.

[wonko the sane?]

Of late, I have been thinking that the worlds feel... slightly empty. Sure, there's critters roaming around, and you can see herds from the air... but...

 

This time I did something I don't usually do. I built a hovercraft. I don't overly use hovercraft because their limited flight ceiling makes navigating the terrain difficult, and the lower mobility makes using pilot controlled weapons largely pointless since you lose a huge part of the field of fire to the inherent lack of motion. But I also decided: what the hell, let's drop some turrets on it.

 

Guys. I can eat like a strict meatarian. Those turrets were shooting shit I didn't even know was there, I took a short jaunt test flight and came back home with TWO full stacks of animal protein. And I didn't change the default settings: I can still add "prey" animals to the hit list and then just hunt down some herds if I wanted to. Holy shit, suddenly, hovercraft are kinda fun! Turns out the world is empty when you skip ground pounding entirely and just go right to aerial combat.

Edited by wonko the sane?, 19 November 2019 - 10:27 AM.