Info about Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor:

Official game description:
  
**You are the Captain of the Nimbatus – the biggest mobile drone factory ever made. Design your own unique drones to explore a physics-based universe. Survive by shooting your way through completely destructible planets in different biomes,  
compete against autonomous drones built by other players or enjoy complete creative freedom in the sandbox.**
**Let your imagination run wild**
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Choose from more than **75 physically simulated parts**. The drone construction workshop enables full creative freedom.
**Explore three different game modes**
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*   **Survival campaign**: Pick one of six diverse captains, navigate the universe and grow your arsenal while facing overwhelming odds.  
*   **Sandbox**: Get creative with unlimited power. Adjust game parameters to your liking, create your own challenges or conquer the universe with endless resources at your disposal.  
*   **Competitive arenas**: Show your engineering skills to the world. Battle other players in several arenas such as Sumo, Racing, Brawl & Catch.
**Mine entire planets**
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You’ll encounter **countless procedurally generated planets** that are fully destructible and rich in resources, each with their own unique properties, climate zones and enemies.
**Automate your drone to the fullest**
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Take the additional challenge and **construct fully automated space drones** by combining  
sensors and logic parts. Use your inventions in singleplayer or **measure your programming skills against other players.**
**Choose your weapon and upgrade your ship**
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Fight with **endless weapon combinations** in the campaign or build your own custom  
weapons from scratch in the weapon workshop by researching the tech tree. **Upgrade your mothership** to aid you on your mission and shift the odds in your favour.  
Inspired by Kerbal Space Program and Reassembly

Release date: May 14, 2020

Categories: Sandbox Creation, Physics Simulation, Automation Game, Arena Shooter, Roguelite, Space Simulation, Programming Logic, Vehicle Customization


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews show mixed price sensitivity. One reviewer accepts the current $20 price as fair, but multiple others explicitly reject the full $20 price and recommend waiting for a sale. One reviewer values the game at only about 5 euros, indicating a much lower acceptable price for some players. Taken together, the community sentiment suggests the fair base-game price is below the current $19.99, with most price-related feedback clustering around a discounted range of roughly $5 to $15.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 20.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: 100.0h
  - Reasoning: The campaign completion quote gives a direct storyCompletion estimate of about 10 hours. The 'after 20 hours you've seen everything' quote supports gameCompletion around 20 hours for broad content coverage. The sandbox quote reports hundreds of hours spent building ships, supporting an endgame/sandbox playtime estimate of at least 100 hours. Multiple early-impression reviews mention sessions of roughly 1.5-2 hours, so sessionLength is inferred as about 2 hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players often report a rough start due to a steep learning curve, slow progression, limited early build options, and weak guidance; once they overcome that confusion and learn automation/programming, the drone-building sandbox becomes engaging. Still, many find the campaign and missions repetitive later, so the enjoyable phase is fragile for some.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Overcoming the initial confusion
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Steep learning curve for modular construction and programming logic; Slow progression and very limited build capability at the start; Very limited guidance and tutorial gaps; Punishing early game that can stall progression; Survival mode is beginner-unfriendly if chosen first; UI building irritants and buggy connection physics
  - Unlock drivers: Overcoming the initial confusion; Learning sensors and logic automation; Choosing the Programmer class; Improving drones with new parts; Progressing through RPG-style upgrades and travel mechanics
  - Conditions: If you are into building your own ships; Playing as the Programmer class; Avoiding Survival mode as a first choice; Overcoming the initial confusion; Learning sensors and logic automation; Improving drones with new parts; Engaging with sandbox or multiplayer modes rather than the repetitive campaign; Tolerance for a steep learning curve and slow progression
- Player Archetypes:
  - Sandbox Drone Engineer (buy)
    - Motivation: To experiment with an open-ended construction system and build and control custom ships.
    - Playstyle: Spends most time in sandbox, iterating on drone and ship designs for creativity rather than missions.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: engineer; gamer
    - Reference games: Reassembly; Besiege
  - Automation Programmer (sale)
    - Motivation: To design autonomous drones and complex logic circuits that run without manual piloting.
