Any Starbound fans here?

I used to be. With all of Chucklefish's weirdness around its development, it's hard to enjoy the game as much…

Have you tried any mods at all? There are so many, they really make it great! I didn't start playing until after they had already abandoned it :( so I don't know anything about their weirdness ...
- I didn't even know they were weird about it. That's a bummer it turned people off the game...
- I played it a lot vanilla but I have been hesitant to try some of the bigger mods because I hear a bit too hardcore for my liking. I wish the game was more fleshed out, but I don't want it to be a constant struggle.
The controversy was one thing, but the game itself really could've used more optimisation. I played through once and now occasionally go back and play with mods on, and the performance issues really does make you wish the game ran better.
- Have you tried the mods that attempt to optimize it? I use one called "more threads" or something and OptimizeBound.

Yes I remember playing this game since an early alpha. But it's all so empty and sometimes feels pointless to wonder around a new planet. Btw Chucklefish made the game with unpaid child labor... I eventually returned to Terraria.

Where'd you find that info?
- https://youtu.be/2i2_BUffRmM
Yikes! I didn't know it was that bad.
- 'unpaid child labor' painted a nasty picture in my head. If you watch the video about it in these comments, it was more like 'asked 16yr olds to make content and told them it wouldn't be paid but they might get job offers later (but they never will)'.

I used to play starbound a ton, it’s been a few years. I stopped playing because all the planets just felt so lonely after a while. I remember seeing that the devs were planning on adding NPCs and maybe even quests or a storyline? Did any of that happen?

They... did.. But every quest is "Go to specific type planet, find X amount of clues, then go do special boss battle."

I loved Starbound and was really excided for its environment and style. I still think it has some of the best world generation, like a 2D version of No Man's Sky. Oh, and the music just feels so right...

I had hoped it would grow beyond what Terraria was at the time, but sad to see that didn't pan out and development has basically died. It feels like there's still a lot of potential in Starbound but it feels unfinished.

I agree. However, Starbound modding community seems to be thriving !
- Cool, thanks for the insight. I haven't looked at the MOD scene on Starbound so I'll check it out.
  
  Any specific mod recommendations?

I love Starbound dearly. It has an atmosphere and sense of exploration that is just great. I go back to it for a while every year or so to re-explore and vibe, such a good game especially for the price

Sure. But rather casual one.

I never built a homebase anywhere, instead I preferred to call the ship my home and put as much effort into it as possible. I wasn't very good at it, but it was fun...

That is definitely my second mobile home too in game! :)
- I felt strangely happy seeing that small piglet made of a few pixels following me everywhere on the ship. Good times...

Played a ton when it first started; stopped when they released a bug that wiped out the contents of any container with an empty slot. Lost all my stuff. Couldn't really get back into it having lost so much time and with devs that had such iffy null handling via their Lua code.

Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn't work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: [email protected]

I was a part of the beta testing cycle for Starbound but its been years since played last

I may have ti fix that

I wonder if some of my mods still live on in other mods.

I've been diving deep into mods last week or so -- what were your mods?
- Some plant mods.

Something I've always wanted in Starbound is something like a captains log. Yes I can take notes elsewhere, but it would be really nice if there was UI to organize my experiences and history as I bop around the universe. The bookmarking method isn't all that helpful.

I used to play a lot of Starbound, but this is actually what's holding me back. I want a little more roleplaying as a space explorer and I'd love collecting planet data in a better UI.

Such a good idea. I actually have a notebook for my finds and thoughts and I wanted to make a whole compendium on what I've made. Haven't yet, but a captains log sounds so fun.

Put a ton of time into this game yeeears ago. Loved it and occasionally come back to it and play some modded. Fantastic game with fun exploration.

How does starbound compare to terraria? I remember buying it, but I only played it for a few minutes iirc

Controls are a bit more floaty.

You go more places in Starbound, but they aren't as deep as they are in Terraria.

You can't build boss arenas in Starbound.

They tried to make more of a story in Starbound; it is ok.
I've never tried Terraria (shame on me. I know.) But from what other players say, SB focuses more on exploration, while Terraria focuses more on tenants and colonies, perhaps?
- You really should!
  
  I was big into Starbound pretty early but never quite felt the highs I got from Terraria. I would say if Starbound is up your alley, Terraria is a must-try. It's great with friends, too, and if they're anything like mine, the moment someone brings it up after a year or two, they're always down for another Terraria playthrough~
  
  I think what appeals a lot about Terraria is the world. It's like a living thing in its own right. Biomes don't just sit in place, and the world doesn't just spring up on creation and stay static except for what you do to shape it to your liking. Building is less convenient than Starbound, but also more central. As you stretch out into the world, it quickly becomes your home. It's so comfy and pleasant to come back to and build a new place. Upgrades and progression are kind of nuts, too. You're always moving forward on some game-changing new accessories, new crafting items, new NPCs to buy neat stuff from. Even when it's starting to feel like you've explored everything, your progression is set to change the world and make it feel new again.
  
  Starbound felt like more of a streamlined story/experience built around the bones of freely exploring terrain as you like. Worlds have this No Man's Sky effect of being mostly the same across the whole surface and populated by randomized variants of the same recognizable critters, but ultimately not feeling like there's much unique to make them distinct from each other. They feel rather disposable, like you have all this space but it only makes it harder to determine where you want to set down your roots and develop a personal connection to a place. Ultimately it was challenging for me to keep pushing through when it was so optimal to leave systems behind once I got what I needed there.
- No offense, but Starbound doesn't hold a candle to Terraria. I've played a lot of both. You can mod the shit out of Terraria, too.

Kickstarted it!