Q&A with the developers #2: Anomalous conditions

Wanderers!

Thank you for your engagement and the huge number of interesting questions; we’ve carefully reviewed them and are ready to share the development team’s responses.

In addition to clarifying our vision for the game, we wanted to share our ideas on how to develop and improve various existing systems, as well as on the possible introduction of new ones.

Below you’ll find answers to selected questions.

Question: When will there be an in-game chat?

Answer: At this time, implementing a chat feature is not part of our immediate plans. The chat has obvious advantages, such as the ability to quickly coordinate and communicate during combat, but it also has its downsides, particularly when it comes to managing toxic behavior. For now, we prefer to focus our efforts on other aspects of the game’s development.

Question: Do the bots have different HP in cooperation mode on different maps, or do they always have the same amount of HP and shields?

Answer: Enemy parameters in cooperation do not depend on the map or any external conditions. The durability, shields, and damage of a specific enemy type always remain the same, regardless of where you encounter them.

If a specific enemy is intended to pose a greater threat, we create a separate ship type with its own weapons and parameters. Such an enemy will be stronger, but its stats will remain consistent in any mission on any map.

Question: When will the game become f2p?

Answer: When we are confident that the game is ready for it. The transition to a free-to-play model is a major step that requires not only technical preparation, but also a sufficient amount of content, a stable economy, and a comfortable gaming experience for new players.

Question: Good day. Currently, if you play aggressively, it’s becoming difficult to find other players. For example, while testing the “Surplus resources” mode, I encountered only four players in six hours of gameplay. This feels like a karma system. How will this issue be addressed during the period of low numbers of online players during the closed beta test and at launch?

Answer: We are aware of this issue and understand why it is particularly accentuated during the CBT. Currently, the system’s behavior can indeed create a sense of isolation for players who prefer an aggressive playstyle, as battles become less populated with other players.

Looking ahead, we have several potential solutions. First, developing dedicated modes where PvP gameplay will be the focus, so that players with an aggressive playstyle can always find an opponent of equal skill. Second, further fine-tuning the karma system and its impact on the world so that it distributes players more accurately and doesn’t lead to a sense of emptiness.

We are also exploring game mechanics that will add dynamics to the world beyond PvP, for example, NPC threats and “forces of order” that will react to player behavior and create additional scenarios for interaction.

Our goal is for every playstyle, whether “peaceful” or “competitive”, to find its own fully-fledged gameplay ecosystem, while keeping the world vibrant and rich regardless of current online activity.

Question: Will the maps be redesigned, expanded, or updated to enhance the gameplay experience and improve balance, or will the current approach to map design remain unchanged?

Answer: Yes, the maps will continue to evolve. We do not view the current locations as a final, unchangeable version; on the contrary, they are living elements of the game that can be reworked, expanded, and supplemented as the project develops.

As new mechanics are introduced, balance changes are made, and we gather feedback from players, we will revisit existing maps to improve their structure, variety, and the overall quality of the gameplay experience.

We plan to show you the first map updates by the end of summer.

Question: Will there be a shared loot system in co-op mode?

Answer: At this time, we have no plans to implement a full-fledged shared loot system in cooperation mode. We are keeping this issue in mind and continue to explore possible approaches to addressing it in the future.

Question: Regarding the damage increase of the autocannons, which ultimately did not make these weapons interesting and playable, could the issue be not the amount of damage, but its type?

Answer: Yes, we plan to undertake a more thorough overhaul of the damage calculation logic itself in the near future, rather than just focusing on the numerical values. Specifically, we are considering changes to the rules of blast damage and its interaction with other types of damage, including penetrating damage. We also have ideas for introducing a more distinct armor system as a separate parameter that would affect the effectiveness of different weapon types in new ways. Such changes take time and will be implemented gradually.

Question: Will there be a system that increases the number of modules that can be installed on a cabin as it is upgraded? P.S. The absence of this feature was the most disappointing aspect of the game in the early stages… since it was what I was most looking forward to! Best regards!

