Story Mode Discussion
04Leonhardt
I came here to laugh at you Join Date: 2015-08-01 Member: 206618Members
I came here to laugh at you Join Date: 2015-08-01 Member: 206618Members
So, with the new story writer on board, we're going to be getting an actual story mode.
The discussion I'd like to open up is about the topic of how it would be integrated into the current game.
Should it be overlaid across all game modes, or should there be a separate "Story Mode" specifically for the mission and narrative?
Freedom, Survival, and Hardcore would still have the basic story elements, but would remain as more of the "Sandbox" that they are, whereas the Story Mode would be much more structured.
Would this be more appealing than having a Sandbox + Story Mode combined?
The discussion I'd like to open up is about the topic of how it would be integrated into the current game.
Should it be overlaid across all game modes, or should there be a separate "Story Mode" specifically for the mission and narrative?
Freedom, Survival, and Hardcore would still have the basic story elements, but would remain as more of the "Sandbox" that they are, whereas the Story Mode would be much more structured.
Would this be more appealing than having a Sandbox + Story Mode combined?
Comments
There's definitely something happening on that planet, and I wouldn't mind finding out precisely what it is.
Now, since I generally avoid trawling the Trello board, I have only a basic idea of what to expect every time there's a new update.
It's a bit like Christmas. No point in spoiling whatever new surprise is waiting (or lurking menacingly in the deeps).
How should this story develop? Slowly. The Player should never feel 'dragged along' by a plot that automatically unrolls while other action is already taking place, or just because you are passing through a trigger location on your way to some place else. The story should be hidden at first, but with each item of research or every new exploratory dive, a little bit of crucial information will make itself known.
I'm not talking about finding carefully-concealed crew audio logs onboard the Aurora or being granted huge slabs of information by a telepathic Peeper, either.
That road is already too well-travelled. It's a pretty lazy way of doing it, too.
The ability to perform meaningful research, construction and exploration would provide a huge boost to gameplay. However, it would take some top-notch writing to create the central storyline, then thread its disconnected elements (randomly) throughout the various locations one might find while playing. Of course, this means that some story elements may remain undiscovered for a long time, which might frustrate some players.
On the other hand, something like that could make Subnautica an even more immersive experience.
No pun intended.
Well the AI that narrates the explosion of the Aurora could sort of guide and aid you with piecing together the story. For example after you have a found couple of puzzle pieces and done some research, it could make suggestions that give you hints what you have to look for. If you give the player the ability to interact with the AI it could be completely optional. If you want help you can ask the AI if not you can just ignore it. It might even be more work to use the AI in the sense that the AI might need you to place sensor buoys, fit creatures with tracking devices or get footage of a creature’s natural behavior (i.e. without it noticing you) in particular situations.
You become desperately lonely after months of futility trying to find a way to re-establish contact with your home planet.
You and the PDA voiced AI fall in love ala Theodore and Samantha in "Her".
You alter your DNA via sampling the alien sea life to become "Aqua Adam", the first steward of this alien ocean world.
Exploring deeper into the Aurora wreckage, you find a secret bio engineering lab and adapt the technology for a special project back at the base.
Using some of your own human dna and samples from the prettiest looking gasopod you could track down in the wild, you then create an "Aqua Eve" humanoid body and transfer the PDA AI into it's awakening consciousness.
You live happily ever after until one day while playing hide and seek in the mushroom forest, you accidentally scare Eve so bad that she farts a large gasopod ball which explodes and kills you.
The End.
That's basically the story of my life, mate.
The only change I would make is that the Samantha AI becomes infatuated with 'Bos'un Higgs' *, the Cyclops AI. They seize control of the Cyclops during a particularly deep dive and lock the thrusters, taking the sub far beyond its crush depth. They escape by uploading their personalities to the nearest base.
(cue sad violin music)
* Obligatory tip of the hat to ace cartoonist, Phil Foglio!
All of these things can be handled at your own pace, but still give a sense of purpose as the game progresses. So separating story mode with the other modes wouldn't make much sense. You can always decide to 'go off story' at any time, and pick it back when at your leisure. The only real differences in the modes are the level of difficulty.
Imagine, if you will...
THE PARTHENOS PROJECT
Alterra Corp actually discovered this planet two or three decades prior to Aurora's fateful mission.
It was just the right distance from the system's primary star to support life.
But for some unknown reason, it was completely barren. No water. No lifeforms at all.
This made the planet an eminently suitable test-bed for the Parthenos Project.
The first phase of the project was titanic in its scope; exquisitely calculated and brutally direct.
Phase One: Atmospheric Baseline Inception.
