Alternate Starts
DagothUr
Florida Join Date: 2016-07-12 Member: 220125Members
Florida Join Date: 2016-07-12 Member: 220125Members
This would be something to consider for farther down the road when things are more complete. Right now we've got the framework of a story: Ship crashes, you're apparently the only survivor, something about precursors, survive, end game may involve escaping planet, might not. But that's basically it. We don't know who the player was before the crash, what the ship was doing there in the first place, the civilization they came from, or anything else. So once we've gotten around to explaining a few of these details the next logical step would be to create alternate starts.
Now I'm not suggesting that the devs go and write all new "crashing pod" animation intro variations over & over again. We can keep the lone survivor/pod crash theme for everyone. What I mean instead is adding different backgrounds and "missions" (read: why you're out here in the first place) that the player can come from that can alter how the game plays once you get started.
Let me toss out some examples of what I mean by "missions":
Terraformers (Easy) - After probes detected the presence of both water, oxygen and carbon based life, a terraforming/engineering ship was sent to gather more information and see if it was truly suitable for colonization. Because of this background, the player begins with a cache of building materials in the pod locker and more tool & building blueprints than the other mission types. You're also more adept at gathering materials, and have a 25% per broken stone to gather a free 2nd unit of it's resource drop. Let's get building!
Scientists (Easy) - A routine survey of a potentially habitable world guys wrong, leaving you stranded. Luckily you happen to be a marine biologist, however, and you start the game with a Scanner already in inventory, along with blueprints for various science "furniture" items that can be added to a base once once you get one started. You also gather data faster & easier (less scanning time, longer scanner range - useful for getting info on dangerous predators) than other character archetypes. Fascinating!
Luxury Cruise Ship (Average) - Very similar to existing start. The Aurora was a luxury liner that went down unexpected. Luckily you're not justi a spoiled rich kid - you made your fortune by being a famous sports athlete. Though you don't start out with any special knowledge or equipment, you're in far better physical shape than the rest of those flabby slackers. You have 100% more maximum health, you swim 25% faster and your air lasts 50% longer than the rest of those guys. Bro, do you even dive?
Enviromentalist (Average) - The Rainbow Aurora was, like, on this mission of peace and harmony when, like, it's aura got thrown out whack by some seriously uncool EMP vibes, man. OK, so you're not the brightest or the most robust, but you still have a few hidden advantages. For one, something about your nature makes you seem less threatening to the native life, and all animals have a greatly reduced aggro range against you. Cultivated plants grow 25% faster and your clean energy systems (right now just solar panels, but more types can be added) generate 50% more power over time. The downside is that you cannot build any lethal weapons systems of any kind. Groovy!
The Big Game Hunter (Difficult) - Finally, a challenge! You've spent your life traveling space & looking for new things to mount on your wall. Just because the ship was trashed is no reason not to do what you came here to do while waiting for rescue. You're used to living off the land for long periods of time, anyway. It's just this technical stuff you have trouble with. 50% more health and you do double damage with all lethal weapons. You also get 25% more food & water from cooked fish. The downside is that you need twice as many successful scans with a Scanner to learn anything new. On the plus side, you can make trophies from dead animals and turn them into furniture items for your sea base. Jolly good, old boy!
Thurston Howell III (Very Difficult) - Oh dear, this doesn't look good. Similar to the luxury cruise ship scenario, except this time the player is one of those flabby, spoiled passengers who's only life skill is spending daddy's money. Absolutely zero perks and 25% less health than normal. These things don't bite, do they?
Due note that most of these are nothing more than internal, invisible stat changes that mod already existing game values in rather minor ways overall - which means most of it wouldn't be hard to implement at all (only the BGH would require any new models, for example). Yet each would steer the player down completely different playstyles, each of which would in turn require different strategies to survive and prosper.
End result is a very cheap & easy way to add a lot of replay value to the game. Sure, you may have built the most epic sea base ever with an engineer start, but can you do the same starting as a rich dilettante? And a space hippy and a hunter are going to have very different approaches to dealing with a Sand Shark infestation near their base.
