Empyrion - contender for Elite?

[Space Fan]

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/08/steams-latest-hit-lets-you-explore-space-land-on-planets/

Crappy graphics - looks like a kind of Minecraft in space - but it looks like FUN!

 

[Darth Ender]

There is no competitor for Elite Dangerous if you're looking for an MMO space combat/trade game.

None of the yet-to-be-released games are really focused on what ED focuses on. No Man's sky is basically single player. Star Citizen also has mostly single player with their MMO not even central to the game and no where near ready to play this year. Vendetta-Online is over a decade old and looks it and basically is a glorified pvp arena. Entropy is getting completely rewritten pretty much but it's gameplay is a bit odd and network/graphics performance was lacking. Eve: Valkyrie is only playable on Rift and its eve ...so you have that ick to deal with. Then you got your mine-crafty type games like starmade and space engineer but they're not really the same genre.

No, there are no contenders if you want what ED's open mode will become. Just different types of games or much poorer alternatives.

 

[Helgarth]

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/08/steams-latest-hit-lets-you-explore-space-land-on-planets/

Crappy graphics - looks like a kind of Minecraft in space - but it looks like FUN!

That's not a sim but more a survival game with space included. A fun game but totally different from Elite.

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There is no competitor for Elite Dangerous if you're looking for an MMO space combat/trade game.

Star Citizen also has mostly single player with their MMO not even central to the game and no where near ready to play this year.

Do you really think that Elite is centred around the "MMO" aspect? XD

 

[Cosmo]

Empyrion looks like Minecraft in space. It looks wonky and cartoony, a low-budget indie game. Crafting and base building would be cool in Elite.

 

[Space Fan]

Empyrion looks like Minecraft in space. It looks wonky and cartoony, a low-budget indie game. Crafting and base building would be cool in Elite.

Which is what the OP (me) wrote a few lines above. But it does look like fun. FD have said they will include crafting - I like a bit of crafting

 

[Mark Lock]

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/08/steams-latest-hit-lets-you-explore-space-land-on-planets/

Crappy graphics - looks like a kind of Minecraft in space - but it looks like FUN!

Empyron is not an mmo, ED is, it's like wondering if X beyond the frontier competes against EVE Online, even if both are spacegames one is a mmo , the other one is mostly single player, Empyron is the typical game I'll buy on sale, not the current one eur off one , at least 20percent off LOL

 

[EdzUp]

There is no competitor for Elite Dangerous if you're looking for an MMO space combat/trade game.

None of the yet-to-be-released games are really focused on what ED focuses on. No Man's sky is basically single player. Star Citizen also has mostly single player with their MMO not even central to the game and no where near ready to play this year. Vendetta-Online is over a decade old and looks it and basically is a glorified pvp arena. Entropy is getting completely rewritten pretty much but it's gameplay is a bit odd and network/graphics performance was lacking. Eve: Valkyrie is only playable on Rift and its eve ...so you have that ick to deal with. Then you got your mine-crafty type games like starmade and space engineer but they're not really the same genre.

No, there are no contenders if you want what ED's open mode will become. Just different types of games or much poorer alternatives.

To be honest I wouldnt call ED a MMO more of Multiplayer Frontier a MMO would mean hundreds of players all being able to see each other in the game with a 32 instance limit due to p2p issues this isnt the case more of a huge arena game. Now if they changed to server/client model and had hundreds of players in a instance then it would be a MMO at present it feels like Facebook Elite where those online can be seen in your instance if they are in your area.

 

[Jason S]

H'mmm worth taking a look at...

 

[cpbtrading]

Empyrion is o.k. Its lower graphics doesn't bother me, no game with low graphics bother me much, provided there is decent game-play, which there is, sort of.
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Its very restricted at the moment, but it is going to increase over time. However, it is similar to SE (Space Engineers) which I play quite a bit. Space Engineers has planets coming soon (pick your own size depending on your machines performance levels) and AI later. SE is already vast without 'jump' screens. So you can fly and find different things during your voyage, you can explore do mining, find derelict ships/stations/platforms etc. Plus of course build out your universe, Empyrion is going to go the same route I think.
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When I backed it on the failed KS it looked very promising, when we got pre Alpha access, it was interesting, for a while. It then shows clearly the building of ships, stations etc in-game is poor compared to SE. Its going to struggle to keep up with SE, also the physics in-game are not great whereas in SE they are very good. Planet size may be an issue for Empyrion, whereas SE is getting huge planets fully explorable, also probably now with animals and so on.
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Overall Empyrion is interesting and I'm glad I backed it again soon after the KS campaign had gone by the wayside. I will keep an eye on it and I do think many players that are into survival will find it a good game, that will get much better over time. The survival side is better than SE, but the building side, for me, is better in SE.
I find the SE universe the best out of all the space games I have, for the fact there are no false screens to load through to get to places. You could start out now and explore and find things for the next few hundred years and never need to go back or load or search aimlessly. That may/will possibly be the case for Empyrion too.
But I haven't been back into Empyrion to play since the first few days, I'll wait a while and watch the progress, don't feel the need to go in again yet. But I have been building and experimenting in SE ready for planets. Landing large craft using the games physics will be interesting and very hard I would think.

