Abandoned ships / Decay

[TheDrunkenFROG]

I had an idea for what happens after you abandon ship?

 

I thought this  trough and have a solid solution!

 

When you are on your ship there would be something called ''vacuum decay'' wich is very slow and ''atmospheric decay'' wich is a little bit faster. Wich means your ship is on maintenance, for example:

 

 

ION Thruster emits radiation-Creates a type of rust--- Scrubs rust away---------All clear!

                                                                                           Does Not do anything--- Has to do full repair!

 

 

 

Control Panel has short circuit --- Repairs it ------- We are good!

                                                          Does nothing--- The panel has a 0.3 chance of corrupting other parts.

 

Now that we have a sense of how it COULD work, lets get to WHEN it happens!

On board there is no decay exept for maintenance that is. once off-board a timer sets for 2 real life days until one of the decaying starts to happen. 

 

 

''vacuum decay'' ''atmospheric decay''

 the first say of decay is slow. once the 24 hour period is over, the decay rate starts accelerating. this is not only for scenario purpouses but its pracital for the server too! this means lost ships will disapear over time, or for other players to find perhaps.

 

NOW How to counter decay :

 

#1 Stay close to your vessel, nearby players that have the craft rendered will slow down the decay.

 

#2 If you have to go somewhere quick! dont leave your capital ship on an atmospheric planet! this decay is MUCH faster!

 

#3 Make something called a ''Decay Bot'' this little droid will keep your ship ALIVE , as long as he has fuel/power, once that runs out he is doomed (just like the vessel) , UNLESS You program him to keep himself alive by putting fuel/batteries in a crate and program him to go there once running low. (this could lead up to interesting scenarios)

 

PROS 

-Awesome scenarios (finding fully operational ships in space becouse of the ''Decay Bot)

-another layer of immersion

-jobs for people (Janitors for your ship)

-makes you think about caring for your ship

 

CONS

-Could take time to completely balance

-Another chore for keeping everythinf running

 

Thats all for my idea [i hope it wont get flooded with other good ideas!]

 

[COMMS] *CMDR FROG OUT*

 

 

 

 

[Haunty]

I like the idea of decay. Don't even really care how it is done, as long as it is balanced and works well.

 

It would allow players to tell at a glance if something has been abandoned. Would add some depth, discovering player ruins.

[peskyboyz]

This is actually something that I was thinking about before I found Dual Universe. The idea of coming across a previous player's work, falling apart from age and neglect and learning the story of what happened is really interesting to me.

 

I like your idea on countering decay and the gameplay aspects that could be added from decay and dealing with it. The issue is demonstrating decay. It could just make random holes in your ship as it gets old or it could slowly damage elements (thusters, guns, cockpits, etc.) somewhat like Space Engineers, where blocks take time to build, and subsequently destroy until they don't work but are still physically present.

 

If that could be figured out, I think it would be a great feature to add further along in the development, say after the game has been released, because (not that I'm a developer) I think it would probably take some time to implement and balance.

 

Also this topic was discussed a couple months ago if you want to read through it HERE

[BliitzTheFox]

Drones won't work unless you are near them and running the script, that we already know. If you have a ship that large you should have friends to take care of it. Also there should be no decay on smaller ships until a few days have passesd; where as larger ships would decay after a day or 12 hours. This is mostly for balancing reasons. If you have a player who is brand new to the game, builds a ship, leaves to work for 2 days he should be able to come back without his ship in pieces. Long term players that have larger ships should have the player support to keep them running.

 

Actually scratch that that's unbalanced becuase to players to the point no one would build large ships, we would have 1000s of small ones instead. I don't think this can be balanced

[Blacksythe]

It's a nice idea but it would cause some damage to "space salvage"  and to balance it with real life it would really need to have a minimum timer of 2 weeks of inactivity before decay starts to set in.

 

Longer if not inactive

[Mazillus]

I'd like this idea.

 

Ships should require constant maintenance. This could be done by hand or by a large construct like a repair facility. Ships should be in a constant state of 'decay' unless parked in a territory bubble you have permissions for.

[ATMLVE]

Considering the lack of pre-made content making ancient ruins or random derelict ships a non-pissibilty, but also considering how cool and exciting it is to find stuff like that, I have been thinking about this and how I think, as a more long-term goal, it's something if a necessity. Since the devs won't put anything player made in the game then it's up to the players to make exploration more interesting. As much as I cringe at the concept of vacuum inexplicably decaying metal, I would be fine with it if it meant that ancient ships could be found floating through space.

 

It's not something I would expect at launch, and I'm sure it could be annoying and require balancing, but I feel that it is something that could really make the game more interesting!

[Haunty]

Considering the lack of pre-made content making ancient ruins or random derelict ships a non-pissibilty, but also considering how cool and exciting it is to find stuff like that, I have been thinking about this and how I think, as a more long-term goal, it's something if a necessity. Since the devs won't put anything player made in the game then it's up to the players to make exploration more interesting. As much as I cringe at the concept of vacuum inexplicably decaying metal, I would be fine with it if it meant that ancient ships could be found floating through space.

