- Joined
- Aug 17, 2013
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 9
Increased Universe Diversity!
Currently, you can build a large ship with point defences, earn a lot of money mining and scavenging and soon enough run out of things to be worry about. You mine planets in 2.38 seconds! Pirate stations and AI ships become a breeze! Multiplayer with PVP could be considered the only challenge remaining. Though the game is endless fun to build in, and exploration is enjoyable even if it does get stale fast. Even with the upcoming features I have read. I still think there is content the game would benefit from. Beneath are a few things I would like to see in the game personally. Excluding features that are planned and taking into account the mechanics that are either already in the game, or on the way. I have tried to make them balanced, feel free to comment.
World Improvements
- Spherical Planets – That’s is, make the planets round. (I am aware this is a contested subject) I don’t care if gravity is hard to do for a round planet, gravity just on the top is fine by me. Hell! If you make the planets cubes I would be okay with it. I’m not sure if disk planets are a gimmick or an engine limitation, I expect the latter (In which case ignore this :c ). Though if planets were round it would allow for a few things. Such as more valuable minerals at the centre, or the core of the planet itself could be harvested. If you harvest a planets core, would it not die? Explode? Implode? Effectively be an asteroid? Upset the locals? Not to mention it would look better. Having perfectly flat bottomed disks looks ugly and means harvesting is a little too easy. In addition caves are not deep or varied enough to be interesting because the only thing underground is the void of space.
- More Planet types – I am not entirely certain if this is planned or not. Though there definitely needs to be more than 4 or 5 planet types. Our galaxy alone has a baffling array of variety. Moons made of glacial sheets of ice and 80% water, planets coated with sulphur, gas giants, stormy planets, volcanically active planets, vast seas, planets with rings, planets with moons. Though, since planets are themed as biomes. Ocean, tropical and volcanic would be good and simple additions. It also means the minerals could be spread out between them. Rather than having 5 mineral types on one type of planet.
- Non Matter-beamable Materials – Valuable items or crafting ingredients that cannot be mined with the salvage beam meaning players would have to think about harvesting entire planets and move on. It would still be a perfectly legitimate strategy. Though one way of creating a non-salvageable resource would be the planned critters. Capturing a planets wildlife would have to be done by hand or specialised machine and not by building the “win everything harvesting ship”. Giving players a reason to explore survive and land on planets. Alternatively to critters some sort of power crystals that lose their power upon being beamed. The more valuable recipes would be more likely to require such valuable commodities... possibly.
- Space Debris and threats – Giant husks of half destroyed space stations. Floating ships devoid of life. Though I am not talking about just empty ships and stations. What if one was a pirate booby trap filled with disintegrators? Or infested with an alien parasite? Or replicator-esque robots? They provide both a reason to explore and a challenge. Whereas I think hostile ship-bound replicating critters are a difficult and complex addition. They are a very popular theme in the space-faring genre in both TV and Games. So worth thinking about. If not, husks are still something id like to see.
Space Anomalies/Hazards/Objects
- Particle Storm – Damages blocks and creates turbulence. Shields provide ample protection from most block damage. Though even large ships will be knocked about, small ones will have trouble flying straight.
- Ion Storm – Progressively saps power, starting with shields. Different densities of Ion storms would sap different amounts of power. Meaning larger ships could make it through without issue. Whereas small ships may become trapped
- Supernova – A “super sun”. Intense radiation damage from a larger proximity. Due to the way supernovas function. More valuable mineral asteroids/planets would be found closer to the dying star.
- Black Hole – Pulls in ships and destroys them. The closer you get the stronger the pull. (I am not sure how gravity in the engine works in multiple directions. Though I imagine it would work on the same principles.) Seems harsh. Though if you leave your ship next to a sun it gets dissolved. So don't leave your ship next to a black hole.
- Asteroid Field – Large amount of moving asteroids that can collide with the ship. Small ships would be able to navigate the belts relatively easily. Though large ships could get torn to pieces. (Collision damage does not seem to be implemented just yet. Although I am not sure if it is planned. Fake “explosive” asteroids would have a similar effect.)
- Wormhole – Has an entrance and an exit with a gravitational pull. Leads to a random chunk/system. Same idea as warp gates or teleporting. Except you have no idea where you will end up unless you have gone through it before. Lost in spaaaceee!!
