Info about Starground: Official game description: ROADMAP ======= (_This is a tentative roadmap as of v0.13 and is subject to change_) About the Game ============== WHAT IS STARGROUND? ------------------- **Starground** is a top-down automation dungeon crawler combo. Alternate between gathering and refining resources on your home planet, and venturing across space to fight through action roguelite-inspired dungeons. How you split your time is entirely up to you! There's no right way to play the game, and any path will progress the story. MULTIPLAYER ----------- Starground was built up with multiplayer from the beginning. Experience what Starground has to offer as a full co-operative experience with as many friends as you'd like. Invite your friends to work towards common goals, or divide and conquer each part of the game. If multiplayer isn't your thing though, you can play alone in single player too! AUTOMATION ---------- Develop and maximize an island of resources through automation. Work your way through a research tree filled with all sorts of unique machines and solutions to your logistical needs. Start humble by mining resources by hand and smelting manually, but soon build up to a formidable factory that can tackle anything you can throw at it. DUNGEONS -------- If you're not into automation, or need to wait for your factory, then venture to other places in the solar system to explore and crawl your way through a variety of dungeons. Battle enemies, avoid obstacles, kill bosses, and reap the rewards of your effort. Take resources from dungeons back to your factory, or use rare loot to make yourself stronger and craft modular weapons. Make a spear, dual-bladed sword, or maybe a gun on a stick. The choice is yours. Be sure to add Starground to your Wishlist! Release date: Aug 19, 2024 Categories: Automation Game, Dungeon Crawler, Top-Down Perspective, Cooperative Multiplayer, Single-player, Factory Building, Resource Management, Crafting - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 30.0h - Story completion: 4.0h - Session length: N/A - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple accounts of playtime experiences. The first quote indicates a total playtime of about 20 hours for full automation and additional 10 hours for fine-tuning and dungeon crawling, suggesting a 'gameCompletion' time of around 30 hours. The second and third quotes mention completing all content in about 3.5 to 4 hours, which aligns with the 'storyCompletion' time. The fourth quote reinforces the 'storyCompletion' time of around 4-5 hours. There is no direct evidence for typical single-session length or endgame hours, so those fields are marked as null. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game offers a smooth and enjoyable learning curve with a focus on automation and experimentation, making it fun relatively early in the gameplay experience. - Stance: Fun immediately - Anchor: Unlocking terrain manipulation - Time to anchor: 1h 0m - Friction: Limited combatants reducing combat challenge; Multiplayer connectivity issues - Unlock drivers: Progression through rare materials and upgrades; Optimization and experimentation in automation - Conditions: Playing with friends; Focus on automation and expansion; Exploring and optimizing at one's own pace - Player Archetypes: - Automation Enthusiast (buy) - Motivation: Enjoyment of automation and base-building mechanics. - Playstyle: Strategic and methodical, focusing on building and optimizing automated systems. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: automation games; base building - Reference games: Factorio; Core Keeper - Co-op Socializer (sale) - Motivation: Enjoyment of multiplayer and social interactions. - Playstyle: Cooperative and social, focusing on playing with friends and enjoying shared experiences. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: multiplayer; co-op - Reference games: N/A - Content Critic (no buy) - Motivation: Seeking a game with substantial and enjoyable content. - Playstyle: Critical and evaluative, focusing on the depth and quality of game content. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: no buy - Labels: N/A - 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: - Strong automation mechanics (weight 0.6): The game features well-implemented and enjoyable automation mechanics that are simple yet effective, contributing significantly to the gameplay experience. - Enjoyable and smooth gameplay (weight 0.5): Players find the gameplay enjoyable and smooth, with a fun premise that keeps them engaged. - Fun and replayable dungeons (weight 0.4): The dungeons in the game are fun and offer replayable content, adding to the overall enjoyment. - Balanced blend of genres (weight 0.32): The game successfully combines factory building and dungeon crawling, providing a unique and balanced gameplay experience. - Customization options (weight 0.25): The game offers various customization options for characters and weapons, enhancing player engagement and development. - Responsive developers (weight 0.25): The developers are noted for their responsiveness to community feedback and quick bug fixes, fostering a positive