Colony Ship Early Access Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Twiglard]

bug, when game gets stuck on enemy reloading? No idea how to repro that one.

I dunno what Elhoim and Nick can do with it but you can try forcing a minidump through the Task Manager's details tab.

 

[Parabalus]

Is there any skill check to bump Computers 1 to 2?
Few I found all required more and gave nothing on failure.

 

[lukaszek]

Is there any skill check to bump Computers 1 to 2?
Few I found all required more and gave nothing on failure.

no but it can be trained. There is 1 token and 1 npc.

Spoiler

both in hydro thingy.
Token is in one of the towers, hidden behind str/electronics check
NPC is annoying and can be missed. Its scientist on second level of main tower. You need to talk twice to exhaust all dialogues and then do the quest

 

[Parabalus]

Is there any skill check to bump Computers 1 to 2?
Few I found all required more and gave nothing on failure.

no but it can be trained. There is 1 token and 1 npc.

Spoiler

both in hydro thingy.
Token is in one of the towers, hidden behind str/electronics check
NPC is annoying and can be missed. Its scientist on second level of main tower. You need to talk twice to exhaust all dialogues and then do the quest

Spoiler

How do you use the token? The proprietor in the Emporium ignores it.
She doesn't have a quest, guess I need to do something else first.

 

[Savecummer]

Is there any skill check to bump Computers 1 to 2?
Few I found all required more and gave nothing on failure.

no but it can be trained. There is 1 token and 1 npc.

Spoiler

both in hydro thingy.
Token is in one of the towers, hidden behind str/electronics check
NPC is annoying and can be missed. Its scientist on second level of main tower. You need to talk twice to exhaust all dialogues and then do the quest

Spoiler

How do you use the token? The proprietor in the Emporium ignores it.
She doesn't have a quest, guess I need to do something else first.

You need a frogbrain to trigger her comp training.
And the emporium is classic rpg scripting bug, you need first to have talked to him about the tokens. Then get the tokens.

 

[Takamori]

So just finished the early access done a a throw away build with shotguns and just had Evans to tag along with a sniper rifle. Overall a good experience, enjoyed the combat, the frogs biting in the face animation is pretty good. The weird starfish carnivore plant was pretty cool and well animated and thankfully that I found that handy energy rifle in the armory to dispatch that horror asap.

On art stand point its 10/10, the armor in general looks cool (exception of that bicycle helmet with a visor that makes the wearer look like an egghead lol), still missing some animation regarding killing enemies but Elhoim already answered and they are working on it right now. I assume that Unreal engine is easy to include gory deaths and add specific decals compared to unity.

The sounds need a bit of improvement regarding weapons, shotguns could use an improvement so I feel that I'm carrying a boomstick. Energy weapons I dunno how could improve but at the same time it felt dull? I was expecting a threatening sound from a weapon that has a really limited resource, when this weapons is fired we should really know thats a big boy fight you got into if is either from you or from the enemy side.

Now regarding story and writing itself, I already posted something previously agreeing with the criticism that is missing some elements to the presentation. Just to reinforce the feedback I would love to have the companions more livid and slightly more chatty, of course you don't need to do a banter machine or a Joss Whedon abomination( I trust that ITS is against capeshit cheap writting). But for example I'd love to have Evans comment stuff after getting done with the arena, have some curiosity about the tech in the armory (Given that old advanced tech is a thing and any person that lives in Colony Space world I assume would be at least impressed getting the experience first hand or being able to touch such relic).
Jonas, Braxton and Mercy could use a beef up, the way is written is like Braxton a damn asshole with power hunger, even treats the PC like a retard (Yeah man go there tell Jonas is a fag and everyone will cheer for you).
Wish I could work with those 3 characters in more neutral grounds on who I should choose to pick sides with, the way its done now I feel like okay Jonas is not doing stellar job but at least is not going to get me killed for nothing.

In any way shape or form I await for future updates and of course for the final release in 2022. 11 hours of fun and feels really polished for an EA hope the rest of the journey follow this trend.

 

[Jrpgfan]

AOD had pefect wrtiting and story btw. WAY better than other things on the market. It doesnt make any sense to compare it to most other game as there is no competition.

I agree with this statement. It's like people here are pigs eating shite everyday of their lives and then complain when someone gives them some nice, juicy apples.

Sometimes I feel codexers deserve decline.

