The scream you may have heard an hour ago was one of ultimate suffering, for when I returned home from a long day at work, I discovered my new computer won’t boot up.
It looks like my system drive has failed.
I opened it up to see if there was a wire loose or anything, only to find that I couldn’t even find the system drive in my new rig.
And of course, trying to contact customer support on the evening before Thanksgiving is an exercise in futility.
On a positive note, my old computer works perfectly fine, though needless to say, my EGS save isn’t available. Not to mention I need to install about about six months of missed updates.
That's terrible! Just added to my own holiday todo list - back up my game saves and clone my main system drive (something I've been meaning to do for awhile but keep putting off).
That's terrible! Just added to my own holiday todo list - back up my game saves and clone my main system drive (something I've been meaning to do for awhile but keep putting off).
The good news is that aside from EGS, all my saves were available via Steam's cloud storage. The better news is that I got a hold of customer support early this morning (when they said 24/7/365, they actually meant it), and they walked me through the whole process of trying to figure out what was wrong.
As it turned out, it was. And it's dead. They're sending me a new one (it's still covered by warranty) and I now know what one is, and how to install it. I knew storage was getting smaller and smaller these days, but the last time I tried to install my own drive, it was massive!
The main reason I upgraded from 16 to 32 GB RAM was so I could turn off my swap file, which was showing signs of corrupting my own M.2 drive. I've not had a single OS crash since doing this. Even so, I bought a new M.2 on sale when I was worried about the original, I just need to make the clone.
The scream you may have heard an hour ago was one of ultimate suffering, for when I returned home from a long day at work, I discovered my new computer won’t boot up.
.
In the "misery loves company" department, my rural internet bandwidth is falling apart since everyone in the neighborhood is home for the holidays streaming 4K football while I'm trying to fly my spaceship without lag. Looks like I'll be stuck in solo play for awhile.
Space Engineers
Round Ten, Director's Cut
Strategic Repositioning
Part Eight... The Hunt for Resources
Since I couldn’t proceed with my EGS game, and I had an hour and change to kill this morning, I decided to log into CA #2 and get some work done. Naturally, it was night out but a sandstorm soon moved in. I guess where I set up camp is still considered part if a desert biome!
Since I chose this area specifically for its friendly ground vehicle terrain, I started building my Ladybug. Inspiration struck suddenly as I started construction, so I rather than placing my antenna and ore detector in their traditional upper location, I decided to put them both in the undercarriage.
It was only after I had assembled both, and was about to attach the first wheel, that I realized I’d been overeager, and had made a mistake.
Once that mistake had been fixed, I could attach the wheel, and connect the future Ladybug to my base camp.
The morning came, and I quickly noticed the difference between my old rig and my (malfunctioning) new rig. Mostly in the level of detail and draw distance, and turning up the graphics killed my frame rates. On a positive note, my old computer had the DVI connection necessary to utilize my monitor’s native resolution,
Once the cockpit was completed, I tweaked various controls while I waited for the cryo-chamber to assemble.
Once that was attached, I added a bit of detail, and set out to explore the plain below!
I quickly found Nickel, Cobalt, Silicon, and Magnesium. I also decided to test my desert camouflage scheme.
Soon after finding another source of silicon, I noticed a red signal on my HUD. It was an enemy beacon, practically next door! Checking the time, I decided I had enough to investigate and return to base camp. The game was afoot!
After parking my Ladybug as close as I could while still keeping it under cover, I proceeded to the signal source, completely unequipped, just in case there were active defenses.
I disabled the beacon, checked the reactor for uranium, and then returned to base so I could get ready for work. I work Saturdays, and the health club doesn't open early enough to work out. Here's hoping there's a package waiting for me when I get back.
I’m now faced with an interesting conundrum that wouldn’t happen in a single-player game. This wreckage isn’t what’s left of an enemy NPC’s ship. It was a player’s. Let’s call him “Jimmy.” If it had been an NPC pirate faction, I would’ve claimed it as the valuable pile of salvage it is. It’s a player’s, which gives me more options, but also increases the danger, and not just because “Jimmy” might return and be hostile.
It’s size means that someone’s bound to stumble upon it sooner or later. It could be useful as a distraction, serving to disguise the presence of my own potential base of operations. OTOH, the active beacon suggests “Jimmy” might return, which puts me in proximity to a possible foe, so I should put some distance between us.
