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As I'm sure most of you know, Starmade currently has very little 'Endgame' and progression other than doing some mining and building some awesome ships.
Lots of awesome stuff IS planned though (see here http://starmadedock.net/threads/starmade-endgame-nebula-and-aliens.20713/#post-226176)
The purpose of this post is to discuss a number of ideas of (my own) and others which have been flying around the forums.
To make it easier to read, Ill be using spoilers as to not clutter the page.
So what do you guys think?
Please feel free to contribute ideas/changes and Ill add them to the post.
I'd really love to see this in-game so itd be amazing if the mighty Bench could please give us his thoughts!
Cheers and fly safe.
Lots of awesome stuff IS planned though (see here http://starmadedock.net/threads/starmade-endgame-nebula-and-aliens.20713/#post-226176)
Thanks for your suggestions Dire Venom.
From the onset things like nebulae and more races are definitely things that are planned. Our thoughts on nebulae are quite similar to what you've described, they would come as part of the larger update to stellar diversity (found on the roadmap here).
For the alien races we're being quite strategic in how they're implemented. One of the big appeals of StarMade is the ability to adjust the server configs so you can enjoy and experience your server the way you want to. A lot of people have RP servers, and for something like alien races we definitely see that as another opportunity to increase the immersion no matter if you're playing the standard game or on a RP server. In light of all that we have planned out how we think we'll implement alien races, to allow for that same level of customization on individual servers.
Endgame for SM is definitely something we've considered. With any of these sandbox games where there isn't a distinct linear progression, the endgame or end goals can often be blurry. This is something even games like EVE have had to face, as it's hard to point to an endgame scenario when the game is open-ended. After considering that, rather than identifying end game scenarios for StarMade, we've identified a number of long-term gameplay goals that players could work towards in both single player and multiplayer, and in doing so have looked at what's planned to make those goals not only achievable but also rewarding to work towards. Interactions with alien races is definitely a key part of that, though what exactly that looks like will be influenced by things like the questing system etc.
Hope this explains a lot of the plans as it relates to your suggestion, why it's listed as planned, and more specifically what aspects of your suggestion are actually planned.
From the onset things like nebulae and more races are definitely things that are planned. Our thoughts on nebulae are quite similar to what you've described, they would come as part of the larger update to stellar diversity (found on the roadmap here).
For the alien races we're being quite strategic in how they're implemented. One of the big appeals of StarMade is the ability to adjust the server configs so you can enjoy and experience your server the way you want to. A lot of people have RP servers, and for something like alien races we definitely see that as another opportunity to increase the immersion no matter if you're playing the standard game or on a RP server. In light of all that we have planned out how we think we'll implement alien races, to allow for that same level of customization on individual servers.
Endgame for SM is definitely something we've considered. With any of these sandbox games where there isn't a distinct linear progression, the endgame or end goals can often be blurry. This is something even games like EVE have had to face, as it's hard to point to an endgame scenario when the game is open-ended. After considering that, rather than identifying end game scenarios for StarMade, we've identified a number of long-term gameplay goals that players could work towards in both single player and multiplayer, and in doing so have looked at what's planned to make those goals not only achievable but also rewarding to work towards. Interactions with alien races is definitely a key part of that, though what exactly that looks like will be influenced by things like the questing system etc.
Hope this explains a lot of the plans as it relates to your suggestion, why it's listed as planned, and more specifically what aspects of your suggestion are actually planned.
To make it easier to read, Ill be using spoilers as to not clutter the page.
Gas giants would be similar to stars (as in not solid, can be flowen through, have effects when your near and inside it, partially transparent). They would have a similar icon to planets on the map, however would be much bigger (take up 1/3rd of a sector?). Keep in mind that they are not composed of any blocks, and would mainly be defined by visual effects and trigger areas (more on that latter)
E.g: (Actual image from NASA)
Now, why would we have gas giants?
Currently mining is very easy, has very little risk and is very profitable in faction space.
What I propose is that ALL asteroid mining is reduced by half (configurable per server).
Gas giants would be able to be harvested for raw ore and crystals (think of it as tiny specks of crystals/ore whizzing about in the giants atmosphere) using 2 new blocks, The Harvester Scoop Computer and Harvester Scoop Modual (read about them in the next section)>
Gas Giants would be very,very rare with maybe 1-2 PER galaxy (configurable via server settings).
Minners will still be able to get good resources from asteriods/planets however Gas Giants would provide more of the rarer resources and have a greater mining bonus.
Minners will tend to visit Gas giants quite often, as will 'pirate' style players who might try and seize the cargo from the harvesters as well as escort ships who would accompany the harvesters to keep them safe from other players.
Thus, this would greatly increase player interaction.
To prevent 'camping' no stations could be built in the same sector as the gas giant.
More about mining in the next Spoiler.
E.g: (Actual image from NASA)
Now, why would we have gas giants?
Currently mining is very easy, has very little risk and is very profitable in faction space.
