Info about Starminer:

Official game description:
Feel your pulse quicken while piloting your 150,000t warship between asteroids in the vacuum of space in real time. All with fully simulated physics.
Balance material requirements with power, tonnage, and size while building your fleet to maximum efficiency, piece by piece, module by module. Will you create a large number of smaller, more nimble vessels or double down on a massive station packed with firepower?
Harvest and process valuable materials from asteroids for your profit margins, or use the bountiful resources for the maintenance and expansion of your own mercenary fleet while doing missions for the highest bidders in the sector.
Research for new modules and tools to keep expanding your fleet of ships and mining stations. Build link gates to gain access to new riches in new sectors of space.
The more you mine, the more you build and the greedier you get, the higher your heat signature becomes. Once it reaches critical levels, the aliens will detect you. Defend your fleet at all costs using defense systems and ships of your design.

Release date: May 27, 2026

Categories: Space Simulation, Ship Combat, Resource Management, Base Building, Physics Simulation, Crafting, Exploration, Strategy

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game runs smoothly on Linux with Proton, requiring no additional tweaks or experiencing any issues. The overall experience is positive with no notable compatibility problems reported.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has received mixed reviews regarding its performance and controls. While it runs smoothly on Linux and is compatible with Proton out of the box, users have reported issues with controls, usability, and a steep learning curve. The controls are particularly problematic, with some users finding them difficult to master and others outright calling them poor. Despite these issues, some users appreciate the game's complexity and realism once they get past the initial learning phase.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: The game generally performs well across most hardware cohorts, with higher VRAM configurations experiencing smoother gameplay. Lower VRAM setups and Linux systems also report good performance, though with some isolated issues.
  - Sample size: 94 (30% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is heavily weighted toward Windows PCs with 10GB+ VRAM.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (positive, 29 reports): Mostly smooth performance with some minor issues and crashes reported.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (positive, 21 reports): Good performance with occasional crashes and noticeable performance jumps.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (positive, 20 reports): Surprisingly good performance even on lower-end hardware, with some latency and crashes.
  - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (negative, 17 reports): Mixed reports with some users experiencing crashes and instability despite high VRAM.
  - Linux / Proton 16GB+ VRAM (positive, 5 reports): Runs smoothly with Proton, no major issues reported.
  - Caveats: 94 of 316 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is heavily weighted toward Windows PCs with 10GB+ VRAM.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $20.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows a mixed sentiment regarding the game's price. Some users find the game worth the price, especially with a discount, while others feel the price is too high for the current state of the game. The general consensus suggests that while the game has potential, the current price point of $29.99 is considered steep by many users. A fair price range, considering the mixed reviews and the suggestion that a 10% discount makes it more acceptable, would be slightly lower than the current price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 10.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several data points about the time spent on tutorials and initial gameplay sessions. Many players report spending significant time on tutorials, with some spending around 2 hours just on the first two tutorials. This suggests that the typical time to finish the main story or campaign is not explicitly stated but can be inferred to be longer than the tutorial sessions. The session length can be inferred from players spending several hours in a single session, such as the 10-hour session mentioned. Endgame content is not explicitly detailed in the reviews, making it difficult to provide a specific value.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players generally find the game fun after completing the tutorial, which can take several hours due to its depth and occasional bugs.
  - Stance: Fun after tutorial
  - Anchor: Completion of the tutorial
  - Time to anchor: 3h 0m
  - Friction: Bugs in the tutorial; Steep learning curve; Complex controls
  - Unlock drivers: Completing the tutorial; Understanding game mechanics
  - Conditions: Patience to learn complex mechanics; Willingness to overcome initial bugs; Interest in exploration and management
- Player Archetypes:
  - Chill Miner (buy)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and enjoyment of a slow-paced, complex mining experience.
    - Playstyle: Slow-paced, methodical mining and upgrading of spaceships.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: mining enthusiast; chill gamer
    - Reference games: EVE Online
  - Early Access Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Supporting game development and enjoying the progression of the game.
    - Playstyle: Supportive and patient, focusing on the potential of the game.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: early access supporter; game developer supporter
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Space Sim Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of complex and challenging space simulation mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Experienced and comparative, focusing on the mechanics and challenges of the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: space sim veteran; flight sim enthusiast
    - Reference games: EVE Online; Hardspace: Shipbreaker; Elite: Dangerous; X4; Kerbal Space Program
  - Frustrated Controller (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking enjoyable and functional gameplay mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Frustrated and critical, focusing on the shortcomings of the game's controls.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: frustrated gamer
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Positive overall game experience (weight 0.26): Players generally have a positive impression of the game, describing it as good, phenomenal, and enjoyable with great performance.
- High potential and interest (weight 0.25): The game is seen as having great potential and being interesting and unique. Players find it complex and engaging.
- Relaxing space mining gameplay (weight 0.22): The game is appreciated for its relaxing and enjoyable space mining and building mechanics, which players find fun and immersive.
- Beautiful and smooth graphics (weight 0.17): Players praise the game's smooth and beautiful graphics, which enhance the overall gaming experience.
- Engaging and addictive gameplay (weight 0.15): The gameplay is described as engaging, addictive, and relaxing, with a unique gameplay loop that keeps players interested.
- Modular ship building (weight 0.14): The game features modularity in ships and stations, which players find cool and fun for building big modular ships.
- Deep and rewarding space simulation (weight 0.13): The game is praised for its depth and rewarding space simulation, with crazy detail and feature-rich industrial elements.
- Newtonian physics-based gameplay (weight 0.12): The game features Newtonian physics, which players find great and enjoyable, adding to the realism of the space simulation.
- Good soundtrack and sound design (weight 0.1): The game's soundtrack and sound design are praised for being decent and enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- Complex and deep mechanics (weight 0.08): The game offers complex and deep mechanics that make sense and provide good freedom to players.
- Appeals to EVE Online mining fans (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for those who enjoyed mining in games like EVE Online, offering a similar experience without the risk of being blown up.
- Rewards strategic gameplay (weight 0.08): The game rewards brainpower, planning, patience, and deliberate actions, encouraging careful and prepared gameplay.
- Solid foundation (weight 0.08): The game has a good and solid foundation, providing a strong base for future updates and improvements.
- Novel and loved concept (weight 0.08): The game introduces an amazingly novel concept that players love and find awesome.
- Exciting and numerous systems (weight 0.08): The game features many exciting systems, particularly in ship mechanics, adding depth and complexity.
- Sympathetic slow pace (weight 0.07): The game's slow pace is considered sympathetic and worth it, providing a relaxing experience.
- Enjoyable mining and salvaging (weight 0.07): Players find the mining and salvaging operations enjoyable and straightforward, adding to the game's appeal.
- Useful autopilot feature (weight 0.07): The game includes a useful autopilot feature that players find pretty nice and helpful for navigation.
- Deep simulation elements (weight 0.07): The game offers deep simulation elements with a strong physics/sim feel, enhancing the realism and immersion.
- Fun shipbuilding mechanics (weight 0.07): The game features fun and node-based shipbuilding mechanics that players enjoy.