relationship with players. - Effective multiplayer support (weight 0.25): The game offers stable and enjoyable multiplayer support, adding to the overall fun and engagement. - Interesting game systems (weight 0.24): The game includes unique and interesting systems, such as weapon and manufacturing mechanics, that add depth to the gameplay. - Visually appealing style (weight 0.23): The game features a clean and readable 2D pixel-art style that is visually appealing. - Rich content and decoration (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its extensive content and decorative elements, offering players plenty to explore and enjoy. - Unique planet mechanics (weight 0.14): The game features unique planet mechanics, with different planets offering varied challenges and characteristics. - Calming soundtrack (weight 0.14): The game features a calming soundtrack that enhances the overall gaming experience. Common complaints: - Limited content in early access (weight 0.66): Due to the early access phase, the game has limited content, which affects the overall gameplay experience and value for money. - Combat system issues (weight 0.31): The combat system is seen as a weak point, with players finding it lackluster and ruinous to the overall game experience. - Dungeons need improvement (weight 0.27): Dungeons are criticized for being unfun, lacking complexity, having lag issues, and being too dark, which hinders the exploration experience. - Insufficient game information (weight 0.26): The game lacks intuitiveness and instructions, making it difficult for players to understand and navigate. - Game stability issues (weight 0.15): The game has stability issues, including crashes and crashes to desktop, which disrupt the gameplay experience. - Game still in development (weight 0.14): The game is not fully playable yet and is still a work in progress, which may affect the current gaming experience. - Dungeon difficulty imbalance (weight 0.14): There is an inconsistency in dungeon difficulty, with the first dungeon being too difficult and early dungeons being too easy. - Terrain manipulation issues (weight 0.13): Terrain manipulation is criticized for being too far down the line and feeling silly, which affects player engagement. - Text size and readability (weight 0.13): The text size is too small and can give players headaches, affecting the readability and overall user experience. - Resource spawning issues (weight 0.13): Larger maps have slower resource spawning, and resources are distributed across the entire map, which can affect gameplay balance. - Incomplete translation (weight 0.13): The game is not fully translated, with specific mention of an incomplete Chinese translation, which may affect non-English speaking players. Gameplay feedback: - Dungeon crawling and combat (weight 0.62): Combines dungeon crawling with combat mechanics, offering a mix of exploration and action-oriented gameplay. - Resource management and collection (weight 0.59): Resource management and collection are key aspects, with various mechanics for gathering and optimizing resources. - Factory automation and building (weight 0.56): Players can engage in factory automation and building, with optional automation mechanics that allow for varied gameplay styles. - Crafting and progression systems (weight 0.4): The game includes crafting and technology progression systems, allowing players to advance and unlock new abilities and items. - Cooperative multiplayer modes (weight 0.38): The game offers both cooperative multiplayer and single-player modes, providing flexibility in how players engage with the content. - Character and weapon customization (weight 0.27): The game features extensive character and weapon customization options, allowing players to develop and tailor their gameplay experience. - Unique game mechanics (weight 0.25): Offers unique game mechanics such as inserter behavior, power generation, and terrain manipulation, adding depth to the gameplay. - Combat and weapon balance (weight 0.24): Combat mechanics and weapon balance are notable features, though some players have reported issues with weapon balance. - Planet diversity and exploration (weight 0.21): Features diverse planets and dungeons, encouraging exploration and discovery within the game world. - Mod support and blueprint copying (weight 0.2): Supports mods and allows for blueprint copying, enhancing creativity and customization options for players. - Comparisons to other games (weight 0.13): Players often compare the game to others like Factorio, highlighting similarities and differences in gameplay mechanics. - No survival mechanics (weight 0.08): The game lacks survival mechanics, focusing more on building, automation, and combat. Performance notes: - Frequent game crashes (weight 0.17): The game often crashes, including crashes to desktop, which disrupts the gaming experience significantly. - Loading screen issues (weight 0.09): Some players experience getting stuck on the loading screen, preventing them from progressing in the game. - Lag in dungeons (weight 0.09): Players have reported experiencing lag specifically within dungeons, impacting the smoothness of