KickStarter StarCrawlers - indie sci-fi dungeon crawling RPG

[Pope Amole II]

Little surprised there's not a lot more talk about Starcrawlers on this forum tbh...

Look at the Codex top-70 RPGs. If you don't understand, look again. Until you understand.


In other news, got this from the christmas sale, but I have yet to play it - so much to do, so little time.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Little surprised there's not a lot more talk about Starcrawlers on this forum tbh...

Look at the Codex top-70 RPGs. If you don't understand, look again. Until you understand.


In other news, got this from the christmas sale, but I have yet to play it - so much to do, so little time.

It's good. I played a lot of the VERY early builds, played a bit after they rebalanced the classes, and now I'm sitting on it until they're done now that I have Underrail to play. Not a perfect blobber, but a good one.

And isn't Wiz8 like 5th on the top 70 list? I mean - there's a ton of shit on there (lolArcanum), but there's some legit quality titles too.

 

[Pope Amole II]

KK, my first impressions about this.

Are the authors some kind of a feminist/SJW/anti-gg squad? Because all womyn in the game (the ones with the open faces) sure look like one. Horrible lezbo pilot chick, scary black shop owner & fat engineer with the swollen eyes. The hacker also doesn't look too good through her helmet, being asian (muh divercity!) with the somewhat deformed facial features. Like, WTF, authors?

Next, the game is kinda doomed in the market direction. While the game is supposed to be more or less hardcore (as I understand) dungeon crawling experience with quite a tense atmosphere (if only due to the abscence of reload during the missions), it sure doesn't look and sound like that. The weakest link is probably the OST - it's not even about its quality, it's about it being rather soft & calm. Surroundings also look nice, but not like grim derelicts of a ships where mass slaughter has happened. And the GUI is really, really bland - that's also a loss.

The writing also feels kinda unnecessary, tbh. At least it doesn't work too well in the abscence of previous factors. Besides, it's an oldschool blobber - it's not like its main audience is really interested in having conversations or whatever. Especially when the setting is really standard cyberpunk fare.

Mind you, I'm not saying the game is bad - I don't really care about the aforementioned factors. But they'll never really sell that well with the atmosphere being so limp and unfocused.

One thing that really annoys me is the lack of hotkeys. Why am I forced to do this radial menu bullshit? I have 5 foes max and 6 abilities max - why can't I press 2 to target the second foe, press 3 to use my third ability to it?

The combat & systems themselves look nice, btw, though I don't like the skill trees that much (they could've as well just made 24 classes as it doesn't look like it pays off to interweave the branches) and the one of each kind restriction per party is kinda lame. The only class it really would've broken is Cyberninja and that probably could've been played around somehow.

 

[aweigh]

played through the first two missions. i started it on extreme difficulty and embarassingly enough i got wiped by the first tough enemy because i made a cyberninja and put my initial points all into an ability that attacks all enemies on-screen thinking most encounters would feature multiple enemies, but nope all of the encounters so far have been against one single enemy, so i basically only had the regular fight command.

thoughts so far:

- not counting the tutorial mission the first two maps are incredibly small. smaller than the first floor in paper sorcerer and that was made by one guy.
- there's no attributes that i can find. (!?!?!?!)
- you recruit party members by paying for them
- the graphics are gorgeous
- loading times are long
- seems like it will have a very sophisticated faction/reputation system
- mild c&C present right from the start which is appreciated
- fights are boring, but then again i still haven't even bothered recruiting anyone.

still worth playing and judging for yourself. i don't think the devs realize just how basic first-person turn-based combat is if you're not controlling a party, and especially if its against 1 single enemy.

oh yeah, the music is amazing. very very good score. strings mixed with bleeps and bloops. probably the reason i kept playing at all. really lays on the atmosphere.

 

[aweigh]

and i'm not explicitely against randomized dungeon maps btw. out of boredom (i'm stuck in dark heart of uukrul and really need to play a more modern crawler to satiate my needs) i took a chance and decided to play class of heroes 1 even though i didn't find #2 very good.

i recently started CoH 1 because i read up on it and it is very different than CoH 2 featuring randomized dungeons, vancian spell casting and much closer to wizardry-style classes and mechanics. everything i expected coh 2 to feature but didn't.