Space anomalies would mean even big ships have things to concider. Ever wanted to escape a hoard of pirate frigates by darting though an asteroid field? Hiding in an Ion Storm from a passing super cruiser? Or maybe knocking an enemy flagship into a black hole with a pulse cannon. Need to escape using your warp drive? Be careful you don’t warp into a black hole or end up next to a supernova!
Factions
A number of universe native factions. Very much the same as the pirate faction. There would be about 4 “races” Each with their own set of ships and designs. Each race is randomly set to be either at war or allies with the other 3. (Possibility for players to choose their initial faction at start-up).
- Faction home worlds/headquarters – Every system houses a home-world or home station to one of the factions. These are super planets or stations that fit the races theme. They would be challenging for any single ship to defeat and call in backup when attacked. There is the possibility of placing unique blocks on homeworlds that cannot be bought in shops. For example more powerful variants of normal systems. Just as an insentive/reward.
- Faction Shops and Trade – The native factions all have their own shop designs. Each faction has a set of items the other factions do not sell. Something unique to that faction. If you are enemies with that faction you would be unable to purchase. Trade ships would travel from allied shop to allied shop and refill stock. Effectively making trade routes for players and pirates to raid. I can understand that shops running out of stock causes players to explore and spread out. Though it is ultimately unnecessary and creates a “buy everything just in case” attitude in multiplayer situations, often sucking the world dry.
- Faction Stations – Simple enough. Each faction has a station type. Much like a pirate station. If you are allied with the station it would offer services such as repairs or the locations of local warzones. If quests are added, this would be the place to get them.
- Faction Warzones – A sector of space where two races are contesting for its ownership. Players can arrive and assist either faction depending on who they are allied with. When only one contesting faction is left in the warzone it changes to the winning faction. More enemy ships enter the sector on a timer. Meaning the sector will switch back and forth between contesting factions if unaided. Not only do players get a permanent supply of ships to test their weapons on. It also encourages the building of space stations in such places to help defend. As well as the multiplayer implications of having contesting zones. The result of a faction owning more sectors could either be lowering the price of items in shops or decreasing their resupply time.
These are ideas I would like to see in the world. In order to make it more diverse and more interesting. Apologies if any of this is already planned or has been mentioned elsewhere. Send me a link and I will slide it in. I appreciate you reading this far, and feedback is always welcome.
Also hello! I have been lurking for a while. Decided to make a contribution of my own.
Currently, you can build a large ship with point defences, earn a lot of money mining and scavenging and soon enough run out of things to be worry about. You mine planets in 2.38 seconds! Pirate stations and AI ships become a breeze! Multiplayer with PVP could be considered the only challenge remaining. Though the game is endless fun to build in, and exploration is enjoyable even if it does get stale fast. Even with the upcoming features I have read. I still think there is content the game would benefit from. Beneath are a few things I would like to see in the game personally. Excluding features that are planned and taking into account the mechanics that are either already in the game, or on the way. I have tried to make them balanced, feel free to comment.
World Improvements
- Spherical Planets – That’s is, make the planets round. (I am aware this is a contested subject) I don’t care if gravity is hard to do for a round planet, gravity just on the top is fine by me. Hell! If you make the planets cubes I would be okay with it. I’m not sure if disk planets are a gimmick or an engine limitation, I expect the latter (In which case ignore this :c ). Though if planets were round it would allow for a few things. Such as more valuable minerals at the centre, or the core of the planet itself could be harvested. If you harvest a planets core, would it not die? Explode? Implode? Effectively be an asteroid? Upset the locals? Not to mention it would look better. Having perfectly flat bottomed disks looks ugly and means harvesting is a little too easy. In addition caves are not deep or varied enough to be interesting because the only thing underground is the void of space.
- More Planet types – I am not entirely certain if this is planned or not. Though there definitely needs to be more than 4 or 5 planet types. Our galaxy alone has a baffling array of variety. Moons made of glacial sheets of ice and 80% water, planets coated with sulphur, gas giants, stormy planets, volcanically active planets, vast seas, planets with rings, planets with moons. Though, since planets are themed as biomes. Ocean, tropical and volcanic would be good and simple additions. It also means the minerals could be spread out between them. Rather than having 5 mineral types on one type of planet.
- Non Matter-beamable Materials – Valuable items or crafting ingredients that cannot be mined with the salvage beam meaning players would have to think about harvesting entire planets and move on. It would still be a perfectly legitimate strategy. Though one way of creating a non-salvageable resource would be the planned critters. Capturing a planets wildlife would have to be done by hand or specialised machine and not by building the “win everything harvesting ship”. Giving players a reason to explore survive and land on planets. Alternatively to critters some sort of power crystals that lose their power upon being beamed. The more valuable recipes would be more likely to require such valuable commodities... possibly.
