Colony Ship Early Access Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[jackofshadows]

So I picked rifle as my weapon skill, but it seems like all of the fights (at least early on, I haven't gotten far) are in very close quarters and / or involve melee opponents that gang up quickly.

Anyone else try a rifle build and find a way to make it work?

You can
a) re-start with dex heroic feat
b) simply endure any possible AoO and move before shooting thouse who came close to you
c) depelop any other second weapon skill just for these occasions.
I used two of these options for my first run just to be safe but that's kinda overkill.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Just finished with my submachine gun combat build: 4-8-8-8-8-6 at character creation (I love Gifted, but maybe it’s too overpowered), 5-8-9-9-9-6 (with squad leader implant) in the end. Sided with Jonas, couldn’t talk Mercy around so wiped out her whole crew and Braxton’s.

Feels like I could’ve easily moved a couple points into CHA and tagged streetwise and/or persuasion for an extremely viable hybrid build. I used maybe three flashbangs and a couple stasis grenades with my pure combat build, so there were tons of useful consumables left over; not like AoD where every net, bola or bomb was precious.

Gonna try again with a pure talker. Has anyone found any cool ways to resolve quests for high INT/CHA builds, like in AoD when you could convince the bandits to attack the Aurelian Outpost?

As much as I loved my playthrough, I worry that Colony Ship’s not frontloading its best qualities. I’m sure it was a huge pain in the ass to have six main quests in AoD right from the get-go, with lots of branching paths just through Teron, but at least that meant early access players got a real taste of one of the game’s biggest selling points. Then again, we also had to wait a decade to play it, so maybe streamlining the very beginning was the right call.

 

[Alphons]

1.) I'm healing after every battle, is that changed from AOD or is it a bug?

Placeholder for first aid kits (food from DR). Their effectiveness will be tied to Biotech skill.

2.) Are there stats checks? I've only been seeing skill checks so far (just visited hydroponics).

There're a few. Intelligence during your first conversation with Braxton, Strength and Dexterity in Hydroponics, Strength and Dexterity in Armory.

 

[lukaszek]

i did skill monkey run after all. Plan was to recruit crowd and for my character to pass every single check thrown at me. It worked

as you can see my character was always the one taking the beating in fights, running away and just trying to survive.
Looking at those stats... you can do better and create ultra skill monkey/slight combat hybrid. At least as far as demo early access is concerned.

Started with sneak not tagged and no points awarded at chargen. Tagged at lvl2 without issues since sneak is used later on.
Started with 1 point in CS. Wasnt able to takedown samuel(maybe i did something wrong in here). If I went after mercy, could raise CS to lvl 4 easilly. But then I chose to be a talker in that one.
Persuasion and streetwise both had tag and starting point. Might be doable to do this without tags
Computers had tag and no starting point. I do wonder what would happen if I went without tag.
1 point in electronics to do anything
Lockpick had a tag without starting point... I wonder if tag is required

I will refrain myself from playing further as I want to sperg on release for my 'perfect theron' run.

As for master trader, ive picked it very late and couldnt find any 'unique deals'. For sure it doesnt mean cool stuff in merchants stock

Gonna try again with a pure talker. Has anyone found any cool ways to resolve quests for high INT/CHA builds, like in AoD when you could convince the bandits to attack the Aurelian Outpost?

there is only one and its sneak + electronics

Spoiler

clear tower in hydro location by turning frogs hostile on bandits

Intelligence during your first conversation with Braxton

only if you resolve it peacefully

EDIT: Id suggest to bring back bodycount from AoD instead of combat rep. This way sneak archers can intimidate people too

 

[Luckmann]

Well, I decided to go against my usual principle of not playing beta releases on account of how promising the game looked, and the testing just came to an end as I hit a showstopper bug - after siding with Jonas I was told to stop some reinforcements, but to actually stop them you need Computer 3, which you cannot possibly get in the starting area, even tagged, it seems (I'm pretty sure that I had done everything outside of resolving the Braxton/Jonas conflict). This results in a fight that cannot be resolved because there's a closed vault door/bulkhead in the way, and you cannot leave the area, despite "leave the town to its fate" being an option.

