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[PandaPedinte]

Voting thread up!
Link to the Voting Thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734961

In short:
Rank your top 20 PC Indie Games you played last year (check the previous monthly threads if you want to remember what we played here), feel free to give the same rank to multiple games, like:

1. Game XY
2. Game ÖZ
2. Game GA
2. Game XD
5. Game XT
6. Game HT

Feel free to include a second list with the ranks 21-50 in the same manner, but the second list is not needed for the voting.

Also, make sure to post about why you think certain games deserve the votes, to convince others to try a game or to remind them of a certain game. We covered ~500 games last year, so its easy to miss one or two great ones. I would also suggest subscribing to the voting thread to be informed about others writing up their impressions/why this game was awesome-posts.

Is it good or bad that 15 of those 16 games were posted by me? I hope it doesn't seem like I hog up the thread with so many posts. I'm open to criticism if you guys are annoyed by it or something

Your post are highly appreciated.

Its... its... beautiful.

Until yesterday, I was only analyzing the individual posts, here is the picture of the full thread mode that also creates my OP posts:


<3

I fully expect it to have a few bugs and crashes still for some unexpected errors. Going to run it through some older threads and see whether it manages to hold up as well.

But since I finally got it working, its going to be even more important to follow the Post format for game suggestions, so please keep that in mind since I would love to stop checking every single post

Nice to see it working!

 

[Toma]

So, after getting my program in a playable state, I was playing around a bit with streaming games and I decided to have a go at my first commented videogame video ever. Since I was planning on going through the OP eventually anyway, I grabbed the first game (Awesome Shapes) and made a 15 minutes video on it. Streaming puts a little too much stress on my notebook, but capturing the video and then uploading it isnt much different either so there you go, my first gaming video with commentary! Woo!:
http://youtu.be/DOdE0kBVwhw

Sound might be a bit too quiet and there are 2-3 parts where the video was stuck a bit because apparently my notebook isnt too fond of game streaming, but overall it should be watchable. Let me know if you have any other comments on it. I know its certainly not the best video in the world,but hey, it was worth a try

Spoiler Warning regarding the video: I managed to play through the whole game within the time span of the video, so if you had the intention of picking it up because you thought it looked interesting, you obviously shouldnt watch the video. Clear personal recommendation: Watch any video on it for full impressions instead of paying for it.

 

[More_Badass]

^^^
One small step for IndieGAF! Great video, Toma.

---
Only about 15 minutes left if you were interested in QbQbQb on IndieGameStand

 

[More_Badass]

Master Spy got some nice new visual enhancements and gameplay additions

Just improved animations/cloaking/etc.

Showing off the flip animation

New enemy: booth guard

Security beams, motion sensors, and pressure plates

 

[Deputy Dangle]

So as I'm going through a few games for the voting thread that I had intended to play months back but kept delaying, I finally decided to just look for some common picks in each post and Gorogoa caught my eye. Now point and click puzzles in adventure games are usually not my thing, but wow is the demo for Gorogoa a stunner. And even though generalizing it as an adventure game would be selling it short, I'm just not sure what else to compare it to!

From its art style to the minimalistic UI and main mechanics, the demo kept impressing me moment after moment. I haven't been this sold on a game so quickly in some time. I'm not quite sure how I missed it discussed in one of the past threads either.

Consider a copy bought! Wow.

 

[Toma]

So as I'm going through a few games for the voting thread that I had intended to play months back but kept delaying, I finally decided to just look for some common picks in each post and Gorogoa caught my eye. Now point and click puzzles in adventure games are usually not my thing, but wow is the demo for Gorogoa a stunner. And even though generalizing it as an adventure game would be selling it short, I'm just not sure what else to compare it to!

From its art style to the minimalistic UI and main mechanics, the demo kept impressing me moment after moment. I haven't been this sold on a game so quickly in some time. I'm not quite sure how I missed it discussed in one of the past threads either.

Consider a copy bought! Wow.

You might have missed it if you weren't here from the start. I think we covered it in the first Indie thread back in march. And yes, incredible concept and execution. The dev supposedly revamped the parts in the demo for the full game, so you won't just replay the exact same game either.

