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1

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Re: Why disallow changing the size of wheels?

« on: September 26, 2017, 06:10:12 PM »

Now that I think about it, I have a related question:

Why disallow players from adding wheels (or other vehicle parts) to regular, non-vehicle objects?

On the surface, this may sound like a silly question. However, I have seen other players ask this very question. And I think that it is a fair question.

I can think of some legitimate uses for wheels (and other automotive parts) in non-vehicle objects (particularly if we are allowed to change the size of wheels). Indeed, I can give some examples of creative uses of vehicle parts. For example, check out this: Pocket Garage - Field Repair.


Technically, this is a vehicle. It has fuel cells, wheels, a seat, etc. However, obviously, it is not meant to be driven. The wheels and fuel cells are merely meant to be decorative.

2

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Why disallow changing the size of wheels?

« on: September 26, 2017, 06:02:37 PM »

I'm not asking sarcastically. I'm seriously curious:

Why are players prevented from changing the size of the wheels (tires) in the game? Is it for the sake of game performance? Is it to prevent us from noticing the flaws in wheel models or the edges of low-polygon wheels when enlarged to ridiculous scales? Something else, maybe? Perhaps this was planned, but just never got implemented?

I just don't understand what reason there could be. And I think this is unfortunate as being able to change the size of wheels would allow players to be more creative when designing vehicles.

To be fair, the devs did give us four different types of wheels, in different sizes. In increasing size, there's the Motorbike Tire, the (antique-looking) Wood Wheel, the Rubber Tire, and the Large Rubber Tire Type 01. While these are different sizes, this is still a limited variety. And while some tires are thin, some are quite wide. Aside from being able to change the overall scale, it would be nice to be able to change just the circumference or just the width. We may, for example, like the style of a wide tire, but need it to be thin in order to fit our design...

3

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Please un-nerf the Drill...

« on: September 24, 2017, 07:10:28 PM »

The Drill is supposed to be an end-game type tool, is it not? Am I correct in assuming that it represents the top-tier of digging tools?

I ask because the Drill... is really not that impressive - at least, not anymore. I could swear that in beta versions the Drill could cut through dirt, stone and rock like a hot knife through butter. I remember being very impressed with it the first time I tried it. Though, I also complained about how it did not return any materials from digging... not even dirt. (Now, it does return very tiny amounts of the usual materials, including - on occasion - 1 unit of Copper or Iron. Though, often, it returns zero anything.) The Drill was super-impressive, but offset by the fact that it did not return any resources (or very little), making it useless as a mining tool.

As I recall, the Drill used to cut through material effortlessly, whether it was Dirt, Stone, Limestone, Marble or Ore. And I seem to recall it cutting a square-shaped opening into a cliff side, but with an extra long shape (rectangular in length). Granted, the digging system has been changed significantly over the versions. And I'm not alone in saying that new system is a huge improvement. But, now, the Drill only digs one voxel layer deep. That is, the digging box is much smaller than it used to be - no more than half the old size, possibly much less.  And, at that, it will not drill through tough materials like Marble in one hit.

Amazingly, even the top-tier digging implement that the Drill is supposed to represent, still takes two hits to dig through Marble. This makes the Drill quite a bit slower than I remember it. (Oh, and Marble is still the most common type of terrain voxel, so it usually takes two hits to dig through anything.)

4

Planet Explorers General Discussion / How to search for ores very thoroughly

« on: September 23, 2017, 09:45:24 PM »

I thought that I would discuss a method I've learned that allows one to search for ores very thoroughly and efficiently. That is, searching in a pattern that is easy to follow and which is unlikely to miss any ores.

Note 1: I highly recommend that you play in a resolution of 1600 x 900 or higher, preferably higher. This is because the Handheld PC or Scanner app is a fixed size in terms of pixels, so it will take up less interface real estate on higher resolutions.

Note 2: I recommend that you scan on foot. (For one, you don't have to go around trees or other obstacles.) Scanning from a boat or vehicle is doable, as long as you don't go very fast. Otherwise, you could miss ores. Scanning from an airship or helicopter is not recommended. Those tend to be hard to control and move very fast. Also, you'd be far above the ground and likely too far away to detect ores underground.

