Alignment choice

[Yugi]

A small amount of discussion has gone on on the UTF.

We think that at the beginning of the game (like Nethack), you choose an alignment such as good or evil/Domina or Oracus. Choosing the side of Domina will leave the game similar to what it is now, though Penitent ships may chase you in the later stages, like BM bounty hunters.

If you choose the side of Oracus, however, will bar you access from Domina stations (they will also be marked as red on the radar, and will attack you on sight). You can, however, dock with Penitent stations, and it's very similar to how the Domina station currently is, though there may be a buy and sell.

Missions based on your alignment would be at each station. As Oracus, for example, there could be a mission to destroy X number of Domina stations, and as Domina, the same could be for Penitent stations.

Also, throughout the game you could get messages from whatever "deity" you choose, such as "Please hurry! Time is running out!" as in, hurry to the galactic core, giving a bit more meaning to go to the galactic core, and that they need you for some reason, but cannot simply teleport you there.

There is another possibility that throughout the game that whatever side you choose tries to help you, while the other tries to hindrance your journey. For example, being on the side of Domina will give you a 10% increase in strength to all of your armor and shields, while Oracus will decrease the strength of your weapons by 10%, though as Oracus your weapons get the benefit, while Domina decreases your defence capabilities.

Another thing ("gah! when will he stop!?"):
At the start screen, there is the option to choose your gender (I have no idea why. It doesn't seem to change anything in-game), and clicking on the button will change the gender of the pilot. How about a similar button, with Domina/Oracus?
Or, maybe, there is a similar pop-up to the "Starting a new game will overwrite the old...etc.", but after you select "New Game"?

I hope this is taken into serious consideration.

[FAD]

But wouldn't that mean that if you choose Oracus, all of Commonwealth, BM and independants would then become your enemy? They all target any Penitent ships in close range and if you're on the Penitents side, they'd have to target you as well. So where would you get all your UG's and supplies along the way before coming across the Penitent?

Although the idea of choosing sides is interesting, it sounds like it'd have to take a complete overhaul in recoding everything.

[Yugi]

So where would you get all your UG's and supplies along the way before coming across the Penitent?

New Penitent stations? Maybe you can "Request supplies/fuel" at Penitent stations?

[Burzmali]

Personally, I would prefer an array of "dispositions" representing the relationship the player has with each of the sovereigns. Events would shift the dispostion one way or the other (attacking a ship, selling goods, etc.).

In the beginning you would choose a background (Pirate, Trader, Fighter Jock, elc.) that would set the initial configuration.

[F50]

Burzmali's system is the more-proposed one and probably easier to code. It would still be a lot (dockscreens for every enemy station etc.). But not as much as balancing the other rout.

I think your background would be chosen by your ship. The Corsair II would parallel the Wolfen etc.

[FAD]

Sounds like a good setting for Transcendence II.

[goat not sheep]

ilegal weapons.

[Yugi]

Yeah, it'd be something along the lines of the Black Market...

[george moromisato]

Yugi, I like your ideas a lot. Long-term (years from now), I believe this is a good direction for the game to go. Right now, however, it would require a lot of work--I'm not sure I would recommend it even as a mod-project: it would take so much effort that it is very likely to be abandoned before it finishes.

The other issue is that "alignment" is not symmetric in Transcendence. Oracus and Domina are not just two opposing teams, where it doesn't matter who wins. The fact that the player is aligned with Domina (in fact, compelled by Domina) is an integral part of the storyline.

That said, I do want to increase the number of meaningful choices in the game. I don't have any great ideas, but here are some suggestions:

1. What if certain Black Market missions conflicted with being part of the military (and vice versa)? For example, one Commonwealth Militia mission might be to intercept a Black Market convoy. If the player does that, they would automatically be kicked out of the Black Market (their ID would be invalid or something).

2. In general, the Black Market path needs to be developed more (not sure if that will happen by 1.0). It would be cool if it were possible to go through the middle portion of the game (before Ranx/Ares space) without ever having to dock at a Commonwealth stations (Corporate probably doesn't care as much).

3. In version 2.0 (after the player leaves Human Space) it makes sense to have different alien races/sovereigns that the player can fight/align with. That part of the game can be more flexible: depending on which race the player aligns with, they might get different technology. I envision three major alien races, structured in a classic rock-paper-scissors relationship.

