I've watched #21 this morning. Then i thought about it for quite a while. Then i watched and thinked it again.
So here are my thoughts:
I wont speak about the graphics, its just amazing. So as for the new market-UI, even if it was the major goal this month. I wanna talk about warp rails cause i highly expected them to see, just nearly every other user here.
Josh, we all know ur love in old game Freelancer. The concept of railways through space, connecting points of interest was a great idea back then, and it worked nicely. But i'm not sure with that for your game. Maybe you can explain this here.
As it stands for me, didn't you say your game will provide an infinite universe? This fact is at least for me the most interesting thing with LT. But now, it seems your universe is going more and more towards Freelancer, or f.e. the X-Series. Those universe concepts with gates and holes, connecting one system with another one, always needed some kind of "supernatural" to explain there gates and connections in unknown space. f.e. the "old" mysterious race for the X-Series, just to point one.
How will it be in LT? Will there be warprails in every direction,
even in unknown space? How will you explain that? (if there is some unknown space at all..) Dont get me wrong, the railways are great for populated systems with lots of market activities going on. Perfect for AI, perfect for the fresh started LT-player in his tiny little ship. He can use them to travel around without a big warpdrive and get some nice business. I am even happy with the look of your neutron-star-sphere-lanes, i like them.
But whats with exploring unknown regions? Do we just follow one rail after another one? Or do you have plans for a
real warpdrive only for capital ships, so the player have at least
one big goal he has to reach. The freedom, to travel wherever i want to go is my big hope for LT.
And another side note: Old spacegames are more or less 2-dimensional, meaning all systems in the universe are built on the same ecliptic-level, so the player has only the choice between forward/backward and left/right, if he want to go somewhere else. I hope u bringing in the up/down level.