(1) Make sure that [Select All] is selected, so that it will detect all ores.

(2) Move the Scanner app window so that it is mostly out of the way. Myself, I prefer to move it to the bottom-left corner so that I can just barely click the [Scan] button. (That is, so the [Scan] button is partly obscured.) Having the edge of the Scanner app window partly obscured by the edge of the monitor is okay as long as it's not too much.

(3) Pick a location to start mapping out the area. I recommend that you pick a landmark of some sort, to make it easy to find and fast-travel to. If nothing else, you could start mapping from your colony or you could right click on the map to leave a marker.

(4) With the Scanner app open (and in a corner so that it does not obstruct your view), choose a compass direction and start walking. Specifically, start walking along a "grid line", either North, South, East or West. By "grid line" I am referring to the lines that make up the grid pattern in the Scan. Each grid line indicates 100 units of distance. So, for example, you will find a vertical or "Y" or North-South grid line at coordinates xxxx, 7000, as well as another one at xxxx, 7100, etc. By walking along a grid line you can space out your search pattern accurately.

(5) Walk along your chosen grid line in your chosen direction, clicking the [Scan] button very frequently. Myself, I re-click [Scan] after the sound effect stops, indicating that the current scan is finished.

(6) When you notice some ore, stop. Make note of the grid line you are following so that you don't forget where you left off. Then move to stand over the ore. If the ore is an obvious color like yellow, purple, or blue, then you know instantly what you have. However, if it is a shade of gray, you may need to click [Deselect All] and click on the ore that you believe it to be, then re-Scan to make sure. (Don't forget to click [Select All] after you have done this!) Either way, you need to click Scan again because your initial scan may have caught only the edge of a large deposit. After you re-scan, stand over the middle of the deposit and write down the coordinates. Then go back to the grid line you were following and continue.

(7) Walk as far as you feel up to exploring in a given direction. If you are in Adventure Mode on a large map, you may want to stop after a while and double back, scanning along a new, parallel grid line. (Myself, I scanned from my colony due West, all the way to the ocean before doubling back.) Whatever the case, you should make note how far you mapped in a given direction.

(8) When you've decided to go back the direction you came from, stop and move 200 units perpendicular to the map line you just explored, then walk along the new, parallel grid line in the direction you came from. The point is to scan along a grid search pattern. For example, if you chose to walk West, following the West-East grid line, you may want to walk 200 units South and follow the new West-East grid line East.

(9) Keep clicking [Scan] frequently, until you've reached the parallel where you started. (You did make note of where you started, right? I told you to pick a landmark of some sort.)

(10) Repeat until you've decided that you've mapped enough. You may want to write down where you stopped, though, if you plan to continue later.

Note 3: Why move 200 units perpendicular to the grid line? Because the range of the Scanner is a radius of about 80 or 85, which makes for a diameter of about 160 or 170. Technically, it is possible to miss an ore deposit with a search pattern of 200 units apart. However, as most ore deposits are rather large or are spread out over a diagonal, this is rather unlikely.

5

Planet Explorers General Discussion / Re: Yet another ineractive map[marked]

« on: September 23, 2017, 01:21:05 AM »

Here are some more ore deposits I've found since then:

Diamond : 2077, 9193
(This is a surface deposit immediately south of where the 'Emanation Tower C' used to stand, before you destroy it as part of the Help Peter quest.)

Silver : 9437, 11072
(Not a surface deposit, but extremely close to the surface.)

Gold : 6506, 12123
Iron : 6456, 12094

Coal : 6873, 11717

Coal : 7941, 12384

Iron : 2070, 11190

Zinc : 2132, 11054

Lithium : 2056, 10783
(Surface deposit, of course.)

Edit 1:

Iron : 3344, 11269
(Surface deposit, large.)

Aluminum : 3863, 11162

Iron : 5252, 11272
(Surface deposit.)

Silver : 5260, 11167

Edit 2:

Titanium : 2717, 11775
(Surface deposit, of course.)

Petroleum : 1153, 11138
(Large deposit offshore, on the surface of the ocean floor and below.)