In fact, Gorogoa was one of the reasons I made this thread for, which reignited my love with videogames and showed me how much I value creativity, because I thought I was a bit burned out on videogames in general. Turns out I was rather burned out on the mass market games instead.

Oh and Gorogoa transcends its medium, I had a few family members and friends play it who aren't the biggest gamers, all left impressed with similar impressions like you.

 

[One Foul Note]

I finally decided to just look for some common picks in each post and Gorogoa caught my eye. Now point and click puzzles in adventure games are usually not my thing, but wow is the demo for Gorogoa a stunner. And even though generalizing it as an adventure game would be selling it short, I'm just not sure what else to compare it to!

Same boat, I'm not a massive adventure game fan but I thought Gorogoa was rather amazing. Although my favourite thing about it is still not the game itself but the look of confusion on anyones face that I try to explain it to without visual aids. 'So it's kinda a block sliding puzzle where you shift and mix layers of realities to create...ouch my brain.'

 

[Toma]

I was initially planning to make another game video tonight (see a few posts above), but my coughing/cold got way worse today and I cant speak any sentence without coughing now. Glad I got the Awesome Shapes video in yesterday, though, hopefully I can try a few more until the end of january.

 

[More_Badass]

Same boat, I'm not a massive adventure game fan but I thought Gorogoa was rather amazing. Although my favourite thing about it is still not the game itself but the look of confusion on anyones face that I try to explain it to without visual aids. 'So it's kinda a block sliding puzzle where you shift and mix layers of realities to create...ouch my brain.'

Seems like I need to check this game out. Sounds very intriguing

Oh and talking about adventure games, you guys should try Murder in the Hotel Lisbon. I'm not the biggest point 'n' click fan but I'm really enjoying it. Humorous witty writing, interesting story, pokes fun at genre and game mechanics, nice pixel art.

 

[Toma]

Seems like I need to check this game out. Sounds very intriguing

Oh and talking about adventure games, you guys should try Murder in the Hotel Lisbon. I'm not the biggest point 'n' click fan but I'm really enjoying it. Humorous witty writing, interesting story, pokes fun at genre and game mechanics, nice pixel art.

You really should check out the voting lists on the threads you missed before you joined us.

 

[KodeAndGame]

I've been on a game-trying marathon, attempting to make up for lost time. I'm just going to post a sentence or two since most of these are old-hat to this crew:

Full Bore
Here's a game that you know must be good because it got a Toma OT. So I tried playing it as soon as I could (I think I bought it during Not on Steam sale) but it didn't click with me. I continued to try playing it on and off since then and I could see it had charm and cleverness but it just wasn't working for me yet. Finally it clicked with me yesterday as I was playing and kind of grabbed a hold of me. The game basically gives you nothing to start with but once I absorbed enough knowledge of the map and mechanics, I started to want to dig into it (I'm sorry but this had to be done) some more.

Brothers
Oh my god this video game. I love stories and movies that involve harrowing journeys and this is definitely the video game equivalent to that. This game is terse when it comes to available inputs but it uses that to its advantage. Well worth a play through for any gamer IMHO.

140
I picked this up on recommendations from these GAF indie threads and I wasn't disappointed. I had nearly no idea what to expect going into it so I was surprised when I realized how short the game was. 140 meshes music and platforming extremely well with a couple notable surprises.

Electronic Super Joy
Like 140, Electronic Super Joy meshes music and platforming. I didn't play it as long but still, it didn't leave me with a very lasting impression. It's a competent and challenging platformer if nothing else.

BeatBuddy
I grouped this with 140 and Electronic Super Joy because this is another music-based genre bender. I love the soundtrack of this game and I love how the songs build up with the mechanics of the game as you go through a level. Still, it hasn't really grabbed me yet. I hope it may in the future.

The Stanley Parable
I can't say much about this game that hasn't been said before but I can say this: I'm truly glad this game exists and that I can point to it as something that people should play. That said, I found the experience of playing it to be kind of a chore. For that reason, it didn't quite resonate with me as much as I was hoping it would.

