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The Next Big Thing - The Official Write-up Boogaloo


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INFORMATION IN THIS THREAD IS OUTDATED.

Go here for new information.

 

 

 

First, allow me to preface this with our reasoning behind all of what you're about to read. To effectively answer the question of, "

"

 

The basic formula of SS13, as it exists on our server, has existed for over a decade now. Aurora itself is half a decade old, and has been running the same general flow for all of it. So one of the purposes of this project is to effectively step away from that formula and to try something new, while maintaining the general goals Aurora has: to provide an engaging roleplay experience within the framework of SS13. The other reason for this project is tied roughly to that last note. Over the past three or so years, SS13 has evolved from a 2d farting simulator to, effectively, become a framework for games. A lot of variety servers have popped up, and keep popping up. So, it's not a bad idea to consider doing something unique of our own, is my thought.

 

Further, allow me to elaborate where we are right now. And to give you an idea of the pace this project is meant to have. The project itself is relatively large in terms of the back-end infrastructure it requires. At present, we have decided upon and set in stone what final systems are going to be present in the initial release of this project. Along with key capabilities of said systems. However, anything beyond that is to be determined by individual development groups, as they establish roadmaps for those sub projects. Further, any lore, any specific details, etcetera, is currently largely irrelevant and undecided upon. The core systems must be in place first, and in doing so, we will slowly flesh out the final product as we go.

 

That should be sufficient background information and understanding, I hope. So allow me to reveal what the actual project and its end goals are.

 

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The general premise of the initial implementation will be the transformation of the current gameplay loop into a colony building game. Every month (or two or three), a new map is generated/created, given a starting colony, and the players are required to construct a persistent colony as time progresses. The colony’s state is persistent in most cases, subject to revert by staff as need be.

 

The starting colony will be a prefab unit, which carries the basics of all departments. This will serve as a base for further expansion. All further construction, modification, etcetera will be saved, allowing the players to build up the colony over time.

 

Antagonists will take on a more varied form, as generally random events. Existing rounds and random events will be modified as needed to fit the new settings. It might also be a point to consider making the antagonists scale with the progression of the station. Though this requires a lot more balancing to prevent the spiral of death for a given colony.

 

 

So essentially, we are looking to generate a more dynamic, evolving environment for gameplay. With the environment itself refreshing semi-regularly, allowing us to more easily introduce new quirks and to do things which would otherwise break the setting or environment or something as static as the current station. It'll also allow us to perhaps stray towards and explore a few potentially more extreme scenarios, which we've had to stay away from with the station.

 

And in general, we expect it to produce an interesting twist on the old 2d farting simulator.

 

To reach this goal, here's a list of mechanics currently slated for being a requirement upon initial release, along with a short description:

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  • Construction overhaul - since construction is going to be a large part of the deal, it needs to be looked over and made more consistent and perhaps more in-depth.

    Could consider things like integrating circuitry into mechanics, to allow people to unleash their factorio nerd.
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  • Saving/loading, with rollback. Needs to keep back-ups, have an admin interface, etcetera. (Maybe add ability to selectively roll back selected map parts)
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  • Persistent economy and supply chain. The crew needs to be able to manage its funds so it could order things and resources from outside.
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  • Allow the HoP to change the number of open job-slots

    Allow them to mark certain jobs as “Priority”
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  • Starting colony. The starting colony is a must and the colony itself should be a focus of the round. Ergo, drop the ship and minimize the station. The starting colony itself should contain a minimal functioning setup of each department.

    The colony should be pieced together from random/procedural chunks, minus the starting colony. Along with the surrounding Z-levels.
  •  
  • Power needs review. PACMAN is a good starter energy source, but the reactors need review and updating.
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  • Antagonists need review. Consider implementing them into the round as random events. Let the players vote on the “intensity” of a round.

 

 

A few FAQs which have come up as we've discussed this amongst staff:

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  • What's the lore here? - Also currently WIP. With many potential scenarios to unfold.
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  • Will I have to make a new character? Or a new character every month? - No. We will look into making the transition smooth. And no to the second one as well, imagine the group of people as a group of explorers or path finders. Who go to a new planet, set up things, and then move on.
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  • WhEn'S dA ReLeAsE? (What's the plan?) - Currently we're assembling development teams and producing roadmaps for the first batch of features. Specifically, the saving back-end, construction overhaul, economy, and map generation are currently being worked on. Then we'll do those mechanics, and then we'll repeat the process for the rest. So uh, this is a bit of a ways out. Expect a comfortable time frame of 9 - 12 months before release anyways.
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  • What will happen to the lore? - It'll be as it is now. We'll just move to exploring a different aspect of it. Also, lore details are still waaay far out.
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  • Will we still be NT? - NT will definitely play a role in the new setting, but there's currently discussion about introducing other factions as well. For more variety and potential for internal strife.