    - Playstyle: Builds and tests logic-gate-driven drones, favoring the Programmer class and automated designs.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: programmer
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Competitive PvP Tournament Player (buy)
    - Motivation: To compete in drone tournaments and dominate PvP with optimized designs.
    - Playstyle: Builds meta and exploit-heavy combat drones for multiplayer tournaments and PvP battles.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Gimbal
  - Single-Player Roguelike Campaigner (sale)
    - Motivation: To progress through missions and roguelike runs while unlocking new drone parts and skins.
    - Playstyle: Pilots drones through planetary missions, manages resources, and builds for campaign progression.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Faster Than Light


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:
- Deep Drone Customization (weight 0.61): Players can build any drone imaginable from scratch, with many options and a robust builder. The system supports fully autonomous drones using sensors, logic gates, and condition-based programming.
- Positive General Impressions (weight 0.47): Many reviews express overall enjoyment and high potential. The game is described as fun, unique, and worth the price.
- Logic Gates and Automation (weight 0.33): The ability to program drones with sensors and logic gates is highly praised, enabling nearly autonomous operation. This feature adds depth and satisfies players who enjoy programming and engineering.
- Satisfying Engineering Sandbox (weight 0.32): The game offers a tactile construction process where tweaks translate into flight behavior. Players enjoy experimenting with designs and solving challenges creatively.
- Multiplayer and Competitive Modes (weight 0.25): Multiplayer modes like drone races, sumo battles, and tournaments are entertaining and extend the game's longevity. Competing with others adds depth.
- High Replayability and Emergent Gameplay (weight 0.23): The dynamic nature of the game and the ability to create complex machines lead to different experiences each run. Automation and creative designs offer endless possibilities.
- Enjoyable Weapon Customization (weight 0.23): The weapons workshop allows designing and customizing guns with various traits like piercing, splitting, and elemental effects. Weapon variety is excellent.
- Creative and Unique Concept (weight 0.21): The game's premise of building and controlling drones from scratch is original and appealing. Many players find it a refreshing take on sandbox engineering.
- Programmer Class Enhances Experience (weight 0.19): The Programmer captain provides a unique playstyle focused on autonomous drone programming. It offers powerful buffs and changes the gameplay significantly.
- Diverse and Challenging Missions (weight 0.19): Missions provide varied challenges and curveballs, requiring problem-solving and creative drone designs. The diversity keeps gameplay engaging.
- Fun Sandbox and Survival Modes (weight 0.18): Sandbox mode closely mirrors survival, allowing customization and disabling forced loss. It is particularly enjoyable for builders who want freedom.
- Impressive Physics and Destruction (weight 0.16): The physics engine is lauded for its realism, with dynamic block HP based on tension and resistance. Destruction effects and particle scattering are visually impressive.
- Solid RPG and Progression Systems (weight 0.16): Multiple starting classes with unique loadouts and a tech tree for weapon upgrades provide solid progression. Replaying with different characters offers varied approaches.
- Charming Visuals and Sound (weight 0.15): The clean, functional art style with vibrant palettes and dynamic lighting is pleasing. Sound design reinforces physicality with thruster roars and weighted explosions.
- Educational and Programming Dream (weight 0.15): The game is bordering on educational for those interested in programming and logic. It appeals to players who love automation and engineering challenges.
- Intuitive and Flexible Controls (weight 0.13): Keybinds are highly flexible, allowing each component to be mapped to different keys. The control scheme makes sense because you map controls when building the craft.
- Minor Missing Features (weight 0.04): Some players note the absence of common building shortcuts like copy/paste. This is a small quality-of-life improvement request.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and boring missions (weight 0.35): Multiple clusters highlight that missions lack variety and feel repetitive, leading to boredom. This issue is consistently reported across different player experiences.
- Short and lackluster campaign (weight 0.17): The campaign is criticized for being too short and implemented poorly, with some calling it awful. This detracts from the overall experience.