While I'm not the biggest fan of EGS for a couple of reasons, I really have to give the developer kudos for their continued work on this product:
Welcome to the release of the version 1.7 EXPERIMENTAL update!
If you follow us on Discord, Twitter, Facebook or in our forums, you've probably already seen one or two changes for the upcoming version. Among other things, this is the first iteration of a new fluid effect system that reacts to interactions with the respective fluids (water, lava) - be it when a vehicle is moving fast, being shot at, wading through, or just having a nice swell on the shore. Further improvements for this are planned.
The AI pathfinding on terrain has also received a far-reaching improvement. Obstacles such as trees, stones and plants will be recognised better in future and the movement paths will be smoothened.
Aside from purely technical changes, for all creative galaxy builders, lots of new options for designing the galaxy, the nebulae to new settings for items and blocks have been added to the latest version!
For all players looking for new content, POI and missions, there is also new stuff to do and find. Almost 100 new ships and stations have been added to 1.7 thanks to the tireless builders from the community. Satellite hacking is now also fully implemented. More information on missions and gameplay is now also available in updated entries in the in-game Empyriopedia (F1).
We also updated Invader vs Defender with a big surprise coming at the end of Experimental for our Official Servers
As always, please remember that to test the new content (including the test planet for new biomes) it is best to start a new savegame with the Experimental version. Changes to this area during Experimental may make it necessary to restart or manually update certain areas of the game.
Right now my heart belongs to Space Engineers, but like that overused meme, EGS keeps tantalizing me from the corner of my eye. I'll be very interested to see where this game is in another year or two.
I went back to an old world I had saved in SE. I had placed lots of planets out with huge distances between each. Some neb's were placed too, it is quite a large place to be.
What I found out is, just how much I missed pottering about inside my ship repairing or organising things whilst the remote pilot took me towards a destination. Also how I had forgotten just how important that side was, plus the rotors, pistons, wheels etc. Just been quite a while out of SE, was really nice to get back again.
There are things I miss from Empyrion when I play SE and vice-versa, but the ability to walk around your ship and have those other bits and pieces really do make you want to stay a while, which I must say, I'll be doing.
Travelling in SE is like no other space game. It's just feels right, what can you say.
I want an SE2 with some of the items from Empyrion, probably not happen, but there you go.
Block choice, paint & texture mechanic, planets, survival, npc's (although they are dumb), water, underwater, planet effects etc. They are the ones off the top of my head.
Empyrion Galactic Survival - Cobra Edition 2
Episode One
A Fresh Start
I've been privately bemoaning the loss of my (corrupted) save, and it took me until yesterday to realize I could start again on my old computer, and move the save to my new one once the new M.2 finally arrives. So that is exactly what I did.
I decided to use medium difficulty on the arid planet this time. I was tempted to do a harder start again, but I wanted to reach a rough parity with my SE game sooner rather than later.
I actually managed to guide the escape pod right to the damaged comm station, which really accelerated the first part of the story missions. As an added bonus, this world is a ringed world, which makes for some interesting visuals.
One of the first things I did was work on getting oxygen production up and running, make as many energy bars as possible, as well as gather some basic minerals to build some weapons and starting equipment. This took most of my first day. I also decided that I'd resist building a base until I'd completed the first three chapters of the story missions. I could use portable constructors for storage in the meantime. Until I could access the hoverbike, I'd make due with the foldable motorcycle.
Not having access to a fridge, I ended up eating the raw fruit in the area, while converting the plant protein and vegetables into energy bars, which was the longest lasting food I could make without access to a food processor. As it turned out, eating too much fruit could lead to problems.
Dealing with the initial "dungeon" is starting to become old hat at this point.
At the end of the mission, I was infected a dermal parasite, which necessitated returning to the Talon settlement for treatment.
The more basic treatments definitely have their side effects, like leaving a bleeding, open wound behind.
Dealing with the Talon mission took most of the day, so after "rescuing" them from the threat from the ancient tower, I rode off into the sunset!
Back at camp, I replenished my oxygen, refueled my oxygen/water generator, and spent some time in the dark replenishing my stash of food, as well as harvest more minerals. In particular, I needed some silicon to build a small fridge for my future Hoverbike, and harvested stone to get synthesize enough silicon ore to produce ingots.
