Hoddmimir's Suggestion Compendium

Discussion in 'Other' started by Hoddmimir, Jan 29, 2014.

  1. Hoddmimir

    Hoddmimir Cosmic Narwhal

    I am an ideas guy. As an ideas guy, I can't help but have many many ideas. Big ones, small ones, etc... SO rather than have a dozen different topics for minor ideas, I decided to just keep all minor ideas and suggestions in one small topic. Any major suggestions I have I will make a separate topic for so it can get the attention it deserves.


    1. Open flames should not work in places with no atmosphere.
    This is for the sake of realism and immersion. It does not make sense for torches to burn in space or on a moon. There is no oxygen for them to burn.
    2. Lava should produce heat just like torches, campfires, etc...
    If it can give you the Melting status effect, then it should definitely be hot enough to warm you up in the night.
    3. There should be a point when you are TOO hot.
    I think it should be hard to get to this point, but if we have planets that are lava, magma, volcanic, etc... it would be more immersive if your character actually felt hot from being there. We have Burning and Melting status effects, so it makes sense that your character can get hot. It also opens up the possibility of cold based items and tech.
    4. Snow, Ice, etc... should increase the rate at which you lose heat.
    This is right along with the rest of the suggestions above. If I am surrounded by ice and snow my character should feel it.
    5. I would love to see seasons in the game.
    This would be a difficult thing to add since each planet would probably have a different cycle of seasons and realistically some of those would last longer or shorter, be more severe or more mild, or be completely reversed. So something for the future perhaps.​

    6. Separate the 3D Scanner and 3D Printer.
    I find that it is a pain to open the inventory window and the 3D Printer window at the same time, but this is something I do regularly as I check to see if new items in my inventory can be scanned. I only need the one little button on the 3D Printer window to scan objects, but items are difficult to move back and forth between the two windows. Perhaps if the scanner button was actually part of the inventory screen? You could scan an object anywhere but you would only be able to print it on your ship.
    7. Ship Upgrade Screen
    One of the modules in the ship (like Storage, or 3D Printer) should be a ship upgrade menu. Using this would let you spend pixels or resources to change the size, shape, appearance, functions, etc... of your ship. So every player starts with the starter ship of their race, but then has access to several different appearances to change to by spending pixels. The Hylotl for instance start with the Koi ship. For a hefty pixel price they can upgrade their ship to the Shark which is bigger and looks more like a shark than a koi. Then for even more they have the Squid, the turtle, the whale. Etc... Bigger fancier ships. They can also gain blueprints for other race ship appearances. In addition to cosmetic changes like shape and size, they can increase storage amount, fuel tank size, engine size (for quicker travel), add new tools to the ship that work like crafting stations without actually having to place crafting stations, add a database console to look up recipes or logbook entries, improve the navigation console so it displays more advanced information including mini biomes, structures, etc... All of these things would require more and more difficult to find resources and higher and higher pixel costs, but once you paid for it once you would not have to again. So if you change your mind about cosmetic stuff you can switch back and forth. This would also be how you upgrade your ship to travel to different sectors as well.

    If a space combat type thing was ever implemented this would be how you would add weapons to your ship. Even if it was just for an orbital strike type ability.
    8. Economy
    Throughout the universe there is a possibility of finding NPCs who act as merchants. They will sell you a set of items for the pixel value of those items. Regardless of how far away two planets are from one another, NPCs on both planets will sell the same item for the exact same price. This is perhaps the easy way to do things and is probably fine for a game that is as ambitious as Starbound, but a more realistic system would be to have some variance in sale price on different worlds. Different items would be available so the economy is going to be different. I would love to see a +/- 20% variance in sale prices. It would be nice to find that merchant who sells stims for cheaper than anywhere else in the universe. Of course his hats may be overpriced.​



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    1. Black Holes
    At some places in the navigation screen you should be able to see a Black Hole where you would normally see a star. You would not be able to land on it, and there would probably not be anything in orbit around it, but it would be a fun immersive thing to see. They could also feature in quests or have derelict ships orbiting around them that the player could land on.
    2. Binary Systems
    Our galaxy/universe is full of binary star systems. It is extremely common. As such it would be nice to see binary star systems in the navigation screen with planets orbiting them just like normal.
    3. Dyson Spheres
    Dyson Spheres are hypothetical structures that completely surround a star gathering all the solar energy that star gives off and using it to power the sphere. It would be awesome to occasionally or even rarely find a Dyson Sphere in the navigation screen. It would be able to be landed on like a planet and the block types that make it up would be various metals and tech blocks, Example --> Junk Tech​

