I bought when it was available. Got two hours in.
I'll start by the complaints:
- Removing blocks is too slow.
- Mouse wheel doesn't work on crafting screen.
- You have to queue every component and material for every product you want to craft, by hand.
That's it. Other than that, I'm loving it! But those 3 things DID consume probably around 70% of my game time, or more.
I do recommend a wishlist/watchlist though. I can't recommend a purchase yet since I've only finished my survivalist base (as in, no walls, only the Food/Oxygen/Health/Crafting/Storage stuff), and I cannibalized my escape pod. I only left it's husk there because...removing blocks is too slow!
But I like the devs. I like their background, and I like the game. The stuff I didn't like is largely ignorable, since it's mostly UI/Operation (mouse wheel, etc) and Balancing (removing blocks, etc). And well..it's still the EA release version! So design and gameplay-wise, no issues yet.
But something random happened and I really loved it. I was on the starting area, minding my own business. I had just made a save backup. And then...
I'm all PreAlpha testing and learning the game..then..I see movement. It scares the shit out of me. A dozen drones fly over the hill
Half of them spot me, and they start firing at what was left of my pod. They do very little damage to it, but if I leave cover they eat my health:
I didn't have a Medic Station. So I didn't have a spawn point. Desperate, I queue a Rocket Launcher and some missiles, while I get 'rekt by the drones. I wait in cover while firing my basic pistol, and I actually manage to kill the smaller ones or leave them stunned. Once the Rocket Launcher is complete..
Oh..and they drop loot.
So yeah, I wasn't expecting that. I'm now crafting stuff to make a Ground Vehicle so I can do stuff faster.
A great point though, is that I haven't read wiki or any tutorial. The game's pretty intuitive, and I only opened the wiki page to get descriptions of items, because some descriptions aren't in the game yet. The game has no tutorial, but it has a help button that links directly to a "Getting Started" page that covers everything. I didn't read it because I was actually wanting to see if I would die, and I didn't, even though I took my time poking around menus and all that.
So the survival aspect is there, but it doesn't become an annoyance. I've played a game last month called Farlight Explorers, which Food/Oxygen worked the same way...but you'd have to be eating and running for oxygen every few minutes, which was pretty boring and annoying. So I really like the balance.
I also like how I can see a weird tower and a weird..forest..or base? In the distance. It gives you a danger/mystery/exploration vibe, and this is the sort of thing I wanted in such a game, for years now..really.
I haven't got the chance to fly any sort of vehicle yet. There are Ground Vehicles (uses hover-thrusters, not sure if they actually fly), Small Vehicles, Capital Vehicles and bases.
Some blocks are made for GV and SV [Ground Vehicles/Small Vehicles], some just for CV [Capitals] and BA [Bases]. Get used to these names, because I built the wrong parts for my base too many times before I noticed the game tells you which type the part is. Derp!
It also REALLY feels like a Space Engineers meets StarMade meets the exploration/survival side of Hazeron. But in a much better "body" than you would expect.
It's different enough not to annoy me, but I DO find it weird that when you remove a block, it gives you the components back instead of the actual block...just like Space Engineers. The key to switch power of a vehicle/base is "Y"...exactly like Space Engineers. Rotate blocks using Insert/Home/End/Page Up/Page Down/Del keys...exactly like Space Engineers - even though their mapping is better.
Again, I'm one of those who hates KSH, therefore SE is my enemy. But I can't help but notice it.
The interface is pretty neat for an EA game, IMO. I've played stuff that gave me nightmares and headaches. Interface-wise, it feels like the end of a Beta rather than the start of the Alpha.
Sorry for the very random notes thrown around, but I'm actually excited to play the game further, yet I'm on a hurry because RL calls.
I already posted about these issues to the devs, and if the game remains good up to the end-game, I'll probably register on their official forums and annoy the fuck out of everyone to fix the worst stuff first.
A few more screens:
Map screen, 'spinnable':
The moon that orbits. I have no idea what planets are around, but it looks so good..and you can actually go there! Reminds me of Hazeron days
Derpy Base:
Someone who found it would be fun to scare the shit out of me when I was getting my oxygen bottles from the oxygen generator:
Planet explorer 'alright:
EDIT: Beware that I MIGHT BE biased, because I was really looking forward to his for a few weeks now. I tried to be honest, though.