- Boring and empty gameplay (weight 0.17): Many find the game boring and empty, with some calling it the most boring in the genre. This suggests a lack of engaging content.
- Thin and mediocre story (weight 0.11): Players feel the story is underdeveloped and wish for more depth. The backstory and narrative are often described as thin or mediocre.
- Tedious procedurally generated missions (weight 0.08): Procedurally generated missions and worlds are repetitive and similar, making the game tedious. This lack of variety reduces long-term appeal.
- Unexplained game mechanics (weight 0.08): Mechanics are not properly explained, forcing trial and error with limited resources. This leads to frustration and confusion.
- Long and uninteresting missions (weight 0.08): Missions feel really long and often not particularly interesting, with many feeling painfully slow. This pacing issue contributes to boredom.
- Repetitive outside drone building (weight 0.08): Gameplay is repetitive beyond the drone building aspect, and there is a lack of content outside the drone designer. This makes the game feel shallow.
- Awful controls (weight 0.08): Controls are described as making no sense and being awful, hindering gameplay. This is a significant user experience issue.
- Enemies respawn after planet completion (weight 0.08): Enemies respawn after completing a planet, preventing players from clearing it for mining with a different drone. Planets reset after each drone launch, causing enemies to reappear.
- Abysmal UI (weight 0.08): The UI is described as abysmal, finicky, and unpolished, detracting from the overall experience. A poor interface hinders usability.
- Frustrating game design (weight 0.08): Players are frustrated with the game design and gameplay, indicating fundamental issues that affect enjoyment.
- Lack of space battles (weight 0.08): Players desire cool space battles between larger ships or fleets, which are currently missing. This absence limits the game's scope.
- Weak weapon parts (weight 0.08): Most weapon parts found are extremely weak compared to the default gun, making them feel useless. This reduces the incentive to explore and upgrade.
- Misleading marketing (weight 0.08): The game does not match its marketing, leading to disappointment. Players feel misled about what the game offers.
- Off-putting campaign mechanics (weight 0.08): Campaign mechanics are questionable and off-putting, reducing player engagement. This is a specific complaint about the campaign's design.
- Magnet causes drone instability (weight 0.08): A bug where objects slide up the magnet during capture causes the drone to spin uncontrollably. This technical issue hampers gameplay.
- Tedious drone building (weight 0.08): Drone building becomes difficult and tedious beyond 30 components, adding frustration. This complexity may overwhelm players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Drone Building Core Mechanic (weight 0.74): The game centers on building and customizing drones, including from scratch, with parts and optimization. This is a fundamental and frequently mentioned feature across clusters.
- Drone Programming and Automation (weight 0.53): Players can program drones using logic circuits and automated systems, enabling complex behaviors. This includes gates, sensors, and assignable controls for automation.
- Survival and Campaign Modes (weight 0.31): The game includes a survival mode with missions and a campaign mode. The campaign is not the only content, and single-player is a core design.
- Ship Building and Customization (weight 0.22): Players can build and customize ships using various parts and an interface. This is a key aspect alongside drone building.
- Sandbox and Creative Modes (weight 0.18): There is a sandbox mode offering a limitless playground without constraints, and a creative mode gives access to all blocks and cheats. These modes enhance freedom.
- Threat and RNG Mechanics (weight 0.15): A threat level mechanic exists, and the game has roguelike elements with RNG. These add challenge and variability.
- Procedural Galaxy with Diverse Planets (weight 0.14): The game features a procedurally generated galaxy with planets that have environmental hazards, gravitational quirks, and hostile lifeforms. Missions and planets are procedurally generated.
- Progression and Mission Variety (weight 0.13): There is a progression system and various mission types, such as destroying transmitters, avoiding snakes, and transporting barrels. These provide diverse objectives.
- Construction and Building Components (weight 0.12): The game features a construction or build mode with creativity components. This includes building systems and construction gameplay.
