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Colony Ship Early Access Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

Joined
Jan 14, 2018
Messages
50,754
Codex Year of the Donut
either you pass the perception check(1) or get a critical luck roll(6), then the game gives you information that can be used as an alternate solution to a quest without automatically performing that solution for you
Rusty. You're a doofus. This is something Colony Ship employs as well:

See this stretch of hallway? There are evil worms that will eat your brains. Oh boy. I wonder if there's an easy to get past those things. Ah! I know. Lets walk over here. Lets go examine this room that has a vent!
GwE9YkC.png

So the game rewards my exploration by granting me an easier way to pass those worms if I can't face them by investigating the other room. Amazing.
Did you have to actually interact with the environment or did the game just automagically tell you "wow there's a secret I win button here"?
 

Grunker

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That part of fallout is cool

Guessing developer intent through pixel hunting is not fun, because the way you actually do in it a video game is to click X on Y, failing in 99% of scenarios because the interaction you thought of wasn't coded in, leading to an extreme design cost of 99% clicking on shit doing nothing for a payout of 1% actually working (which may, as you say, feel cool when it happens, but that coolness comes at a massive cost if you take rusty's advice and make it the principal way of interacting with environment in your video game).

This is not at all how environmental interaction works in P&P, despite rusty claiming so. In P&P you can always attempt such an interaction and have it work if it is sensible - because your GM can magically make that interaction be part of the game.

rusty's intense mania with this issue is like the perfect example of valuing a principle over the actual design outcome as it appears in practice.
 
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Joined
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Messages
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Codex Year of the Donut
That part of fallout is cool

Guessing developer intent through pixel hunting is not fun, because the way you actually do in it a video game is to click X on Y, failing in 99% of scenarios because the interaction you thought of wasn't coded in, leading to you paying a heavy cost of 99% clicking on shit doing nothing for a payout of 1% actually working.

This is not at all how environmental interaction works in P&P, despite rusty claiming so. In P&P you can always attempt such an interaction and have it work if it is sensible - because your GM can magically make that interaction be part of the game.

rusty's intense mania with this issue is like the perfect example of valuing principle over actual design outcome.
yes, please excuse me for thinking devs might implement world interactions that might require the player to think rather than focus a solid 85% of their time on CYOA sequences and hyperlink simulators, which are the TRVE rpg experience
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
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yes, please excuse me for thinking devs might implement world interactions that might require the player to think rather than focus a solid 85% of their time on CYOA sequences and hyperlink simulators, which are the TRVE rpg experience
Let's look at the example you cited again. You pass a hidden check and the game informs you via text that you can blow up the entrance and make the hot spot on the wall interactive (if it makes you feel any better, that's exactly how gravedigging event in Teron works, and many others). Now that you've been informed, you either blow it up or proceed. There's not much thinking involved there, if at all.
 
Joined
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Messages
50,754
Codex Year of the Donut
yes, please excuse me for thinking devs might implement world interactions that might require the player to think rather than focus a solid 85% of their time on CYOA sequences and hyperlink simulators, which are the TRVE rpg experience
Let's look at the example you cited again. You pass a hidden check and the game informs you via text that you can blow up the entrance and make the hot spot on the wall interactive (if it makes you feel any better, that's exactly how gravedigging event in Teron works, and many others). Now that you've been informed, you either blow it up or proceed. There's not much thinking involved there, if at all.
The wall is not made "interactive". This is the message you're presented with:
The rock here looks very fragmented, and will most likely crumble under extreme conditions.
The game does not explicitly tell you to blow it up, nor do you just click on it to win.
See also.
 

The Wall

Dumbfuck!
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That part of fallout is cool

Guessing developer intent through pixel hunting is not fun, because the way you actually do in it a video game is to click X on Y, failing in 99% of scenarios because the interaction you thought of wasn't coded in, leading to you paying a heavy cost of 99% clicking on shit doing nothing for a payout of 1% actually working.

This is not at all how environmental interaction works in P&P, despite rusty claiming so. In P&P you can always attempt such an interaction and have it work if it is sensible - because your GM can magically make that interaction be part of the game.

rusty's intense mania with this issue is like the perfect example of valuing principle over actual design outcome.
yes, please excuse me for thinking devs might implement world interactions that might require the player to think rather than focus a solid 85% of their time on CYOA sequences and hyperlink simulators, which are the TRVE rpg experience
AMERICAN! WE HAVE AMERICAN IN CHAT!

Initiate pointing finger and laughing at Amerimonkey protocol
 

Jaedar

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Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
but iirc it's also the only place in fallout like that
except for the part where you can blow up any wooden door + a bunch of other stuff, yeah, I guess
I don't think I knew you could do that. Seems pretty pointless, but I guess it's an alternative to lockpicking in a few places. Truly fallout never ceases to impress.
Did you have to actually interact with the environment or did the game just automagically tell you "wow there's a secret I win button here"?
Once you walk in the room the game rolls perception for you. The room is otherwise empty with no glowies. You decide if this counts or not.

Guessing developer intent through pixel hunting is not fun, because the way you actually do in it a video game is to click X on Y, failing in 99% of scenarios because the interaction you thought of wasn't coded in, leading to an extreme design cost of 99% clicking on shit doing nothing for a payout of 1% actually working (which may, as you say, feel cool when it happens, but that coolness comes at a massive cost if you take rusty's advice and make it the principal way of interacting with environment in your video game).
It's funny, because deus ex took this approach to most things, and this was afaik one of its design goals. Almost everything* can be blown up, or lifted. And most of the time it was pointless, but sometimes it was great and you got to feel clever because you actually figured out to do the thing on your own, instead of picking the green option in a dialogue box.

