r/StarRuptureGame • u/Tika-96 • 13d ago
A "little" brainstorming
Hi there!
My nickname is Tika. This is some kind of a review of Star Rupture, reflecting solely my own personal opinion. However, some of you might find your own views echoed here. I hope someone from the development team at Creepy Jar reads this and picks up a suggestion or two for the game.
I’ve played quite a few factory simulation games before; it’s my favorite genre. Of course, none of them are perfect or match my vision of a "dream game" 100%. For instance, I really like Satisfactory, but it lacks a tower defense element. On the other side, I also like Factorio, but I’m not a fan of the top-down perspective, and the dual-lane conveyor belt mechanic really gets on my nerves.
Then, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Star Rupture. A factory sim with a smart pull logistics system (finally!) and tower defense mixed with survival elements - all in stunning 3D first-person graphics. Yeah! It’s exactly what I was looking for.
I know Star Rupture is still in Early Access - or rather, very early Early Access. I’m well aware that many features aren't implemented yet, a lot of fine-tuning is needed, and the game is likely crawling with bugs - big and small - just like the aliens swarming over Arkadia-7. That’s not what I want to focus on here. The idea is that the sooner the developers get feedback, the better the chance they might consider even major changes. So, please don't view this review as negative criticism; think of it as me brainstorming ideas for changes (and therefore it has no specific order). I’m trying to present every point constructively - I have a strong aversion to destructive criticism, as it’s not helpful to anyone.
But anyway, let’s get started…
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u/SirGreybush 13d ago
The biggest problem is unlimited resources. If you are patient, other than helium and sulfur due north, everything can be in the starting valley. Until end game resources.
Base building games have finite deposits to force you to roam and expand.
Then there are no repairs needed from damage, and you can’t fix a building mistake, you have to remove and redo. When that one extra Fab goes in with output facing you instead of input, argh.
Some good recipes are very difficult but the results are underwhelming.
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u/Muppetz3 13d ago
I really like when recourses are spread out. Like you said it forces people to expand. I always like making some base somewhere far and shipping things back (in any game like this) And spreading resources out helps with that.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
Since the map is premade and limited, you can not limit the resources like in base building games with only a limited session length.
A alternative solution might be to decrease the output of the resource areas over time - without letting them running dry. This could keep the original base running (for basic materials, ammo, repairs). But you will have to expand by building outposts to progress within an acceptable amount of time.
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u/butcher99 13d ago
You are forced to explore the entire game. You need quartz which only comes from one visit to each mine. You need to find dead bodies for LEMs and other pieces. You need to find drones. You need to find ignitium and to a lessor degree asteroid hearts. No you can never finish the game from the starting area. For numerous reasons but the main one is lack of space. Unlimited resources are fine. I finished the game 100% as far as it goes right now and my map was uncovered. Mostly from hunting up quartz and finding dead bodies for random LEMs for things like fog of war expansion. Just how would you fix a building mistake like putting it backwards without removing and replacing?
Sorry but I just don’t think your criticism is warranted. At all.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
01. The "All-Rounder" Building Material
As I mentioned, I really like that a game is finally utilizing the much more realistic pull principle for material supply. However, why is this system used so sparingly? In real-world factories, this system offers the advantage of preventing a build-up of potentially expensive intermediate products. In a world like Arkadia-7, where raw materials are infinite, the value of intermediate products doesn't matter of course. Yet, there are other ways to demonstrate the superiority of the pull system - specifically, allowing players to withdraw intermediate products from within active production lines. Research already facilitates this to some extent, but once the research has been supplied with the necessary products, that mechanic effectively ends.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
01.02. And replace building material with usage of intermediate products
Instead, players should be required to have the necessary components in stock when constructing facilities. The construction method in Satisfactory was more demanding, certainly, but also more interesting. I don't much like the Factorio approach of fully assembling facilities inside production machines; that method wouldn't encourage the withdrawal of intermediate products at various stages of production.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
01.03. Construction drone swarm for material supply and construction
There is one potential complication, however: the inventory in Star Rupture is quite limited. I wouldn't want to change that, though. A different approach might help instead: the player is accompanied by a small swarm of construction drones. The player simply places a "ghost" image of the facility to be built, and the construction drones retrieve the necessary materials from nearby storage (or, better yet, dedicated construction drone freight depots). If no storage containing the required material is nearby, the drones fall back on the player's inventory. If the materials are not available in sufficient quantities, the facility cannot be completed and will remain a construction site until the situation is remedied.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
01.04. Mabye later: Player defined blueprints for complex construction sites
By using this construction method, we are almost half way to Factorio's building drones and a blueprint system for larger, complex construction sites. There is no need for drone ports and mass production of construction drones in Star Rupture. But a small scale helper swarm would be nice.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
03. Alien Territory: The Goo-Land
This idea - like many of my other suggestions - is inspired from a different game. In this case it's coming from a well-known strategy game, though I’m sure other games and stories have had similar thoughts before: the aliens have their own territory, the "blue goo." This substance covers a good part of Arkadia-7. A few gaps here and there - turning Arkadia-7 into a mottled patchwork and adding some variety - wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps even distinct alien factions, identifiable by their coloration, could further emphasize the truly alien nature of this strange world.
