rpanons | [D] How you like me now?

[D] How you like me now?

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To be honest, non-AU sounds even better! I prefer non-AU or partial-AU games, I just wasn't sure how you'd work it out with fully-canon characters.

As for the concept itself, I really love it. It sounds like there'd be a lot of things for characters to do, as long as you could stay on top of events and give characters some incentive to interact and progress.

Also: mechamechamechamechayes

I'm not sure yet either. I might claim that they were found in some kind of space/time rift or the colonists picked them up on a wrecked starship/space station that had been releasing a distress signal. I'm working on it.

Yeah, I'd need a bit of help running it, though. I'm a full time college student, so my time is for shit and my schedule is at the mercy of my homework.

One of my original ideas that made me think more on this was a bunch of X-Wings, Valkyries, and Zakus defending a colony against pirate raiders. I just thought it was a cool as hell mental image.

Maybe have a selection of entry routes? You could easily work in setting-AU characters, and as for fandom characters and OCs, the space/time rift sounds good. There's also always the classic 'malfunctioning dimensional-teleporter' route, or a prank by a Q-like figure (like you mentioned earlier). Possibly waking up from stasis where they'd been living their old 'canon lives' as a virtual reality, if you want a partial-AU method.

As for running it, I personally wouldn't mind helping out with basic modly-duties (updating lists and such), but I'm sure you'd find plenty of volunteers for this sort of game.

Actually, the setting-AU things sounds like a good idea. ~~I'm glad I thought of it~~I'm not sure why it didn't really ping in my head. Oh well. The VR thing seems like it could backfire, though. Like, it's a good idea, but what happens when someone else apps from that canon and finds their buddy's basically just been playing it like a game or interactive movie?

Yeah, that sounds like about what I'd need. Just a bit of help with that kind of thing, maybe some volunteers for other stuff. I dunno, we'll see. I'm still in the planning stages now. You wanna talk about basic ideas, try to come up with a name or something? I could set up a tinychat or something, idk.

~~That was truly a brilliant idea, anon.~~ The only problem with that is that keeping it fully setting-AU means a lot of people will be put off by having to write an AU history and not being able to play their characters with the usual canon pasts, which a lot of people prefer to do.

As for the VR game route problem, I actually think that could be an interesting dilemma. If you considered it like Distant Skies (the His Dark Materials rp), you could say say that one character actually comes from the fandom universe while the VR-immersed one is merely another version of their friend who happened to be in a VR that emulated the first character's world. Personally I think that would account for some interesting CR but hey, my head is a weird place.

I don't use tinychat, but I don't mind discussing ideas if you'd like! As fo the game name, you'd obviously want to have it in-keeping with the style. Would you want a futuristic, cool sort of name? Something punny? Maybe name it after the ship/fleet? ~~Just don't call it Lost in Space.~~

BATTLESHIP GALACTI-no.

Yeah, I don't like fully AU games myself. They just feel awkward, to me. However, keeping it open to both the AU characters and the OU characters should work out fine.

As for the VR thing... Well, I guess I can poll players about it when I actually get some. I'm not too hot on the idea, personally, but if other people are, I'll find a way to implement it. I think my real concern is the possibility for canon puncturing. "Oh, you're dressed as a character from that Trideo game I was playing! How cute." ...Not that we actually see a lot of that in DWRP.

I'm still toying with the tech levels, though a happy medium between Macross or Galactica and Star Trek might be best. No transporters, but replicators based on 3D printer tech, personal starfighters/mobile suits, etc. Would it be better to explain how the tech works for all of the genius-types, or could I get away with a handwave and "It's Buck Rogers shit."

I prefer fully canon characters myself, so I certainly get where you're coming from.

Yeah, if I were to app here (which would be likely!) I wouldn't do the VR thing myself; what I was thinking was that it might be a happy medium for people who want the canon history but don't want their characters to have to do the 'WHERE AM I, HOW DO I GET HOME' spiel. Having them belong in the world but with the addition of their canon memories was a sort of compromise idea.

Personal starfighters and mecha would be absolutely amazing. As for the rest, I think you'd have to strike a balance between 'your characters have to do something to be accepted and comfortable' and 'everything is provided for you, lalala'. Like, is food provided by Star Trek replicators, or grown in hydroponics labs on some of the decks? Are there AI's running things on the ship/fleet, or are they illegal/not yet developed? For stuff like fuel and communications, you can probably just handwave, but people are going to want to know how things like supplies and comforts/entertainment are provided aboard. If it's a giant colony fleet of thousands or millions, they'll need a lot more supplies than a single ship of only a few hundred people, after all.

