The Future of Infinite Space: What I'd Like To See in Updates, Expansion Packs and Sequels to Sea of Stars
After a long layoff, I am back here blogging about my small but exciting collection of Steam games, and will conclude my discussion of Sea of Stars by explaining the features that aren't included. Many of you should watch this space, because the subsequent inclusion of such features in Sea of Stars, though unlikely, is certainly something I am anticipating, if it ever occurs. And even if it doesn't happen to Sea of Stars, its sequel could still include these features. With this in mind, let me explain them, and why they are important to the franchise.
First and foremost, the size of Sector Prime (the map used in Sea of Stars) could be adjusted in Weird Worlds (the immediate predecessor to Sea of Stars), with the player's allotment of time changing accordingly. Implementing this feature in Infinite Space III would force the inclusion of separate high score tables for each possible map size, but it would make the game more likely to be worth revisiting. However, unlike in Weird Worlds, I would prefer this feature not to affect the strength of alien flotillas, although the larger maps should feature more factions to attack and/or negotiate with. Given that Weird Worlds often threw you into unforgiving (if not outright impossible) battles early on when playing in larger maps, especially before your flotilla has been upgraded and/or expanded, this might be seen as a welcome change.
I would also prefer to toggle quest-triggering events on or off, or even change the probability of them occurring, as was the case in pre-release builds. Now don't get me wrong - quests certainly add an element of surprise and danger to the game, and provide a worthwhile challenge for anyone aiming for the highest possible scores, but for a casual gamer, they may make the game more difficult, especially for inexperienced players. To balance this out, whenever a quest occurs, the player should be awarded 5000 credits for successfully completing it; currently, this does not apply to the Swamp Pirate Rebellion or the Ravian Invasion quests, which makes them all the more frustrating. As such, guaranteeing that the player will receive the reward after completing any quest should provide an extra incentive to complete the game fully.
Moreover, some of the items and events which were present in Weird Worlds but omitted from Sea Of Stars should be reintroduced; the Clingon, Six-finned Bloater and Wind Bag are among them, and should fetch a decent sum on Loryx, the Zorg home world. I could also make a case for bringing back the Mantle of Babulon - most alien races you encounter will negotiate with you automatically if you are carrying one - but I also fully understand why it was removed from Sea of Stars: it was so overpowered in Weird Worlds that the developers decided not to carry it over for the sake of balance. Likewise, the Aethric Mirror (which could infamously be combined with the Anti-Graviton Shunt to dispose of every alien flotilla on the map) was omitted altogether for the same reason, while the Chromium Gong now had a chance of shattering on each of its first three uses (and would always disintegrate if used thrice), among other changes. Undoing these would make the game easier, but would disrupt the sense of balance found in the final product, and since I prefer the game to be more rewarding even without the former two artifacts, I would rather have them left out, for now at least.
Another intriguing possibility is the introduction of online turn-based multiplayer. Given that the sector map can accommodate 8 factions at most, online multiplayer will be limited to 8 players, but it should be enough for a normal game; any unused player slots will be taken over by AI-controlled factions. As for the Combat Simulator, it currently supports no more than four flotillas (1 player-controlled, 3 AI-controlled), and as such the multiplayer functionality for that mode should also be limited to four players for balancing purposes. While I'm at it, I'd propose upper and lower cost limits, options for whether or not to allow the use of certain items, and let players decide if certain ship classes are eligible - again, in the name of balance. Finally, online rankings and leagues would help enhance the competitive element of these modes.
Yet another idea would be a spin-off in the form of a spaceflight simulator similar to Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen. Those games combine trading, combat and exploration in such a way that the player feels like a real interstellar adventurer. It is these elements that this proposed spin-off game must get right from the outset. In addition, the player should be able to start the game with a choice of factions, not just the Terrans, and on top of that, have the option of owning multiple ships at once. Other elements, including a relationship meter (which tracks how friendly or hostile the player is to other factions) will also need to be utilized, but I reckon that Digital Eel (the developers of the Infinite Space trilogy) can make it work if they somehow got the chance.
Although no updates have been announced for Infinite Space III since the first quarter of this year, the future for this game looks bright. In addition to the achievements, players like me have been discovering ways to truly master the game. Moreover, the presence of mod support allows for the possibility of making the game more challenging and/or diverse. That's all I have to say about Sea of Stars on this blog (for now at least) - in the next post, I will come back down to Earth (not literally, though!) and discuss a four-wheeled conundrum I had not so long ago.
Moreover, some of the items and events which were present in Weird Worlds but omitted from Sea Of Stars should be reintroduced; the Clingon, Six-finned Bloater and Wind Bag are among them, and should fetch a decent sum on Loryx, the Zorg home world. I could also make a case for bringing back the Mantle of Babulon - most alien races you encounter will negotiate with you automatically if you are carrying one - but I also fully understand why it was removed from Sea of Stars: it was so overpowered in Weird Worlds that the developers decided not to carry it over for the sake of balance. Likewise, the Aethric Mirror (which could infamously be combined with the Anti-Graviton Shunt to dispose of every alien flotilla on the map) was omitted altogether for the same reason, while the Chromium Gong now had a chance of shattering on each of its first three uses (and would always disintegrate if used thrice), among other changes. Undoing these would make the game easier, but would disrupt the sense of balance found in the final product, and since I prefer the game to be more rewarding even without the former two artifacts, I would rather have them left out, for now at least.
Another intriguing possibility is the introduction of online turn-based multiplayer. Given that the sector map can accommodate 8 factions at most, online multiplayer will be limited to 8 players, but it should be enough for a normal game; any unused player slots will be taken over by AI-controlled factions. As for the Combat Simulator, it currently supports no more than four flotillas (1 player-controlled, 3 AI-controlled), and as such the multiplayer functionality for that mode should also be limited to four players for balancing purposes. While I'm at it, I'd propose upper and lower cost limits, options for whether or not to allow the use of certain items, and let players decide if certain ship classes are eligible - again, in the name of balance. Finally, online rankings and leagues would help enhance the competitive element of these modes.
Yet another idea would be a spin-off in the form of a spaceflight simulator similar to Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen. Those games combine trading, combat and exploration in such a way that the player feels like a real interstellar adventurer. It is these elements that this proposed spin-off game must get right from the outset. In addition, the player should be able to start the game with a choice of factions, not just the Terrans, and on top of that, have the option of owning multiple ships at once. Other elements, including a relationship meter (which tracks how friendly or hostile the player is to other factions) will also need to be utilized, but I reckon that Digital Eel (the developers of the Infinite Space trilogy) can make it work if they somehow got the chance.
Although no updates have been announced for Infinite Space III since the first quarter of this year, the future for this game looks bright. In addition to the achievements, players like me have been discovering ways to truly master the game. Moreover, the presence of mod support allows for the possibility of making the game more challenging and/or diverse. That's all I have to say about Sea of Stars on this blog (for now at least) - in the next post, I will come back down to Earth (not literally, though!) and discuss a four-wheeled conundrum I had not so long ago.
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