the randomized dungeons in coh 1 are MUCH better than what starcrawlers offers and it's probably due to unity engine bullshit. the very first randomized "novice" dungeon i got on coh 1 featured dark areas, spinners and conveyer belts and it took me around 20-30 minutes to clear. it also included a "danger area". after playing the game more (it is leaps and bounds better than coh 2) i realized these were basically bullet-point features that are included in every map randomization, but of course that is not a bad thing at all.

in comparison the maps that were generated for me in starcrawlers were all finished in less than 10 minutes and most of that time was spent moving the mouse-pointer around trying to highlight environmental objects in case i missed something. there were no spinners, no conveyer belts, no dark areas, no optional stuff whatsoever and there was never a single fight consisting of more than 1 enemy.

other cons for me:

- too much dialog interruption
- once again i must stress that there ARE NO ATTRIBUTES
- lacks the depth other modern crawlers offer like generation xth, class of heroes, paper sorcerer and elminage gothic.
- extremely limited in scope
- mouse-look is completely unnecessary and only serves to slow down the game
- no in-battle menus are ridiculous, as well as lack of hotkeys for abilities
- enemy attack animations are too slow

one big pro:

- no saving during missions. i approve.

 

[Jaesun]

I have been playing this for several months. So you are just bored and are making shit up?

 

[Fug]

I'd say so, has anyone played it recently that wouldn't recommend it? I mean it's a turn based blobber with good combat, varied classes and skills, nice visuals, and randomized dungeons. I don't think my taste in games is quite as monocled as most folks here, but this is pretty much what I would expect the type of game most here would love (well, at least the combat fags). Little surprised there's not a lot more talk about Starcrawlers on this forum tbh...

The music was done by Ben Prunty, who also did the entire FTL soundtrack, and while I haven't played the game yet, I have been very interested in it, and him working on it is a good sign I would say.

 

[Jasede]

I have been playing this for several months. So you are just bored and are making shit up?

So how do you like it? I am intrigued.

 

[aweigh]

- there are no character attributes.
- the maps are small and basic.
- there is no legitimate reason why they could not have implemented a menu system for battles.
- the first two missions after the tutorial only offer single-enemy combat.

what part of that is wrong? everything is completely factual. as for enemy animations being too slow that's obviously my opinion. the dialog interruptions are also opinion, but then again i was expecting a dungeon crawler.

edit: also to the person wondering why there isn't more discussion about this game it is because all the real blobber/crawler talk goes on in the jrpg forum. if you want real discussion about the game move the thread there. this pc rpg sub-forum is mostly for talking about non-turn based games.

 

[xxxCatholicKillahxxx]

I have been playing this for several months. So you are just bored and are making shit up?

Seconding Jasede's plea.

 

[Suicidal]

This game looks cool but I've watched a few let's plays and whenever there was combat the enemies never even came close to scratching any of the players' party members. Is the game really that easy or is it just the very beginning/the dudes were playing on easy or something?

 

[Jaesun]

This game looks cool but I've watched a few let's plays and whenever there was combat the enemies never even came close to scratching any of the players' party members. Is the game really that easy or is it just the very beginning/the dudes were playing on easy or something?

As of the current build, you will pretty much survive any encounters just fine on normal. They have a ton of other stuff they are working on before they even get to balancing stuff. I've never had to buy or use med kits. Though they other day this one mission, my character barely survived the mission, but made it out at 3 hit points. heh

Missions on planets with those F%$#@$ worm things, you will more than likely take a bit of damage. The other missions are for the most part a breeze.

 

[Jaesun]

Interesting to see StarCrawlers on there. I have it on early access on STEAM.

Is it good? 15 dollarydoos for a sci-fi dungeon crawler seems too much of a good deal to pass up on.

I have wanted to share some of my impressions on it. It is kinda hard to say, because it IS still in early access, but I will say every build has (so far) always made the game better/improved some stuff. I guess some quick thoughts:

This is NOT a deep tactical dungeon crawler (no stats, just skills as you level up). It features story (hand drawn maps) and the rest are randomly generated maps (missions you go on). There is choice and consequences for some of your actions on the story missions (you either gain or loose reputation with some companies). They are still ironing out what exactly the reputation system will *actually* do however.

I find it a fun time waster (in that I can play it for a few hours, like go on a few random missions for a few hours while waiting for friends to get off work etc...). I really like the art and sounds are great. Again, it is an enjoyable jRPG like random dungeon crawler (WITHOUT RAGE-INDUCING jRPG faggotry art). They are pretty good about listening to feedback an suggestions, they even implemented one of my ideas in that *sometimes* you can find a console and attempt to hack it to find a full layout of the area, and your objective. As well as try to find where hostile enemies are (like hacking the ships sensors).

