Armchair Dragoons Forums
Wargaming => 4X Gaming => Topic started by: Martok on January 18, 2021, 08:34:13 PM
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So this is not a game I've talked about in a good while. (Indeed, I'm pretty sure the last time it was the subject of any real discussion was over at the other place a few years ago.)
Stardrive 2 (and its sole expansion Sector Zero) was one of those 4x games that I very much enjoyed and played the hell out of, but (frustratingly) it never *quite* crossed the line over into being a true classic. It came tantalizingly close, but ultimately failed (in large part) due to some major bugs that were never fixed by the game's sole developer, Daniel DiCicco. (It's perhaps worth noting that DiCicco has gained a certain notoriety -- both for abandoning his games, and for adopting a...less-than-cordial attitude towards the people who play them.)
It was a true shame, because while not revolutionary, SD2 was one of those games that was greater than the sum of its parts. It was one of the rare 4x titles that seemed to "click" on nearly every level -- exploration, colony management, logistics, combat, diplomacy, ship design, etc. It managed to hit that "sweet spot" of being neither too simple nor complex; and streamlined, yet without being shallow.
So I think it's safe to say DiCicco caught everyone off-guard by releasing a patch (https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/5202188184774081122) just yesterday, in which apparently most of the bugs have finally been squashed. :o I'm naturally a tad skeptical about that, but I guess we'll see...
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Huh. That is interesting. I'm with you on the skeptical part.
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Yeah. Between his abandonment of first Stardrive 1, and then Stardrive 2, that man burned a lot of bridges, not to mention a ton of goodwill.
Of course, folks in the announcement thread are now treating him like he's the Second Coming of Christ. It's like they've completely forgotten his behavior from the previous 5+ years. :doh:
Don't get me wrong: I'm thrilled he released this patch, especially if it actually does fix the late-game bugs like he claims. But to see everyone showering him with praise -- for doing something he should have already done years ago -- is just an absolute facepalm moment for me.
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No praise from my part but just happy that he did take some time to patch it. I guess it was crazy in the first place to work on a game like this alone and, while he does have a problem with attitude, i understand that he needed to find a real job and that he had to take care of his children. Now, if he manages to release a patch every year, it would awesome.
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Now, if he manages to release a patch every year, it would awesome.
Agreed.
However, I get the impression he's more likely to spend his spare time working on Stardrive 3. Would love to be wrong, though. :)
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Now, if he manages to release a patch every year, it would awesome.
Agreed.
However, I get the impression he's more likely to spend his spare time working on Stardrive 3. Would love to be wrong, though. :)
I don't think he will work on Stardrive 3 game. I believe he's burned with games even though he loves it. If he really wanted to work on something again, he should make sure to get a full team to do it.
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When I saw 'Stardrive,' I immediately thought of Starflight from back in 1986 or so. :D
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BC, not sure if you've heard of this before but here's a link to Starflight - The Lost Colony (https://sites.google.com/site/starflighttlc/). I haven't played it but it looks promising.
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Thanks! :bigthumb:
Funny but I didn't really play it on the computer - I had a Sega Genesis cartridge and I spent quite a few hours on that, way back when.
Nice freebie...I might give it a try depending on how good/intuitive the GUI is.
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I downloaded it just to check to see if it works, and it does not. It throws an error about a missing DLL file.
A Google search finds this version 2 of the game that came out in 2019 (http://forum.starflt.com/viewtopic.php?t=908), which does run. I can get through the first few tutorial steps, but when you get to assigning crew, you can't see their stats at left. Something about the display does not render right, which makes me think there will be other errors.
It is technically an Alpha build so maybe they're still working on it, but there haven't been a lot of posts to the current forum (http://forum.starflt.com/viewforum.php?f=4) since mid-2020.
I did send the dev an email (saw it in the forum), so who knows if there will be a fix. Attached an image to show the skill rendering error.
In any case, sorry to derail the thread. :)
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Well I'm not sure what's inspired Dan to suddenly dive back into the game again, but something clearly has. Contrary to my expectations, he didn't just put out the one patch and call it good, but is continuing to find and squash bugs as players report them.