The next morning, I gathered up some supplies, added more fuel to my oxygen generator, and departed for the wrecked ship where I could find the Hoverbike.
When I arrived near the site, I discovered that the Zirax had several drones that I'd need to deal with. Thankfully, I'd already came prepared with an assault rifle.
I made quick work of the Zirax guards, which unfortunately tanked my reputation with the Zirax. One of these days, I'm going to try to play a "Make nice with the Zirax" game. Of course, the Zirax are such card carrying villains, that I doubt I'd be capable of such cartoonish villainy in a survival game. I don't mind playing the villain on occasion, but I prefer more nuanced villainy, unless it's a game like Evil Genius or Dungeon Keeper.
The time it took to search the wreck and get the Hoverbike properly outfitted consumed most of the day, so I ended up racing back to camp on the Hoverbike. Unlike the starting crash site, there's dangerous beasts on the dunes, especially at night. It was a relief when morning came, and I could head back to base.
Now that I had a working fridge, I was able to stock up on food, and not convert what I gathered into energy bars. I also risked a run back to the Talon Settlement, where I'd left some supplies. Much of the food at the Talon cache had spoiled already, but I was able to preserve some of it, especially the stuff with a long shelf life.
The next morning, I got ready to do the next mission that I was familiar with, the second "dungeon" on my list.
There weren't any real surprises, which has always been a problem with replaying games with hand crafted missions. The nicest one was finding a decent supply of neodynium ingots and titanium rods, which'll come in handy later. I also picked up some multi-tool and mining tool power packs, so I could use the equipment I'd found previously.
At this point, I'd blitzed through the starting missions, and I was ready to establish my base. I just needed to find a good location for it. Since this is the arid planet, there wasn't much flora to make ground vehicles difficult to operate, so I set out in my Hoverbike to expand my horizons. Flying may be much faster, but exploring from the ground is in my opinion much more fun.
I spent two days exploring before returning back to my campsite back at the life pod. Besides locating some resources, as well as an "oasis biome" I'm considering settling in, there were two notable finds. The first was the some radioactive lands that were encroaching on a Talon settlement.
The second was locating some Zirax territory.
Coming up next in EGS:CE2, converting the Hoverbike into a proper transport, as well as finally ending my nomadic life.
But first, in Space Engineers: Cobra Edition Online, exploring my new home!
I feel the opposite. Travelling through space in SE is IMO the weakest aspect of that game. I love the wheeled vehicle physics of the game, but the game is way too empty, especially in space, to be a satisfying experience for me. My playtime is precious, and any flight model that invites me stop actively piloting, and go find other things to do for long stretches of time, isn't high on my list of favorite features.
It doesn't help that the flying vehicle flight model is not realistically simulated. Thruster placement doesn't matter, center of mass doesn't matter, and the whole thing goes wonky when under gravity when you add sub-grids. I've been spoiled by Kerbal Space Program on this front, and EGS is much closer to that level of perfection than SE is.
I'm pretty much the opposite myself. There are quite a few elements that I'd import from SE into EGS, which sadly are probably not going to happen. In particular, I'd like to bring in EGS from SE:
The wheeled vehicle system. This is the strongest aspect of SE for me, which is second only to KSP among the space games I play.
The construction system in general. There's something more visceral and satisfying about the whole welding and grinding mechanic, verses EGS's block placement method.
The whole conveyor system. Though I do wish SE had a better variety of large grid blocks that could be used to transport gases.
The blueprint system. EGS allows you to spawn saved buildings and vehicles into your survival games, but that's nowhere near as satisfying as SE's system is. Especially since the whole thing boils down to feeding a hammerspace assembler enough stuff, it doesn't matter what since it's hyper efficient at recycling, until you got enough base minerals to build it complete.
(Edit) almost forgot the most important one: all of SE’s technical blocks! Hinges, pistons, and rotors for the win!
As I've said repeatedly, EGS and SE are like two halves of my ideal survival space game. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which is why I enjoy both.
I feel the opposite. Travelling through space in SE is IMO the weakest aspect of that game. I love the wheeled vehicle physics of the game, but the game is way too empty, especially in space, to be a satisfying experience for me. My playtime is precious, and any flight model that invites me stop actively piloting, and go find other things to do for long stretches of time, isn't high on my list of favorite features.
