Post by Morreion on Oct 13, 2015 9:58:11 GMT -5
A Steam early access game
Ascent - The Space Game (official site)
Ascent - The Space Game is an online multiplayer 3D space simulator with Combat, Trading, Exploration, Starbase Construction, Research, Custom-built Ships, Planetary Mining and Farming, Asteroid Mining, Gas Giant Harvesting, Wreck Salvaging, Colonization (up to 200,000 structures per colony or Outer Star Base) and now, your own NPC pilot fleet!
Ascent: The Space Game official forums
Ascent: The Space Game Wiki
Ascent: The Space Game YouTube Tutorials by Waervyn
Ascent is MMO space simming done right (MOP)
Ascent, a PvE-only space trading, mining, gas giant skimming, crafting, and combat simulator, is the work of one James Hicks, founder and CEO of Australia-based Fluffy Kitten Studios. I’ve been playing it for the past couple of weeks, and I’m here to tell you that what Hicks has accomplished thus far is fairly remarkable.
...As Hicks told Massively in a 2014 interview, he’s making a PvE-focused space sandbox because no one else will, though he also told us that Ascent will eventually feature consensual PvP that doesn’t goad dedicated PvEers into the usual wolves’ den.
...In addition to explaining basic combat, commodity trading, and mission running, the tutorial will also introduce you to Ascent’s version of asteroid mining, which is infinitely more interesting than its counterparts in EVE, Elite: Dangerous, and so forth. For one thing, the asteroids aren’t stationary, and your beam miner has a limited range, meaning that you’ll need to fly and mine simultaneously. For another, your yield isn’t guaranteed and is instead a product of how well you manage the beam’s temperature. Taken together, these variables make for an addictive minigame that’s both fun and profitable.
...What else is there to do in Ascent? Well, let’s see, you can build a planetary settlement and sell the goods it produces. You can also land on some planets, and the seamless transition between space, the planet’s atmosphere, and the ground is a welcome departure from the genre’s usual loading screens. I get quite a bit of gameplay mileage out of squeeing around planetary surfaces then zooming up into space, but that’s probably just me. You can climb out of your spaceship and walk around taking soil samples, too, which whets my appetite for the additional EVA gameplay that I hope to see as Ascent matures.
You can salvage ship wrecks, build personal space stations, dominate the player-run galactic economy or the local and ever-changing NPC markets. You can discover new star systems (there are purportedly 250 billion to choose from, each of which will boast your avatar name if you explore it first). And that’s just the stuff I’ve gotten to this week. Hicks and Fluffy Kitten are also offering colonization with player governments, “big ship broadside duels between cruisers,” and an extensive crafting system wherein “every ship, weapon, and utility module in the game can be manufactured by players and sold or used to customize ships.”
Oh, and you can paint, rename, and interact with all of your ships via a command-line-style computer interface.
...You can currently play Ascent for free, though you’ll want to look into purchasing the client and paying the monthly sub (it’s a whopping $2.97) if you want access to all of the game’s starbase, industrial, and combat module functionality. The community is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I’ve yet to see any sort of chat trolling, and most veterans will respond with helpful suggestions when asked. On the other hand, there’s been no real incentive to communicate with other players in my experience thus far simply because all of the needed info is easily accessible either in the game’s help menus or on the wiki, and I’ve yet to encounter a gameplay situation that I can’t manage alone.
Oh, and some goofball thought it was a good idea to name a star system GotAnyGrapes.
New Ascent patch has gas, terraforming (MOP)
Said update allows players to terraform entire planets, according to a news release from developer Fluffy Kitten Studios. Initially, terraforming functionality will be restricted to Kickstarter backers and “a handful of devices on small planets.” That’s just the first step, though, as eventually the early access title will allow everyone to “undertake super massive projects to terraform other planets and begin expanding humanity across the galaxy.”
Ascent also recently added some graphical upgrades to clouds and planetary atmospheres, which allow players to visually identify gases prior to engaging in the title’s gas-skimming minigame.
Ascent adds ‘full disembark’ to colonies, lots more (MOP)
One of the more notable feature adds is the ability to fully disembark from your ship at colonies. “Now you can travel around the transport grid network of your colony, meet your own colonists at an entertainment center, and even hire them as crew or to fly ships with you,” developer Fluffy Kitten Studios says in its Steam notes.
Ascent’s NPCs sound kinda like Skynet (MOP)
The “new update to NPCs will radically change the landscape of the game,” according to a Fluffy Kitten press release. “NPCs have personalities, needs, wants, and even approval ratings of their colonial governor, but much of that is hidden away waiting for new features. For now, players can seek out NPCs in colonies and hire them to ferry goods to and from destinations, removing the burdensome task of having to do it yourself.”