Also, is magic a complete unknown to this universe? If canon characters are coming in with weird powers, are they going to be thought of as aliens or psychics (and if so, are they going to be shunned or admired), or are the natives just going to shrug and not really care? Presuming the characters keep their powers, of course.

I'm probably thinking about this too hard.

Okay, yeah, I see where you're coming from with the VR stuff now, and it makes some sense.

The fleet would, understandably, I think, have their own mecha and starfighters. Starfighters for dogfights, speed, and taking out other ships, mecha for close combat, repelling intruders, construction/repairs, etc. I like the idea of people farming and having gardens, so the replicators might make some simple tools and machines just fine, but the resources are limited and the replicated food is mostly blandly-flavored protein gruel. Thus, the need for farming, growing animals, trading for food at various neutral outposts, etc. And this way, we get to have people cook, clean, etc.

On the replicator limits, replicated items are almost always inferior to the real thing (Food is bland, materials aren't as flexible or tough, clothes wear out more easily), but replicated goods are very quick and can do the job in a pinch. They break down garbage and waste on the ship in order to build up their atomic bases that they use to make items.

There are limited AIs that can assist in specific tasks, but the colonists are wary of fully-sentient AIs due to... I dunno, maybe there were rogue AIs in the past. They know about robots and may even still have a few, but they're of limited intelligence and bound by Asimov-like Laws to prevent rebellion. More like dogs that know how to fix a meal or repair a car than an R2 unit.

I'm still toying with the population, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of it being a colony fleet rather than a singular colony ship. Perhaps a ship there just for farming and labor, a few military vessels, a factory ship, and one for the general population to live in.

As for magic... Well, I think that if the colony's been out there a bit, they might have seen some things they just can't explain. Some will blow it off as sufficiently advanced science, others will call it psionics, another group might consider them mutants, and more might think that there are actual gods and magic floating about the universe. Maybe they don't all agree on it and have different views? Eh. It'll be something for me to sit down and think out.

I like the idea of the characters keeping their powers. I might ask/come up with a reason for some folks to tone it down if their characters are too ungodly powerful, but I don't think we're going to have any planet-crackers app in. I like to think that most people can govern themselves and not wave their power peen around, anyway.

No, no. This is the kind of thing I was thinking of exactly.

Starfighters as well? Anon, this is my dream game...

I think that's a good idea with the food, etc; it'll stop people from just having their characters sit back and do nothing while everything's supplied for them. Perhaps if they just stay as a passenger, they get bare minimum in terms of replicated food and a dorm room, and get more luxuries/better rooms the harder they work? If you're having all those various types of ships (perhaps scout, cargo and mining ships as well?), that means there's a massive selection of potential jobs/training, which I love.

The magic I don't have much to add to; that all seems sensible and could work for potential plots/events as well.

Another thing to consider is medical augmentation technology. Is adapting your body banned/impossible, or can it be done? There might be people with their DNA altered to live on planets with different atmospheres/gravities, or just with things like their senses/physical abilities improved, if it's allowed. In that case, there might be required enhancements for certain things, like having surgery for perfect vision before you could pilot a mecha. (Now I really am thinking about this too much.)

The main problem I can foresee is communication. Firstly, languages - is the main language English, for example, or something native to that world? Will characters perhaps have the language uploaded into their head (which opens the possibility for other training to be uploaded?) or will they have some kind of implant translating for them? You'd also have to have a fleet-wide network if people are going to be split over different ships; probably most of the communications would end up on a network, unless a lot of people stuck to one ship. (It would be a lot of fun to split the fleet up and have them have to try and get back together.)

Also, why ARE they looking for a habitable world? Was their homeworld/s overcrowded? Were they exiled, or just split off from their homes because of some kind of political/religious schism? Maybe their worlds were destroyed or going to be? If they left because they were threatened by someone or something, that could be a major plot possibility, especially if they're being chased or followed.