Sounds like you'll not enjoy my new server much, as I actually "amplify" the size and emptiness of space. I like the immersive feel of those long journeys through the black, though I admit sometimes I'll leave SE running in the background while I do chores during some of those long stints. I agree with Space Menace though, in that I like the ability to walk around my ship, make repairs, tinker, etc. while in flight. It's one thing I really liked about my Krait, it was a giant flying hangar / garage that I would work in during those long journeys. Contrast this to my mining ship, which was designed with FTL in mind, but flown without FTL on CA1. In that ship I just have a cockpit and a bed, so there's nothing to do during those long travels (the closest uranium deposits are over 200KM from my outpost), and that's when I'm more likely to do dishes IRL while the ship flies itself.
These are the things I like about SE as well, so here I side with you over Space Menace. That and the fact that much of what Menace wants in SE are available as mods. The biggest thing missing for me is the NPC side of things. Sure, there's lots of NPC ships, but I'd like to see actual people. This is why I find myself continually pulled back to online play in SE, as this helps add some real life to the solar system.
Whether or not I’ll enjoy your new server will ultimately depend upon a host of things, in particular planetary exploration. When I think of space exploration, it’s mostly about exploring strange new worlds, not staring at them from orbit. There are many things I’m willing to endure, if other gameplay I enjoy are present. There are, after all, Jump Drives in this SE, though I do wish there were small grid ones.
Which is a point in EGSs favor. The only thing small grid ships can’t do, that large grids can, is jump between systems. Give me a small grid jump drive, and I can be a happier camper… literally in some cases.
edit: and sometimes hands off flying does have its advantages, case in point this morning!
Since I was at home today, thanks to having a doctor's appointment a little after noon, I had an opportunity to log in and play some Space Engineers! Or more accurately, continue the brief session I had last night. I had an entire plain to explore for mineral resources to exploit, and I couldn't wait to do so!
Last night, when I logged in, it was naturally night. No offense, @Old Duck, but I'm actually starting to get sick of logging into pitch blackness. If this was a single player save, and I was playing with the sleep mod installed, it wouldn't be so bad, because I could just go to bed (or a cryo-chamber) and enjoy the daylight. And of course if this was EGS, I could take advantage of night vision technology.
And when you factor in that this is a multi-player PvP game... I decided to install light enhancement technology into my suits and vehicles.
It didn't help that soon afterwards a massive sandstorm blew in, and my visibility increased.
The sun had risen by the time the sandstorm passed.
At one point, my Ladybug hit an unseen obstacle, and flipped onto its side. These mysterious collisions are an aspect of online play that can be a bit annoying. I was going to fly over to my camp and get some supplies to right it, when I realized that I had everything I needed already on hand. I just needed to get a little... creative.
As I was returning to base to safely log out for the evening, I managed to flip over the Ladybug again when I collided with a tree I didn't see coming. Thankfully, I was already braking, thanks to the rough terrain I saw ahead.
Naturally, another sandstorm blew in, making my return to base a little more interesting...
This morning, I swapped out Old Duck's skybox for the original one. Naturally, when I logged in, it was daylight.
One of the other things I did that morning was go back to some of my daylight screenshots, and get the hex codes to improve my camouflage. If "Harry" is lowering some of his graphics settings to better spot other players, I'd need to up my game. Sadly, the colors of the terrain vary quite a bit, so it still isn't perfect...
Naturally, another sandstorm blew in just as night approached...
I'd finished most of the plain to one side of this mesa by the time the sandstorm passed, and I remembered exactly how luminous the original skybox was.
The other side of the mesa turned out to be much more broken that the plain I'd explored. It took quite a bit of exploring to find a safe way past this "ravine." I was actually starting to somewhat regret my decision to swap skyboxes, because bumbling into this "ravine" would've made for a more interesting adventure...
Eventually, I navigated that labyrinthine terrain, and I had a clear shot back to base.
My ground level exploration yielded fantastic results. I found at least one deposit of all the planetside resources I require, including gold and ice! There are also two triple starting ore sites in this area, though one is uncomfortably close to that wrecked ship.