Fluffy Kitten says that as Ascent evolves, NPCs will “act on their own,” including going rogue, stealing ships, getting addicted to substances, and attempting to fill their own wants and needs. “These NPC needs will be tied together, where completing one task will likely result in the change of needs and wants of other NPCs on the planet, opening new options to explore,” the firm explains.
Ascent’s first election will determine the President of the Galaxy (MOP)
Ascent: The Space Game is holding its first major election. This isn’t just any player election, mind you, but it’s one that will determine the loftily titled President of the Galaxy. Developer Fluffy Kitten Studios says that the president will be “given a direct line to the development team” and will therefore be able to “influence the very foundation of the universe as it is built.”
The election deadline is June 20th and the newly elected president will serve a six-month term. The two most viable candidates are Prolapser, a veteran with over 1,300 hours of “flight time,” according to Fluffy Kitten’s press release. His only serious challenger is Waervyn, who is riding a wave of popularity thanks to his social media campaigning and his YouTube tutorials.
Ascent’s new president of the galaxy ruffles feathers, furthers roleplay (MOP)
Ascent’s president of the galaxy election is in the books, and a player named Prolapser ran away with 77 percent of the popular vote. Developer Fluffy Kitten’s latest press release says that Prolapser’s first action was to “appoint Sithspit UNCA liaison and reassign the UNCA fleet to better defend key warp gates,” which apparently didn’t sit too well with some “de-centralist” senators.
What exactly is the UNCA? It’s “basically the united governments of the central planets and is largely autonomous to the players’ actions,” according to Fluffy Kitten. “However, with the appointment of a UNCA liaison they’ll be able to have regularly scheduled meetings with the UNCA to ask specific, detailed, questions and create news reports about the history of the game as well as current events. This unique method of storytelling will allow Ascent to produce regular news that will further the plot, history, and create many roleplay catalysts for the players.
Ascent updates its interface amidst a galactic smuggling crisis (MOP)
Did you vote for Galactic President Prolapser in Ascent? Possibly not, but everyone has to deal with what’s happened as a result of his administration. Said president has instituted sweeping price reforms, making the prices of things like meat much lower and the price of raw materials much higher. Planetary mayors are also now able to ban certain goods from their colonies. The result of all these changes? Smuggling operations, naturally. Why would you think otherwise?
Ascent - The Space Game (official site)
Ascent - The Space Game is an online multiplayer 3D space simulator with Combat, Trading, Exploration, Starbase Construction, Research, Custom-built Ships, Planetary Mining and Farming, Asteroid Mining, Gas Giant Harvesting, Wreck Salvaging, Colonization (up to 200,000 structures per colony or Outer Star Base) and now, your own NPC pilot fleet!
Ascent: The Space Game official forums
Ascent: The Space Game Wiki
Ascent: The Space Game YouTube Tutorials by Waervyn
Ascent is MMO space simming done right (MOP)
Ascent, a PvE-only space trading, mining, gas giant skimming, crafting, and combat simulator, is the work of one James Hicks, founder and CEO of Australia-based Fluffy Kitten Studios. I’ve been playing it for the past couple of weeks, and I’m here to tell you that what Hicks has accomplished thus far is fairly remarkable.
...As Hicks told Massively in a 2014 interview, he’s making a PvE-focused space sandbox because no one else will, though he also told us that Ascent will eventually feature consensual PvP that doesn’t goad dedicated PvEers into the usual wolves’ den.
...In addition to explaining basic combat, commodity trading, and mission running, the tutorial will also introduce you to Ascent’s version of asteroid mining, which is infinitely more interesting than its counterparts in EVE, Elite: Dangerous, and so forth. For one thing, the asteroids aren’t stationary, and your beam miner has a limited range, meaning that you’ll need to fly and mine simultaneously. For another, your yield isn’t guaranteed and is instead a product of how well you manage the beam’s temperature. Taken together, these variables make for an addictive minigame that’s both fun and profitable.
...What else is there to do in Ascent? Well, let’s see, you can build a planetary settlement and sell the goods it produces. You can also land on some planets, and the seamless transition between space, the planet’s atmosphere, and the ground is a welcome departure from the genre’s usual loading screens. I get quite a bit of gameplay mileage out of squeeing around planetary surfaces then zooming up into space, but that’s probably just me. You can climb out of your spaceship and walk around taking soil samples, too, which whets my appetite for the additional EVA gameplay that I hope to see as Ascent matures.
