The Will To Survive
Simking124
Canada Join Date: 2015-05-16 Member: 204542Members
Canada Join Date: 2015-05-16 Member: 204542Members
So, I survived a devastating crash upon an alien world. I took stock of what I had and began to look for food. I then collected resources to make tools that make getting food even easier. Then I sat back and wondered... "If I'm truly and totally alone... If everyone else died in the crash. What's the point of carrying on?". So, on that note alone, I feel there needs to be other survivors.
So I was wondering just what we could do if there were actually other survivors. The on-board computer for our escape pod probably wouldn't be able to detect survivors at a great distance (line of sight would be an issue, I'd assume, with no satellites). Crashing from orbit could leave escape pods littered around the globe.
Trying to track other survivors could be a big thing. From having to build a radio buoy network(or something similar) to listen for a radio signal. To triangulating their direction and location. Personally I feel it should be a tremendous undertaking to reach them, and have to travel a very long distance.
Once we find them what could we do? An obvious, albeit boring, voice would say trading, but what if we could rescue them from any number of horrendously dangerous perils and bring them with us. Even leave them aboard a sea base to make a sort of NPC town. That would give me lots of incentive to build and expand a sea base to huge proportions. Even the if resource collection was boring and grindy (or horrendously perilous), it would still be worth it to protect the few remaining people. What wouldn't you do to avoid being completely alone on an alien world? Plus it could give rise to many new base modules. I mean, we ARE here to colonize right?
Also, an idea about Energy Production and Weather
I know acid based batteries are cheap and easy to make, but not very efficient. I was thinking about giving the cyclops a large solar array that could be deployed once surfaced. Solar produces very little power so it would take quite a few days to recharge the battery banks, but that would give the player a very convenient reason to go exploring while waiting for it to recharge (maybe a week or two in-game). Perhaps the recharging would be delayed by storms, I'd think a world with only water would have some really wicked storms. Maybe even hurricane strength storms that would force the player under water to avoid huge waves and wind. Id hate to see my cyclops' solar array (or other devices) ripped off in gale force wind.
So I was wondering just what we could do if there were actually other survivors. The on-board computer for our escape pod probably wouldn't be able to detect survivors at a great distance (line of sight would be an issue, I'd assume, with no satellites). Crashing from orbit could leave escape pods littered around the globe.
Trying to track other survivors could be a big thing. From having to build a radio buoy network(or something similar) to listen for a radio signal. To triangulating their direction and location. Personally I feel it should be a tremendous undertaking to reach them, and have to travel a very long distance.
Once we find them what could we do? An obvious, albeit boring, voice would say trading, but what if we could rescue them from any number of horrendously dangerous perils and bring them with us. Even leave them aboard a sea base to make a sort of NPC town. That would give me lots of incentive to build and expand a sea base to huge proportions. Even the if resource collection was boring and grindy (or horrendously perilous), it would still be worth it to protect the few remaining people. What wouldn't you do to avoid being completely alone on an alien world? Plus it could give rise to many new base modules. I mean, we ARE here to colonize right?
Also, an idea about Energy Production and Weather
I know acid based batteries are cheap and easy to make, but not very efficient. I was thinking about giving the cyclops a large solar array that could be deployed once surfaced. Solar produces very little power so it would take quite a few days to recharge the battery banks, but that would give the player a very convenient reason to go exploring while waiting for it to recharge (maybe a week or two in-game). Perhaps the recharging would be delayed by storms, I'd think a world with only water would have some really wicked storms. Maybe even hurricane strength storms that would force the player under water to avoid huge waves and wind. Id hate to see my cyclops' solar array (or other devices) ripped off in gale force wind.
Comments
i thougt the same at the very beginnig when i started playing this game
and i even made an account here just about now just to support your idea like u say it AND in hope the devs read this and do something about it with the NPC stuff u just wrote !
keep the idea's coming simking !
love it
So how's this for a middle ground.
It's a colony ship right? In a lot of sci-fi, colony ships will only have a small crew awake and active during the voyage. Most of the people on-board would be in some form of suspended animation. And thanks to the stasis rifle, we already know humanity has discovered stasis technology.