They still have a LOT of other things they are working on before they get to BALANCE, so even on normal the game (currently) is fairly easy. Long ago though, they difficulty was much greater, in that fully exploring the entire map was dangerous, due to your parties health slowly diminishing. You basically wanted to desperately find your objective and get the hell out and then heal at the station. After finding your objective, exploring further (for possibly better loot) was a dangerous choice to persue. There are also traps, as well as these DEADLY roaming cameras that if you get caught in thier trajectory, will throw a cloud of nanites at your party, which will damage all of you. It is NASTY :D I AM hoping that is the kind of direction they want for the experience of this game. But I don't know.

I have NO clue how the final game will turn out, so I am hesitant to recommend this (even at the current 15$(?) on GOG's early access). But AT LEAST it IS turn-based, and it is in a sci-fi setting. :D

And the devs seem like cool guys too. I actually wish we could get one of them here, but I'd understand if they stayed away from here though...

 

[logrus]

Guys, I was hoping (combat- and team builiding- wise) for Wizardry 8 in da space. Is this game comparable to Wiz 8? Does it have the same depth of char building?

 

[Jasede]

Which other games you know "have the same depth of char building" as Wiz 8?

 

[Renevent]

No, not even close. You can bring 4 different characters into a mission. There's 6 or 7 classes, each with 3 different skill trees. You get enough skills to invest into at least 2 trees as well (maybe more?) so there's probably only realistically 2 or 3 builds per class. Beyond that there's a weapon slot, armor slot, shield (not the hand held kind), and a trinket slot. I believe there's about 7 weapon types (hammer, swords, shotgun, rifle, heavy rifle, smg, etc). There's some notable differences between them, some weapons fire more than one shot at a time, some break/pierce shields, others are focused on heavy damage. Same for armor, heavy armor absorbs more damage but makes you slower, etc. Items are based on the common diablo style white/green/blue/purple scheme, and all items also have 3 upgrade slots where you can pay to unlock new stats on them. Leveling you get skill points and a base increase in stats (health).

Overall it's pretty decent, but it's nowhere near as in depth or does it offer a epic journey as something like Wiz8. It's a turn based dungeon crawler with randomized levels where you are essentially going from random mission to random mission finding items, leveling your characters, and so on. There is the faction system, which should add an additional layer to the game, but as of current it's not complete and doesn't offer much. There's also a central story, though that is also incomplete. The few story missions in the game are pretty cool though, and offer some unique dungeon layouts not seen in the random dungeons.

The game has much more in common with Grimrock than it does with something like Wiz8. If you could imagine Grimrock with a central hub town that has a few services (store, upgrade station, soldier recruitment, gambler, mission giver) and has you going out on quick (about 15m-30m) missions and a much smaller emphasis on puzzles that's Starwcralers in a nutshell...at least in it's current form.

 

[aweigh]

Which other games you know "have the same depth of char building" as Wiz 8?

Wizardry 5
Wizardry 6
Wizardry 7
Wizardry Empire 2
Elminage: Original
Elminage: Gothic
Wizardry: Prisoner of Battle
Class of Heroes 1 & 2
Generation XTH: Code Hazard
The Dark Spire

 

[Jasede]

I would almost agree, but I want to say that 8, compared to those has one thing they all don't:
"Personality."

I'm talking about the personality setting during character creation, which is just picking a voice. It's true that many other Wiz and Wiz-like games feature similar systems but I want to say that for some reason, it was the most memorable in 8. I believe this must have been because of 'personality.' I really truly could visualize my characters and imagine them arguing with one another. I am not sure why this isn't a standard feature in dungeon crawlers; it was honestly the best innovation in all of Wizardry 8 - other than the graphics, which I also really liked. At the time.

 

[aweigh]

i actually agree with you on that point; by far wiz 8's most memorable feature for me was the personality settings as well! made playing the game a real joy and added a lot to its replayability.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Lol @ that list. I like most of these games, but saying that something like Dark Spire has party building depth of Wiz8 is absolutely laughable.

Anyway, judging by Renevent's post, this game sound like a western, sci-fi Etrian Odyssey and I'm really OK with that. Big shame about the inventory system though, those jap "4 slots list" inventories should die in a fire.

