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Starbound Beta Thread - Begins December 4th!

You could put your stuff on a singleplayer planet.

Take it out and move to a multiplayer game whenever.

One of the things that they will be adding is the ability to lay claim to a planet. From what I read it appears that making a planet your home will not be free, but it will also allow you to safely store your stuff there. People wont be able to fuck with your buildings and whatnot.

For now though you could just store things in your single player game.

Personally though, I just don't really join parties with people I don't trust.

Thanks guys, didn't think of storing my stuff in sp.

I only play with some close friends so this wasn't a real issue, but since it could eventually become one if we decide to invite some other folks I wanted to make sure.
 
A good rule of thumb is, don't leave anything on a multiplayer server that would bother you to lose. Somebody may unknowingly steal it, or the server may crash. These things happen.
 
A good rule of thumb is, don't leave anything on a multiplayer server that would bother you to lose. Somebody may unknowingly steal it, or the server may crash. These things happen.

Unless of course, if you're running the server, then you're screwed.

If there's anything I want to protect, I'm going to have to leave it on some planet that I hope no one finds, because since I run the server, I can't have TWO universes (one SP, one MP), anything I do in one will affect the other.

On a related note, I've never tried going to a world where I know players are currently on, on the server, while I'm in SP mode... I wonder if that would cause issues...
 
This discussion gave me some ideas.

First of all, if you want to hide something, be a pirate and bury your treasure. LOL

Then, why don't they implement some treasure map system. It could be pretty fun to find a map, and then try to figure out where it is.
 
Unless of course, if you're running the server, then you're screwed.

If there's anything I want to protect, I'm going to have to leave it on some planet that I hope no one finds, because since I run the server, I can't have TWO universes (one SP, one MP), anything I do in one will affect the other.

On a related note, I've never tried going to a world where I know players are currently on, on the server, while I'm in SP mode... I wonder if that would cause issues...

In theory, you should be able to simply copy the entire Starbound folder and use one copy for single player and the other for multiplayer; since each folder contains its own universe subfolder, these should not overlap. To avoid confusion, you might want to delete the single player .exe from the "server" copy and the server .exe from the single player copy. Whenever you want to play in your own multiplayer server, simply connect to it (it works for sure via your LAN IP; probably 127.0.0.1 works as well) while you have it running.

As a matter of fact you probably should do so ASAP to avoid the overwriting problem you mention, which I guess it's likely. :S
 
This discussion gave me some ideas.

First of all, if you want to hide something, be a pirate and bury your treasure. LOL

Then, why don't they implement some treasure map system. It could be pretty fun to find a map, and then try to figure out where it is.

Everyone digs down or skims the surface of planets.

No one checks the sky.

Random planet, super high altitude for a base is probably safer.

So go sky/space pirate to hide your treasure lol.
 
If I have stuff to hide, I generally will put it nearby my home, but in an out of reach area. Before the wipe, I was experimenting with Morphball tunnels and such.

Hopefully we get more hidden walls, switches and the like.
 
In theory, you should be able to simply copy the entire Starbound folder and use one copy for single player and the other for multiplayer; since each folder contains its own universe subfolder, these should not overlap. To avoid confusion, you might want to delete the single player .exe from the "server" copy and the server .exe from the single player copy. Whenever you want to play in your own multiplayer server, simply connect to it (it works for sure via your LAN IP; probably 127.0.0.1 works as well) while you have it running.

As a matter of fact you probably should do so ASAP to avoid the overwriting problem you mention, which I guess it's likely. :S

I don't think that would work well, because this game relies too much on the memory/resources of the computer. Hell, right now, the fans are making a horrible noise.

This game is already slowing my computer down for other things, I've barely played anything else other than Starbound. Running a second version of Starbound is just asking for trouble.
 
I don't think that would work well, because this game relies too much on the memory/resources of the computer. Hell, right now, the fans are making a horrible noise.

This game is already slowing my computer down for other things, I've barely played anything else other than Starbound. Running a second version of Starbound is just asking for trouble.

It's not really running two versions of the game, but the server and the client, which you are already doing anyway; starting them from the same folder or two different copies of the folder should not change a thing. It's easy to check via task manager, anyway.
 
It's not really running two versions of the game, but the server and the client, which you are already doing anyway; starting them from the same folder or two different copies of the folder should not change a thing. It's easy to check via task manager, anyway.

