Love your suggestions! There is an ice moon and it's pretty cool (pun intended). hope you find one because they did a good job making it look like Europa.
I don't think it's a stupid idea. Could extend reviving them to corpses that you've killed, and that way you could assemble an army of zombie Zirax to fight their former comrades. Okay, you're right, it's a stupid idea...
A lot of great ideas posted so far! Here's some things I'd love to see. Planets: More NPC action/interaction. Things like predators chasing prey or NPC ships flying around or fighting each other and shifting territory. More weather effects. Sandstorms, aurora, fire rain (without the clouds). More skyboxes for planets and moons, including the option to show the current space orbit's skybox. I had a bug where this actually happened and it looked epic: More little unique things to find like hanging gardens, hidden treasure, nests, or flowers floating in the water. More planet and moon types in general. Space: Better customization of how planets look from orbit. Things like accurately showing the planet's cloudcover or fog so you can have planets be shrouded, or showing weather like a thunderstorm or aurora from space. Space weather. Ion storms, solar flares, meteor showers. More space skyboxes. The current ones look cool, but we need some darker nebula and space skybox options. Planetary rings. Visible from the ground: More stuff to find in space. Pirate station complexes, smuggler hideouts, abandoned asteroid colonies, distress beacons, unknown signals, deadly alien ships, ancient warp gates. Freighter convoys with armed escorts that travel between space stations. Base attacks in space with drones and even a CV for the hardest attacks. Bounty hunters who will look for you and chase you if you've really angered a faction. (can be turned off) Profitable trade routes players can run. Special playfields such as stars, black holes, wormholes.
I have been thinking about the call for more vividness and liveliness. It is tough because what I want to do is list game mechanics that I want, and that is not what this thread is calling for. The definition of Vividness is: 1. producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind. "memories of that evening were still vivid" So, powerful feelings would stem from what Pyston called for; really large mountains. And large oceans, and large canyons(Sieges suggestion,) Huge trees(Vermillion.) Some of the current planets are reasonable vivid; the lava planet with the larger quantities of lava lakes. The desert planet with its plateaus is not bad. The swamp planet is very memorable. New suggestions: When one travels away from city lights here on ole Terra, the stars and the milky way become very booming in the sky - it is incredible. The night sky on most planets should feel like that. Maybe with the occasional shooting star. Imagine that scene, but then looking out over a huge canyon with a giant tree with slightly neon purplish glow to parts of it leaning out over the side. Yeah, that, that would be vivid. Another Vivid scene would be entering orbit of a planet that was grey from the space playfield only to enter the atmosphere and discover fast moving clouds, blowing or billowing glass, and gysers of something yellow. Why is it yellow? We don't know, but it is awesome. @ravien_ff has a real gift with vividness; rainbow colored shallows next to beaches, the "Plasma Planet," the newer planet with the metallic, crystalline, or rock vertical protrusions(with the blue glowy,) and others. THOSE are intensely vivid. Perhaps you approach a planet that is darker and upon entering the atmosphere you discover that it's two moons keep it in a constant state of eclipse but the planets internal energies add enough heat and thus energy to the atmosphere that the planet possesses high winds so it is an endless series of black/dark grey sharp mighty ridges and peaks with the occasional deep red/orange fissure. @Needleship once made a planet that had a large geometric pattern sculpted into its surface - I think it was by accident, but that would really grab the old attention. Maybe add some sort of machinery or futuristic sci-fi texture for those areas(like 2,1 of the second page of textures.) A "Broken planet" would be very vivid and would be a strange playfield to maneuver around in. There would be no sky, and you could "pass through" all the jutting sharp protrusions. Could build nifty little bases tucked in the nooks. What if you approached a planet that was an exact white smaller sphere - so much so that players might want to report it as a bug. Upon entering the atmosphere and then approaching the surface it becomes apparent that the surface is a precisely level mirrored finish. You have entered a manufactured pocket dimension. Who made it? Nobody knows. The Definition of Liveliness: the quality of being outgoing, energetic, and enthusiastic. So that describes relationships/connection and movement. Pondering things, this game is definitely not very lively. Objects or NPC's do not necessarily need more spriteliness or darting qualities. I am really not sure how to add this as an effect; the closest this game comes to this quality is when the scorpion bugs are chasing you in an abandoned building or the trees all begin quaking when a storm, wind, or similar weather effect hits. Most NPC's in Polaris buildings are not very outgoing; they all strut at exactly the same speed. The drones are gently bobbing. Come to think of it, the Zirax are partially lively. When they are switching positions back and forth huthuthuthuthuthut there is a touch of liveliness. The Pulse laser turrets on Zirax bases are "lively." Sorta.
a. More variety of plants and animal life. I'd love to see proper rivers and waterfalls, although that would call for proper water dynamics. b. Gas giants, comets, more solar systems.
