Aurora explosion at the beginning

[laker01]

I don't have this game (but I want it) so forgive my ignorance if I don't know what I'm talking about, but I have a thought based on let's plays I've watched.

At the beginning of the game, you are repeatedly warned about the impending explosion of the Aurora's dark matter drive. As someone who walked into this with no preconceptions, I will tell you: Those warnings are really scary and create a sense of fear and foreboding, as if that massive hulk of a wreck on the horizon is about to potentially kill you or cause other serious problems.

However, the engine deteriorates quite quickly, meaning the foreboding doesn't last very long, and when it does explode, nothing really seems to change.

So unless there is something I don't know, here is my suggestion:

First, make the process of deterioration last longer. A longer period of time between each warning, and of course until the eventual explosion. That suspense is glorious and should be extended and milked.

Second, make the explosion an actual impending threat. I would say, give the lifepod an engine, but make it broken on impact. Make it so the lifepod crashed close enough to the Aurora that the explosion will destroy the pod - and you along with it - if you don't move the pod out of the danger zone (a computer announcement or a radar display on the pod's big screen could be used to inform the player about when they are out of danger). This way, you will be scrambling to fix the engine at the beginning of the game, before the clock runs out and you die from the blast.

Those are my definite ideas to make the beginning more interesting. I would suggest one more thing, but I don't know if it would contradict a different gameplay element: Make it so you have a chance to shut down the Aurora's drive, if you take the terrible risk of swimming to the ship when you've only just started out. That would be a big risk, so it should carry a big reward and be very difficult to do.

I hope these suggestions are useful to someone. Thanks.

[Leftyizme]

Your second suggestion is actually quite brilliant. Currently, there is no risk of endangerment from the explosion, aside from radiation levels surrounding the ship afterwards, which can kill you if you do not create a radiation suit.
The only negative I see to adding a propulsion system to the life pod is that people will quickly turn it into a mobile base...and putter about wheve they want to long after they have fixed the drive cores.
Perhaps make it a one time usage, with a limited fuel supply... Just enough to get you out of danger, but once moved to safety, that's it... That would not affect the rest of the gameplay, yet would accomplish the mission at hand.

[laker01]

Yes, have the motor fry after a certain distance. Your repair is temporary. Allow a little leeway beyond the "danger zone" so that people have a small amount of choice with where they want the lifepod to end up. This will add an interesting extra dimension of small choice to your start, as well as prevent people from seeing the motor repair and escape as purely a scripted event with no external usefulness.

[Cougarific]

Not saying any idea is a bad idea, but I think your view of the game is skewed by the fact that you haven't played it for yourself, but have watched other people play through the explosion multiple times.

Having it explode right at the start is a "Well crap - I'm totally screwed now!" moment that cannot survive spoilage once you've watched it happen to someone else a few times.

I bought the game before watching any Let's Plays and the feels from that moment are real.

Originally posted by Asahammer:

Make it so you have a chance to shut down the Aurora's drive, if you take the terrible risk of swimming to the ship when you've only just started out.

In theory you should be able to craft a Radiation Suit before the explosion occurs. It would be a long swim and you'd probably encounter a Reaper or two but I'm sure you could get there before it blows. Problem is, until it blows - there's no way into the ship, so there'd be no point.

[laker01]

I can see your point with that, it's true I haven't played the game so I feel somewhat obliged to defer to people who have, however, I really think that, personally, seeing my ship crashed into an apparently endless ocean, on fire, and with no other life capsules around, would already instill a certain "I'm totally screwed" sense in me even without seeing the engine explode.

To me, having the extra event of the explosion just begs for it to mean something more than a few audio playbacks from the computer, a loud boom, and a graphical light show.

[Cougarific]

Yah but you come up out of the pod and the Aurora looks relatively intact, so you immediately have a "Step 1: Get to the Aurora" in your brain.

Then it blows and the radiation starts pouring out and you're like, There goes Step 1! Now what?!? and that's when the game really begins.

[laker01]

Point taken. I can understand your view of this. I think it may be possible to implement my idea without taking that away, however. I guess the developers will decide all that.

[Miral]

When I first saw the explosion scenario, I was wondering if it'd be deadly if you were above water at the time, but safe below a certain depth (still shallow though). Having to move the pod out of the radiation zone would be cool too though -- but might be a bit awkward if you'd already started to set up a base (or even just storage) near its original location, though.

[IFIYGD]

Originally posted by Asahammer:

First, make the process of deterioration last longer. A longer period of time between each warning, and of course until the eventual explosion. That suspense is glorious and should be extended and milked.

Second, make the explosion an actual impending threat. I would say, give the lifepod an engine, but make it broken on impact. Make it so the lifepod crashed close enough to the Aurora that the explosion will destroy the pod - and you along with it - if you don't move the pod out of the danger zone (a computer announcement or a radar display on the pod's big screen could be used to inform the player about when they are out of danger). This way, you will be scrambling to fix the engine at the beginning of the game, before the clock runs out and you die from the blast.