 

It's not something I would expect at launch, and I'm sure it could be annoying and require balancing, but I feel that it is something that could really make the game more interesting!

 

Maybe the decay could be faster on planets than in space. Cosmic rays could maybe tarnish the surface of metal making it appear "dirty" but not cause any structural damage. Or maybe it would only damage the electronic systems of the ship/station.

[CaptainQuoth]

Decay after days would be obnoxious.

 

I can see something becoming abandoned after a period of time while not parked or built on owned or maintained land sure.

 

Would really depend on the capabilities of the servers decay is a good way to clean up trash vessels that would other wise float in space forever.

 

unless they just say move them into some place like that garbage gyre in the pacific all the derelicts just drifting into a single place.

[mrjacobean]

When the construct is out of view distance (or equivalent) for a long time, you could have it so that you store just the position and rotation of the construct and just have it not exist until it comes within view distance (or equivalent) for its size (reduces server load). Create a decay algorithm that runs when the construct switches from it's non-existence phase to it's existence phase, using the time it was in non-existence to affect the severity of the decay.

 

Have ground based or landed constructs be 'overtaken' by nature and have soil and plant matter grow around the construct, whilst having space based constructs lose chunks of hull to make it look like it was hit by debris and have the paint job worn out.

 

Depending on how long it has been and some other factors, perhaps remove the scripts on the construct, but also the ownership as well, like the computer system has run out of residue charge and just lost everything (like when you don't charge your phone for a year). For those who would logically argue against loss of ownership, as a failsafe the ship would unlock everything when power hits zero (i.e. absolutely no power left in the system)

[MinerMax555]

We all want that the server doesn't die. I like the general idea, but I still hope that there will be some kind of recycling (because the resources in one system are theoretically limited). Something like a group of recycling ships that clean up the mess after a large space battle would be cool and it would mean easy to get resources and less server load

[ShadowLordAlpha]

I think there was something about general wear and tear on ship systems anyway in order to make engineers onboard ships actually worth something instead of just being another crew member that could be of use when in combat or after combat

[Anaximander]

Why would a ship in the vaccum of space decay? There's no chemical interaction in vacuum to cause rust.

And if radiation damaged you ship to the point you describe, then the ship was doomed the moment  it came into contact with cosmic radiation by the nearest star. :|

If a ship is abandoned, the salvagers would be the ones to have to deal with it. If you take that away from salvagers, they become a glorified tow-truck. :|

[mitharus]

If a ship is abandoned, the salvagers would be the ones to have to deal with it. If you take that away from salvagers, they become a glorified tow-truck. :|

 

IMO, this is probably the best way to handle it. If the "owner" doesn't log in within 2 weeks, or whatever, then the item is marked as salvageable. If something is salvageable, but they log in... the timer is reset. If something is set to a group (organization/federation/guild/whatever you want to call it) ownership, then if anyone in that group logs in, the timer doesn't kick in. There _could_ be a fluctuation on the timer based on the material used in construction... weaker material could modify it by -1 -> -5 days, where stronger material could by +5 -> +10, etc... But when constructed, the object as a whole has a salvage date based on the materials used in construction.

 

There should be some way to mark that you'll be away... vacation mode, etc... but even that should have a hard cut off date of a month or two where the salvage calculation will start in. Maybe a way to set it from the account page for the really extended times. Those are always fun when they happen... :/

 

-M

[mrjacobean]

IMO, this is probably the best way to handle it. If the "owner" doesn't log in within 2 weeks, or whatever, then the item is marked as salvageable. If something is salvageable, but they log in... the timer is reset. If something is set to a group (organization/federation/guild/whatever you want to call it) ownership, then if anyone in that group logs in, the timer doesn't kick in. There _could_ be a fluctuation on the timer based on the material used in construction... weaker material could modify it by -1 -> -5 days, where stronger material could by +5 -> +10, etc... But when constructed, the object as a whole has a salvage date based on the materials used in construction.

 

There should be some way to mark that you'll be away... vacation mode, etc... but even that should have a hard cut off date of a month or two where the salvage calculation will start in. Maybe a way to set it from the account page for the really extended times. Those are always fun when they happen... :/

 

-M

I disagree. Marking constructs for salvage limits the gameplay choices. Instead, salvagers need to bypass the security programs on the ship in order to salvage it (requiring a bunch of different skills). If you are going away for a while, then you could rent out a hangar to keep your ship in (paying in a lump sum if need be) so that people cant take/damage your ship without having to bypass the security of the hangar as well.

