July Update Feedback

Hooray for the Founder's Update!

Let's get started on the feedback:

• You are correct, sir, in that the Super Melee is THE flashiest, most front-and-center part of the game. The one everyone will look at and judge immediately upon viewing, on whether this game is for them. Interest in the nuanced story comes after that, but there's no doubt FIRST impressions will be based on the Super Melee. Even myself - I owned Star Control II for 6 months before even touching the main campaign. Part of that was because I was 10, and 10yo's are dumb. But part of that was me playing with my buddy, head-to-head, this really, really fun dog-fighting 1-on-1 spaceship fighting game. Interest in a deep, nuanced story does come second to the casual observer, so a lot of pressure is very much on the Super Melee. It's gotta be just right, and we're well on the way toward making it so. I think one way to make it more attractive and awe-inspiring from the get-go is to REALLY step up the look of the background stars. Right now, there's some light clouding, and some stars - just look at the background of the page we're on right now. I feel like current space games are beyond this. For example, the recent Everspace:

Another example, Galaxy on Fire 2:

A third example is Eve Valkyrie:

They all seem to put heavy emphasis on cool space backdrops to really catch the eye. It works. I mean, it really works, big-time. I'm sure this is probably more a post-production issue, but I wanted to mention it now, since such emphasis is being put on making Super Melee attractive to the widest swathe of people imaginable. I think players may balk at such a simple space backdrop. 

Another way to improve gameplay and make it more varied would be including a ton of obstacles during the match. Discussed on Discord, I especially thought a good example would be the previous space ships that have been blown up during a match, could make for some very cool obstacles to avoid ramming into during subsequent battles at the same location. If Nitrous can support literally thousands of ships, I want to see the dead hulks of exploded ships that you've already fought. How cool would it be to have an enemy destroy one of your ships, only to be fleeced by its remnants on the next round, like it reached out from the grave for revenge? Fun stuff!!

• Moving on to the next point - it APPEARS that Trandals and Menk-Mack are getting a makeover!!! To that, all I can say is - HALLELUJAH. What a wonderful day. Because out of all the races, these two were the ones I took the most issue with. There are a few more critiques I'd like to make known as well, so I'll just list the small amount of grievances I have, with each of the races here:
  • Trandals - an iphone with a cord? This is too meta. There's almost a zero percent chance that they would create the same exact handheld, with an earphone jack dozens of lightyears away from us, evolved completely separately. I'd like you guys to take this as dark as the concept states. I want to see it hardwired into their brains. Bolted into their skull with pegs hammered in at birth. I want them to be neutering the trandal race in a foul, but polite way. I want their dominion over trandals to be complete. I want a screen welded onto their face. Take it further, make it repulsive, but in a nice, polite way to fit their friendly personality, and to fit the dark comedy vein of SCII.
  • Menk-Mack - Please just destroy this thing that's straight out of a Saturday Morning cartoon on Sprout. I feel like there should be an overly happy human on the couch next to this Menk-Mack, discussing how to best tie your shoes as a toddler. I feel like they should pull out a guitar and sing a duet together, about the need to take baths and how fun they can be, bopping along with the music and swinging their feet. It just... it needs to go. 
  • Tywom - They're, again, too human caricature. In Star Control II, aside from one visible cigar - there's not a single HUMAN object in those scenes. The Tywom have 7-11 sodas (with a straw!) and pocket protectors. Look at the Umgah! Their little non-hands squeeze fleshy bulbs to control their ships! The Spathi control by pulling on some sort of hooks! The Orz control their ships by tapping on... some sort of drum with a bright yellow circular organic-screen. Lose the human! Really REACH out there!!
  • The Measured - Librarians, the galaxy's finest compilers of information.......................... complete with the Dewey Decimal system and step ladders? We're really going that direction? Come on. Also, their mustache looks weird and not at all intimidating. Maybe that's the point, I guess... 
  • Greegrox - Omg, so happy. I guess that's fine if you like Pixar, a lot.

The Mu'kay nail it. You guys got so creative with them, I really want to see all of them taken to that level. Scryve too, with the floating things. Can't really see much of the other race's bridge. But....... Go big. Go alien. I mean it. Please.

• The Flagship design... it looks pretty crowded, guys. Like, almost too much in the two photos of it this month. I've never thought that before, but this looks a little much. Not a big thing, I just can't, for the life of me, figure out what's even going on. And you certainly won't be able to tell when you're flying it in top-down view.
• And finally, a quote from this month's vault update: "you can expect there to be a lot more classes of ships for each race". Just a question... what's this all about?!

Let's hear what everyone else thinks of this update!!