- Resource Harvesting and Management (weight 0.08): The game involves harvesting materials and resources on planets. This ties into building and survival aspects.
- Weapons Workshop (weight 0.07): A weapons workshop allows players to design their own guns. This adds customization beyond drones and ships.

Performance notes:
- Severe FPS drops (weight 0.08): Players experienced FPS tanking to single digits even at reduced resolutions, and gameplay barely reached 10 fps occasionally. This indicates significant performance problems on some systems.
- Frequent crashes in editor (weight 0.05): Players reported instantaneous crashes to desktop multiple times while routinely editing drones. This makes the editor unstable and frustrating to use.
- Crashes when loading designs (weight 0.05): Loading saved drone designs causes the game to crash. This prevents players from accessing their saved creations.
- Editor crash fixable by driver update (weight 0.05): Crashing whenever entering the editor was fixed by updating the graphics card driver. This suggests some crashes may be due to outdated drivers.
- Drone vibration glitch (weight 0.05): Drones become shaky and vibrate due to a game engine glitch. This visual bug affects gameplay experience.
- Optimized for low-end PCs (weight 0.04): One player reported that the game works on a low-end computer. This suggests the game can run on modest hardware, though other clusters indicate severe performance issues.

Recommendations:
- Negative Overall Recommendation (weight 0.37): Multiple reviewers explicitly do not recommend the game, including those who advise against purchasing it at all or even on sale. This indicates a strong negative sentiment reflected across several clusters.
- Appeals to Programmers and Builders (weight 0.28): Many positive recommendations highlight that players who enjoy programming, building, or tinkering will find the game highly enjoyable. This is a key positive audience segment.
- Not Worth Full Price (weight 0.26): Several reviewers state the game is not worth its full price and recommend waiting for a sale or a lower price point. This pricing concern is a common theme.
- Strong Recommendation from Some (weight 0.23): Despite mixed reviews, some players highly recommend the game, giving it high scores and praising its depth. This indicates a dedicated fan base.
- Better Alternatives Exist (weight 0.21): Reviewers frequently recommend playing other games such as Reassembly, Cosmoteer, Mindustry, or Gimbal instead of this one. This suggests the game is often compared unfavorably to competitors.
- Recommended for Sandbox and Physics Fans (weight 0.21): Players who enjoy sandbox games, physics simulations, problem-solving, and logic will likely appreciate this game. This is a niche but enthusiastic audience.
- Positive Recommendation with Reservations (weight 0.18): Some reviewers recommend the game but with caveats, such as requiring patience, being hard, or having permadeath. This shows conditional approval.
- Technical Issues and Frustration (weight 0.17): Reviewers mention frustration due to bugs, notably a drone design corruption bug, and difficulty in enjoying the game due to technical problems. These issues hinder the experience.
- Positive but Mixed Feedback (weight 0.15): Some players have mixed feelings, finding the game interesting but stressful or only passable without certain features. This reflects divided opinions.
- Not for Campaign or Story (weight 0.14): Several reviewers advise against buying the game solely for its campaign, story, or survival mode, indicating these aspects are lacking. The focus is more on sandbox and building.
- Encourages Trying Before Buying (weight 0.13): Reviewers suggest trying the game for a short time or using the free version to see if it clicks, rather than forcing enjoyment. This is practical advice for potential buyers.
- Sandbox Mode Highly Valued (weight 0.11): Reviewers recommend sandbox mode as a major selling point, especially for builders, and suggest starting there before trying survival. This highlights a key feature appreciated by players.
- Praise for Drone Creation (weight 0.11): The drone creation aspect is highlighted as a strong point, with some recommending the game primarily for that feature. This is a key positive element.
- Refund and Waiting for Updates (weight 0.11): A few reviewers mention refunding the game or waiting for major updates before playing again. This reflects dissatisfaction with the current state.
- RNG and Roguelike Criticized (weight 0.08): Some players express dissatisfaction with the RNG and roguelike elements in story mode, suggesting that removing or making permadeath optional would improve the game. This is a specific gameplay concern.