Just tried, more memory is used. And the fans picked up speed. A lot. Its also the same amount of memory used if I just didn't bother to create a 2nd game folder.

It needs to be pointed out that more memory is used when going SP WHILE running a MP server. (Which is why whenever I play SB, I've hardly bothered to play SP, I just login into MP all the time, I noticed the resource drain from the beginning). If I'm running the game and logged into the server, less memory is used. This applies to both the original folder, and if you make a copy of the game and tried running a separate SP game.

And even though I did an exact copy of the folder, the game assumed my character didnt do any quests, so it wanted me to do them all over again. While that's not a big issue, its strange it would be asking that, since I don't HAVE to do that in SP when I'm running Starbound off the original program folder. Its unlikely, since I can't find any other folders connected to Starbound, but its possible that the game isnt just contained in the game folder.

I'm not going to bother, really. I'd rather wait until I move the server to a dedicated server before I mess about storing crap in a single player save.
 
Gaf, is there any way to efficiently heal yourself in T10 gear? Nano-Bandages are nothing to big HP pools, even impervium beds and stims take forever. I can avoid melee swipes with mobs on level 10 planets, but when they have guns I usually end up trading a lot of health. Couldn't make it past the first building in a human prison because of it.
 
I'm not seeing it?

Because you're not wanting to see it.

Terraria's underground caverns were better designed (from a platforming perspective), easier to locate and move between, had a large variety of monsters that made sense and were custom crafted to fight well in those locations, ores were balanced to promote underground exploring without making it frustrating, and constructs ranging from tiny underground huts to major dungeons made it fun.

I love Starbound and I also love Terraria, but there is no possible way a rational and honest human being can say that Starbound's underground design is even a fraction as good as Terraria's.

The main problems are as follows:

1. Absolutely zero reason to go into dungeons because every ore type can be found far more quickly and easily by running across the surface. The sole exception is desert planets where it's best to run across the surface, dive into sand pits when you find them, then resume.

2. The randomly generated monsters suck. They don't move around in the underground well, constantly getting stuck with their bad jumping patterns, and they just don't fit the environment. Developers said they're going to be partially addressing this by giving body parts abilities (like spider legs walking on walls and ceilings). If they can also create different "pools" to pull from for different biomes and depths, we might be in business.

3. Nothing unique can be found underground. Rare monsters spawn on the surface and so do chests. Compare this to Terraria where the most unique and powerful artifacts spawned exclusively underground at different levels.

4. Caverns just aren't being procedurally generated with platforming in mind. For a game that, at its core, is a platformed - this is just unforgivable and needs to be fixed.
 
Oh boy. Let's preface this whooooole thing right off the bat by saying that comparing a full game two and a half years after release to a game still in the first phase of beta is simply asinine.

Terraria's underground caverns were better designed (from a platforming perspective), easier to locate and move between, had a large variety of monsters that made sense and were custom crafted to fight well in those locations, ores were balanced to promote underground exploring without making it frustrating, and constructs ranging from tiny underground huts to major dungeons made it fun.

Terraria's underground caverns weren't 'designed', the procedural generation process was just set up to have more empty caverns than Starbound. People on Reddit (who, of course, don't cite their sources, but if I had to guess it would be IRC) have said that this is still being tweaked and is not final.

The monsters themselves were also just inserted procedurally, and there wasn't 'large variety' of then. Slimes at the surface, different slimes, worms and skeletons in the underground, imps and bone dragons in hell. It took them a year before things like bats started to appear.

Ores weren't 'balanced', they were randomly generated in and, as I recall from early on, frustratingly scarce (especially on Large worlds).

Finally, those huts (actually called Underground Cabins) were added in 1.1, almost half a year after Terraria's launch. The dungeon has been there since beta, but it's also the only dominate feature like that in the game. Starbound already has stuff going on underground and lots of 'mini-dungeons' that just happen to be at the surface.

The main problems are as follows:

If I wanted to be a smart ass, my response would look like this;

1. Beta.
2. Beta.
3. Beta.
4. Beta.

While I am a smart ass, I'll actually address each point.

1. The goal of Starbound isn't to just dig down into one world, but to explore many worlds. Yes, you can skim the surface of a planet and get ore, but the large deposits are deeper underground. The dungeons also don't have ore, they often have pixels, tech and weaponry, which in the scheme of things are much more important than ore.

