Contracts Feedback

Arron asked for feedback about the Build planner, contract system, etc in the 12/8 stream.

Caveat: this is all “my 2 cents”. I’m not discounting anyone’s work. This is not meant to belittle anyone, and dangit if Marek/else wants to go a different direction, I’m 100% in on this game already so...😊. I also don’t know what Marek wants with the opening on Verdure and the NPCs that will eventually be there or maybe they won’t… Maybe the story is that people are missing. In this case, what I suggest below may be a total upset of what the intended plan is. Without more information on the story of SE2 other than the opening cinematic in VS2, I am just spitballing with the fact that NPC’s will be there at some point.

Regarding: the Contract system.

Initial response: If I was a new player. I'd be sort of disillusioned by the system once the sector was colonized and completed. I'd feel like I beat the game and that's not even 1/20th of what SE2 has to offer. Now I’m certain that once we add NPCs and even just Pirate Grids to blow up, we’ve added a ton more content to the game. But with the contracts, I ground down some things. I welded up some things. I didn’t need a Fabricator or anything much less needed to build one. I needed basically my hand drill, backpack Assembler and nothing else, really. I didn’t need to innovate something to complete the contracts. This is okay in, say, half the contracts. Just take what you have and get it done. But some of them, an innovation may be good with some hints available upon request. Helps people think like a Space Engineer.

Where do we go from here?

My suggestion: Shooting from the frame of reference that SE2 is everything SE1 was but 10x bigger (a paraphrase of Marek from the launch video of SE2 ~1yr ago). This is about innovation, building, solving some problems, and overall making your own way of living in the Almagest system. This comes complete with the ability to be a warlord, a trader, and whatever else Keen can put in the system to do (a business magnate?, a ship reseller?, security consultant firm?). There’s a ton we can do, but the Contracts, while they worked and were efficient, I felt were somewhat lacking in getting people engaged on what is SE2 and what the game has to offer. It went over some mechanics, which is totally necessary. It just felt anemic in the “why do I care” section and I’m already through 2 of 14(?) sectors. That said, I had fun doing them.

I GM a D&D campaign (hear me out. I know this may sound weird, but stick with me). There are elements of good storytelling that drag people into the plot all while making it open world and sandbox-y with a little structure (I assume the point of the contracts). The main questions you have to make a player answer (in the way you want them to; positively) "What's happening?" and "Why do I care?" By the time people finish colonizing Kemik, (If I was making the game) I'd want them to know how to build a land base, a space station, a mining/hauling rig (small or large), a ship that is or could be converted to Atmo/Hybrid/space with the knowledge of what is efficient/appropriate/desired for each setup. I want them to be able to get efficient at finding ore and possibly blueprinting their designs (for possibly building another asteroid base in the next system to, OR be able to build, manage and maintain a large ship that is survival ready. The mobile survival ship is something, I feel, they should know by the time they're through the 3rd or 4th system). All of this can be done with elements of good storytelling through NPC's and contracts. Honestly, I loved the contracts. And I'll love the contracts more when it becomes "Go get rid of these bandits attacking this settlement/asteroid base." Combat quests. (Combat quests could be a quest that just keeps regenerating every so many hours if there was the equivalent of the Borg or otherwise universally hostile faction. I'd blow stuff up for fun and profit).

The quests didn't totally tell me the depth of what SE2 has to offer. If I had to design this: I would have a progression like you have for the tutorial with going around to different locations. The Tutorial would end when you meet [Named NPC1; not a huge character, but one to get you started]. Named NPC1 would give some things to do on the planet of Verdure. I would have unnamed NPCs at each area with the final event on Verdure being a "(re)build us a [small base] with a starport landing pad." I'd have the NPC say "We have this [places projection blueprint for the player where it needs to go] but we can't seem to figure out where the [block1], [block2], or [block3] (or block4?) go. Can you build this for us and add in ." The player may be able to build most of it but may have to get some ore from space to finish it. This gives them a taste of space and in the end, lets the folks on the ground reestablish comms with Vallation station (which the safe zone was repelling the PC until comms was resumed). The NPCs have a sort of sendoff with you heading to Vallation station.

Then at Vallation station you get met by [Named NPC2] who tells you they're glad you're here. They need your mind getting (all of these are contracts) [Ore mining set up] [rescue a mining ship that is out of energy (battery swap or other fix)] get ore coming in. If we have automation like the AI blocks from SE1 this would be a good time to start adding this in. Possibly a contract that would show them how to build a ferry drone that would haul the ore you're collecting at Vallation down to the the base you set up on Verdure (by this time, the base would show signs of growth). [A few of the contracts that are already in the game that have you solving problems for Engineer/settlers in the system] [Introduce space combat for a contract]. All of this done by the NPC story driving. Then have the culmination in the Verdure system being build a station settlement (partially blueprinted and placed by the NPC for the PC to weld up and add to/modify) with guns on it and have the culmination be an assault from the pirates? Then you get a contact in the Kemik system with coordinates to jump there... I could keep going, but this thread is already getting long. You see what I mean, though.

This all assumes you will have NPCs throughout and they will mostly be interactable. Thinking of games that are still SE, but adding in a tiny bit of interaction similar to Mass Effect maybe not full on. I would assume the Contract system will have factional setups similar to Mechwarrior 5 where it can help or hurt your standing with a faction to do certain contracts.

The setup I gave feels more “Colonized.” Again, I realize the game is in Alpha. But now Vallation station is set up and thriving. Repelling pirates, and a flourishing town growing on the surface. It also has Trade or Ferry contracts to Kemik or other points now that its ore station is operational and the ships are moving things to and from the planet. Stop by Vallation with your Hauler and haul some ore/items through to Byblos and get rewarded. Kemik, sort of the same thing with the planet. Maybe one of the stations is near an asteroid belt so the build up and innovation contracts revolve around creating defenses to protect the mining hulks from pirates/other faction while they gather.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I’ll give Keen my email address/discord/contact if they want to talk about anything off of these forums. It can be a messy way of communicating sometimes.

Thanks for all you do, KeenSWH! This game is already awesome and I'm having tons of fun even with the bugs. My son and fellow engineer is stoked to get to play some SE2. He loves SE1...