What I propose is that ALL asteroid mining is reduced by half (configurable per server).
Gas giants would be able to be harvested for raw ore and crystals (think of it as tiny specks of crystals/ore whizzing about in the giants atmosphere) using 2 new blocks, The Harvester Scoop Computer and Harvester Scoop Modual (read about them in the next section)>
Gas Giants would be very,very rare with maybe 1-2 PER galaxy (configurable via server settings).
Minners will still be able to get good resources from asteriods/planets however Gas Giants would provide more of the rarer resources and have a greater mining bonus.
Minners will tend to visit Gas giants quite often, as will 'pirate' style players who might try and seize the cargo from the harvesters as well as escort ships who would accompany the harvesters to keep them safe from other players.
Thus, this would greatly increase player interaction.
To prevent 'camping' no stations could be built in the same sector as the gas giant.
More about mining in the next Spoiler.
Gas Giants would be 'Harvestable' via the use of 2 new blocks:
-> The Harvester Scoop, and the Harvester Scoop modual.
The harvester scoop computer can be activated via the hot bar, and will constantly drain large amounts of power (depeding on how many moduals are attached
'Dropped' items would also be able to be collected via the Scoop.
The harvestor scoop moduals would either be transparent or see-through (Like trigger areas) however may glow when harvesting.
The moduals could be placed anywhere on the ship (might get a group bonus)?
To harvest a Gas giant, the ship needs to be within (x) distance of the center of the gas giant, ideally skimming along the outer edges of the giants atmosphere.
E.g:
When within that distance, if the computer is activated (it will run constantly, like putting an effect on your hotbar) AND the ship is moving above a certain (x) speed (say 100 m/s, defined by config) the moduals will begin working.
Each 'tick' (x number of seconds) the Harvester modual groups would have a (x%) chance of capturing specks of ore/crystals (x% based on how many groups and what size, maybe also distance from Gas giant).
This means ships will be sailing through the upper reaches of the giants atmosphere filtering small specks of raw resources (which are sent to the connected cargo hold).
However, there WOULD be some danger involved....... (read on in the next spoiler)
-> The Harvester Scoop, and the Harvester Scoop modual.
The harvester scoop computer can be activated via the hot bar, and will constantly drain large amounts of power (depeding on how many moduals are attached
'Dropped' items would also be able to be collected via the Scoop.
The harvestor scoop moduals would either be transparent or see-through (Like trigger areas) however may glow when harvesting.
The moduals could be placed anywhere on the ship (might get a group bonus)?
To harvest a Gas giant, the ship needs to be within (x) distance of the center of the gas giant, ideally skimming along the outer edges of the giants atmosphere.
E.g:
When within that distance, if the computer is activated (it will run constantly, like putting an effect on your hotbar) AND the ship is moving above a certain (x) speed (say 100 m/s, defined by config) the moduals will begin working.
Each 'tick' (x number of seconds) the Harvester modual groups would have a (x%) chance of capturing specks of ore/crystals (x% based on how many groups and what size, maybe also distance from Gas giant).
This means ships will be sailing through the upper reaches of the giants atmosphere filtering small specks of raw resources (which are sent to the connected cargo hold).
However, there WOULD be some danger involved....... (read on in the next spoiler)
Near the upper atmosphere of the gas giant, 'electical/strong winds' will form. These will have a different colour from the rest of the atmosphere and be constantly moving over the 'Surface' of the giant. Entering one of these 'areas' will cause the ship to take extrem hull/shield damage, thus you always want to be on the look out when mining and not go too deep in (where you can no longer see anything, the further in you go the 'thicker' the atmosphere effect.
E.g (Storm example from our solar system)
However, storms wouldn't be the only things lurking within the gas giants..... (Read about
Leviathans in the next spoiler)
E.g (Storm example from our solar system)
However, storms wouldn't be the only things lurking within the gas giants..... (Read about
Leviathans in the next spoiler)
I'm sure most of you guys know that space whales are due to be introduced in the near future (and have already been modeled!)Thus I suggest Implementing the alongside gas giants. (For this post I'll refer to them as Leviathans).
Leviathans would occasionally spawn in gas giants, and would sometimes come up to the upper reaches of the gas giants atmosphere (where players could see and target them), ships/ entities within a certain distance to the gas giant have a free 'radar' jam applied to them due to the thick clouds blocking radar signals (meaning ships could hide in gas giants, however they'd be at risk from storms, as well as major hull damage if they went too deep.)
Example of Leviathan near the upper atmosphere:
Leviathans can be damaged (however have very high amounts of Armour/hp) but would have a natural resistance to most weapon types). Successfully killing one before it retreats into the depths of the gas giant would net you a very rare resource used to make 'Sun Shields' (more about that in the next section) due to the creatures extremely tough skin.
The Leviathans would also fight back if attacked (E.g they are assigned to their own 'faction', thus if you shoot at one of them from then on ALL Leviathans will become aggressive to you), and could use powerful damage pulses to tear through ships hull.