Petroleum : 4822, 11570
(Large deposit just off the shore of the lake, but below the lake bed.)

Petroleum : 3377, 13551
(Huge deposit on the surface, making it easy to mine.)

Silver : 2600, 11670

Silver : 3830, 11800

Edit 3:

Coal / Zinc (combo) : 3383, 12828
(Large deposits on the surface, making this easy to mine.)

Gold : 3978, 13815
(It's kind of deep, but it is below the floor of a cave, so one could dig from inside.)

Coal : 3938, 13983
(Very close to the surface.)

Petroleum : 4085, 14104
(Starts on the surface and extends below the small lake.)

Edit 4:

Silver : 8464, 6788
(It is below the floor of a cave which is south of the Large Doline.)

Iron : 8541, 6834
(Kind of deep, but one could dig to it through cave south of the Large Doline, possibly by mining through the Silver.)

Coal : 8600, 6168

Petroleum : 8549, 6114
(Runs into the Coal above. Unlike most Petroleum, this is not underwater.)

Gold : 11680,  3930
(Huge deposit, accessible from the mountain surface or the cave underneath.)

Silver / Gold (combo) : 11750, 3870
(Huge deposit, accessible from the mountain surface or the cave underneath.)

6

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Chainsaws have been nerfed to uselessness!

« on: September 22, 2017, 08:03:17 PM »

I just tried out the Chainsaw in v1.1.0 and I feel like laughing and crying at the same time. I remember using the Chainsaw in beta releases and, while it mostly functions the same way, it has been nerfed to the point of being useless.

Consider how using a Diamond Axe to cut down trees in the Jungle Biome will regularly yield over 500 or 700 wood... per tree. Some of the extra large trees will yield over 1300 wood, per tree, with the Diamond Axe. And while the Gold Axe isn't as fast as the Diamond Axe, nor will it yield as much, it's not very far behind. While I can't remember exactly how much the Chainsaw used to yield in beta versions of PE, I do remember that it was quite a lot. It must have been close to the Gold Axe, if not higher.

But now...? The Chainsaw is laughable. Cutting down a huge tree in the Jungle biome will only yield around 260 wood at most! And some of the not-so-huge trees will only yield around 150 wood with the Chainsaw!

I don't think the devs realize how silly it is that a Gold or Diamond Axe yields more wood than a Chainsaw. The Chainsaw may cut a bit faster, but a player can still accumulate wood faster with a Gold or Diamond Axe because each tree yields about 4 or 5 times more! Also, the Chainsaw still makes the player walk really, really slowly while wielding it, giving the player a funny-looking waddle, as if it weighs well over a hundred pounds. Because this makes the PC walk slowly, it takes longer to go from tree to tree as compared to wielding an axe...

I think what happened is the devs listened to the complainers who complained that rapidly gathering wood supposedly made the game too easy because they could sell a bunch of it and buy whatever they wanted from NPCs or shops. So, they nerfed the Chainsaw. And, now, it is worthless. No player in their right mind would use the Chainsaw when the Axe is so much better, especially since the Chainsaw will drain your battery. LOL!

Edit: Perhaps I should have posted this in the Planet Explorers General Discussion area, instead? Well, I guess my suggestion is to un-nerf the Chainsaw. Or, at least, drastically reduce the degree to which it has been nerfed. I may not even mind the drastic reduction in wood yield if it would allow cutting down trees 4 or 5 times faster than an Axe. But, that it does not do. Not even allowing the player to run while wielding it would do that.

7

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Organic Fertilizer is Manure, Water and... Iron? IRON?!

« on: September 22, 2017, 07:29:35 PM »

I like the fact that PE has scripts for both a chemical Fertilizer and an Organic Fertilizer. And I like how the Manure for Organic Fertilizer calls for Charcoal as this very much reflects cutting edge agricultural science, such as the recent discoveries about "Terra Preta" and Biochar. However, there is something very, very wrong with your formula:

Manure Script calls for:
1x Animal Feces
5x Water
2x Charcoal

Organic Fertilizer Script calls for:
1x Manure
1x Water
1x Iron

Why does your Organic Fertilizer Script call for Iron of all things?! And why is it equal parts Manure, Water and Iron? That makes no sense. Even as an iron compound, that much Iron would not be soluble. While I'm no expert, I would imagine that this much would be toxic to plants.