Papers, Please
This felt a little on the opposite end of the spectrum that The Stanley Parable is on - there's a "message" or an "experience" in Papers, Please to be had but that played second fiddle to really engaging and compelling mechanics. For that reason, Papers got me good. I think about playing this game when I'm not playing it. The first sign of a great game.

Risk of Rain
Whoa! Crazy weird game! Maybe that's just because I did no research on this game whatsoever - I just played it. So I was trying to figure it out as I was playing it. I started to realize it was an action platforming roguelike-like. Tough as nails too. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I love the art style and the music first of all. Plus it has that really great feeling you get with roguelikes of figuring out what's growing on as you play. So your knowledge of the game grows as the game gets more complex and vice versa.

To the Moon
I played the Prologue and about 5 minutes of Act I so I know I'm barely in a position to talk about this game but the start of it is bad. Hammy dialogue, poor UI, clunky controls. Still, I know this game is more about story than gameplay so I'll truck through and keep an open mind.

BONUS (not an indie but a game that seems to resonate with people that enjoy indies):
Typing of the Dead Overkill
Ha the humor in this Overkill is actually worse than I remember! The typing version of Overkill is fun albeit way too easy for a typer of any decent skill. It also ruins the balance in many ways. For example, you can "shoot" at zombies even when you can't see them as long as the word you use to shoot them is still shown. Another example is, you can spam the Tab button to get secrets (normally you have to shoot *at* the secret items). Still I got a kick out of it.

Thankfully the original version is still intact and using the mouse to shoot isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. It definitely provides a notable challenge and more gameplay variety than the typing version. A good buy all in all.



Next time - I hope to have played Eldritch, Gone Home, Hammerwatch and Kentucky Route Zero

 

[Toma]

I've been on a game-trying marathon, attempting to make up for lost time. I'm just going to post a sentence or two since most of these are old-hat to this crew

Thanks for the writeup! Also nice to see you enjoyed these games
Feel free participate in the indie community goty voting once you are done with your game marathon if you havent yet

Speaking of games I made a thread for: Fjords absolutely deserves one of my threads too, but the game is so obscure in mechanic and style, that I probably wont even find 3 people that are interested in it, so I decided not to bother with a thread.

 

[KodeAndGame]

Thanks for the writeup! Also nice to see you enjoyed these games
Feel free participate in the indie community goty voting once you are done with your game marathon if you havent yet

Speaking of games I made a thread for: Fjords absolutely deserves one of my threads too, but the game is so obscure in mechanic and style, that I probably wont even find 3 people that are interested in it, so I decided not to bother with a thread.

Whoa that game looks weird. I'll give it a shot. And I'll definitely participate in the voting thread after this weekend once I have some more games played

 

[More_Badass]

IGF Finalists are up:
http://igf.com/2014/01/2014_independen.html

Excellence In Visual Art
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)
The Banner Saga (Stoic)
Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids)
Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
Drei (Etter)

Honorable mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); Galak-Z (17-BIT); The Swapper (Facepalm Games); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll); Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)

Excellence In Narrative
The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)
Paralect (Paralect Team)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)

Honorable mentions: Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts); Redshirt (The Tiniest Shark); Detective Grimoire (SFB Games); Monster Loves You (Radial Games Corp. & Dejobaan Games, LLC.)

Excellence In Design
TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson)
868-HACK (Michael Brough)
Mushroom 11 (Untame)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)

Honorable mentions: The Banner Saga (Stoic); Perfect Stride (Arcane Kids); Threes (Asher Vollmer, Greg Wohlwend & Jimmy Hinson); DEVICE 6 (Simogo); Gorogoa (Jason Roberts)

Excellence In Audio
Samorost3 (Amanita Design)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)

Honorable mentions: Sokobond (Alan Hazelden, Harry Lee & Ryan Roth); The Banner Saga (Stoic); Potatoman Seeks the Troof (Pixeljam); Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games); Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)

Nuovo Award
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)
Luxuria Superbia (Tale of Tales)
Extrasolar (Lazy 8 Studios)
Perfect Woman (Peter Lu and Lea Schonfelder)
SoundSelf (Robin Arnott)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
Save the Date (Paper Dino Software)
Corrypt (Michael Brough)

