Game News Colony Ship Update #31: The Interface

[Infinitron]

Tags: Colony Ship; Iron Tower Studio; Vince D. Weller

We've gotten a look at Colony Ship's inventory and character screens in previous development updates, but not at its main screen interface. That's the topic of this month's update. It's a slicker take on The Age of Decadence's interface, with pop-up icons for special attacks and additional slots for grenades and other items.

We’re implementing the interface right now so let me show what we have and get some feedback. Let’s start with the standard features:

• Two weapon slots showing equipped weapons and selected attack’s stats (damage, AP, ammo)
• An optional textbox giving you detailed blow-by-blow info during combat
• A combat queue we used in Dungeon Rats to show who gets to act when
• 4 belt bags so you can throw grenades or use items in combat without moving them to the weapon slots

The combat interface is familiar, but instead of selecting attacks via a drop-down list, which was a bit messy and not very intuitive, you’ll use icons that appear when you click on a weapon slot.

The icons are grouped in 3 different categories:

• Basic attacks (fast, regular, power for melee; snap shot and regular shot for ranged; there are no power attacks with guns)
• Aimed attacks (self-explanatory; you get an extra bullseye shot with ranged)
• Special attacks (double shot, short burst, long burst, double strike, flurry (3 strikes), and swing (hits 3 tiles).

Your feedback here would be much appreciated.
​

The update also gives us our first look at Colony Ship's dialogue interface, which is thoroughly modernized. For starters, it's a window rather than full screen, and yes, those are skill check thresholds you're looking at.

^ we don't have Mercy's portrait yet so we're using a placeholder portrait. As for the design:

• The dialogue window won’t take the entire screen, as in AoD since it added nothing but extra work (the camera had to be manually positioned)
• The checks will now display the skill or stat level required to avoid playing a guessing game; if there is no value listed (see the first response), the stat acts as a modifier (strengthening or weakening the reaction) not a check. Strength can be used as a modifier too if you’re trying to intimidate, for example, so it’s not Charisma only.
• Since we’ve decided to show the check values, might as well show your skill levels so that you don’t have to rely on memory alone. Green means your skill level is equal to or higher than the check value. Yellow means it’s lower but you can still make an attempt. Red means no go (what used to be hidden options in AoD). Before you start freaking out, remember that the check system was changed and it’s no longer a binary ‘succeed or fail’ setup, so green lines won’t always be the best and yellow lines won’t always lead to failure and death, so we aren’t highlighting the best and worst options for you here.
• The tags can be turned on and off in the options, so if you don’t like them, turn them off.

Thoughts?
​

I guess it's sort of like Fallout meets Pillars of Eternity, which is fine by me. Check out the full update for images of some (but not all) of the main screen interface elements. I guess it's not completely done yet.

 

[luj1]

I guess it's sort of like Fallout meets Pillars of Eternity

What is PoE about it, just curious

 

[ItsChon]

Looks infinitely better than AoD did. Something about the dialogue filling the whole screen just felt poorly optimized and slow.

 

[Ivan]

 

[AdolfSatan]

Everything's looking great, wouldn't change a thing about it.
I would request for three hotkeys to allow me to cycle through the attack options without using the mouse, but that's it.

 

[Elhoim]

Everything's looking great, wouldn't change a thing about it.
I would request for three hotkeys to allow me to cycle through the attack options without using the mouse, but that's it.

Yes, that was the main idea behind this change. Press 1-2-3, with repeating the same key cycling through attacks.

 

[deuxhero]

I feel belt slots should go up with certain armor/items instead of being fixed. If you're giving that few it doesn't feel that natural to have a persistent, unchanging limit.

 

[Fenix]

The checks will now display the skill or stat level required to avoid playing a guessing game

Maybe Perception should be used for that?
It will add some explanation, on the other hand those who don't want to use high Per chars for first playthrough, will be forced to use meta for this, which is bad, I guess.

Looks infinitely better than AoD did. Something about the dialogue filling the whole screen just felt poorly optimized and slow.

Maybe, but there was some originality in this.

I feel belt slots should go up with certain armor/items instead of being fixed. If you're giving that few it doesn't feel that natural to have a persistent, unchanging limit.

Seems like natural idea.
Maybe some balancing concerns were taken into account?

Logically, it has nothing to do with armor and any belt would support 4 small items. Plus, there's no real reason to restrict the number of grenades you can throw without opening up your inventory.

Vince's answer.
But armor can provide additional slot(s), it just would be not belt slots, just slots.
Anyway balancing is the real question, and if it adds somthing to gameplay.


As for the icon of palm, it could be fist instead, fist mean always a threat, so it will be an unambiguous impression.

 

[Tigranes]

Dear god I hate the sci-fi "transparent window with neon blue", but sure, it's obviously appropriate here. (As opposed to, well, Neverfuckingwinter nights having it)

AOD UI was mostly nice and functional, just needed a better inventory screen. Vault Dweller are we getting a usability upgrade on the FO1-style Big Long Single Scrolling Column?

 

[MrBuzzKill]

Dear god I hate the sci-fi "transparent window with neon blue", but sure, it's obviously appropriate here. (As opposed to, well, Neverfuckingwinter nights having it)

Agree so much. I kinda wish it had some thematic elements to it, though.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Urthor]

Sans serif fonts for all the incline

 

[Goral]

Foot (it is foot I assume) and groin shots need better icons:

BTW, I see "credits" label over the dialogue, I assume it's money? Will be able to bribe people then? Because I don't see any reason to show it then (maybe besides trading but showing it in other cases seems strange).

