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Game News Colony Ship RPG Update #12: The Protectors' Enclave

Infinitron

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Tags: Colony Ship RPG; Iron Tower Studios; Vault Dweller

Another month has gone by and it's time for another Colony Ship RPG development update. This one is a brief introduction to the faction known as the Protectors of the Mission, first described in an update last year, and their imposing enclave in the ship's "government district". I quote:

We’re picking up speed and working on the starting town (the Pit) putting together the very first level. The new engine makes a huge difference and so far everything is going very smoothly, but obviously we’re still in the early stages.

The writing for the starting town is almost done, the quests will require 14 portraits and Mazin is already working on the first two, so we can dedicate the next update to the Pit, introduce some characters and tell you what to expect design wise. Our new concept artist is still working on the locations. Here is his recent work - The Habitat, the Protectors of the Mission’s enclave (the government district):



Each enclave is like a giant deckhouse, a vertical city built on the ship to provide the inhabitants with all necessary accommodations. Maintenance is at the bottom, the local Ship Authority’s offices at the top, living quarters in the middle. That was before the Mutiny so things changed a bit since then.

The new central building is the Protectors' headquarters. Strong geometric shapes, a step pyramid implying ascension built over the main bunker, a blocky building raising all the way to the ceiling, a lovely podium for speeches and proclamations, anti-riot towers, flood lights, and banners.

To remind you:

The Protectors' one truth is the Mission, and the sole way to ensure successful completion of the Mission is to follow the Old Ways. The ways of the fathers, forefathers, and Founding Fathers are together the beam upon which the Ship travels to our ultimate destination. The mutiny, which through their steadfast and timely intervention was thankfully aborted, was the ultimate betrayal of the Old Ways, of everyone who had come before, the nullification of every sacrifice and every life dedicated to the Mission.

Sworn to regain control of the Ship, the Protectors will subjugate anyone who threatens the Mission. Over the last century they have managed to expand their enclave somewhat, but the Brotherhood is deeply entrenched. To overcome them with violence would result in a massive loss of life, an unfortunate consequence which itself would endanger the Mission.

The Protectors are governed by the Mission Control Council, which appoints the Mission Commander to implement their policies and decisions. Failure is regarded as a deviation from the Mission. As such, Commanders are twice as susceptible to death-by-misadventure as the average citizen.


In other words, the Protectors are militaristic, dogmatic, and totalitarian. Order, duty, and obedience above else. Mission above all; 'my honor is loyalty'. Faith that they will win in the end because their Cause is righteous. They see the "world" in black and white: they're right, ergo their enemies are wrong. They didn't betray the Mission, the others did. The Protectors remained loyal, so it's their sacred duty to right the wrong and purge the Ship. There can't be any compromise with the traitors whose continuous existence is an insult.
The update also includes concept art of a couple of other locations. You can view all of the Colony Ship RPG's concept art released thus far in this thread on the Iron Tower forums.
 

Fezzik

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Nice concept art. ITS seems to be rolling right along on this one. Go, guys, go!
 

Goral

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Reminds me a bit of UT maps (which isn't a bad thing):

UCrqGwB.jpg
Besides new artwork there's not much new info but it's good to hear that all's going well.
 

Vault Dweller

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Humor? If serious, it's not about writing fake history books but about writing a believable setting, factions, and characters. You can't do it without some kind of framework.
 
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Lurker King

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The point is that “believable setting, factions, and characters” can be presented by means of dialogue, text-adventures, and slide screens without lore books, archives, notes, etc.
 

Goral

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The point is that “believable setting, factions, and characters” can be presented by means of dialogue, text-adventures, and slide screens without lore books, archives, notes, etc.
There is only one true prophet of AoD church, burn the false one. :fight:

You've been reading too much Darth Roxor. IIRC in AoD there are no lore books or notes (maybe besides the one in Old Facility) and you can get into archives in 2 or 3 places only (console/computer). But when we get the chance to read them it only enriches our experience (especially since you can't read them that easily, there are skill checks involved) and is a nice bonus to other things (because consoles do some useful things).

In any case it doesn't suffer from problems mentioned by DR IMO, if only for the fact that lore is hidden and has proper atmosphere surrounding it.

Vault Dweller
Does that mean you're aiming at 0.5 M words this time too? Seems impossible to do in 2.5 years (then again you haven't mentioned lore here unless it's covered by setting).
 
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Lurker King

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I thought that's exactly how it was presented in AoD.