    4. Derelict Ships
    In orbit around stars, just like planets, or moons, there should be the occasional derelict ship or space station that can be landed on and explored. Perhaps the crew is all dead, perhaps they are not. These would not be much different than dungeons found on planets.
    5. Planet Seeding
    We can gather the principle crop and tree seedlings from a hundred worlds, and we can plant those on other planets, but they will never be anywhere but exactly where we put them. How much more interesting would it be if when you planted trees on a planet, that planet had a chance for one of that kind of tree to grow spontaneously elsewhere. Same for crops and any wild plants that might be added later. Or if that is not ideal perhaps a special device could be crafted, placed on the planet, and then used to seed the world. You add a tree seedling to the device and then the world re-generates with those trees instead of the ones it was originally set with. You could perhaps use that device for types of blocks, plants, monsters, etc...
    6. Star Forge
    Scattered throughout the universe are massive technological marvels. Who built them and where they came from, no one can say for sure. Some ancient race perhaps. These massive contraptions are capable of building a whole new planet. Various materials are collected and placed within the star forge and these objects determine what kind of world is generated when the device is activated. So if I add green dirt, green sand, Kiwi seeds, metal coated tree seedlings, fine sand, magmarock, mushroom blocks, and lava samples, the starforge will randomly generate a world using those features. I may end up with a planet covered in dirt with scattered sand and magmarock, no water just lava, an interior of mushroom blocks and kiwis growing all over without a single tree, or I might get a magmarock world with lots of sand and a huge mushroom surface mini biome, with several kinds of trees and kiwis growing all about and a junk tech interior. The planet is randomly generated. It just used your inputs as a basis. So two people could forge a planet at the same star forge location and get wildly different results. ​



    1. Warp Pad
    This device would be a long flat platform you can place anywhere on the ground. When activated it changes the place you warp to from your ship to directly on top of it. It can only be activated in a place you would normally be able to warp from, meaning no background blocks. It would be wireable so that switches and logic gates work to activate or deactivate it. You can have more than one on a planet, but only one activated at a time. This would make it possible to create devices that adjust where you warp to from another location.​

    2. Paper Hat
    This is just a cute little paper sailor hat. It would be a nod to another game being published by Chucklefish, Treasure Adventure World.​

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    1. Creature part drops.
    The randomly generated nature of monsters restricts the kinds of things that can be tied to them in a lot of ways. They are individually designed and balanced so the system that makes them needs to be clear and simple. I appreciate that. However, I think it would be possible to tie certain information to specific body parts in creature generation. For example, if a monster is made with lots of eyes, then it would have a chance to drop an eyeball. If a creature has horns, it could drop horns or bone fragments or something of that nature. Two mouths? Teeth. Fluffiness? Wool, or Pelt. The information for drops would be set to the specific body part so that whenever a creature is generated with that particular body part it's drop chances are updated.
    2. Four Stage Creature Evolution
    I would like to see 4 stages of evolution for creatures. Having only 2 stages seems inadequate and does not suggest stages (plural) of evolution at all. However, 3 stages is very reminiscent of pokemon so I believe 4 is most ideal. The four stages would be Baby, Young, Adult, Pinnacle. Baby creatures would be carried by the player if they are pets or would be passive creatures protected by adult versions of the creature if found on planet. Young would be the current normal stage of creature we see in game now. Adult would be the evolved form we see now. Pinnacle would be much like the mini-bosses that are sometimes found on a planet. Larger, stronger, etc... Creatures used as pets could possibly be mounts if in their pinnacle evolved stage. Creatures would evolve with experience and possibly require an action or item to complete the evolution to the next stage. Evolving to the pinnacle form would be much more difficult requiring greater experience and resources.
    3. Creature Name Generator
    I believe it would be nice to have some kind of names associated with creatures found on planets. Since they are randomly generated creatures, I realize naming them is difficult so I suggest a name generation system based on the body parts that are used together. A particular body part would have the name "Horned" associated with it. So a full name could be "Adult Fluffy Horned Wonkerdoodle" based on parts put together.
    4. Creature Seeding
    I think it would be cool to be able to somehow collect DNA samples of creatures and use those in a planet seeding device to cause that creature to spawn on another world. Collecting DNA would require a special tool much like the brain extractor gun and would have a low chance of getting viable DNA.