 

[Vault Dweller]

As Savecummer has said, if you ask basic questions about the characters, you usually just don't get any answers. Who are your parents? Where are they? Do you have other relatives? How did you grow up?

So how should we answer these very important questions? Should I give your character a dramatic story full of twists and turns? Give you another questionnaire?

My parents:

1. Are dead. Orphaned at a young age I ... (go page 12).
2. Are very supportive, especially uncle Jim. I visit them every week and we have tea made from fresh rust shavings.
3. Are estranged. I've never forgiven them for bringing me into this world.
4. Sold me to a traveling circus and bought a nice apartment in the Habitat. One day I will find them and ... (go to page 14).

 

[Twiglard]

So how should we answer these very important questions? Should I give your character a dramatic story full of twists and turns? Give you another questionnaire?

It's fine for you to eschew any kind of psychological depth if it's not your strong suit. Definitely beats trying too hard resulting in cringe.

 

[Elhoim]

While I really appreciate this very core aspect I have an idea about some tuning regarding this: when a big-scale fighting occurs involving factions/other parties loot shouldn't be left entirely for MC and his party to pick up. Even to the point where say there would be a little dialogue with Mercy/Branxton about who gets what when it comes to the most valuable stuff like "- alright, you can get either Jonas's revolver or these pieces of armor" etc. This kind of stuff is passable when it's the end of the game but not when it's just the end of the first chapter.

The main problem is that it would encourage looting during combat to avoid loosing it.

And the emporium is classic rpg scripting bug, you need first to have talked to him about the tokens. Then get the tokens.

If he's playing an older version, we didn't check for a couple of them, but it has nothing to do with "talk with him then get the tokens". That's not correct, you can go to him with the tokens in your inventory even if you never talked with him. Sure, you can't show them right away as the PC doesn't know what the machine is about.

 

[Vault Dweller]

So how should we answer these very important questions? Should I give your character a dramatic story full of twists and turns? Give you another questionnaire?

It's fine for you to eschew any kind of psychological depth if it's not your strong suit. Definitely beats trying too hard resulting in cringe.

I'm strongly against defining the player's character and saddling him up with 'psychological depth'. That's for the players to define if they care about such things.

 

[Ihavenoidea]

After some thinking here are some things I’d suggest:

Spoiler

Kneeling not only behind cover, but as a standard 2 points action.
Why: adds a bit more depth to combat system, kneeling animation is done already – should be easy to implement. It would turn automatic kneeling behind cover off, through, and would require redesigning combat system a bit. Similar option was implemented in Fallout Tactics.

Previous conversation
Since the conversation keeps changing when you choose an option without the ability to check history, and often you cannot choose the same flavour option again it might be worth it to add a review buton like in fallout.

Floats
Why: Makes the ship a bit more lively, gives the bars and guards some flavour and helps with distinguishing the factions. The guards have floats after you start initiating conversation with them already, so it seems like relatively easy implement option. I don't know how hard would it be to add timed repeatable floats.

Map:
The place is relatively similar to each other, so newer players can easily get lost. Since it’s a wild place, without control – would it be possible to slap a coat of red paint on one set of barracks, green on the other one? People like to distingush their places, and in the Pit it would make relative sense.

Bodies:
We’re told they’re being recycled. They dissapear. However, we do not see the process. You can fight two junkies, before getting to grill lady. Why not have her thank you for more protein and give you some meal (even if it’s flavour only option)? Why not have something like Planescape Dusties hunting for corpses? You could tell them about sharp face’s goons for example, and get 10 creds for each body.

Portraits:
There is like 20 of them. I’m not even suggesting the old „pay 10 bucks, get your face in” scheme, but seems like having more pictures would really help. Wasn’t there a website that generates faces? Someone noticed that Billy was taken from Vikings, and I doubt anyone would care, but still.

Backstory/jobs:

Ok, we have a lawless hellish pit. So we have gunners, gangs, and desperados. That’s cool. We also have explorers of ruins (ship parts), bartenders, foodmakers, Cinema. Also cool. But what about the rest?
Basically I can buy that there is some sort of universal basic income on the ship to pacify the locals. That would make our hero wanting to change something, without a previous job experience, so no need for a big backstory. Some odd jobs for Tanner are also an interesting angle, that could give the player another npc with a shared past on a job or two. What does the Pit exactly provide, that it works, sans UBI? Why does the three factions want to control it?