Honorable mentions: Shelter (Might & Delight); DEVICE 6 (Simogo); Elegy for a Dead World (Dejobaan Games with Popcannibal); SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT Team); 18 Cadence (Aaron A. Reed)

Seumas McNally Grand Prize
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)
Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment)
Jazzpunk (Necrophone Games)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)
DEVICE 6 (Simogo)
Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!" (Deirdra Kiai Productions)

Honorable mentions: Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games); TowerFall Ascension (Matt Thorson); Kerbal Space Program (Squad); 868-HACK (Michael Brough); The Yawhg (Damian Sommer & Emily Carroll)

 

[PandaPedinte]

IGF Finalists are up:
http://igf.com/2014/01/2014_independen.html

I heard a lot of positive opinions about Device 6, .

 

[More_Badass]

I heard a lot of positive opinions about Device 6, .

Yeah I'll probably be getting today. I've read nothing but good things

Oh, and SuperHOT got an honorable mention for Nuovo Award

 

[Toma]

I dont get why The Yawhg was even nominated for the narrative category.

 

[More_Badass]

The Swapper is the Daily Deal on Steam for $5.10

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

I dont get why The Yawhg was even nominated for the narrative category.

TRU EMERGENT NARRATIVE HARMONY OF DISSONANCE BUZZWARDZ

 

[KodeAndGame]

IGF Finalists are up:
http://igf.com/2014/01/2014_independen.html

Oh man, like I need another list of games to play.

 

[More_Badass]

Secrets of Raetikon is on sale for $7.49 on Humble

 

[One Foul Note]

I dont get why The Yawhg was even nominated for the narrative category.

I would put that head and shoulder over the Stanley Parable. I just do not understand the interest behind that game.

 

[More_Badass]

Eidolon is available to pre-order. $10 through Humble
Thats the future Washington exploration and survival game with the Proteus-esque visuals

 

[Toma]

I would put that head and shoulder over the Stanley Parable. I just do not understand the interest behind that game.

Well you are free to not like the Stanley Parable of course, but purely from a narrative point of view, you got to admit that Stanley saw quite a bit more effort. Not only about the narrator itself, but I also thought that it was an interesting narrative experiment at least, even if it didnt always succeed in what it did.

But, and again purely from a narrative point of view, The Yawhg isnt even close to being anywhere special. Its more or less random texts that add up to your overall story as the game goes along with some slightly different endings. It isnt original, nor outstandingly well written, voiced etc. It isnt even a particularly good or interesting story.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Secrets of Raetikon is on sale for $7.49 on Humble

Lukewarm reaction has tempered my buy button for this one...

Eidolon is available to pre-order. $10 through Humble
Thats the future Washington exploration and survival game with the Proteus-esque visuals

...meanwhile, I think my wallet just took another blow. I want it now ;-;

 

[alllen]

If anyone here lives in Chicago and is free this friday night there is a cool event going on showcasing various indie games that are in the first person perspective. Not only excited one of my games is going to be there but excited to be among some really talented and respected indie developers like Brendon Chung, Robert Yang, and Jake Elliot and the rest of Cardboard Computer.
http://tritriangle.net/events/event/experience-is-limited-to-the-first-person/
https://www.facebook.com/events/289820557809538/

 

[Toma]

Lukewarm reaction has tempered my buy button for this one...

Yeah, I cant easily recommend it if you arent totally sold on the sideways flying gameplay you see in a trailer.

Different question though: did anyone have issues with Bass Blocks and managed to resolve it? I cant start it, no matter what I do.

 

[HamPster PamPster]

Eidolon is available to pre-order. $10 through Humble
Thats the future Washington exploration and survival game with the Proteus-esque visuals

Aw yiss, (post) post-apocalypse fishing!

 

[Wok]

IGF Finalists are up:
http://igf.com/2014/01/2014_independen.html

If I were a judge, I would choose these winners:

Excellence In Visual Art
Gorogoa (Jason Roberts): hand-drawn with talent, and tiles interact with each other.

Excellence In Narrative
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope): clearly the strongest narrative.

