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Galaxy227 -> RE: New Preview of Distant Worlds 2 by Rock Paper Shotgun (1/21/2022 2:16:41 AM)
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After reading, I've compiled a list of new things revealed in this article:
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Each ship needs fuel too, although this time there's just one fuel type, which I'm mildly disappointed by, but is probably a better design decision.
Up until reading this article, I thought Distant Worlds 2 was going to have two fuel resources, similarly to its prequel, DW:U. I am not exactly sure why the author of the article, Sin Vega, thinks removing the second fuel resource should equate to "better [game] design," or why Elliot thought this change was necessary at all. I'm surprised, to say the least.
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...the new ability to set immigration policy on a per-planet basis rather than just empire-wide, and the same is true for resource storage policies. Civilian transports will manage deliveries and stock levels as before, but you can alter their priorities to stockpile or clear out any given resource from any planet or station.
We've already been told DW2 will provide finer controls over resource & population management, but the above quote really hits the nail on the head.
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Exploration ships have new, more nuanced AI settings to differentiate between basic exploration, prospecting, and spying.
This is new. This is good.
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One of many details that experienced players will recognize as a potentially huge problem solver is the replacement of fiddly and unreliable supply ships with fuel tankers. These too can be supervised and manipulated from an accessible list, but more crucially will now seek out and deliver fuel directly to fleets, keeping them from abandoning their posts to fly back to a fuel source.
These new fuel tankers are a really unique way of tackling fuel-logistics during wartime. DW:U's supply ships were broken, and so fuel tankers are a welcome change.
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...destroyed ships can now leave behind debris, from which you can salvage resources, money, or scraps of knowledge.
Debris is a great addition, but I hope it doesn't despawn. The thought of having skeletons of ships floating aimlessly through ravaged systems excites my inner-nerd like nothing else.
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Planets are no longer icons only a few sizes larger than a ship, but big ol' orbs, which "does affect the tactics too, because you can't cover the planet with just one spaceport anymore. You usually need a defensive fleet, or several orbital bases to fully cover it from attack."
This is an incredible change, and one not noted by the developers until now. I cannot wait for the new tactical depth DW2 provides.
Lastly, I also have questions regarding two particular quotes from the article:
Quote #1:
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The list of playable factions has been cut from 20 to seven "because each faction frankly is a huge amount more work than it was in Distant Worlds". It's a small disappointment, but should still allow wide range of playstyles, and the remaining species will be available as independents who provide bonuses if conquered or peacefully assimilated.
Considering each of the seven playable races have their own ship & station models, having the other 13 races as independents or pirates gets me thinking: what 3D assets will these minor factions be using? Do minor factions have their own, separate 3D models to appear different from the seven playable races? Do pirates differ visually from the independent colonies?
Quote #2:
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Sensor stations will help with this, as should the new "dangerous locations" menu, which records threats like space monsters and pirates, plus when you last scouted the area.
Sins of a Solar Empire has a menu where you can hover over locations and be briefed on the last-known ships in said location. How similar is DW2's "dangerous locations" menu relative to my description of Sins? I imagine an interface displaying all last-known ships & stations, hostile or not, could prove incredibly useful to the player in DW2.
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