10 questions from the devs.

[Ripcord O'Reilly]

Hi all. RC here. Hope you're having fun with Weird Worlds!

Got time to answer a few quick questions? Cool if you do and ty from the Digital Eel gang!

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1) What are your favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

2) What are your least favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

3) Which map size do you prefer?

4) Which player ship do you prefer?

5) Do you think the bosses (Kawangi, Primordius, Vent Mother, Deep Hunter, Garthan carrier) are too easy, too hard or just right?

6) When you play Weird Worlds do you "play it safe" or do you play risky?

7) When you play Weird Worlds, do you "roleplay" it?

8) Do you keep a Weird Worlds shortcut on your desktop?

9) Who is your favorite Weird Worlds character?

10) Do you own/play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space?

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And remember: Happiness IS a warm particle vortex cannon.

Back after we see a few comments.

- Rippy

[TaoLibra]

1) My favorite Feature is the "Quest" for the big D (sparked by finding the HoP), and I wish there were more quests like that in the game. My favorite Item is the whole category of "Artifacts," because experimenting to find out what they do is fun. For similar reasons, I also enjoy items that have a hidden function that isn't immediately apparent -- like the Lookout Frogs, the Toy Robot, the Mantle, etc.. It would be really cool if there were even more of these, too.

2) I very much liked being able to set those little "waypoints" in SAIS; so NOT being able to do that is my least favorite Feature of WW. I also really preferred the larger ship displays set to the side of the combat screen in SAIS, and I find the hover-displays in WW more than a little annoying. My least favorite Items are all the useless junk at the bottom of the scale: Explosive Shell Chaingun, Structural Gluon Shield, Pulse Detonation Thrusters, etc.. They may be necessary as starting items, but it really annoys me to find something that useless on a planet somewhere. Quite a few of the weaker weapons are totally pointless, too -- the Gatling Laser, the Electron Accelerator, etc. -- and I never use them for anything but trade fodder to buy something more worthwhile. I'd rather not find them at all, and just find bags of gold instead, since that's all they're good for.

3) Definitely the largest map. I play that almost exclusively.

4) I like (and play) all three ships, but obviously the big military Frigate is the show-stopper.

5) All of the bosses feel just about right, I think. They're all powerful enough to splatter you like a fly on their windshields -- but if you're well-armed and know what you're doing, you can take them. I particularly like the Kawangi in WW, because it is now possible to defeat him in combat -- which was damned near IMpossible in SAIS.

6) I'm not sure what the question means... but if "risky" means trying to tackle enemies without being confident of beating them, then NO, not really. I will take small groups of enemies as I come across them, but I save the tough groups for later -- after I've found every possible weapon, system, and ally on the map. If I find the Mirror, I'll even use it to acquire items from those tough groups before I fight them.

7) Not really, no... but perhaps I might, if there were more opportunities to feel like I was interacting with the game's other characters. (See my answer to #9.)

8) Yup!

9) I don't really feel like the characters are very noticeable, at least not AS "characters" rather than as mere portraits that you glimpse briefly. There isn't a whole lot of personality to any of them, and there's no real opportunity to interact with them at all, so it's difficult to say which I "like" best.

10) Yup!

[PvK]

Having lots of fun!

1) What are your favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

Pausable tactical combat with interesting varied damage to ships, interesting different equipment, abilities etc.

Mod-ability.

Finding new stuff.

Getting into interesting tricky situations in the game, like when damage or not finding the best toys leads to choices and risk-taking.

All in all, very well done. Gripes below are signs of enthusiasm!

2) What are your least favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

Not infinite enough. From the title I was hoping for more infinite space, more infinite and varied play. More going on - more to find.

Not varied enough situations.

