Blackhawk wrote:The moment to moment gameplay doesn't really give a sense of advancement or progress, so the it's more about just experiencing it for its own sake until you have enough pieces of the puzzle that you start to see the story.
Now that I've made some actual progress into it understanding what's going on, I have to say that I don't really agree with the first part of this statement.
The game is a bit of a struggle at first because the world is completely open. You can go just about anywhere, but most of it won't make sense...until you stumble across a bit of information that points you in a good direction. Follow up that lead, and you'll get another nudge in the right direction...then another, and another, and another. At this point, my exploration is pretty targeted based on things I've learned, and there is a story building. I just had to get over the initial hump.
With that in mind, I'll leave a small hint for anyone completely lost at the beginning...
The game actually does a good job of leading you to the next appropriate destination once you find the start of the trail (which I spoiled above). The more tricky part then becomes figuring out how to approach each planet. Every place you visit has a unique twist that keeps exploration interesting, and the passage of time becomes a critical aspect of the game. The entire solar system changes over time, and some goals can only be accomplished in certain windows of time...but the game's big gimmick makes sure you always get another chance.
A couple of other random useful tidbits...
The controls are tricky, but there are a few key things to remember. Planets have gravity (and some stronger than others, so pay attention to the readout)...get too close, and you will be pulled to the surface. If you're trying to land in a specific spot, switch to landing view and hover over the planet using bursts of the takeoff thrusters, while at the same time using your directional controls to essentially put crosshairs on your landing site. Once you're lined up, let gravity pull you in and tap your takeoff thrusters to set the ship down easy.
Matching velocity with a targeted planet or object in space is key to maneuvering around the object. There is a button/key that does this for you, and it's especially important for flying with your suit in space. If you're in your suit near a moving object and you match its velocity, it's like you're sitting still relative to each other. Then it's a matter of gentle directional taps to make yourself drift in the desired direction. If you ever get out of control, just hit the button to match velocity again and you'll essentially come to a stop relative to whatever you're maneuvering around. Gentle adjustments are often the key to success. Note that matching velocity doesn't work for your ship if you're too close to a planet and get pulled in by its gravity.
Get comfortable listening with your scope and using it to locate the explorers from your home on each planet. This will give you a good starting location to land on a new planet, and conversations with them will often tell you about places to explore or hints about the planet you're on.
Lastly, review your ship's log regularly. Time starts over throughout the game and your own memory might not be great, but the log never forgets anything important. You can always see what you've learned, and question marks will highlight places you might want to visit next.
The game is a bit of a slow burn initially, but I'm finding it thoroughly engaging now that I've discovered my path and adapted to the controls. While the overall pace is slow, you will encounter moments of pressure as you're trying to get someplace before the world changes too much around you, accomplish one more thing before the reset. Don't let the beginning discourage you, because it definitely gets better with time.