Fully player-driven colonization - with emergent needs and schematics
Approximately a year ago I made a post and I wanted to flesh out the intention behind it (https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/50273-colonization-deserves-better-se-is-ignoring-its-best-mechanics), with a more concrete example.
Forget contracts for a while.
Let's say the game had the capability to evaluate a grid. Evaluate its location in the world, production and power outputs, its connected communication grids, the list of blocks used in its rooms and pretty much everything that could fulfill any need.
And let's say that players can decide to help the colonies, decide what to build, when to build it, how well to build it, what it contains, its scale, how to automate it and so forth.
And then let's say that needs are starting to emerge from what the player has built. Again, forget contract-like needs like "we need more x tons of y".
In practice:
Suppose the game initially asks for something simple - to boot-start colonization.
So the player decides to just build a mining facility and component factory in northern Verdure and designate it to the colonies. This mining facility turns out to be quite neat - automated mining, plenty of power, high output and a huge storage capacity for components. The game then picks that up and evaluates it.
Then a housing need emerges out of that evaluation - just like in real life, where industry booms and population follows. (Keeping the example simple with just one need emerging).
Again, the player builds housing and connects the housing facilities grid/grids with the production facilities via the communications network (doesn't need to be on the premises, they can commute like the rest of us!). The game evaluates the housing grid and its connection to the facility. These honest commuters won't live long without defenses or food though... and needs keep emerging.
At this point a colony of two connected nodes has been created. Which can grow like a tree without a predetermined order. Players might outright build an empire, or Megatron for all the system cares.
There are many things one could do with this system. For example the colonies that the players have built can sell new schematics, generate events and rarely contracts - if you love that system so much :) And these can depend on the decisions players took while building them, such as their location/biome. Schematics will essentially be player generated.
Last but not least, they will create a baseline for the emergent systems other users have asked for, meaningful ore deposits, reasons for engineering, vehicles and so on. It'll be a cinch to build compared to what Keen has achieved so far.
I like this feedback
I think colonization in the game's lore does not start from 0. We are clearly not the first arrivals into the system, so that's one thing to keep in mind. There is this entity called the Colonzation Authority. It is still unclear if it's a good or evil AI, or whether it is going to be an actual faction with human NPCs. The lore and the story will probably be interconnected with the colonization missions, some will be a main story line, others will probably be optional "side quests." Currently, they are testing the very basics of the contract systems.
That's being said, your ideas about how to calculate "colonization progress" are interesting. Building a production capacity of a certain level, housing, stockpiling a certain amount of resources, build outposts and communication stations, weather stations, military bases and ships, can in theory be used to fulfill certain metrics rather than simply completing a certain number of contracts. I also don't like that unlocking blocks is only available for making contracts as I have described in this topic.
I think colonization in the game's lore does not start from 0. We are clearly not the first arrivals into the system, so that's one thing to keep in mind. There is this entity called the Colonzation Authority. It is still unclear if it's a good or evil AI, or whether it is going to be an actual faction with human NPCs. The lore and the story will probably be interconnected with the colonization missions, some will be a main story line, others will probably be optional "side quests." Currently, they are testing the very basics of the contract systems.
That's being said, your ideas about how to calculate "colonization progress" are interesting. Building a production capacity of a certain level, housing, stockpiling a certain amount of resources, build outposts and communication stations, weather stations, military bases and ships, can in theory be used to fulfill certain metrics rather than simply completing a certain number of contracts. I also don't like that unlocking blocks is only available for making contracts as I have described in this topic.
Taking that Miro and Ivan's ship was the last one to make the journey, where are all of the colonists that are going to build houses near the mine ? Are they congregated in an existing conurbation, or distributed in isolation, or are they cloned upon demand when needed ?
A star system of clones would make a mockery of a colony.
Taking that Miro and Ivan's ship was the last one to make the journey, where are all of the colonists that are going to build houses near the mine ? Are they congregated in an existing conurbation, or distributed in isolation, or are they cloned upon demand when needed ?
A star system of clones would make a mockery of a colony.
Are you assuming that the Survival start is the framing of the SE2 Universe, or is it the first of many SE2 game scenarios?
Look at SE1 where survival is presented as a training world, with many more scenarios provided, either by Keen or the modding community.
The crash of the Calypso and Miro and Ivan's conversations are good framing but it stops when one reaches Vallation Station. Perhaps a mod is needed to flesh out finding and repairing the wreck and limping it over to Vallation Station and then getting Vallis Reach onto the Fast Travel network so the colonists can get down to the planet. If food is implemented, add missions to build a first farm etc.
Are you assuming that the Survival start is the framing of the SE2 Universe, or is it the first of many SE2 game scenarios?
Look at SE1 where survival is presented as a training world, with many more scenarios provided, either by Keen or the modding community.
The crash of the Calypso and Miro and Ivan's conversations are good framing but it stops when one reaches Vallation Station. Perhaps a mod is needed to flesh out finding and repairing the wreck and limping it over to Vallation Station and then getting Vallis Reach onto the Fast Travel network so the colonists can get down to the planet. If food is implemented, add missions to build a first farm etc.
I wanted to clarify something in the original post, since I can't edit it:
The production facility followed by housing, with the "just like in real life, where industry booms and population follows" analogy, was an example off the top of my head - I wasn't trying to give feedback about NPCs or story. In retrospect I should have picked something less loaded, like a mining rig creating the need for a production facility and/or defensive turrets, so the post stayed focused on the mechanism itself.
I wanted to clarify something in the original post, since I can't edit it:
The production facility followed by housing, with the "just like in real life, where industry booms and population follows" analogy, was an example off the top of my head - I wasn't trying to give feedback about NPCs or story. In retrospect I should have picked something less loaded, like a mining rig creating the need for a production facility and/or defensive turrets, so the post stayed focused on the mechanism itself.
What is the PROBLEM, and why are there such nonsensical contracts in the game?
Because most new players don't know what to do. They have no goal and don't know how to set their own.
Drop them off in an abandoned star system with a damaged colonization ship. If you give them a time limit—even a very long one—they will most likely fail to save the ship and the colonists.
What is the PROBLEM, and why are there such nonsensical contracts in the game?
Because most new players don't know what to do. They have no goal and don't know how to set their own.
Drop them off in an abandoned star system with a damaged colonization ship. If you give them a time limit—even a very long one—they will most likely fail to save the ship and the colonists.
By the way, one interesting thing emerges from the previous descriptions—space engineers are a different type of being than colonists.
Space engineers are cloned beings who repeatedly die and are recreated while performing their duties. Colonists are transported in cryopods.
By the way, one interesting thing emerges from the previous descriptions—space engineers are a different type of being than colonists.
Space engineers are cloned beings who repeatedly die and are recreated while performing their duties. Colonists are transported in cryopods.
Building and automating the colony myself sounds great. And it tests and rewards the ENGINEERING, not my patience to go through a list of errand work without being bored to death.
And we could end up with a network of facilities/cities that look like real colonies!
Building and automating the colony myself sounds great. And it tests and rewards the ENGINEERING, not my patience to go through a list of errand work without being bored to death.
And we could end up with a network of facilities/cities that look like real colonies!
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