Part of that is the balance not being good enough. Retreating is too automatic. Some of the weapons and equipment are too good. The built-in goals and economy are too limited. Conflict without the good stuff is too risky, and it's too likely to be able to avoid conflict until just being given the good stuff. Best example is the Hyperdrive, which is perhaps too often lying around or available for trade for a few coins (not to mention the swap meet), and then the player can often hop around picking up free toys and fleeing anything dangerous until they can beat opponents.

There's no penalty (besides time spent and momentary disappointment) for failure, nor even a record of it (I'd like to see stats on how often I don't do well - see the averages and failures - not just the best pay-off from a long-shot spoiled-brat playstyle).

I think only ships designed for ramming should be able to ram, especially by accident - Gargans only. Space ships would probably get wiped out by a collision, and would never try.

I wish I could reverse in combat - not just move forward and run into problems when getting too close with no rear-firing weapons.

It'd be nice if aliens would run away more. I don't see them do it much even with the "run when all weapons are out" option turned on. My example of why there is an issue with weapon values, fleeing, no reverse, etc., is the situation that I've died in a few times, where my ship is healthy and defeats one enemy but doesn't finish it off completely - it has maybe one weapon half-left. I then turn away from that enemy either to engage another, or just because I'm too close and want to avoid a collision. The crippled enemy then proceeds to shoot me in the back with its one half-working weapon... and the damage piles up quickly. I can't easily maneuver to turn around to settle its hash before it's caused serious damage or even destroyed me. So I should have stopped sooner and blood-thirstily wiped him out, when I'd sorta rather not for role-playing reasons. If I had a rear-firing weapon, I expect it'd probably fire automatically with almost no way to prevent it, too.

The five-coins trading system doesn't leave much room for scale of value.

3) Which map size do you prefer?

Small for more interesting limits and challenges, but large just because there's more there.

4) Which player ship do you prefer?

I like them all.

5) Do you think the bosses (Kawangi, Primordius, Vent Mother, Deep Hunter, Garthan carrier) are too easy, too hard or just right?

About right, but maybe too predictable, without modding.

6) When you play Weird Worlds do you "play it safe" or do you play risky?

I try many different play styles to add to the interest. I wish there was more reason to play it safe, as in statistics. If it kept track of my survival rate, I would try seeing how well I could do without dying, and/or how high I could get my average score.

7) When you play Weird Worlds, do you "roleplay" it?

Sometimes a little.

8) Do you keep a Weird Worlds shortcut on your desktop?

No - way too dangerous!

9) Who is your favorite Weird Worlds character?

Esmerelda.

10) Do you own/play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space?

Edit: Oops - I thought you meant the current version, so I answered "Yep/Yep". After reading Will's answer, I realized you meant the previous game, so that'd be "Nope/Nope" - I'd just heard about it third-hand - a friend of a friend who was addicted.

[William_Minsinger]

1) Favorite Item is the Plasma Cloaker- I've used it to sneakily defeat enemies I usually can't tackle without some really good weapons. Favorite new feature is the Primordous quest, great idea.

2) Least favorite item is the Mantle of Babulon. I really like the idea, it just seems to make the game too easy and it turns up in the most random places. I'd either make it a quest goal or require the player to assemble Babulon's full regalia. Least favorite feature is your wingmen not being that smart- it can be very hard to manage a full fleet, sometimes the wingmen are a liability. I'd like to see the option for the wingmen to accept some more general orders and fight on thier own.

3) Medium Map- I use WW as a 'take a break from a project' type game, and Medium strikes the right balance between too fast and slow.

4) Pirate Corvette is my favorite. Good combination of starting items and cargo space, and I seem to have much better luck with finding artifacts then life forms!

5) Pretty much spot on, I think, though some are defintly harder then others.

6) I pretty much know how many enemies I can handle with what equipment, so combat wise I tend to play it safe. In the overall game I am a risk taker though- I almost always break the Bauble, I will try just one more star even if my time is running out, etc.