Excellence In Design
Mushroom 11 (Untame): Indie Fund, and I think it will make the judges vote for it. Otherwise, the winner would clearly be Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment).

Excellence In Audio
The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe): the narrator's voice is the reason I play this game and enjoy it.

Nuovo Award
Extrasolar (Lazy 8 Studios): a game about taking photos and waiting. What? In fact, the game is addictive and suggests to pay to avoid waiting...

Seumas McNally Grand Prize
Don't Starve (Klei Entertainment): a number of games could win, but my feeling is this year, Don't Starve will be the winner of this IGF.

 

[Toma]

Wayward Terran Frontier Dev:

I was very torn on the steam issue because I don&#8217;t see it as providing anything I can&#8217;t do myself, and they like to take a share of the earnings even after I pay to participate in their mostly automated process. However, the customers like it and the mob mentality brings even more people to steam every day. If all the customers are there then all the developers want to be there, and so the customers have more reason to be there etc. My only hope is that after steam gains critical mass and controls 99% of all video game distribution that they continue to be not evil, or we are all going to seriously regret buying into a system just because everyone else is doing it. As it stands right now steam is a very nice platform for both gamers and developers, so I&#8217;m just going to set aside my concerns and buy into it.

Of course, in a sense what I have really decided is to let the community decide, and since Greenlight requires votes that&#8217;s exactly what I am doing. Many people have asked me: Will Wayward Terran Frontier be on steam? Well now I can give you a definitive answer: If the Greenlight campaign succeeds it will be.

Good reminder that we might be in for a rude awakening at one point.

 

[One Foul Note]

Good reminder that we might be in for a rude awakening at one point.

That's why I'm increasingly going to Humble if the options there. I'm not so crazy I think Steam is gonna implode tomorrow but it is nice to keep your options open in case the worst should happen.

 

[Wok]

There is some interest for Raetikon in the Steam thread:

How complete of a game is Raekwon the Chef Rætikon? It looks really nice, but I'm not so sure about Early Access with this one.

 

[PandaPedinte]

50 titles Greenlit.

 

[Deputy Dangle]

Eidolon is available to pre-order. $10 through Humble
Thats the future Washington exploration and survival game with the Proteus-esque visuals

This looks like something I'd really like. Hope the full release is soon.

 

[More_Badass]

50 titles Greenlit.

Personal highlights are One Way Heroics, Windforge, Treasure Adventure World, Tangiers, and Breach & Clear

So what happens if a game's Kickstarter fails but it gets Greenlit, which is the situation that Bullet Bros is in?

 

[Toma]

Oh god, I love the Extrasolar sign up mails:

Toma..

i don't trust the extrasolar program.
lots of history there.
let's just say i have good reason to look a little deeper.

i'm monitoring their database, so i know you were rejected.

i have access to their voicemails and messaging, but their intrusion detection system firewalled me out of the rover control application.
plus, there's no way i could apply with my own identity.
i need a clean account and ip address.
access that looks legitimate.

here's the deal.
i give you a backdoor account, get you a rover.
you become my eyes and ears on the inside.

i set up a backdoor link to get you rolling.
a dummy account with an aced entrance test and signed nda.
https://extrasolar.com/backdoor/5mbvCLt4HLR0fk

or don't.
there are piles of rejected applicants to choose from.
you have 24 hours.

sorry you can't reply to this.
gotta protect my anonymity.

_ _ ___ _
| | ___ __ _ _ _ __ | |_ _____ _( _ )/ |
| |/ / '__| | | | '_ \| __/ _ \ \/ / _ \| |
| <| | | |_| | |_) | || __/> < (_) | |
|_|\_\_| \__, | .__/ \__\___/_/\_\___/|_|
|___/|_|

 

[flowsnake]

Personal highlights are One Way Heroics, Windforge, Treasure Adventure World, Tangiers, and Breach & Clear

So what happens if a game's Kickstarter fails but it gets Greenlit, which is the situation that Bullet Bros is in?

Well, being greenlit just means Valve allow you on Steam at some future point. Plenty of greenlit games are not on Steam yet, so it doesn't really change much. I guess they probably expire after a while?

Sorry if I'm missing what you're getting at.

