sullen hearth
I have children that like to play the games I do. However, the standard difficulty is far beyond their skill levels ... by far.
If there were other modes / difficulties to play the game in, they would likely enjoy it. The 5 and 7 yr olds really want to play. However, the game is too challenging for the younger peeps. Beyond catering to my personal ideas, creative mode would be handy to test ship builds and break free from the consequences of trying things out (including different builds).
placid dew
There is a peaceful difficulty mode. Doesn't that work?
wary shale
I think he means some sort of testing system that allows him to test out ships and equipment before buying/diving into the rings.
My take of this being implemented into the game would probably be some 'simulation of the rings' in Enceladus that allowed you to simulate flying different ships with different setups in a simulated asteroid ring.
You'd never actually buy the ship or the equipment, but you'd get to see what best works for you without wasting time diving into the rings to try things out or buying new things only to sell them soon after.
@placid dew
hardy garden
I mean, difficulty implies that it's just too hard to succeed, and peaceful mode should help with that.
As for a creative mode, you can use and play with most things, save a few variants, with just plain money -- so copying an established save full of money after selling your ships and buying a stock K37 would essentially be the easy way to do that.
The only other thing I can imagine that might help in a 'creative mode' is a godmode or unlimited consumables (ammo, drones, remass,) etc. That feels like it's getting really out of the scope of a hard sci-fi game.
sullen hearth
I think he means some sort of testing system that allows him to test out ships a...
Actually, that would work well too. I am personally thinking of the younger kids that play that don't get the grasp of physics (ofc, i'm thinking of my situation with the 7 and unders that think the game is pretty and want to fly around and be silly.)
I am ok with the game being as is, they'll have to deal with it. 😄
'Nothing worthwhile is easy.' -Someone
hardy garden
I think my main concern is that nothing we do can help people cope with physics or the constraints of reaction mass or etc without compromising on being hard sci fi.
The money, sandbox, all that can do is give you some extra toys. It doesn't make the game easier to understand or the mechanics easier to cope with.
wary shale
sometimes the best way to enjoy the game is to struggle to learn it. It's fun when you finally get the hang of things and manage to do a decent haul. Maybe try let the kids learn the more complex nature of moving in dV and perhaps they'll stay to learn long enough that they finally start to enjoy the game as is...
hardy garden
I mean, the nice thing about DV, is it still is a game, and you can play it like a game without understanding the details. The right combination of thrust, and either AP or FBW manual use can help make things easier to handle.
sullen hearth
sometimes the best way to enjoy the game is to struggle to learn it. It's fun wh...
That's going to be my plan when I get back home after this trip. A crash course ain't a horrible thing entirely. The excitement they get when they succeed is adorable.
sick thistle
I think if we are speaking of young kids just peaceful might not be enough - you can absolutely wreck your ship and go broke from just hitting asteroids while not bringing back enough.
I'm not sure if going full creative / godmode would be a good solution tho - taking all the positive or negative reinforcement out of the game would stop all learning and blunt the success of making a good find.
Maybe something like "easy economy" mode could be a solution. I'm thinking free repairs at Enceladus. This way you still need to go back and fix stuff, if you wreck the ship out in the rings, so there would be a cause and effect learning process. But you would always be able to go and try again.
hardy garden
You can still repair into negative cash.
There's no 'game over' where you just can't fly, though not being able to upgrade isn't fun.
(Other than blowing up in the rings, I mean.)
hollow estuary
Ok my take on all of this :
i get what jangu is saying. the younger generation is learning to appreciate the magnificent indie games, and jangu's kids playing what he is playing is a nice way fro them to bond even more.
But Jangu 5 and 7 are WAY too young to handle a physics game. But kids learn and adapt really fast, faster than adults.
The only way to make the game easier is to take out all of the physics part and make it an arcade game, which immediately the game will lose all of its appeal.
Let them try a little bit more and with some positive feedback, encouragement and help from you, you will see their faces lit up when they will learn to handle the craft without crashing.
And then again gamers nowdays are so pampered. They have it too easy. Hard games build character.It is better to have it hard in the game than in real life.
About the testing part. What A Not so broke Miner proposed is a good idea. Maybe adding a simulation service in the station, where for a small fee, players can test new crafts and equipment.
sick thistle
It's never too early to start getting an appreciation for sciences. Young children will develop intuition quickly just as they do with languages, if they find interest in something.
It's not like the kids are forced into textbooks. A game is a great medium, even if it might be a bit difficult.
Especially in our times where its fashionable among the youth to shun Physics, Mathematics as boring and useless.
This rant was provided courtecy of 20 Years spent working in education (of young adults, not kids, granted).
hardy garden
I think it isn't really about the sciences, it's just wanting to play together and enjoy the same things. That it's scientifically accurate is nice, but that's not the core issue.
The real core issue is that this is a challenging game that can be less forgiving of careless handling, and to change that beyond offering the AP and fly-by-wire would be to undermine the core of the game - hard sci-fi.
sick thistle
Sure, it was more a general rant towards "Kids are too young for serious game involving science". They sure aren't if they are having fun with it.
hardy garden
I think part of the point of DV is that you CAN pick it up and play it without understanding it. It is a sim, yeah. But it's still a game first.
It may be confusing sometimes, but you can.
stray fox
To me just giving infinite money, and all ships&modules not tied to story, and maxed-out Crewmates 'unlocked' will suffice as a Creative Mode. Wouldn't it?
placid dew
that sounds like something that can be modded in really easily.