Hoverbikes And Homing Missiles In Starbound Update
Cocking On The Moon
The long-awaited Starbound [official site] combat update has arrived! Beside the expected host of conflict-related features, it also brings new areas, enemies, vehicles, and quests. Oh, and it's come with a trailer. Come look, see:
From that, we can expect tweaks to how weapons are handled to allow for more nuanced combat. Flamethrowers, remote-detonated grenade launchers and "dual wield fist weapons to enable powerful combo finishers" all sound exciting and the ability to upgrade hardware by virtue of blueprints found scattered throughout the world should add a distinct layer of depth as Starbound hurtles towards full release. Other points of note from the update's patch notes include Hoverbikes and 300 new micro-dungeons found in the new 'Midnight' and 'Frozen' planets.
While Starbound oozes potential - and looks positively lovely - I more often than not find myself aligned with Adam's previous ponderings with regards to the extra terrestrial sandbox. Every time a new patch lands, I get the urge to dive back in but am then quickly stifled by the expectation/reality dichotomy the Terraria-in-space-a-like seems perpetually tied to. For me, unfortunately for it, the former always trumps the latter as it gets a bit boring rather fast. This is likely down to how long it's spent in Early Access - now over two years - and the fact that I've been dipping in and out since the beginning. Nonetheless, I find its lack of punch frustrating, particularly because I really want to like it more than I actually do.
With all that said, I will jump back in. I just hope the new additions are enough to hold my interest.