this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
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[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I used to be. With all of Chucklefish's weirdness around its development, it's hard to enjoy the game as much…

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Have you tried any mods at all? There are so many, they really make it great! I didn't start playing until after they had already abandoned it :( so I don't know anything about their weirdness ...

[–] FunnyUsername@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I didn't even know they were weird about it. That's a bummer it turned people off the game...

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I had no idea either. Look at them downvote me for it :')

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I played it a lot vanilla but I have been hesitant to try some of the bigger mods because I hear a bit too hardcore for my liking. I wish the game was more fleshed out, but I don't want it to be a constant struggle.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I agree that most the added mods are too much -- I absolutely do not recommend Frackin' Universe, for example.

Buuuuut I have a small collection here that I enjoyed when I first started playing 2 ish years ago: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2718466911. Not too extensive!!

I'll take a look once I get home. It might be fun.

[–] Leilys@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The controversy was one thing, but the game itself really could've used more optimisation. I played through once and now occasionally go back and play with mods on, and the performance issues really does make you wish the game ran better.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Have you tried the mods that attempt to optimize it? I use one called "more threads" or something and OptimizeBound.

[–] Leilys@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

I have not, actually. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

[–] Frozzie@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Yes I remember playing this game since an early alpha. But it's all so empty and sometimes feels pointless to wonder around a new planet. Btw Chucklefish made the game with unpaid child labor... I eventually returned to Terraria.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Where'd you find that info?

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I really had no idea. Don't want to get downvoted to oblivion for this, but this kind of stuff doesn't erode my joy of the game, or make building my cute lil pixel homes any less fun and rewarding.

These days, in general, there's lots of looking down / belligerent beratement of people who like things that were incidentally made by shitstorms. Sorry in advance I suppose.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah there's nothing wrong with enjoying the game in its current state, I did too from time to time before it was totally abandoned. But don't be surprised if you have trouble finding other people who want to join a community to talk about this abandoned game. I really wish a spiritual successor to Starbound could be created by another studio but as of right now it only exists in this bland and broken state with the awful forced story layered on top.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Since Lemmy is filling the slot Reddit has left behind, I'm just trying to find the people who have jumped ship from there, where the SB subreddit is quite active. πŸ€·πŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yikes! I didn't know it was that bad.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

'unpaid child labor' painted a nasty picture in my head. If you watch the video about it in these comments, it was more like 'asked 16yr olds to make content and told them it wouldn't be paid but they might get job offers later (but they never will)'.

[–] TwilightVulpine@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I didn't think a indie game development studio would have a sweatshop full of child slaves, so I think my first impression is pretty close to how it was, and that is unpaid labor. The only debatable term is "child" though they were minors. Pretty sleazy to take advantage of passionate teens like that.

Maybe that's not so shocking to people when unpaid internships are a thing, but that's not something I think should exist either.

It's disheartening how dirty entertainment industries are on every level. You'd think works of passion would inspire people to treat each other right but if anything seems like the opposite happens.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It is a huge disheartening bummer, and really seems to permeate ... every single thing in existence :(

Yeah... ☹️

[–] iconic_admin@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I used to play starbound a ton, it’s been a few years. I stopped playing because all the planets just felt so lonely after a while. I remember seeing that the devs were planning on adding NPCs and maybe even quests or a storyline? Did any of that happen?

[–] BrudderAaron@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

They... did.. But every quest is "Go to specific type planet, find X amount of clues, then go do special boss battle."

[–] Tash@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I loved Starbound and was really excided for its environment and style. I still think it has some of the best world generation, like a 2D version of No Man's Sky. Oh, and the music just feels so right...

I had hoped it would grow beyond what Terraria was at the time, but sad to see that didn't pan out and development has basically died. It feels like there's still a lot of potential in Starbound but it feels unfinished.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I agree. However, Starbound modding community seems to be thriving !

[–] Tash@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Cool, thanks for the insight. I haven't looked at the MOD scene on Starbound so I'll check it out.

Any specific mod recommendations?

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yes, many. I have an old collection I first used and will be making a new one soon of all the mods I am using now :) Old collection here https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2718466911

[–] RedForFred@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I love Starbound dearly. It has an atmosphere and sense of exploration that is just great. I go back to it for a while every year or so to re-explore and vibe, such a good game especially for the price

[–] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure. But rather casual one.