 

[Toma]

Anyone else trying out Extrasolar?

Incredibly cool concept. You join a scientific organization and are tasked with exploring an unknown location. But instead of exploring and taking pictures directly (like I thought), you are sitting on your comfy couch/chair on earth and have a landing rover on the planets surface that you give directions to. You need to give orders to that landing rover on a map and then wait until he carried out your orders and comes back with a photograph. Due to bandwidth constraints and other technical limitations, you can only transmit X amount of orders per day, which, for the free version, is 1 photo every 4 hour and 2 queued photos at a time. Initial tasks include taking pictures of undiscovered lifeforms but I also enjoy just sending it around to make pictures of the scenery to fill out the map information.

The interesting part about this game is, that it is embracing the usual tedious part of F2P game concepts (waiting until you can make another move) by actually making it relevant to the experience. "Waiting" until your rover moved into the proper position and checking back later for the results actually makes sense here and helps the immersion. Granted, I only started playing yesterday, but I am tempted to grab the 25$ upgrade for 4 orders queued up and a 1 hour time difference (and unlimited wide angle shots).

I'd probably prefer if the game lets you unlock those ingame instead of making those purchase tiers, but it works well and I am really curious what kind of "hooks" and secrets they have waiting for me on that planet.

Current map:

Picture taken from the current rover spot (see red arrows position in the upper picture), that shows the sea and the far away coast:

I also found my first alien/undiscovered life form on the picture above, which you need to "mark" and then send to the lab to identify it. Can you spot it? The game is also teasing with some company secrets and hopefully great discoveries on the planet and it made me really curious to check it out.

 

[More_Badass]

Helping out the Rain World devs a bit as they prepare for their KS

Any feedback for them?

I tried modifying the old logo a little bit in order to make it less "cuddly" and a little grittier. What do you think?

What I'm looking for is basically something with a graffiti vibe that looks cartoony, but without looking like Care Bears. Like, gritty cartoony, if that makes any sense. And if it's somewhat legible that's a plus. Does this meet the criteria? For some reason I still feel like I'm not all the way there.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Extrasolar sounds interesting Toma.

 

[Funky Functionality]

Anyone else trying out Extrasolar?

I've been waiting to hear impressions about this since it was posted in the September thread--I immediately loved the concept. The photos it produces look great. I see you've got some plant life down there!

Is your rover's initial landing site randomly selected for you? Any idea about the scale of the planet? Do you know if there are a variety of biomes or seasonal differences, or plans for such?

Pretty much any additional info about the beta will interest me.

 

[Toma]

I've been waiting to hear impressions about this since it was posted in the September thread--I immediately loved the concept. The photos it produces look great. I see you've got some plant life down there!

Is your rover's initial landing site randomly selected for you? Any idea about the scale of the planet? Do you know if there are a variety of biomes or seasonal differences, or plans for such?

Pretty much any additional info about the beta will interest me.

I recommend signing up for the Beta, only took me a few days to get in. I think I registered last week or so.

But yeah, here is what I know so far:
The stories/planets are self-contained personal experiences. Meaning no social aspects/communication with other players and you can consider the current planet 1 single campaign that you explore with story and side missions. Everyone probably starts off at the same spot, but from then on, pictures taken will differ wildly from user to user since the positioning and day time will make a huge difference on the photo you will create. You'll also follow a story, so I'd guess that it wont be randomly generated. The planet itself doesnt seem to have different biomes, but if the game is ending up decently popular, they might end up creating 2 more campaigns with 2 additional planets which could potentially have different biomes. I definitely agree that visual variety (biomes) would be a huge thing for this game, but after taking a few pictures, I am honestly pretty satisfied with what it is now. Every look around a corner is potentially exciting and may result in a new discovery or at least an interesting screenshot. The fact that they included a full day/night cycle helped a lot with visual variety too.

As far as I can tell they didnt otherwise announce any other ideas/plans yet because they are still focussing on rolling out the open beta of the current version, bug fixing and seeing whether development of the game is even viable. Here is a 30 minutes interview though:
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeRose/20131206/206464/Video_Interview_Exploring_the_unknown_with_Extrasolar.php

I really recommend taking a look at the game. Registering and playing the "free" version doesnt cost anything anyway.