Common complaints:
- Controls are frustrating and unintuitive (weight 0.76): Many players find the controls difficult to master, overly complicated, and frustrating. The controls are described as janky, buggy, and hard to figure out, leading to a clunky and unintuitive gameplay experience.
- Lack of automation features (weight 0.27): Players report a lack of automation features, with the existing autopilot being described as unreliable and poorly functioning. This absence of automation makes certain aspects of the game more tedious.
- UI is cluttered and confusing (weight 0.22): The user interface is often described as cluttered, overwhelming, and confusing. Players find it difficult to navigate, especially when building, and suggest that the UI needs improvement.
- Game crashes and freezes (weight 0.17): Players report experiencing multiple hard crashes and freezes, which disrupt the gameplay and require frequent reloading.
- Lack of translations (weight 0.16): The game lacks proper translations for certain languages, such as German and Chinese, which limits accessibility for non-English speaking players.
- Keybinding issues (weight 0.15): Players are frustrated by the inability to rebind keys to their preference. Some controls are locked to certain keys, which limits customization and accessibility.
- Ship power issues (weight 0.15): Players encounter bugs where ships lose power and stop functioning properly, requiring save reloading to fix. This issue affects the gameplay significantly.
- Game is overpriced (weight 0.11): Several players feel that the game's price point is too high, making it less accessible and not providing value for money.
- Limited tech tree (weight 0.06): Players find the tech tree to be small and limited, which restricts the depth and progression of the game.
- Physics-related bugs (weight 0.06): There are numerous physics-related bugs that make the game feel unpolished. These bugs affect the overall gameplay experience negatively.
- Camera controls are disorienting (weight 0.06): The 3D camera controls are described as a mess and disorienting, making it difficult for players to navigate and control their view effectively.
- Lack of rewarding gameplay (weight 0.06): Players feel that the game lacks rewarding elements, making the gameplay feel unproductive and unsatisfying.