 

 

so uh. ye. what think.

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I mean, lore could just be NT deciding to some agressive expansionism. They go full Weyland Yutani; building better worlds, nice new colonies along with research labs. Seeing as we focus on the building stage it's safe to say we aren't the ones moving in. We can pretty much keep all the current roles, and it justifies most characters moving between maps. You're just on to the next peoject that NT's got in store.

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tbh, I'm kinda spooked.


We have this nice map and good mechanics and I like the way things currently are. With the Station resetting each round, it provides us with a chance to do something different 10 times every day. Not to mention, I personally don't like the idea of a persistent map, because that will cause conflicts with higher up roles, such as Captain and HoS.


But I'd have to see the final product to really have a true opinion

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tbh, I'm kinda spooked.


We have this nice map and good mechanics and I like the way things currently are. With the Station resetting each round, it provides us with a chance to do something different 10 times every day. Not to mention, I personally don't like the idea of a persistent map, because that will cause conflicts with higher up roles, such as Captain and HoS.


But I'd have to see the final product to really have a true opinion

I got to agree with you on that. It seems to raise the bar on who is around though, and how harsh the problem makers are dealt with. Because shit doesn't reset, you're effectively fucking everyone over.

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tbh, I'm kinda spooked.


We have this nice map and good mechanics and I like the way things currently are. With the Station resetting each round, it provides us with a chance to do something different 10 times every day. Not to mention, I personally don't like the idea of a persistent map, because that will cause conflicts with higher up roles, such as Captain and HoS.


But I'd have to see the final product to really have a true opinion

 


Well, the current mechanics will still persist for a good long while. Like at least 9 months.


Also, rounds will still exist. Because we need them for purely technical reasons. So that 10 different things thing will still be around, as you can swap characters, do different things, etcetera.

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tbh, I'm kinda spooked.


We have this nice map and good mechanics and I like the way things currently are. With the Station resetting each round, it provides us with a chance to do something different 10 times every day. Not to mention, I personally don't like the idea of a persistent map, because that will cause conflicts with higher up roles, such as Captain and HoS.


But I'd have to see the final product to really have a true opinion

I got to agree with you on that. It seems to raise the bar on who is around though, and how harsh the problem makers are dealt with. Because shit doesn't reset, you're effectively fucking everyone over.

 

Security and gameplay experience are a major consideration, I assure you. The persistent mechanic will definitely have back-ups and easy roll-back, to deal with grief, shitty players, etcetera. As also noted, we're making construction mechanics produce a more uniform result. Though we're still making sure that the players have enough engagement to be gotten out of the system.


Also, the exact level of how much is to be saved is to be determined over the next few weeks, and will definitely be adjust as the need arises. We might just respawn the super structure, for example. Or get a bit more in depth.

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I think this is very interesting. This will make the bulk of the server being security-oriented to engineering-cargo oriented.


Engineering will be booming with players at this point.


Although, definitely reduction in size of the other departments (science, civillian, medical and definitely security) will definitely hamper most characters.


As a medical player, would I be forever confined to be surgically fixing engineering falls, bruises and welder-damaged eyes?


And it would likely become basically a building simulator server if we're not careful. How would you combat this?

Edited by Guest
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Its an interesting idea, but it sounds like it's uncomfortably close to the entire basis that Persistence was formed on. A mostly persistent colony that's built and constructed by the people that live there, with antags either not existing or being dialed waaaaay back to work in a different fashion. Do correct me if I'm wrong on anything though.


Its not necessarily a terrible idea, but, it seems pretty close to something that's already being done.

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Sorry, but no, I do not want to elaborate on it any further publicly. Please do not get me wrong, I dont want to bad-mouth or "shittalk" your project at all. If my opinion without any elaboration is inappropriate, then I apologize and will remove my comment.

 

It's not inappropriate, it's just almost useless. Without elaboration they can't address your concerns or take them into consideration.


Anyways, this sounds awesome.

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It's very difficult to conceptualize what this style of play will be like without knowing a lot of specifics, and so it's similarly difficult to make any determination about how any of us will feel about the final product before we actually get our hands on it.