Honestly, until I see the new Stable update come out and get to play with all of the new stuff they are adding, I don't know that I like the first suggestion much. That short time until the explosion gives you just enough time to get started collecting and cafting before the ship blows up and irradiates the area around it. For a brand new player the longer time may be more filled with tension. For me, it o would just be more of a wait. And I suspect the new longer fabrication times will be frustration enough for me when the update drops.

The second suggestion just seems like it would not work well. The only mode you have permadeath in is Hardcore. In other modes, if you die, you respwn in the last powered base or sub, or your LifePod when you die. So, I die from the blast and respwn where? In a damaged LifePod with no way to progress, because the fabricator is now damaged? Or the comm relay no longer worls, so I don;t get messages from the AI, that play into the story? So I am losing game content or stuck in a non-progession loop, just sitting in a damaged Pod? Because of a game "feature"? I just don;t see this working out very well, and potentially making both new and experienced players REALLY unhappy with the change and the game.

Buy the game and play it, and your thoughts on your ideas may change, Lets Plays on YouTube f do not give you the d feels that you get from playing, and can be editied for drama and monetization reasons. So the "big names" who have done them aren't giving you a true feel for the game, and the opening sequence of events IMHO.

[Zvitatzki]

iam still wish they will add wave and weather effects which will cause the auora explosion to create a massive wave like they shown in the trailer long ago as they showcase the new added auroa explosion at all :)

sadly the ingame result did look no harm and did nothing aside visual :)

let us wait and see in later future

sorry bad english

[Jhonis]

Originally posted by I Fart In Your General Direction:

The second suggestion just seems like it would not work well. The only mode you have permadeath in is Hardcore. In other modes, if you die, you respwn in the last powered base or sub, or your LifePod when you die. So, I die from the blast and respwn where? In a damaged LifePod with no way to progress, because the fabricator is now damaged? Or the comm relay no longer worls, so I don;t get messages from the AI, that play into the story? So I am losing game content or stuck in a non-progession loop, just sitting in a damaged Pod? Because of a game "feature"? I just don;t see this working out very well, and potentially making both new and experienced players REALLY unhappy with the change and the game.

Buy the game and play it, and your thoughts on your ideas may change, Lets Plays on YouTube f do not give you the d feels that you get from playing, and can be editied for drama and monetization reasons. So the "big names" who have done them aren't giving you a true feel for the game, and the opening sequence of events IMHO.

Honestly, if you let that happen, then I would have to ask you what you where doing all that time?
Watching the sun? or praising the sun all this time?
In all honesty, the ship explosing should be treated more then just a fireworks display.
In a way, it might as well just produce a loud poping sound, then some panel fall off the ship reveling the words "That's all fokes!".


Not to derail it or anything, but is there a blueprint for the ship or something?
Because if there isn't, then how did the crew even got on the ship in the first place, and where was the deathpods located?

[Khavarum]

Originally posted by Asahammer:

Second, make the explosion an actual impending threat. I would say, give the lifepod an engine, but make it broken on impact.

I like both your ideas, but I have a twist for the second one. Don't give the lifepod an engine. Let the Aurora's explosion destroy the only lifepod that you had available. That would force you to build a base with a working Fabricator, before the lifepod gets destroyed. That would be a very interesting story outcome and it would add to the feeling of survival.

[Necrius]

Originally posted by yuenke:

Originally posted by Asahammer:

Second, make the explosion an actual impending threat. I would say, give the lifepod an engine, but make it broken on impact.

I like both your ideas, but I have a twist for the second one. Don't give the lifepod an engine. Let the Aurora's explosion destroy the only lifepod that you had available. That would force you to build a base with a working Fabricator, before the lifepod gets destroyed. That would be a very interesting story outcome and it would add to the feeling of survival.

Nah, that's too harsh. Let player use a fabricator in derelict lifepods out of explosion radius, so there's no hard time limit (if you don't have fabricator, you're screwed, game over).

[Horus-fr]

making the beginning scarier already exist but they would have to transform a bug into a feature lol
in one of my 1st games my lifepod start moving away as if there was a tide, it moved away by a bit and then more and more and OMG I need to build a base now ! (only had floating lockers was a noob ^^) in the end it disappeard almost to the front of the aurora for maybe 10 real life hours of game and one day suddenly came back (thats was in stable 34431)

they really should make it a thing so you have a bit of warning and then make it go away

[Khavarum]

Originally posted by Necrius:

Nah, that's too harsh. Let player use a fabricator in derelict lifepods out of explosion radius, so there's no hard time limit (if you don't have fabricator, you're screwed, game over).

You could get a Fabricator BP from your destroyed lifepod. I don't think it's too harsh. If a proper tutorial would be in place then that could work very well. Imagine that when you start playing you get objectives what to do and when. Those objectives would lead you through the basics of the game to give you a better start and the tutorial would end with the Aurora blowing up and you getting the Fabricator BP from your destroyed lifepod. Thanks to properly implemented objectives at this moment of the game you would already have a small base and all materials needed for a new Fabricator. I don't see anything harsh about it. The game as of now still lacks a proper tutorial and I don't know if it will ever get implemented.

[Miral]

But what if you haven't made a Builder yet? With no Builder and no Fabricator, you're screwed. And silver is pretty hard to come by in the very early game (unless you already know where to look), so you're likely to starve before you have the resources to build one.