Regardless, initial impressions are highly promising. Some less positive thoughts:

• The "journal" is ass. It reminds me of the journal of games that depend on a quest compass, except somehow worse. It gives no indication of why you're doing something, and nothing to contextualize it, so unless you have a very clear memory, you'll soon find yourself wondering why you're doing this or that, or what the logic behind the decision was. All it does is point you in a vague direction using names of things you may have completely forgotten about or may have slipped your mind when reading.
  
  
• The stealth system isn't great. Having it only kick in in limited scripted events/scenes also plays poorly with the skill system in the game, and incentivizes simply taking everyone with you anyway, since not doing so will deprive them of points, even if they do absolutely nothing during the stealth "scene". There's also poor feedback; I was "caught" several times but I still have absolutely no idea why that tile was a no-go zone (it wasn't red), and if I skipped turns using spacebar or q/e, combat started, but if I pressed "end turn" manually, it worked fine, yet it wasn't as if spacebar skipping entered combat, either, which turned out to be the best decision ever since it automatically put the active character to the top of the turn order, yet there seemed to be no benefit for the other members of the team, so no proper "ambush". I am not a big fan of the scripted-scenes-only deal going on here, but either way, feedback needs to be much improved.
  
  
• Poor party control. Having everyone cluster and follow you around as if tied by rubber bands is always horrible - but extremely common - in turn-based games. I constantly wish I was able to leave people in specific points, such as leaving a sniper far back, or to sneak around with someone capable of stealthing to set up an ambush, but never moreso than when interacting with the stealth system. If you don't take everyone with you into a Stealth scene, they are simply incapable of contributing meaningfully to any fight that breaks out, as they will be stuck over by the stealth-scene-point-of-entry, instead of where it would make sense for them to be.
  
  
• Little to no party input. Not just mechanically, but narratively, too. I think there was a *single* time when anyone in the party had anything to say, and that was Evans after I had taken a mission for the Church. Other than that, they were following me around like zombies on a rubber-band. The majority of skills seem useless for party members too, or even worse, meaningless for multiple party members to even have. For any check performed in dialogue, regardless of who initiates it, it doesn't seem to matter (although I could be wrong). This would mean that an Electronics check to get through a door works just fine for a party member, but fixing a panel on a computer as part of a "dialogue" won't work. If characters could be used to meaningfully interject by "allowing" them to butt in, that could go a long way to fix both of these issues, but I also know that the developers aren't a fan of the player essentially dictating (C)NPC action(s).

Aside from that and some specific narrative bugs/nonsensicals, though, I'm left with an extremely positive impression. The atmosphere is great, the setting is fairly novel, the game doesn't shy away from mechanical layering/derived stats, and there seems to be plenty of opportunity to expand upon all content I've seen so far, which is always promising.

Desperately looking forward to the finished/polished product.

 

[Alphons]

As for master trader, ive picked it very late and couldnt find any 'unique deals'. For sure it doesnt mean cool stuff in merchants stock

Picked it early and didn't see any either.
Would be great if it allowed you to pay your way through some quests or unlocked some extra options. Paying squatters to leave Hydroponics, buying an extra head from Jimmy in medbay quest, actually buying Faythe's key etc.
I can only think of one instance where you can use your money in dialogue- junkies next to your apartment.