Will splitting the play area into a ship and colony make things feel a lot lonelier with the same amount of players? Or will they be easy to move between somehow? How much smaller should we want the new ship map going to be? Why does the colony need to be reset every couple months if we could generate ongoing RP for a totally persistent one just by throwing new hazards and weekly events at it ("this wing you constructed was struck by a meteorite", "there's an invasion of this species of hostile creatures")? Will antagonist actions become persistent? If antagonism will no longer be the foremost driver of roleplay, what will take its place - environmental dangers and collaborative works (PvE)? If antagonism and the dangers we face are changing a lot, does that mean security and its responsibilities will manifest very differently? What will be the limits to the colony that players can build (map size, resource availability, total needed departments and facilities...), and how fast can we expect to build it? Will the colony area of the map be hospitable to humans, or will we need space suits like we do on the asteroid? Are any of our job roles on the chopping block, and should be we expect any new ones?


I'm looking forward to it, but it could really go in any direction with a proposal this open-ended.

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I think this is very interesting. This will make the bulk of the server being security-oriented to engineering-cargo oriented.


Engineering will be booming with players at this point.


Although, definitely reduction in size of the other departments (science, civillian, medical and definitely security) will definitely hamper most characters.


As a medical player, would I be forever confined to be surgically fixing engineering falls, bruises and welder-damaged eyes?


And it would likely become basically a building simulator server if we're not careful. How would you combat this?

 


Realistically, we're not removing anything that'd undermine the other departments. There will still be antags for security; there will still be injured folks for medical; science can benefit from this change, as we can more easily and in a more regular fashion introduce new excotic things. We are definitely going to have an "initial base" that other departments can use just fine. And once construction reaches a certain point, life should be able to go on as normal anyways.

 

Its an interesting idea, but it sounds like it's uncomfortably close to the entire basis that Persistence was formed on. A mostly persistent colony that's built and constructed by the people that live there, with antags either not existing or being dialed waaaaay back to work in a different fashion. Do correct me if I'm wrong on anything though.


Its not necessarily a terrible idea, but, it seems pretty close to something that's already being done.

 


Also yes and no. Tbh a good few us aren't even too much up to speed on what Persistence does exactly, or how. Even if our feature list ends up being similar, we will almost certainly provide a different gameplay experience and environment. This is how we became larger than Bay for a good 2 - 3 years, after all.

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Well, interesting. Rimworld, SS13 edition, by the looks of it. Very interesting, actually. I was teased earlier that "I'd like the NBT" but sadly it isn't Orion Trail. Still, this isn't actually that disappointing to me and I like the idea.


I only hope the end result of the project will be as equally punishing and interesting as Rimworld.

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It's very difficult to conceptualize what this style of play will be like without knowing a lot of specifics, and so it's similarly difficult to make any determination about how any of us will feel about the final product before we actually get our hands on it.


(1) Will splitting the play area into a ship and colony make things feel a lot lonelier with the same amount of players? Or will they be easy to move between somehow? How much smaller should we want the new ship map going to be?


(2) Why does the colony need to be reset every couple months if we could generate ongoing RP for a totally persistent one just by throwing new hazards and weekly events at it ("this wing you constructed was struck by a meteorite", "there's an invasion of this species of hostile creatures")?


(3) Will antagonist actions become persistent?


(4) If antagonism will no longer be the foremost driver of roleplay, what will take its place - environmental dangers and collaborative works (PvE)? If antagonism and the dangers we face are changing a lot, does that mean security and its responsibilities will manifest very differently?


(5) What will be the limits to the colony that players can build (map size, resource availability, total needed departments and facilities...), and how fast can we expect to build it? Will the colony area of the map be hospitable to humans, or will we need space suits like we do on the asteroid?


(6) Are any of our job roles on the chopping block, and should be we expect any new ones?


I'm looking forward to it, but it could really go in any direction with a proposal this open-ended.

 


Loadsa questions. I condensed them a bit.


1: The splitting up into a ship and colony isn't set in stone. We're painfully aware of the current issue with the map being too large, and are intent on avoiding that. It might be that the ship, or whatever mother base, will simply be a way station you occasionally interact with or go to.


2: The reset was a part of the initial write-up. Which included and entire super-loop of gameplay around colonizing multiple worlds, with a player controlled mother ship. However. This is too audacious of an initial implementation goal, and will strike the problems I already outlined in point 1. As such, it is partly a remnant of that idea. However, it would also allow us to, while maintaining consistency and lore, to more regularly change mechanics and to explore new things, both in terms of gameplay a lore. The latter reasons is now largely why it's there. The duration of 1 month is up for discussion and review.


3: The persistence of antagonist actions is currently being decided. There's a certain charm to it, in that, it would allow you to do even minor sabotage with actual consequences way down the line. But we also definitely see that it's a potential cause for grief, annoyance/fatigue, etcetera to the playerbase. And we will definitely keep that in mind in whatever decision we make.


