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Creating New Gameplay at a Very Low Cost


Olmeca_Gold

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I think there are 2 main lessons NQ needs to draw from .23.

 

1) How many of you are still working toward solving the Gold Star puzzle? Only a handful of people will chase events, wrecks and such just for the sake of doing it. Without sustainable, predictable, dependable rewards; any content is stillborn and waste of precious devtime. 

 

2) If only 10% of players are supposed to engage with industry as JC aspires (a valid aspiration), then others need gameplay loops to engage with. There is only one loop of reliable moneymaking, and that's mining -> industry -> shipmaking. 

 

I like to be constructive, so in this thread I'd like to discuss what other ways NQ could easily create more such loops without allocating too much devtime. Here are some ideas (not necessarily all mine):

 

Low Cost Exploration: Scatter reliable quanta rewards across planets/space to generate exploration gameplay. Here is a detailed version of this idea.

 

Low Cost Asteroid Belts: Generate asteroids in PvP zone periodically (copy/paste Thades' belt asteroids if needed), insert high tier meganodes in them, add their coordinates to districts. 

 

Low Cost NPCs: Code really simple NPC ships (e.g. they just orbit planets or moons in PvP zone, or patrol between planets, and they attack back whoever targets them) reliably spawning around planets and moons. 

 

NQ can always iterate on these to make them less grindy, more engaging and interesting. No matter how many of us will complain about mining here, there are many who engage with it because it's rewarding. The game is in the immediate need of new gameplay loops that has rewards as reliable as mining. As mining and PvP shows, it's OK if the gameplay is released at a primitive state.

 

Do you have any other ideas on how NQ can add new gameplay without costing them months of devtime?

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There are so many sources to "steal" ideas from that I could spend a lifetime listing every possibility.

 

So, this might be too much but as we are suggesting ideas why not go full sci-fi.

We want content and loops, they want limitations to expansion and ppl banding together, the solution is simple: ZERGS (or arachnids, or creepers, call them as you like).

An hostile indigenous species that react to our presence. 

Industry could create pollution like in factorio and attract their attention, stimulate their growth, and so on.

The more you grow the more you need help to defend yourself, groups and cities become a necessity while solos struggle to sustain the cost of ammo for their automatic defences.

 

Let me go further, different planet different species:

Madis could have zergs.

Thades could have sandworms (dune)

Sicari could have bioraptors (pitch black) which lives underground and comes out at night.

Alioth could have protoss ("my life for alioth!!1" laugh in Zeratulese) which might be neutral and even cooperate to some degree (high end schematics for example) until you do something particularly bad and they obliterate you with the full power of their death ball.

 

Ok I might have gone too far, lol.

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19 minutes ago, Fra119 said:

There are so many sources to "steal" ideas from that I could spend a lifetime listing every possibility.

 

So, this might be too much but as we are suggesting ideas why not go full sci-fi.

We want content and loops, they want limitations to expansion and ppl banding together, the solution is simple: ZERGS (or arachnids, or creepers, call them as you like).

An hostile indigenous species that react to our presence. 

Industry could create pollution like in factorio and attract their attention, stimulate their growth, and so on.

The more you grow the more you need help to defend yourself, groups and cities become a necessity while solos struggle to sustain the cost of ammo for their automatic defences.

 

Let me go further, different planet different species:

Madis could have zergs.

Thades could have sandworms (dune)

Sicari could have bioraptors (pitch black) which lives underground and comes out at night.

Alioth could have protoss ("my life for alioth!!1" laugh in Zeratulese) which might be neutral and even cooperate to some degree (high end schematics for example) until you do something particularly bad and they obliterate you with the full power of their death ball.

 

Ok I might have gone too far, lol.

This is all very high developmental cost. In this thread I wanted to discuss ideas that would take weeks for NQ to develop, not months.

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1 hour ago, Anopheles said:

I've always thought that the introduction of "paper files" would, at minimal effort and cost bring in elements like espionage, contracts, journalism, advertising, guides, fraud, etc.

How so? What would these files be?

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11 minutes ago, Olmeca_Gold said:

This is all very high developmental cost. In this thread I wanted to discuss ideas that would take weeks for NQ to develop, not months.