 

[CMDR Cillian Raynor]

i've been trying this game for the past few days, a lot of potential but it's still pre-release right now.


I wrote the following on another forum i go to. Recopying.




I'm trying this pre-alpha indie space survival game called Empyrium: Galactic Survival. It's pretty cool, a bit like Space Engineers but more accessible and with some actual gameplay aside from just constructing in space or on planets. So far the game has only like 5 planets (temperate, desert, rocky, lava and...not sure bout the other one...jungle i think?), and they're all pretty close from one another but the final goal of the devs is to have a procedurally generated universe of thousands of planets.


You start outside of an escape pod with very little and have to survive first by finding oxygen (you can do that with an oxygen generator you put in water) and food all the while you try to settle down and build a base and then eventually ships so you can go back to space (you can build space stations too). It involves a lot of mining for resources and building. It's basically a minecraft/survival sci-fi game. You actually build your ships piece by piece, it can go from small fighter type vessel to full on capital ship. Like you have to put the thrusters and counter thrusters and engine and fuel tank (you do need to make the fuel too) and lights and guns and it all to you know...work...nobody's telling you how to build it or where you should put this or that piece, you're left to figure out what you think is best (you can save blueprints once you ave a design you like)...


Right now i'm still at hovercraft stage and i still haven't seen space..... here's a few pics i took.


i built/designed an hovercraft piece by piece!

I built/designed an outpost piece by piece!

Inside the base

the upstairs floor with the generator powering the base (that's another thing, you have to keep your base fueled and powered up if you want to use the machines you have inside) and the plants i'm growing for food

Nice view from nearby mountain, you can see the base and where the escape pod is

early on before i had a base i spent the extremely dark and scary nights in my crashed escape pod's cockpit....the giant dinosaurs looked scary

that moon over there? i could actually fly there and build a base up there too if i had a ship yet. Oh yeah and you have to build guns too though they're preset designs....it would have been fun to have to build your guns piece by piece gotta say...some game should get on that.

 

[deMangler]

Empyrion is not a contender for Elite - completely different game. Of all the titles around at the moment Rogue System has the most bits I wish were in Elite. However, if Elite were to learn a lot from Rogue System and Empyrion I would be very happy. Thing is - I am still really a lone wolf single-player type at heart so I am a bit biased.

 

[cpbtrading]

With Space Engineers getting its planets this week, its going to be hard for Empyrion to keep up. I backed Emp in KS (not reached), stage. Then pre alpha access. Its a good game and could beat Space Engineers in the survival department. However, now with the new planets arriving in SE, and the fact that SE is completely open, with hundreds of years (our years) worth of space to explore (without loading screens of any type), it is going to be a challenge for Empyrion to keep up, even with the survival aspect. They're are also rumours of more survival things to be added to SE, plus of course the Sabroids (space spiders), as foe, it just gets better and better.
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Now Space Engineers does have its problems, at the moment there are issues with DX11, plus other bugs. But as many of these games are, its in early access still, so beware the buyer, as always. For me Space Engineers wins out over Empyrion, but its great to have the two similar games, that way they keep each other fresh, at least for a while.
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Space Engineers is quietly one of the best space sandboxes available. But Empyrion is building and has only really recently started, when compared to SE. So it could all change later.
I think its just nice to have all these games available in the genre.

 

[Rilzi]

I picked it up as soon as it hit Steam and hated it. Steam tells me I've played 78 minutes - pretty sure 70 of those was clicking through menus crafting pieces of things to craft bigger pieces of things. I was hoping for a game with exploration around the planet, flying up into space, a survival game with a space component that let you explore the stars and other planets. What I found instead was a micromanaging simulator that managed to take any possibility of fun out of the game. You don't craft 'things' - generators, weapons, whatever; first you have to build their components with raw materials, then use the components to build the item you want. Some more complex items require components made of multiple other components. Oh, and also you need a steady stream of food and oxygen, that you also have to farm. Also power if you want to run your machinery. Also ammunition for your mining tool to get minerals and metals. You can't explore far from your ship because you'll run out of oxygen, so while there's an interesting planet with crashed ships and towers in the distance, and who knows what else out there, you're stuck by your escape pod ship. Maybe it gets better after x hours, but I just couldn't stand the crafting system.