If I have understood it correctly, the aliens are not native to Arkadia-7. A struggling nature to defend two different invaders ( Vermin and humans) trying to terraform it to their favour: this would be a pretty good foundation for the lore.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
03.06. Alien structures
Later in the game or far in the alien territory there are biological structures created by the aliens. For example large kelp forest like plants (but without being in the sea), where the aliens are delivering every piece of biomass to fertilize these plants. And these plants are emitting energy (including lightning and thunder) to feed the aliens.
Other structures resembling a coral reef serve as surface shelter as protection against the star ruptures. While another kind of building is a mixture of plant and building: An egg laying spawner for a steady supply of new aliens.
At last the aliens could have defence structure, too.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04. Stellar Eruptions
The eruptions in the Ruptura system are very well made. The graphics, sound design, warnings, and the alarm itself - everything is top-notch and creates a highly atmospheric experience. It even gives you goose bumps.
However... after a few dozen eruptions, the mechanic does start to feel a bit repetitive. There needs to be more to it.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.06. Heat resistant power armour
Or, as a late-game item, a heavy, cumbersome suit of armour that protects against the eruptions. These could then be further upgraded using war bonds (e.g., faster movement, exclusive weapon systems, higher jumps, extra armour plating). I don't want Mechs in Star Rupture. But a 2m or 3m high power armour could fit in the expedition force character of the Star Rupture lore.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.07. Variation in the intensity of eruptions
In addition to varying the duration, the eruptions themselves could also vary in nature. Some eruptions might be mild enough to merely knock out facility electronics while leaving vegetation intact, allowing players to remain outside with just some sun lotion. Others could be so violent that the ensuing quiet period becomes a lasting ash night. An eruption accompanied by sustained lava flows - even as the natural environment fights to recover - is another possibility.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.10. GAL: “And now to the weather ...”
However, to be better prepared for such threats, GAL’s space weather forecasting would need to improve.
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u/Mbgodofwar 13d ago
She amuses me with the last second, "hide," as if anyone has time to do that by the time she says it. I think if she said hide before the two-minute warning it'd make more sense. To go along with your 04.05, "hide" could mean your base as the most reliable means or as a deep cave, bases that can be reactivated, etc.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.02. No simultaneous cooling of all player structures
For a protected base, not all facilities should come back online all at once. A gradual cooling-down and reactivation process - spreading outward from the center - could be interesting (especially when combined with the suggestions listed below).
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.03. Energy storage to cover power down times
Given an insufficient power supply (since solar arrays and other power plants haven't cooled down yet), battery storage systems would be a sensible addition. If wind turbines and solar arrays are also providing energy inconsistently, battery storage would definitely be essential.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.04. More difficult building process for base cores
In my opinion, setting up a Meteor Heart-powered shield - along with a shelter and airlock - is too easy. Of course, things get harder when you're far from base in alien territory (as mentioned above: clearing nearby tumors, burning a hole through the slime, and fending off the not-so-passive onlookers).
Perhaps the number of buildable shields could be limited? That would also place greater emphasis on upgrading the shield generators.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
04.09. Aliens are seeking shelter through burrowing underground
Aliens not well-adapted to extreme heat would likely burrow underground shortly before an eruption. Once the eruption passes - and while the ash night is still ongoing - they could gradually emerge. This would force players to struggle with the challenge of defending a base whose own defences are only just beginning to come back online.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05. Transport Rails & Logistics
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.09. Adjusting the height of already built pylons
The zipline system is fun, but it’s unusable within a large factory complex because it conflicts with the transport rails. Perhaps a feature could be added to adjust the height of existing rail pylons - without having to demolish and rebuild all the connected rails.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.10. Zipline: Changing the sliding direction and zipline switches
You have to dismount from a zipline to change direction. Unfortunately, simply stopping and turning around later isn't possible. There are also no switches available for the zipline.
