procedurally generated horror mobs

[philthy mcnasty]

I know mobs are going to be a feature in the future. One thing i hope to see, is that every derelict, and planet with ruins, will have a chance to spawn something REALLY nasty. Something that does not use the standard mob template, something that if you survive the encounter, you go NOPE, and bombard the planet/station from orbit with the hope that you killed it.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

No, just no. This game is meant for a larger audience. Monsters can be cool without being scary at the same time. Make them cute, but deadly and creapy, but friendly. And make some just weird. But not scary. I already am afraid of the spiders in minecraft, with their creepy red eyes and their jumping at you. I am fine with the half spiders in StarMade. They're not creepy, but just an obstacle that looks kind of cute but shoots lasers at you.

In general, I believe that the creatures in StarMade should be deadly, but fun to look at when they are in a cage. (This fits my opinion that a creature should just be an interesting roleplay element and obstacle or help, not something that chases players away)

 

[Criss]

Procedurally generated mobs was confirmed long ago.

 

[jayman38]

Procedural mobs would be fun. I still think horror mobs should be a mod, not in the main game.

However, here are some ideas for mob "parts". (with maybe an upper limit on the number of parts per mob creature? at 17 or so?)

Running Leg (adds 2m/s to the running/swimming/floating speed) +2 hp
Jumping Leg (adds 3m/s to the jumping power and reduces the jumping recharge time by 10s from a maximum of 3 minutes or so.) +2 hp
Claw Arm (adds 1 p/s to melee damage and allows vertical wall climbing) +1 hp
Tentacle Arm (adds 1p/s to melee damage and 1 m/s to swimming/floating speed) +1 hp
blob body (adds an extra 10 hp, and maybe some suitably "jelly" features, like longer/faster swimming) +10 hp
bony body (adds an extra 15 hp, adds 1 m/s to running/swimming/floating speed) +15 hp
Prehensile Tail (adds 1m/s to the running/swimming/floating speed) +1 hp
Whipping Tail (adds 1 p/s to melee damage and 1m/s to running speed) +1 hp
Spitting Head (adds 1 p/s to short range damage) +1 hp
Biting Head (adds 1 p/s to melee damage) +1 hp

Example: Normal Large Earth-type animal:
9 parts: 1 biting head, 2 bony bodies, 2 Running Legs, 2 Jumping Legs, 2 prehensile tail
estimated capability: 6 m/s running/swimming/floating speeds, 6 m/s jumping power, 1 p/s melee damage, 41 hp (not overly horrific)

Example: Normal Large Earth-type squid:
10 parts: 1 biting head, 1 blob body, 8 Tentacle Arms
estimated capability: 9 m/s swimming/floating speed (fast!), 9 p/s melee damage (ouch!), 19 hp (not so tough)

 

[philthy mcnasty]

Minecraft hits a large audience, but it also has some disturbing elements. Perhaps have a derelict where everyone caught a zombie virus, or a dreaded ghost ship like the event horizon with its own version of herobrine.

 

[Glutton]

A lot of what is being suggested sounds great for mods, but bad for core game play.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

The mob parts are confirmed. The semi-spider we have now consiste of parts, and I believe that Dave also consists of parts.

I like the idea behind it, the parts just mustn't be too scary (the tentacles might work if they aren't too scary or in too large a quantity).

 

[OdraNoel]

im actually a little surprised to peoples stance against certain horror elements. i feel a game like starmade should have a little bit of everything. and the idea of possibly running into something "horrible" on foot while exploring a derelict station would probably instantly rank as one of my favorite in game "HOLY SH*T" moments. the first time i went into the nether in minecraft was easily one of my most memorable moments with that game. the sheer terror, and panic from that first time as i learned how the nether was and what dwells with in, was just awesome.

obviously it would also feel out of place if every hostile creature was "grotesque" there should obviously be a bit of everything. including something that looks harmless, but will rip your head off when it smiles. and maybe something that looks quite frightening but is actually quite friendly.

however for me personally, if im never able to explore an abandoned station with the lights turned off, an itchy trigger finger, bitten finger nails, and constantly looking over my back.....ill consider it a greatly missed opportunity. that being said some of my favorite games have been survival horror (all hail silent hill) so maybe im a bit biased when it comes to the subject. but in a game like starmade where your exploring a UNIVERSE i feel that there should be a little bit of everything, obviously with its own SM twist.

TL;DR, survival horror elements? yes please.

 

[CaptainTaz]

im actually a little surprised to peoples stance against certain horror elements.

Try having a panic attack every time something comes out of nowhere. it's not fun.

 

[CyberTao]

Some people like horror, however some do not, and some just cannot handle it at all. If I was exploring a station and turned around to see some horror-ish monster charging at me, I'd be shaking for at least 10 minutes waiting for the adrenaline to drain from my body. I just can't handle it.

 

[godmars]

Agree with OdraNoel. Starmade is set in a giant universe with aliens, why wouldn't there be creepy lab-experiments-gone-wrong and the like running around in abandoned lab stations or what have you?

