Exploration through engineering

After playing through Verdure / Kemik / Oblivara on Survival (Hostile Encounters update), I found that the contracts started to feel somewhat repetitive, long before the rewards were exhausted, but once there were no more block rewards, they became a chore with no real reward.

I'm aware is an alpha version, and a lot of what the content that exists today might get replaced later on.

I want to propose an alternative progression that takes advantage of the blocks-for-contracts rewards that is already in place: exploration of harsh/hostile conditions through engineered solutions.

What I propose is that Verdure/Kemik remain a basic introductory hub, then opening the choice to the player to choose a planet/environment to conquer, where each one would present unique engineering challenges, which must be overcome in order to be able to operate on each environment.

Note that my suggested rewards are only the highest-tier of blocks that the player should've already unlocked between Verdure and Kemik, so as not to lock the player out of gameplay or play-styles.

Much like Kemik or Verdure, each planet should each have an in-orbit staging location. Bonus if the station offers a unique drop pod, in order to get the player initally through the harsh enviroment onto the starter base, much like The Barn in Verdure. The drop-pod serves the dual purpose of both a) getting the player there, and b) stranding the player on the planet in order to overcome it.

Of course, the drop pod should remain optional, and let the player know that they will be unable to access their ships for some time, or choose to bring (and risk) their existing ship down.

For some of these to work, just getting to the orbital station should grant some basic block schematics (detailed in each planet). I took the liberty to assume that elements that exist in SE1 would eventually be present in SE2.

High gravity ocean world

Flying craft works as in Verdure, and has an atmosphere, but it can only be used to move the player around, as there is not much to see or do at the surface. Diving craft (submarines) would be the only way to actually achieve the contract goals at the ocean floor.

• Premise: water announced. At this point we know little of its gameplay, other than its happening, so this entire planet/scenario should be taken with discretion.
• Basics granted: Ballast tank 1.5m, propeller 1m. I would assume water mechanics would be introduced in Verdure, that's planned to have large bodies of water.
• Drop pod can be a basic quadcopter that delivers the player to contract hub: an oil-rig like structure to stage submarine operations, linked to the basic underwater base. The underwater base should not be safe-zoned, so the player can expand (just like the barn and the tiny station next to it).
• It would be amazing to see gigantic waves at the surface to discourage the player being at the surface altogether.
• Rewards: Gyroscope 7.5m, larger ballast tank block, larger propellers, pressurization tech (not in-game yet), Electrolysis block (produce H2 from water)
• Alternative: Frozen ocean world: Features a crust of ice, 500m thick, with a deep ocean underneath. Nothing but ice at the surface, ores are at the ocean ridges/floor.
• Real example: Enceladus (moon of Saturn)

High winds planet

A planet that features constant, unforgiving wind hazard, that make flying craft unviable.

• Basics granted: None, the player should probably have small wheels and atmo available
• Low gravity: around 0.6g, increasing the risk of your stuff flying away if not locked down
• Encourage the use of high-mass rovers for operating.
• High-mass grids wold be preferred to prevent them getting dragged off.
• Rewards: Artificial Mass, Atmospheric Thruster 10m, Wheel Suspension 12.5m
• Real example: Earth. With hurricanes, tornadoes, even without, it gets windy enough to ground flights.

Gas giant asteroid ring

Asteroid ring within the gravity well of a gas giant, presenting the unique challenge of "space islands".

• Gravity at the ring should be relatively high, say, 0.5-0.7g
• Gravity increases exponentially as one approaches the planet.
• Ships pulled past a certain threshold are completely destroyed.
• Rewards: Ion Thruster 7.5m, Landing Gear 5m, Gravity Generator
• Real example: Saturn's ring

Superstorm planet

A planet with an ever-present storm, that zaps energy of electrical systems, requiring shielding energy storage with armor, heavy armor, or potentially introduce shielding blocks.

• Premise: lighting is a hazard in SE1, while its not in SE2 today, I would expect it would be added
• Wind turbines are supercharged to 300% efficiency.
• Solar works at 10% efficiency, uranium/ice are unavailable.
• Initially, Antennas could serve as temporary lightning rods that get damaged. Eventually a proper lightning rod unlocked (decoy).
• Drop pod: simple parachute drop pod, with unshielded battery, that gets struck on the way down, to experience the mechanic of it losing power outright.
• Rewards: Battery 2.5m, Decoy blocks, production Speed Modules
• Real counterpart: Saturn features planet-wide electrostatic storms

Corrosive / radioactive atmosphere

Corrosive or radioactive atmosphere in a planet, forcing pressurization of environments to survive.

• Premise: radiation is a hazard in SE1, it will likely be part of SE2.
• Grids take small amounts of damage over time if exposed to unpressurized environments.
• Players take large amounts of damage if exposed, forcing building from a cockpit
• Damage could be implemented from outside-in, encouraging armor as shielding to tank/reduce the corrosion damage.
• Rewards: Heavy Armor (or shielding blocks), Welder 4m, Reactor 7.5m, Hangar Doors
• Real example: Venus clouds are corrosive, not so much its atmosphere, but its close enough to home to count.

"Tidally locked" planet: no day/night cycle.

A planet pretending to be tidally locked to Delfos (pretending because planets don't rotate).

• No atmosphere (wind unviable, no oxygen to breathe)
• The hemisphere facing Delfos is a harsh volcanic landscape, the hemisphere facing way is a frozen wasteland.
• The HOT hemisphere: damage over time to grids. Only reliable way to get renewable energy (solar). Only hemisphere with minerals at near surface levels (like in Verdure/Kemik).
• The frozen hemipshere: Constant darkness, thick layer of ice covers everything. Ores are found ~500m under the ice.
• Rewards: production Yield modules, O2/H2 Generator 5m, Drill 5.25m
• Real example: There are none in our system. A venus day is like 170 earth days but its not actually tidally locked to the sun. See also WASP-76b (Hot jupiter);

Energy starved planet

Far from the brown dwarf, it gets very little light, heat, and has no atmosphere.

• Basics granted: None
• Wind Turbines do not work, Solar is at 1% efficiency, Uranium is unavailable. Ice is abundant
• Encourage stockpiling H2, power management
• Initial gameplay revolves around managing and optimizing power usage
• Eventually unlock the 1.5m version of the H2 engine
• Rewards: production Efficiency modules, H2 engine, Hydrogen Thruster 7.5m, Hydrogen tank 12.5m
• Real example: Pluto

Additional notes:

• The available rewards should be known to the player from the Map screen, so they can plan the order in which they approach each planet.
• Each planet/region could house a unique faction of renegades, sporting the very tech you're there to acquire.