The blog post in which I rant about Starbound while forgetting why I made this post in the first place.

So I was looking at my Google Docs list, and I realized I had a half-written chapter for a new story based off of Starbound. For the uninitiated, Starbound is a 2D space exploration game set in a large procedurally generated universe. It recently left Early Access on Steam, and has eaten up my time. So much so, that I've now put more time into it than Terraria, a 2D more survival-ish game. So you may be asking, "Gee, doesn't that sound like another space exploration game that just released?" And you'd be both right and wrong. Starbound is in some ways similar to No Man's Sky. (And I know the fanboys that rode the hype train all the to the station will be on me for that comment, and everything I'm about to say next.) There's spaceships, a procedurally generated universe, with all sorts of things to see, and yes, the collect-a-thons are strong in both games, though for Starbound a lot of that collecting is done underground. That is where the similarities end though, as far as I'm aware. (My computer is a potato, so even if No Man's Sky wasn't poorly optimized, I still wouldn't be able to run it. No modern consoles either, I say as I look at my PS2, 360, and 3DS.)

Does Friendship Pod give happiness or death?

One thing that flows very well in Starbound is the combat. Most weapons you find in chests or get from NPCs is randomly generated, and while it can offer a bunch of different combinations, it can also leave you with an empty feeling, finding another green sniper that looks slightly different, and maybe has a different secondary effect. They do their best to give the weapons personality and variety, but there's only so much variety a randomly generated shotgun can have over another. However, while they all behave similarly within their categories, a few differences can make for bigger change in how you would go about fighting someone. And then there are the 30-40 very rare and unique weapons, ranging from boomerangs to boss drops, to a gnome gun that shoots RAINBOWS.

Gnome Gun sold separately.

The story is something that... didn't really exist until patch 1.0 came out. And it isn't special. In fact, 90% of it is completely optional. It gives you enough mandatory stuff to do before letting you go on your way and explore. The main bulk of the story is a series of missions broken up by scavenger hunts, which can get to be a bit of a chore, especially when you find a town that you don't need to visit yet, but forget to bookmark it for later. It's a pretty cliche plot too, being a standard "save the universe from an ancient evil" plot. Though the game does start out with you escaping from this evil as it destroys Earth and the centuries-old organization that kept peace throughout the universe in one fell swoop. The missions themselves are interesting and straightforward, a dungeon to complete with a unique boss at the end, ranging from a penguin pirate in a UFO to the robotic avatar of a communistic dictator monkey and more. All-in-all, nine unique bosses to defeat, with six of them having unique weapon drops.

I tore the eye out of my enemy and made it a hat! Okay not really.

So if you aren't doing the story, then what else is there? Well, exploration, colonization, hunting for rare items, or just anything that looks cool enough to put in your base. There is a colony building system where you can make towns that consist of settlers, guards, and merchants(based on what you put in their houses), who will each happily pay rent. The tougher the planet, the higher the rent. It's just a small commodity, but it's fun to build up a town. Just don't do it on a planet with meteorites, as they will feast on your work, and then your tears. You can also complete quests for colonists, and they might ask to join your ship's crew. That's also how you upgrade your ship as well, adding more space to make it a mobile home.

I built a luxury resort on an island in a sea of molten lava. Then filled it with ponies.

When all is said and done, I love what Starbound has become. In my opinion, it's better than No Man's Sky, because Starbound didn't hide behind vagueness and lies, while building up the hype train for a disappointing release. Starbound knows what it is and achieved what it set out to be. It's an indie game about exploration and survival in a procedually generated universe with drop-in, drop-out multiplayer, colonies, weapons, and more. Also, mods.

Enough said.

Oh yeah, I was going to talk about that Starbound story I was working on. Well, expect that alongside my other story. Hopefully before the month is out.