Right now the pre-alpha for Stars Reach is pretty much focused entirely on ground-based things like mining, killing creatures, and during this week, seasons and public events. That prompts an obvious question: What does this MMO plan to do with all of that outer space in-between its planets? Allow Playable Worlds’ Raph Koster to talk at length about those plans.
Much of what’s discussed in the video is high-concept and not applied in-game yet, but Koster does mention that a space flight prototype for spaceships was put together about four years ago in order to make sure ground and flight controls operate the same. The overall plan for Stars Reach’s outer space is to provide all of the activities that can be found on the ground, including mining, ferrying materials, building space facilities like trading hubs or cities, and naturally some combat.
As for the game’s proposed flight model for its internet spaceships, Koster references an “arcadey vibe” that he wants to hit that hearkens back to classic ’80s shoot-’em-up titles, at least in sensation but not in gameplay. Here Koster mentions foes like Sinistar-like servitors, asteroid worms, space spiders, and bugs trying to steal materials that trail behind player ships. That said, all that’s being promised for launch are single-seater ships for the time being.
The vast majority of the video effectively attempts to summarize its “full-blown sandbox MMO” nature, as Koster explains away comparisons to survivalboxes or smaller-scale multiplayer games and talks up what players can do in order to level up their character, command dominion over planets, and craft items. And the latter half of the video takes a huge amount of time confirming some of the gameplay mechanics:
- Group dynamics provide passive benefits to everyone without relying on a class trinity. And yes there will be locations to plumb for loot and raid-level challenges to face, though they sound like they’ll be found via discovery instead of direct guidance.
- Players can help one another by mentoring (and gaining XP on a leadership skill), making and selling maps, or acting as bodyguards for miners as an example.
- Death penalty mechanics focus on creating a checkpoint with a landing zone, having a downed state where others can revive a character, and doing a corpse run if things go poorly, though friends can be “projected” to another’s location without the use of an inventory but with access to their toolbelt.
- The starter experience will be will effectively puts characters through their paces to learn how to deal with biomes, status effects, and other important mechanics.