- Space Debris and threats – Giant husks of half destroyed space stations. Floating ships devoid of life. Though I am not talking about just empty ships and stations. What if one was a pirate booby trap filled with disintegrators? Or infested with an alien parasite? Or replicator-esque robots? They provide both a reason to explore and a challenge. Whereas I think hostile ship-bound replicating critters are a difficult and complex addition. They are a very popular theme in the space-faring genre in both TV and Games. So worth thinking about. If not, husks are still something id like to see.
Space Anomalies/Hazards/Objects
- Particle Storm – Damages blocks and creates turbulence. Shields provide ample protection from most block damage. Though even large ships will be knocked about, small ones will have trouble flying straight.
- Ion Storm – Progressively saps power, starting with shields. Different densities of Ion storms would sap different amounts of power. Meaning larger ships could make it through without issue. Whereas small ships may become trapped
- Supernova – A “super sun”. Intense radiation damage from a larger proximity. Due to the way supernovas function. More valuable mineral asteroids/planets would be found closer to the dying star.
- Black Hole – Pulls in ships and destroys them. The closer you get the stronger the pull. (I am not sure how gravity in the engine works in multiple directions. Though I imagine it would work on the same principles.) Seems harsh. Though if you leave your ship next to a sun it gets dissolved. So don't leave your ship next to a black hole.
- Asteroid Field – Large amount of moving asteroids that can collide with the ship. Small ships would be able to navigate the belts relatively easily. Though large ships could get torn to pieces. (Collision damage does not seem to be implemented just yet. Although I am not sure if it is planned. Fake “explosive” asteroids would have a similar effect.)
- Wormhole – Has an entrance and an exit with a gravitational pull. Leads to a random chunk/system. Same idea as warp gates or teleporting. Except you have no idea where you will end up unless you have gone through it before. Lost in spaaaceee!!
Space anomalies would mean even big ships have things to concider. Ever wanted to escape a hoard of pirate frigates by darting though an asteroid field? Hiding in an Ion Storm from a passing super cruiser? Or maybe knocking an enemy flagship into a black hole with a pulse cannon. Need to escape using your warp drive? Be careful you don’t warp into a black hole or end up next to a supernova!
Factions
A number of universe native factions. Very much the same as the pirate faction. There would be about 4 “races” Each with their own set of ships and designs. Each race is randomly set to be either at war or allies with the other 3. (Possibility for players to choose their initial faction at start-up).
- Faction home worlds/headquarters – Every system houses a home-world or home station to one of the factions. These are super planets or stations that fit the races theme. They would be challenging for any single ship to defeat and call in backup when attacked. There is the possibility of placing unique blocks on homeworlds that cannot be bought in shops. For example more powerful variants of normal systems. Just as an insentive/reward.
- Faction Shops and Trade – The native factions all have their own shop designs. Each faction has a set of items the other factions do not sell. Something unique to that faction. If you are enemies with that faction you would be unable to purchase. Trade ships would travel from allied shop to allied shop and refill stock. Effectively making trade routes for players and pirates to raid. I can understand that shops running out of stock causes players to explore and spread out. Though it is ultimately unnecessary and creates a “buy everything just in case” attitude in multiplayer situations, often sucking the world dry.
- Faction Stations – Simple enough. Each faction has a station type. Much like a pirate station. If you are allied with the station it would offer services such as repairs or the locations of local warzones. If quests are added, this would be the place to get them.
- Faction Warzones – A sector of space where two races are contesting for its ownership. Players can arrive and assist either faction depending on who they are allied with. When only one contesting faction is left in the warzone it changes to the winning faction. More enemy ships enter the sector on a timer. Meaning the sector will switch back and forth between contesting factions if unaided. Not only do players get a permanent supply of ships to test their weapons on. It also encourages the building of space stations in such places to help defend. As well as the multiplayer implications of having contesting zones. The result of a faction owning more sectors could either be lowering the price of items in shops or decreasing their resupply time.
These are ideas I would like to see in the world. In order to make it more diverse and more interesting. Apologies if any of this is already planned or has been mentioned elsewhere. Send me a link and I will slide it in. I appreciate you reading this far, and feedback is always welcome.
Also hello! I have been lurking for a while. Decided to make a contribution of my own.