2. The randomly generated monsters, as you say, are a WIP, but they also have the potential to surprise more often than Terraria's "Oh look, a different colored slime" approach. Each new planet has new enemies that have new attacks. If you ignore the whole monster taming aspect that especially highlights why that's a good thing, there's also the fact that it will theoretically keep exploration fresh; you will never land on a planet, see a monster, and know exactly what it will do. In a game that's all about exploration, that's essential.

3. I've found all sorts of weird shit underground, from little sewer areas to shrines to these weird frog merchants. I've seen weird little brick areas with tiny houses in them, large underground mines full of tar, mini-biomes (slime, blood, bone). It's there, it's just not always apparent. I do agree that they need more stuff underground, but... well... beta.

4. See first paragraph of this post; tweaking the amount of empty caverns underground is in the works, and Terraria itself wasn't 'designed' to support platforming. For every example of decent platforming I can recall in Terraria , I can remember just as many times digging straight down and not finding anything. It's the nature of the procedurally-generated beast.
 
Oh boy. Let's preface this whooooole thing right off the bat by saying that comparing a full game two and a half years after release to a game still in the first phase of beta is simply asinine.

Right. It's a beta. Which means we discuss things with the hopes that they'll be changed before release. You know what's REALLY asinine? Telling people to not point out flaws in a beta and to instead wait until release. Oh, wait. That's not asinine. That's stupid.

Terraria's underground caverns weren't 'designed', the procedural generation process was just set up to have more empty caverns than Starbound.

You just contradicted yourself. I don't know if you realize this but procedural generation isn't pulling random shit from pure chaos. It involves SOME elements of random generation around a TON of rules.

Terraria's underground caverns are far better designed than Starbound's because the developers of Terraria did a far better job designing the procedural generation system for the underground.

The monsters themselves were also just inserted procedurally, and there wasn't 'large variety' of then. Slimes at the surface, different slimes, worms and skeletons in the underground, imps and bone dragons in hell. It took them a year before things like bats started to appear.

Of course monsters were entered procedurally but, again, procedural generation is not chaos. Lava slimes were procedurally generated in the lava biome. Worms were procedurally generates in the underground with harder worms being procedurally generated the deeper you go down.

Finally, those huts (actually called Underground Cabins) were added in 1.1, almost half a year after Terraria's launch.

You act like this is a valid point, but it's not. Starbound's exploration, mining, platforming, and combat are all heavily borrowed from Terraria (this is not a bad thing). They should not, therefore, need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to good dungeon design. Take the things that work and port it over.

If I wanted to be a smart ass, my response would look like this;

1. Beta.
2. Beta.
3. Beta.
4. Beta.

And if I wanted to be a smartass my response would look like this:

1. No shit, that's why were discussing problems.
2. No shit, that's why were discussing problems.
3. No shit, that's why were discussing problems.
4. No shit, that's why were discussing problems.


1. The goal of Starbound isn't to just dig down into one world, but to explore many worlds. Yes, you can skim the surface of a planet and get ore, but the large deposits are deeper underground. The dungeons also don't have ore, they often have pixels, tech and weaponry, which in the scheme of things are much more important than ore.

Skimming the surface is always, always, always the superior method of gathering ores quickly in Starbound. Skimming the surface is always, always, always the superior method of gathering pixels, tech, and weaponry as well.

There is absolutely zero reason to go below the surface unless you're digging into a sand/gravel pit.
 
Because you're not wanting to see it.

Terraria's underground caverns were better designed (from a platforming perspective), easier to locate and move between, had a large variety of monsters that made sense and were custom crafted to fight well in those locations, ores were balanced to promote underground exploring without making it frustrating, and constructs ranging from tiny underground huts to major dungeons made it fun.

I love Starbound and I also love Terraria, but there is no possible way a rational and honest human being can say that Starbound's underground design is even a fraction as good as Terraria's.

The main problems are as follows:

1. Absolutely zero reason to go into dungeons because every ore type can be found far more quickly and easily by running across the surface. The sole exception is desert planets where it's best to run across the surface, dive into sand pits when you find them, then resume.

2. The randomly generated monsters suck. They don't move around in the underground well, constantly getting stuck with their bad jumping patterns, and they just don't fit the environment. Developers said they're going to be partially addressing this by giving body parts abilities (like spider legs walking on walls and ceilings). If they can also create different "pools" to pull from for different biomes and depths, we might be in business.

3. Nothing unique can be found underground. Rare monsters spawn on the surface and so do chests. Compare this to Terraria where the most unique and powerful artifacts spawned exclusively underground at different levels.

