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Author Topic: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)  (Read 1298 times)

SonnaBanana

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White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« on: March 04, 2020, 09:08:14 AM »

White holes are system-like pocket spaces full of Domain-era goodies and [REDACTED].
They are randomly generated and randomly appearing. Entry and exit points can be found in deep hyperspace locations.
They are impermanent. If the player cannot escape in time then permadeath happens.
Finally, they should spew out [REDACTED] fleets into hyperspace.
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I'm not going to check but you should feel bad :( - Alex

Linnis

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2020, 11:53:34 AM »

Lore wise it could easily make sense. As long as it's not completely random and could be influenced via hullmods or missions and what not.
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KCR

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2020, 12:39:53 AM »

Oh, that's an interesting suggestion. Do you get inspired on this from Space Rangers? Because i remember some similar 'black hole' mechanics there, that has some enemies inside that you need to defeat in order to acquire some unique goodies. I think that's an interesting suggestion that i will totally like to see in game!
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AxleMC131

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2020, 12:54:24 AM »

I like the idea except for this bit:

If the player cannot escape in time then permadeath happens.

No matter which way you spin it, this is not a fun mechanic, and I don't feel conveys a sense of tension that is conducive to wider gameplay.

In my opinion, such a "temporary pocket loot-bag system" would function by having a VERY short lifespan, and a bunch of goodies for the player to explore within... Tuned in such a way that the player cannot possibly explore everything before the hole collapses, at which point the player would merely be ejected back out into hyperspace, taking a hefty CR penalty perhaps if they didn't exit the hole manually.

The whole idea sounds interesting, but also like it's undecided between being a fast-paced, very tense mini-boss/side quest; a weird sort of timed puzzle game; and a chilled-out "treasure room" kind of deal. Whereabouts on the dial do you envision the needle to be pointing?

Also why are there Domain goodies and Remnants in this freak pocket system? Domain-era leftovers don't exactly move around, and Remnants are kinda secluded to the systems they inhabit (outside of Nexerelin) so if these white holes can just appear and disappear at random it doesn't really make sense for such content to be contained.
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Harmful Mechanic

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2020, 01:21:09 PM »

This sounds like it would be vastly better as a mod than as part of the base game. Random funky starlike things are fascinating but would add a lot to the workload at this stage of development; it wouldn't be nearly as hard if it were the domain of one modder who could devote substantial polish time to it.

Time to get coding, OP!
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Baarogue

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2020, 06:52:10 AM »

So what is it?
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AxleMC131

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Re: White holes (random dungeon mechanic)
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2020, 10:23:27 PM »

So what is it?

I've never seen one before. No-one has, but I'm guessing it's a white hole.
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