I may be no chemist, but I did okay in my chemistry classes in college. And I not only grew up on a farm, I've been gardening for several years on my own.

What the Organic Fertilizer Script should call for, instead of Iron, is Limestone. Every gardener worth his salt will tell you that you need to balance Manure with Lime. That's because Manure is very acidic and will burn plants unless the pH is increased, which Lime is very good at since it is basic. Moreover, Limestone is rich in minerals that plants need. Limestone is mostly calcium carbonate. Earth plants that don't get enough calcium will suffer calcium deficiency, which can seriously impact plant health and drastically reduce yield. Certain kinds of Limestone are also rich in magnesium, another important mineral for plants.

Mixed in the proper ratio, Manure and Lime balance each other out very well.

Aside from replacing Iron with Limestone, I also think that your Manure Script calls for too much Water and not enough Animal Feces. If you mix 5 parts Water to 1 Part Animal Feces, then you will end up with very ****ty Water, not Manure. It would be soup or, at most thin mud, not anything close to a solid. You should probably make Manure equal parts: 1x Manure, 1x Water, and 1x Charcoal. Certainly, you don't want any more than 2x Water for every 1x Manure.

8

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Why does Vera Novikova leave the player's party after Intersolar Diplomacy?

« on: September 21, 2017, 05:45:14 PM »

I find it a bit immersion-breaking how Vera Novikova leaves the player's party immediately after "Intersolar Diplomacy" - that is, immediately after confronting Governor Skyrunner in the Martian Colony and asking her the big question.

Why would Vera Novikova run off into the wilderness and go back to the Earth Camp alone and on foot? Wouldn't make more sense for her to accompany the player character back to Earth camp, both because it would be much safer as a group and how it would (presumably) be faster?

I mean, immediately after "Intersolar Diplomacy" starts (after "Ask Ataro"), Vera talks about how she hopes that they avoid the quote, "Monsters" as how they are described sounds scary. Does this sound like someone who is comfortable with trekking all the way back to Earth Camp all by herself and on foot? (Myself, I flew there in an airship. Because, why not? I already built the airship and it has plenty of fuel left.)

Besides, the completion of "Intersolar Diplomacy" starts the "Civil Cooperation" mission, which has the player go back to Earth Camp to talk with Ataro again. The player is heading straight back to Earth Camp anyway. So, why wouldn't Vera want to hitch a ride?

9

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Maybe have sleep cycles close to human norm?

« on: September 21, 2017, 04:58:26 PM »

I do appreciate that periodic sleep is a necessity in PE. And I like the way that it is implemented, complete with a "tired" state that causes problems for the player. It adds greater depth of realism and a sense of immersion.

That said, I find it annoying that the player's (and followers') sleep cycle does not come even close to syncing with planet Maria's day/night cycle.

Granted, one should not expect the days on extraterrestrial planets to match Earth's 24 hour (23 hours and 56 minutes) period. Some planets have very long days, while some have short days, and many are in between. For example, planet Venus has an exceptionally long day which is equivalent to 116.75 Earth days. However, some planets have a day which is similar to Earth's. The Martian day is 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds, which is only about 40 minutes longer than Earth's.

Assuming that the time indicator in our interface indicates hours and minutes as we know them, the days on Maria are indicated by the passing of 26 hours (from 00:00 to 25:59). This is not too different from Earth time.

As such, one would expect humans to be able to get enough sleep to last through a day on Maria without having to take naps. At least, one should be able to get through a day without having to take long naps.

Well, it turns out the (in-game) reality is not what one would expect. Yes, 8 hours in-game is enough to replenish one's Comfort bar to full. But, in my experience, one's Comfort bar gets drained long, long before the day has run it's course. I could get up around 5:00 or 6:00 with full Comfort and my Comfort Bar would not even last long enough for dusk. It runs out around (15:00 or 16:00). Even with a 2 hour nap, it would run out around 18:00. And when I say my Comfort runs out that fast, I'm talking about days in which my character is not mining or doing anything strenuous.