gameplay. - Optimization problems (weight 0.09): There are reports of optimization issues, which may affect the game's performance on various hardware configurations. - Controller problems (weight 0.09): There are issues reported with controllers, which may hinder the gaming experience for those using gamepads. - Connection stability issues (weight 0.09): Some players experience connection stability problems, which may affect online gameplay or multiplayer features. - Laser targeting bug (weight 0.09): A bug related to laser targeting has been reported, which could affect gameplay mechanics involving precision. - Music playback issues (weight 0.08): There are instances where the music sometimes does not play, affecting the immersive experience of the game. Recommendations: - Recommend game with caveats (weight 0.22): The game is generally recommended, but players suggest waiting for more content and challenges. Some players also mention controller issues but still recommend the game. - Wait for more content (weight 0.21): Several players suggest waiting for more content updates before playing or purchasing the game. - Try demo before purchasing (weight 0.16): Many players suggest trying the demo version of the game before deciding to buy the full game. This allows potential buyers to get a feel for the gameplay and mechanics. - Not for extensive play (weight 0.09): The game is not recommended for those looking to play extensively at the moment due to limited content. - Good for new players (weight 0.09): The game is particularly recommended for new players who are just getting into the genre. - Fans of similar games (weight 0.09): Fans of games like Forager, Satisfactory, NovaLands, and Factorio should consider adding this game to their wishlist. - Future Steam Workshop support (weight 0.08): Players express a desire for the addition of Steam Workshop support in future updates. Other player notes: No miscpoints Emotions: - Excitement (weight 0.22): Players are thrilled by the game's blend of factory automation and dungeon crawling, along with its extensive features and content. The anticipation of future updates and the realization of a dream game also contribute to this excitement. - Frustration (weight 0.21): Players are frustrated by technical issues, gameplay bugs, and multiplayer problems such as lag and relay issues. Additionally, the lack of intuitiveness, clunky combat, and difficulty in navigating without a minimap contribute to this frustration. - Disappointment (weight 0.13): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of content, limited technology progression, and the absence of a primary game loop or endgame. The game's visual design, pricing, and comparison to other games also contribute to this sentiment. - Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Players are satisfied with the game's smooth gameplay, responsive developers, and enjoyable mechanics such as automation and unique planet interactions. The relaxing playstyle, soundtrack, and positive overall impression also contribute to this satisfaction. - Disappointed (weight 0.06): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of content, limited technology progression, and short gameplay duration. Issues with gameplay mechanics and comparisons to other games also contribute to this disappointment. - Hopeful (weight 0.05): Players are hopeful due to the expectations for future content and improvements. The developer's responsiveness and the potential for future updates contribute to this hopefulness. - Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players enjoy the game's multiplayer experience, factory building, and solid foundation. The enjoyable gameplay and the experience of playing with others contribute to this enjoyment. - Excited (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the anticipation for future updates and features. The enjoyment of playing the game for a long time also contributes to this excitement. - Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's potential and its unique blend of genres. The enjoyment of machine-building, resource-managing, and automation gameplay contributes to this enthusiasm. - Hope (weight 0.02): Players have hope due to the game's potential and the anticipation of future developments. - Positive (weight 0.02): Players feel positive due to the enjoyment of the game's unique features and potential. The enjoyable gameplay and features contribute to this positivity. - Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players are anticipating future updates and additional content. The looking forward to future developments contributes to this anticipation. - Hopefulness (weight 0.01): Players feel hopeful due to the game's potential and content. - Concern (weight 0.01): Players are concerned about the potential for paid DLCs for planets. - Frustrated (weight 0.01): Players are frustrated due to the lack of content and gameplay issues. - Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players are satisfied with the visual appeal and solid gameplay. - Determination (weight 0.01): Players are determined and focused on building and preparing for future challenges.}