What I feel is missing is:
Body collectors – as explained before. For flavour mostly.
Ship fixers – makes more sense as a protector subgroup who goes and checks the ship for any damage, similar to Red Cross, and other organizations. Even the Brotherhood would need to let them in, since mores hip damage puts everyone in danger. There is a stationary NPC in Power Station, but it would make sense for more NPCs to be doing that, and i.e going to the freshly discovered part of the ship, after the player allows it for a small fee. From welding to electronics.
Drug makers – if we have junkies, dealers, etc. we could also meet the makers. It would also make sense if the combat drugs were made from recycled bodies.
Armor/cloth/ammo makers – an important set of goods. Can also be in the big city of course
Prison+reeducation center – it makes sense for it to be in the Pit, since it’s where the unwanted people go. It can even be mentioned only.
Teachers – will be added, from what I’ve seen on the steam page.
Artists – either painters or sculptors, even if only religion imagery – it’s fine if it comes in 1-2 quests (find ornate knife, ask artist to do something for a faction).

Regarding backstory: Would it be possible to add a sentence or two in the opening blurb based on the skills chosen? Combat - you scared some drunks away, biotech - you dabbled in implant removak, etc. Literally just a sentence, since most players will be focused on combat + 1/2 skills anyway.

 

[thesecret1]

Will you make a pass on the economy overall? I feel it's not really that I am accumulating money too fast rather than that I have little to spend it on. Why buy something from vendors when you can just loot it from an enemy's body? Worse yet, the vendors carry complete garbage that you have no reason to buy after the first couple fights, because you already got all the gear they sell (hell, better gear, most likely). Perhaps have the vendors carry a premium piece for premium price? Better than whatever you'll come across on the enemies you fight, but not so much better as to make you too powerful

 

[Drowed]

So how should we answer these very important questions?

Sarcasm aside, they kinda are pretty important, VD. Not necessarily each one and literally these ones, but the story behind them and what creates your character's motivation. You are too smart to take these issues literally as a straw man, as it seems to be the case. (And your examples sound like a CYOA book, the irony here is blinding). Let's see how other famous games answer this, then.

• Planescape Torment: The answers to these questions are literally the theme of the game. "Who you are" is literally what drives the story and what makes you start the adventure. I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that the story is so well regarded.
• Fallout 1/2/NV - The basic answer to this is usually given early in the game, but directed at your character's major motivation. You are someone who "wants to save your Vault/Village", or who wants to find the motherfucker who shot you in the head. To compensate for how vague the story was at the beginning, they set the character on their motivation. You have a big goal and that is what defines your character initially, the rest comes with your actions along the way.
• Baldur's Gate - You find about Gorion's Ward orphan status and everything else early in the game, by talking to the NPCs in Candlekeep. Bioware isn't exactly brilliant in the way it imparts the initial context of the story (as we all know), but within the first few minutes you already have good notions about his childhood and the motivation for the story comes soon after.
• Deus EX- You are JC Denton, and initially you don't know many details about yourself other than the fact that you are some kind of very specialized and badass agent. But soon you get that you're working for UNATCO, and that your main thing is to combat terrorist organizations. You also have a brother, and both of you started as UNATCO agents, and you both have opposite/contrasting personalities. Throughout the game, by talking to other characters you will find out more about your past.

This is how some of the codex's most beloved CRPGs do the exposition on your character, or at least make the call to action and create your greatest motivation. How can you do yours in your stories? I can't tell you, because obviously, any way I put it you will refuse. You know it and I know it. You will rationalize that it makes no sense for the story you want to tell, just as it made you create AOD, an entire game where there is essentially no character-building dialogue, only story-advancing dialogue. None of the characters in the game have a character arc. You will do what you want to do the way you want to do it - and hey, it's your game and you should do exactly that. But let's not pretend that you are asking this question with the intention of debating about storytelling, or think of ways to humanize NPCs or express character motivations; you already have your opinion. And you have no intention whatsoever of reviewing your position in this regard.