[Anaximander]

IMO, this is probably the best way to handle it. If the "owner" doesn't log in within 2 weeks, or whatever, then the item is marked as salvageable. If something is salvageable, but they log in... the timer is reset. If something is set to a group (organization/federation/guild/whatever you want to call it) ownership, then if anyone in that group logs in, the timer doesn't kick in. There _could_ be a fluctuation on the timer based on the material used in construction... weaker material could modify it by -1 -> -5 days, where stronger material could by +5 -> +10, etc... But when constructed, the object as a whole has a salvage date based on the materials used in construction.

 

There should be some way to mark that you'll be away... vacation mode, etc... but even that should have a hard cut off date of a month or two where the salvage calculation will start in. Maybe a way to set it from the account page for the really extended times. Those are always fun when they happen... :/

 

-M

Uhm... I meant for when a construct is destroyed. That's when salvagers come in. What you speak of wil lhappen by people who board your ship and hack its core unit and steal it. Decay should not come into play, cause it will kill the salvager gameplay.

[Mazillus]

IMO, this is probably the best way to handle it. If the "owner" doesn't log in within 2 weeks, or whatever, then the item is marked as salvageable. If something is salvageable, but they log in... the timer is reset. If something is set to a group (organization/federation/guild/whatever you want to call it) ownership, then if anyone in that group logs in, the timer doesn't kick in. There _could_ be a fluctuation on the timer based on the material used in construction... weaker material could modify it by -1 -> -5 days, where stronger material could by +5 -> +10, etc... But when constructed, the object as a whole has a salvage date based on the materials used in construction.

 

There should be some way to mark that you'll be away... vacation mode, etc... but even that should have a hard cut off date of a month or two where the salvage calculation will start in. Maybe a way to set it from the account page for the really extended times. Those are always fun when they happen... :/

 

-M

 

I don't think this is needed really. The devs have suggested that player owned structures would have a shield and energy. So if the energy runs out and the shield drops then it is open to anyone to salvage. Be aware that large player owned structures are going to require a team effort so there generally will always be players in your group online to take care of maintenance and up keep. 

[mitharus]

I don't think this is needed really. The devs have suggested that player owned structures would have a shield and energy. So if the energy runs out and the shield drops then it is open to anyone to salvage. Be aware that large player owned structures are going to require a team effort so there generally will always be players in your group online to take care of maintenance and up keep. 

 

What I was mostly, badly, trying to talk of was abandonment. If it's possible to stock energy, and that's done, but a player stops playing... then that structure/whatever is left till the energy runs out. However long that may take (or until broken into, etc...). The decay, I was speaking of was not structure decay, but "protection" decay... so, you can stock pile energy, but if you don't log in then the shields go down after 30 days, or something else similar, etc... Hence the "vacation" mode, or way to reset this timer remotely for times when you need to be away extended.

 

This type of decay is totally dependent on there being a way to create batteries, reactors, etc... as power sources. So, not likely early on, but something that could be feasible.

 

This may make more sense for structures than ships (if there's a difference in the code between them). Or make it much easier to take over... I've played some games where you would find ton's of small structures around the landscape until they implemented a similar decay where anyone could destroy them if the owner hadn't logged in after X amount of time.

 

-M

[mrjacobean]

What I was mostly, badly, trying to talk of was abandonment. If it's possible to stock energy, and that's done, but a player stops playing... then that structure/whatever is left till the energy runs out. However long that may take (or until broken into, etc...). The decay, I was speaking of was not structure decay, but "protection" decay... so, you can stock pile energy, but if you don't log in then the shields go down after 30 days, or something else similar, etc... Hence the "vacation" mode, or way to reset this timer remotely for times when you need to be away extended.

 

This type of decay is totally dependent on there being a way to create batteries, reactors, etc... as power sources. So, not likely early on, but something that could be feasible.

 

This may make more sense for structures than ships (if there's a difference in the code between them). Or make it much easier to take over... I've played some games where you would find ton's of small structures around the landscape until they implemented a similar decay where anyone could destroy them if the owner hadn't logged in after X amount of time.

 

-M

You don't need an artificial timer if you have a power requirement for the shield. Renewable power alone will not be sufficient to power one and you could have renewable power plants require maintenance otherwise they break. So the shield will go down once the net energy of the construct goes negative (no fuel/inoperable power plants) and the capacitors run out. Once a shield is down, you can just destroy the construct with ease, unless it is on owned land (I think TUs still require power to function). If you are part of a large org, you don't need to sign in to maintain stuff. If you are by yourself, you won't have a immobile base (a ship is better), so you can just store the ship at an org that rents out hangar space for people who go on holiday or who need to leave the ship, but want to keep it for later.

[Lights]

what about structures such as walls taht would nto need energy consumption how would the system detect that from normal energized structures?

[mrjacobean]

what about structures such as walls taht would nto need energy consumption how would the system detect that from normal energized structures?

Then the walls cannot have ownership, therefore no protection. If you are making a perimeter wall, it is likely you will have it attached to a generator anyway to power spotlights and auto turrets, or at least have it attached to a building inside it that does have a generator