Now I'm not suggesting that the devs go and write all new "crashing pod" animation intro variations over & over again. We can keep the lone survivor/pod crash theme for everyone. What I mean instead is adding different backgrounds and "missions" (read: why you're out here in the first place) that the player can come from that can alter how the game plays once you get started.
Let me toss out some examples of what I mean by "missions":
Terraformers (Easy) - After probes detected the presence of both water, oxygen and carbon based life, a terraforming/engineering ship was sent to gather more information and see if it was truly suitable for colonization. Because of this background, the player begins with a cache of building materials in the pod locker and more tool & building blueprints than the other mission types. You're also more adept at gathering materials, and have a 25% per broken stone to gather a free 2nd unit of it's resource drop. Let's get building!
Scientists (Easy) - A routine survey of a potentially habitable world guys wrong, leaving you stranded. Luckily you happen to be a marine biologist, however, and you start the game with a Scanner already in inventory, along with blueprints for various science "furniture" items that can be added to a base once once you get one started. You also gather data faster & easier (less scanning time, longer scanner range - useful for getting info on dangerous predators) than other character archetypes. Fascinating!
Luxury Cruise Ship (Average) - Very similar to existing start. The Aurora was a luxury liner that went down unexpected. Luckily you're not justi a spoiled rich kid - you made your fortune by being a famous sports athlete. Though you don't start out with any special knowledge or equipment, you're in far better physical shape than the rest of those flabby slackers. You have 100% more maximum health, you swim 25% faster and your air lasts 50% longer than the rest of those guys. Bro, do you even dive?
Enviromentalist (Average) - The Rainbow Aurora was, like, on this mission of peace and harmony when, like, it's aura got thrown out whack by some seriously uncool EMP vibes, man. OK, so you're not the brightest or the most robust, but you still have a few hidden advantages. For one, something about your nature makes you seem less threatening to the native life, and all animals have a greatly reduced aggro range against you. Cultivated plants grow 25% faster and your clean energy systems (right now just solar panels, but more types can be added) generate 50% more power over time. The downside is that you cannot build any lethal weapons systems of any kind. Groovy!
The Big Game Hunter (Difficult) - Finally, a challenge! You've spent your life traveling space & looking for new things to mount on your wall. Just because the ship was trashed is no reason not to do what you came here to do while waiting for rescue. You're used to living off the land for long periods of time, anyway. It's just this technical stuff you have trouble with. 50% more health and you do double damage with all lethal weapons. You also get 25% more food & water from cooked fish. The downside is that you need twice as many successful scans with a Scanner to learn anything new. On the plus side, you can make trophies from dead animals and turn them into furniture items for your sea base. Jolly good, old boy!
Thurston Howell III (Very Difficult) - Oh dear, this doesn't look good. Similar to the luxury cruise ship scenario, except this time the player is one of those flabby, spoiled passengers who's only life skill is spending daddy's money. Absolutely zero perks and 25% less health than normal. These things don't bite, do they?
Due note that most of these are nothing more than internal, invisible stat changes that mod already existing game values in rather minor ways overall - which means most of it wouldn't be hard to implement at all (only the BGH would require any new models, for example). Yet each would steer the player down completely different playstyles, each of which would in turn require different strategies to survive and prosper.
End result is a very cheap & easy way to add a lot of replay value to the game. Sure, you may have built the most epic sea base ever with an engineer start, but can you do the same starting as a rich dilettante? And a space hippy and a hunter are going to have very different approaches to dealing with a Sand Shark infestation near their base.
Comments
(Gentleman, Hunter, Scholar)
Maybe instead of the scan penalty, predator fauna is less resistant but more damaging and quicker that they were before
Even vegans kill plants, I don't see an issue with knifing them. Define "sample collecting" - the Scanner is already harmless. The Seamoth shock defense might be an issue, or it could simply be tweaked to always deliver 10% short-of-lethal damage. Ramming, well, accidents happen I guess. If someone really wants to try ramming a Reaper to death with a Seamoth, well, let me know how that works out for them.
Actually I was thiking Roland Tembo from Jurassic Park:
"Somewhere on this island is the greatest predator there ever lived. The second greatest predator must take him down."