 

[lukaszek]

Well, I decided to go against my usual principle of not playing beta releases on account of how promising the game looked, and the testing just came to an end as I hit a showstopper bug - after siding with Jonas I was told to stop some reinforcements, but to actually stop them you need Computer 3, which you cannot possibly get in the starting area, even tagged, it seems (I'm pretty sure that I had done everything outside of resolving the Braxton/Jonas conflict). This results in a fight that cannot be resolved because there's a closed vault door/bulkhead in the way, and you cannot leave the area, despite "leave the town to its fate" being an option.

you are supposed to do this at the end of demo, where you would be able to raise your computers

There's also poor feedback; I was "caught" several times but I still have absolutely no idea why that tile was a no-go zone (it wasn't red)

Perhaps you ran onto enemy you couldnt see due to obstacles? Those color markings are based on what your character sees. Hence its required to scout carefully before you jump out of the obstacle

The "journal" is ass. It reminds me of the journal of games that depend on a quest compass, except somehow worse. It gives no indication of why you're doing something, and nothing to contextualize it, so unless you have a very clear memory, you'll soon find yourself wondering why you're doing this or that, or what the logic behind the decision was. All it does is point you in a vague direction using names of things you may have completely forgotten about or may have slipped your mind when reading.

Yeah many times I had objective like 'return to carlos' with me wondering who that was. Also its annoying when all the objectives are displayed on the screen. If you grab everything you can early on, list will ran out of space and cant be scrolled.

Also I wanted to give praise on how you handled AoD teleporting. Having you click on map for fast travel is so much better

 

[jackofshadows]

There're a few. Intelligence during your first conversation with Braxton, Strength and Dexterity in Hydroponics, Strength and Dexterity in Armory.

There's also few charisma checks: vs Mercy and vs Sharpface (one more maybe?)

Persuasion and streetwise both had tag and starting point. Might be doable to do this without tags

With mastermind and tendency to resolve every issue peaceful if possible - absolutely.

Computers had tag and no starting point. I do wonder what would happen if I went without tag.

In addition to this (woman scientist means MC training 40 base xp after you bringing her psyke frog brain and the token located in the tower behind str/electronics check)

2 armory pc to open implatnbody
2 armory sharpface talk
2 armory bunker training computer
3 armory bunker invis sphere
3 hydro terminal for bridge
? hydro 2nd floor woman scienctist
token

There's also one of the two possible computers(2)/electronics(3) check with Zeke after you bringing him override module from Depot A2 if you do not delegate that to Faithe. So it should be possible to reach 3 even w/o mastermind and the tag although I cba to test that at this point. But definitely reachable with mastermind w/o a tag.

As for master trader, ive picked it very late and couldnt find any 'unique deals'. For sure it doesnt mean cool stuff in merchants stock

I've picked it on lvl2 and also have no idea what it does, probably nothing yet. I wonder what devs have in mind regarding this feat: vendors stuff, additional dialogue options or both.

there is only one and its sneak + electronics

One could say Mercy herself qualifies but INT/CHA isn't mandatory with her.

but to actually stop them you need Computer 3, which you cannot possibly get in the starting area, even tagged, it seems

see above

I was "caught" several times but I still have absolutely no idea why that tile was a no-go zone (it wasn't red)

You were probably on yellow square which means combat at the end of the turn. But the game is lacking feedback in that regard for sure, indeed.

I think there was a *single* time when anyone in the party had anything to say, and that was Evans after I had taken a mission for the Church.

There's more after resolving faction quest and also Faithe making very meaningful comment after talking with Carlos, you're probably took his quest w/o her. I wonder if Jed has something to say outside of his own quest tho.

 

[lukaszek]

There's also one of the two possible computers(2)/electronics(3) check with Zeke after you bringing him override module from Depot A2 if you do not delegate that to Faithe. So it should be possible to reach 3 even w/o mastermind and the tag although I cba to test that at this point. But definitely reachable with mastermind w/o a tag.

there is also one if you side with jonas and tell him that you are weakling. You will be able to use computers to kill enemies, it was difficulty 3 I think. For the sake of list completion


EDIT:
so I guess with 10 int mastermind, one can go after all the checks with following points assigned at chargen:
CS, electronics, streetwise, persuasion

5 tags:
only sneak required!

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

Is combat more of a focus this time? I liked how in AoD whilst combat was possible it wasn't always the most desired outcome. But it seems like combat is more unavoidable this time round.