I should add that when I think of tall mountains, I don't just think of tall flat mountains, but tall spires, unclimbable by foot, and not able to be climbed by most HV's. Mountains tall enough to build a base into the side of it. Steep, jagged, pointy and awe inspiring. IMO if only one feature in this entire thread could be implemented, being able to see stars in the sky when you are away from light pollution would be it. I miss seeing the stars, I think about it often. One of the best things about driving across country is seeing the stars at night. They are humbling, they tell people that the universe does not revolve around us, they convey that there is a much much bigger universe out there and that most of our problems are petty.
First, I would like to say that I politely disagree with everyone who has suggested purely 'scenery' or aesthetic type of changes/additions. The game looks fine, and has plenty of eye candy. Nothing is so egregiously out of whack that it honestly requires another second of development resource before the game's serious deficiencies are brought up to speed. What the game needs at this place above all else are features which start to make the Empyrion Galaxy FEEL like a living galaxy. This process has been started off on a good foot by defining the factions, giving them 'like/dislike' lists, and linking those to player actions, thus allowing player to change relations with NPCs. The quantity of quests is good at this point, though mostly they are fairly uninspired, that is better than nothing. The problem is that, even with all of these changes, the NPCs all still feel like parts of the landscape, not much different from a plant or mineral model the player can walk up to shoot with a gadget and get something back. You've got to ask yourself: given all of these sentient beings on these planets, and their obviously high levels of technology and social sophistication, what would a person crash landing on such a planet actually experience? This might include: NPCs with names and some characterization (e.g., being able to interact with them all, get a canned dialogue on most but a special dialogue on some, and a really special dialogue on a few rares). NPCs who travel around with some purpose instead of simply as canned animations Patrols which patrol instead of simply standing there Attacks which spawn at distance and proceed toward their assault targets Evidence of inter-faction dynamics Responsiveness of factions to player actions (e.g., player takes out a Zirax base should/could evoke actions from Talon and/or Polaris) Commercial or 'random' traffic Other humans as NPCs? A sense for the broad state of the human presence in the galaxy; at present it feels as if an expedition including several (perhaps dozens) of human "Titan" ships has arrived in the region recently, and all of them crashed ,and the player character (in singleplayer) is the ONLY survivor. A sense for an economy on each planet and how that economy relates to the rest of the galaxy (e.g., trade ships or convoys which actually take off from a location, go into orbit and go somewhere to deliver something and with those 'somethings' being actually consequential) Related to the point above: If I destroy all a given Zirax PoI type on a planet, this should have an obvious effect. For example, if I destroy all of the drone bases, the presence of drones in Zirax static defenses and patrols or assault forces should gradually diminish. If they are going to be 'replenished' by a delivery from off-planet then include game elements which clue the player in to this and afford the player some sense of opportunity and constraint (well, if I DON'T destroy that replenishment convoy then there goes planet Celes, the Zirax will have two or three times as many drones and foot soldiers . . . but if I DO want to destroy it, I'm going to have to win over both the "Pirate Faction" who have a secret base in the asteroid field and who could help me . . .) I could go on and on about such stuff but that should be enough to get the idea across. Again I want to say: I'm sorry, but as a neutral third party, I have to disagree with ANY additional development effort being placed into additional work on 'pretty' or 'purely aesthetic.' The game looks fine, has plenty of visual pieces; admittedly many of the responsive sounds and ambient sounds are horrific, but that still shouldn't be a priority. Presently the game still feels like a sand box and that undermines its ultimate value to users more than anything else. Every single second/dollar/thought for development going forward for some time should be focused on: breathing life into this fictional place with more dynamic fully-fledged stuff. ADDIT: One thing I forgot to mention which occurs to me, and which I think would be an ENORMOUS boon to the game: NPC crew/henchmen/retainers. In singleplayer, Empyrion is the loneliest galaxy ever. No matter how long you play, what you do and how "end-game" you get, you are ALONE . . . well you got your drone stored in your temporal lobes but she is a rather cold fish. . . . Imagine if, after you get to Honored status with a faction, you gain the ability to HIRE some of them. Or to TRAIN some of them (by taking them with you on pre-determined missions). Hiring a weapons officer for your CV might = change the params governing one turret or one type of turret so that they are more effective. Hiring a Propulsion officer = better fuel economy, better acceleration, or WHATEVER. The possibilities, even without overhauling the character and vessel attributes is almost infinite. Hire a bodyguard . . . 'hire' a girl/boyfriend . . . hire a farmer (takes care of harvesting crops at a frequency / periodicity you can specify. Hire a facilities manager (sends you a radio message to alert you to low power situations, low ammo, needs for maintenance, or whatever). These representations of player-nonplayer character relationships can be as initially superficial or deep as you want to make them and designed with a quick off-the-cuff architecture just to see how it feels and what players think, or you can expect it will be effective from the outset and design it with an extensible architecture from the beginning. NPCs could have needs/wants/desires and beyond requiring a salary of some sort, might have other expectations or 'boundaries' which, if crossed, lead to negative relations, etc., etc.
