Hit me, but ...
zetachron
Germany Join Date: 2014-11-14 Member: 199655Members
Germany Join Date: 2014-11-14 Member: 199655Members
do we even need to get to the TPG or PCF with an intact Cyclops?
We really only need to arrive at these places with a Prawn as they offer warp link networks. So imagine the following scenario:
I seek the TPG or PCF getting the usual warning that it might not be wise to continue. I approach one of the places and face a Sea Dragon, who is the only real Cyclops danger. I might flee in panic, come back and try a silent approach, but near the end he gets too close, sees the Cyclops and thinks its a rival leviathan, attacking it until it's going to explode or sink. Because he ignores the Cyclops being engine dead as the Cyclops is too big to be not seen with his eyes.
But I get time to enter my Prawn or exit without before the Cyclops gets destroyed. Meanwhile an automatic emergency escape system launches a big leviathan decoy to distract the Sea Dragon who is then busy with the decoy and later a bit with tearing at the Cyclops wreck.
That gives me time to get to the facility I seek for maybe 30 secs. When the Sea Dragon turns its attraction towards the player the player is already safe from the dragon and can explore the facility with the Prawn or maybe only with his suit. But it's enough to reach and enter the facility.
Inside the TPG or the PCF the player finds warpgates to open links and travel back to safety, also allowing to come back through those portals. So he curses for the loss of his lovely Cyclops, but his mission was a success.
Finally he remembers the leviathan warning and the Sea Dragon stays in mind and will be remembered as the true Cyclops killer. It serves a good shock and story element like the destruction of the Sunbeam, but doesn't restrict story progression.
Of course the silence approaches still work as well as escaping with flank speed (if the devs ever implement quick escape turns that are faster than 15 secs turning time). So exploring the lava caves is still possible. Also veterans could still do the direct Prawn approach or stasis the Sea Dragon. So it doesn't contradict free exploration for those who seek it.
And there's enough material to build another Cyclops at any time. The only thing that matters would be implementing a Prawn escape mechanic like described above. That would allow it to get to the TPG and PCF even for beginners, although very shocked.
We really only need to arrive at these places with a Prawn as they offer warp link networks. So imagine the following scenario:
I seek the TPG or PCF getting the usual warning that it might not be wise to continue. I approach one of the places and face a Sea Dragon, who is the only real Cyclops danger. I might flee in panic, come back and try a silent approach, but near the end he gets too close, sees the Cyclops and thinks its a rival leviathan, attacking it until it's going to explode or sink. Because he ignores the Cyclops being engine dead as the Cyclops is too big to be not seen with his eyes.
But I get time to enter my Prawn or exit without before the Cyclops gets destroyed. Meanwhile an automatic emergency escape system launches a big leviathan decoy to distract the Sea Dragon who is then busy with the decoy and later a bit with tearing at the Cyclops wreck.
That gives me time to get to the facility I seek for maybe 30 secs. When the Sea Dragon turns its attraction towards the player the player is already safe from the dragon and can explore the facility with the Prawn or maybe only with his suit. But it's enough to reach and enter the facility.
Inside the TPG or the PCF the player finds warpgates to open links and travel back to safety, also allowing to come back through those portals. So he curses for the loss of his lovely Cyclops, but his mission was a success.
Finally he remembers the leviathan warning and the Sea Dragon stays in mind and will be remembered as the true Cyclops killer. It serves a good shock and story element like the destruction of the Sunbeam, but doesn't restrict story progression.
Of course the silence approaches still work as well as escaping with flank speed (if the devs ever implement quick escape turns that are faster than 15 secs turning time). So exploring the lava caves is still possible. Also veterans could still do the direct Prawn approach or stasis the Sea Dragon. So it doesn't contradict free exploration for those who seek it.
And there's enough material to build another Cyclops at any time. The only thing that matters would be implementing a Prawn escape mechanic like described above. That would allow it to get to the TPG and PCF even for beginners, although very shocked.
Comments
No, that's the point at which you know how much work and stuff is in the Cyclops, and you reload the last good game save.
Honestly, if UWE wants to fix that problem, they could just make the Cyclops reclaimable for 70-90% of the materials used to construct it (after you remove custom parts and lockers, upgrades, etc). Have an upgrade for the Habitat Builder in the Item Modification Station called the salvage tool or something. I mean, people would probably reload anyways cause it's a pain, but that's hardly UWE's problem, now, is it?
< shrug >
If the player was aware that entering the sea dragon lair would very likely result in the loss of their sub and was okay with it, then it would be a neat solution to the problem of getting past the boss by running the Cyclops in at flank speed and bailing out and making a run for it while the boss is distracted. It would fit the theme of the game and is a common sci-fi action trope that many people are familiar with.