You can salvage ship wrecks, build personal space stations, dominate the player-run galactic economy or the local and ever-changing NPC markets. You can discover new star systems (there are purportedly 250 billion to choose from, each of which will boast your avatar name if you explore it first). And that’s just the stuff I’ve gotten to this week. Hicks and Fluffy Kitten are also offering colonization with player governments, “big ship broadside duels between cruisers,” and an extensive crafting system wherein “every ship, weapon, and utility module in the game can be manufactured by players and sold or used to customize ships.”
Oh, and you can paint, rename, and interact with all of your ships via a command-line-style computer interface.
...You can currently play Ascent for free, though you’ll want to look into purchasing the client and paying the monthly sub (it’s a whopping $2.97) if you want access to all of the game’s starbase, industrial, and combat module functionality. The community is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I’ve yet to see any sort of chat trolling, and most veterans will respond with helpful suggestions when asked. On the other hand, there’s been no real incentive to communicate with other players in my experience thus far simply because all of the needed info is easily accessible either in the game’s help menus or on the wiki, and I’ve yet to encounter a gameplay situation that I can’t manage alone.
Oh, and some goofball thought it was a good idea to name a star system GotAnyGrapes.
New Ascent patch has gas, terraforming (MOP)
Said update allows players to terraform entire planets, according to a news release from developer Fluffy Kitten Studios. Initially, terraforming functionality will be restricted to Kickstarter backers and “a handful of devices on small planets.” That’s just the first step, though, as eventually the early access title will allow everyone to “undertake super massive projects to terraform other planets and begin expanding humanity across the galaxy.”
Ascent also recently added some graphical upgrades to clouds and planetary atmospheres, which allow players to visually identify gases prior to engaging in the title’s gas-skimming minigame.
Ascent adds ‘full disembark’ to colonies, lots more (MOP)
One of the more notable feature adds is the ability to fully disembark from your ship at colonies. “Now you can travel around the transport grid network of your colony, meet your own colonists at an entertainment center, and even hire them as crew or to fly ships with you,” developer Fluffy Kitten Studios says in its Steam notes.
Ascent’s NPCs sound kinda like Skynet (MOP)
The “new update to NPCs will radically change the landscape of the game,” according to a Fluffy Kitten press release. “NPCs have personalities, needs, wants, and even approval ratings of their colonial governor, but much of that is hidden away waiting for new features. For now, players can seek out NPCs in colonies and hire them to ferry goods to and from destinations, removing the burdensome task of having to do it yourself.”
Fluffy Kitten says that as Ascent evolves, NPCs will “act on their own,” including going rogue, stealing ships, getting addicted to substances, and attempting to fill their own wants and needs. “These NPC needs will be tied together, where completing one task will likely result in the change of needs and wants of other NPCs on the planet, opening new options to explore,” the firm explains.
Ascent’s first election will determine the President of the Galaxy (MOP)
Ascent: The Space Game is holding its first major election. This isn’t just any player election, mind you, but it’s one that will determine the loftily titled President of the Galaxy. Developer Fluffy Kitten Studios says that the president will be “given a direct line to the development team” and will therefore be able to “influence the very foundation of the universe as it is built.”
The election deadline is June 20th and the newly elected president will serve a six-month term. The two most viable candidates are Prolapser, a veteran with over 1,300 hours of “flight time,” according to Fluffy Kitten’s press release. His only serious challenger is Waervyn, who is riding a wave of popularity thanks to his social media campaigning and his YouTube tutorials.
Ascent’s new president of the galaxy ruffles feathers, furthers roleplay (MOP)
Ascent’s president of the galaxy election is in the books, and a player named Prolapser ran away with 77 percent of the popular vote. Developer Fluffy Kitten’s latest press release says that Prolapser’s first action was to “appoint Sithspit UNCA liaison and reassign the UNCA fleet to better defend key warp gates,” which apparently didn’t sit too well with some “de-centralist” senators.
What exactly is the UNCA? It’s “basically the united governments of the central planets and is largely autonomous to the players’ actions,” according to Fluffy Kitten. “However, with the appointment of a UNCA liaison they’ll be able to have regularly scheduled meetings with the UNCA to ask specific, detailed, questions and create news reports about the history of the game as well as current events. This unique method of storytelling will allow Ascent to produce regular news that will further the plot, history, and create many roleplay catalysts for the players.
Ascent updates its interface amidst a galactic smuggling crisis (MOP)
Did you vote for Galactic President Prolapser in Ascent? Possibly not, but everyone has to deal with what’s happened as a result of his administration. Said president has instituted sweeping price reforms, making the prices of things like meat much lower and the price of raw materials much higher. Planetary mayors are also now able to ban certain goods from their colonies. The result of all these changes? Smuggling operations, naturally. Why would you think otherwise?