I never built a homebase anywhere, instead I preferred to call the ship my home and put as much effort into it as possible. I wasn't very good at it, but it was fun...

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That is definitely my second mobile home too in game! :)

[–] jesterraiin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I felt strangely happy seeing that small piglet made of a few pixels following me everywhere on the ship. Good times...

[–] CommunityLinkFixer@lemmings.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn't work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !starbound@lemmy.ml

[–] krellor@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Played a ton when it first started; stopped when they released a bug that wiped out the contents of any container with an empty slot. Lost all my stuff. Couldn't really get back into it having lost so much time and with devs that had such iffy null handling via their Lua code.

[–] popemichael@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I was a part of the beta testing cycle for Starbound but its been years since played last

I may have ti fix that

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wonder if some of my mods still live on in other mods.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've been diving deep into mods last week or so -- what were your mods?

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 1 points 1 year ago

Some plant mods.

[–] CosmicCat@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Something I've always wanted in Starbound is something like a captains log. Yes I can take notes elsewhere, but it would be really nice if there was UI to organize my experiences and history as I bop around the universe. The bookmarking method isn't all that helpful.

I used to play a lot of Starbound, but this is actually what's holding me back. I want a little more roleplaying as a space explorer and I'd love collecting planet data in a better UI.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Such a good idea. I actually have a notebook for my finds and thoughts and I wanted to make a whole compendium on what I've made. Haven't yet, but a captains log sounds so fun.

[–] biomann@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How does starbound compare to terraria? I remember buying it, but I only played it for a few minutes iirc

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 5 points 1 year ago

Controls are a bit more floaty.

You go more places in Starbound, but they aren't as deep as they are in Terraria.

You can't build boss arenas in Starbound.

They tried to make more of a story in Starbound; it is ok.

[–] TPetrichor@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've never tried Terraria (shame on me. I know.) But from what other players say, SB focuses more on exploration, while Terraria focuses more on tenants and colonies, perhaps?

[–] Devccoon@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

You really should!

I was big into Starbound pretty early but never quite felt the highs I got from Terraria. I would say if Starbound is up your alley, Terraria is a must-try. It's great with friends, too, and if they're anything like mine, the moment someone brings it up after a year or two, they're always down for another Terraria playthrough~

I think what appeals a lot about Terraria is the world. It's like a living thing in its own right. Biomes don't just sit in place, and the world doesn't just spring up on creation and stay static except for what you do to shape it to your liking. Building is less convenient than Starbound, but also more central. As you stretch out into the world, it quickly becomes your home. It's so comfy and pleasant to come back to and build a new place. Upgrades and progression are kind of nuts, too. You're always moving forward on some game-changing new accessories, new crafting items, new NPCs to buy neat stuff from. Even when it's starting to feel like you've explored everything, your progression is set to change the world and make it feel new again.

Starbound felt like more of a streamlined story/experience built around the bones of freely exploring terrain as you like. Worlds have this No Man's Sky effect of being mostly the same across the whole surface and populated by randomized variants of the same recognizable critters, but ultimately not feeling like there's much unique to make them distinct from each other. They feel rather disposable, like you have all this space but it only makes it harder to determine where you want to set down your roots and develop a personal connection to a place. Ultimately it was challenging for me to keep pushing through when it was so optimal to leave systems behind once I got what I needed there.

[–] chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

No offense, but Starbound doesn't hold a candle to Terraria. I've played a lot of both. You can mod the shit out of Terraria, too.

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Starbound has much better worldbuilding than Terraria. The races all have interesting motivations, backstories, rivalries, settlements, artifacts, themes. Terraria is better in many aspects, but the themes of the game are pretty generic.

The worldbuilding is great, which makes me miss the beta days when every race had their unique origins. They story ended up just doing a surface level tour of each race rather than exploring them in depth.

[–] runekn@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've finished Starbound twice. Tried Terraria because the popular opinion, as you say, was always that it was better than Starbound, but honestly can't get more than a few hours into Terraria before getting bored.

[–] sneezymrmilo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Put a ton of time into this game yeeears ago. Loved it and occasionally come back to it and play some modded. Fantastic game with fun exploration.

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