7) Not really enough character interaction to 'roleplay' much, but I do try to complete each mission as a I feel it should be. Like in the science mission I always try to make peace with as many people as possible, in the pirate mission I will ruthlessly exploit everyone and anything for points, for the Military mission I will do my best to wipe out every hostile fleet on the map, etc.

8) Yes, and the start menu, and the task launcher tray!

9) Hmmm, It would have to be Ripcord, cool little background story and a neat ship. Would really like to see more characterization all around though.

10) I only played the demo of SIAS, but I played it a lot.

-Will

[CharlesPavlov]

1) My favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

The various quests , upgrading my ships . Items wich have hidden functions and easter eggs . Combat is nice and simple , but a little bit more control wouldn't actually hurt , like being able to "drag-select" ships and "attack at long range" options .

2) What are your least favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

Well , I'd like more random events , more quests , more items , a more dynamic Sector Prime .

3) Which map size do you prefer?

Huge . The bigger the better !

4) Which player ship do you prefer?

The science ship . I like science missions . Second on my list is the warship .

5) Do you think the bosses (Kawangi, Primordius, Vent Mother, Deep Hunter, Garthan carrier) are too easy, too hard or just right?

They're spread out all over the spectrum , which is cool . Carriers and deep Hunters are quite easy , Vent Mothers are difficult , while Primordius and the Kawangi are allmost impossible without using quest items . In general , they're just right .

6) When you play Weird Worlds do you "play it safe" or do you play risky?

A bit of both . I believe in acceptable risk . I take some risks , but I don't push it .

7) When you play Weird Worlds, do you "roleplay" it?

As much as I can , I like to roleplay , but there's not much to roleplay WITH in WW . It'd be cool to gain some experience and level up your character or crew a bit , or to interact with aliens like in Star Control II .

8) Do you keep a Weird Worlds shortcut on your desktop?

Yes , and might I add , "Strange Adventure"'s icon looks better than WW's generic planet one !

9) Who is your favorite Weird Worlds character?

Ripcord , of course !

10) Do you own/play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space?

Just a demo . I've tried to compile the sourcecode though ...

[Ripcord O'Reilly]

My least favorite Items are all the useless junk at the bottom of the scale: Explosive Shell Chaingun, Structural Gluon Shield, Pulse Detonation Thrusters, etc.. They may be necessary as starting items, but it really annoys me to find something that useless on a planet somewhere.

So, you can certainly understand why aliens left the "junk items" behind.

Quite a few of the weaker weapons are totally pointless, too -- the Gatling Laser...

Remember, the combat computers can increase the fire rate of weapons. Helps.

Retreating is too automatic.

Interesting comment!

...sometimes the wingmen are a liability.

I can't disagree. In other words, I agree.

William, PvK & TaoLibra, thanks for your comments and opinions. I likely won't respond to each and every one but you better know that we are reading them!

[Phoenix-D]

The useless items are great trading fodder for the Klakkar, though.

[GreenFrog]

1) What are your favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

I like the cloak best. Hyperdrive is clearly the best item, but having the cloak makes combat much more interesting, particularly when one's collected weapons and other items are not yet that great. I also like the Timeless Bauble as it allows one to fill in a missing item (like the cloak :-) I wish I could figure out how to magical word to make the Bauble give me a hyperdrive! All of the easter egg items are fun, it would jazz things up if most items had some use or purpose to be discovered.

2) What are your least favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

The Mantle of Babulon is way too nice. Once you get that the game becomes too easy (for pirate and frigate). The crystal fish is better -- applicable to only one species, instead of three. I would like more special quests than two -- how about another few please? Also, it is too easy to retreat - as long as you hit retreat within a second or two of combat you can escape, even if surrounded.

3) Which map size do you prefer?

Medium - a nice 15 min break from work, and not all items guaranteed to show up on every map.

4) Which player ship do you prefer?

Pirate - limited (but not too limited) weapons loadout keeps combat interesting, with decent cargo space.

