Partially Randomly Generated Dungeons

[IronDusk33]

So, I feel one thing that is missing in Starmade is a reason to explore. You can visit each planet type and station type once, and then you've literally seen all there is to explore. Additionally, there is no real reason to get out of your ship to explore. So, I feel we need some more randomly generated stuff.

What I'm thinking of is something similar to the minecraft mod Roguelike Dungeons by Greymerk (found HERE). Where you have a series of floors consisting of halls joining a variety of rooms. I think we could include something similar. An example: a giant asteroid (that is a station), with a tower or a docking platform, or some sort of structure attached to it, and has this randomly generated selection of rooms and halls crammed inside full of loot. We may need to wait until aliens, weapons, and more interesting loot are implemented before these dungeons would be at their full potential.

The Roguelike Dungeons mod gave me an actual reason to go out exploring in minecraft, and I think the idea could work in this game as well.

 

[ltmauve]

There are a few technical considerations, but the biggest problem with that is that we have build mode and can just fly the camera into the structure.

 

[jayman38]

I love this idea, and think it would be super-easy to block build-mode spies. (Blocking spies in a separate, not-owned-by-the-spy entity should already be a thing, imo.) But even if it didn't block spies, I think it would be fun for those natural explorers who wouldn't want to ruin their exploratory fun with a preliminary look around. (True explorers are essentially honor-bound on their own not to spy out the layout unless they were hopelessly lost. They would choose not to spy it out, because if they were to spy it before properly exploring it, their exploration fun would be ruined.) With so many near-infinite number of worlds, it might take a while, but a true explorer would eventually reach out and find an unspoiled world to explore. (You'll have a hard time finding an unspoiled world in the starting galaxy of a well-played server.)

 

[Valck]

Roguelike Dungeons

Not a bad idea in itself, but in the long run it's not that much better than static content... seen one, seen them all.
Also, I figure it would be much more difficult to generate space ships and stations that are visually pleasing as well as not being an insult to logic, than underground dungeons.

Even with a massive project, equal to or larger than the scale of Starmade itself, I doubt procedural content can ever make up for player creativity.


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That is not to say that I hate the idea per se.

 

[IronDusk33]

Hmm, for me spying with a build block wouldn't be that big of a deal. I mean, do you spy on the other stations with a build block to find the cool rooms? Because that idea never occurred to me, and probably not to that many people (I could be completely wrong here, but its just my two cents). At any rate, I don't think that would be a real issue, as the reason to go into these places is not to look at the pretty architecture, but to battle aliens and find loot!

Also, as for how interesting these dungeons are, you just need a few templates of rooms and halls, and simply make some variants: A different hull color, a few different wall accessories, and bam, you got a new theme. However, of course the player made stations are going to be much more interesting, but I feel these more random stations can help spread them out (in addition to the other perks), so you don't find that enormous space ship station twice within 5 sectors.

 

[Valck]

[...] as for how interesting these dungeons are, you just need a few templates of rooms and halls, and simply make some variants: A different hull color, a few different wall accessories, and bam, you got a new theme. However, of course the player made stations are going to be much more interesting, but I feel these more random stations can help spread them out (in addition to the other perks), so you don't find that enormous space ship station twice within 5 sectors.

But then, do the 'dungeons' really need to be procedurally generated? Why not just spice up the static content we have now (not the models, but the current way of placing objects in space) with random spawn locations and loot, if that's what makes exploration interesting?
I think that was intended all along, just hasn't been implemented yet.

 

[Edymnion]

Actually, the game already has this, its just really rare to find one.

Desert planets can spawn with pyramid temples like the ones in Minecraft, and Terran plants can spawn with entire abandoned cities on them.

 

[Valck]

Actually, the game already has this, its just really rare to find one.

Desert planets can spawn with pyramid temples like the ones in Minecraft, and Terran plants can spawn with entire abandoned cities on them.

Including loot storage crates; and there are creature spawners too, if you can find one of the old stations.

I still think there's validity to the points of "visually pleasing" and "not an insult to logic", and in my opinion the latter is more difficult to get right than making it look pretty ; )

 

[Edymnion]

Including loot storage crates; and there are creature spawners too, if you can find one of the old stations.

Yup, if you can find a city, definitely explore it. Loads of goodies for you to loot.