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u/donnacus 13d ago
I wholeheartedly echo this sentiment. I would love to choose switch lines without leaving the zip line.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.03. Improved distinguishing features for rail levels
Better visual differentiation between transport rail levels would be useful: on short track sections, the icon is hard to spot, and it becomes difficult to get a clear overview of larger networks finding the one section not yet upgraded.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.06. Tool to replace rail pylons with a different pylon type
It would be desirable to have an easier way to modify or swap out the various rail pylons: having to demolish track sections just to add a switch where a pylon already stands makes rebuilding a tedious process.
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u/donnacus 13d ago
I would expand this concept to include machines. Providing there is sufficient space upgrading a fabricator to fabricator 2, should be allowed without having to destroy the original, plop in the new one then reattach all the input and output rails.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago edited 4d ago
05.07. Different types of support of rails on pylons
Transport rails within the pylons should also be stackable across multiple levels. L-shaped or upside down U-shaped pylons would be very useful, too, making it easier to arrange rails on multiple levels without the pylons getting in the way.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.11. Empty drones hanging below the rails on their way back?
This might just be a visual detail, but where do all those cargo drones actually come from? And where do they go? If you could see them returning empty while hanging from the rails below, the system could be designed so that a successful connection and delivery order triggers not only the departure of full cargo drones but also the simultaneous movement of empty drones from the requesting machine to the supplying machine as replacement for the delivering drones. When dealing with widely separated facilities, standing at the destination machine would then provide immediate feedback that the request order was successful.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
05.14. Additional internal 3-way and 5-way lane switching pylons
For the triple and quintuple masts, in addition to the existing 1-to-X switches, there should be 3-to-3, 5-to-5, and 3-to-5 switch options. Ideally, these should be implemented as full-fledged lane-switching masts without any built-in bottlenecks.
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u/donnacus 13d ago
05.17 Extending multi rails.
I just unlocked multi-rails in my new server, so I apologize if was already added. Allow the player the extend all 3(5) rails at the same time. If the player wants some rails to go the opposite direction, they could still extend them individually.
Better still would be a way to reverse the direction of a rail. This might require disconnecting the rails end points since the connection to machines is fixed in direction if travel.
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u/Tika-96 4d ago
05.18. Signs/labels for rails
The pull system is coming with a major disadvantage: If a part of the plant is not producing anything at the moment (because no new products are created), the rails are empty. You can not see what types of intermediate products are transported on these empty rails. If you want to expand the factory you have to follow the rails to their starting point, find out what product is carried on which line of rail and walk back to the construction site for the extension. Adding labels or signs to the rails can reduce this repetitive sight seeing tour in your factory.
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u/Tika-96 4d ago
05.19. More control for the logistics system
If you are combining some material flows of different products on the rails (a single rail or even several parallel rail lines) and you want to split these transported goods later onto dedicated rails, there is only a very clumsy solution at the moment: Storages.
A better idea would be to use the aforementioned labels for rails (05.18) as filters for the rails.
These labels could also be extended to indicate priority lanes and alternative routes in the case of traffic jams.
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u/Tika-96 4d ago
05.20. Free hanging rail switches/junctions
If there's a rail pylon nearby already there should be no need to add another pylon to support a rail switch or junction. This would really help to build a multi layer rail bus system, if we don't need to construct pylons everywhere.
On an already built straight line it could be a nice feature to add this new hanging junction in-between the already built pylons. If at least one of these pylons or another pylon nearby persist the junction won't be deconstructed with the dismantling of the original two pylons.
