Unlock new races.

Okay, not sure where to have this, but it seems like it'd be a game mechanic. So if this would be better suited for the "NPCs and Creatures" or the "Other" subthreads, please move it.

I'm kinda bent on the achievement system playing some part in adding to the game, so that I have something to show off other then some text on a profile that people aren't going to probably look at. I'm not sure if the different races your character can play as will have an impact on what he can do (think Skyrim), or if they would be purely cosmetic. The reason thats important is if the races can majorly impact how you play the game then I don't want this implemented.

Onto the meat of the idea, I think it would be cool if some of the races you can play as would be made available by unlocking achievements/doing feats (more "by doing random stuff in the game" achievements/feats rather than "get your life bar maxed"). It doesn't have to be achievements that unlock it, but the main point is you have to do something worthwhile to get the race. Something like raising 100 different pets gets you a dog race. Killing a space pirate penguin king would give the player the penguin race. Going more silly, dieing by being blown up/set on fire 100 times gives the player the "constantly on fire" race.

The two ways that I'd support this being implemented would be if A: The races don't do some amazing stuff (lizard race gives you wallclimb/walljump, bird race gives you 2x jump height, etc). And B: If the achievements that DO unlock stuff aren't trite throwaway achievements/feats that the player is gonna do anyway (Reach level 1! Reach level 10! Beat the first boss! And so on).

 

I don't really like this idea, I'm pretty sure there are going to be diferent races, but making people unlock them by achievements is, in my opinion, a bad idea, as I would like to stick to 1 character as much as posible(unless I do something really stupid with him) and not have to restart once I get the race I want.

EDIT: And, if its implemented (mutations, not this), you could probably mutate yourself into some of the things you mentioned.

DOUBLE EDIT:Raising a pets and dying in some ways I'm pretty sure count as achievements

 

I'm all for a "Constantly on fire" race.

 

why not start with some races and unlock more races after that? not just all the races unlockable?

 

This is more what I was thinking of. Making it so some of the races were available from the word go(I don't think the ape race would be too different from humans), but maybe have a silhouette of the other race options until they're unlocked (like super meat boy or locked characters in smash bros).

 

If you add achievement in the game it could narrow how "open" the game is. Since sometime players want to complete these "achievements" therefore they would only go task that would help them reach their goal.

Achievements that the player would normal do would just be a bore, since the player does not need a pop up box to tell them what they already did.

Maybe some achievement where it just plain random? Things that would not change the gaming experience the player would have. Achievements where they are done just because you had the time to kill to do them. (Ram "insert mech" into a castle)

 

I agree with what you say, and like I stated, I would only want this if the achievements were a bit random, because tying the race to a very simple achievement just seems pointless. At that point its not too much difference from just having it unlocked at the start.

I honestly didn't think of this, which is a good point. But I'm kinda going off of Terraria on how the characters will be leveled, which is aside from some simple stat modifications, it was all armor. And if it is in that same vain that the "leveling" of characters is then it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Why can't we have both (which would possibly fix the not wanting to make a new character issue)? Make it so some of the races are unlocked by achievements, but when you unlock the race, you also unlock the recipe to the mutation to change your character to that race. If you do a new character then you don't have to find the materials for the mutation, but you have to level/upgrade your character. The other way saves the level/upgrade grind, but you have to find the materials.

 

I am for a mix of both. Unlock some basic races from the start. And then either 'splice' your character with the race you want or clone him into that body or whatever later. The other method that could be done is have new characters able to take advantage of your previous characters 'campain' map in singleplayer. (I still stand by all inventories should be per server/campain and not per character. Like minecrafts management of inventory. Its all based on the server.)

This way you wouldnt really be making a new guy wtih new stats and everything. You'd make a new guy, sure, but you would jump right on board with that same space station. Or you could start a new 'campain' if you really wanted to start over from scratch. Im sure some of like to do that (ahem... me included xD). A thought about how some of the races could be unlocked. You could have those with special requirements. Example achievments. Get a Reptilesk (reptilian animal of some kind) to maximum level. Unlocks race that evolved from them. (Yay evolution!) Would be an interesting way to unlock races. Like unlock the ape people by leveling up an ape pet.