Just as for you, in your own words (I don't remember where you said this but I remember you saying it so I'm paraphrasing), "relevant interactions" of character are only the choices that "alter the plot" and not mechanical choices. So for you, the freedom to be able to use your skills whenever you want or initiate combat on your own terms is not an expression of the character (which I disagree with). I don't know if you used that as a justification for the fact that you obviously wouldn't have the budget for a different game, which is totally valid and understandable, but that wasn't your statement. But a debate about why the ways of expressing yourself mechanically are as (or more) important than the ways of expressing yourself in the narrative is not a relevant point here because it's not like it's even within the scope of your games to offer the former case.

You will do what you want to do. And do it, It is not as if I am saying otherwise.

 

[Savecummer]

So how should we answer these very important questions?

With very important but sarcastic overtones!

Should I give your character a dramatic story full of twists and turns?

Can you? I think you are too much of a hack for that.

Give you another questionnaire?

I didnt actually read the TLDR pathetic lore infodump beyond the 1.5 pages of it. Top design. Havent seen anything like it in ... ever.

 

[Thal]

I'd like to point out that even with BG1s quantity over quality approach to party member choices, each character is genuinely brought to life with barks and couple longer voiced lines. The same applies to JA2. I know ITS can't hire voice actors, but if this option is not used, you should use some other way to give party members identities. And that way is writing. No need to info dump their problems on us, but they would benefit from being fleshed out more.

 

[Parabalus]

Why make reloading during placement take away AP?
Makes sense for gadgets but not reloads, didn't work that way in DR either, just annoying.

 

[Savecummer]

continued!

You know how in Fallout (and all other rpg cities) the size and scale of the maps is in disconnect with realistic proportions?
CSG is worse than Fallout!
In Fallout and other rpgs the scale is usually suggested, be it through cut-off buildings or any kind of half continuation on map edges that implies this is only a portion.
When you enter a location in Fallout, you get a city map and click on a triangle somewhere on it, suggesting its only a small part.
In the PIT there is none of that lol! It looks like 33 people live there
That is not a quetsion of resources either - its map design.

This is the Hydro map in my mind, its 2 corridors with 2 and a half rooms adjacent

The Armory ("dungeon") has 2 sad levels (right now), the second of which is 3 fucking rooms.
The one with nothing in it but a crate. Sharpface. And loot room. One of the saddest pseudo dungeons I have seen.
This is a question of resources of course but its sad anyway...

In my next post Im gonna be shitting on the world building - drawing parallels with pulp fantasy and haunting movies!
Subscribe!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Will you make a pass on the economy overall?

Of course.

• Planescape Torment: The answers to these questions are literally the theme of the game. "Who you are" is literally what drives the story and what makes you start the adventure. I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that the story is so well regarded.
• Fallout 1/2/NV - The basic answer to this is usually given early in the game, but directed at your character's major motivation. You are someone who "wants to save your Vault/Village", or who wants to find the motherfucker who shot you in the head. To compensate for how vague the story was at the beginning, they set the character on their motivation. You have a big goal and that is what defines your character initially, the rest comes with your actions along the way.
• Baldur's Gate - You find about Gorion's Ward orphan status and everything else early in the game, by talking to the NPCs in Candlekeep. Bioware isn't exactly brilliant in the way it imparts the initial context of the story (as we all know), but within the first few minutes you already have good notions about his childhood and the motivation for the story comes soon after.
• Deus EX- You are JC Denton, and initially you don't know many details about yourself other than the fact that you are some kind of very specialized and badass agent. But soon you get that you're working for UNATCO, and that your main thing is to combat terrorist organizations. You also have a brother, and both of you started as UNATCO agents, and you both have opposite/contrasting personalities. Throughout the game, by talking to other characters you will find out more about your past.

Obviously, there are many games where your identity is well-defined. PST is the best example and the way the story revolves around your identity is simply fascinating. It works well in the Witcher game too as they're based on the books and Geralt is basically a celebrity. BG - never cared about that orphan bit or about saving Imoen (whereas I cared very much about my PST companions). Then there are many equally beloved games where the PC's background was left to the player to imagine, so I don't see it as a must-have feature.

No irony in my CYOA examples. The way I see it, that's the only way to do it but with a neutral tone. One of the members of this esteemed establishment offered to write a fixed backstory that started with "your parents died when you were young...". Why? What if they didn't? Why my character must be an orphan? What physiological depth does it add? Maybe my 'dad' is working for some scav crew or died when the Brotherhood attacked or moved back to the Habitat? Etc.