 

[lukaszek]

Is combat more of a focus this time? I liked how in AoD whilst combat was possible it wasn't always the most desired outcome. But it seems like combat is more unavoidable this time round.

its optional

 

[Jaedar]

Is combat more of a focus this time? I liked how in AoD whilst combat was possible it wasn't always the most desired outcome. But it seems like combat is more unavoidable this time round.

It is mostly avoidable, but I'd argue it is also a bigger focus. Arguably the primary benefit if high cha is getting to have more followers, and followers are mostly a combat boost. Playing some kind of hybrid character is more viable then in AoD imo since it is fairly easy to do everything in the ea with a hybrid.

Devs are saying future content will be restricted based on your rep in future chapters though, so it might be that if you do 50/50 talk/fight you won't get any of the cool lategame quests.

 

[Luckmann]

see above

As far as I'm aware, Depot A2 isn't in the starting area - but I could be wrong.

 

[lukaszek]

Is combat more of a focus this time? I liked how in AoD whilst combat was possible it wasn't always the most desired outcome. But it seems like combat is more unavoidable this time round.

It is mostly avoidable, but I'd argue it is also a bigger focus. Arguably the primary benefit if high cha is getting to have more followers, and followers are mostly a combat boost. Playing some kind of hybrid character is more viable then in AoD imo since it is fairly easy to do everything in the ea with a hybrid.

Devs are saying future content will be restricted based on your rep in future chapters though, so it might be that if you do 50/50 talk/fight you won't get any of the cool lategame quests.

cha doesnt seem important for those interested in passing checks alone. Sure there are some checks but they can be passed with talking skills alone. Disposition bonus penalty is quite minimal too

So far with early access, there are 3 reps of focus: combat, sneak, talking.
As far as combat goes, choosing sneak/talking options hurts it badly.
On other hand talking and sneaking doesnt appear to be interfering with each other too much? My latest run was 15 talking, 12 stealth. I could reverse those in either favor in 3 locations, went 2 talking 1 stealth.
My run without talking skills was 17 or 20 stealth rep, depending on who I sided with.

Hard to judge based on EA, might be doable to reach rep tresholds of both sneakery and talking.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Is combat more of a focus this time? I liked how in AoD whilst combat was possible it wasn't always the most desired outcome. But it seems like combat is more unavoidable this time round.

You can easily avoid most combat. There's only one quest, iirc, that's combat only; the final fight can be avoided by saying you aren't a fighter and getting another task. The arena is combat only too, of course.

Devs are saying future content will be restricted based on your rep in future chapters though, so it might be that if you do 50/50 talk/fight you won't get any of the cool lategame quests.

Not fully restricted but some quests will require high rep.

 

[jackofshadows]

As far as I'm aware, Depot A2 isn't in the starting area - but I could be wrong.

It's not, I thought you mean starting areas after reading this

I'm pretty sure that I had done everything outside of resolving the Braxton/Jonas conflict

Did you travel to the other two areas? Or did you deliberately tried to finish as much as possible whithin the first one to prevent more spoiling? In that case - sure, it'd be a dead end.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Little to no party input. Not just mechanically, but narratively, too. I think there was a *single* time when anyone in the party had anything to say, and that was Evans after I had taken a mission for the Church.

That's one area where we're definitely seeking feedback on the right balance between party members driving you nuts with their banter and being zombies. At the moment the following events trigger conversations:

- talking to Braxton for the first time (Evans)
- ending the main conflict; the conversation differs based on whom you have with you and who ended up on top (Jonas, Braxton, or Mercy) - all party members
- taking that mission for the Church (Evans)
- Faythe kills Lazarus Foley herself (Faythe)
- accepting Carlos's quest to get rid of the scavs, Faythe leaves if you break your promise not to kill Morgan
- talking to the Harbinger (Jed)
- something else, can't remember now

Planning to add by the end of the month:

- conversations on the first arrival to a new location
- discussion about the machine when you first see it

 

[lukaszek]

There's only one quest, iirc, that's combat only

which one? Evans opening one(or whatever was name of that dude near outskirts entrance)

 

[Nm6k]

There's more after resolving faction quest and also Faithe making very meaningful comment after talking with Carlos, you're probably took his quest w/o her. I wonder if Jed has something to say outside of his own quest tho.

