Game News Titan Outpost is a combat-less isometric sci-fi RPG set on the moon of Saturn

[Infinitron]

Tags: The Boar Studio; Titan Outpost

Titan Outpost is an upcoming isometric sci-fi RPG by RPG Codex veteran poster Frank "MF" de Boer. It's set in the far future of 2077 during an energy crisis, in which the player is tasked with setting up a mining outpost on Titan, the sixth moon of Saturn. Like No Truce With The Furies, Titan Outpost will not have any combat system, but will instead feature innovative dialogue mechanics as well as logistical elements inspired by the original X-Com's Geoscape and Cryo's Dune. The game has an official website, but MF has been posting development updates in his hosted forum here on the Codex, where he set up shop last July. Although there have been plenty of screenshots of Titan Outpost, the latest update offers us our first look at live gameplay footage. It's a demonstration of the aforementioned dialogue mechanics, in what is planned to be the game's introductory tutorial quest. A good excuse to finally post about it on our front page. Here's the video and a description:

It is the year 2077. Humanity is in the midst of an energy crisis and the future of civilisation is in peril.

Your mission is a last-ditch effort at satiating your species’ ever-growing thirst for fuel. With unmitigated growth, environmental change was inevitable. Earth’s equator is slowly becoming a lifeless desert. Endless fields of solar arrays gave us some breathing room, but collective efforts at temperature regulation only compounded our energy problems. We colonized the moon in 2060 and the demand for energy only grew larger.

In crisis, people united. Europe, West-Russia, The United States, Japan and most South American countries united to form the International Autonomous Space Association. You work this supranational organisation.

A cold war has arisen between your employers and the economically powerful Chinese, who are working on colonising Mars and also have a presence in the Saturnian system. On frosty Titan, this war will literally be very cold indeed.

Harvest the moon’s abundant hydrocarbon resources and uncover its mysteries. Explore the orange moon, visit lakes of methane and establish a mining operation. The extremely cold climate will be your biggest enemy. Or will it?

Features

Titan Outpost is an isometric, single-player role-playing game set on Titan, the sixth moon of the planet Saturn. Humanity is engulfed in an energy crisis and you are there to harvest the moon’s precious resources and uncover its mysteries.

There is no combat in the game. Titan itself is your biggest enemy and your character will need to use a variety of skills to handle missions. In an atmosphere so uninvitingly cold that methane is a liquid, every choice matters and every step counts.

• The PICA character system features four attributes -Physical, Intelligence, Charisma and Awarenss- and six skills, ranging from science to exploration.
• Branching storylines and multiple quest solutions.
• Discrete time system, where every passing second determines unfolding events and the game world continues while your character sleeps. The game would be considered turn-based if it had combat.
• Logistical elements , think original Dune adventure meets the strategic layer of X-com.
• A rich backstory with a combination of realistic science-fiction and cold war tension.
• Over twenty locations, a hundred if you count all the lakes.
• Build and expand your base, it’s not called Titan Outpost for nothing.
• Research exciting new technologies, ranging from new ways to keep warm, generating more power or making Titan ever so slightly more like Earth.
• Multiple factions: You can decide to join the Chinese, work for independent contractors or stay loyal to your employer.
• 70s aesthetic.

Looks very cool. We'll be keeping an eye on this one.

 

[Abu Antar]

It will be interesting to see how much your attributes and other choices in character creation (if there are any) actually alters your playthrough and makes it worth playing more than once. In a game like this, choice and reactivity will be the bread and butter of the experience alongside solid writing.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

No combat = not an RPG

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Yikes dude... get some royalty-free artwork if you need portraits

 

[Mustawd]

No combat = not an RPG

 

[YES!]

What is shown looks good, but I rather beat some bitches rather than play construction worker. I'll pick it up and try it, but I got to say I am not into tycoon type games and I am leery on if a game without combat can hook me. I've been surprised before so I will go into it with an open mind. I disagree that no-combat equals no rpg, but since rpgs are about creating a story, and stories are about conflict, and punching someone in the face falls under conflict resolution, it seems pretty obvious that be given as an option. But, to me, rpgs are about rpg systems coupled with rpg content (the ability for me to interact with others and make decisions to make my own story) this would qualify as long as the no-combat isn't just a huge contrivance that makes no sense.

To long; didn't read - Since I dislike games that have no content and are all combat, I may end up disliking an rpg that has no-combat possible - but I may like it too. As long as it isn't obviously an artificial construct like Anime cut scenes in slightly interactive movie games.

 

[sser]

Coercing that lady to do her job is way too close to real-life office politics for me. I'm out.

 

[Goral]

Looks a bit like some visual novel with 1 or 2 dialogue options at most. It doesn't look like it will have much of replayability value (like Shadowrun games). And with no combat I wonder if it will be any fun to play...

 

[shihonage]

Looks like an iPad game

 

[Mustawd]

So I guess this non-combat type of rpg is a new genre? First there was Walking Simulators, now there are Talking Simulators.

 

[Bohrain]

At least the persuasion system isn't fully deterministic so there's some meaningful choice involved instead of just clicking anything with [charisma] tag. However, it could be all in vain if the game doesn't prevent you from save scumming.
I'm not so sold on no combat. If playing both Planescape and T:ToN taught me something it is the fact that even lousy combat has some value in breaking the pacing in a game that is mostly about reading dialogue and making the occasional choice.

