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My Impressions: Love it. I'm confident the kinks will be ironed out nicely too.  

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NickMUK
New Member
Joined: 6 months  ago
Posts: 1
05/02/2017 2:28 pm  

 Hi,

I'm not usually one to comment on betas but I really love this game and I hope that my input can help the developers make the most of this game. I've only racked up 5 hours or so, and I'm currently on the Hyla map of the campaign, but I've notice a few things that I think could be expanded upon and a few things I think might benefit from a review.

When I fist saw Aven Colony I immediately knew this game had potential to be a hit. I was of course apprehensive that I could be getting excited, like I did for Beyond Earth, only end up being disappointed. More about the ideas I had in my head about what the game should be, than because of the shortcomings of the game itself.

That said, Aven Colony, is almost exactly what I wanted. It surpasses my expectations in many ways, though not a city builder in the sim city sense, it's more like the Anno games. I mean this in so much as you have to keep a tight control of your base resources, not just set up infrastructure and then pander to the desires of your inhabitants.

he Good:

  1. The world you have build looks beautiful. I love the rich fauna you have on the green maps and the snowy glaciers look great. I like how this is all set on a single planet, not different worlds in a star system, to me that adds a lot of depth to the environment. I like the idea of the colony ship and I'd quite like to know more about the backstory, why have these people set out on the expedition? What is the society of humans like? I got a promotion to chancellor according to the voiceover at the begining of one level, what does that mean? The buildings all look interesting and I like how there are different tiers with similar "modular" designs, it feels practical and similar to what we see today in plans for future mars missions; but also the designs are unique and not blocky white geometric designs.
  2. I like the voice acting, i like the way it helps immerse me with my role as governor. It reminds me of the way Anno handles the story but I actually feel that Aven works better.
  3. The UI is good, nice clean design, not too many buttons or menus. I like the frosting that appears at the edge of the screen during winter, although I feel that it can be too heavy at times,
  4. I like the season system, the reduced production for solar based production (power and plant life)is something I like.
  5. I really like the sounds too, the music adds a good atmosphere. I like the little colonists coplaining about the coffee, that sort of thing really adds to the imersion.
  6. I like how there's just a  single construction resource type, nanites. I guess this is more a currency in a way, working more like simoleons does in SimCity. Yes, you do produce and trade other base resources but, once processed raw minerals are all equal.

The suggestions

  1. Commuting. I understand that people hate commuting, but I don't like having to string by colony out along expansive tunnel systems just to mine some minerals. I want to build a centralised residential zone with the amenities that residents need, all in one place. I think that any people willing to migrate to another planet are perfectly willing to commute and conserve resources by not building duplicate bars or retail centres. I think a transit system, as others have mentioned would improve this. perhaps have a docking port building with drone buses, or a tier 2 tunnel which incorporates a monorail.
  2. Make the colony a bit more alive. Aven colony is set in a beautiful, vibrant environment, the buildings look great but, aside from a few pedestrians, drones and the odd trading ship the human activity seems a bit muted. Adding the previously mentioned transit system would do a lot to improve this.
  3. Wind turbines. Wind power is definitely something I feel is missing. Wind power is a proven and existing technology on earth, why not replicate it on an alien planet? After all I like to think that those planning deep space missions are advocates of renewable energy, instead of zorium (nuclear) reactors.
  4. Tech Tree. I personally don't like the idea of using a check list for research, I'd much rather see the classic tech tree. But perhaps that's just me.
  5. Central government. I think that I'd like to see a government type building, something that says this is a functioning colony and is well organised. Perhaps if this were to be implemented it could have some level of impact on policies such as rationing.

Other bits and pieces:

  1. I notice you can create a save with a blank file name. Not a problem but perhaps something that could be addressed by defaulting the map name and save time/date into the box?
  2. So far I've not played much but I definitely want to play more. I do wonder though, how much different my experience will be the next time I play, will there be alternate strategies I can use to win, or will I build the same type of city again?

So there are my impressions. What does everyone else think? I'd love to have some dialogue on these points. I hope that the developers can make this game into something fantastic; they've done a great job so far so I, for one, am confident they will.


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Paul Tozour
Reputable Member
Joined: 1 year  ago
Posts: 270
06/02/2017 10:17 pm  

Thanks for the kind words, and the suggestions!  🙂

At least one of your suggestions is in the works already.


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Jakubpon
Active Member
Joined: 5 months  ago
Posts: 5
20/02/2017 8:04 am  

I agree with the OP for sure. There are a lot of great things. A tech tree would be very much appreciated, possibly something to do with actually changing the environment around the colony: building on the holes, creating tunnels, paving over the dessert, etc. would be great. It would also make the research center useful beyond the mid-game. Wind turbines would also be great for power, especially since the solar panels can be so limited due to the winter's lack of sunlight. 


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Zero
 Zero
New Member
Joined: 5 months  ago
Posts: 3
23/02/2017 4:30 pm  

I agree with a lot of the points OP said. In addition to those suggestions, is it possible to have additional challenge missions that try to make the player achieve a really difficult goal such as having a population of 5000 or generate large amounts of energy? I have only finished Vanaar so I'm not sure what amount is considered a lot.


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