Carar is pointless so far - how to fix it.
Lightcode
Join Date: 2017-10-09 Member: 233465Members
Join Date: 2017-10-09 Member: 233465Members
I do realise that Carar is mostly a plot device at this point, but wouldn't it be great if it had some actual meaning game-wise?
Carar is supposed to be this terrible, lethal disease that annihilated an advanced race and almost an entire planet within weeks, yet when the player contracts it... he can just chill with it as long as he wants (or until the next plot-driven self-scan) with absolutely no side effects.
There is, however, a great opportunity to create another slim yet meaningful layer of survival to the game. Allow me to explain:
-The disease advances regardless of self-scan and plot progression. At some point, Alterra lady urges you to scan yourself and announces that you have reached a critical state.
-In the critical state of the disease, your health starts to slowly deteriorate. The rate is extremely slow (i.e. 2hp/real life min) at first, but might accelerate later.
-As you remain in the critical state, the disease starts to physically affect you. You swim slower, your vision becomes increasingly distorted, your hearing is affected in form of hallucinations etc.
-To counteract this debuff, you will need a SERUM. Entering the critical state for the first time unlocks said SERUM blueprint. Alterra lady announces that certain fish seem to have a resistance to Carar for unknown reasons (namely the Peepers). Bringing a Peeper or two to the fabricator allows you to craft a SERUM that will take the edge off for a while and return you to normal health until you reach the critical state again. Other, healthy fish might work, too, but you'll obviously need more of them.
That way, these lethal Carar bacteria will actually be a logical threat, rather than a slight nuisance in form of green blisters on your hands that you won't even see through the radiation/reinforced gloves. This will add an easily manageable extra resource along with food and water, while bringing an awesome, much needed layer of immersion into Carar and the game in general.
Thank you for reading, looking forward to seeing what you think.
Carar is supposed to be this terrible, lethal disease that annihilated an advanced race and almost an entire planet within weeks, yet when the player contracts it... he can just chill with it as long as he wants (or until the next plot-driven self-scan) with absolutely no side effects.
There is, however, a great opportunity to create another slim yet meaningful layer of survival to the game. Allow me to explain:
-The disease advances regardless of self-scan and plot progression. At some point, Alterra lady urges you to scan yourself and announces that you have reached a critical state.
-In the critical state of the disease, your health starts to slowly deteriorate. The rate is extremely slow (i.e. 2hp/real life min) at first, but might accelerate later.
-As you remain in the critical state, the disease starts to physically affect you. You swim slower, your vision becomes increasingly distorted, your hearing is affected in form of hallucinations etc.
-To counteract this debuff, you will need a SERUM. Entering the critical state for the first time unlocks said SERUM blueprint. Alterra lady announces that certain fish seem to have a resistance to Carar for unknown reasons (namely the Peepers). Bringing a Peeper or two to the fabricator allows you to craft a SERUM that will take the edge off for a while and return you to normal health until you reach the critical state again. Other, healthy fish might work, too, but you'll obviously need more of them.
That way, these lethal Carar bacteria will actually be a logical threat, rather than a slight nuisance in form of green blisters on your hands that you won't even see through the radiation/reinforced gloves. This will add an easily manageable extra resource along with food and water, while bringing an awesome, much needed layer of immersion into Carar and the game in general.
Thank you for reading, looking forward to seeing what you think.
Comments
But I think that the cure comes too easy. I was hoping of some sort of "DNA sequencer" mini game in a formulation of the cure, where each scanned flora and fauna would provide a piece in the puzzle. And by completing the mini game the player would learn the blue print for the cure. This way a scanning of alien flora would actually matter something in the end. But it's too late now, since the cure is already implemented.
That way, if I want to speed run something, I can do so. But if I want to fart around for days and build big, elaborate bases and roleplay my fight against the elements (I *do* like the food and water and oxygen balancing parts) I can do that as well.
If there were a way to individually toggle bars you have to worry about (food, water, oxygen, health, Carar) then I would say it should be an option. However, there is not; you have to pick the 'mode' and Carar would be forced on me. Which would completely change my experience of the game in a negative way.
Great, so when I go into a base building and exploring slog down anywhere away from the safe shallows I have to periodically come back to peeper areas and keep a live stock of them with me? Maybe as a hardcore mode feature, but this would god awful while trying to enjoy the game. We already have three separate constantly degrading bars. Don't need a forth.
BART: You've been coughing, right? Feeling itchy? Blisters?
yes i like the idea and that it wont actually force players to rush or get them killed well maybe get them killed from panicking from seeing a huge monster when on their way to cyclops for oxygen and it just come out of nowhere because it's a hallucination. and the coughing is a nice passive way to remind players of the disease
But screw it i'm posting anyway.
The Carar Bacterium was changed to the
Kharaa is the new name, which is, yes, the Bacterium from Natural Selection 2. That means it CAN mutate and such, just it doesn't happen to us. As obraxis said,
Keeping it visual can allow it to not cause any issue. What if you suddenly were mutated into some other creature and died? How would that fit into the story?
Boom my dude.
Boom.