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How Bounty Hunting can work (Mechs expanded too)

Discussion in 'Starbound Discussion' started by xan713, Apr 23, 2018.

  1. xan713

    xan713 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    (Pre-Note: Since suggestions forums are now dead mainly because community happiness is at an all time low and suggestions being mostly irrelevant since modders end up taking the suggestions on board and doing things them, let’s be completely honest here and admit that we need to have a proper discussion on this, not a small submission of ideas that’ll die in the suggestions graveyard. So, Jonesy, be mindful before moving this).

    Post recent news, I find the news disappointing. But where can we go with this I’ll explain. Firstly I’d like to start off with the fact that Mechs do feel tacked on. And bounty hunting can incorporate them as well as a bigger threat, a new villainous race seeking to divide and conquer. Let’s move on and dive into it..

    There’s a way to reverse Mechs BEING tacked on, and bounty hunting feeling tacked on - A bigger threat that gives a purpose to having them in the first place. Your mere mortal character needs to suit up to match a bigger universal (or galactical threat), which could be tied in to the story as an expansion, alongside Bounty Hunting. Mechs could be upgraded and customised to counter difficult and challenging scenarios, boss fights, heavily armed and defended criminals and outlaws, environmental trap hazards set up by them (Poison gas fields, electrical deathrooms, explosive minefields etc).

    Ramp up the story as bigger threats in the Bounty system all tie together with a force in the galaxy/universe with bigger plans to conquer, enslave, destroy. Demigod or giants or even a cyborg or mechanical god race who care little for fleshy beings - like the mass effect reapers. Maybe with bounty hunting, enterprising criminals popped up to loot and profit off the new bad guys invasion, and just follow those beings path of chaos as they enslave and/or conquer the galaxy/universe.

    Maybe also with the Bounty hunting, you could capture and enlist the criminals as an army (if you wish) to wage war against the villains. Mechs would be a good use too. Let us customise them like your random furniture- so you can have the look of a galactic cop, an outlaw, a particular gang, or the look YOU as a player wants, all in a special mech workshop you unlock from defeating a particular outlaw gang. You find the workshop in their base, and then can make plans for creating your own. Cosmetic applications as well as practical ones such as weapons and other add ons. May vary based on outlaw groups visually. Think how ‘middle earth shadow of war’ has its Uruk gangs in a visually notable sense, maybe Starbound can do something that, narrative driven gangs have visually identifiable themes, outside of the endlessly random gen outlaws and criminals.

    Introduce a notable bad guy that looks cool and we can eventually recruit him/her as our crew if we wish. Every decent story driven rpg let’s us do this. Maybe s/he can be useful in teaching us how to enlist others and gain influence to turn the tide, so S/he’s more than just a useless NPC. Or be the good cop, and just imprison him/her and make him/her say funny things for the rest of his/her life. ***Maybe have 3-5 characters like this***

    ^ Offer opportunities like that, so we can have more than just ‘tacked on’ features..

    Also, instead of being a Galactic bounty hunting cop, maybe go Rogue? Let the player decide. It is space after all, anything goes in sci fi. Be an outlaw/criminal. What a twist.. well, this is a sandbox after all. That’s what SB is about and why people are disappointed that they aren’t getting their sandbox, but I’m not advocating for divisive people here..

    In the narrative, the outlaws of the bounty hunting game system are parasites to the bigger problem, that looming threat wreaking havoc around the galaxy/universe. Bounty hunting will help unravel the story, and pick up on clues to help find out where to start looking, because the crims know, they follow and loot. Eventually you’ll merge into the narrative of it, and as you pick off bounties, you cross paths with the race in the process. Script that encounter on a world like the new beginning of the game.

    The issue is, CF, is that you are having trouble with the concept because you aren’t providing a compellling narrative to support it, that should be your first port of calling when you decide on content. Speak to us if you need ideas!! Here’s how any content should work, in a checklist:

    *Big bad - check
    *Supporting mini bosses - check
    *Compelling narrative to make us care to arm up and hunt them down - check
    *Why they’re a threat, and how it affects you - check
    *New gameplay loop - check
    *Improving shallow content to work into the gameplay loop and narrative - check


    No offense, just constructive criticism from an artist.

    There are so many ways to go with this. It just needs a bit of inspiration from, wait for it, the community!

    Feel free to keep ALL of those ideas as your own, Chucklefish, as a trade off for my disappointment. Make use of them legally as your own. You don’t need to try and be original with it, make it yours. Hell, I’d help you for free under contract if you wanted.

    We’ve all been there when we are burnt out and the essence of passion gets lost, hell I’ve been there as a producer of music and movies, but sometimes outside inspiration and nudges can help.

    There’s a future outside of your closed SB story narrative, if you are financially finding it hard to want to develop it, then what about putting it (with more features) into an expansion.

    If that’s not the issue, as noted, we’re here to help.

    Maybe a good initiative to get the community back on your side is to involve them have a say in the development of it in some way. You started out that way with Kickstarter, perhaps reignite the old spark again on this game and let the community decide things that fit into the 1.4 scope, or submit and do competitions to include some modders and community ideas.

    Just my two cents.

    P.S Good to see the Xbox One version is going ahead.
    P.P.S I hope it can be designed to let mods work with it in the same way that Bethesda did. That’d be a huge community win.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2018
  2. D.M.G.

    D.M.G. Master Astronaut

    OH COME ON!!
    Write in bloody black, not everyone is using the black theme!!
     
    Lintton, Ickura and STCW262 like this.
  3. Ickura

    Ickura Big Damn Hero

    I thought something was wrong with this post because its just a big empty space under the yellow text. Please use a different color for your text.
     
  4. xan713

    xan713 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    That’s weird, I’ll fix. Thanks for letting me know.

    Edit: changed.
     

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