- Requires Patience and Time (weight 0.07): Some reviewers note that the game requires patience and time to enjoy, and may not be for everyone. This is a common caveat.
- Not for Those Seeking Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Some reviewers do not recommend the game for players seeking satisfaction from their creations, indicating that the building aspects may not be rewarding for everyone.
- Hard and Permadeath Warning (weight 0.04): Reviewers warn that the game is hard and includes permadeath, which may deter some players. This is a notable challenge.
- Multiplayer Alternative Suggested (weight 0.04): One reviewer suggests playing Gimbal for a multiplayer experience instead of this game. This points to a specific gap in the game's multiplayer offering.
- Avoid If Expecting Space Journey (weight 0.04): One reviewer advises turning back if expecting a beautiful space journey based on videos, indicating a mismatch between marketing and actual gameplay.

Other player notes:
- Frequent Comparisons to Other Games (weight 0.65): Reviewers often compare this game to titles like Cosmoteer, Besiege, Reassembly, FTL, and Kerbal Space Program. These comparisons highlight similarities and perceived shortcomings.
- Game Abandoned by Developers (weight 0.29): Many reviewers note that the developers have stopped updating the game and it appears abandoned. This is supported by clusters mentioning no updates in years and ceased development.
- Trailer Misrepresents Gameplay (weight 0.28): Multiple reviews mention that the trailer and store page videos are mostly sandbox/creative content and do not reflect the actual campaign or moment-to-moment gameplay. This sets unrealistic expectations.
- Multiplayer and Modes (weight 0.26): The game includes multiplayer with some exploits, a Sumo arena mode, and options for creative and campaign modes. There is also Steam Workshop support for drones.
- Developer Communication and Feedback (weight 0.18): Some reviewers note that developers are involved with the community and listen to feedback, while others mention that the game is considered complete and only critical updates are made.
- Price and Value (weight 0.17): The game's price has been reduced to $5 and is considered relatively low. Some players bought it during sales or Humble Bundle, while others note it was sold at full price.
- Future Improvements Desired (weight 0.17): Reviewers hope for more mission types, gameplay avenues, and a version 2. The game is seen as a prototype that could be improved.
- Game Evolution and Updates (weight 0.15): The game was more enjoyable in early access/beta when there were fewer restrictions. Updates have changed the campaign and added modes, but some content is still planned.
- Still in Early Access (weight 0.14): Some players point out that the game is still in early access, which may affect their expectations. This is mentioned in clusters about early access status.
- Short Campaign Length (weight 0.13): The campaign is reported to take about 5-10 hours to complete on medium difficulty. Some find it short but fun and worth the price.
- Developer Background and News (weight 0.13): Developed by Stray Fawn Studio and published in collaboration with WhisperGames. Newsletters mention their history and new game, The Wandering Village.
- Building and Physics Praise (weight 0.12): The building physics are more dynamic than most games, with praise for the editor and comparisons to Lego, Minecraft, and Robocraft. The editor lacked an 'Exit without Saving' option, fixed in 1.1.1.
- Localization Support (weight 0.12): Japanese and Chinese localizations were added, with mixed reports on support. Some believe localization will attract more players.
- Niche and Underrated Game (weight 0.12): The game is described as very niche and underrated, appealing to a specific audience. It scratches a similar itch to old PS1 game Carnage Heart.
- Physics Instability Bug (weight 0.1): Reviewers discuss a physics instability bug that causes anxiety similar to Garry's Mod. Developers posted building tips but no complete fix; placing objects directly adjacent resolves it.
- Refund and Demo Availability (weight 0.09): There is a demo version and a refund option if players don't like the game. Some reviewers refunded it due to unmet expectations.
- Bought for Social Reasons (weight 0.09): Some players bought the game to play with friends or gifted it to others. This indicates a social aspect to purchasing.
- Difficulty and Challenge (weight 0.07): The difficulty is compared to Dark Souls and is suitable for players seeking a hard game. 97% of players never finished the campaign.