Answer: We initially chose a more compact and controlled approach to ship building for Star Wrath. This decision was driven by both gameplay considerations and technical limitations, since it allows to better balance combat roles, maintain the clarity of battles, and avoid excessive complexity in progression.

Therefore, we have no immediate plans for a system that would increase the number of modules that can be installed on a cabin as it levels up.

That said, we understand the expectations of players who would like to see more pronounced ship structure progression. Instead of expanding the number of slots, we are exploring other progression paths that should provide a sense of growth and enhancement for the ship without disrupting the chosen architecture. However, we may revisit this idea later, though most likely not this year.

Question: Hello. What is your long-term vision for balancing PvP and PvE? Is the plan for PvPvE to remain the main mode, or is the game gradually moving toward separating these modes?

Answer: It’s difficult to give a definitive answer to this question right now, since the balance between PvP and PvE in the long term will take shape gradually, as the game develops and we gather more data.

Ideally, we want different playstyles to naturally “converge” into their own activities without interfering with one another, while maintaining a vibrant and rich world.

Whether we can achieve this through separate modes or through more nuanced mechanics within maps and game systems will be revealed over time and through specific gameplay scenarios. We’ll see which approach works best for preserving both PvP and the PvE experiences, as well as overall player comfort.

Question: I have some serious concerns about the balance changes…

Answer: The balance is always a dynamic and iterative process that relies on data, testing, and player feedback. We understand that certain changes may feel drastic or raise questions, especially when they affect established builds, but all changes we make undergo analysis and are aimed at raising the game’s overall quality rather than isolated fixes without context.

The new content, such as cabins, blocks, and other elements, is being developed as planned and will be added regularly as part of major updates.

Currently, the team’s primary focus is on making the build system itself more engaging and complex in terms of module interactions and ship assembly. This direction requires experimentation, so some other tasks temporarily have a lower priority.

Question: When will the drop rate for the module synchrotrone, interferometer, and gold schematics increase, if at all? I’ve been playing since the start of the closed beta, and I haven’t gotten a single gold schematic. I can’t buy gold items in the workshop (blocks workbench 3), what should I do?

Answer: The game’s balance and economy may be adjusted as testing progresses. We are closely monitoring drop statistics and how players perceive progression. However, we do not plan to simply “make it easier” to obtain rare items without changing the overall system.

We’d also like to note that we’re currently working on additional sources for obtaining rare components. Specifically, future challenges and activities will feature rewards that include gold schematics and other high-level resources. This should make the ways to obtain rare items more varied and, in some cases, less random.

Question: Are there any plans for a guide (or something similar) where players can find out the best places to “farm” a particular blueprint, and which npcs (or objects) drop it most frequently?

Answer: At this stage, we do not plan to introduce an in-game guide with detailed information about drop sources and the drop rates for specific blueprints.

Right now, we’re counting on players themselves to gather and share this information through community experience and external resources. For example, players have already created the “Arrow” bot on our official Discord server, which tells players where they can find various resources.

In the future, as the game and progression system evolve, we may revisit this approach and explore more convenient in-game tools for navigating loot and item sources.

Question: Why did you introduce the modifiers? This clearly divides players into PvE and PvP groups, which in turn will lead to conflicts within the community.

Answer: Modifiers were designed as a tool that allows players to shape their playstyle more flexibly and adapt their ship to different tasks.

Our goal is not to “divide” the community, but rather to provide more options for self-expression and approaches to the game within a single system. However, we understand that any mechanics of this kind can be perceived differently and may indeed affect the sense of unity between playstyles.

Therefore, we continue to monitor this system and are exploring additional tools that will help maintain a balance between diversity and the integrity of the gameplay experience for all players.

Question: How can we prevent or limit the behavior when team members target individual players who feel isolated and lack experience?