Edit: Speaking of night pictures, here is one I just received from around the landing site:

 

[Funky Functionality]

Thanks! That each player gets his/her own self-contained experience is music to my ears. I signed up for the mailing list, but if that gamasutra info is still accurate, I may not have a chance to play until they open the beta for good this month. I'll be keeping a close eye on my inbox either way.

 

[Toma]

Thanks! That each player gets his/her own self-contained experience is music to my ears. I signed up for the mailing list, but if that gamasutra info is still accurate, I may not have a chance to play until they open the beta for good this month. I'll be keeping a close eye on my inbox either way.

Random info, due to our thread rules, I wont put it in a thread until its open beta. Once its Open Beta and I didnt post about it here, someone please make a properly formatted post for the next thread.

Random info 2: Finishing the current planet of Extrasolar takes the average player around 3 months, some dedicated players managed to do it in 3 weeks though.

 

[Toma]

Panorama Picture with glowing serpent weed (and the landing site in the left background):

Panorama pictures take a 360 degree pic and you only can use them 3 times if you dont have paid for the game.

 

[Wok]

I had been enjoying Extrasolar for a few days until I almost came to the point of buying these upgrades. F2P games are not for me.

 

[Toma]

I had been enjoying Extrasolar for a few days until I almost came to the point of buying these upgrades. F2P games are not for me.

Why? I wouldnt even consider it an F2P game, because it doesnt have endless microtransactions. The free game is basically the demo, whereas the 10$ upgrade gets you the current full version and the 25$ is the "season pass" that gets you access to the 2 possible addons (if they decide to make it). It would be closer to F2P if you could pay 0,10$ for each picture you want to take/speed up or something, but other than the 2 upgrades which are basically the game and season pass, Extrasolar doesnt have any other ingame purchases or microtransactions.

For $10 you get the full game on the first planet without any other limitations (the season pass gets a photo slot in the queue more, yay.). They are pretty much identical except for buying into the promise of future episodes, which I sort of consider like a Kickstarter project in this case. If they get enough money, I'll get more worlds to explore. If not, I tried supporting them and spent $15 too much, but they have a working prototype of the game (aka the first planet) and I have enough faith they put in some more effort and attract some more attention.

If someone likes the "demo", paying $10 definitely seems alright to me to support the devs and actually playing the non-slowed down version without any further limitations.

 

[Wok]

Why? I wouldnt even consider it an F2P game, because it doesnt have endless microtransactions. The free game is basically the demo, whereas the 10$ upgrade gets you the current full version and the 25$ is the "season pass" that gets you access to the 2 possibly addons (if they decide to make it). It would be closer to F2P if you could pay 0,10$ for each picture you want to take/speed up or something, but other than the 2 upgrades which are basically the game and season pass, Extrasolar doesnt have any other ingame purchases or microtransactions.

For $10 you get the full game on the first planet without any other limitations (the season pass gets a photo slot in the queue more, yay.). They are pretty much identical except for buying into the promise of future episodes, which I sort of consider like a Kickstarter project in this case. If they get enough money, I'll get more worlds to explore. If not, I tried supporting them and spent $15 too much, but they have a working prototype of the game (aka the first planet) and I have enough faith they put in some more effort and attract some more attention.

I wanted to purchase the upgrade to wait for an hour instead of 4 or 6. It is the kind of game in which there is some time constraint which money would alleviate.

 

[Toma]

I wanted to purchase the upgrade to wait for an hour instead of 4 or 6.

Yeah, thats the full game upgrade (for 1 planet), but thats not limited to only your next photo, but unlocks this for the whole curret game/planet. Waiting 4 hours is basically the demo limitation and getting down to 1 hour is probably what they consider to be the sweetspot for this game.

Basically, they have the full game at 10$ and instead of limiting a demo to a certain area of the planet, they decided to make the whole planet accessible but slow down progress instead.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Extrasolar looked really nice until I found out it was just a picture taking simulator with wait-times.

I wanted to navigate the planet on my own and not the queued orders way the game does. It works purely for thematic purposes, but it lost them my interest.