I am highly interested in seeing magic take form in Starbound in a technological manner. However, as I see it, many people are against magic being thrown into a Sci-Fi game, due to the fact that it doesn't fit in with the genre. When I think about a way to implement attacks such as this into the game, I think along the lines of Dark Cloud 2. There is a female from a kingdom in the future and she has the capability of channeling the elements through armbands. To some degree, this just sounds like another form of magic. However, if it was required by the player to perform research in order to make specific gauntlets, it would make it more scientific. Maybe they could be crafted out of various materials that relate to what type of abilities they hold. For example, for some sort of electricity gauntlet, one would have to use metals to create the base of the gauntlet, wiring/organ of some animal/plant to allow the electricity to flow properly, and water as a conduit for said electricity. This would make it a bit more difficult to craft than most weapons and would require someone to have unlocked specific parts of the technology tree related to gauntlets. Another suggestion my friend made to my when I mentioned the idea is something similar to the omni-tool on Mass Effect 3. Certain classes had the capabilities to use the omni-tool as a weapon, such as the Engineer being able to shoot fire from it, or the Infiltrator being able to use it to conduct electricity. These people weren’t magicians, they used technology in a form that appeared to be magic. On the other hand, certain battery powered guns would work fine as a type of “magic” weaponry, but it doesn’t exactly fulfill the role I think of when we say magic. I would like the idea of gauntlets to go smoothly, and I could likely create more suggestions on how particular elements would work with some thought. I may get one of my friends to try to create some concept art type thing to show you guys what I mean instead of just saying gauntlet. These gauntlets could still run on battery power, as it is the "mp" resource in the game. If anyone has anything they think would work with this idea, feel free to post them! I enjoy peoples' input, as long as it's constructive. Edit: It would actually be pretty sweet to include a drop from robotic or android type enemies that would be used as the base for various gauntlets. Perhaps the hand of one of these types of enemies, alongside some extra metal-type materials, and still including some specialized ingredients based on the gauntlet's type?
So in a gameplay point of view, weapons or accessories that allow the player "cast" spell-like habilities like fireballs or barriers? I... I kinda like this idea. Although magic is already a very discussed matter here, allowing the player have them as gauntlets sounds quite awesome. Reminds me of Fable 3.
You know, I hadn't even thought about Fable 3... That sort of system is EXACTLY what I would love to see with this game. Being able to combine spells that are created from accessories, not some magical force. Albeit, add more gauntlets than just the limited amount that was in Fable 3, but the system itself was actually really nicely executed. There may be some more details that would be required dealing with the technological bit of it, to satisfy those who don't want to see any form of magic in the game whatsoever, but I'm sure I could work out all the details.
Why exactly you'd like to see gauntlets ingame, though? Just curious. Id suggest like a blank gauntlet that gain certain skills/stats depending on crystals you socket in it, and the "spells" would behave differently as you socket crystals in certain sequence (like Magicka or the hero Invoker from DotA 1/2) But implementing this ingame seems too overcomplicated for just a certain type of item. I'm at work right now, but I'll try to come up with good suggestions/points to support the gauntlet idea
Crystals stray from the scientific and technological thing that the gauntlets will hopefully produce. It might be hard to implement, but I'm not taking that into consideration at the moment. Just trying to get the idea running before I worry about implementation. The spell system in Magicka is pretty cool, but it would be way too confusing for a game such as this. In order to change spells you'd have to reconfigure the crystal sequence and that seems like it would get tedious. I would like to see gauntlets in-game because I don't want the "classes" to be limited to one who uses guns and one who uses melee. There is a vast need of some sort of alternative weapon type that uses battery power as a resource. I'd like it to be something unique or not really common in a lot of games either. Large, metallic gauntlets seem fairly appropriate, yet still possess that technological feel that people want from this game.
Ok maybe not crystals, but just parts in general; energy crystals, lil tesla coils and other stuff. Obviously they wouldnt actually show on the gauntlet, but the item's image would range from alot of tecnological gadgets/components. I dont like to see it exactly as "classes" or "roles". I was hoping for a free choice of equipments and each person finds their own synergy between items and their own skills, but seems like Starbound is leaning towards a more role-based character equipment, so I beleive it is quite a good way to add more to the player's choice.