- Store Page and Minimum Specs (weight 0.07): The store page does not state that survival mode is a roguelike, and minimum specs are considered misleading by some. This affects purchase decisions.
- Mining and Resource Feedback (weight 0.04): A reviewer suggests that mining feedback would be better if resources broke into item drops, similar to Minecraft, rather than being mined directly into inventory.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.34): Players are disappointed by the gap between the game's marketing and its actual content, with a cool concept that is poorly executed. The game feels empty, missions are repetitive, and key features like ship customization and multiplayer are limited or missing, leading to unmet expectations and a sense of wasted potential.
- Frustration (weight 0.32): Frustration stems from poor controls, unintuitive mechanics, and a punishing campaign with permadeath that can erase hours of progress. Bugs, crashes, and an overly complex building system that often produces unstable drones add to the irritation, making even basic tasks feel like a struggle.
- Boredom (weight 0.07): The repetitive mission structure and lack of variety in planets and enemies quickly make the game feel monotonous. After building a powerful ship, there is little challenge or incentive to continue, leading to a stale and unengaging experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players enjoy the deep customization and creative freedom in designing and automating drones. The building system is intuitive and fun, offering varied challenges and a sense of accomplishment when creations work as intended.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement comes from the ability to unleash imagination and logic to build custom drones, especially with programmable controls and autonomous battles. The chaotic dogfights and creative potential of drone design generate a lot of enthusiasm.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Annoyances include forced tutorials that drag on, misleading warnings, and bugs like physics glitches that cause unexpected behavior. Repetitive and dark soundtracks, along with early-game pests, add to the irritation.
- Fear (weight 0.03): Fear arises from the high stakes of permadeath, where a single mistake can erase all progress. Terrifying enemies like snakes and the pressure of maintaining ship integrity contribute to a sense of dread during missions.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Confusion is caused by unclear part interactions, a roguelike core in a building game, and insufficient guidance. The unique block connection method and lack of tutorials leave players unsure of what to do.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is fueled by game mechanics that punish every move, kill players through ignorance, and delete saves. Perceived intentionally frustrating design and game-breaking bugs lead to strong feelings of anger.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Satisfaction comes from successfully creating functional and powerful drones, especially when they perform exactly as intended. The ability to launch smaller craft, use upgraded weapons, and automate missions provides a deep sense of achievement.
- Sadness (weight 0.02): Sadness results from the inability to play live multiplayer with friends and the game lacking depth. Having to give a negative review and the realization that big ships are unnecessary also contribute to this emotion.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement is found in quirky elements like jiggly drones and the ability to program the game to play itself. Building near-indestructible ships using factory blocks also provides comedic value.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is driven by the unique programming-based gameplay and the programmer archetype. The wide variety of drone parts, solid progression, and dynamic physics that enable creative building possibilities generate excitement.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is inspired by the game's continued maintenance and the potential for future updates, including planned story and boss battles. The possibility of more modes and depth keeps players optimistic.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Interest is sparked by the programmer class, which offers more editor options and less tedium. The prospect of trying autonomous drones and the overall intriguing nature of the game captures attention.
- Tedium (weight 0.02): Tedium arises from repetitive missions and randomly generated worlds that feel similar. Designing slightly different drones for the same tasks each run and combat that involves long-range camping add to the monotony.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love for the game stems from its appeal to programming and engineering interests, particularly the automation aspect and the programmer campaign. The core concept of block-by-block design and binary logic control resonates deeply.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): Dissatisfaction is due to underdeveloped game systems beyond build mode and a high price for the content offered. The tutorial is also seen as too long, unsatisfying, and tedious.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret comes from the feeling that the game could have been great but fell short, and from ignoring negative reviews about the campaign. Paying a high price for incomplete content and uncertainty about future development deepen this regret.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Fun is had through multiplayer tournament modes and the well-developed drone design system. The cycle of building, testing, and tweaking drones until they work is highly enjoyable.}