Something Starbound hasnt tried yet

Just a quick idea... but, hasnt it always clinged a tad odd that... you always begin in space? Yeah I know this is a space faring game... exploration, words words la la la pew twang pew... but, wouldnt it be a more... "rewarding" or exhilarating experience to have players start off in a well... starter planet? this planet happens to be related to their race of choice (giving us a good introduction to the colonization system) this planet has villages by default (oh sorry log files "dungeon X race village"), a few empty houses to let us tamper around with the colonization features... eventually attracting a tenant which happens to be a retiring space farer who also wants to get rid of his small ship/ship license ...

So after a bit of crafting, a bit of questing, getting a few materials (which we have ALWAYS had to do despite starting in the middle of space) we finally get a ship (which is also related to our chosen race... ye know, consistency and what not) I think it would be a far more rewarding experience to drive people thru a few things before letting us actually OWN a space faring ship, which would have a set of starter space faring items to give an idea to new players of what is required to travel in space (and therefore... avoid the forever stalking painful habit of mat hoarding)

Anyways that was just a quick idea-turned-to-wall-text I had in mind, I went thru the trouble of posting because its "simple" and not over the top... its mostly repurposing ideas and features Chucklefish has already added into the game, or are in the process of adding. Its probably a nightmare in script and whatever coding mumbo jumbo has to be done. But hey, the idea is here!

Share yer thoughts, talk the idea down if ye dont like it blah blah blah I have a black and White Mask to attend to!

Tschuss

edit: 80/20 theories are correct...

 

There we gooooooooo
Good idea, good idea.
I like the idea of basically a tutorial planet where the people on it help you learn about the game and you have to go through a process to get your ship.
Although I always like Starbound to be a freeing game, giving the player choice or at least wiggle room for what you have to do so I feel like it would be better if it wasn't more of a specific process rather than a guiding process, where if you wanted to you could do whatever you want as soon as you get that ship. Fly an illegal ship for all I care. Do what you want you're the player, have fun.

 

Should this be moved to Suggestions?

 

Maybe, but that depends if there's a suggestion sub-category that fits this suggestion well enough.
It could go into side quests or mechanics.

 

I can't see this working for vanilla with the stories they're making. The idea is you were part of a space faring society that collapsed when some catastrophic incident happened. You managed to escape and in that escape your ship got fubared. While nothing is set in stone, it would kinda go against the tiny nuggets of story they've given away.

I'd love to see something like this in an "Alternate start path" kinda mod.

 

Actually it will not against the story so far. That idea could allow the player to "live" the events that lead him into the stars in the first place. Just to remember the backstories:

Humans = Planet destroied by the tentacles. Had to flee his planet to live
Apex = One fo the few survivors of a rebellion. Had to flee to live
Glitch = Attained self-awareness. Had to flee his planet to live
Avian = One of the outcasts. Had to flee his planet to live.
Floran = Enlightned Floran. Decided to abandon his planet because of his people barbaric ways.
Hylotl = An Explorer. Left his planet to see the galaxy.
Novakid = Amnesic.

As you see the whole idea of a start game without a ship makes sense for almost all the races. The only exceptions are the hylotls and novakids.

 

One of these species is not like the other, one of these species have amnesia!

 

More the reason for a novakid to start without a ship.

In fact the whole "Star Train" thing could be the beginner's novakid solution to leave the planet where he is... think yamato anime, only that instead of a ancient naval ship he will convert a ancient locomotive.

 

The backstory for all the races will receive an overhaul when the story update starts getting programmed. The new story has you (no matter what race you pick) starting out on earth as an initiate to the Terrene Protectorate, which is an organization of space-rangers and peacekeepers of all races. You're just about to be promoted to a full member when the tentacle beast attacks, scattering the TP and leaving you to narrowly escape on a broken ship, which is where the current game begins.

 

Care to show where you get that info?

 

Certainly. That's the official Starbound wiki, and all that information was revealed by the devs on a Twitch stream not too long ago.

 

GTA in space... hehe[DOUBLEPOST=1443695200][/DOUBLEPOST]

well you see, thats the problem with starbound... its such a weak cliche (no offence meant to anyone) that gives very little creative freedom... considering it was probably a fumbled idea during the alpha... throwing it away should have been considered at one point. but this thread isnt intended at bashing stories or the like, then again it makes me even more curious to see the direction Starbound would have taken were it not for that intro...[DOUBLEPOST=1443695297][/DOUBLEPOST]

Amnesia is dangerous! for example... I forgot I had no breakfast! I should totally cook me something....[DOUBLEPOST=1443695372][/DOUBLEPOST]

I Imagine a human going to a novakid asking
"yo, wheres your ship shiny dude?"
and the Novakid looking at him with the truest depiction of confusion
"I err... forgot?" *ship crashing on the background due to fuel shortage*[DOUBLEPOST=1443695489][/DOUBLEPOST]

Interesting, repurposing an old idea and screenshots to make something actually more fleshed out and interesting... ahh, the economy of thought! well applied if I must...

 

Dont know if I like this aproach...