 

[aweigh]

Yes, The Dark Spire has much more depth than Wiz 8 in the class building department. I agree. Wiz 8 actually has much less depth in its mechanics than even Wiz 5. For god's sake Wiz 8 isn't even turn-based and it utilizes the ultimate in decline: raise-by-use skills. :facepalm:

Also Star Crawlers is not in any way similar to Etrian Odyssey whatsoever. EO series is much more complex mechanically. (I don't like the EO series all that much, btw).

Star Crawlers doesn't even feature character attributes or sub-classes or multi-classing so I don't seehow you would even reach that conclusion.

 

[Roqua]

Yes, The Dark Spire has much more depth than Wiz 8 in the class building department. I agree. Wiz 8 actually has much less depth in its mechanics than even Wiz 5. For god's sake Wiz 8 isn't even turn-based and it utilizes the ultimate in decline: raise-by-use skills. :facepalm:

Also Star Crawlers is not in any way similar to Etrian Odyssey whatsoever. EO series is much more complex mechanically. (I don't like the EO series all that much, btw).

Star Crawlers doesn't even feature character attributes or sub-classes or multi-classing so I don't seehow you would even reach that conclusion.

You also raised skills by leveling in Wiz 8. Phase based combat not being TB is really a matter of semantics as it was implemented in Wiz 8. If it put more emphasis in having to predict what your enemies where going to do and planning around that, versus just using AoEs and melee hitting whoever is in range if their target dies, or if running didn't basically make it turn based, it would matter more.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Yes, The Dark Spire has much more depth than Wiz 8 in the class building department.

Nigga, don't do this to yourself

so I don't seehow you would even reach that conclusion

Holy shit, let me help you: I didn't play the game, I read a guy's post, some things in that post (tb crawler with central hub, skill trees, 4 item list inv with items having slots for upgrades) sound like Etrian Odyssey. There you go.

 

[LESS T_T]

Now new ETA is Spring 2017: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/125859261/starcrawlers/posts/1728857

Polish, Polish, Polish and then LAUNCH

Hello Backers!

Last time we updated we were planning a launch date for fall 2016, however, we were fortunate enough to receive some extra funding recently, and so will be able to devote extra time to polishing StarCrawlers. We will be using the time to add additional content, expand on existing systems, and squeeze in a few bonuses before our launch date in spring. The game is essentially finished, but we don’t want to pass up an opportunity to make sure we deliver a polished experience at launch.

Steam Keys

In case you missed it, Steam keys were sent via BackerKit. If you still need the key, you can access it through your BackerKit page. (Login with your Kickstarter email address at https://starcrawlers.backerkit.com/master_backer_accounts/sign_in) and look under “Digital Downloads” to view and copy your Steam key(s).

New Features
We’ve come a long way since the end of our Kickstarter, and the game has grown quite a bit from our original concept and pitch. Our initial alpha, beta, and Early Access has provided invaluable feedback from you guys and our Steam and GOG communities, which is making the game stronger with each update. Here’s a run-down of just a few of the newest features that we’ve added:

Design a Backstory for your Hero

Now you get to customize a history for your hero / first crawler. Your history will affect your character’s starting stats, gear and credits and will change the way your character will interact with NPCs in certain quests and events.

________________________________________________________________________

Enhanced Gear Randomization

We recently retooled the loot system to add a lot more variety to the types of gear you can get, and added a much greater variety of upgrades to make the loot collection and customization features much more enjoyable.

Gear Enhancements

Besides adding a lot of depth and richness to the types of gear we have available, we’ve also added a number of enhancements that let you customize your gear even further by modifying their stats according to your own preferences.

_______________________________________________________________________

Faction Rewards and Consequences

As you progress through the game you’ll get to know certain factions and they’ll get to know you. Your crew will now accrue positive and negative favor with corporations. Positive favor can be used to barter for special rewards from corporations and negative favor may motivate them to run ops against you, so balancing corporate reputations becomes a much more significant part of the overall gameplay experience.

Character Custom Portraits

Based on feedback from forum users, we’ve added the ability to upload custom images for each character to be used in events, combats, and menus. We can’t wait to see what you create for your crawlers!.

Our next update will be at the start of 2017 and will announce the Spring launch date and our plans for continued support of the game. It's been a long and interesting road, we're tired but excited to see launch in sight, just on the horizon.

<3
Juggernaut

 

[ArchAngel]

I look forward to taking this baby for a test flight when the full version will be out
Space combat, ship upgrading and planet missions with team based turn based combat.. what is not to love here!