Start near the core and work outwards: improves mechanics/storyline?

[TheRedScourge]

Hi all,

 

In another thread of mine, "Custom Galaxy Size: Half or Quarter", ( https://www.avorion.net/forum/index.php/topic,5561.msg30120.html#msg30120 ) I proposed a simple method for implementing a scalable galaxy size, which is to use pie slice shapes and fill the remainder with rifts, so you get a half or quarter shape. The idea was that this would allow scalable galaxy sizes without much programming difficulty or story or game mechanics changes to implement.

 

However, the general idea behind this idea was that the galaxy is kind of too big and feels too empty in multiplayer, but this thread led to me realizing that there's actually a way better, though much more technically difficult, way to solve the problem, but which also would vastly improve the early-game mechanics for newcomers, improve the overall storyline and make it seem more consistent. which is this:

 

Start players inside the core and have them travel outwards as the game goes on instead, then back to the very center for the endgame

 

General idea:

 

- Entire core is no-PvP, no pirate raids or faction warfare on inhabited systems, no Xsotan, giving a shallow difficulty and learning curve early on

 

- You have to be befriended by a portal guarding faction to first be allowed to leave the core, which better integrates the economy and bulletins as a storyline element

 

- A separate but much smaller core  barrier region where the endgame still will take place, which might better allow for instancing

 

- Add new artifacts or reallocate existing ones to be dropped by new Xsotan minibosses in the four corners, which you lose and must reobtain every time you want to redo the endgame, perhaps feeding into instancing

 

 

 

Why I think it makes more sense:

 

- Introducing PvP, large pirate raids, faction warfare, Xsotan attacks, and a quickly scaling difficult only outside the core helps make it easier for beginners to safely master the very basics like economy and ship building before they venture into the more dangerous areas, and could make the mid game more of a challenge

 

- Players are way more likely to encounter each other early on, more effectively creating either a cooperative or competitive  atmosphere for the game

 

- Later in game, the galaxy would be bigger, but as players get a larger jump radius, they can still meet if they want, but meeting by accident will be less likely, which makes PvP scarier and more exciting

 

- The barrier will fit better as a gameplay mechanic and story element, as the storyline doesn't really make sense now from a practical aspect

 

- The new storyline explaining the mechanics could be that the Xsotan are coming from the outside in, the core was intentionally sealed off except for some portals to serve as a defensive chokepoint, strong factions defend those portals, law and order is maintained inside the core, but is hit or miss outside the core

 

- You first meet the Xsotan at these barrier portals, as they are forced to come through the portals and get blasted

 

- The Xsotan getting stronger toward the edges actually makes more sense if they are extra-dimensional invaders, and then the plot hole as to why they never wiped out the outer rim factions on their way to the core goes away

 

- Getting artifacts for the endgame from Xsotan minibosses in the four corners makes way more sense than now, where you get them unexpectedly, and mostly from random rather weak bandits

 

 

I understand this would be a technically demanding thing to develop, but I also think it would be the sort of change you'd really need to implement if you wanted to move from beta to full release.

[TheRedScourge]

Reserving first reply in case this idea takes off, and needs to be fleshed out further for specific storyline elements

[Sir Charles]

While I feel like the system as we got it now is better, this would clear the „outer regions“ issue (the regions behind your spawn are uninteresting an kind of useless).

Therefore I would not mind a change like this, even tho I think these problems could and should be addressed differently...

i also like that it Mars the Xsotan not as Common as they are Right now.

But honestly, I think the system in Multiplayer is good as it is right now, a singleplayer story (mabye with coop) would be a great feature, but not urgent for a full release, cause I would rather like to have a great game with no Story than a great story in a bugged and unpolished game...

[SneakyTacts]

- The Xsotan getting stronger toward the edges actually makes more sense if they are extra-dimensional invaders, and then the plot hole as to why they never wiped out the outer rim factions on their way to the core goes away

The story makes little sense, that is true. I thought the story explains that the Xsotan came from the center and are swarming outwards from an unending source of reinforcements. If that's so, then why are the Xsotan still everywhere and why haven't they conquered any zone? Not sure how you understand the story, but I like your idea of having them invade from the outside and move inward. This way, they can have already destroyed some outer factions. They can even set up bases or strongholds that we could raid. [addition: those bases could be where we gain avorion and fight new Xsotan mini-bosses.

 

- The new storyline explaining the mechanics could be that the Xsotan are coming from the outside in, the core was intentionally sealed off except for some portals to serve as a defensive chokepoint, strong factions defend those portals, law and order is maintained inside the core, but is hit or miss outside the core

I like this! I don't remember there even being an explanation for the barrier beyond "it just appeared." This could also explain why there are scattered rifts: when the technology for the barrier was used, it went out of control by unintentionally generating rifts.

 

- Entire core is no-PvP, no pirate raids or faction warfare on inhabited systems, no Xsotan, giving a shallow difficulty and learning curve early on

- You have to be befriended by a portal guarding faction to first be allowed to leave the core, which better integrates the economy and bulletins as a storyline element

The limit on PvP, faction warfare, and Xsotan might be okay, but halting even all pirate raids is probably too much. There would be very little to do in the beginning of the game without combat -- only mining and trading could be done in our tiny ships. There would need to be a new play-style introduced to keep us entertained without combat for the beginning, or the core would have to be shrunk. What's your solution?

 

Start players inside the core and have them travel outwards as the game goes on instead, then back to the very center for the endgame

 

 

How do you intend for this to happen? A concern of mine is the thought of where all the resources will be. If Avorion, the material, remains in the center, when can it be accessed by the player and how will the player be restricted to using lower-tier weapons and resources when they're surrounded by what is currently everything strong and most valuable? Oh, I've had a thought! What if Avorion was only at the edge with the Xsotan in their bases? Not sure where the other materials will be (or how they will be restricted).

 

- Getting artifacts for the endgame from Xsotan mini-bosses in the four corners makes way more sense than now, where you get them unexpectedly, and mostly from random rather weak bandits

It absolutely makes more sense to fight Xsotan mini-bosses to gain Xsotan technology. Why would some iron-level pirate named Swoks have rare alien turret technology?

[TheRedScourge]

The limit on PvP, faction warfare, and Xsotan might be okay, but halting even all pirate raids is probably too much. There would be very little to do in the beginning of the game without combat

 

For that I'd say no pirate raids of the colonized controlled systems, but raids and pirate and smuggler bases anywhere else. Basically, if you want to do trading, it's safe in the systems where you'd trade, but moving anywhere else is still a bit of a risk.

 

As for the minerals and difficulty scaling, you could probably just invert the distances and everything would probably scale similarly, so iron and titanium are in the core and you get better stuff the further you go out, instead of the further you go in.