The idea that all the players are part of the same organization seems a lot like star trek to me...

It would be better to keep then as separated individuals, that have different starting reasons and goals, and with almost game in this regard, eventually they will have to deal with the problem that destroied Earth because, quite frankly, its a menace that treatens the entire galaxy.

 

Here is a man I can salute, you sir just made me realize something I had missed out of ignorance. that unified plot is a terrible idea indeed! if they are going for that approach... Ill need a mod to get rid of it

 

Exactly. I love to roleplay in games and avian starting story really clicked with me. My avian was a caught pirate meant to be sacrificed that barely escaped and flew away on stolen cargo ship. Starting stories tolld us more about each race and their cultue and allowed us to partially create history of our character. I don't want it to change to some generic sace cop story or whatever, especially because my avian was an outlaw, he would never join organisation like that. Forcing it upon us would take away some magic of the game for sure.

 

Why exactly do we need creative freedom for a backstory? Where do you we drawn the line between "creative freedom" and their "artistic integrity"? Even if something is written, you can completely disregard it for whatever you want, especially if we're talking multi-player RP communities. If we're talking single-player for the "immersion" aspect, I'd have to respectfully disagree. Their story may be weak, but it's their game to develop / design as they please, and you should try to respect that. I'd love if everyone who ever played games was forced to fully explore every option in 'The Stanley parable" and play through "The Beginner's Guide", as they both show how Players, Writers, and Developers impact gameplay. Also it was post pre-release (so Beta) when they introduced the cut-scenes they'd been working on for the story.

 

For the same reason Starbound have its success as a game while still in beta. Its a sandbox/open world game.

By definition (based mainly on all other types of sandbox games oyt there) that means freedom of choices from begining to end, both for the story and for the game itself.

When you introduce the concept of a single start for all characters, regardless of species, as the main plot of a game such as Starbound, you kill half of the fun of the game.

And that dont even count the discrepancies that would have to be corrected with the lore of the game just to adjust this "Starting Story" that all characters would share.

An example are the Avians and the workshipers of Kuex and the Outcasts.

For all the lore we (players) know that the followers of Kuex adhere to a rigid society but that society is still a spacefaring one. So a follower of Kuex could be part of that "Starfleet" the devs are thinking (thinking because theres nothing set to stone until the final release) and still keep his faith... do you see it now?

All avian players are considered "enemies" of the religious avians you find in the game universe. Its part of the code that dictates the interaction of NPCs and the player character. that also explain why the NPCs in avian villages sometimes ask your character (regardless of race) if you are a follower of Kuex, because its know that the Kuexis (good name LOL) travel the stars. How do you adress that in a scenario were all characters start on the same planet as part of the same organization?

That's my concern with this whole idea...

 

Well my taciturn friend, if we make a sandbox game, put a name on it, slap a rating of E on it, put a lot of pretty pixels and promises of freedom, I think my costumers will be more than expecting that said freedom will be.... you guessed! FREE! if we have a Halo Combat Evolved gone right start up for a starbound campaign I could as well do so-so lala and flip my way out of this nutfest while my characters are doomed to pick daisies for eternity. I do not speak just for myself, but to anyone with a clear mind and understanding of what a sandbox stands for, the news mean that freedom is getting cut, we will get the same boring "humans rule all beep boop beep boop" beginning with any and ALL characters you make... this is not some weird hybrid, this is a sandbox right and thru, and should remain as such

 

How is what I said in any way related to the whole idea of the "sandbox". Fallout, Elder Scrolls, GTA, Saints Row, Infamous... those are all exceptionally popular sandbox games that have a fully fledged story and lack of story-free creative freedom in character development. Each race is going to have a different starting point leading to the same situation. They're also going to have their own missions.

Maybe you have a misinterpretation of what a "sandbox" game is. At it's core, a sandbox game is literally just an open world that lets you explore and progress at your own pace. It in no way enforces that a story can't be present. The majority of sandbox games have stories, usually rather in-depth ones. Games like Minecraft and Terraria may be sandbox games, but that doesn't meant their the absolute icons of the genre.

Worse case, you simply ignore the story and make up your own. I highly doubt that anyone would care.

So what's your proposed solution to this (and I use the term very lightly) "problem"? I'll be exceptionally disappointed if either of you respond with "throw out the story".

 

Fallout, GTA (except GTA V), Saints Row and Infamous are sandbox games with just ONE main character.

Elder Scrolls (I will assume you are talking about skyrim) have the option of many different races to play and all races have the same starting plot, but in Skyrim the main sotry is about the "Dovakin", an individual that can battle the dragons and not about starfaring civilizations on the galaxy.

Starbound, since its begining, is about different starts for different reasons for each race and that is the charm of the whole game.

As for the story I never stated that there should not have a story, only that this story is not the same for every race.

Lets face it, the Tentacles are not a treat for Earth but for all the galaxy. You dont need to make every character be part of the same organization, whatever its name, just to make the plot. That's too much Star Trek.

My solution is simply to improve on the already stabilished begining storylines for each race and eventually lead then to address the "problem" that are the tentacles and its return.