BTW, in the next version I've implemented a rudimentary way to change the disposition of a sovereign (like Burzmali mentioned). There will be a command to set the disposition of a sovereign to either "friend" or "enemy." It is not used (except in one minor case) right now, but I imagine that it might prove useful for mods.

[Yugi]

Hmm...that sounds good.

[FAD]

That said, I do want to increase the number of meaningful choices in the game. I don't have any great ideas, but here are some suggestions:

1. What if certain Black Market missions conflicted with being part of the military (and vice versa)? For example, one Commonwealth Militia mission might be to intercept a Black Market convoy. If the player does that, they would automatically be kicked out of the Black Market (their ID would be invalid or something).

I really like this idea. Another option (to expand further) could be a demotion/promotion in player rank per severity of the mission and initially get barred if the player holds no rank.
Example: Player holds the rank of Enforcer in the BM. Player accepts a CW mission to put a hit on the BM and if successful, player could get demoted back to Smuggler (and possibly fined) upon docking at the next BM station, yet, could earn a promotion (or get a reward) in the CW upon their successful return. However, if the player holds no rank in the BM upon accepting and being successful in the CW mission, player gets barred from the BM and their BM ID becomes null and void (even if player never had an ID but found one later on).

2. In general, the Black Market path needs to be developed more (not sure if that will happen by 1.0). It would be cool if it were possible to go through the middle portion of the game (before Ranx/Ares space) without ever having to dock at a Commonwealth stations (Corporate probably doesn't care as much).

This would give purpose and reasoning for having player rank in the BM (and would coincide with part 1 above), as it could set the item level availability to the player per rank (similar to the current Militia item level availability per rank)...which could also be expanded further as well. Instead of just limiting the availability of military missiles per rank, should be set to each level availability with all items in the store--in which the player should be able to see all of them (to let the player know they're there), just can't buy the higher level items until a certain rank has been earned. This way, the player would have to earn their keep by accepting missions or take a chance in finding those items elsewhere.

3. In version 2.0 (after the player leaves Human Space) it makes sense to have different alien races/sovereigns that the player can fight/align with. That part of the game can be more flexible: depending on which race the player aligns with, they might get different technology. I envision three major alien races, structured in a classic rock-paper-scissors relationship.

Now this would be absolute killer! In a sense, the outcome (where items are concerned) could be different each and every game per different technology...providing each tech is only available to each individual alien race. This would allow versatility for the player to choose, per game. Shweeet!!!

BTW, in the next version I've implemented a rudimentary way to change the disposition of a sovereign (like Burzmali mentioned). There will be a command to set the disposition of a sovereign to either "friend" or "enemy." It is not used (except in one minor case) right now, but I imagine that it might prove useful for mods.

*Rubs hands together* Lookin' forward to this!

[Dosgamer3]

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2. In general, the Black Market path needs to be developed more (not sure if that will happen by 1.0). It would be cool if it were possible to go through the middle portion of the game (before Ranx/Ares space) without ever having to dock at a Commonwealth stations (Corporate probably doesn't care as much).

Very cool! Then I find a jumpdrive, use it to jump to a BM whenever I need something, and destroy all Commonwealth Stations for loot!!

:
3. In version 2.0 (after the player leaves Human Space) it makes sense to have different alien races/sovereigns that the player can fight/align with. That part of the game can be more flexible: depending on which race the player aligns with, they might get different technology. I envision three major alien races, structured in a classic rock-paper-scissors relationship.

Yeah, but the Iocyrm ship is so tough, and there are entire systems of aliens, some hostile, how is the player to survive? I know that problems probubly several years off, but it's something to consider.

[dvlenk6]

Yeah, but the Iocyrm ship is so tough, and there are entire systems of aliens, some hostile, how is the player to survive? I know that problems probubly several years off, but it's something to consider.

It is the Iocrym command ship, put in Heretic specifically to blockade the Heretic gate from use by humanity. It doesn't necessarily follow that the rest of the Iocrym (or other) race's ships must be be that powerful.
Sort of like comparing an U.S Navy Aegis heavy missile cruiser to a fishing boat, for instance.

After the defeat of the command ship, humanity has busted out, so to speak. Might be that this is what the other alien races feared and why the blockade was put there in the first place.

[F50]

The Iocrym Command Ship is the Iocrym at its best. There may be one or two newer ships that the Iocrym have invented since then but in general (I think) the Iocrym Command Ship is the Iocrym's worst single ship.