Idea for the goal in the late game - supply ships on orbit

[kovarex]

In the middle/late game, you wouldn't be still able to build the defense and end the game, but the ships would be already arriving, with no supplies and tools left.

The goal would be to build supply rockets and send them to the orbit, so you would buy more time to prepare for the landing.

Needed supplies could be lot of stuff (food, water, tools, machines etc).
This would motivate the player in the later stages of the game to build even more, and the supply rocketry could bring some new strategies.
(different engines, fuel types, size of the rocket etc).

Not so unrelated game ^^: http://mylostgames.com/play/into_space_2#game

It could be all automated (rocket silos used over and over with rockets made in the factory)

Would you like to have something like this in the game?

[FrozenOne]

Why, just why had you to put that link there. Also, where did my today's afternoon disappear

[wrtlprnft]

Why, just why had you to put that link there. Also, where did my today's afternoon disappear :D

Yeah, this thing cost me most of my day, too.

[kovarex]

My trap worked, now I'm not alone

[wrtlprnft]

Ok, now to the topic itself (just having read beyond that darned link): So I guess you would essentially lose if you failed to provide the necessary supplies to your orbiting ships? I don't know if I like that in a sandbox-style game, because it can be quite late in the game until you determine that you're actually doomed.

I think it would be more practical if they can survive in orbit (almost) indefinitely, and instead you have to supply them with weapons and/or destroy their planetary defense (which would be built in the larger enemy bases and require far better weapons technology than currently available).

[gr0mpel]

In the middle/late game, you wouldn't be still able to build the defense and end the game, but the ships would be already arriving, with no supplies and tools left.

The goal would be to build supply rockets and send them to the orbit, so you would buy more time to prepare for the landing.

Needed supplies could be lot of stuff (food, water, tools, machines etc).
This would motivate the player in the later stages of the game to build even more, and the supply rocketry could bring some new strategies.
(different engines, fuel types, size of the rocket etc).

Not so unrelated game ^^: http://mylostgames.com/play/into_space_2#game

It could be all automated (rocket silos used over and over with rockets made in the factory)

Would you like to have something like this in the game?

sounds intereseting since there is definitely need for late game motivation.
despite the actual goal of the game is to provide a safe landing area for your mothership, it would be very nice to implement this (well..i guess it is the) story/mission goal and give it
more importance in the gameplay

looking forward to advanced ideas

p.s: as for always - great update. much more than expected and i really like the new terrain

[ssilk]

Ok, I waited some days before I answered, because it tooks time for me to think about it and of course "into space" tooks also some time.

First I want to repeat it with my own words:

- before creating rocket defense the rescue mission arrives
- because of having no rocket defense, they won't land and rescue me
- instead, you need to supply the rescue mission, because they have nothing to rescue me (?)
- You are forced to built rocket stations, you need to fill the rockets with items (new items)
. When filled, the rockets start into orbit, delivering the stuff.
- even bigger rocket stations and bigger rockets to bring even more stuff into it.
- some experimentations: more/other fuel, better rockets some more expansions for the rockets.
- to achieve that, you need to expand your production to a big amount, X times bigger than when producing the rocket defense
- and while you're doing that, the creepers gets fighting at you.
- the goal is achieved, if you put enough stuff into the orbit
- and built the rocket defense
- and stand the last wave of the creepers

Well, that opens a lot of questions...

- How do the rescue-mission know to rescue me? First thought: Radar + Hyperspace Transmission = big transmitter so send rescue-message (lots and lots of energy). Which brings me to the point: What do I do with this transmitter afterwards, and which was so expensive, if they found me? Is there something like a recycler?
- Why are the supplies needed? I mean two things: Why do they start a rescue mission, without any supply? They could fly back and bring everything what's needed? And why should I really need to help them? I'm not such a good boy that when they say "huuu, we need water, please can you bring it. We can rescue later, after that job, ok?" I say "of course, don't hurry with my rescue, I get along with the creepers here..."
- when I can build rockets and bring supply into orbit, why couldn't I just jump into a rocket and fly to them and we leave that dammed planet?
- And when I can build rockets to bring them into orbit, why are they not hit by the creepers, like the rescuers?
- This is also one other point: I'm sure that the creepers hate me. It would be stupid to think, that they just sit around and kill themselfes by running into my gun-cascade for the rest of the game. Wouldn't it be better to make peace with them? E. g. bringing them goods or some more worthful stuff instead of always fight?
- After the rescuers arrived, how much time do I have for the rocket defense? I mean, in the first part I'm alone. I could use as many time, as I want. But now I'm not alone anymore, they are up there and wait for me.
- this brings me to another question: What are the main-parts of the story, and how long should they last?
- How can I handle all that stuff together? I mean, I estimated that I need to build about 10 times more stuff than with the current rocket defense. That factory was huge and I'm running around the whole time to keep it working, finding new resources etc. But 10 times more is imaginable for me. And 10 times more means also to defend 10 times more stuff, or I do something on one side and come back and everything is destroyed. Are there any automatism planned to handle that?
- How could that make usage of the trains? Even with this, I think it is more efficient to built belts instead of tracks.

Well, enough questions.

Now to the plot. The plot is more or less ok. But nothing surprising. Some surprises.

- Do I have a prove, that the creepers can kill the landing ships? Would be important to see for understanding, why I need to supply them and would be a nice sub-story.