    Planet seeding machines would be used to seed planets with trees, crops, blocks, ores, etc... as well.​



    1. Creature Mounts
    I think pinnacle level creature pets could be used as mounts. You would summon them like a Mech and ride them around using there abilities, jumping, etc... They would not be as strong as mechs but the ability to find the perfect creature for you would make up for that.



    1. Better starting quests
    The current beginning quests are not very clear or even very helpful. I think quests need to be reworked to teach the game with as little confusion as possible.


    1. Fish Out of Water
    The Floran Menace has taken your homeworld. You have been drifting in space looking for the perfect new world to explore unable to find the right one. Now your ship is out of fuel and it seems your choice has been made for you leaving you in orbit over an unknown world. You will need to explore the planet, but it's dangerous to go alone. Search your ship storage for a MATTER MANIPULATOR and other supplies.
    Hint: Press E to interact with objects.
    Requires: MATTER MANIPULATOR
    Rewards: 10 Pixels, Codex entry: Matter Manipulator Owner's Manuel​
    Completion:
    Well done! The MATTER MANIPULATOR allows you to manipulate and collect almost anything in the world.
    2. Diving In
    It's time to explore the planet for fuel and supplies. It may be dangerous so be sure you have everything you need. When you are ready use your ships teleportation platform to beam down to the planet's surface.
    Hint: You can find a weapon and torches inside your Ship Storage.
    Requires: Landing on the planet.
    Rewards: 10 Pixels, Codex Entry: Planet Exploration 101​
    Completion:
    Well done! Now you can begin looking for supplies!
    3. Got Wood?
    Survival down here may be difficult without the proper tools. You will need some UNREFINED WOOD to start crafting them. Find a tree and use your MATTER MANIPULATOR to cut it down. Don't forget to preserve the sanctity of life by replanting the tree seedling!
    Hint: Seedlings need to be planted on dirt to grow!
    Requires: Unrefined Wood
    Rewards: 10 Pixels, Codex Entry: Carpentry 101​
    Completion:
    Terrific! Now you can make some wood planks to work with!
    4. Carp-entry
    Now that you have all that wood, you need to do something with it. Open your Crafting Window by pressing C and create some WOOD PLANKS. Then use those WOOD PLANKS to create a WOODEN CRAFTING TABLE. You will need it to create better tools and items.
    Hint: Consider making some more torches out of unrefined wood and coal while you are at it.
    Requires: Wooden Crafting Table
    Rewards: 10 Pixels​
    Completion:
    Well Done! Using the Wooden Crafting Table will give you access to a wide range of new recipes!
    5. Stepping on Stonefish
    You can't use the Wooden Crafting Table until you place it. Find a safe place to put it (Your ship is a good option) and get to work. The Matter Manipulator is useful for a lot of different things, but there are faster ways to collect wood. Get some COBBLESTONE and use the Wooden Crafting Table to create a STONE AXE.
    Hint: You can make a STONE PICKAXE and STONE HOE while you are it!
    Requires: Stone Axes
    Rewards: 10 Pixels, Codex Entry: How to be a Lumberjack 3rd Edition​
    Completion:
    Fantastic! Now if only you had some flannel!​


    Fish Food
    Race: Hylotl
    Gained: Hunger Meter is depleted half way or more for the first time.
    By now you are probably getting hungry. Hylotl are much more peaceful and civilized than other races so don't think for a second about killing some poor creature for it's meat. Get the CORALCREEP SEEDS from your Ship Storage. You can plant these by using a STONE HOE on dirt. Once the seeds have grown harvest them with E.
    Hint: It takes about 10 minutes for Coralcreep to fully grow.
    Requires: Coralcreep
    Rewards: 10 pixels, Codex Entry: Cultivating Coralcreep​
    Completion:
    Well done! Can you believe other races don't like it?​
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2014
    Celd' The Magi likes this.
  2. Hoddmimir

    Hoddmimir Cosmic Narwhal

    Updated with some more ideas and the start of my quest overhaul suggestion.
     

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