He's even started talking about future plans (https://steamcommunity.com/app/252450/eventcomments/5051317596402826909/?ctp=10#c3106888980047822239) for Stardrive 2, including an updated/"remastered" edition with new content. I'm taking those words with a huge grain of salt, given his history, but I admit to allowing myself the tiniest kernel of hope.
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I think he was burned and needed to take some distance. He's got a passion for computer games but i hope he takes it easy so we will see further improvements. I also guess that he's got a job that allows him to earn money so he can work on Stardrive 2 on a hobby level (without the worry to earn money).
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I was surprised to get a response back. This might help you guys if you're looking to run the game:
I've added a few links to earlier releases. Could you try the release
1.02 and see if you still experience the same problem? Plot and feature
wise, the game is nearly identical in every single way, as you can see
in the lower part of the thread
http://forum.starflt.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=908
I performed a ton of work to try to polish the plot of the game and fix
bugs between the early betas and 1.02. The game was running under an
ancient OpenGL engine and libraries, but 1.02 was the apex of my testing
and tweaking.
1.03 was primarily a few engine upgrades and 2.0 was a major upgrade to
move the software to a DirectX engine, which introduced a ton of new
bugs. Almost a decade later, I've forgotten so much of the code and was
not involved in other sections, that I don't know how to easily fix, and
I'm personally very busy with a number of other responsibilities right
now unfortunately.
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Another patch has been dropped:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3062978883697591695
Jan 24 Update
Update update update!
This was a fun update. I really fiddled in the guts on this one and things should be running a lot faster in a number of different areas. Plus, I fixed some things that I think have been broken for a long while. For example, check out how ships fire their cannons now. They come out of the wings and such now--much more visually pleasing.
- Overhauled system for loading assets. Game loads much faster now.
- Optimized the strategy map’s idle computations to reduce late game lag
- Optimized the end of turn processing to reduce hiccups when the turn button is pressed
- Subspace projectors now have graphics on the strategy map
- Substantially increased projectile speeds for lasers and disruptors to make them more exciting. I will probably update other cannons in the coming days as I work through them.
- Overhauled visual fx for ships taking damage and leaking fire and plasma into space
- Need to go through all ships
- Overhaul ship shooting fx so ships create projectiles from sensible locations on their hulls
- The AI will no longer use the expansion pack ship hulls, to keep something special for the player
- Fixed Russian localization problems
- Fixed UI scaling issue affecting widescreen setups
- Fixed an issue where event popups could sometimes appear to have no choices due to a scrolling error
- Fixed a problem with the Avnar Minor Race event, where not all discussion options resulted in the proper outcome
Lots of fixes for visual/FX issues, but also some fairly decent performance improvements. The game loads noticeably faster now, and turns run a bit smoother.
Caveat: I'm now running into an odd visual bug, where newly constructed-vessels no longer show up as icons when zoomed out on the galaxy map. Similarly, their remaining fuel percentage and ETA (if they're heading somewhere) are now missing as well. Fortunately, it's not a major problem, it's just annoying.
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Hotfix has been released. The ship icon/info bug has been squashed, along with a couple more that sprung up (reported by others). Dan also officially updated the game to v2.5.
I still don't know what to make of all this, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Dan just released another update, a fairly significant one. I could get used to this.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3062978883703604546
Patch Release Notes - 1.5b
This is a beefy update making the game look, sound, and run better than ever.
It is my goal in 2021 to release a total remaster of StarDrive 2, and this is a juicy update on the Road to Remaster (tm).
If you find that I broke something in your saved games, please upload it somewhere so I can grab it and see what went wrong. I've got a long way to go yet before this game is in a remastered state, but I think this gives you a great taste of what's to come.
Added an Auto Combat toggle to the battle screen to let the AI handle combat for you
Continued optimizations of strategy map performance
Swapped out a few building graphics courtesy of wolfy301
Asteroid fields on the battlemap are now more asteroidy
Enhanced weapon sound fx system to allow for more variation.