 

[Witcherman]

Which is what the OP (me) wrote a few lines above. But it does look like fun. FD have said they will include crafting - I like a bit of crafting

You're right, it does look fun. ED will eventually have all this gameplay but with slightly better graphics.

OP, if you end up playing this, do us all a favor and write up a review

 

[CMDR Cillian Raynor]

I picked it up as soon as it hit Steam and hated it. Steam tells me I've played 78 minutes - pretty sure 70 of those was clicking through menus crafting pieces of things to craft bigger pieces of things. I was hoping for a game with exploration around the planet, flying up into space, a survival game with a space component that let you explore the stars and other planets. What I found instead was a micromanaging simulator that managed to take any possibility of fun out of the game. You don't craft 'things' - generators, weapons, whatever; first you have to build their components with raw materials, then use the components to build the item you want. Some more complex items require components made of multiple other components. Oh, and also you need a steady stream of food and oxygen, that you also have to farm. Also power if you want to run your machinery. Also ammunition for your mining tool to get minerals and metals. You can't explore far from your ship because you'll run out of oxygen, so while there's an interesting planet with crashed ships and towers in the distance, and who knows what else out there, you're stuck by your escape pod ship. Maybe it gets better after x hours, but I just couldn't stand the crafting system.

well...its like minecraft really. Which i love.


And yes it does get better, in fact i think the game starts way too easy. It doesnt take long before you're pretty much not running out of anything. Oxygen for one is as simple as putting your oxygen generator, which you conveniently start with, into the nearest source of water, powering it up(you start with way to much fuel too) and then after that well, you have hours worth of oxygen easy. And about exploring, yes it gets better once you have an hovercraft because you can have an oxygen station on it. So then it becomes your moveable mini base... you can even have a fridge on it. though i don't think you can have a food processor. But the planets right now are way too small for satisfying exploration to be fair....it is in pre release, the dev says its gonna have much bigger planets in final release...of course...IF it ever gets a final release....most indie games never seem to nowadays.

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You're right, it does look fun. ED will eventually have all this gameplay but with slightly better graphics.

hmm no it won't

i mean comparing both games is silly and th eop shouldn't have. elite will never be a survival game in which you do minecraft like crafting and resources gathering and building. When the devs say crafting in elite, they mean components for your ships. I also doubt if elite will ever have base building, but if it does, it won't be a piece by piece affair with like crafting of every single bit of wall and computer and what not. And that's fine, that's not the type of game elite wants to be.

 

[CMDR Cillian Raynor]

With Space Engineers getting its planets this week, its going to be hard for Empyrion to keep up. I backed Emp in KS (not reached), stage. Then pre alpha access. Its a good game and could beat Space Engineers in the survival department. However, now with the new planets arriving in SE, and the fact that SE is completely open, with hundreds of years (our years) worth of space to explore (without loading screens of any type), it is going to be a challenge for Empyrion to keep up, even with the survival aspect. They're are also rumours of more survival things to be added to SE, plus of course the Sabroids (space spiders), as foe, it just gets better and better.
.
Now Space Engineers does have its problems, at the moment there are issues with DX11, plus other bugs. But as many of these games are, its in early access still, so beware the buyer, as always. For me Space Engineers wins out over Empyrion, but its great to have the two similar games, that way they keep each other fresh, at least for a while.
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Space Engineers is quietly one of the best space sandboxes available. But Empyrion is building and has only really recently started, when compared to SE. So it could all change later.
I think its just nice to have all these games available in the genre.

i havent played SE myself, i saw a lot of it though. Thing is i love creating stuff but right now it seems to me SE doesn't have any gameplay outside of building things. And its great to build a space station and ships and all that but if i dont have anything to do with those except fly into a space devoid of threats, enemies, ships, wars whatever....then the interest remains limited. I WISH SE would become a survival game too.

To be fair right now empyrium has limited npc threats. You have drones (in space or on planets) and some alien life forms on planets. That's it. And the fighting isn't exactly stellar.

 

[MaxLexandre]

Empyrium is good, the potential this game has if they implement (already roadmapped) Procedural Generation tech to create the solar system and huge planets, with the dedicated server software already coming soon, can be amazing!