4: As for removing the focus away from the antags. I would argue that we are not. The most likely outcome is that antagonists will remain as they are. An alternative is that they get augmented with the persistence hit. They're also slated to become more varied. With us no longer representing a hidden science station, we can do shit like implemented player refugees, vox traders/voyagers, whatever else as "antagonist". And it would bring more variety to the game.


5: Building speed is to be determined by the construction mechanics overhaul, that Moondancer is heading. Expect more details on that soon:tm:.


6: Can't really say at the moment!

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... Will splitting the play area into a ship and colony make things feel a lot lonelier with the same amount of players? Or will they be easy to move between somehow? How much smaller should we want the new ship map going to be? Why does the colony need to be reset every couple months if we could generate ongoing RP for a totally persistent one just by throwing new hazards and weekly events at it ("this wing you constructed was struck by a meteorite", "there's an invasion of this species of hostile creatures")?...

Starting colony. The starting colony is a must and the colony itself should be a focus of the round. Ergo, drop the ship and minimize the station. The starting colony itself should contain a minimal functioning setup of each department.

"Drop the ship and minimize the station" is what will answer your first three questions. The station is going to effectively be a latejoin point, CCIA area, evacuation point, etc. I think when you said "ship" you meant what we're calling the station.

For your fourth question, because we may want to try out different environments, and give people a chance to build the colony in a different way. Also for IC lore reasons that are still being worked out, but effectively we're working under the assumption characters are going to be there specifically to get the colony started, then they're going to be rotated out to set up a new colony while actual colonists take over the old colony.

We're open to alternatives, of course, since this is one part we're definitely not sold on.

Well, interesting. Rimworld, SS13 edition, by the looks of it. Very interesting, actually. I was teased earlier that "I'd like the NBT" but sadly it isn't Orion Trail. Still, this isn't actually that disappointing to me and I like the idea.


I only hope the end result of the project will be as equally punishing and interesting as Rimworld.

Rimworld was something that was brought up, but in the context of avoiding being too much like it. The intent isn't to make a survival colony game, but to take SS13 and revamp/redo a bunch of mechanics, and add some new ones such as persistent economy (an old project that would fit this well).

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[mention]Skull132[/mention] I've been stealthing the forums waiting for this thread to pop up.


I like the idea a lot - but I have one thing. We will need a persistent log system (like, player-wise) so Captains can coordinate with one another over larger goals. Whether this is done in game via a 'Captain's Log' style thing that new Captains can go and check and then attempt to continue on from, or done on the forums - it needs to be done, otherwise between rounds we will have heads of staff completely attempting to redo what last round's Heads tried to do.


Okay I'm going back to my hidey hole now bye.

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I really really really don't want to badmouth a project that people have put effort into deliberating but moving towards persistent station concerns me as I've played on persistent station before.


Persistent station was one of the most boring servers I played on. The only jobs that were worth playing on there are mining and construction, obviously, because you're actually doing something to contribute long term. The server itself was i n c r e d i b l y slow moving since everything was scaled to be slower. This isn't a post to -1 or +1 the idea, but to bring up concerns that might be present in a persistent station.


I mean I'm sort of okay with this addition but at the same time scared; I'm scared and excited. There are so many things that could go wrong, and all of them need to be kept in mind. The number one thing you need to ensure is that it's not boring and made too realistic. Currently, on a Saturday, persistent station has 15 players currently playing since they're off the lobby right now because griefers and it appeals to a very specific HRP audience. Griefing is something that you need to worry about. Consider that admins aren't on 24/7. Consider how players are dicks and 1 welder bomb can ruin 30-60 minutes of work.

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I like so much about this! I love the idea of persistent economy, I’ve wanted it for ages (but I’ll fightcha on how much CMOs make). I like that engineering will be consistent, their projects will matter. I like the additional responsibilities to HoPs.


I worry about the starting colony. I’d rather us start with a big, nice, well mapped station and have to keep it big and nice and well mapped. I worry that departments like medical will not get the resources they need: we already are consistently forgotten about. If someone kills a carp, we don’t get the carp. Our map has driven away most of the old med mains. In terms of development, we end up with systems literally everyone bitches about (trauma) for months as the fix sits on the back burner.


I don’t want to have to trust players to build up and maintain a functional medbay from the ground up. It just sounds like disaster.

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I do not know why everyone thinks there will be a ship that we divide the crew 50-50 on. That would be bad for gameplay. The current plan is to keep everyone on the same place, e.g. they will all be on the colony.

Starting colony. The starting colony is a must and the colony itself should be a focus of the round. Ergo, drop the ship and minimize the station. The starting colony itself should contain a minimal functioning setup of each department.

This is the only passage that mentions a ship, and as you can say it states we're planning on dropping the ship idea.

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