September Vault Update

Well done, Frogboy. Not only because this was a great Vault Update, but because things have really started to come together once you took over producer and designer duties. And you are not one to drop your doodies!

I think if there's one thing I'm most apprehensive about, it's the Living Galaxy concept. I'm not sure what that entails. I was hoping that got fleshed out a lot with this vault update, considering the last update finished with these dire tidings of what's to come:

"Next month we will be talking a lot about Hyperspace and the living universe."

But that didn't really happen at all this time around, so hopefully in the October update we can get a handle on what that entails, and how it fits with the current expectations for a Star Control game. I get the whole being able to see the other ships that are flying around, that was in SCII, but.... what about the implications of having merchants, pirates, civilians, escorts, etc, all flying around? Should we take that to mean there's a bunch of (pointless) side quests, you can pick up all over to make money, that have no effect on the story? A trade system, with fluctuating prices? Multiple systems to sell resources in, based on economy, etc? I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I am interested in hearing more. I don't want another NMS or Freelancer or Galaxy on Fire or ESPECIALLY not a SPAZ 2. Star Control has never been about open world, freeform, emergent storytelling just by random things happening. It was open world, VERY TIGHT and focused storytelling in which there were ZERO quests that didn't follow a race's story. You never found random captain #11 who wants your help to escort his trade ship to the nearest station for money. You didn't happen upon pirates who tried to take your RU. You never found anyone in trouble that you could rescue from random attackers #137. So it'll be interesting to hear more about the implementation of this.

By FAR my favorite page of the update was this one:

I have so many thoughts and questions, starting with:

1) Scryve: Holy crap, I'm super excited to see their side view. They look kinda like a dragon. Very threatening! Very MENACING. And quite a difference from the front-view that makes them look like stout, short-limbed dwarves! Great choice! I wonder if they were like that all along, or if we had a direct impact on this addition? Either way, looks excellent and I love them and fear them in equal measures.

2) The new Greegrox looks awesome so far!!! I'm very excited to hear he's getting a rework. He was just so goofy and slapstick, I had a tough time suspending my disbelief. Are the cosmos really filled with giant planet-size muppets who go around with a big, dumb smile on their face? Unlikely. But maybe? This new, more neutral one looks much better imho. I like that he looks like a space whale.

3) OMIT the Xraki? What?? Aren't they like... a Very Important Species? Besides, their design looks super cool now that we can see it! Is he standing on his hands? Are they ALL hands? I hope to see him on the conversation screen, starting out hands on the floor, but then reaches up and stands on the ceiling! And then the walls! Like it doesn't matter which surface, because he can grip them all. He's all hands! Well, that and one big, mean, nasty-looking mouth. He will bite your goddamn face off.

4) Thank God the Measured are getting a rework. They were the only ones I felt particularly negative about. I didn't like their design, or their librarian trope. By all means, make them the bureacrats of the stars, but please, please please - scrap the Dewey Decimal System they use. Even earthlings couldn't figure that one out.

5) The Mowlings are adorable.

6) So last Thursday, Stellaris came out with their machine empire expansion. And unfortunately for the new design of Jeff, came out with The Contingency - a new endgame crisis where a machine uprising happens, and the one leading them all.... well....... it looks just like Jeff.

To be honest, Brad, yours is better design and looks cool. But I feel like they beat you to it on that one, man. I feel like it might draw unfair and immediate comparison/criticism, to a game that features aliens that otherwise don't look anything like ANYTHING the world has seen. A few of us on Discord were talking about how, Jeff being a Von Neumann Probe from a different galaxy, has probably been travelling for millions of years, so might have totally outdated hardware. Would be fun to see him have chunky physical interfaces like old Star Trek, Alien and Star Wars before we had the sleek aesthetic everyone uses now. The two consoles in the front already have that vintage look! Also, probably has needed lots of duct tape over that many eons... Can I recommend keeping the dual-floating-brain idea, and put that in the center, instead of floating red energy orb?

7) Trandals rework is VEYR cool, though to be honest - if we're still going with the idea that an AI has become the only sentient one, and the Trandals serve just to carry around the AI.... you might want to make them.... fatter? I doubt they get much exercise, lol...

8) Don't change the Phamysht too much (except the name lolz), because they're huge worm-like body is awesome. I'm not a fan of the smoking. And I don't like the four human-like arms. Give them insect appendages. Or wings. Or some previously unknown form of handling objects.

9) Thanks for turning the health bars into crew dots!! Now, we just need them smaller and LOTS more of them! This ship doesn't run itself!

10) Paul and Fred's input. Oh wow. Now that would sure be something, wouldn't it? I wonder why there's always talk about them on here. There must be serious discussions that take place, don't you think?

PS- I LOVE THE DAN'NATH concept. Omg, seeing him whole like that is so foreboding. I hope they're not really extinct!

PSS- There's too many guys with four arms. Tywom, MenkMack, Phamysht, Trandals, Measured and Xraki. Too many.