Modding Discussion Avali 1.0 Reboot Discussion

Discussion in 'Starbound Modding' started by RyuujinZERO, Aug 11, 2016.

  1. YellowDemonHurlr

    YellowDemonHurlr Ketchup Robot

    Fair point that the distance from the sun contributes, but don't discount the atmosphere. There's enough light at noon on Pluto to read a book, but thanks to layers of opaque haze, the surface of Titan receives 0.1% as much sunlight as Earth does. I'm too tired to hunt down exactly how bright that is right now... I'll look it up later.

    It's not that hard to believe when you consider that you only have to dive about 200 meters into water before you lose nearly all visible light.

    I don't recall anyone saying anything about deafening all sound, I recall suggesting that just listening to things are won't be enough to operate as an active predator in near-pitch conditions because terrain doesn't typically make noise on its own, it only reflects sound. You wouldn't be able to tell if you're on a flat plain or if there's a ravine between you or your prey, or if the ground ahead of you is rough or smooth and slidey, or which way your prey is going, etc.
     
  2. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    Okay, but like

    [​IMG]
    http://avali.wikia.com/wiki/Avalon
    I know it's only "concept art" and all, but it's obviously not meant to be a perpetually dark planet of obscurity and shadows where you never see neither the sun shine nor sunshine.
     
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  3. Sock of Retribution

    Sock of Retribution Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    This is by Ryuu humself, and even if it's scientifically inaccurate it's still canon.

    I get that making things different from humans for the socratic experiment is cool and all, but how many people are really going to appreciate that anyways? The avali are cute little fuzzy space raptors: the last thing I'd personally want them to be is too alien. I suppose I don't really follow the canon completely anyways.
     
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  4. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    Yes, but when I meet an avali on an RP server and they tell me they have red blood and a dick, I do want to take their aerogel spear and stab them in the face with it.

    By the way, scientifically accurate? We don't know what % of each gas there is in the atmosphere, do we?
     
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  5. Sock of Retribution

    Sock of Retribution Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Now see, that sort of thing makes me cringe because it seems to be more common than actual canon avali biology. It's supposed to be the exception with the excuse being non-Illuminate avali, but it's the norm instead.

    Can you really blame those RPers, though? They just want ease of RPing with avali so that they can incorporate space raptors into their own settings and don't have to worry about all the extra stuff that normally comes with them. It's rather hypocritical of us to call them careless and inaccurate when very few if any fans actually adhere to the canon completely. Canon is followed in degrees, and each to their own. Some people don't even look to be trying, but they're not objectively worse avali fans as much as I might like to think they are.

    Back when I was still on CSRL, 3 of my 4 best avali friends (all of whom form my best combat buddies) were either genetic modifications or an alternate avali subspecies (which is just based off genetic mods anyways iirc). Needless to say, their avali were all much more human-like and non-canon in biology than their young Illuminate companion Jiro. However, they all have their own settings which stray greatly or are completely unrelated to the normal avali setting: having a biologically canon avali would likely just serve as detrimental for them. Case in point, circumstances matter.
     
  6. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    Of course, those who can come up with a reasonable explaination when asked why they're meowing like a cat, sure.
    Those who answer me with "*Shrugs*" are very blameable, yeah.
     
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  7. YellowDemonHurlr

    YellowDemonHurlr Ketchup Robot

    But it actively conflicts with other canon. You don't get eyes like the avali have when you have that much light available to you. I just consider that picture old and obsolete.

    Avali occupy a really, really awkward spot. They're familiar enough that we want to use them in familiar situations and interact with them, but their biology is alien enough that it's hard to do that. Really, I think they should have been designed to either by very alien (let's face it, avali aren't aliens, they're raptor people) or be compatible with other species. Walking the middle ground makes things way harder.

    Making them less alien in their biology is probably the better choice of the two. People don't gravitate to the avali because of their unusual biology, but because they're cute and huggable. Or in my case, because I thought that their dislike of humanity was fertile ground for narrative.
     
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  8. TR-219

    TR-219 Subatomic Cosmonaut

    All stories need a conflict... whether literal, or just hidden enough.
     
  9. DraikNova

    DraikNova Spaceman Spiff

    Yeah, big eyes are more of a abyssal squid sort of thing. But I still find it kind of strange that creatures that did not adapt to a dark environment but live on a planet where it's generally very dark would evolve eyes at all, given how little light to work with they have (which is more of an issue if you're starting out dealing with a dark environment then when you already have eyes and are adapting to a darker environment), which would be exacerbated by the issues with snow getting in them from Avalon's snowstorms. Which kind of ties into the whole "more/less alien" issue. I think it would make more sense if they lacked eyes, maybe only having a vague capability to tell the general light level using photosensitive skin (which is one of the more common expressions of sight in real life when full-blown eyes aren't advantageous) and had to rely on other senses instead.
     
