Double Fine's latest game: Spacebase DF-9

[Hellraiser]

I'm waiting for them to add more stuff before possibly buying it. What I like is that they have the simulation of space station dwellers already implemented along with the "spaceface" interface. What I want to see are working reactors and a power system, doctors, sickbays, scientists, labs and research along with more FUN like drunken barfights.

My main beef with the concept so far apart from one universal resource* is that the orbital space environment is fairly dull. It's just random asteroids and the occasional derelict popping up, not giving much replayability or different approaches to base building. Although I read that they're planning to make galaxy generation more like dwarf fortress, where you can start a colony say near a space bug homeworld or some other alien race increasing the likelihood of certain events.

Also what would be cool would be taking a page from Deep Space 9 and being able to send colonists in a ship on missions to nearby planets to discover stuff like artifacts, new food or FUN.

*as justified as it is by trek-like replicator tech it makes for a boring and simplistic resource management/economic mechanic. Even adding a non-replicateable "latinum" equivalent from DS9 would be incline as it would facilitate the need for trade.

 

[sexbad?]

Also what would be cool would be taking a page from Deep Space 9 and being able to send colonists in a ship on missions to nearby planets to discover stuff like artifacts, new food or FUN.

I always liked how DS9 skewed the exploration in that manner, rather than giving the crew a big Star Trek ship to go fart around on for the first few seasons. That could work extremely well for things like trading, reputation and discoveries to advance along tech trees. Perhaps it could run in a manner similar to Evil Genius's world domination screen.

 

[Hellraiser]

That's a feature that Dwarf Fortress really lacked, you couldn't send emissaries or interact with neighboring cunts in anyway other than by pissing off elves or humans somehow (usually by killing them, or by selling elves wooden objects). Hell, at the very least you should have been able to send raiding parties and loot some goblin camp. Toady made this really excellent world generator with civilizations, wars and history in addition to the terrain/biome generation, but it kind of did nothing in fortress mode apart from flavor and goblin attack probability. Wasted potential really. Interaction with the parent civilization was also a bit shallow.

 

[sexbad?]

Note: Always build new additions to rooms before removing current walls. There is no evacuation protocol on Spacebase DF-9, so anybody in the room undergoing renovations is likely to be blown out into space when a wall is removed for planned construction.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Feels really alpha, but I sense a lot of potential in this one. TBH, I'm more excited about DF9 than about DoubleFine adventure, which I backed on kickstarter.

 

[J_C]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/double-fines-latest-game-spacebase-df-9.87086/

 

[sexbad?]

ohh snap. I didn't check for an already existent thread in strategy gaming because I equated base building with city building and landed here. Perhaps I will continue the righteous path!!!

I like the sound of nearly everything written here: http://www.spacebasedf9.com/devplans

 

[J_C]

ohh snap. I didn't check for an already existent thread in strategy gaming because I equated base building with city building and landed here. Perhaps I will continue the righteous path!!!

I like the sound of nearly everything written here: http://www.spacebasedf9.com/devplans

I think there was no city building thread when I made it, that's why I put it into strategy. No biggie. And I also like the premise of the game. Looking forward to it.

 

[Borelli]

Does the game have multiple levels/floors of construction?

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

So far no multiple levels. Look at the devplans linked some posts above for what is planned.

 

[sexbad?]

I think there was no city building thread when I made it, that's why I put it into strategy. No biggie. And I also like the premise of the game. Looking forward to it.

Then I am helping to usher in the new era (or just new subforum)!!!

Does the game have multiple levels/floors of construction?

What Yaar Podshipnik said. There's only one floor technology at the moment, but the dev plans say they want to add in the ability to have more than one deck.

My latest Spacebase just underwent a catastrophe. For some reason, all the life support systems (all, enough to hold 90 or so people on a station currently staffed by 30) went offline somehow, so everyone died in a matter of minutes. I do like how oxygen works, though. It is a physical property for each room, and when a door opens between two rooms--say, one with 20% and one with 80%--the room with more oxygen will try to even out in the room with less. This can end up blowing people through doorways or into outer space when they try to move through the station. It's quite fun to watch, although normally it means you're failing miserably at doing anything else.

 

[sexbad?]

This is my base

 

[DwarvenFood]

Looks like some unpainted resin model.

 

[Hellraiser]

It's 50% off on steam for the next 8 hours or so for your information, in case you wanted to buy an alpha for 11 euro that is.

 

[evdk]

It's 50% off on steam for the next 8 hours or so for your information, in case you wanted to buy an alpha for 11 euro that is.

They have to pay for Broken Age somehow.

 

[Dragula]

So is there like any updates?

 

[toro]

So is there like any updates?

Yep. Tim has released a statement that this game is definitely not vapourware.

 

[Hirato]

So is there like any updates?

There's been a few, the so called 'Update 4' was released less than a week ago and added researching to the base game

I like the concept and some parts of the execution, but I simply cannot recommend it in its current state.
It's woefully incomplete in all areas, almost devoid of depth, and the AI too damn retarded to be trusted with anything that involves base construction or maintenance.
I've abandoned so many stations prematurely due to AI retardation...

They are absolutely terrible with construction work, say I build a resident area with multiple beds, they'd build ONE bed then immediately go to sleep for 5 minutes, repeat that a few times and everyone's sleeping, and not building essentials like food dispensers or fire extinguishers. And if you don't have fire extinguishers and fires pop up, they'll try to stomp it out until they die spectacularly; coincidentally, a meteor storm was on the way and hit the residence...

And I've seen utter darwin award level stuff from other builders, like this time I asked them to dismantle a ship.
I had taken some precautions for the retarded AI and sealed off all the oxygen inside the life support bays, and forced the air lock open to empty the base of oxygen. then I assigned my builders to destroy it.
They fly over there, destroy one of the outer walls - so far so good - then they destroy the wall connecting this oxygen free room with the life support room, merging the two, and flooding the room with oxygen. The builders then decide, "oh my! there's oxygen here!" and take off their space suits, and seconds later they run around like headless mooks whilst "panicking about lack of oxygen."



tl;dr: go play Startopia or Space Colony instead

 

[Bobbix]

It's pretty much bare bones at current moment. Maybe in 1-2 years it will be on Theme Hospital level.

 

[J_C]

People are surprised that games in alpha state play like games in alpha stage.

 

[DeepOcean]

People are surprised that games in alpha state play like games in alpha stage.

Assuming they will ever leave alpha stage.

 

[J_C]

People are surprised that games in alpha state play like games in alpha stage.

Assuming they will ever leave alpha stage.

Of course they will. It is Double Fine.

 

[Dragula]

They should stick in beta stage like Dwarf Fortress, and then maybe in 5 years it would be a worthy game to try out.

 

[DeepOcean]

maybe in 5 years it would be a worthy game to try out.

Do you think Double Fine will still be alive 5 years from now?

 

[Dragula]

The way they are burning through money now, no, I think not.