Upgraded and rebalanced weapon sound fx for:
PD lasers
Medium lasers
Vulcan Cannons
Disruptor Cannons
Anti Matter Cannon
Artillery
Mass Driver
General improvements to Muzzle Flash FX across the board
Modified weapons:
Disruptor max cannon range reduction
Anti Matter Cannon increased projectile speed
Cluster cannon range decreased
Removed the old ground combat system entirely, and all associated quests. An upgraded quest system will bring these back in a new form soon.
Solar Systems that are out of sensor range will now have the display of their names dulled slightly as an indicator
Hex tiles that are not in sensor range now have a slightly faded coloring as an indicator
Hex tiles that are unexplored have an even further reduced coloring
Softened the color of the huge empire name plates on the strategy map to increase map readability
Fixed an issue where antimatter cannon fx trails would disappear immediately upon impacting with a ship
Updated Microsingularity FX to be cooler
Fixed inoperable cluster cannon weapon
If he keeps this up, I might just be able to forgive him for all the crap he's pulled. (Still holding my breath for now, though.)
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I am just glad he's improving the game.
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I am just glad he's improving the game.
That's pretty much the way I'm looking at this as well. I've determined that -- whatever his motivations -- I'll simply enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. 8)
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I am just glad he's improving the game.
That's pretty much the way I'm looking at this as well. I've determined that -- whatever his motivations -- I'll simply enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. 8)
Indeed. It's a good game and was still a little buggy. If patched enough, it's really a game i could come back to on a more regular basis.
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Interesting. No way I'd play this right now, it seems like it's back in alpha testing. I hope he finishes what he's starting with his return to Stardrive 2 but this is Zero, so...
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Another patch dropped last night. A lot of little fixes, and a few nice QoL improvements.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3058475918424273140
1/29 Update - Upgrades and Fixes!
A fun pack of upgrades and fixes
I put a lot of effort into this one. I really like the new look of the battle screen, and along with the new time time controls it should really enhance your experience. Let me know what you think! I will continue to upgrade and refine the battle screen so that every battle is beautiful and unique, and I will continue to focus on QoL upgrades and bug fixes.
As always, if you see a gamestopping bug, please try to get me a saved game for diagnosis. Thanks, and have fun.
1.5c change log:
Added the ability to click the “Empty Slot” button in the Colony Management interface to open the shipyard and assign a ship design
Added a Load All / Land All buttons to the troop land/load interface
Overhauled the basic combat screen background to be more readable
Added some new assets and configurations to the space battle screen
Added new engine thruster fx to all ships
Added more time controls to the battle screen (2x / 4x speed), updated user interface for same
Changed AI behavior so that they will declare war when they enter your territory for a sneak attack. Earlier there were edge cases where they would only declare after the attack, but now you will typically get a warning unless they are very fast
Fixed an issue where existing game installs weren’t necessarily getting the updated weapon characteristics
Fixed a number of issues that had shield hit effects not working as I would prefer them to work
Changed shield fx to adjust size depending on shot damage
Fixed an issue with ships rolling incorrectly during turns in combat
Fixed a bug that would sometimes have fleet icons rendering out of place
Fixed issue where random space sounds in the background not respect the volume slider
Fixed issue where the volume of weapons fire was not being affected by the volume slider
Fixed issue where explosions on the strategy map would not respect volume slider
Fixed issue where the subspace rifts would make noise and not respect the volume slider
Fixed music volume on diplomacy screen
Fixed issue where the Unlock Technology jingle was not respecting audio sliders
Fixed BrainPal tech not working
Fixed an issue where sectors graphics would not immediately update after coming under your control
Fixed a bug where you couldn’t launch a leader from a planet if you didn’t have available freighter capacity
Fixed an issue where controls would some times lock up upon starting a new game
He's talked about a "roadmap" for getting the Remastered version done, but hasn't really mentioned anything in the way of details. He's also making more noise about developing Stardrive 3. My sense of skepticism has increased.
If the Remaster does still happen, I have a feeling it won't actually be announced. Rather, it will occur gradually over the course of updates like this one (where he improves visuals, fx, etc. a little at a time), and then one way he'll suddenly declare it's "done".
But hey: At least he's still patching the game in the meantime. :waiting:
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Martok, are you playing it now or just following the updates?