Gameplay feedback:
- Complex control scheme (weight 0.4): The game features a complex control scheme that includes various modes and options, requiring a learning curve to master.
- Modular ship and station building (weight 0.32): The game features a detailed modular building system for ships and space stations, allowing players to construct various types of vessels and structures.
- Realistic space movement (weight 0.28): Movement in the game is based on realistic physics, including inertia and gravity, making navigation and control more challenging and immersive.
- Physics-based simulation (weight 0.27): The game includes a physics simulation that governs interactions and movements, adding a layer of realism to the gameplay.
- Slow and relaxing gameplay (weight 0.24): The game is designed with a slow and deliberate pace, providing a relaxing and methodical experience for players.
- Detailed ship mechanics (weight 0.21): The game includes detailed ship mechanics, such as thrust systems and maneuvering thrusters, which add depth to the gameplay.
- Similar to EVE Online (weight 0.15): The game shares similarities with EVE Online, particularly in its mining and ship-building mechanics.
- Advanced camera and flight controls (weight 0.15): The game offers advanced camera and flight controls, including 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) for movement.
- Space mining operations (weight 0.15): Mining is a key aspect of the game, involving the extraction of resources from asteroids and other celestial bodies.
- Autopilot and manual control (weight 0.11): Players can choose between manual control and autopilot functionality for navigating their ships.
- Automation features (weight 0.11): The game includes various automation features, such as automated trading and other repetitive tasks.
- Docking and fleet management (weight 0.11): Players can dock ships and manage fleets, although there may be some issues with fleet management mechanics.
- Sandbox gameplay (weight 0.06): The game provides a sandbox mode where players can freely explore and interact with the game world.
- Space exploration (weight 0.06): Players can engage in interstellar travel and explore different parts of space.
- Power and resource management (weight 0.06): Players need to manage power resources, including solar energy, to keep their ships and stations operational.
- Space station management (weight 0.06): Managing space stations is a part of the gameplay, involving interactions and resource management.

Performance notes:
- Smooth performance and optimization (weight 0.46): Many players have praised the game for running smoothly with well-optimized graphics. The game performs well on various settings, including high and ultra settings.
- Performance on different hardware (weight 0.21): The game runs well on a range of hardware, from old PCs to high-end systems with DLSS and ray tracing enabled. Some players noted good performance on midrange and even laptop systems.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.18): Players have encountered various technical issues, including black screens, early access bugs, ship bugs, and game-breaking bugs with resource gathering drones. Some players also mentioned stability issues and bugs with new releases.
- Graphics and DLSS settings (weight 0.17): Players have noted the benefits of DLSS and DLAA settings, with some reporting stable frame rates and good performance on ultra settings. There are also mentions of no immediate ugly artifacts from DLAA.
- Specific performance issues (weight 0.09): Some players have reported performance issues with large ships and noticeable jumps in performance when switching between ships. There are also mentions of performance issues being fixed by reloading the game.
- Control and latency issues (weight 0.08): There have been reports of controls quitting working and some latency issues. These problems can affect the overall gameplay experience.
- Initial load issues (weight 0.05): A few players have mentioned that the initial load pegged their GPU fan, but temperatures stabilized afterwards.
- Game runs well on Linux (weight 0.03): Some players have reported that the game runs very fine on Linux, indicating good cross-platform compatibility.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for specific audiences (weight 0.19): The game is highly recommended for fans of space/logistics games, slow-paced and complex space-themed RTS fleet managers, and those interested in asteroid mining and large spaceships.
- Appreciation for developers (weight 0.07): Players appreciate the efforts of the developers and have positive feedback for them.
- Controller and speed-up support (weight 0.06): There is a need for support for third-party controllers and an option to speed up time in the game.
- Not for everyone (weight 0.06): The game might not be suitable for those who are not fans of this type of game or those looking for an arcadey or pure space mining experience.
- Future potential (weight 0.06): Players suggest that the game might not be for everyone yet, but it could be in the future as it develops further.
- Add cooperative mode (weight 0.04): Players have expressed a desire for a cooperative mode to enhance the gaming experience.
- More variety needed (weight 0.04): There is a call for more variety in the game to keep it engaging and interesting.
- Watch content creators (weight 0.03): Some players recommend watching content creators to get a better understanding of the game before playing.
- Price point concerns (weight 0.03): Some players feel that the game is not worth the current price point.
- Alternative games mentioned (weight 0.03): Some players mention other games as better alternatives.
- Keybinding customization (weight 0.03): Players have shared their custom keybindings, indicating a need for flexible control schemes.
- Linux compatibility (weight 0.03): The game is noted to be compatible with Linux, which is appreciated by some players.