In some locations, such as the old facility, you will find a bunch of notes about the past that seem irrelevant. I was trying to reach the top of the stairs and I had to stop to read those notes, because I didn’t know they were just dead history. Moreover, the game as a whole gives too much emphasis to the past. There are too many characters talking about the past nonstop. You start to talk with a mercenary, Esbenus, and there you go. Walls of text about a location somewhere. While I understand that you can’t make the setting believable without a history, you give too much importance to history. Players don’t really need all that. They don’t need a complex plot about an intricate war with many characters in the past; they need an interesting premise and a complex plot in the present, which is quite different. What is clear to me is that there is a difference between the exposition in the text-adventures at the center of the abyss or the arch, and the flood of useless information in the temple. In the first case you are interacting with the past, in another you are just reading in a detailed manner what you already know. Gameplay is an activity. The past is interesting when you are interacting with it in the present.
 
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Lurker King

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IIRC in AoD there are no lore books or notes (maybe besides the one in Old Facility) and you can get into archives in 2 or 3 places only (console/computer). But when we get the chance to read them it only enriches our experience (especially since you can't read them that easily, there are skill checks involved) and is a nice bonus to other things (because consoles do some useful things).

Read the above. I didn't appreciate this well before Roxor's editorial. The problem is the emphasis on the past. VD loves history and AoD shows. History is great when you decide to read a book about actual events in the past. Not so great when you are engaged in a gameplay activity.
 
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Excidium II

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I thought that's exactly how it was presented in AoD.

In some locations, such as the old facility, you will find a bunch of notes about the past that seem irrelevant. I was trying to reach the top of the stairs and I had to stop to read those notes, because I didn’t know they were just dead history. Moreover, the game as a whole gives too much emphasis to the past. There are too many characters talking about the past nonstop. You start to talk with a mercenary, Esbenus, and there you go. Walls of text about a location somewhere. While I understand that you can’t make the setting believable without a history, you give too much importance to history. Players don’t really need all that. They don’t need a complex plot about an intricate war with many characters in the past; they need an interesting premise and a complex plot in the present, which is quite different. What is clear to me is that there is a difference between the exposition in the text-adventures at the center of the abyss or the arch, and the flood of useless information in the temple. In the first case you are interacting with the past, in another you are just reading in a detailed manner what you already know. Gameplay is an activity. The past is interesting when you are interacting with it in the present.
I'd generally agree but in post-apo settings it's interesting to read random records that reveal how life used to be. Like one the coolest things I saw in AoD was that ship crew log about a battle during the war.
 
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Lurker King

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It would be better if the location wasn’t completely empty and devoid of interest. Random records with audio are better than notebooks. I was thought that the notes on the vault in F:NV would be much better with voice acting.
 

Tigranes

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AOD did a pretty good job at pacing the material, seeding it in the gameworld at reasonable places, and revealing not too much and not too little. And I'm happy to have both AOD and CSG be about worlds and societies that live under a seemingly permanent shadow of the past, both recent (mutiny) and distant (the ship and the colony).
 

Vault Dweller

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Does that mean you're aiming at 0.5 M words this time too? Seems impossible to do in 2.5 years (then again you haven't mentioned lore here unless it's covered by setting).
I'm not aiming for a number but the setting, factions, and characters have to be properly presented. Overall, based on what we have so far, I doubt it would be less than 500,000 words.

I thought that's exactly how it was presented in AoD.

In some locations, such as the old facility, you will find a bunch of notes about the past that seem irrelevant. I was trying to reach the top of the stairs and I had to stop to read those notes, because I didn’t know they were just dead history.
The ship had to be explained. It couldn't be done with dialogues or text-adventures, so we added the notes and I don't think we went overboard with it (two relatively short logs).

Moreover, the game as a whole gives too much emphasis to the past. There are too many characters talking about the past nonstop. You start to talk with a mercenary, Esbenus, and there you go. Walls of text about a location somewhere.
A location you get to visit later.

While I understand that you can’t make the setting believable without a history, you give too much importance to history. Players don’t really need all that. They don’t need a complex plot about an intricate war with many characters in the past; they need an interesting premise and a complex plot in the present, which is quite different. What is clear to me is that there is a difference between the exposition in the text-adventures at the center of the abyss or the arch, and the flood of useless information in the temple. In the first case you are interacting with the past, in another you are just reading in a detailed manner what you already know. Gameplay is an activity. The past is interesting when you are interacting with it in the present.
I humbly disagree.
 

Goral

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Does that mean you're aiming at 0.5 M words this time too? Seems impossible to do in 2.5 years
what
half a mil is completely possible in 2,5 years

like even if they average just 1K words a day they end up with around 900K
Tell that to George R.R. Martin :]. Quantity is not a problem (see my recent posts ;P), quality of AoD level is.

Edit:

A Game of Thrones: 298k words
A Clash of kings: 326k
A Storm of Swords: 424k
A Feast for Crows: 300k
A Dance with Dragons: 422k
 
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Lurker King

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AoD didn't take many years because of writing. In any case, this time we have two writers. Avellone made Torment in one year, give or take. Inxile spend 4 years writing Tides and the writing is mostly horrible. Quality is not a problem, lack of talent is.
 

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