Considering games like Halo were just fine with undoing all your progress since the last checkpoint, even though you beat everything except the last cloaked Elite (for an example), I'm thinking it's a forgivable offense. The alternative that everyone seems to be crying for is "na-na-na-na, can't touch me in my super-tank-sub-base"... As, if the vehicle is too tough, nothing will ever be able to destroy it, except through an act of supreme negligence by the player.
Although you couldn't do it with Hardcore mode once fully implemented with autosave on exit.
But maybe it's enough to to automatically store the actual Cyclops design into a special blueprint before it explodes or sinks, allowing the player to rebuild the Cyclops in a single fabrication process. The mobile vehicle bay would then have two Cyclops menu items: "New Cyclops" + "Cyclops Emergency Backup". That way you don't have to redesign your beloved Cyclops. You only have to get all the inventory back and the resources to rebuild the Backup.
Possibility 1: Increase the warning:
Cyclops AI: "Warning ... readings of massive leviathan sized creatures ahead ... I can't advise to proceed as readings indicate that the Cyclops will get destroyed if facing such a leviathan."
Player ignores ...
Cyclops AI: "As you are following this suicide path I have stored the current ship design in your PDA databanks in case you can escape your doom. This will allow you to rebuild your ship with a single command."
Player now gets a new blueprint of a Cyclops backup with the actual Cyclops design, including all additional extras.
Player: "WTF? ... I won't loose my Cyclops!"
Cyclops AI: "I calculated a 99.99% chance of destruction."
Player: "Stop speaking nonsense. I won't accept defeat and turn back. I'm a born winner."
Cyclops AI: "We just passed a graveyard of submarine wrecks of different kind. Do you still want to proceed?"
Player: "Hell, yeah."
...
Player looks back at his Cyclops wreck with the Sea Dragon still roasting it: "No, this didn't happen. This is totally unfair ... Ok, I've been warned ... but I thought the AI was just playing drama."
Possibility 2: The player gets used to a Cyclops destruction early and thus used to rebuilding the Cyclops:
PDA: "Unlocked Cyclops design. Warning: Without factory blueprints of engines, the first Cyclops built is only a prototype and won't run stable."
Player builds the "Prototype Cyclops" and starts to drive it.
Engines catch fire more and more and the player has to escape.
Cyclops explodes at the Safe Shallows.
PDA: "I've analyzed the running data and could reverse engineer the missing engine tech. The Cyclops design is now stable."
Player curses, but again builds the "New Cyclops".
EDIT: The submarine graveyard:
I'd love to see not only having big skeletons at the Lava Zone, but some submarine wrecks littered there, maybe of different type. They'd all suggest that long ago different people have tried to get through, but all failed, creating some sense of danger and doom.
No. No you do not. I took a prawn to all 3 bases, and made it without dying. Will post video evidence soon.
Also I have gone through in a cyclops multiple times. If you want to go to the ALZ, use the crash zone tunnel.
The devs have stated that they plan on removing that tunnel so the player won't accidentally miss story content in the LR. There's a post here regarding a discord conversation with one of the devs.
How do you get the time back that you spent fiddling, and getting all the growbeds and such positioned just the way you like?
Esc->Quit to Main Menu->Play->Select previous save
That is not a time machine.
"Scanning several leviathan-class lifeforms in the region, as well as a large amount of debris that appears to be from various submersibles. Piloting the Cyclops past the leviathans intact seems unlikely, but it could be used as a decoy in its own right while you escape with the P.R.A.W.N. suit. If you choose to proceed, do so with caution."
It's just the kind of morbid thing the PDA would say, too.
Alternately: Park your Cyclops in the entrance tunnel out of range of the Sea Dragon patrol path and take your prawn suit the rest of the way. As I suggested in another post, keep a stash of spare power cells in the lockers because it'll probably have been drained by the time you get back to it.
Like @gamer1000k said, making it a hardwired aspect purely to use as a "shock factor" is more likely to anger and frustrate - especially depending on how much is or isn't sunk into something that's doomed from the get-go. If there isn't even any choice at all in the matter, I can't imagine it'd be received in a positive light - if anything, it might just be taken as fuel to use in the whole "hardcore survivalists demanding things that hurt casual player experience" argument I've seen in a few places.
Maybe this is all just a case for hardcore mode, which the game has. In Hardcore Sea Dragons could be total annihilators to everything, including the Cyclops even turned off. The other leviathans would be a little bit slower to kill.
But the important thing is that in standart survival leviathans could behave even a bit weaker than now in the game. We could all get our satisfaction then. Nightmares for the hardcore players and no such evils for survival players. Freedom mode for all that would want even much less trouble than now.
And as I already supposed a quick rebuilt through a "Cyclops backup" option would relieve the player of having to loose and needing to recreate their Cyclops design.