I'm going to use a Terraria example here, mainly because I know a bit about end-game on there. I had been playing with my friends, and by the time we got to end-game, the one using melee was essentially useless, because myself using magic and 2 others using ranged killed everything before it got close, pretty much. With that in mind, I don't want something similar to happen to this game. Where certain areas become obsolete after a point and other areas become so overpowered that one might not look at the other possibilities. At the same time, I don't want people to be restricted to a specific CLASS. That's a discussion for somewhere else though, so I'll stop talking about that. I wouldn't really like to see the gauntlets as an accessory, per se, that you put some sort of resource into to change their power. Makes it seem like they're capable of doing a large amount of attacks with only one weapon, which could be potentially unfair if you could swap crystals on the spot. I'd like to see various elements that are embedded into the gauntlet as you create them. That way, each could have their own feel, look, and attack, making it a bit more varied. I feel that something like this goes particularly well with the whole procedural generation system. I don't think people want to see some sort of...changeable weapon. Like, imagine if you had a revolver that you could switch the pieces on the spot to make it fully auto, or shoot rockets, or other shooting modes. There'd be no need to carry more than one weapon, making a lot of items obsolete. So, with the gauntlets, just make them be able to be found with a specific ability on them that isn't changeable.
Very interesting. By the way. I heard you mentioning this thread in the "Drones and little mechas" trhead. but you didn't provide a link so it was hard for me to find this. Please, edit your "drones and little mechas" post to include the link. I have my reasons to think LongChan would like to read it. PD. You could also like this: http://community.playstarbound.com/...bot-pet-companions-mechapets.3609/#post-58028
Ah, yes, my apologies. I'll include the link now. The idea is okay and it would provide something that could be customized, like what Joxalot wants. I wouldn't mind seeing it.
I think I have an idea for your problem with the element thing. My thought is that you can have a canister of some sort, fill it up with a element (Water for water type skills, snow for ice, lava for fire, battery for electric, etc.) and it's inserted into the gauntlet. Then the way it could be used is like a module of some sort, like a mod for projectile, another for like a wall, and etc (again).
That may work. I actually don't mind that idea all that much, but then it lets one piece of equipment have far too many uses. I was thinking using things like snow blocks or something like that in the construction of the gauntlet. That way each one only has one particular use and there's a bit more balance. It's essentially building the gauntlet with the element inside of it and sealing it. Perhaps some research would enable you to use battery power to warp more of the element into the gauntlet, only requiring particular materials to do the research and have the gauntlet and warp technology put in place. The "research" would be included in the materials for its creation, making it one large blueprint. (This is all speaking lore-ically. In-game, it would just be like a magic weapon that drained battery power as you used the gauntlet.)
I like your idea quite a bit, it seems much better to have it be a locked type at creation, so like you said it doesn't become an omni-weapon. but having a battery draining tech-magic item sounds fucking awesome!
I'd side with people who in other threads all over the forum stated that magic can mix with science fiction very, very well if done properly (Warhammer 40000 being a great example as well as Biotics disciplines in aforementioned Mass Effect which are typical magic/psionics, just understood and developed 'scientifically'). Gauntlets utilizing some sort of ranged attack aren't that much far off in science fiction anyway. People get all kinds of gadgets, so miniature flamethrowers, nanofactories of liquid nitrogen or other pseudo-scientific stuff in gauntlet's palms fit right in. No need to overthink such things as long as they're not completely idiotic.
Right. However, some people think that it's just an excuse to include wizards in a science fiction game, so I'm just providing some backup info on how it could work scientifically (obviously not in real life, but in the future). That way, it's a bit more...appropriate for the setting.
While I understand the need of proper fluff and at least pseudo-scientific explanations in some, especially when one's making an item some people may consider testing their suspension of disbelief, we're talking here about the game with space penguins and a monster cranium of which is a huge jaw. On the other hand, since some fluff would be nice you should consider something with actual ties to 'real' science if even by the mention of some IRL tools and technologies (vide my very crude and improvised example with nanofactories and miniaturized flamethrowers). I'm not sure that 'batteries somehow turning mystical energy into flames or whatever' or 'gauntlets which somehow turns power of magical crystals into magical effects' qualifies as basically you still describe it as magical, no matter if it's energy, crystal or whatever, you just add mechanical 'release' element to the whole thing.
wait this could actualy work as a "pick your ammo type" kind of gun but also having a normal attack... like the element casting in magicka combined with iron man's gloves or something like that