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I've been playing it, yes. I've run into a handful of bugs, but nothing game-breaking.
And Dan has actually been diligent in fixing any issues reported to him so far. He's released a fairly substantive patch at least once a week (with follow-up hot-fixes as necessary) since he started working on the game again.
I'll be honest, it's been a pretty fun ride these past couple weeks. Being able to play SD2 as an increasingly bug-free experience, and seeing Dan engaged and enthusiastic again, has been a joy. I have no idea what brought about his change in attitude, or what brought him back to the game, but it's nice to see either way.
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I think he needed a big break to rediscover why he was doing it in the first place.
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Or he was visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.
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Hey chaps, hope everyone is doing well!
StarDrive 2 is very cheap on Eneba at the moment. So if you want to take a gamble and get the game super cheap hoping for some dedicated support from the dev this time it might be a low risk way to do it.
Does this game support PBEM?
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Welcome back Yskonyn!
I don't know if the game supports PBEM; I just wanted to say 'hi' b/c it's been a while :)
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Good to see you back, hope you're weathering the storm.
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Yskonyn! Long time, no see! Glad you're still alive and kicking. :)
Unfortunately, Stardrive 2 doesn't support any sort of MP that I'm aware of, including PBEM. :( Perhaps for Stardrive 3 (if it actually happens)...
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Thanks guys!
Hanging in there. We're currently in lockdown here and a curfew is active from 21:00 till 04:30 to combat spreading of COVID. We're also definitely going to get a third wave in the coming weeks. Spread rate of the British strain is increasing. Two thirds of current infections are with that strain.
So while we currently have the weird paradox that infection numbers are falling, the docs believe this is only temporary and will start to rapidly rise again in the coming weeks.
My wife has had her first shot a few days ago. No real effects, so thats great. And as you remember I got infected in October. I still feel like my internal battery is about 80% of what it used to be, but I cleared my medical checkup for work last week without issues. Not that there's any flying going on yet, but hey, at least that one's in the pocket for another year.
Back on topic;
Its great to see the dev coming out of hiding. The game has lots of potential to become a classic, even though no multiplayer is a tough one.
I'd love me some good 4X PBEM.
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Glad you and your family are hanging in there, man. That definitely counts for a lot right now.
It's maybe not the game either of us would prefer to play MP, but we could maybe try running an Armada 2526 PBEM campaign if you want. (I believe you own that one, yes?) It's been forever since I played Armada (even singleplayer)l, but I'd be down.
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I do have Armada, but haven’t played that in ages.
We’ve done a PBEM of it before, but I recall we ran into savegame corruption twice.
I am not sure that ever got fixed?
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Shoot, I'd forgotten about that. Yeah, I don't believe it was ever fixed, unfortunately. :-\ Bummer!
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The next patch has dropped. Technology costs are now higher (for better pacing), and the AI now bases its ship designs on the huge community mod that was made a few years back. Nice to see Dan incorporating and acknowledging the work done by the player-base.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3059602640249646056
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Do these patches break saves? I would hope not with the frequency they are dropping.
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I've had no problems with that so far, no.
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He just released a another small update (https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3059602640253517184). This one includes some AI improvements and a couple bug fixes.
1.5e AI Update / Hotfix
Fixed a few subtle things that will make the AI much meaner
Hi folks -- I caught a few AI bugs that will make the AI a whole lot meaner. I think that this mod will now successfully bring the AI Community ship pack into full action.
I snuck a few other bug fixes in there. Not implementing the version number, just slipping it on top of 1.5e.
1.5e AI Hotfix / Update
Updated the AI to always build the best frigates and corvettes available to it. It was randomly choosing from the available roster earlier
Fixed an issue where the AI was not accessing its full ship roster. This was a big problem--they will build very dangerous ships now. Watch out!
Fixed an issue where ships might not be rendering on the strategy map
Toned down a few visual hotspots in the nebula background on the strategy map
Upgraded the AI to be smarter about resource allocation on core worlds when there is nothing important to build. They will now reallocate to research or money depending on their needs.