It does require graphical fidelity though. Obviously having 100 identical computers in the game, of which 3 are interactable is terrible. And I am not going to say it's ridiculously amazing to have 1 wall that can be blown up when it is otherwise only doors/people and other obvious interactables that can be touched. But at least it's trying to give you things *you* and not *your character* can find (arguably this means this should not be in pure RPGs, and relegated to other genres and hybrids, as it relies on player skills and not character skills).

*well ok, almost nothing, but hey, tech was still young
 

The Wall

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The evolution of RPG design would be all walls potentially being destroyable (if stats and tools for that player has). Marriage between immersive sims, adventure games story telling and RPG combat/role playing. Why we don't have that 20+ years since Fallout's relese?

Because Americans thoroughly trannized themselves and exported brain virus to the rest of the world. Majority of modern devs are talentless idiots. No other way, but the Path of Truth. That's Truth. Simple and sour
 

The Wall

Dumbfuck!
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Colony Ship tries being Arcanum in Space. It will take few tries but it will get there. In few games time. Good story, interesting setting, great combat, stats galore and more alive world then AoD. Colony Ship is improvement in every way compared to already good AoD and bigger achievement in RPG design then any AAA game released in past 10 years

Vault Dweller Stay strong and be proud of your achievements. Your wings keep growing, Young Albatross
 

Marat

Arcane
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yes, please excuse me for thinking devs might implement world interactions that might require the player to think rather than focus a solid 85% of their time on CYOA sequences and hyperlink simulators, which are the TRVE rpg experience
Let's look at the example you cited again. You pass a hidden check and the game informs you via text that you can blow up the entrance and make the hot spot on the wall interactive (if it makes you feel any better, that's exactly how gravedigging event in Teron works, and many others). Now that you've been informed, you either blow it up or proceed. There's not much thinking involved there, if at all.
The wall is not made "interactive". This is the message you're presented with:
The rock here looks very fragmented, and will most likely crumble under extreme conditions.
The game does not explicitly tell you to blow it up, nor do you just click on it to win.
See also.
Lemme get this straight: interacting with environment through dialogue window is bad, but when it happens through a box on the bottom left of the screen it becomes interactive?
 
Joined
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Messages
50,754
Codex Year of the Donut
Lemme get this straight: interacting with environment through dialogue window is bad, but when it happens through a box on the bottom left of the screen it becomes interactive?
if you don't get it, you don't get it. You failed your intelligence check, nothing I can do to help.
 

Sòren

Arcane
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
2,558
AOD had a certain gameplay design and Colony Ship builds on and improves this design. it's ridiculous to even discuss that topic now after ITS got that far.

it's a lot of fun for me, if u do not enjoy it: go back playing real rpgs like dragon inquisition.
 
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Messages
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Codex Year of the Donut
oh I forgot this is the codex where we can't critique things, sorry
I have deleted all my posts that dared to question the brilliant design decisions, all hail vince, no one shall say anything negative about this game, etc., etc.,
continue on with your scheduled cirlcejerk
 

Technomancer

Liturgist
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Messages
1,532
i just hope the developers don't get discouraged reading some of the comments here. They've really come far with the game thus far. It's all good work on their part.
Nah, the codex was always the most ardent supporter and passionate critic at the same time.
 

Pink Eye

Monk
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I'm very into cock and ball torture
Nah. You're free to critique. It's just ridiculous inundating the developers with feedback that requires them to completely rework the system when they're already overworked getting the Habitat content prepared and finished so we can play it in its full glory.
 

Parabalus

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Mar 23, 2015
Messages
17,508
i just hope the developers don't get discouraged reading some of the comments here. They've really come far with the game thus far. It's all good work on their part.

How can anyone get discouraged reading incessant praise?
 
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Marat

Arcane
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How dare anyone post anything else, but indefatigably complain in literally every thread they're in! Poor rusty is a special little snowflake that can't handle an opposing opinion.
 

Pink Eye

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I'm very into cock and ball torture
So far the shit you've posted about this game has been incorrect. So far Rusty's take on this game has been incorrect as well. By all means. You're free to critique the system, just have a clue of what you're talking about.
 

Parabalus

Arcane
Joined
Mar 23, 2015
Messages
17,508
either you pass the perception check(1) or get a critical luck roll(6), then the game gives you information that can be used as an alternate solution to a quest without automatically performing that solution for you
Rusty. You're a doofus. This is something Colony Ship employs as well:

See this stretch of hallway? There are evil worms that will eat your brains. Oh boy. I wonder if there's an easy to get past those things. Ah! I know. Lets walk over here. Lets go examine this room that has a vent!

So the game rewards my exploration by granting me an easier way to pass those worms if I can't face them by investigating the other room. Amazing.


Rusty is right though.

In AoD/CS you don't need player skill if your char has it, in Fallout the player has to recognize the right course of action and only then is the char skill checked.

Whether the latter is better role-playing is a matter of taste, but it is definitely streamlined and 'modernised'.
 

Pink Eye

Monk
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I'm very into cock and ball torture
Whether the latter is better role-playing is a matter of taste, but it is definitely streamlined and 'modernised'.
In that screenshot. You first have to pass a lockpick's check by interacting with the door. Then pass a "hidden" perception check in order to go through the vent. Next are a couple electronics check that you need to succeed in, in order to safely get to the console for Hargrave. Of course you'd never have known that there was a secret passage if you hadn't explored the area. Would you rather if there was a big glowing sign exclaiming, "SECRET PASSAGE HERE" - followed by a quick time event that fully exercises the player's "skill" instead?
 

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