Using singularity mechanics, a fleet of Alterra Corp planetary modification ships were able to capture and steer a swarm of comets into geostationary orbits around the planet. At carefully-timed intervals, individual comets were de-orbited into precise trajectories, calculated to massively decelerate as they entered the atmosphere. Rather than hurtling into the planet's surface at hundreds of kilometres per second, the comets entered the stratosphere at Mach 1.0 and simply boiled away as they fell.
The planet's atmosphere at that time was composed almost entirely of inert nitrogen and trace gases. After five years of constant bombardment, atmospheric moisture levels over the planet were comparable to those found on Terra Prime (Earth). Clouds formed, weather patterns began to stabilize.
The Great Rains began to fall.
First came streams and rivers, then lakes. Then finally, a sea that covered the entire planet's surface.
The Technicians gazed down upon their mighty works and pronounced them Good.
Another five years was spent fine-tuning the atmospheric mix and suppressing the worst moods of the planet's weather. Once everything had been signed off as 'nominal' by the Project's executive supervisors, Phase Two commenced.
Phase Two: Inoculation.
After satisfying all necessary requirements to establish a viable biosphere, the next step was to run a series of controlled experiments to determine precisely what life-forms would be best suited to inhabit this planet. Most of the basic groundwork had already been done on Terra, so a small selection of appropriate stable genotypes were selected from the terraforming gene banks and introduced to their recently-forged environment. The initial test results were staggering.
Even though the first multicellular organisms were supposed to be deliberately genetically static, there was some unknown agent in the planet's biosphere that promoted mutations which inexplicably stabilized after a certain number of generations. Some creatures bred and multiplied normally, while some species diverged entirely from their (supposedly stable) genetic templates to become something totally different. Radically different.
Dangerously different.
It was almost as if the planet itself was exerting a direct influence on those first few trial populations. It wasn't particularly subtle about it, either.
Even the isolated control groups in a ship orbiting the planet were affected somehow. The artificial seawater analogue used in the tanks containing the control organisms originally came from Terra Prime. Absolutely sterile. Zero contaminants.
As soon as the full schedule of experiments had been carried out and all preliminary findings collated, Alterra's bioscience technicians diligently removed all organic life forms from their testing enclosures and humanely euthanized them. As an additional precaution, all seawater within a 5-kilometre radius of the test sites was sanitized using molecular dispersal technology. If nothing else, the decontamination process was exceptionally efficient.
The planet became a flawless, blank canvas once again.
Deeply puzzled by the fact that the experiment had been rather too successful, Alterra Corp's science team packed up its toys and left.
To be continued... ?
Agree we this. As always Bugzapper you're on the same thoughts as mine
For example,it's completely optional to repair the dark matter containment unit but maybe if you repair it,it drives the story forward somehow.Anyways,that's my thoughts.
I was thinking along these lines too, but Creative mode is unlocked once you've finished the story... if there is some kind of ending anyway.
As far as story line goes, I definatley think you should find out why the ship crashed. Maybe not be able to fix the Aurora, but possibly create a new "Ark" if you will and move to a new location that could very similar areas. Obviously it would need to be different so as to not be boring. Maybe even offer it as an expansion later on after the full release. But allow new vehicles to be built, such as hovercraft with enormous storage capability to be able to move bases. In with creating a new "Ark", maybe collect samples from the island to create a landmass large enough for a civilization to populate. Could even add in the ability once far enough technologically advanced, get communications back up and working that would allow new ships to come to the planet. Could even make for a good multiplayer option. I know thats a whole new fish to tackle, but just saying.
Maybe a general play thorough could be something like this:
Goals -
1st - Stop aurora radiation leak <- "early-game stuff"
2nd - Make communications array to contact home (Loooooooong process) <- "mid-game stuff"
3rd - Home tells you to they wont risk another ship unless the reason for the crash is determined and eliminated (find Aurora's black box then locate source of crash) <- "end-game stuff"
--Begin "Sandbox Mode"--
4th - Home confirms all clear and directs you to prepare colonies/research facilities for this planet
5th - research, explore, and build a sustainable human civilization (never ending goal)
The real issue with this is that a TON of new buildings would have to be implemented for things like housing blocks, economy, and entertainment in order to build a "human" civilization, and may detract from the "isolated and lonely" vibe the game may be going for. But maybe an huge empty city could fit right in!
The survival part could be a big part of the story, like in "This War of Mine". Also hoping for other survivors that drives the story and maybe also a craftable robot (Marwin in hitchikers guide to the galaxy) that follows you around. Wrote a little about it here: http://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/138788/feedback#latest
Eeeeeeeeeeeehh, I get enough of that with Minecraft
I'm all for immersion though, so if the frequency requirements were lowered you might sway my opinion, but as it is it's just repetitive and unnecessarily frequent steps that I find annoying.
I recognize I may be in the minority given the popularity of minecraft, the forrest, or ark etc