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[David]

Blog post here.

[smithney]

This just in from Volturn

[close]

[Histidine]

First! Second!

Joke cribbed from elsewhere: Wow Macario is literally 1984
(and he's indeed superb; it's not often you get such a character-defining intro scene)

I don't know why, but I find the very existence of Passage to Volturn funny in a kitschy?/awkward way every time I think about it. It's so delightfully shameless; the unused-for-a-reason patrol commander response just seals it.

[PizzaInSpace]

The moment the blog said "Disney, Don't read this" made me chuckle. Its pretty nice that there are plans to eventually expand the narrative further and the colorful characters to boot(since I now know macario is a scumbag makes me want to mess up the sindrian diktat a bit more now) but I just got one question in all of the narrative; is the alpha site the ONLY known blacksite to involve creating a new type of warship or are there plans to expand this topic? I would love to have a narrative questline finding any scientists that worked on the ziggurat and seeing if I can befriend them or intimidate them into restoring the ziggurats "High Volition Attractor" in order to face even more deadlier Tri-Tach Wonderweapons.

[Dadada]

Nice. I hope there will be (more)

Spoiler

ways to blast Kanta and Cotton and to have some _escalation_ with the bomb with possibly severe gameplay and story consequences. I'll be keeping _the bomb_.

We got a whiff of (Luddic) rebellion in the Diktat, but maybe the church itself could splinter and civil war could break out.
I'd like Macario or someone else to seriously come after us, with a solid plan and/or with something dangerous or at least with some battle oomph behind it and some other people get dragged in for some delicious chaos... If we oppose him or that person too much.

And yes Macario pretty much felt like the typical secret service puppeteer so I'd kinda like to see more hints of his work in other happenings across the sector, but maybe that would hype up his character too much and would play right into tropes.

I really loved Loke making the Pathers uncomfortable, kek "questions which should not be asked" and "playing god" and stuff, made me almost chuckle.

[close]

E: If I had to guess we will pick up where we left with Macario and _the name list_. I am looking forward to it. Thank you for the post.

[Wyvern]

This is all neat stuff to read.

I will say, though, that my favorite interactions overall have to be the ones you get with Agent Finlay intercepting your fleet, where you can just be bluntly brutally honest with him. "Oh, yes, Baird was blackmailing Yaribay. What, this old ship? Found it at a Tri-Tachyon Alpha Site." Etc.

...If I had an option to hand over the data you get at the end of the Usurpers chain to Agent Finlay, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

For that matter, I'd love to have a similar option with the Hegemony Ziggurat interaction, actually. "Oh, you want detailed scans of this unique vessel? Really, there's no need to be sneaky about it: ask politely and sure, no problem."
(Though, okay, the existing option to go "I'm sorry, I have no idea what ship you're talking about" as the Ziggurat just sits phased out is amusing, too.)

[Starasp]

Booted up my account for the first time in years to give my thoughts on the vibe you're going for with the NOT-Powerfantasy. I run ttrpgs a lot and the idea of what you're trying to do with mostly just the two of you makes my stomach churn. I think it's working well though, when I play the game the narrative parts of it reminds me of old CRPGs without actually being just that. I feel like I'm just part of a larger ensemble caste in the story missions. I'm the operator who gets things done and people seek me out for that, not really for any deeper reason.

The choices the captain is presented with in dialogue make you feel like you're a slick operator (as you should be, you're the leader of an independent warfleet after all) but not invincible or anything. I was worried if I picked the wrong option when Macario showed up if he might shoot me or something. I knew he wouldn't deep down, but I did consider what I was saying to him a lot more. Overall they're a pretty great time so far, I've replayed them a few times now and even what little there is doesn't get boring yet. If this is just the beginning I'm extremely excited to see more.

Edit: I was thinking some more and I think I'd describe it as a Diagetic power fantasy almost. Your character is competent because it'd be weird for someone in their position to be foolish or incapable of doing impressive things, but it's not weirdly exaggurated just to make the player feel good. You'd be someone more like Andrada if that were the case.

[Jess_catte]

I really liked all the new story in the update! And it's always fun to read about what went into bringing it all together!

I can't wait to see what y'all cook up for the League, but also I haven't really had much Tri-Tachyon stuff yet. Point me its way if I've missed it, but so far we've been shown only a few middle management folks and the actions of the folks in charge. It'd be interesting to see what life is like for the Tri-Tach colonists. How much worse is it than anywhere else? And what, if anything, is keeping them where they are? Stuff like that!

[David]

It's so delightfully shameless; the unused-for-a-reason patrol commander response just seals it.

(Pretty sure Alex was like, "Maybe that's too much?". He's probably right.)

is the alpha site the ONLY known blacksite to involve creating a new type of warship or are there plans to expand this topic?

No explicit plans to expand the topic, but it is implied that TT runs a bunch of black sites for various things. See also the capstone Sebestyen mission to rescue the academician using Transverse Jump.

E: If I had to guess we will pick up where we left with Macario and _the name list_. I am looking forward to it. Thank you for the post.

Hmm, who could say! (... it's only been stewing in my brain for like 8? 9? years; gah.)