Just as for you, in your own words (I don't remember where you said this but I remember you saying it so I'm paraphrasing), "relevant interactions" of character are only the choices that "alter the plot" and not mechanical choices. So for you, the freedom to be able to use your skills whenever you want or initiate combat on your own terms is not an expression of the character (which I disagree with). I don't know if you used that as a justification for the fact that you obviously wouldn't have the budget for a different game, which is totally valid and understandable, but that wasn't your statement.

I don't recall the exact statement but obviously everything we do is defined by our budgetary constraints (no money -> small team -> less time to spend on features outside of the main focus). You can't initiate combat anywhere you please not because we think it's a very bad choice but because it can easily break scripts and we don't have time to script alternatives. Same goes for introducing friends, developing relationships, etc. Since writing and scripting time is limited, we have to prioritize (same goes for every other aspect of the game, from animations to level design to systems like crafting). So either we spent 100% of that time writing and scripting quests or we start allocating time for extras, thus reducing the number of quests.

 

[Savecummer]

I love shitting on stuff from 100% cover!
>feels good

 

[MRY]

You (the player) don't actually "know" that character seen his share of fights. It's an assumption which is made FOR the player by the character he supposedly controls, not by the player himself based on the information which was presented to him. This is not just meaningless peace of prose, its actually a lie and a bad taste in crpg writing. Something like this can only be written by a person who doesnt think about what he actually says in his text.

Normally, I would just say "there's no disputing matters of taste" and agree to disagree. But my only reason for participating in this thread (other than to promote CSG and its developer) is to proselytize not on how to consume RPG writing (as to which, who am I to lecture? enjoy what you will, as you will) but on how to produce it. I care about the latter because the Codex incubates producers of RPG writing, and since I might myself someday consume their works, I have a vested interest in the approach they take.

So, with that in mind:

(1) "You" in game text doesn't mean the player, it means the player character. The idea that a game should not tell you what your character thinks or feels is wrong. Anything but the most basic descriptive terms makes assumptions and impositions about what the PC knows. "The dining room is about 30 feet long" assumes the PC knows what a dining room is and can eyeball distances. Obviously, "You feel more afraid than the time your dog was caught in a bear trap" assumes much more. But they are both making assumptions. The important thing is not to assume or dictate things that conflict with options that the player has in game. If you say, "YOU ARE TOTALLY TERRIFIED!" but then let the PC waltz into the room, the problem is not that the first assumed/imposed; the problem is that the game writer behaved like a parent who tells his kid to do something but doesn't enforce it. Thus, it is fine to say: "You recognize this place: it's the Armory," even though the player doesn't recognize it at all, and even though the player has never seen the PC see the Armory before. But it is not fine to say: "You recognize this place: it's the Armory," and then give a dialogue option, "What is this place?"

(2) The reason why "show don't tell" (and its cousin "don't tell the player what his character knows/thinks/feels") is not good advice with game writing is that the player's engagement is limited. Even in text adventures, the player isn't playing primarily to read, but to play. The baseline expectation should be that when you ask the player to read (or watch) something, you are doing so because it is necessary to furnish some game play. If I have some clever turn of phrase or awesome animation, it's fine to include that too -- players can enjoy such things apart from the gameplay. But if the phrase isn't clever and the animation isn't cool, then letting it get in the way of playing the game is counterproductive.

(3) CSG is a game in which kill count is a tracked stat that people in the world know about. Thus, letting the player know that an NPC has a high kill count is consistent with the ruleset and potentially an important piece of information. If I want to let the player know about an NPC's kill count, I could do it by putting the kill count beneath the portrait (a bit much, probably), or with some description. "From one look at him, you know he has killed a lot of people" isn't meant to engage the player. It is purely a data-delivery vehicle so that the real engagement (deciding what to do with the NPC given his kill count) is informed. I could add another layer of prose between the player and the kill count. "Even though the man is wearing armor over most of his body, you can still count six scars -- from at least five kinds of weapons. If he has bothered looking you over in turn, he gives no sign of it. 'What?' he grunts by way of greeting." Now I'm asking the player for some engagement (read what I wrote, process what it's meant to indicate). That might be appropriate if I want the player to really connect with this NPC. But it's not the right move if all I'm trying to do is set up an encounter where you're deciding what to do with a dangerous guard.