5) Do you think the bosses (Kawangi, Primordius, Vent Mother, Deep Hunter, Garthan carrier) are too easy, too hard or just right?

All are good. Kawangi is really difficult, but that's okay, they are supposed to be the ultimate enemy.

6) When you play Weird Worlds do you "play it safe" or do you play risky?

Mostly safe, trying to be rational about choices and avoiding fights unless they are winnable.

7) When you play Weird Worlds, do you "roleplay" it?

Not really, mostly I play not so seriously.

8) Do you keep a Weird Worlds shortcut on your desktop?

Too dangerous. I play enough as it is!

9) Who is your favorite Weird Worlds character?

I rather like the Garthan who disses you before initiating compat. And the Tan'Ru intro is amusing.

10) Do you own/play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space?

No.

Cheers,
Green Frog

[Therlun]

1. The combat system LOOKS great, i could watch the menu background for hours...


2. The combat system IS very shallow though...

Also, the galaxy is very sterile. It had no past before i visited it(besides some guy called Babulon, who scattered his stuff everywhere), and has no future after i visited it.

3. Small

4. random

5. hmmm... no idea.

6. risky!

7. yes.

8. not anymore...

9. there is no individual deep enough to be called character.

10. no, only the demo.

[Davin]

1) What are your favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

I really like the modability of the game. I like how it sortof plays at being epic while still only absorbing moments of your time. Some of the items seem like they belong in history books while others seem like they belong in the trash can, giving the game a very real feeling. When I first got into combat my very first thought was "damnit I'd better be able to RAM things!" and lo and behold, I can! I think a little bit needs to be done as far as the logistical benefits and detriments to ramming (like if the Klakar ship ever tried to ram something it would crinkle like foil, it's just not designed for that crap) but it should always be an option. Collision is a real concern in space.

2) What are your least favorite features/items/etc. in the game?

There's not much about the game design that I don't like, but the content could be more diverse. After playing countless rounds on large, medium, and small maps and playing community mods, I feel like the original game is analogous to a "starter set" of a CCG. I think eventually once engine updates have petered out or slowed down you could do well to release greater content packs, especially quests, without changing the balances and overall feel of the current game as much as you would with a mod. The primordius quest especially has a great feeling to it.

3) Which map size do you prefer?

large all the way

4) Which player ship do you prefer?

i tend to pick the pirate or the military ships but the scanners on the science ship were a nice touch

5) Do you think the bosses (Kawangi, Primordius, Vent Mother, Deep Hunter, Garthan carrier) are too easy, too hard or just right?

i don't think they're too easy, just too few. this goes along with my request for more content: you end up facing the same bosses too many times and get used to how they fight.

6) When you play Weird Worlds do you "play it safe" or do you play risky?

risky for the most part. i'll elaborate in a sec.

7) When you play Weird Worlds, do you "roleplay" it?

well, not in the sense of normal roleplaying, but i tend to pick a tactic and stick to it. if i'm in the mood for a hostile conquest (which i frequently am) you'll see me trekking halfway accross the sector to drop the mantle at glory so nobody tries to ally with me. other times that will be the one item that i seek out the most, looking to make as much peace and profit as possible. of course if i find the horlogue or accidentally stumble accross the d-stroyer i really like playing that quest.

8) Do you keep a Weird Worlds shortcut on your desktop?

pinned to my xp start menu

9) Who is your favorite Weird Worlds character?

the lookout frogs are absolutely hilarious but not really a character
esmeralda or fomax probably

10) Do you own/play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space?

nope, i got here through a penny arcade link





I read some of the other responses and PvK's idea about reversability sounds pretty interesting. You could make it as simple as firing braking thrusters to give you a quick drift backwards, in which case you wouldn't even need to add another ship's system or relate it to your normal impulse engines at all. It would give you a good way to avoid ramming as well, which enemies need to do more often (dead ship-drift isn't good enough for me!) as a last resort, or for Garthans maybe a viable tactic.