Answer: This is a very challenging problem, and it largely stems from the very nature of the extraction format, where conflict between players is a key part of the experience. It is impossible to completely eliminate such situations without changing the very essence of the game, so we will be working on balancing motivations and tools rather than on banning players.

One possible solution is the modifiers system that influences behavior and playstyle, as well as a karma system that creates different gameplay conditions for various types of activity.

In addition, we are developing mechanics related to targeted player encounters, including formats for hunting specific targets and “contract” PvP interactions. Such systems should create additional points of interest for combat interaction between players, shifting the focus from targeting individual players to a structured activity.

Question: When will we be able to build bigger ships?

Answer: We have no plans to increase ship sizes in the near future. Right now, our focus is on thoroughly refining the existing build system and its balance.

Before moving toward increasing ship sizes, it is important for us to ensure that the current ships, modules, and their interactions are fully explored and provide an engaging gameplay experience. Only then will we make decisions about the next steps in the build system development.

Nevertheless, we continue to explore various ideas for introducing big ships into the game, including technical implementation options. However, there are currently no plans to put players in control of such ships.

Question: Will it be possible to manually select resources as target loot for missions? For example, I want to create a certain module, but I’m missing certain materials. I want to mark this material as part of a “collection list” so that during a battle, the containers that have this resource are highlighted. This is already implemented for missions, so why not do the same for independent farming?

Answer: The idea makes sense and does indeed seem like a logical extension of the existing mission system.

We have similar design concepts in the works, but the team’s priorities are currently focused on other key systems and stabilizing the current game cycle. Therefore, there are no plans to implement such a feature in the near future.

That said, the concept itself isn’t completely off the table and we’ll revisit it as the game evolves and our priorities shift.

Question: Can multiple missions be displayed at once during battle? Right now, it’s not very convenient to switch between them during combat or to check what else you can do on the map while you’re there.

Answer: We intentionally limited the number of tasks that can be tracked simultaneously to avoid overloading the interface and turning the screen into a jumble of markers and notifications. There can be quite a few activities happening at once during battles, and if we allowed players to track everything at once, it would quickly make it hard to follow what’s going on and interfere with the gameplay.

Question: Is it intentional that high-level modules can be installed on a common cabin, or will this be fixed? It’s obvious that the reactor on a common cabin is less powerful and is not enough, yet we don’t have this important parameter. We see different reactors in battles. Why isn’t this reflected in the build mode?

Answer: At the moment, the system operates without restrictions on the “level combination” of cabins and modules; that is, nothing is preventing such builds. Instead of direct restrictions, we are considering a more nuanced approach, the so-called “visible” or system penalties, which will manifest in cases of inefficient or illogical module combinations. This will preserve the creative freedom of designing ships while making the consequences of choices more clear and tangible for the player.

Question:The rescue pod mechanic has been removed in the current version 0.2.0.42898. Will it come back, or has it been scrapped permanently? If it is brought back, then in what form?

Answer: The rescue pod mechanic has not been removed from the game, but its role in the current version has become less essential.

The current situation with cargo and its quantity in missions is such that opportunities to fully utilize the capsules are limited, so their impact on gameplay feels weaker than originally intended.

In the future, we plan to restore the capsules and give them a more significant role: their value and impact on mission outcomes will gradually increase so that this system will once again become an important part of the gameplay loop and players’ tactical decisions.

Question: How are the developers doing?

Answer: Fine :) We’re trying to create as many cool things as possible.

Question: When will you bring back the building system based on energy rather than slots?

Answer: We have no such plans at this time. The slot-based system allows for better structured builds and defines more distinct gameplay roles for ships. This enables us to balance interactions more precisely and make various builds more meaningful in terms of their behavior in combat.

Question: Will there be any decorative elements in the build mode to cover the exposed rear ends of ships? Preferably ones that also serve a functional purpose.

Answer: Right now, the team’s main focus is on creating and balancing functional modules that directly impact gameplay and the combat effectiveness of ships. In the future, such elements may well appear as part of the further development of the build mode.