Dev Blog Station Overhaul

Station Overhaul
Released - February 7th, 2019

Update Size - N/A

Changes
TL;DR – We have fundamentally changed the way the station flow works. All items are available for crafting from the beginning, albeit some require a lot of materials. As players progress with certain factions, they learn how to craft items cheaper and cheaper. On top of that, all modifications are now item specific and can be crafted right on the item.

Hi, Prospectors!

Today I’m going to shed some light on the upcoming station changes. The main reason we started this rework, was the feedback we’ve received during the playtests. We wanted to make the station flow smoother and more streamlined. We also tried to ensure that players have a more intuitive way of finding the right items for their gear set, see all possible modifications, and don’t have to flick through several screens to perform basic operations.

So we decided to provide players with an overview of all the available items in the inventory with a clever sorting and filtering system, and we have eliminated the need to acquire blueprints.

Everything is there for you at the very start, but some items will simply be too expensive. As players progress and gain more reputation for a faction, they will learn some tricks on how to craft more advanced items “cheaper”. In the future, we will also introduce a faction shop, which would offer additional cool items from factions, like rare blueprints players will not have by default, and maybe even some items and/or crafting materials.

Crafting will work the same as it does now – players will gather materials in matches and then craft the desired item when they are back on Prospect Station. One significant change we’ve introduced for Alpha 6 is that players can only craft one copy of each item, so there will be less confusion and less accidental material waste. On top of that, we feel that it makes the system easier to use.

We are also increasing the selection of available crafting materials, and we are trying to make sure that when players look at a specific item, they can guess, what materials they need, so the whole system feels more authentic. For instance, to craft shard weapons players will have to locate crystal shards.

Currently, we are not planning to create several tiers of the same weapon. Instead, we strive for weapon diversity and a strong emphasis on mods and, in the future, weapon customization as a way to create your own, unique weapon.

So overall I hope it is way easier to navigate the whole inventory and understand the potential benefits of each available item.

Speaking of benefits, we are pushing hard to create a system that will allow us to display item stats dynamically, so you can compare items and also immediately see the effect of the mods on the item. I really hope that we’ll be able to give the first glimpse of this system to you in Alpha 6.

And now I think it is time to answer some popular questions about the station in a Q&A blitz! Buckle up!


 * Will we get grey kit mods?
 * Maybe, but it’s not the top of our list now.


 * Will we be able to mod standard issue weapons (co-tec), abilities and kit?
 * As promised in one of our streams – yes, that is coming in Alpha 6. You will have to craft a moddable version of the basic item first, though.


 * Will we be able to create loadout/build templates?
 * Yes, the plan is that players will have access to multiple gear sets.


 * Will we get a personal hub on the station?
 * I certainly hope so, and in fact, it is one of the ambitions our entire team shares. However, I cannot speak to any timeline at this point.


 * Can you tell us more about character customization?
 * Well, as a taster, players will be able to select one of the Prospector archetypes and then dive into various customization options for that type. Currently, we have some headgear, gloves, boots and chest pieces, but we’re already looking into what else we can do. If you have several setups for different moods, you’ll be able to save them as presets.

We hope that gives you a good idea of our upcoming changes and as always we look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Yours truly,

KrisKelvin

Lead Designer