 

[thesheeep]

At least the persuasion system isn't fully deterministic so there's some meaningful choice involved instead of just clicking anything with [charisma] tag. However, it could be all in vain if the game doesn't prevent you from save scumming.
I'm not so sold on no combat. If playing both Planescape and T:ToN taught me something it is the fact that even lousy combat has some value in breaking the pacing in a game that is mostly about reading dialogue and making the occasional choice.

Yeah, that's unfortunately true.
I'm not saying it can't be pulled off, but a game where all you do is clicking on text answers in dialogues is little more than an adventure book (without combat).

Now, there will also be some sort of base building/improvement/survival aspect, so it depends on how it all comes together in the end.
I'm curious.

 

[Jedi Exile]

Looks interesting, but

 

[Urthor]

I don't see why construction/puzzling by a different name can't be used as the pace breaker in a CYOA/dialogue focused RPG, and lul Codexers complaining about now having the latest hottest graffics. I'm super looking forward to this game, I'll judge it when it comes out in 2021 but everything about the concept is neato.

 

[Bohrain]

I don't see why construction/puzzling by a different name can't be used as the pace breaker in a CYOA/dialogue focused RPG, and lul Codexers complaining about now having the latest hottest graffics. I'm super looking forward to this game, I'll judge it when it comes out in 2021 but everything about the concept is neato.

Combat tends to have a base system that can produce wide variety of scenarios that always play out a bit differently even if you know the optimal strategy. Puzzles on the other hand tend to have separate systems for each given scenario, which usually demands more development time per scenario and thus limits the aggregate amount, while also usually being more deterministic in nature which weakens replay value.

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

In before the $20 Combat DLC. :D

 

[MF]

Thanks for the kind words!

I'm abroad this week but I'll try to answer some questions.

It will be interesting to see how much your attributes and other choices in character creation (if there are any) actually alters your playthrough and makes it worth playing more than once. In a game like this, choice and reactivity will be the bread and butter of the experience alongside solid writing.

It matters. Just an example: Val, who was supposed to be your assistant, changes profession based on your character's skillset at char creation. They're complementary skills that your operation now lacks and this changes the dynamic for your playthrough. You can also align yourself with different groups and some have mutually exclusive quests.

Yikes dude... get some royalty-free artwork if you need portraits

Yeah, these are the first two that I made. They're easily the worst of the bunch, Karl in particular is a bit...special. I've gotten better at it and might redo Karl at some point. The problem with stock art is that it's hard to find anything that is good, consistent and suitable for my cast of characters. Tried commissioning some, didn't work out. Besides, I enjoy making them. It is definitely not my strong suit, though. I'll show you a newer one when I get home next week.

What is shown looks good, but I rather beat some bitches rather than play construction worker.... I disagree that no-combat equals no rpg, but since rpgs are about creating a story... as long as the no-combat isn't just a huge contrivance that makes no sense.

Hear, hear. I'm not going out of my way to create a pacifist game. Sometimes violence is an option. Titan is a new frontier and there's a cold war going on. It's just that there is no traditional combat system as core gameplay. Combat is not the main focus.

Coercing that lady to do her job is way too close to real-life office politics for me. I'm out.

Haha, come on, could be cathartic.

Looks a bit like some visual novel

It's not. Check the other development updates.

I'd like to hear more about the logistical aspect of the game.

Next development update!

 

[imweasel]

No combat = not an RPG

So I guess this non-combat type of rpg is a new genre? First there was Walking Simulators, now there are Talking Simulators.

These days men can self-identify as women and adventure games and simulations can self-identify as RPGs.

 

[YES!]

Hear, hear. I'm not going out of my way to create a pacifist game. Sometimes violence is an option. Titan is a new frontier and there's a cold war going on. It's just that there is no traditional combat system as core gameplay. Combat is not the main focus.

I'm highlighting this from the dev since it addresses what people are complaining about.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Godspeed

 

[Blakemoreland Hybrid Boss]

It is already good because:

• It will generate endless discussions between storyfags and combatfags
• Looks genuinely weird enough to justify copious amount of butthurt and misguided criticisms.
• It tries to improve non-combat systems in cRPGs.

The narrative premise is childish, but I can deal with it

 

[Nael]

As a hardcore spacefag, I just have to say...

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

I don't want to say I necessarily hate the idea, and it may even make perfect sense in this context, maybe even be the only reasonable option for the sort of game they want to make...
Still, developers who brag about "no combat in their RPGs" often strike me as hipsters who hate fun and want to attempt some pretentious statement about the maturity of videogames as a medium.

To which I would say "Fuck your maturity".

 

[aratuk]

I don't want to say I necessarily hate the idea, and it may even make perfect sense in this context, maybe even be the only reasonable option for the sort of game they want to make...
Still, developers who brag about "no combat in their RPGs" often strike me as hipsters who hate fun and want to attempt some pretentious statement about the maturity of videogames as a medium.

To which I would say "Fuck your maturity".

Undoubtedly there are some assholes like that, but I think often there are one-person projects where the developer simply doesn't enjoy devising, implementing, tweaking, and balancing combat mechanics, but does enjoy getting into the other stat-based systems that typify RPGs. So it's a case of, "I don't want to do it, and there's no one else to do it, so it's not in the game," and whatever violence occurs is then the result of dialogue options or something, rather than to-hit modifiers, dice rolls, range, visibility, armor, weapon types, initiative, racial modifiers, et cetera.

 

[Irxy]

Looks interesting. Hope this doesn't end as a boring office simulator though.
The original Dune was a great game.