Improving Early-game travel to the Aurora

Sam_Starfall

It is hinted at that you can explore around the Aurora to retrieve stuff.
https://trello.com/c/WldmMcg0/251-crashed-starship
But I think that PRUDENCE and PROGRESSION is discouraging new player from doing so because of the time & danger it take to travel.
This conundrum change when we get the Seaglide and see a tremendous increase in speed, or if you have already played the game before.

However the Seaglide is a very powerful method of travel and you have to scan and discover it first
- it let you dive easily (going around the oxygen limit and making bladder rapidly redundant)
- it has a flashlight making redundant the one you first craft
- it even has topographic sensor.


So I would like to discuss (cheap?) alternatives that could be applied during the earlier game
Leading us to this note:
https://trello.com/c/Z25RUBAI/19-rabbitray-serves-no-purpose-maybe-grab-onto-him
idea:
- scanning the rabbitray tel you his favorite food
- feeding him have him follow you for a while and let you grab onto him for propulsion

An alternative would be a dingy-boat:
- cheap recipe available at the start
- since its surface only, the player is given more occasion to see the Aurora various explosion (and the sky)
- can be attacked (fish & Predatory bird)
- do not propel vertically
- the above should preserve the gated progression (and prevent it from reaching the island too soon)

ps:
if you make it foldable like the Mobile-Vehicle-Bay you can still carry it late game
if you replace the Seaglide as early-game propulsion, you could harshen its recipe a little.



(I confess, this is actually a Dingy-boat suggestion even if using the rabbitray look cheaper, more interesting and fulfilling)

crypticc62

It is hinted at that you can explore around the Aurora to retrieve stuff. But I think that PRUDENCE and PROGRESSION is discouraging new player from doing so because of the time & danger it take to travel.

Spoiler alert: Yes, it is possible to explore around and inside the Aurora. While it is true that the Seaglide makes it much faster and safer to get *to* the Aurora, the rewards *inside* the Aurora require more specific tools, one of which requires Diamond. So if a dingy boat were added, or if the recipe for the Seaglide were made more challenging to acquire, these would likely have little impact on the timing at which players will be able to fully explore the Aurora.

if you make it foldable like the Mobile-Vehicle-Bay you can still carry it late game

Sure, but why would a player *want* to? Even if the dingy were significantly faster than the Seamoth, there are only 3 points of interest above the water (Aurora, Mountain Island, Floating Island). Considering the resources available at these locations, I think most players would avoid cluttering their inventory with the dingy, and simply stick to the Seamoth as the primary scouting vessel instead.

Sam_Starfall

Don't get it wrong, this is only about PRE-EXPLOSION gameplay and getting AROUND the Aurora.

Right now the following idea isn't being exploited as much as (I think) it could:

• The area surrounding the starship has a good amount of starting loot (and possibly creature eggs), without many dangerous creatures. If the player explores this area before it explodes, it will be ripe pickings

Because of the time to get there, the countdown and the perceived danger. player are discouraged to try. Swimming is slow, you can't outrun an explosion and your time is better used to keep yourself alive.
But what if there was a technological (reliable) way to get there and away FAST, that didn't encroach over the gated progression? (still limited by oxygen from surface, still diving at human speed, all other place are hidden or still gated, enemy still attack)

Another thing to consider is that if the Seaglide is made less accessible, then players get more interested in shallow resource -> Aurora
That and I would totally use the air-bladder if my way out was a boat. (I skipped it on my first play because I got the Seaglide before needing it)

• When the explosion detonates, it feels different depending if you're above the water, deep down, and the distance away. Ideally, the creatures, kelp and the player all get pushed by a force when it blows through.

This is more likely to be noticed by players if:
They died in the explosion and know they can try again taking less risk
They replay the game and consider this rush for resources is worth trying

Hell, you wouldn't even see the starship clean-front unless you increase the countdown until you have a Seamoth to go see it.


Let's not forget the Rabbitray note in the POLISH section. It's only downside is that you don't get to spend time on the surface.
https://trello.com/c/Z25RUBAI/19-rabbitray-serves-no-purpose-maybe-grab-onto-him

there are only 3 points of interest above the water (Aurora, Mountain Island, Floating Island). Considering the resources available at these locations, I think most players would avoid cluttering their inventory with the dingy, and simply stick to the Seamoth as the primary scouting vessel instead.

It's true that it's not needed, it's meant to be cheap so you are more likely to just leave one at the few place it's used and build another.

It would require other additions (outside the scope of this one) to really ramp it up to a entire-game feature: its own inventory, another biome too shallow for submarines, artic biome shaped for it, or even underwater cave with its own surface (and a separation that would require to rebuild your submarines here), I suppose player who build their base with a surface access would approve.

Please just consider the Early-game exploration around the pre-explosion Aurora.

Jozroz

As a tool with the primary purpose of getting to the Aurora before it blows, a dinghy might be a fairly smart idea. As it is the seaglide does feel a little too easily obtained, so making it harder to obtain might make things feel a little more balanced. The dinghy would be a better starting option, which would also make the bladder more useful. It also might offer a smoother transition into the game's underwater play-style.

Posit: you crash on the planet and find yourself surrounded by water. You build the dinghy (as recommended by the PDA) and rely on it for exploration in combination with the bladder, somewhat reluctant to play mermaid/man. As you get more used to diving, you continue your adventure with the seaglide and improved air tanks, venturing into a new way of living and exploring.

This would satisfy the players who've been demanding a surface vessel, make the seaglide feel less easy, and add longer relevancy to the bladder. To avoid premature discovery of the islands, just make it only marginally faster than swimming and somewhat slower than the seaglide. Adding predators around the island that make short work of the dinghy might also be an option.