Other player notes:
- UI improvement suggestions (weight 0.04): Players suggest adding velocity vectors or prograde/retrograde symbols to improve the user interface.
- Early Access status (weight 0.04): The game is in Early Access, which is a notable point of discussion among players.
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.04): Players are discussing the game's compatibility and performance on the Steam Deck platform.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players are frustrated primarily due to a multitude of bugs and game-breaking issues, such as softlocks, crashes, and problems with tutorials. Additionally, the controls and keybinding issues, along with the game's unpolished state and poorly designed systems, contribute significantly to this frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Players enjoy the game's unique blend of mining, building, and space exploration. The positive experiences are often linked to the game's relaxing pace, enjoyable mechanics, and the niche appeal of its logistics and space themes.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction stems from the game's detailed and intuitive mechanics, as well as its depth and rewarding gameplay. Players appreciate the smooth performance and the overall quality of the game when it functions as intended.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Excitement is driven by the game's potential and the anticipation of future developments. Players are eager to explore more of the game's systems and enjoy the unique gameplay elements it offers.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Disappointment arises from the game not meeting expectations, with players citing crippling bugs, gameplay issues, and poor design decisions. The current state of the game and its controls also contribute to this sentiment.
- Positive (weight 0.05): Players have a positive outlook due to the enjoyment of the game's complexity, unique gameplay, and specific activities. The game's controls, visuals, and overall concept are also well-received.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Joy is derived from the game's beautiful graphics, detailed gameplay, and the fun tutorials. Players also enjoy the methodical gameplay and the unique aspects of the game.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Hope is centered around the game's potential for improvement and future developments. Players are optimistic about the developer's response to community feedback and the potential for complete localization.
- Hopeful (weight 0.02): Players are hopeful about the game's core loop and foundation, expressing optimism for future updates and improvements. They believe the game has the potential to get better with time.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Disappointment is due to the game not meeting expectations and lacking enjoyable elements. Players found the autopilot and tutorial to be particularly problematic.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players love the game's vision, slow and precise nature, and the immersion it provides. The space sim aspects and Newtonian physics are also highly appreciated.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation is driven by the eagerness to see more of what the game has to offer and the expected playtime. Players are looking forward to future developments and updates.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Excitement is fueled by the game's future developments and the unique mining mechanics. Players are eager to see where the game goes and appreciate the detailed interactions.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the devs' efforts and the unique and interesting game mechanics. The game's detailed interactions and unique gameplay elements are also well-received.
- Optimism (weight 0.01): Optimism is based on the game's potential for mining and fleet building. Players have a positive outlook on the game's potential and enjoy the movement controls.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Frustration is caused by the game's difficult and frustrating controls and ship management. Additionally, the game crashing immediately on startup contributes to this sentiment.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Players find relaxation in the game's slow-paced nature and calming atmosphere. The game's music and overall ambiance contribute to a relaxing experience.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Interest is piqued by the game's interesting mechanics and systems. Players are intrigued by the project's potential and unique gameplay elements.
- Disgust (weight 0): Disgust is primarily due to the AI portraits and the narrator's voice. These elements are particularly off-putting to some players.}