...If I had an option to hand over the data you get at the end of the Usurpers chain to Agent Finlay, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Hmm!

(I do kinda like the idea of subverting conventions of stories that rely on people not telling each other basic facts about their situation. Question is, as ever, how much does this potentially throw plotting out the window and etc... we'll see!)

Booted up my account for the first time in years to give my thoughts on the vibe you're going for with the NOT-Powerfantasy. I run ttrpgs a lot and the idea of what you're trying to do with mostly just the two of you makes my stomach churn. I think it's working well though, when I play the game the narrative parts of it reminds me of old CRPGs without actually being just that. I feel like I'm just part of a larger ensemble caste in the story missions. I'm the operator who gets things done and people seek me out for that, not really for any deeper reason.

Ah, awesome!

1. Yes, we're crazy, and it also makes my stomach churn too. (Not much has been made of it yet, but eg. in 0.96 I snuck in hidden ethos counters for all sorts of decisions the player makes...)

2. But yes as well, those old school CRPGs are a huge inspiration - Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Planescape Torment... TBH I think CRPGs felt a bit weirder and more open-ended when they seemed to take more inspiration from TTRPGs vs. the way they settled down a bit into more structured forms in, for example, the "new school" Bioware style. I don't think the old stuff is intrinsically good; it sure had drawbacks, and they were sloppy designs in many ways, but there was less rigidity to the form and lower budgetary stakes that allowed a little more weirdness to seep in.

Take Morrowind - *huge* inspiration - could that kind of acid trip fantasy game happen in a AAA studio nowadays? No way. (It took a bunch of crazy Lithuanian commies to make Disco Elysium to show it could still be done!)

... but also I haven't really had much Tri-Tachyon stuff yet. Point me its way if I've missed it, but so far we've been shown only a few middle management folks and the actions of the folks in charge. It'd be interesting to see what life is like for the Tri-Tach colonists. How much worse is it than anywhere else? And what, if anything, is keeping them where they are? Stuff like that!

Ah, I forgot to mention them! And also, somehow Arroyo turned into the "exasperated by the player's BS straight-man", and I have no idea how. He was supposed to be "80's businessman"! But I'm here for it.

[Megas]

First thought on viewing Macario's portrait this large on the blog?  Rick Sanchez (from Rick & Morty) but without the spiky hair and unibrow.  Granted, Gargoyle fits Rick's personality better.

In the Usurpers plot (with the tiny portrait in the game where it is hard to pinpoint details), Macario felt like bit like Tarkin or other Imperial officer from Star Wars.

[Histidine]

(Not much has been made of it yet, but eg. in 0.96 I snuck in hidden ethos counters for all sorts of decisions the player makes...)

David, you and Alex are planning to give the ethos system some effects later, I suppose? At least, like how Luddic attitude controls some dialog options (though only cosmetically, as far as I could see).

And also, somehow Arroyo turned into the "exasperated by the player's BS straight-man", and I have no idea how. He was supposed to be "80's businessman"! But I'm here for it.

Trolling Arroyo with the "special item" is a [something], that's for sure. ... and now I'm mildly disappointed about the lack of League turn-in option (in general, but also that we can't troll Siyavong in the same way).

Speaking of Siyavong, now there's an interesting comparison. Made a 'buff doge vs. Cheems' meme contrasting Macario's ruthless dispatch with Siyavong having to beg the player for every scrap of intel (though it wouldn't be a good idea to post memes on the forum even if I redacted the profanity in this one ).
Wellll, another way to put the difference is that Siyavong respects people's legal and moral rights even when dealing with 'malcontents' like Cavin Pharoh, while Macario met the concept once in c.193 and shot it in the back of the head.

[Megas]

Funny how Kanta turns down some unique or priceless offerings because it is not its style or too hot to handle or accepts some seemingly worthless offerings just because it corrupts the player (or demonstrate how far the player is willing to fall to evil).

[SyndrianStan]

My only request and opinion is that you don't turn the story into some gay left wing larp, I have no concrete indication of this, but I'm just putting it out there just to be safe.

We already have Star Wars and Star Trek for all the bad sci fi we could ever want or need.

[Alex]

My only request and opinion is that you don't turn the story into some gay left wing larp, I have no concrete indication of this, but I'm just putting it out there just to be safe.

We already have Star Wars and Star Trek for all the bad sci fi we could ever want or need.

I have no idea what made you decide this is an appropriate thing to post, but you've got an official warning. Please familiarize yourself with the forum rules, and, at an absolute minimum, please keep politics out of your posts and don't use "gay" as a pejorative.

[PizzaInSpace]

Come to think of it I stumbled upon an old blog post from 2017 talking about the true and complete history of the persean sector and what got me intrigued by it was not only Ludd's prophetic talent to guide people to the persean sector but the XI Battlegroup. What was the XI Battlegroup? Does it use the same class of hulls the XIV use or did they have some unique warships in their fleet? what would have happened if they had stayed alongside the XIV? What outcome it could have on the whole story. It makes me so jittery looking forward to newer ship classes you guys make as they are not only great for combat but they also explain the personality of each and every faction in the persean sector.