My public questions for Splittscreen Studios/Developers

[NGSpeed]

PIRATE GALAXY: WHAT IS THE GAMEPLAY GOAL?

Gameplay → Progression → New Content​

Dear Developers/Owners of Pirate Galaxy,

I would like to better understand the long-term gameplay direction of Pirate Galaxy.

01 // GAMEPLAY & CONTENT ROADMAP

What are your gameplay design goals?

What is your current content roadmap?

The current Remnant progression appears to be:

Remnants → collect technology/BPs → unlock components → finished

Why not build another gameplay layer on top of this?

Remnants → unlock components → use them in new challenges/puzzles → defeat new bosses → unlock new game modes

That would turn new technology into a tool for experiencing new gameplay rather than making the technology itself the final objective.


02 // PLAYER FEEDBACK

How do you gather feedback from the regular playerbase?

How do you determine what existing players would be excited about?

Which factors do you consider before choosing which large update or gameplay system should be developed next?


03 // MARKETING & NEW PLAYERS

Which strategies are currently being used to grow Pirate Galaxy's community and attract new players?


04 // VISUAL CUSTOMIZATION

The recent visual QoL/customization additions are great.

But why are these essentially endgame features?

Why do they use fixed Cryonite prices across every system instead of scaling with the ship's base price, like armor, drone slots, the second Cortex slot, etc.?

Imagine a street racing game:

You can upgrade your engine.
You can upgrade your nitrous.

But changing your rims requires defeating the final boss.

Customization could instead give new players an early sense of ownership and individuality.


05 // THE 9TH COMPONENT SLOT

Suggestion:

Give every ship configuration an Extra Component Inventory in the Hangar.

Unlocked 9th-slot components could then be switched similarly to drones.


CURRENT SYSTEM

Tau Ceti Harpy Eagle

Lightning Chain:
2,173,025 Cryonite

After playing with it, I decide that I want to test Taunt:

Taunt:
1,942,493 Cryonite

But replacing Lightning Chain means giving up something I already spent time obtaining.

My thought becomes:

"Maybe I won't like Taunt either. Then I will have lost my Lightning Chain progression for nothing."

RESULT

• 2,173,025 Cryonite spent
• 1 Remnant BP completed
• 1 component used
• Little incentive to experiment
• Existing progress discourages trying something new

PROPOSED SYSTEM

Lightning Chain:
2,173,025 Cryonite

Taunt:
1,942,493 Cryonite

Because both remain unlocked for this ship configuration, I can simply switch between them.

My thought becomes:

"Let's find out. I'll hunt the Taunt BPs and farm the Cryonite. If I don't like it, I'll switch back."

RESULT

• 4,115,518 Cryonite spent
• 2 Remnant BPs completed
• More Remnant hunting
• More Cryonite farming
• More experimentation
• More gameplay time
• Progress is preserved
• More incentive to unlock additional components

Preserved progression creates freedom to experiment.​

That could make Remnant components feel more like Cortex progression: something worth collecting because the player's work remains valuable.

 

[BestDavid7]

I think they should give us the option to equip four Cortex slots on a ship; it’s no more overpowered than having a ninth item.

 

[NGSpeed]

06 // ADDITIONAL BALANCE SAFEGUARDS

I want to add one important clarification to my proposed Extra Component Inventory:

The goal is not to make Extra Slots freely interchangeable at any moment or to remove the cost of acquiring them.

The system should preserve meaningful commitment and prevent tactical abuse.


SWITCHING RULES

• Extra Components can only be switched while inside the Hangar.
  
• Switching is not possible during an active mission, Reactor event or similar gameplay activity.
  
• After switching to another Extra Component, its cooldown starts immediately.
  
• Installing/buying a newly unlocked Extra Component should also start it on cooldown.
  
• To prevent players from bypassing long cooldowns by switching components, the highest applicable Extra-Slot cooldown should be used after a switch.

For example, according to the current Hitchhiker's Guide values, an Attack Droid can have a cooldown of more than 11 minutes.

Using the highest Extra-Slot cooldown after switching would mean that changing your configuration in the Hangar gives you more build freedom, but not an immediate combat advantage.


WHAT THIS SHOULD NOT BECOME

I would not want a system where players can:

• switch components during combat
• counter a specific enemy by instantly changing the 9th slot
• avoid an existing component cooldown by swapping to another component
• change their configuration during Reactor events or missions

That would obviously create balance problems.

The purpose of the inventory is only to make long-term ship configuration and experimentation less punishing.


REMNANT BLUEPRINTS SHOULD STILL BE CONSUMED

I am also not against consuming Remnant Blueprints.

I actually think that part of the system is fine and gives Remnant technology its own identity.

You would still have to:

• hunt the required Remnant Blueprint
• consume it
• pay the Cryonite installation cost
• wait for the component cooldown

The difference is simply that once this investment has been made for a specific ship configuration, the unlocked component becomes another permanent configuration option instead of replacing and destroying the usefulness of the previous investment.


WHY I THINK THIS COULD ALSO HELP BUILD DIVERSITY

Right now, the cost of replacing an Extra Component naturally encourages players to settle on one safe/meta choice.

For example, a Harpy Eagle may simply remain equipped with Lightning Chain, while other PvE builds tend toward options such as Sniper Blaster, Rocket,Lightning Chain or Orbital Strike because they provide reliable damage.

When experimentation means sacrificing a previously acquired Extra Component, there is a strong reason not to experiment.

With an Extra Component Inventory, the decision changes:

"I already have a reliable build, so now I can work toward a second or third alternative and experiment with different playstyles."

That could create more variety instead of every ship gradually settling into the same Extra-Slot meta.


THE RESULT

For me personally, this would not reduce grinding.

It would do the opposite.

If this system existed, I could realistically see myself acquiring 5–15 different Extra Components across several ship classes and configurations instead of stopping after finding one good option.

That means:

• more Remnant Blueprint hunting
• more Cryonite spent
• more ship experimentation
• more reasons to revisit different builds
• more long-term gameplay

The idea is not to remove progression costs.

It is to make completed progression create new choices instead of discouraging the next one.​

 

[Jackal]

I don't know about the other stuff, but I like the idea of unlocking something permanently for a ship instead of just "installing", to avoid losing progress.

That idea was already discussed in our server and there is no downside of having the possibility of switching (if the component / cortex has already been consumed for that ship variant).
This encourages players to get creative and eliminates the bitter taste of breaking a cortex / 9th item.
Also gives the opportunity of introducing new cortex / items, balancing them (nerfing or buffing) without any drawbacks for the community that already got them.

I would include all type of consumables in this system, cortex, Remnant Tau BPs, 9th items, engine trails, paints...
I would also include normal BPs like Ancient ones, just because switching from strong to rapid can be felt as wasting cryo. If you already bought a normal and strong variant of an item for example Sirius Ancient Quantum Leap, having the possibility of switching for free for that specific ship variant obviously, is really interesting.