YES, lets work on the chat that no one will ever use because there is NO FUCKING GAMEPLAY. You have seriously spent the last year alone working on the UI, no one gives a fuck about the UI, we want gameplay. Should just strip gai from all networking so you can fiddle with your UI alone for all enternity

I agree w/ Nazdaq; gameplay should be the priority.

Damn naz talk about hostility i can feel it through the pc you got dat rage man!

I can somewhat agree that we need playable gameplay first however jatt wants to make a quality game and you know that no matter what you say he will make the game how he wants and release what he wants with each patch so meh :P .

Chat and tutorials are important foundational elements that make up the game itself:
Without chat, there's limited communication for the establishment of diplomacy, trade and social aspects.
Without a tutorial, there's no guide for new players and the introduction of new elements to the game will be difficult at best.

We understand that it might not seem to be a core focus, but it doesn't change the necessity of its importance. We certainly welcome suggestions and comments, and they do affect the timetable of elements being implemented, but it doesn't change the importance of chat as part of the game as a whole.

The majority of players in game actively participating in diplomacy will most likely use 3rd party software to communicate. I understand the need to focus an update on chat and tutorial, but anymore would be a waste of time.

Personally, I would rather have an in-game PM system rather than chat. With chat, if you cannot meet at a common hour then you are pretty much screwed, with PMs you can talk even if your team has people from all over the world.

As for the tutorial, it is better to get it done once you around the Beta stage -- otherwise you might find yourself altering the tutorial drastically every time a new feature is added or an old one removed. Doing it when all core features are up and running saves time and resources.

Not to be ''That Guy.'' But I'm inclined to agree with the OP. Gameplay (mainly ships and stuff like colonizing the entire galaxy) should probably be the main focus of the next patch if this game is gonna be able to grab and maintain an audience.

I strongly disagree with this.

Without a chat there would be no way we could complain about the game lacking any gameplay In-Game. We would be left with only the forums. Could you imagine what a nightmare it would be?!

In addition without UI you cannot press all these fancy buttons that do nothing.

Nazdaq you fool.

I was going to post long exposition about communication on the internet and how that impacts modern game development as compared to game development from several years ago. But then I realized that I just don't care enough to get into it. The Titanic has sunk, but the brass still needs polishing.

Perhaps some demonstrative gameplay?
Just colonization capability maybe, if just to keep interest in the game, which is getting very hard.
Here's a fun fact; In the time I've waited, I've left puberty, school and got a job.
I've basically grown up waiting for this game.
And I feel I might have a friggin' right to feel frustrated at this point.
Just throw me bone here!

It is inspiring to see so many longtime fans and players.

We're working on getting it more playable, but we'll also need your assistance in this. In order to get that experience sooner and to make it more fun, here are some things that you can do to help accelerate the process:

1) Test the game, post in the feedback and balance topics what you think can be done better.

2) Get on the chat, we are always looking for people to help test or give feedback on random bits and pieces.

We're doing what we can to make this game great, and every effort you put in helps make it sooner.

work faster