I still had over an hour to spare before I needed to leave for the doctor, so I decided to return to the camps I'd built during my evacuation, and bring some of resources I'd gathered back to my new home. The server was operating nicely at 80% simulation speed, so I figured I could get two trips in.
Sadly, I didn't think to take many screenshots during the first journey. Probably because the trip was uneventful enough, that I got out my iPad and started browsing the forums. (see above post)
Of greater concern is that when I launched to make my second trip, I didn't think to take some screen shots when I accidentally knocked over the tree I was using to disguise my windmill, thanks being a bit clumsy with my takeoff. I ended up relocating my temporary camp to another location, where I made some improvements. Still, I'm at home right now, so I can take screenshots of the finished results.
...
I just realized I can narrow that docking platform down a bit if I turn the H2/O2 generator 90 degrees, and move the basic assembler between it and the basic refinery. Hold on a second, I've still got a little time to spare, so I'm going to make those improvements I was talking about, and then get in a round of EGS tonight!
...
And naturally, the server was going to reset soon. Good thing it didn't take too long.
Coming up tomorrow (I hope) will be Episode 2 of Empyrion Galactic Survival: Cobra Edition 2! Reworking my hoverbike and starting my base!
And then I get to start a proper base in Space Engineers! The only question is... where exactly am I going to place it?
No offense taken. I actually swapped out my own default background for the same reason:
It's much brighter, but still looks like "space" to me, albeit a fantasized version. And then there's this realistic skybox mod, but I haven't extracted the DDS yet, so it's not something I can use on public servers until I do:
It's brighter than the one you were using (due to Milky Way) but darker than that blue fantasy sky.
There are actually lots of skyboxes to chose from, these being two of my favorites. I just can't go back to that smokey default sky that Keen provides.
# Building in Empyrion is much more intuitive, However there are things that SE do better for example deleting items. That is much easier in SE. But on the whole the building in Empyrion is better, for me at least.
# Water, mods in SE for water are not very good, its nice to have them, but after a while you walk away from them, well I do. Water in Emp, especially after the new update, is great. It's performance heavy, but good nevertheless.
# I've played SE so long that using mod blocks has been a no, no, for me for quite a while. Mainly because many would break after updates, probably not so much now because Keen don't update that much anymore. But I was completely put off mod blocks a few years back.
In Emp they give you a far better range of blocks.
# Paint is better in Emp, paint each side whatever you choose, so SE could learn from that.
# NPC's, of course we have ai in SE they take no form other than ships, but they are there. A few mods add to it and help a little. NPC's in Emp are dumb, pathfinding & behaviour wise.
However the ai used for the factions in Emp are good, although basic. These are obviously presented as ship type ai, not the actual npc's themselves.
__
So there are my reasons for what I said I would like in SE from Emp.
That said, everything regards travel in SE is way beyond EMP, once you have built a world. SE is a complete sandbox, Emp is a partial sandbox, more open world than sandbox, for me anyway.
Both are terrific games, but the feeling of being in space, for me, is better in SE. Planetwise its all much better in Emp.
SE still pips Emp for me, but only by a hair. If someone was to combine the two games, that would be really good.
So lets, perhaps, look forward to SE2, because you never know.
Sounds like you'll not enjoy my new server much, as I actually "amplify" the size and emptiness of space. I like the immersive feel of those long journeys through the black, though I admit sometimes I'll leave SE running in the background while I do chores during some of those long stints. I agree with Space Menace though, in that I like the ability to walk around my ship, make repairs, tinker, etc. while in flight. It's one thing I really liked about my Krait, it was a giant flying hangar / garage that I would work in during those long journeys. Contrast this to my mining ship, which was designed with FTL in mind, but flown without FTL on CA1. In that ship I just have a cockpit and a bed, so there's nothing to do during those long travels (the closest uranium deposits are over 200KM from my outpost), and that's when I'm more likely to do dishes IRL while the ship flies itself.
These are the things I like about SE as well, so here I side with you over Space Menace. That and the fact that much of what Menace wants in SE are available as mods. The biggest thing missing for me is the NPC side of things. Sure, there's lots of NPC ships, but I'd like to see actual people. This is why I find myself continually pulled back to online play in SE, as this helps add some real life to the solar system.
So that is exactly what I did. 