So let's say that when the ship was hit by the "mysterious energy pulse" one or more blocks of stasis pods full of colonists were knocked loose. Maybe they fell out of the ship before it crashed but close enough to the ocean surface to not be destroyed on impact, and then sank into the depths. You wake up in your escape pod, the computer detected no life signs on the Aurora because the stasis pods on-board catastrophically failed for some reason, and the game begins as it already does.
However...
As you explore the computer starts detecting faint energy traces consistent with functioning stasis pods. And so you begin to search for other survivors.
If it's rescuing people in stasis pods, then the dev team doesn't have to develop human NPCs if they don't want to, but it still gives the player hope that he won't be alone forever. Just say that the stasis pods are in emergency lock down mode because of the crash, and you lack the means to override it. If the devs decide to put NPCs in the game, they can just add a new fragment as well that gives you the ability to override the lock down status.
There could still be other people who reached an escape pod just like you. They'd be other players in multiplayer mode.
Of course this sets up the need to eventually investigate the origins of the energy pulse as if it happens to the colony ship that's coming after us, were going to have a lot of dead colonists on our hands.
help plz
The will to survive comes from knowing that you are setting the ground for the colonists that are still on their way.
I really hope there are no NPC's added to the game that are of the same race as the player.
The problem with another ship being on the way, is the question of whether we get rescued or not. Personally, I would want some kind of optional rescue, perhaps only available for a certain window of time. This would allow for the Roleplayers to play a character who either wants to go home or has gone so feral he refuses to go home.
Meanwhile those who would like to test themselves and play the hard way can use the time-frame between crashing and rescue to see how much they can get done. But I like the idea of it being optional. I mean... Look at stranded deep, you can only explore so many shipwrecks before you've seen it all.
I don't like the idea of conclusive ending. If other people get to the planet, I'd prefer they come to complete the terraforming mission assigned to Aurora, not just to get you off. Also, I'd prefer if the next ship wouldn't just come on it's own, but you'd have to contact it first.
It could be similar to Fallout. I don't know how many people have played the original Fallout from 1997, but (spoilers inbound)
Basically the ship rescuing you can be one of two things, you either locate and remove the source of the energy pulses, thereby allowing the ship to land and rescue you (With a button to continue playing afterwards like in minecraft) or it crashes, becomes a new wreck for you to explore, and thereby consigns you to life on the planet alone forever.
I don't think conclusive ending is good for the game, even if there are two or more possible outcomes. I can't really explain why I feel like this, but it feels kind of lame to put an end to the story. The character initially came to the planet for terraforming, but a conclusive ending would eliminate the reason for him being there. And why would someone go there just to rescue a single person? We should continue the terraformin mission, and maybe get other people to help us on that.
You are colonizing this planet. This is your new home. When the new ship arrives, it will be with the next batch of colonists.
I think the point is though, that they never actually arrive while playing the game, when you finish 'playing' is when the ground is ready and the ship comes. I think the purpose of the game itself it always to be played as a single-player, no friend-npc game.
So, yes company would be great.. as multiplayer.. maybe.. although the idea of some random guy logging into my game and either a: smashing all my stuff and logging out or else rampaging around making advanced weapons and generally ruining the game isn't really my idea of fun. A coop with 2-3 mates I've invited.. well that's maybe more like what I'd like to see. Can they add this before release.. unlikely.
So in the intrim.. yes I'd like some company. Maybe a body for the ai.. maybe a little repair/gathering droid that collects specimins which could also be programmed to collect salt or fish or anything really.. lithium or silver..
It's quite amazing what a simple companion can do for a player in a single player game, even just a mule.. I remember playing Dungeon Siege and before you got any npc companions, you got a mule to carry your stuff around and for alot of the game, it was just me and my mule.
I don't think it would be hard to program a simple companion into the game. If they can make a stalker be your friend.. I'm sure they can add a little swimmy floaty robot.
That's kind of the point.
The point is to be alone. It's what really hammers home the survival aspect, and causes you to wonder why you're surviving at all. Hence this thread. It forces you to undergo a moral dilemma, and it makes you yearn for company like you would if you were in the characters situation, it's designed to immerse you in the feeling of being a stranded survivalist. Much like stranded deep is.
but the player should be able to find other escape-pods with the bodies of other unlucky crew members.that would add to immersion.