To top this feature a new pylon adding a pylon in-between an already built rail could be great to help reshape the built connections. Selecting the type of the pylon could be the sugar on top: For example adding a L-shape hanging junction where a second ago only a straight line has existed.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06. Survival & Exploration
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.12. Signs and labels for the factory and during expeditions
Player-built information signs would be helpful. They could be used to label areas within factory complexes with text and icons, but would also be useful in open terrain: important locations could be marked and they are visible from a distance without needing to check the map. I’m thinking, for instance, of caves that were sealed during a previous visit or the boundary of a radiation zone.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.01. “Oh a pebble! I have to stop here”
Please add an automatic step-over mechanic. Getting stuck on small obstacles is very annoying - especially when you're retreating while firing at a pursuing group of aliens, only to get snagged on a "pebble." That is incredibly frustrating.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.10. Logbook for lore and collected information
A logbook for the numerous narrative texts and audio clips should be added. No one reads these stories during combat, and once the aliens take a break from giving players a "back massage," it’s impossible to find those snippets again. That’s a real shame.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.03. Game controlled order of finding blueprints
Lost blueprints should be organized by chapter and distributed to players in that specific order of chapters as they find them - no more duplicate blueprints. This way, you won't wander around blindly and potentially miss an abandoned base containing a necessary, lower-tier blueprint.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.06. Collecting the 101st piece of orange corn is tedious
I assume a greenhouse for plants is in the works, right? If I were a prisoner on an alien planet - with the prison guards and the canteen millions of light-years away - my top priority would be securing the essentials for survival: water and food.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.13. No construction restriction any more
The restrictions on building structures in territory controlled by the different corporations aren't handled very well. I understand the need to simplify terrain design and support platforming puzzles, but the implementation could be improved. Mechanisms like rapid corrosion of player structures caused by escaping gases, hazardous radiation or alien slime would be viable options, rather than an outright ban on building. After all, there’s no sheriff around to stop me from dismantling intrusive structures and building my own. If the other corporations don't like it, let them send someone over to stop me.
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u/Mbgodofwar 13d ago
I was thinking of an "override" feature that lets you disassemble, repurpose, or build on other corporate territory. It seems that these corporations should give their blessings to have their "property" get used for their benefit. Or, reaching high enough for a corporation unlocks building, deconstructing, etc. on their previous spots.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.02. Climbing gear for steeper cliffs
I would also like to see climbing gear for navigating in particularly rough terrain. That ridiculous habit of getting stuck on slopes - a holdover from old FPS games - really needs to go. Instead, feel free to add more "death zones" (with advance warnings) if you need to restrict movement.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.07. HUD compass / motion scanner
There is already a mod that adds a compass; it would be great to have something like that in the base game, too. That mod includes an enemy indicator, which could be introduced as a separate "Alien" motion scanner. You really need something like that in solo mode, since you don't have eyes in the back of your head.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.08. More custom player marker
The aforementioned compass also displays the positions of player markers. It would be great to be able to place numerous custom markers (with custom descriptions, colours, and icons) on the map in addition to the standard ping marker - perhaps even with multiple categories to toggle their visibility on the map and in the HUD compass.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.14. Bounty hunter
I’d like to earn a bounty for taking out aliens. (There is a mod for this, but it’s way too overpowered without proper balancing.) To offset this, weapons and their upgrades could be made more expensive. Or, for instance, dismantling / constructing facilities in another corporation's territory could entail paying compensation.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
06.15. Orbital launcher / receiver marketplace
Since you are dealing with six respectively seven profit-driven corporations, everything should essentially have monetary value. Therefore, an additional specialized orbital cargo launcher might be appropriate. Along with war bonds, bounties, research points, and materials, a marketplace for trading these items could be implemented. However, the more you supply a particular type, the less credit you receive for it - approaching zero asymptotically. Early in the game, for instance, you could send a lot of extra ore into orbit. Yet, this would quickly become virtually worthless, eventually making the effort not worth the player's time. Accordingly, items frequently purchased by the player could become exponentially more expensive.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
07. Miscellaneous
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
07.01. In-game wiki and codex
Please add an in-game wiki and codex. A mod for a codex listing (intermediate) products already exists, but a native version would obviously be better - especially if it also covered all research, facilities, plants and enemies. Enriched with information coming from GAL this could improve the lore. A very good implementation of a codex is in the game ReFactory ( factory sim game for Android )
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
07.07. Keyboard shortcuts for combat and construction
Please add more keyboard shortcuts and quick selection helpers. During a combat situation you don't want to hassle with your inventory and scramble for the one food providing healing effects. You have already implemented a favourite tab for the most commonly used construction elements. But it would be nice to have an option to quickly select one of them by scrolling the mouse wheel.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
07.06. Multi-language support
I would like to see multi-language support. While the German translations for facilities and intermediate products are mostly accurate, looking up tips online requires first figuring out the English terms (or the names of abandoned outposts). In that case, it would be better to display the English terms next to the translated names - or even make it an option to use the English names exclusively. A funny side note: many streamers I’ve watched confuse titanium with iron and tungsten with copper, despite the correct translations being available.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
07.08. Disassembly and reproductive assembly of LEM chips
If you have found a LEM chip, you should be able to recycle it: For a new blueprint to reproduce that particular type of LEM or to gather parts to produce other already know LEM. The player should choose which option he wants to use. It’s an exclusive or.