Next spoiler: Sun shields and Sun harvesting
Optional extra: Video of epic Space-Whale Hunt
Leviathans would occasionally spawn in gas giants, and would sometimes come up to the upper reaches of the gas giants atmosphere (where players could see and target them), ships/ entities within a certain distance to the gas giant have a free 'radar' jam applied to them due to the thick clouds blocking radar signals (meaning ships could hide in gas giants, however they'd be at risk from storms, as well as major hull damage if they went too deep.)
Example of Leviathan near the upper atmosphere:
Leviathans can be damaged (however have very high amounts of Armour/hp) but would have a natural resistance to most weapon types). Successfully killing one before it retreats into the depths of the gas giant would net you a very rare resource used to make 'Sun Shields' (more about that in the next section) due to the creatures extremely tough skin.
The Leviathans would also fight back if attacked (E.g they are assigned to their own 'faction', thus if you shoot at one of them from then on ALL Leviathans will become aggressive to you), and could use powerful damage pulses to tear through ships hull.
Next spoiler: Sun shields and Sun harvesting
Optional extra: Video of epic Space-Whale Hunt
So what to do with the rare resource gained from downing one of the Leviathans?
Why not use it to create two new moduals (Sun Shield Computer and Sun shield modual)
How this works: Very rare items/resources can be harvested from stars using the Harvester scoop. However this is normally not possible due to the intense heat/radiation near the star.
The Sun Shield works like an effect (put on hotbar, drains power while active).
While activate, it DISABLES shield regen and changes the color of the shield bar on your hud.
The amount of 'Sun shields' you have is proportional to your normal shield capcity divided by the number of Sun Shield moduals connected to the computer (with a max ratio of 1:1) thus a ship with 100k shields in, say 5,000 shield capacitors and 5,000 sun shield moduals would get 100k of Sun Shields.
The Sunshields could also work as normal shields (its basically your normal shield, but without the regen but protects your ship from stars heat/radiation), however cannot regen while active (you have to disable the effect and recoup shields to regen them).
As a ship equipped with Sun shields nears a star, instaed of the players/ship taking damage, the damage is absorbed by the shields. Due to not regening while active, this means ships can only remain near a star for (x) minutes (dependent on the shielding and maybe number of blocks on a ship).
The amount of damage taken to the shields per tick could also be related to the ships size, as larger ships would have greater surface area and thus would have to absorb more radiation/heat.
Damage per tick to the shields would increase exponentialy as the ship gets closer to the star (thus there would be optimum distances for harvesting).
When (x) distance from the star, active harvester scoops could have the (x%) chance of picking up very rare/new resources per tick (very low chance though).
Example of Sun Harvesting from elite dangerous):
Thus harvesting from stars would require a lot of effort to achieve and would have the chance of netting either rare resources or other rare things. Due to the disabled regen while active, any ship could only remain near a star for so long before losing its shielding and taking damage like normal.
Why not use it to create two new moduals (Sun Shield Computer and Sun shield modual)
How this works: Very rare items/resources can be harvested from stars using the Harvester scoop. However this is normally not possible due to the intense heat/radiation near the star.
The Sun Shield works like an effect (put on hotbar, drains power while active).
While activate, it DISABLES shield regen and changes the color of the shield bar on your hud.
The amount of 'Sun shields' you have is proportional to your normal shield capcity divided by the number of Sun Shield moduals connected to the computer (with a max ratio of 1:1) thus a ship with 100k shields in, say 5,000 shield capacitors and 5,000 sun shield moduals would get 100k of Sun Shields.
The Sunshields could also work as normal shields (its basically your normal shield, but without the regen but protects your ship from stars heat/radiation), however cannot regen while active (you have to disable the effect and recoup shields to regen them).
As a ship equipped with Sun shields nears a star, instaed of the players/ship taking damage, the damage is absorbed by the shields. Due to not regening while active, this means ships can only remain near a star for (x) minutes (dependent on the shielding and maybe number of blocks on a ship).
The amount of damage taken to the shields per tick could also be related to the ships size, as larger ships would have greater surface area and thus would have to absorb more radiation/heat.
Damage per tick to the shields would increase exponentialy as the ship gets closer to the star (thus there would be optimum distances for harvesting).
When (x) distance from the star, active harvester scoops could have the (x%) chance of picking up very rare/new resources per tick (very low chance though).
Example of Sun Harvesting from elite dangerous):
Thus harvesting from stars would require a lot of effort to achieve and would have the chance of netting either rare resources or other rare things. Due to the disabled regen while active, any ship could only remain near a star for so long before losing its shielding and taking damage like normal.
So what do you guys think?
Please feel free to contribute ideas/changes and Ill add them to the post.
I'd really love to see this in-game so itd be amazing if the mighty Bench could please give us his thoughts!
Cheers and fly safe.