Please, have our Comfort bar last long enough to get through a Marian day. I get tired of having to spam / repeat Comfort Shots all the time just to get through the day in a manner that matches Martian days, especially since Comfort Shots require Blue Anemone, which is rather rare (darned hard to come by) in Story Mode. (Blue Anemone can be found in certain areas, but only in rather small numbers. And, despite the plant itself being huge, picking it only ever yields 1 (one) unit! )

PS: Perhaps the devs do not realize that the minimum amount of sleep required for humans varies by person? Generally speaking, men often require 8 hours to feel fully rested, while women can often get away with 6 or 7 hours to feel fully rested. This is the medical minimum recommendation, anyway. And this does vary from person to person. My point being that even the 8 hour in-game requirement for restoring Comfort to full is a bit excessive. Many people get by with less.

10

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Why disallow Fuel Cell Type 02 from ground vehicles?

« on: September 21, 2017, 02:45:15 PM »

I applaud how boats, aerial vehicles and helicopters all allow a variety of fuel cells, from Fuel Cell Type 01 all the way up to Fuel Cell Type 04. Variety and options are a good thing and it allows us to improve our airship designs as we progress, obtaining better and more materials (and/or better scripts). I also applaud how we are allowed to add up to 32 Fuel Cells to airships.

However, I am disappointed in how restrictive land vehicles are in terms of fuel cells. Ground vehicles in PE come in a variety of sizes, from tiny one-seat, two wheel scooters to monster land behemoths with 16 (or more) wheels. However, regardless of how big we make our ground vehicles, we are still limited to a maximum of eight fuel cells and, at that, are limited exclusively to Fuel Cell Type 01? How does this make sense?

To be fair, airships and helicopters naturally burn fuel faster, as they burn fuel just to stay aloft. And airships, helicopters, and boats in PE tend to be mid to late game and are, generally, heavily laden with lots and lots of heavy weapons, making them burn fuel faster.

However, I've seen plenty of ground vehicles that are bristling with heavy weapons. And while there are some weapons that ground vehicles can not mount (such as Missile Silos and Torpedoes), they can mount most weapons, including Aircraft Machine Guns, Aircraft Laser Guns, and large stuff like Naval Guns and Controlled Turrets. In other words, they can be nearly the energy hog that large gunboats and combat airships can become.

Why? Why can't we mount more than 8 Fuel Cells? And why can't we mount - at the least - Fuel Cell Type 02 or even 03?

11

Planet Explorers ISOs / Drone/Robot weapon pods? Which does the most damage?

« on: September 20, 2017, 02:06:50 PM »

I am confused on which of the turrets for the Drone/Robot isos does the most damage. Logically, the Laser Turret should do less damage than the Particle Turret, which should do less damage than the Missile Turret. Why? Because of the costs:

Mini Laser Turret costs: 15 Copper, 15 Steel, 1 Chipset (500 MHz)
Mini Laser Turret buying price / selling price: 860 / 229
Mini Particle Turret costs: 20 Copper, 20 Steel, 2 Chipset (500 MHz)
Mini Particle Turret buying price / selling price: 1254 / 333
Mini Missile Turret costs: 35 Copper, 35 Steel, 30 Aluminum Alloy, 2 Chipset (1 GHz)
Mini Missile Turret buying price / selling price: 4528 / 1274

However, the in-game "Attack" rating of drones actually built with different turrets suggests otherwise. One can take the same drone design, built with the same components and materials, only swapping the mini turret and this clearly suggests that the Mini Laser Turret does the most damage.

As an example, here is my Amp-Bot Mk IV. I included 3 different versions, one for each type of turret:
http://planet-explorers-isos.com/planet-explorers/iso-details-amp-bot-mk-iv-807.html

Here are the attack values:

Amp-Bot Mk IV Laser
-------------------
2 Mini Laser Turrets
Attack "220 /s"

Amp-Bot Mk IV Particle
---------------------
2 Mini Particle Turrets
Attack "123 /s"

Amp-Bot Mk IV Missile
---------------------
2 Mini Missile Turrets
Attack "93 /s"

Question: Is the in-game "Attack" value incorrect? Logically, it should be backwards. The version with Mini Missile Turrets should have an attack value of 220 /s, whereas the one with Mini Laser Turrets should have the measly Attack of 93 /s. Considering the resource costs and part values, that would only be fair.