This might feel like a grind to players however. So instead you could make it part of a research tree. Researching old civilizations or animals you capture along the way. Eventualy 'making' the races in question.

Oooor you could rescure a member of a race and that unlocks it. Since you helped him you could help others of his kind (an excuse to have an ape man on your space station that you made.)

This is just a bunch of ideas. :>

 

Maybe for races, it will not affect anything, accept for losing the other race's abilities, then you could just change races in different environments when it is suitable. You could donate for premium races, or you can buy basic ones for a cheap price in-game, advanced ones later. And there should be some starting ones that just change a few of your abilities.

 

No. No premium races. You're already buying Starbound as it is, payment things like that is for F2P games. Oh, and I believe that races WILL only be cosmetic, but the race's *racial armor* gives certain effects. Like Apex would make you faster and jump higher, Avian would make you glide, robot faster mining, etc.

 

Stupid things like this will lead to elitism."Oh I paid MONEY/DID SOMETHING STUPID to get a COSMETIC DIFFERENCE therefore I am BETTER THAN YOU PEASANTS."
It was also annoy people who just want to play the game as the race they want...


And on the note of achievements, you wouldn't be able to make any of them specific, due to the procedurally-generated and sandbox aspects of the game. So you wouldn't be able to have achievements for doing "random things."

 

The thing about this is that you're supposed to be able to pick your favourite race from the beginning, and if you had to unlock them, then you would need to restart all over again! Which no one really wants to do.
The point is that this game should appeal to everyone, with the same options for all to avoid people getting ahead just because of extra cash or stuff along those lines. There is no way that Starbound will have an in-game store anyways.

And I also agree with Luna, achievements are pretty unlikely.

 

Perhaps if you unlocked a Race by completing the singleplayer mode, that would be pretty cool. Also take into mind that you'll probably be able to have more than one "Player Save" at a time, so you could always play around with the new race whilst still having your old character.

 

I don't think unlocking races would be cool to be honest. Unless you can transfer all the character's crap onto the newly built race character.

Edit: I would still feel like it's a pain in the ankle to unlock races rather than unlocking other things though.

 

This could work, but once a new race has been added, it may feel like a chore, having to play as a race you really don't like, just to unlock one you prefer. I would say, unlock them to begin with, but make already made characters able to change into the new races, as well as current ones, once you've researched the ability to do so. In essence, taking what defines you, the electrical impulses and memories stored on your brain/processor and transferred them over to an empty "shell" of the species you want to change into. Seeing that races are purely cosmetic, this process could also be used to simply change your appearance, if you feel the need, rather than having to remake your entire character just to change something you've grown tired of, over time.
You would of course have to gather "spare parts" in the form of either entire bodies of various new humanoid races, or construct them through a process using bio-materials (or scrap metal and electronics for the Toasters. I mean, robots.)

 

Thought it was a decent idea from the title.
And then I remembered FTL.

 

I think this is a good idea because 1 it's almost purely optional secondly it reminds me of the Arkarian Genera (or somthing)

 

Awesome concept, it could work out. But I'd hate it. Games which limit you to races and having you to unlock them, don't really like this.

 

Before adding a feature like this to a game, you need to ask "how does this feature enhance the main aspects of the game?" I can't think of any way that unlocking new races would add anything to the experience of exploring, mining, and building in randomly generated worlds. If you need a sense of achievement, then "unlock" some new loot by exploring a new world and finding the monsters and dungeons there.


If the only thing that keeps you playing is the need to unlock or collect something, then are you really having fun?
It seems to me that fun should keep you playing a game, not achievements. Food for thought.

 

Cant like this enough. Quoted for emphasis. There should be more than enough sense of achievement climbing through the gear ladder already.