Beat all five fights in the arena

 

[Vault Dweller]

As much as I loved my playthrough, I worry that Colony Ship’s not frontloading its best qualities. I’m sure it was a huge pain in the ass to have six main quests in AoD right from the get-go, with lots of branching paths just through Teron, but at least that meant early access players got a real taste of one of the game’s biggest selling points. Then again, we also had to wait a decade to play it, so maybe streamlining the very beginning was the right call.

It's not that.

While the parallel questlines in AoD did a good job showing the events from different angles and helping the player understand different factions, they were perceived as linear despite many opportunities to stray from the beaten path. The critics did have a point that these opportunities didn't matter much because an avg merchant or assassin betraying his guild couldn't switch guilds easily or at all. Thus the most interesting example was the choice in the assassin guild in Maadoran but such choices were rare due to time constraints.

So now instead of mostly linear parallel questlines, we're going for true branching. Yes, chapter 1 is mostly linear but it ends with 3 possible paths depending on who sits in the big chair: Jonas, Braxton, or Mercy. As you probably noticed they all ask you for different things from different people, so right there, it's not one quest that could be solved in different ways, but 3 different paths with different outcomes. Add the main quest permutations (essentially you'll have to decide which faction to sell this machine to, a decision that will affect all 3 main factions) and you'll have all the choices and consequences you can handle and then some.

Basically, either parallel questlines or true branching but not both as that would take decades.

 

[Alphons]

Little to no party input. Not just mechanically, but narratively, too. I think there was a *single* time when anyone in the party had anything to say, and that was Evans after I had taken a mission for the Church.

That's one area where we're definitely seeking feedback on the right balance between party members driving you nuts with their banter and being zombies. At the moment the following events trigger conversations:

- talking to Braxton for the first time (Evans)
- ending the main conflict; the conversation differs based on whom you have with you and who ended up on top (Jonas, Braxton, or Mercy) - all party members
- taking that mission for the Church (Evans)
- Faythe kills Lazarus Foley herself (Faythe)
- accepting Carlos's quest to get rid of the scavs, Faythe leaves if you break your promise not to kill Morgan
- talking to the Harbinger (Jed)
- something else, can't remember now

Planning to add by the end of the month:

- conversations on the first arrival to a new location
- discussion about the machine when you first see it

Personally I would like to see some interactions between party members. It makes them seem less like PC's followers and more like team members.

 

[Savecummer]

i did skill monkey run after all. Plan was to recruit crowd and for my character to pass every single check thrown at me. It worked

not solo, not interesting
has to be a solo ultra chad that can do the arena and talk teen cyborg-grils into fugging

my current understand is that you would need to lean very heavy into reactions (since it allows you to exceed your allotted action points heavily)
and that would synergize with pistols best, probably... according to that pistol feat

 

[Vault Dweller]

So hows the initial haul been in terms of cash influx for the EA, Vault Dweller ?

Things looking good?

I think the launch was successful overall (for an indie RPG in Early Access). We're overloaded at the moment, so I can't even think clearly, but we'll post a proper update after the dust settles.

 

[Jaedar]

So, why would one ever support Braxton? It's painfully obvious he set you and Jonas up, and his regulator goons have less combat skill than most gutter trash.
(this is not really an appeal to the devs, more to other players, what's the rp reason to betray the town you grew up in to this asshole?)

 

[Pink Eye]

So hows the initial haul been in terms of cash influx for the EA, Vault Dweller ?

Things looking good?

I think the launch was successful overall (for an indie RPG in Early Access). We're overloaded at the moment, so I can't even think clearly, but we'll post a proper update after the dust settles.

Good luck bro!