Fixed an issue where the AI could end up building way too many spies. Hopefully this chills them out a bit in the late game
On top of that, Dan dropped a comment (https://steamcommunity.com/app/252450/discussions/0/3102386014774914857/?tscn=1612710205#c3103512736619158352) that appears to outline more clearly his future plans for the game, including the remaster and a possible Stardrive 3:
I'm not going to make a StarDrive 3 in the foreseeable future. I have tons of plans for StarDrive 2 though, including a super fun DLC that I'm going to aim at developing alongside the Remaster. My plan is to turn the Remaster into the next-gen StarDrive platform that I will build on ala Stellaris.
Although only time will tell, I think this is the right call on his part.
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Interesting discussion on Steam going on about this Remaster.
Paid or free? Bandaid until SD3. Now no SD3.
I think the devs is poking around to see what will fly with the community.
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I think the devs is poking around to see what will fly with the community.
That is 100% what he's doing.
It's a textbook example of why I (and many others) remain wary, despite him doing and saying the right things so far. We may forgive...but we won't forget.
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The part that makes me nervous is the DLC talk. I hope this isn't just a run up to another cash grab.
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The part that makes me nervous is the DLC talk. I hope this isn't just a run up to another cash grab.
A fair point; only time will tell.
Probably the single biggest indicator of his intent will be how things go with the Remaster: *If* the remastered version of SD2 is decent, and *if* current owners of the game get it for free as promised, and *if* he continues to patch the game as he's been doing so far, then I think it's a good sign for Stardrive 2's future direction, including whatever DLC he's planning to make.
But yes, that's a lot of "if's".
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For anyone who wants to put in their two cents, Dan is discussing ideas on how to rework the spy/intel system for the Remaster:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/252450/discussions/0/3103512736625770290/
I have admit, I pretty much concur with his overall thoughts on the matter. I'm the type that appreciates games that has intel/espoionage, but don't want to actively mess with it a lot.
It's perhaps also worth nothing that Dan reiterates that "everyone" is getting the Remaster for free, which is good to hear/see.
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I've never been a huge fan of espionage in a 4x game. It always seems to be mindless micromanagement that mostly benefits the AI.
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I'm fairly ambivalent either way. I don't need espionage in my games, but I don't mind it either. I just don't want it taking up a lot of my time and/or attention.
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As with most things, making it optional is the way to go.
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The weekend update has dropped. Looks like a nice smorgasbord of changes & improvements.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/4219280084033173273
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A smaller update this time, mostly bug-fixes. I'm totally okay with this.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/3060730254426879369
Hello Space Friends,
This is a small bug fixing update to get back into the swing of things after a few days off. Please keep your bug reports coming.
1.5g
Fixed an issue where the “criminal rendezvous” event would attempt to spawn and cause the game to hang
Fixed issue where pops would transport instantly
Fixed a bug where pop transports could get stuck in space near their destination
Fixed issue where starting a new game after having a game loaded would cause the game to hang
Fixed bug where Micro-Singularity Cannons were not ignoring shields
Fixed issue with Canopy Shields that would sometimes send ships flying off into space. This may have fixed other wonky observed behaviors with Canopy shields. Everything appears to be working as intended but please let me know if you see any oddness.
Fixed a bug that could cause the game to hang upon completely eliminating an enemy race
Minor optimizations to strategy map
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Not as nice as the Shadow Empire list you posted but he is churning them out faster than Vic is. 8)
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Not as nice as the Shadow Empire list you posted but he is churning them out faster than Vic is. 8)
Heh, right?
I will say that Dan's patching schedule (strategy?) so far has made me realize that I prefer smaller, but more frequent patches; versus updates that are more substantial, but spaced further apart. I know there's long been an argument/debate among the PC gaming community as to which method is better, but personally, I think I'm pretty much sold on the "frequent/small" school of thought.
Granted, that's also much easier to pull off these days with digital distribution channels like Steam and GOG. It's not hard to understand why less frequent updates were the norm 2-3 decades ago.
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:bigthumb:
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Another patch has dropped, after a few weeks of relative quiet. Sounds like we should see updates become a bit more frequent again after this.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/252450/announcements/detail/5210074706973160506