12

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Ataro gives us Parachute, Parachute Script, Gilder & Glider Script... redundant?

« on: September 19, 2017, 09:36:09 PM »

After "Back to Camp" (Return with Ataro's group to Earth Camp), we can finally ask Ataro "Where did Ava and Peter go". This starts "Heading Out West!" And Ataro gives the player a Glider, the Glider Script, a Parachute, and the Parachute Script.

...Doesn't this seem a bit redundant? Why would the player need the script if Ataro gives us the actual item? Is it just in case the player accidentally deletes it and needs to make another?

Ataro had already been very generous to us, giving us so much stuff up to that point. (He gave us 5 VTOL fans, 1 VTOL Type 01, 1 Flight Cockpit, and some other stuff, not to mention scripts to make stuff.) So, I don't understand why he gives us the actual Glider item and the actual Parachute item.

Wouldn't it make more sense for Ataro to only give the player the scripts? I mean, by that point, players should have already gathered plenty of Plant Fiber, Animal Hide, Copper and Aluminum to replicate these ourselves... right?

13

Planet Explorers Suggestions / Re: 'What Lies Beneath' should be doable via stealth, should give a reward

« on: September 19, 2017, 05:21:56 PM »

My suggestions for this side quest are simple:

(A) Make Agnes give the player some tangible reward for helping her out. (Something more than one Light Box and the Light Box Script.)

The quest location is an Andhera nest located very far away from Earth Camp and completely out of the way from the main quest, such as Rol's "Heading Out West!" It is also quite time consuming for a side quest and it does involve quite a bit of danger. In real life, most people would turn Agnes down or refuse to help as soon as they see that it involves three queens (and their brood) - yet, we're expected to grab their eggs and food without killing them. This sounds insane.

(B) Relocate both the eggs and the bones in an isolated corner of the cave, far away from the queens and their males and workers. Preferably, the eggs and bones would be located close the first waypoint, where Agnes instructs the player to dig.

Please, give the player the option to be sneaky. Don't have the eggs and bones guarded so closely. You could make it so the Andhera are alerted as soon as the player takes anything (or takes at least 5 eggs). That would at least give the player the option to safely lay down a bunch of Light Boxes (or erect walls via Build) before they are alerted.

Also: There is only one natural entrance to this cave complex. As such, the Andhera would only expect an intrusion from that direction, placing their food and eggs in the deepest recesses of the cave. Instead - against all logic - I found that going in via the cave entrace makes it both easier and safer to grab the eggs and bones.

Even though the Andhera are animals, they have demonstrated animal cunning. They should have the cave entrance guarded and concentrate on that direction.

By having the cave entrance guarded and placing the eggs and food close to where the player is told to dig, this rewards the player for following Agnes' advice in digging. The excuse she gives is that digging is quote, "easier". But, logically, that makes no sense. Why spend all that time and effort to dig if the player can just walz into the entrance? And why bother to dig if the player must fight with the Andhera (or place down dozens of Light Boxes), regardless of whether they dig down or use the cave entrance?

(C) Also, please consider adding some sort of mineral deposit in this cave complex, preferably something rare and valuable like Diamond. (Mine inside or near an Andhera cave? Am I insane? As the saying goes, "No risk, no reward.") I was disappointed that my scanner did not detect anything to mine. Though, I don't think Story Mode has a scanner upgrade to detect Diamond... Maybe have it as a surface (floor of the cave) deposit near where Agnes tells us to dig?

GAME SAVE: Here is my game save, so you can test my claims:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/saw067y5sx9dwqn/save11-2017-09-19.zip

14

Planet Explorers Suggestions / 'What Lies Beneath' should be doable via stealth, should give a reward

« on: September 19, 2017, 05:12:22 PM »

I've never done Agnes Copperfield's "What Lies Beneath" quest chain before. (According to the wiki, this quest dates back to Beta 0.6. But, somehow, it was new to me.)