  10. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    Or maybe they were nocturnal.
    Problem solved.
     
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  11. HuskyPup

    HuskyPup Star Wrangler

    I know this has nothing to do with what you guys are talking about... but!
    I've been talking with friends about Avali architecture, and I realized how impractical the design of tents are due to the denser atmosphere. Winds would be less frequent, yes, but they would displace a bigger quantity of it. In theory, you should build stuff with the least resistance to air as possible to limit the event of cloths and other stuff from flying off. But look at what they're building:
    [​IMG]
    All of those little places where wind could catch something!
    This doesn't make sense, to me at least... is there something else I'm missing / I'm misinformed about?
    Tiny cry for Help.

    *cuddles are back c:*
     
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  12. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    Yeah, the tents are bolted down.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2017
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  13. YellowDemonHurlr

    YellowDemonHurlr Ketchup Robot

    Hmm, that's a good point. You could set them up in the lee of an obstacle, but it might make more sense to just carve out a hole where you want to make camp and cover it with a low-profile top. Then again, I think some modern tents can resist high winds pretty well if they're properly constructed and staked down.

    Of course, it's become clear to me that avali run off "rule of cool" and only pretend to make scientific/practical sense.
     
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  14. Sock of Retribution

    Sock of Retribution Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Look at us: dissecting the canon, isolating contraditions. Maybe this is why Ryuujin left. Poor guy: he must feel really overwhelmed, what with the race he created becoming more popular than he anticipated and creating a large, loyal yet somewhat demanding fanbase. Poor fanbase too: we've lost our figurehead, the person we've looked up to, and we don't know if he's coming back. The state of this race is pretty sad, and I have no idea what to do about it.

    Well to change the subject, I have been contemplating steps I can take to better prepare Jiroku for The Monsters Below's universe if I ever want to try and incorporate him into it. I don't know if it'll happen while I'm still living in the house of parents who only seem to be concerned with their son's financial success and family participation, but I'm allowed to dream, aren't I?

    I've been thinking of just naming this version of him "Jiroku Ralai" instead of "Jiroku Tanalya", to show that he has in fact grown up with a pack. I'm also gonna have him be a sublieutenant, which is much more plausible for an already unbelievable 15-year-old training camp graduate. Still gonna be a shy, submissive, quirky xenophile though.

    *chirp 'n nuzzle*
     
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  15. YellowDemonHurlr

    YellowDemonHurlr Ketchup Robot

    While I don't anticipate incorporating other people's OCs into Windows to Infinity, you are of course welcome so use whatever elements you would like from Windows in your own writing (except the character of Yellow). Of course, it'll be fan fiction of fan fiction, but that's okay.

    I think Jiroku would have a pretty miserable time in the ADF as I write them. The general avali populace hold humans in poor regard, but the ADF are much worse. They consider humans to be the avali's primary existential threat. Most of their recruitment propaganda revolves around protecting the Illuminate from humans. A xenophilic recruit would not be very welcome (especially if he loves humans), being viewed at best an enemy sympathizer. They would probably try to tuck him away somewhere, maybe if he's lucky it'll be a position like communications where his familiarity with humans would be more useful. Alternatively, he might apply for a position with ADF intelligence, which is less dogmatic but more selective. He might also skip out on the ADF entirely and join a colonial militia (who are not under ADF command and who aren't part of ADF culture), work for border patrol, or pursue some kind of civilian career such as a diplomat (there are Illuminate diplomats to the human nations).
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2017
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  16. HuskyPup

    HuskyPup Star Wrangler

    Wouldn't make that moving said tent somewhere more difficult?

    We discussed a similar technique with the team, does indeed make more sense.

    *snuggles* Hello! ^^
     
  17. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    [​IMG]
    What's that in the distance?
    Oh, it's just a bunch of 1.2 avali.
     
  18. DraikNova

    DraikNova Spaceman Spiff

    The new sloped inset blocks look very Avali, in my opinion. I'm guessing that's going to be the main material for Avali ships and stations.

    On a side note, am I the only one who's wondering if the expanding station stuff could be combined with ships?
     
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  19. Scival

    Scival Oxygen Tank

    I'm wondering if we could get on-demand new planets. :3
     
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  20. DraikNova

    DraikNova Spaceman Spiff

    That's...a very good point actually. Playing Magrathea could be fun.
     
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