 

[OdraNoel]

you guys keep mentioning how the game is meant to be tailored to a wide audience, and thus horror elements shouldn't be included. have you guys even played minecraft? (the most populare voxle game out there......least until starmade takes it over :D ) its full of horror elements. in fact its one of the things that made the game SOOO popular. i havent played MC in over 8 months now and i STILL sometimes get nervous in dark parts of stations or ships for fear a creeper might be around the corner....

then theres the nether, an entire area based on "horror". its bleak, and unpleasant both visually and sound wise. and people love it.

then theres the endermen. one of the creepiest mobs out there. who didnt crap their pants the first time they looked at one and had it stare back as you are overcome by its truly frightening scream?

these things didnt detract from the game, in fact they are some of the most iconic elements of the game and most definitely one of the things that helped it get so popular. now before you say, "this isnt minecraft" my only point is that horror elements dont detract from a game or drive away players, it actually enhances the game in ways most people don't realize. and again, im not saying SM should be a horror game, but in a vast universe i (along with a great many others ) will feel quite let down if there isnt anything out there to scare me, (even if very rare) and encourages me to fear it, and hunt it down when ever possible. (something akin to MC creepers for example.)

 

[CyberTao]

My first thoughts when I saw the nether was "well this looks mighty damned cheery" followed by "God damn is it noisy". It kept you on your toes yes, but cause you were always looking, it subtracted from the atmosphere and it wasn't all that scary

The part that made endermen so terrifying (up until it touched my tree and threw me into a enderman slaying rage that still continues to this day) is they are so bizarre, passive until randomly turned aggressive (or so it seemed at first). That much I wouldn't mind. Something that wouldn't charge your back as you went into a room or was required to be killed before you could proceed. Having something initially passive, but potentially deadly could be fun. I call that terror though, not 'horror'.

Creepers never caused horror, just fear sometimes o- o and a sigh of annoyance, but that's just me.

Too me, horror would mean having to constantly look over your shoulder checking for something while in a state of paranoia, which I could not handle. I simply can't.

Maybe I just tore apart horror and applied it's meaning to many things though o- o who knows.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

I am scared of almost all the monsters in minecraft. Only silverfish, green slimes, lava slimes and creeprs don't scare me. They pose interesting elements, and everyone loves them (I think). My point is that a game can be fun without having scary looking monsters in it. Those mojsters/creatures just need to be something interesting to fight.

So basically I would want a child of 10 who is afraid of monsters to be able to play this game too without being scared to death the whole time (I'm not the child of ten though, but still scared of scary things)

 

[jayman38]

I'm seeing two different "styles" of horror in this thread. The desire to see something grotesque, and the gameplay challenge of aggressive mobs.
The point is that standard, default-game mobs would not be grotesque, but still be challenging and deadly. Grotesque monster parts should be in an optional mod. It may become the most popular StarMade mod of all time, but that remains to be seen.

For now, I think we should stick with non-grotesque mobs that still provide challenge and danger.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

I'm seeing two different "styles" of horror in this thread. The desire to see something grotesque, and the gameplay challenge of aggressive mobs.
The point is that standard, default-game mobs would not be grotesque, but still be challenging and deadly. Grotesque monster parts should be in an optional mod. It may become the most popular StarMade mod of all time, but that remains to be seen.

For now, I think we should stick with non-grotesque mobs that still provide challenge and danger.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Lecic]

Procedural mobs are confirmed. I'm sure the random generator will make some horrifying looking things by accident at least some of the time.

 

[Valiant70]

If you're afraid of Minecraft monsters, just accept that you're jumpy. There's nothing wrong with you obviously, but you're very different from someone like me whose first instinct in a nightmare is to attack whatever frightful freak is making the dream a problem. I'll be completely honest - not much can frighten me, especially in games. However, ReDeads on "Zelda: Ocarina of Time" gave me nightmares as a child though, so I get where you're coming from.

We don't want Dead Space in Starmade. Just no. We might want something that does give you a start on occasion. If being startled once in a while bothers you, avoid abandoned stations or bring a friend who makes you feel more confident. Scary can be good in the right context if it's done right and not overdone.

Minecraft's Endermen are a medeocre example of scary done right. Their appearance isn't horrifying (just slightly unnerving to some) but their behavior and scream are what sell them as a monster. They provide a reasonable challenge in combat. Personally though, I think they're a bit boring. If you've seen one, you've seen them all.

If it's done right, some particularly freaky effects (more intense sounds, etc.) could be made configurable client-side. This would make the freaky parts of the game tolerable for jumpy folk while making the monsters seem real to those who attack nightmares.
In other words, the bloodcurdling shriek before something-or-other pounces; the green, slimy drool; the particularly arachnid-like appendages, etc. could be disabled or altered into something less frightening client-side with a setting called "phobia mode" which I have seen in other games that contain particularly realistic giant spiders.

On the other hand, it might be better to strike a balance that packs enough "RAWR!" to keep it interesting but doesn't chill the faint-hearted to the bone at every turn.

 

[questorhank]

I think it'd be pretty fun to occasionally run into things that results in my and/or my friends running while shooting back every so often. And non boss-like monsters that have a chance to spawn in swarms.

Now we just need new weapons/gear to fight them

 

[LeHitGuy100]

I'd honestly like to see spoopy creatures. y'know, and a breeding system so I could breed them to my liking like a mad scientist or something.
I'd like for them to actually be spooky and not just icky though. like what bunny guy up there said.

but yea I'd honestly like to see like xenomorphs and stuff, really spooky mobs that'll seriously screw up your stuff with how intelligent they are.