- The rescuers got hit by the creepers and must land. Then you need to repair the ship, which is far away from you base. Or perhaps better: The landing capsule is hit and lands far away. Could be part of a sub-story. See first point.

- The creepers and you gets friends due to some reason. But the rescuers don't want to rescue you (they lied!), they want the eggs from the creepers. You and the creepers fight the rescuers and then you fly with the creepers into the sunset to a new planet and the story repeats.
Well, that's too stupid. but more serious: I think the plot gets in to a dead-end, if the creepers are always the bad guys. And in the interrview you said, that it should be possible to win the game without fight...

- we need to built a built a space-dock. We deliver the material into orbit and then we can - in any way - built the docks, which takes the material and create the needed stuff out of it (some items can only built in orbit).
To built it in orbit, we can research for example a teleporter, which transmits us into space. Or we have avatars in the space or control via telecontrol...

[kovarex]

I would just like to clear one important thing.
The ship that is going there is not rescue mission!
The ship (ships) are one of the first colonisation ships from earth that is overpopulated and running out of resources.
Your goal is to prepare the planet for colonisation. You were one of the engineers sent ahead to prepare it (along other ships and lot of equipment), but everything was lost and you are (probably) the only survivor.

You are not going to be rescued, you need to rescue them

There is not enough resources on earth, and there are lot of people on those ships, they also were travelling for a long time, they are running out of everything, they were expecting to just come here and land here.

[ssilk]

o_O ... that was the reason, why I asked so much. I had a notion, that I missed something important.

Some points keep:
- can we make peace with the creepers?
- time limit?
- why did they choose this planet and not some, which had no intelligent live?

And from the suggestions most parts are reusable.

[Phantasm]

- why did they choose this planet and not some, which had no intelligent live?

Because the planet with no life was not inhabitable?

[tonberrytoby]

I also like the idea of supplying something.
In another thread I speculated about something like the supply challenge, but without the time limits.
My initial idea of it was something like civ2's palace, but supplying other colonists also makes sense.

How about this for flavor: We are actually a mining robot who is supplying ships that are going to a totally different planet. Nobody actually wants to live on this creeper infested rock.


Of course the other possible endgame challenge ( a tower defense scenario ) could actually be integrated with this.
Everytime you supply a load to the ships, the creepers increase their attack strength.

[ssilk]

Everytime you supply a load to the ships, the creepers increase their attack strength.

Yes!

@Phantasm: well. Science says differently. there might be millions of planets in our galaxy, which have no life but are habitable. In the book "the songs of distant earth" Arthur c. Clarke he described, that the mankind searches for inhabitable planets,because they want to be sure not to destroy any life. They bring the planets they want to colonize into another orbit around their sun. Think about the afford, the energy that is needed for that!
So i think in the end it's an ethical question, not a technical.

What I want to say with that is: It's just a game, but ... I would like to decide if I want to fight or having peace, because I would like not to kill. Sometimes.

[Balinor]

What I want to say with that is: It's just a game, but ... I would like to decide if I want to fight or having peace, because I would like not to kill. Sometimes.

Agreed. I'd love more than one way to play the game.

[drs9999]

Hmm, I like the rocket/supply idea, but IMO it is the wrong approach.

Obviously the game needs some stuff to expand the mid/endgame, but adding a storyline into the freeplay means that it is not a "freeplay" anymore.
(Assuming that you HAVE TO supply them)

I would prefer to see these things in the campaign instead in the freeplay.

[ssilk]

Ok. But for me the campaign was always some introduction for the freeplay. And it has already a "storyline".

Perhaps you mean with freeplay "built as far as I can go". But for me without target, without some pressure it's not game, it's a "test-mode".

[Balinor]

Hmm, I like the rocket/supply idea, but IMO it is the wrong approach.

Obviously the game needs some stuff to expand the mid/endgame, but adding a storyline into the freeplay means that it is not a "freeplay" anymore.
(Assuming that you HAVE TO supply them)

I would prefer to see these things in the campaign instead in the freeplay.

How about a set of checkboxes for when you are creating a new map?

1. Include creepers?
2. Include trading?
3. Include Rocket/supply?
4. Reduced resources mode?

etc etc

Just with this you have the option to play the way you want to without affecting other peoples ability to play the way they want. Closest I can come up with for a way to please all (or the greatest number at least).

[ssilk]

1. Include creepers?
2. Include trading?
3. Include Rocket/supply?
4. Reduced resources mode?

5. Play official story-mode?

[cube]

Hmm, I like the rocket/supply idea, but IMO it is the wrong approach.

Obviously the game needs some stuff to expand the mid/endgame, but adding a storyline into the freeplay means that it is not a "freeplay" anymore.
(Assuming that you HAVE TO supply them)

I would prefer to see these things in the campaign instead in the freeplay.

+1

[Dakkanor]

what if sending up supplies had some in game benifit?
send up a load of rockets and then you're able to call down a barrage from the map?
and sending up other supplies could be returned with advanced materiel in some form or other, maybe new schematics for research or access chips which you need to use to unlock extra research trees??

[zer0t3ch]

what if sending up supplies had some in game benifit?
send up a load of rockets and then you're able to call down a barrage from the map?
and sending up other supplies could be returned with advanced materiel in some form or other, maybe new schematics for research or access chips which you need to use to unlock extra research trees??

That actually sounds really awesome, but not the air barrage. The ships that came to the planet were colonization ships (if I remember correctly) so they wouldn't have any real weapons, but I like the rest of the ideas.