4. Caverns just aren't being procedurally generated with platforming in mind. For a game that, at its core, is a platformed - this is just unforgivable and needs to be fixed.

I... wasn't trying to troll there...? I'm not really seeing it at all?

When I made the post, I was only referring to ore distribution and just the physical design of underground caverns... and to be honest, probably the only real reason why I don't notice any difference is because I zone out when I dig for resources. I mainly played Terraria to relax, and that's what I'm mainly playing Starbound for, I just zen out.

Bit hurt that I'm being essentially called a closed minded idiot...
 
That's not asinine. That's stupid.
huh.gif.pagespeed.ce.lecs2.gif


The rest of your post boils down to your unrealistic expectation that a game in early beta ought to be at the same level of completion as a game a few years old. Comments like "take the things that work and port it over" are especially telling and show a clear lack of understanding for even basic game design and development principles (see also the attempted "gotcha!" about procedural generation, "no need to reinvent the wheel" comment, etc.)

I'm not saying you can't complain because it's a beta, or that your problems with the game aren't real. Ignoring the fact that your definition of what's 'good platforming' may not mesh with the developers' or other players' feelings, your laundry list of complaints are things that everyone has known about for a while and everyone already understands will be adjusted. You yourself are even aware of this, when you whine about enemy behavior and in the next breath mention the "developers are addressing it." At this point, they're more concerned with getting the game stable and feature complete before they dig into stuff like tweaking ore distribution or the volume of empty spaces below the surface.

Your posts are essentially complaining that the game isn't perfect right now and somebody should just pull a few levers to 'port over' Terraria and call it a day. That's not how things work in the real world; you don't just sit back in a recliner, controller in hand, and make sure that sound effect from the last level fits in there.
 
On another topic...

So how about those awesome musical instruments? I personally love the violin and the electric bass guitar. Harmonica is pretty bitchin too.
 
On another topic...

So how about those awesome musical instruments? I personally love the violin and the electric bass guitar. Harmonica is pretty bitchin too.

Somebody on the GAF server a few weeks ago had a Keytar that is pretty much perfect for 8-bit songs. I haven't found one, and it's made me very sad. I was kind of disappointed to lose my banjo after the first wipe, but I'm sure I'll find another one eventually.
 
Somebody on the GAF server a few weeks ago had a Keytar that is pretty much perfect for 8-bit songs. I haven't found one, and it's made me very sad. I was kind of disappointed to lose my banjo after the first wipe, but I'm sure I'll find another one eventually.

A banjo would be awesome. Especially because you can get the dueling banjos song.
 
Right. It's a beta. Which means we discuss things with the hopes that they'll be changed before release. You know what's REALLY asinine? Telling people to not point out flaws in a beta and to instead wait until release. Oh, wait. That's not asinine. That's stupid.

But that's not what he's saying. The devs themselves have said that the current distribution of minerals is temporarily way more generous than normal while they tweak other things. It's one thing when devs tell you "hey, this is pretty much the final game, go break it and report back". It's another when they specifically tell you "hey people, this thing over there is temporarily out of order, sorry about it, please don't mind it" and then you criticise the game for it. You see how utterly absurd the second case is?

Skimming the surface is always, always, always the superior method of gathering ores quickly in Starbound. Skimming the surface is always, always, always the superior method of gathering pixels, tech, and weaponry as well.

Huh? Even though, again, ore generation is currently purposely generous, I didn't find a single diamond ore anywhere near the surface, and I crafted my diamond pick already and still have diamond to spare.

There is absolutely zero reason to go below the surface unless you're digging into a sand/gravel pit.

I spend a lot of time underground (way more than 50%), and I've found several unique structures underground. They're not terribly common, but they're there. Opening up a huge cave filled with pixel containers still feels cool to me.

But even if that wasn't the case, what's the big deal? I love mining down and my girlfriend loves skimming the surface (it's worth mentioning I have way more minerals of all kinds than her, and I know for a fact it's because she doesn't tend to mine so much). Let each one do what they want, why force one gameplay over the other?
 
Even though it's still a beta the initial load time is just ridiculous. I regret my decision to pay 10 bucks for this alpha.

They are already selling it, so there should be a level of minimum polish.
 
Even though it's still a beta the initial load time is just ridiculous. I regret my decision to pay 10 bucks for this alpha.

They are already selling it, so there should be a level of minimum polish.