(4) I don't want to suggest that purely functional text that lacks any mood or verve is "best" or even good. In some instances, mood-setting is essential because the way the player experiences the moments of engagement depends a lot on mood. ("You meet a bad guy. He has an innocent NPC hostage! What do you do!" is a less meaningful experience than one in which the player actually feels something "innocent NPC.")

One of the members of this esteemed establishment offered to write a fixed backstory that started with "your parents died when you were young...". Why? What if they didn't? Why my character must be an orphan? What physiological depth does it add? Maybe my 'dad' is working for some scav crew or died when the Brotherhood attacked or moved back to the Habitat? Etc.

The issue isn't adding psychological depth; the issue is avoiding the distraction to the player. You go into a room and there is a spot on the wall where there is a rectangular spot where the paint is lighter because the painting has been removed. The absence of the painting has not eliminated the distraction caused by the painting; it may even have enhanced the distraction. CSG makes a point of starting by telling the player some background details about the PC, enough to raise questions that the game then doesn't answer. And then some of the subsequent interactions seem to contradict the idea of the PC as someone who has lived and worked in the Pit for years and years, which then causes the player's mind to circle back to the pale spot on the wall. Honestly, it would be enough to start with:

"No real friends, no real family, no real job. Wake up, scavenge what you can, sell it for what you can, drink what you can, try not to get shot, and call it a day. For you, and most of the folks in the Pit, there's not much more to life than that. But today... today, Tanner's left you a note saying he's got a special job for you. Something big. Something different."

The idea wouldn't be to make the player sob about the PC's sad life, but just to say, "There's literally nothing to see looking back.

 

[Parabalus]

The system feels far more metagamey than AoD, this learn-by-doing stuff makes it way worse.

Instead of spending SP to pass a check you backtrack through areas to get them, and every encounter feels like a puzzle to solve to squeeze out the maximum.
Often I'd rather kill everyone right off, but there is XP to be gained by talking first (not even speech XP), so you feel happy when you find a way to ultimately fail the dialogue checks after getting what you can.

 

[razvedchiki]

so what?

 

[LudensCogitet]

One of the members of this esteemed establishment offered to write a fixed backstory that started with "your parents died when you were young...". Why? What if they didn't? Why my character must be an orphan? What physiological depth does it add? Maybe my 'dad' is working for some scav crew or died when the Brotherhood attacked or moved back to the Habitat? Etc.

The issue isn't adding psychological depth; the issue is avoiding the distraction to the player. You go into a room and there is a spot on the wall where there is a rectangular spot where the paint is lighter because the painting has been removed. The absence of the painting has not eliminated the distraction caused by the painting; it may even have enhanced the distraction. CSG makes a point of starting by telling the player some background details about the PC, enough to raise questions that the game then doesn't answer. And then some of the subsequent interactions seem to contradict the idea of the PC as someone who has lived and worked in the Pit for years and years, which then causes the player's mind to circle back to the pale spot on the wall. Honestly, it would be enough to start with:

"No real friends, no real family, no real job. Wake up, scavenge what you can, sell it for what you can, drink what you can, try not to get shot, and call it a day. For you, and most of the folks in the Pit, there's no much more to life than that. But today... today, Tanner's left you a note saying he's got a special job for you. Something big. Something different."

The idea wouldn't be to make the player sob about the PC's sad life, but just to say, "There's literally nothing to see looking back.

One of my first reactions to Braxton asking me, essentially, to help overthrow Jonas was something like "woah, this is moving really fast. Why would I do this, why wouldn't I do this?"

I didn't have context to inform my character's choice. Later, I considered that my character must have been living here his whole life, and maybe this was a critical moment, finally an opportunity to do something, change something, or refuse to engage. But I had to fill that in myself.

Even the little bit you suggest would have avoided that sense of being adrift. It implies an answer to the question: why does the story of this game begin at this moment?

Fallout 1, for example, has a very clear answer to that question.

 

[MF]

One of my first reactions to Braxton asking me, essentially, to help overthrow Jonas was something like "woah, this is moving really fast. Why would I do this, why wouldn't I do this?"

I didn't have context to inform my character's choice. Later, I considered that my character must have been living here his whole life, and maybe this was a critical moment, finally an opportunity to do something, change something, or refuse to engage. But I had to fill that in myself.

If Evans is with you, you can bond over being hopeless rejects who decide to cling to anything that looks like it could spark up their dim existence a bit. If I hadn't gotten that bit of dialogue, I think I would have shared your sentiment.