Yeah, I don't figure that the people there would much appreciate you waking up after they've spent so much time on you, and then not doing anything in return. I was thinking that the folks in charge would give them a week or two to acclimate, then start gently pushing them towards getting a job. Even if it's something like washing dishes or training to be a pilot. One of the possibilities I'm considering is the population's been dropping enough thanks to various attacks/disasters, that they desperately do need people to fill in certain positions.

Medical augmentation technology... I'd say cybernetic and biological enhancements are probably a thing, but they have to consider resources, time, and compatibility with people. Maybe the entire population is lightly enhanced in some way or another, maybe some of them are outright aliens. Actually, I find myself liking the idea that a good chunk of the population isn't quite human. Whether they've got non-human ancestors, or they're aliens themselves. Honestly, that's something I want to sit down and think about, come up with an answer after I've considered everything.

Language-wise, I'm considering two major possibilities. One is that they've been taught while they sleep, kind of like how some people used to suggest playing things in a foreign language while you sleep, so your brain always has that input? I dunno what it's called. But I figure that they could probably be taught a few languages that way. Or we could handwave it with some kind of universal translator. But I like the idea that there's a Galactic Trade Language that most everyone knows, and that would handle communications with aliens that aren't from the convoy.

I'm currently wavering between their planet was overcrowded/they're trying to spread out an empire. I might claim that their navigational systems got trashed somehow, so that's why they ended up in hostile territory. They're repaired now, but their star charts don't match up with their surroundings, and they don't want to take a risk of ending up shunting into a star.

One thing I'd like to avoid is a feeling of "We were misunderstood!" or general angst amongst the colonists. They might be depressed over their mission, but I'd kind of like the feel of the NPCs to be a general feeling of excitement over exploration/looking forward to finally settling down and having a new planet. Maybe they have that because they've been in the fleet for a few generations, which could lead to the players having to help out with repairs and adapting alien tech to their ships?

They'd definitely have to do something useful on board the ship (even if it's just donating their brain's spare processing power to the computers!). Especially if it's military-run, once it was decided they weren't a threat.

It would be good if not all the crew were humans, especially if you have non-humans characters apping in. If they're already used to making equipment for non-humanoid beings aboard the ship and living around them, it would certainly make it easier.

Sleep-learning and a standard language sounds perfectly workable, and would probably be better than messing around with different languages. There might be some isolationist species that wouldn't agree to losing their own language, but a galactic standard one is logical.

For the 'spreading an empire' idea, that could be a problem if you get characters apped who are uncomfortable with imperialism (even if they're not conquering already-inhabited planets). If the characters don't like the empire, they might kick want to leave the ship and eke out a living elsewhere, which doesn't give them IC reasons to stay. Overcrowding sounds like the best bet (which is a pity because I love the empire-spreading idea).

That last part sounds really good! Also if a lot of the crew/passengers were in a cryogenic sleep, you could have those who've been living on the ship for generations and those who've only just woken up. That could give an explanation for more parts of the ship coming 'online' as the game develops and gets more options of locations and things to do.

Sorry for the wait, I had a busy few days.

I'll have to settle down and think up some various alien races, then. Question is, do I go for rubber foreheads like Star Trek, or full on rubber suits and CG like Star Wars or Ultraman? :|a

Yeah, the empire thing was something that I thought of earlier, though I was also thinking of some players I know who are avidly against imperialism. Right now I'm just kind of messing with ideas and deciding what would be cool and what wouldn't be.

I'm not sure I want to 'unlock' parts of the fleet or the ships as the game develops, though characters might gain clearance to go there as they ~~level up~~gain experience and trust. (A guy shows up, you're not likely to hand him a space wrench and send him to work on your space power generator on the first day, y'know?) It's just something else for me to sit down and work on, though.

No problem, anon.

Hmm. Depends. If you're going for totally non-humanoid aliens, you'd have to consider how that'll affect how the ship is run and how the human culture will be affected (less likely to be xenophobic, etc) whereas hStar Trek aliens would probably be easier to manage but might give the game less of a sci-fi focus feel and more of a 'hey this game just happens to be set in spaaaace but that's not important' vibe. IN CONCLUSION, I'd say probably mostly Star Trek aliens but with a few CG-style ones dotted around for authenticity, perhaps? Gargleblasted, for example, is set on a spacestation but... the space aspect seems to have very little meaning to it, which seems wasted.

