About the direction of the game and multiplayer

Is the game a storyline and that's that? Is there a world map to go about? Does the game open up at one point on the story and allow for free-roam? Is it sandbox-like after a point? How does the multiplayer go, just versus?

This game and it's magnitude of ships and abilities would be absolutely PERFECT for procedurally generated missions on a sandbox kind of open world where factions do their thing across the galaxy for you to interact with. And the multiplayer would be great if it had the ability to co-op through it, or even versus in a server with a set amount of players to join. It just seems like this kind of potential would be so fantastic with this game's engine and play style. Not saying the story is bad in any way, but it seems wasted on a story that effectively ends your progress after it's over.

So what are the plans for the game in regards to this?

Hey there; these are all great questions. Let me see if I can give you some answers:

Is the game a storyline and that's that?

There are also scenarios and challenges. So far the scenarios include: Spire Battles (Base Battles), Wave Survival, Gladiator Mode (Boss fights), and Deathmatches. We plan to include more, but each of these modes contains a high degree of procedural content. Not only are the backgrounds and mission layouts procedurally generated, the enemies are also outfitted and their piloting personality is chosen procedurally -- there are billions of possibilities!


Is there a world map to go about?

Yes, there is a 3D universal map.


Does the game open up at one point on the story and allow for free-roam?

The initial part of the game is linear and story-driven, designed to orient you to the five archetypes. This way, you'll know what kind of ship you prefer when we let you roam the universe. Once you acquire an anchor drive for your cruiser, you'll be able to choose the order in which you navigate the universe.


Is it sandbox-like after a point?

The missions in the campaign are all hand-crafted and story-driven. While procedural generation is great fun, we leave that for our ample scenario modes.


How does the multiplayer go, just versus?

The different modes allow for different modes of play. In addition to local-coop provided by Duo ships (player two assumes control of a rotating turret), you can challenge the scenarios competitively (versus) or cooperatively through online multiplayer. You can also choose to challenge almost all of the modes alone.


When you're done with the story mode, you'll still have hundreds of pieces of equipment/ships to unlock. This equipment is unlocked by playing the Scenarios and overcoming Challenges. You can also have Nero, your Neuro-HUD research these items in real-time as you sleep!

Thanks for your interest in our game,
-Enrique

To elaborate on the last of the above, the Items are then "added" to the store in the main menu, from which you can purchase the equipment at any time using Plex. So far (alpha) the equipment could only be used in the Hangar screen for use in Scenarios; I do not know how Universally unlocked Items will impact Campaign Gameplay, or if there will be separate Unlocks for Scenario and Campaign gameplay.

You only have one pool of equipment. Equipment is not "consumed" when it's put into the node of a hull. So in other words, once you unlock and purchase a laser, you can put it into any ship that has the appropriate "Fixed Cannon" node. Any gear unlocked in the campaign is usable in the scenarios and vice versa; however, we try to introduce you to each archetype in the initial story arch before allowing you to select and customize your hull. The second section of the campaign, which becomes less linear, prompts you to choose your ship and gives you the option of customizing it before nearly every mission.

We understand that a lot of players are excited about our intense customization options, so we allow you to start tinkering right away in the scenarios, but if you want to orient yourself to the game before you dive under your ship's hood we suggest going through the first half of the campaign first.

Also, nobody checks the keybinds. This is vital, especially as each new ship comes with a new set of abilities. The game tells you to check the Keybinds menu only once, so LISTEN to it. Checking the keybinding menu will always pay off. Know your abilities, and they will serve you well.

That's a very good point! Later on, you bind your own skills as you equip them, but when you're given a new ship full of skills, you'll need to give your bindings a good look. You can check these at any time by pausing the game, which brings up the menu, and selecting "Bindings."