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Foot (it is foot I assume) and groin shots need better icons:

Yeah I can't even see the groin one because it's so small

 

[Eyestabber]

Strength can be used as a modifier too if you’re trying to intimidate,

HALLELUJAH!!!!! A developer has seen the light!!!!

Who the FUCK decided intimidation should be based of fucking charisma in most rpgs!? Like, how!? According to D20, Danny de Vito is more intimidating than Mike Tyson.

Anyway, about time. Hope we keep the bodycount stat too.

Question: "sniping" as in a "sniper build" with a sniper rifle and dedicated perks is not in the game, correct?

 

[Infinitron]

AOD UI was mostly nice and functional, just needed a better inventory screen. Vault Dweller are we getting a usability upgrade on the FO1-style Big Long Single Scrolling Column?

As I said in the OP, we've seen that already: https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10735

 

[deuxhero]

Intimidation isn't all brute force convincing someone you could kick your ass. An old, frail, mob boss making you an offer you can't refuse is far better at intimidate that the roided up street thug.

Honestly strength to intimidate makes even less sense in a game where guns are standard.

 

[Black Angel]

Intimidation isn't all brute force convincing someone you could kick your ass. An old, frail, mob boss making you an offer you can't refuse is far better at intimidate that the roided up street thug.

Honestly strength to intimidate makes even less sense in a game where guns are standard.

Even make less sense that charisma is used for intimidation. Get mugged somewhere in the street by a hulking brute and tell me that he's charismatic.

Also, pay attention to how VD worded it:

Strength can be used as a modifier too if you’re trying to intimidate,

Which means strength isn't the only thing considered when attempting an intimidation. Remember when in AoD, [Body Count] is also used in what can be considered as intimidation attempt? That. Also, your example of "An old, frail, mob boss making you an offer you can't refuse is far better at intimidate that the roided up street thug." is also a case that can also be taken as an intimidation attempt that doesn't take [Strength] into consideration, but [Body Count]. There's also [Combat Reputation].

 

[Fenix]

Honestly strength to intimidate makes even less sense in a game where guns are standard.

Agree, it sould be not Strength, but Constitution - man could be strong but small framed, and small-framed doesn't scare anyone from first glance.
But big brute that is one and a half heads higher then you - is another matter, you shoudl try it IRL, it's almost hard to breath when this wardrobe of a man is near.
At least in my opinion it's the Constitution, not a Strength is a major stat for intimidation.

Of course excessive lean into simulationism isn't good if it harm the game.

 

[Background Character]

All points in persuasion and streetwise

 

[Black Angel]

Agree, it sould be not Strength, but Constitution - man could be strong but small framed, and small-framed doesn't scare anyone from first glance.
But big brute that is one and a half heads higher then you - is another matter, you shoudl try it IRL, it's almost hard to breath when this wardrobe of a man is near.
At least in my opinion it's the Constitution, not a Strength is a major stat for intimidation.

Of course excessive lean into simulationism isn't good if it harm the game.

This might be an excessive lean into simulationism, but isn't your example (strong but small-framed) doesn't necessarily equal to having high [Strength]? Could be that they're strong not because of having a high physical stat, but they're extremely skilled that they could be considered 'strong'.

Now, [Constitution] is a substitute for [Endurance], right? Because of that, I don't think people who have high [Endurance] (or in gameplay, having high HP) can be considered 'intimidating'. Meanwhile, in literally any RPGs until this point, we know that having high [Strength] always means that a character is a hulking brute that can carry shit ton of stuff, wield all the Big Guns effortlessly, AND bash people's skull in (either with their fist or a melee weapon). Unless stated otherwise, like taking Small Frame trait in Fallout, a high [STR] character will always be a hulking brute which could force anybody with lesser will to submit to intimidation

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Agree so much. I kinda wish it had some thematic elements to it, though.

Please, don't. That's one of the most tiresome things in FO.

 

[Blaine]

Agree so much. I kinda wish it had some thematic elements to it, though.

Please, don't. That's one of the most tiresome things in FO.

I disagree with your bad and terrible opinion.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Agree so much. I kinda wish it had some thematic elements to it, though.

Please, don't. That's one of the most tiresome things in FO.

I disagree with your bad and terrible opinion.

I disagree with your bad and terrible opinion, duh.

 

[Blaine]

I disagree with your bad and terrible opinion, duh.

Yes, but more people agree with my good and superb opinion, and popular opinions can't be wrong.

 

[Infinitron]

I guess it's sort of like Fallout meets Pillars of Eternity

What is PoE about it, just curious

The dialogue window is generically Infinity Engine-like of course, but the visible skill check thresholds are a PoE-ish thing. The icon-based combat interface isn't exactly like any of those games, but also more similar to Pillars of Eternity than to the original IE games (which had bars of icons that replaced one another rather than popping up above each other).

In addition, I've previously remarked that Colony Ship's attack and armor mechanics seem to be PoE-influenced, eg:
https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10303
https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10945

So it seems like the game might have been a general inspiration. But we should ask really Vault Dweller that question.