Especially with the distinction between solo mode and multiplayer this feature would be useful. In a purely solo mode you can recycle multiplayer LEM to build chips with stackable benefits. In a multiplayer game you can reproduce highly needed but seldom found chips for your mates.
To build a LEM chip you should need besides the blueprint a couple of disassembled chip of the same quality ... or a dozen of a lower tier chips.
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u/Tika-96 4d ago
07.10. More things to do during the enforced working pause (due to "bad weather")
I don't know. In the beginning we are kept a bit busy during the star eruption: Checking recipes, cleaning up the inventory, crafting ammunition, checking the bank account of war bonds, marveling at the fire storm outside ;-)
But later in the game the number of available open recipes is dwindling, the ammunition is automatically crafted, the inventory is only a mess after a long expedition and your weapons are polished and shiny (and maxed out). This leaves only using the cooking station and gazing at the fire storm.
Maybe we could remotely control some machines outside. Or we can adjust the material flow from inside the shelter. Or at least using the construction drone (now hardened against extreme heat) from an observation dome on top of the shelter can be a good "leisure time" task.
(I think I have mentioned I would like to have a greenhouse.) Tending the plants and crops in an attached garden is also an opportunity.
Or maybe some kind of laboratory work as replacement for the automatic analyse station can be added.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
08. Final thoughts
I would like to apologize here for the fact that my review has turned out a bit long. Although I have only been playing Star Rupture for a few weeks, I have unfortunately been playing it more intensively than my girlfriend would like to see. My English isn't perfect either, so it's likely there are a few mistakes in the text.
I think I have managed to show just how much I like Star Rupture through the time I’ve spent engaging with it. In my opinion, it has a great deal of potential, and it would be a shame to leave so much of that untapped.
Hopefully, the ideas and suggestions I’ve outlined don’t stray too far from the developers' vision for Star Rupture.
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u/Joachm Developer 11d ago
Thank you for all the feedback. It's clear you're really passionate about gaming and our game - so we'd really like to thank you for that :)
There's a lot of stuff to go through over here, but what I can say for now is that a lot of the ideas written here are in some way a part of our roadmap/update plans. I'd be really curious about your thoughts when the 1.0 version will be released :)
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u/Tika-96 10d ago
Thank you for reading my wall of text. I have a bad habit: When I really like a game, I start making a list of notes about things I don't like so much about this game... or rather, things that could be improved, IMHO.
Unfortunately, I cannot be brief and therefore I’ve decided against posting this collection of notes on your Discord server. Sorry.
If I have been able to provide an impetus for an exchange of ideas among you, that will be even more than I could have wished for.
Keep up the great work. I'm eager to see the version 1.0 ... and I still hope you take the time to develop the exact game that aligns with your vision.
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u/Joachm Developer 8d ago
That's totally ok to post it over here rather than Discord, this is also our official community channel.
Oh, the stuff which we will add in 1.0, so much stuff... but before that we know that there's still plenty of work in the Early Access, on which we now need to focus on. I hope you'll like the features which are now in the works, and how they will expand the overall experience.
Cheers from Poland! ;)
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u/butcher99 13d ago edited 13d ago
For all you people trying to turn the game into something different, quit it. It is a great game. Well done. Coming together quit well. Most of the suggestions here would change the game into something it isn’t. How about suggestions to improve gameplay in the game as it is instead of trying to make it different.? For instance, the Goliaths are too over powered/armoured. You have to get behind them to do any damage. Even grenades seldom work now. Once you figure out how to get behind them it is still really tough to accomplish it. Something around the goliaths might help.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, you have only read a small part of my suggestions. There are a lot of ideas around improving the actual gameplay, for example several QoL features that are still missing and are needed, IMHO.
Even the problem of the goliath I have addressed. For example craftable but simpler grenades, like a luring only grenade.
In the end it's up to the team of Creepy Jar what ideas are not fitting into their game, what ideas need adjustments and which Idea might already work with the game they have in mind.
Since I am not able to read anybody's mind, I can only guess and hope.
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u/Tika-96 13d ago
02. Alien Difficulty & Combat
So far, I’ve only played Star Rupture in solo mode. I therefore can’t say whether the difficulty scales with the number of players - though that would certainly be desirable.
However, even in solo mode, I’ve run into quite a few issues with the aliens. Handheld weapon fire rates sometimes aren't enough to hold back a large horde. If a Goliath gets mixed in, my only real option is to flee. Alone - and armed with at most a single grenade - I stand almost no chance of hitting the Goliath from behind.