Gamemodes: The Next Big Step

[Caelphon]

Hi. So a small discussion in the Staff Discord sorta poised the questioned: what ideas could their be for gamemodes?
 

I've gone ahead and made this so we can have a singular location, instead of people making 10+ posts about their gamemode suggestion.

 

FORMAT:

Name:

Short Description:

Why should we add it?: 

 

Eg.

Name: Bluespace Disarray

Short Description: Player controlled golems/slimes/phoron worms appear. Requires +20 people to occur. Essentially a very dangerous gamemode, and can result in bluespace fluctuations (bluespace portals suddenly opening).

Why should we add it?: A gamemode that primarily focuses on chaos, destruction and death. It is a based addition, and is sure to increase roleplay. 

 

*Don't bully me, I came up with that on the spot and it isn't very good. 

[Hepatica]

Name: Game Master

Short Description: Like during the KOTW arc, extended rounds would have little (or some times not little) events thrown in to spice things up. As a result, extended was played far more often then usual and peopled seemed to quite enjoy it. Make a whitelisted role that is heavily policed and given only to those that can be trusted to drive a story for at least most of the crew for an entire round, give them the ability to do a myriad of things, such as choosing ghosted people and setting them out with a specific goal. Example: I choose x player to be a Fisanduh nationalist boarding to kidnap Bingbang Volvalaad, the 7 foot noble lord janitor, as a contract a rival put on their head. They get appropriate gear based on the manifest at the time, so if there's only a single bald forensic tech they wouldn't be given deathsquad gear, and sent on their way. On the flip side, I choose three players to show up as a group of scientists that escaped from a nearby ship where a horrible science experiment broke loose. They tell command/security/whoever about how the ship was nearby and was close to self destructing after the Captain enabled the failsafe. Hour or so into the round, I throw out a command report from the Icarus saying debris are heading towards the Asteroid. One of the Debris is carrying said horrible science experiment, maybe some horror form ling or something, and the round goes from there. This could also certainly be used for a myriad of other ideas, not just ones involving hostile antags.

Why should we add it?: The possibilities for a role and gamemode such as this are endless, can be easily fueled by our expansive lore, which would only serve to get players further invested in the lore our writers work so hard on. If the whitelisted role was policed appropriately and given to those that could be trusted with it, which is of course easier said then done, it has the chance to vastly improve not just a single round, but a players experience on the server overall. Multiple people got interested in certain parts of the lore through smaller events during the KOTW arc, I think this could serve just the same.

 

That being said, we can throw out ideas all we want, but at the end of the day without a coder backing it up, there's little to be done. Also, on top of that, the gamemode would of course only be able to be run if one of the whitelisted individuals was on, which I'm sure is just a nightmare of an idea to code, but maybe not. Either way, as cool and interesting as I personally find this idea, I can't imagine it'd be easy in any way, shape, or form to implement.

As a side note, should this actually become a thing, I personally think the people who apply for the whitelist should have extensive knowledge of the lore, at least parts of the lore they might want to use for their events. I would restrict their ability to do or add certain things based on what whitelists they possess, and be subject to stripping of not only the Game master whitelist, but their species whitelist should they go too far out of their way to break lore/ruin a round.

[Caelphon]

Name:

Poltergeists/Specters/Presence

Short Description:

Creatures that lurk in the dark (Grus) make a return in Poltergeists/Specters/Presence! Depending on the amount of players ready 1 - 2 Gru will spawn in maintenance, where they'll receive a little blurb and directives that they must accomplish whilst on the NSS Aurora. Perhaps abilities to possess (akin to a borer, but reworked). Specters are expected to create situations etc aboard the NSS Aurora. Will probably get decked out abilities and whatnot - similar to what Resilyn said in the "Aurora Gamemode Challenge". 

Why should we add it?: 

I believe it is a unique gamemode, that if done correct, can be incredibly fun. Adds into the idea of spookiness occuring on the Aurora, and getting fear RP and whatnot pumping. 

[Chen Yakumo]

Name: Suspense

Short Description: The round starts off exceptionally slow. Antagonists are chosen at random. Crew antagonists are given low-level supernatural abilities. The ability to flicker lights, the ability to telekinetically manipulate objects. Perhaps they can hear and see through walls. As the round timer gets closer to that two hour mark, they're given more. The ability to raise and lower ambient heat and alter the atmosphere. They could make use of the already existing psionics code for "energy levels" that would dictate how much power they could throw around at once, and that pool would steadily grow. Each antagonist can be given something different. Maybe they choose from a list right near round start by using a command, with that list being a fraction of the whole opportunity. What if they want more?

The others have other choices. Find them. Take it from them, either willingly or by force. You don't NEED to kill them (though that would make it easier.) You just need to get them restrained while you conduct your very, very painful ritual to remove their powers and add them to your own.

Why should we add it?: The power list can be very module, as can the amount of antagonists. Low population? Maybe one or two, and restrict them to the lower-tier options that don't have any form of massive station disruption. High pop riding in just after an event and sticking around? A large chunk of these people, with powers ranging from "The thunderclap of my hands produced an EMP and now Engineering is out of power" to "I have transcended an am now God Lord of All Mobs. Behold, my control over my army of Carp, Dwellers, Sharks, Rats, and Slimes. Watch as I bestow upon them Intelligence from people who died or decided to observe." The vague direction on the source of these powers gives the players playing them the leeway to decide how they want to flavor it. Are they psionically awakening? Possessed? Genetically altered? Never the crew to begin with? Their choice.

 

I'm being intentionally vague because I'm kind of spitballing at 3 AM after work. Might delete this later if it turns out I'm dumb.

[NerdyVampire]

Name: Unaccounted For

Short Description: Something was left behind after an incidental shift, something the maintenance drones missed. In this event we open up ghost roles for playing crewmen of a previous shift, people who have been trapped in remote areas of the station with only a station bounced radio, left to be rescued by drones who couldn't understand them.

This could be patients who had been ushered into the long-term care or old medical wing to hide, a maintenance technician who got trapped without their tools or ID, a security officer who awakens without his leg, or someone similar. The first time one of these spawn, central command could send an announcement that it has come to their attention that "some crew from a previous shift is unaccounted for" and mandate that the current shift find and report their status. It could even be a round-start only role to be assigned.

Why should we add it?: It adds some new roleplaying possibilities without being fueled by direct antag activity.  It can work in both extended and secret. It does not require the creation of any new object data, just spawning rules and some lore-wise believable pre-conditions to inspire these players and give believability to whatever story they choose to tell.

[NerdyVampire]

1 hour ago, NerdyVampire said:

Unaccounted For

Just realised that this was supposed to be a game mode. I suppose it can be tweaked to be so.

[Yaku]

Name: Xenobiological Containment breach

Short Description: Unclassified xenobiological creatures which have broken out of its containment chamber are currently on their course towards aurora station. As they are floating in space towards the station. The goal is to either capture them alive or dead as they may pose an significant or low threat. Some are able to learn and understand languages and are friendly and might be a viewed as a great addition to the crew. While other are completly diffrent and might attack only when you seen their face. Some might be objects while others are horrific looking beeings. Each monster having their own unique abilities and mechanics. The goal of the monsters is to survive, prevent from beeing captured, or complete their own objectives

(Heavily inspired by SCP containment breach)

At round start selected people will be chosen and spawn as a random monster or object within the antag hub where they can sheme and plan once ready they can board the station prehaps by means of a bluespaceportal where they then will be teleported to a random location on the station.

 

 

Why should we add it?: i thought it would be cool having more monster/alien themed gamemodes its space afterall who knows what kind of creatures lurk in the deeper parts of it or on unexplored planets