I am perfectly aware of that, I still believe a common threat would help, both us and NQ, achieve many goals, destruction which fuels production, cooperation, motivation, etc etc.

 

Do you remember the wolves in space engineers? I don't know if they are still a thing now tho, but you can start with something basic like that and develope it with time.

 

 

 

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How many people have even heard of the "Gold Star Puzzle"?

Where does the game inform us of such a puzzle?

The 1st puzzle (that you had to of played alpha to have had the slightest chance to complete) was something that would have bewildered most players that started on Beta release or shortly after as I did.  The 1st we heard of it was after it was over.  Now apparently the puzzle continues.  Although how your supposed to progress in the puzzle if you dont have the knowledge gained by the 1st puzzle solvers is an even bigger puzzle.

 

At any rate there have been other threads and posts about how to engage the entire player base in puzzles and missions.  They are simple in that they are restricted to, for example.  Players with less than blah blah skill points. or, zero points in Ammo, or over blah blah points in ammo.  By restricting some missions (and puzzle information) to certain classes (PVE, PVP, transporeter, miner) and levels of experience you give everybody a go.  If they put some decent rewards in as well. then cool

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I have seen many good ideas mentioned throughout the forums already. The question of "are the devs listening" is becoming very prevalent in my mind. Many believe they do not.

 

But in the spirit of the thread:

 

52 minutes ago, Olmeca_Gold said:

How so? What would these files be?

Mentioned elsewhere, like a datacube. An element that can be attached like a black box, but holds up to ... say 512 characters... as an example. Right click to read, and if you have ownership, write to it. This can also be used as a 'ships log' in wrecks adding to lore.

 

Mentioned elsewhere, an immediate and temporary but VERY deep cut to schematic prices. With these prices set to rise as more money making elements are introduced.

 

Mentioned elsewhere, allow recyclers to recycle elements back into it's basic pure ore. This will add another way to obtain ore as well slow down resource disappearance.

 

Mentioned, make the ship wrecks completely salvageable with lore in datacubes. Hint at a violent hive mind insect... I like the zerg angle but it should be contained like the aliens in ED. Certain solar systems only.

 

NPC's of any type are pretty moderate to add at best, designing the meshes, dialog, patterns, etc. So start with NPC orgs.... get the player base used to the names and what to expect from each NPC when approached, fire upon, or mission offered.

 

Mentioned, make storage containers that are destroyed leak cargo or accessible by all. A good first step in PvP viability and random ships left everywhere.

 

Make players able to exchange parts, quanta, pay for and exchange blueprints directly.

 

I have many more ideas as does the rest of the community. And hey, I am not trying to be rude and my apologies if I am, I am just asking for your opinion @Olmeca_Gold, why should we even do this when it's been done?

 

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13 minutes ago, Underhook said:

How many people have even heard of the "Gold Star Puzzle"?

Where does the game inform us of such a puzzle?

The 1st puzzle (that you had to of played alpha to have had the slightest chance to complete) was something that would have bewildered most players that started on Beta release or shortly after as I did.  The 1st we heard of it was after it was over.  Now apparently the puzzle continues.  Although how your supposed to progress in the puzzle if you dont have the knowledge gained by the 1st puzzle solvers is an even bigger puzzle.

 

At any rate there have been other threads and posts about how to engage the entire player base in puzzles and missions.  They are simple in that they are restricted to, for example.  Players with less than blah blah skill points. or, zero points in Ammo, or over blah blah points in ammo.  By restricting some missions (and puzzle information) to certain classes (PVE, PVP, transporeter, miner) and levels of experience you give everybody a go.  If they put some decent rewards in as well. then cool

I read something here and here, I also have a pdf with every detail which I'vevnever actually read lol. Now I'm wondering, is that something that everyone could do, like a questline, or is it something that once solved it's over, like for instance the opening of ahn'qiraj gates?

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31 minutes ago, Fra119 said:

I read something here and here, I also have a pdf with every detail which I'vevnever actually read lol. Now I'm wondering, is that something that everyone could do, like a questline, or is it something that once solved it's over, like for instance the opening of ahn'qiraj gates?

I confess, I dont know.

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