Yeah, damn. I completely agree. I reamed Eleon pretty good 6 months ago and then left and have not really played since because I saw them moving towards more of a sandbox experience as opposed to more mystery in their writing. This thread has been inspiring to me because a call for vividness is a call for more mystery; the majestic or craggy peaks like you suggested, a great gorge stretching out before you, being eaten by tiny mysterious infestor insects. Who knows? All very vivid. It is strange how that duality exists; that looking up at the night sky is like being wrapped in a comfy blanket yet it signals such a huge, unknowable expanse.
Planetary Rings that are visible from the Planet Surface. We already have the other planets visible, why not rings?
Whatever is added (and pretty much all of the suggestions here are great) I will be happy if it us materially different from what we already have. Don't give us any more land critters unless it is a truly massive "boss" that can bite a hole though hv's. Flying critters would be great! Would love some subnautica style bases and deep trenches (with krakens etc...) Gas giants in space and ice meteorites that have some harvestsble resources and specific dangers. Meteorite storms or a rougue comet that can cause substantial damage to structures. Random Solar flares that can damage electrical device's etc. Pirate vessels that attempt to attack and board player space bases. Not to core/capture, instead steel/loot and run/warp away! Bounty hunter ships that attack if your reputation is hostile with a given faction. ...oh the possibilities are endless aren't they!
Started a new survival game and went zooming around taking epic screenshots. I will not post them here but you can view them on this thread: https://empyriononline.com/threads/epic-screenshots-compilation.35481/page-12#post-317362 The moral of the exploration is that this game already has quite a bit of vividness it just needs more diversity and terrain features; the trees one finds on the starter arid planet around the low water is the same or similar to the swamp planet. Also sharper relief - really drawing out the little details and the doodads. The occasional neon animated glowies are a real plus: After seeing the nebula again: They are very pretty and should be kept around certain planets(I think Vermillion is right about the alien planet and the neon pink and blue found in that space playfield) but similar to what Pyston and I were/are talking about - if the stars are sharp when away from light polution through an atmosphere here on Terra, in space they are booming. Ultimately this questing just reinforces much of what has been said, just wanted to throw in additional reinforcement.
another idea for the space playfields if a celestial body is present: - While approaching a planet it could feel cool to increase the gravitational force lineary till it reaches its max (for the planet in question) on entering the atmosphere. This way we get a bit of the mass "simulation" in space near planets. Otherwise i would like to keep the arcady feel and don't want a hardcore simulation. Only so much as to put a bit more emphasis on flying skill.
A bit if a specific, but I would love to see a Earth/Terra planet playfield. Primarily for scenario creators to utilise. A few alphas back we had an earth visual planet, that couldn't be entered. Just might be nice to have a full planet as a resource for creators. Anyway. It's a little branch off topic but still related...
Clifs and canyons, arches Zerax sending out random drones,. They control the planet they should act like it. Transports in space or pirats with cargo to loot that's worth more than the freighter itself. I realize space is empty but these are milliary and trade empires after all. Odd idea rename auto miner cores to ai core and have base cores drop one when destroyed, gives reason to explore, or expand. And can be used for other things in the future, possibly... Sky box on plenet should match the one in space. I realize it's probably a vearity thing, but it makes no sense to be different .
A – Planetary: -Cave systems to explore -Underwater POI’s -More creatures and alien types -Possibly a new POI type for fauna (ie: a really big spiders nest) - More amphibious critters like the crawler or fish. B – Space: -More neutral POI’s (Like a fleet of traders or something) -More uses for the Warp Gate and teleporter. It almost feels like an MMO dungeon or raid when I find one of these with my friends and they could be used to start mini ‘scenarios’ . -And some type of natural POI. I really liked the suggestion for things like Nebula, comets, mini black holes, or maybe even some larger asteroids with mini biomes on them. Both: -In both playfields I’d really like to see more NPC’s doing things that help the world feel alive. ie: flying ships or working in a mine. I'm loving the game and all the progress you guys are making! Keep up the great work!
I agree - the current implementation doesn't work. I'd like to see the lighting effect based upon the atmospheric conditions. A desert planet or biome with no moisture in the air should have little to no volumetic effect. A misty swamp or a severe storm should show significant effect.
Planets Zirax riding around in HV patrols would be Awesome More Sea life. Alien fishes, Alien Sharks and etc. Maybe the ability to have a pet. Space: A fleet of CVs and SVs patrolling certain areas of Space. Also letting the NPC factions control certain areas of Spaces. Having a base attack in Space but for your CV. So factions can send NPC ships after your CV no matter where you are.
For Universal playfields: I cannot wrap my head around block shapes which is the main reason I search the workshop for creations.. I can never 'see' well enough to determine the block shape I need to fix a blasted hole in my ship.. Much of what is out there is symmetrical so if you can look at the other side of the ship with a multitool... it would be amazing if the tooltip would tell you what shape block you are looking at so you can find it.