This game has more gameplay and less sandbox than Space Engineers and StarMade, and it's more based of the players progressing from a planet, to build/repair their spaceship and start exploring outside their planet, and this is something i'm looking for. Specially hosting a dedi server and poke around progressing with the actual game progress.

 

[CMDR Cillian Raynor]

I know i's probably old hat for SE players but I've never played SE and I can't get over how cool this game is. I've built this ship from nothing, block by block, thruster by thruster. I had no damn idea if it was gonna work fine at all and take off... many hours went into it because trying to get into 3D an idea in your head....well i don't have an engineer mind at all, i don't have blueprints in my head, i create on "feel". so....it involved a lot of put blocks, remove blocks, put blocks, remove blocks, thinking you'll never manage to build something half decent looking, etc....


I'd guess that took me probably 10 hours in total... it's not the best looking ship in sci-fi history, but it's all mine think it's pretty damn alright for my first.


From various angles, on the landing pad of the base i built.

i even bothered to make a little space to walk in inside, so that i coudl have an oxygen station, a fridge and cargo space


in the cockpit (you don't actually design that though...game has 4 different types of cockpits to choose from for small vessels..designing a cockpit would be cool but probably a bit too involved)

looking down towards the cockpit

looking up toward the back from just outside the cockpit

oxygen station and fridge (having food and oxygen available close-by at all time is a necessity in this game, else you'll die)

cargo and stuff

i forgot i wanted a pic from the top down. Oh well.

 

[cpbtrading]

I know i's probably old hat for SE players but I've never played SE and I can't get over how cool this game is. I've built this ship from nothing, block by block, thruster by thruster. I had no damn idea if it was gonna work fine at all and take off... many hours went into it because trying to get into 3D an idea in your head....well i don't have an engineer mind at all, i don't have blueprints in my head, i create on "feel". so....it involved a lot of put blocks, remove blocks, put blocks, remove blocks, thinking you'll never manage to build something half decent looking, etc....


I'd guess that took me probably 10 hours in total... it's not the best looking ship in sci-fi history, but it's all mine think it's pretty damn alright for my first.


From various angles, on the landing pad of the base i built.


http://s25.postimg.org/xe4a252i7/shipangle.jpg


http://s25.postimg.org/w9a7wrg1b/shipfront.jpg


http://s25.postimg.org/6ubp001yn/shiponbase3.jpg


http://s25.postimg.org/z38bd3bvz/Shiponbase.jpg




http://s25.postimg.org/6rrtd5yb3/shiponbase2.jpg




i even bothered to make a little space to walk in inside, so that i coudl have an oxygen station, a fridge and cargo space


in the cockpit (you don't actually design that though...game has 4 different types of cockpits to choose from for small vessels..designing a cockpit would be cool but probably a bit too involved)
http://s25.postimg.org/wedz6fncf/inthecockpit.jpg


looking down towards the cockpit
http://s25.postimg.org/opc2xlgj3/lookingdowntowardscockpit.jpg


looking up toward the back from just outside the cockpit
http://s25.postimg.org/g5sozu86n/lookingbackfromthecockpit.jpg


oxygen station and fridge (having food and oxygen available close-by at all time is a necessity in this game, else you'll die)
http://s25.postimg.org/mak7d60a7/oxygenstationandfridge.jpg


cargo and stuff
http://s25.postimg.org/awxo1yprj/cargo.jpg




i forgot i wanted a pic from the top down. Oh well.

There is a great satisfaction in building your own personalised space ships, bases, mining rigs etc.
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Its a nice ship.

Edit: Oh, now do yourself a favour, buy Space Engineers, go looking at all the new planets and try avoiding the bugs eating your ship's, makes for some interesting and fun game-play.

 

[CMDR Cillian Raynor]

What i find is missing from SE is any sort of gameplay outside of building things. And yes empyrion's is limited, but i'm hoping it gets better in time. Sure the fighting isn't terrific, and there's no other ships to fight, just drones and wildlife, but it's already something, plus i appreciate the survival element, even if right now it's a little too easy to have near endless amounts of materials, oxygen and food. In my view IF developed right this could be a more interesting game than SE. But the game is still a long way off form release...hopefully the devs can achieve what they want to achieve. Like having much bigger planets and a gigantic universe of procedurally generated planets (which is in the roadmap). It would also be nice if they could add enemy ships. For sure IF someone could combine Elite like gameplay (combat, trading, exploration) with a game like this, then you'd have possibly the best game of all time.