Yeah, I meant 'unlock' as in maybe if someone gave a suggestion for some change/new area on the ship which you decided to implement, you'd have an explanation of 'the people who run it have just woken up' rather than 'it was there all along but none of you knew about it!'. But gaining clearance sounds great, I've never understood how NPCs in-game can just throw trust and secret information at strangers from another world. Starting with menial jobs or making them go through security checks first is a lot better.

I'll probably have more questions/suggestions soon but my brain needs food before it can function properly.

Well, we don't particularly need a whole lot of aliens on the crew to have the Space Factor, we've still got plenty of them as pirates and non-hostile NPCs. I may go with a mostly human crew, possibly a few hundred or a few thousand, depending on the size of the fleet I end up with, etc., a few hundred-dozen rubber forehead types, and maybe a dozen or so with totally non-human body types.

This is a colonization fleet, after all. They're not going to get far on the whole 'colony' thing if they don't have a lot of people.

Well, if the PCs end up being really, really handy, or save a lot of lives, then that group of them might be trusted with stuff more easily, but yeah. It might irritate some players at first, but... Well, the colony might be hurting for numbers, but they're not hurting badly enough that they'll reveal the secrets of their Q-Drive right off the bat, y'know?

The aliens should be easy to design. I know an artist or two I might be able to commission for help on that. I can work on a purely text basis until then. The FTL stuff, I'm working on now, but I might not finish it until after I actually unlock the game; I doubt the characters are going to need to think on that right off the bat. Weapons and defense tech, I'm still messing with, but I've got a general idea of where I want the medical technologies to be at.

That all makes sense imo, I can't see anything about it that doesn't fit or wouldn't work well.

It sounds like you've pretty much got it figured out! And if you've got an artist you're able to commission, that's even better. Could you also handle things like layout/graphic design or would you have to get someone else to do that?

As for FTL tech, I completely agree. You'd probably want the characters to get used to the ships for a while anyway before you had an event where they get to a planet/space-station, if only to give them a reason not to jump ship at the earliest opportunity.

I also completely forgot - any ideas for a name yet?

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(Anonymous) - 2012-11-21 22:54 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2012-11-22 20:45 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2012-11-22 21:08 (UTC) - Expand

why would you want to rip off

trans_9 tho

because it was a good idea for a game, it's been dead for months, and there's still no fun space adventure game that's not ataraxion.

I'm not purposefully trying to rip off Trans 9. I'm not really seeing the similarities, other than people being on the ship already and that the replicators can't make food taste good.

Thing is, Stacy was a converted prison ship that was being used for Nefarious Purposes by the 'benevolent' aliens that built her, and would have ended up with the multiverse destroyed and a grand battle to restore everything.

My thing is a fleet of colony and medical ships that are pretty much benevolent. They're not as advanced as Stacy, no insta-cloning body parts and machines that read your mind. There's no real mystery as to what they're doing. They're not even traveling from dimension to dimension, just other planets and solar systems.

So... I'm not really getting the T9 vibes here? I mean, the feel's different, the setting's different, the entire goal is different. Is there something I should be doing to avoid the whole "This is the other Trans 9 knockoff" thing?

as the former T9 player, no, you're fine! I like this. slightly lighter fare, kinda a fun cheesy sci-fi show thing? go for it, please.

another former T9er here, and I think you're doing okay too. this game sounds great and I really hope it gets off the ground. (also I hope you'll consider allowing CRAUs, if you're not going to go the full AU route at least.)

CRAU? That's not one I'm familiar with, sorry.

Character Relationship AU, aka characters with histories/memories imported from other games

Oh! Okay, yeah.

...I'll have to think on that. That can make apps a lot harder to judge. However, this game is set up about right so that it would be very easily possible for such things.

I'm not saying I will or I won't right now, I'm just thinking on it. It might come down to whatever my co-mods think, if I get any.

Oh god if this is an AU, or if there's at least a strong AU element and the OU stuff makes logical sense in-game, I'm all over it. I'd personally prefer something with an overarching plot with lots of character involvement (mmm space politics and waaaaaar) over random wacky events.

I'm not a huge fan of random wacky events, though I'd run those if my playerbase wanted them. Politics might be necessary for some parts, given that the colony is passing through other alien territories, and war/ship invasions/space battles are kind of a given.

I would really prefer to have it open to OU characters, though now I'm kind of interested in having AU-based counterparts for them.

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[D] How you like me now?

ayrt

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