Anyway, I was disappointed that this was set up in a way to make the stealth approach difficult to nearly impossible and which requires disturbing the nest in a major way.

The two obvious ways to succeed are to (1) kill the queens and bugs ruthlessly or (2) use followers to help distract them while the player grabs eggs and bones as fast as possible. Option 2 is particularly dangerous as the player character will still take damage as the bugs will not ignore you, even though having followers (or Rol) will help distract them.

This seems to contradict the dialog with Agnes for Part 3:

Agnes: Look at that, fascinating, multiple queens.
Agnes: We need to get some samples from their food and egg.

Player Character: Is this where the fighting starts?

Agnes: Try not to make a scene. Maybe we can make some lights and scare them off? Here, I have some, use them and keep them away from the eggs and food.

Granted, Agnes does give us the Light Box Script and a Light Box, suggesting we use them. And making lots of Light Boxes and laying them down does seem to (mostly) keep them at bay. But this is rather tedious and resource intensive, particularly for an optional side quest that does not reward the player with anything - that is, aside from the satisfaction of having completed it.

Yes, Agnes does give us the Light Box Script and one Light Box. However, more than likely, the player will leave behind multiple Light Boxes for this quest. Moreover, the Light Box Script only costs 90 meat and is only worth 5 meat if we sell it to an NPC. Further, most players will have already purchased the Light Box Script from Lao Lee way back when we first meet him at the Rock Formation. (The Light Box is indispensable in providing enough light to see clearly while mining. The Head Lamp is barely enough and not as useful as laying down a Light Box.)

Considering how Andhera are very light sensitive, I would think leaving behind a bunch of Light Boxes would disturb their nest in a major way. They might be tempted to relocate to a different cave or at least move to a different corner of the cave. Agnes stays behind to study them further, but if the player's actions forces them to relocate...

Also, having followers of any sort, including quest followers like Rol, makes this both easier and more difficult. It makes this quest easier in that the Andhera may attack them instead of the player character, so they are not surrounded and take damage so fast. But it makes things more difficult because they randomly roam around the player character, provoking the Andhera into attacking long before the player gets close enough to steal anything. I had considered doing this quest later, without Rol and after temporarily dismissing my followers. But that involves lots of risk as the Andhera would all be focused on the PC.

The main reason that the stealthy approach is impossible is because both the eggs and the bones were placed smack dab in the middle of the three queens and their brood of males and workers. One can not sneak around and grab them while they are not looking as they will notice you (or Rol or your followers) long before you can grab even one egg or bone.

15

Planet Explorers General Discussion / Re: Who sucked the fun out of being able to fly?

« on: September 17, 2017, 12:14:15 PM »

I appreciate the replies, really. But...

A) In PE versions prior to converting the engine to Unity 5, there was no pausing, regardless of the CPU or hard drive speed. Players did not need excessively expensive or bleeding edge hardware as the game allowed us to fly over empty space - terrain that the game had yet to load or calculate - without issue.

What part of switching to Unity 5 necessitated that the game pause while flying? For ground vehicles or boats this makes sense, as driving over terrain that has not been loaded would cause the player to fall through the ground. But... why aircraft? Even if it was necessary, there's no logical reason why an aircraft should burn fuel while the aircraft is stuck and the game is basically paused.

B) The Voxel Cache is supposed to improve performance in Adventure Mode when flying over terrain that has already been explored... correct? That was my understanding. However, according to everyone posting in the Voxel Cache / drive error Steam discussion, disabling this actually improved performance (or makes very little difference, as in my case).

Does this mean that the Voxel Cache is broken or bugged? If it's not broken, then why gobble up tens or hundreds of gigabytes of the player's HD space for actually worse performance?

I really do appreciate all the hard work in trying to improve PE, especially with bug fixing and adding new content and features. However, it seems like many new patches change certain things in a negative way. In hindsight, wouldn't you say the switch to Unity 5 was a mistake? At this point, I think I'd prefer to play one of the older versions, prior to Unity 5, with all the original voice acting and everything. At least it would run reasonably well even on older hardware.