The load time is about five seconds for me, but I have it installed on an SSD. Several of my friends have complained about the load time as well, so I can only hope they optimize it for HDDs. Seems widespread enough that they'd be aware of it.
 
Even though it's still a beta the initial load time is just ridiculous. I regret my decision to pay 10 bucks for this alpha.

They are already selling it, so there should be a level of minimum polish.

I agree with you there, but seeing as it's the only loading screen in the game (save for when you join a server) I don't mind it all that much.

I'd rather have a long loading screen in the beginning than have a usual loading screen when jumping between planets. One could argue that the time it takes to jump from one planet to another is a loading screen, but you still get to move around and interact with things.

That and it looks rad as hell.
 
Even though it's still a beta the initial load time is just ridiculous. I regret my decision to pay 10 bucks for this alpha.

They are already selling it, so there should be a level of minimum polish.

Which there is about everything else in the game, focusing on that particular small flaw is really not being fair ;)
 
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of 'Crashed Spaceship have to rebuild' approach to the start of the game. I mean it could be the real start for a char and then have some 'quickstart' option that skips it and have the game start as it is now.

Might actually give the first planet more meaning than just a stopgap.
 
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of 'Crashed Spaceship have to rebuild' approach to the start of the game. I mean it could be the real start for a char and then have some 'quickstart' option that skips it and have the game start as it is now.

Might actually give the first planet more meaning than just a stopgap.

That would be really cool. I thoroughly like that idea.
 
Even though it's still a beta the initial load time is just ridiculous. I regret my decision to pay 10 bucks for this alpha.

They are already selling it, so there should be a level of minimum polish.

dude it is not 99 use SSD.

For SSD it is like few seconds.
 
A normal 7200 rpm hard drive seems to have fine load times for me as well, maybe 10-15 seconds on startup? Unless it's increased a lot in recent patches.
 
Didn't get any response on the GAF server. is there like global chat or something?

Its possible that you came on a time when there wasnt anyone on.

By default, your chat is set to UNIVERSE (everyone can see it). If you click the little icon next to the chat bar, you'll change it to PLANET (everyone on the current planet can see it).
 
So what is an effective way to get better equipment. Apparently there is only one dungeon on my starting planet there really wasn't much stuff in it.
 
So what is an effective way to get better equipment. Apparently there is only one dungeon on my starting planet there really wasn't much stuff in it.

At this point, essential equipment is crafted. It's very rare to find anything noteworthy in a chest, other than musical instruments and vanity armor pieces.

Don't think that you HAVE to stay on a planet before you beat the first boss. You're encouraged to go planet hopping.
 
At this point, essential equipment is crafted. It's very rare to find anything noteworthy in a chest, other than musical instruments and vanity armor pieces.

Don't think that you HAVE to stay on a planet before you beat the first boss. You're encouraged to go planet hopping.

Ok I figured out how to go to a different planet. Problem is all the stuff I can craft seems to be crap. Only have an anvil though. How do I get better recipes?
 
At this point, essential equipment is crafted. It's very rare to find anything noteworthy in a chest, other than musical instruments and vanity armor pieces.

Don't think that you HAVE to stay on a planet before you beat the first boss. You're encouraged to go planet hopping.

There's not much worthwhile armor in chests, but chest/dropped weapons are usually a significant upgrade in-tier (especially the lightning ones that shoot through walls) and there's always techs.

But yeah, go hopping - it's extra-cheap to do in your current system too.
 
Well there lies the problem. I need better stuff to beat the damn UFO.

At least a good weapon would help. Something that shoots. All I have is this 2 handed axe.

You can easily do it with a set of Iron armor and an axe. You just need to make a roof to hide under.
 
Well there lies the problem. I need better stuff to beat the damn UFO.

At least a good weapon would help. Something that shoots. All I have is this 2 handed axe.

Use bombs against de UFO, get a decent weapon to kill the peguins, and make lots of bandages, also get a decent armor.
 
I'm taking the server down for a couple of hours, computer seems to be acting strange when running idle, so I'm just going to give it a break and turn it off for a while.

Computer has been running pretty much since Starbound came out, btw. Hasn't been off for more than an hour at most since, so I think the box needs a well deserved rest for a bit. :p

Should be back up in about 6 hours or more.
 
who created the new gaf base? i made a small addition to it underground.. an arcade room..

soon im going to build a skyrail that is sealed by glass tunnel across to another adjacent base.
 
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