Space Wreck - post-apocalyptic space RPG inspired by Fallout

[Bulo]

Is dot matrix Benny more or less trustworthy than chequered Benny?

 

[JarlFrank]

Is dot matrix Benny more or less trustworthy than chequered Benny?

 

[V_K]

Dat 6-pack.

 

[Kamaz]

Is dot matrix Benny more or less trustworthy than chequered Benny?

Spoiler

This guy does not really like your character. Well, at least in the beginning.

 

[Kamaz]

I have implemented a simple item condition system.

Some items - mostly weapons, armour and tools - have condition parameter that affects their performance and longevity. The condition wears down with each use of an item - shot for weapons, application for tools and received hit for armour. Item that reaches condition 0, turns into a Junk. Weapons also lose damage proportionally (currently DMG = baseDMG * (0.5 + condition/200)).

You can repair items with lower condition instances but for that you have to have at least average (3/5) tinker skill. If not, you'll most likely throw away deteriorating guns always looking for one in better condition.

Special note is about condition 100, or, as I call them, pristine items. These items are basically new, unused or with minimal wear. They would not deteriorate any further. The idea being that items with condition below hundred are old and used, while new items wouldn't break down in the near future.

I do realize condition is not universally liked in RPGs, plus, original Fallouts did not have it in any form, it was only New Vegas that had in game. But, I have decided I want condition in Space Wreck because of these two reasons:

1. It fits the crumbling derelict world. It directly demonstrates to the player some of the hurdles survivors in Junkspace have to endure - finding and maintaining equipment usable, looking for scraps to patch it and keep going.
2. It kind of addresses the problem RPGs have - every enemy you face and inevitably best - will have a weapon. While first pistol can become your weapon, rest of them are much more useless. With condition there's always use for a copy of gun you already have.

 

[V_K]

Weapons also lose damage proportionally (currently DMG = baseDMG * (0.5 + condition/200)).

I think it'd make sense to make it a little more discreet, for example rounding condition/200 up to a nearest tenth. So that items with condition 80 to 100 would always give you full damage; 60 to 80, 90% base damage etc. It'd both make it easier for the player to keep track of and in some way more realistic to how wear and tear goes unnoticeable until something breaks, and then a tangible drop in efficiency occurs.

 

[Kamaz]

Weapons also lose damage proportionally (currently DMG = baseDMG * (0.5 + condition/200)).

I think it'd make sense to make it a little more discreet, for example rounding condition/200 up to a nearest tenth. So that items with condition 80 to 100 would always give you full damage; 60 to 80, 90% base damage etc. It'd both make it easier for the player to keep track of and in some way more realistic to how wear and tear goes unnoticeable until something breaks, and then a tangible drop in efficiency occurs.

Sounds reasonable. Though, prolly a bit steeper but that's balancing once I resume playtesting. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Kamaz]

Mini-update - WIP screenshot of one of the levels for upcoming location - wreck of a freighter ("rock ship").

This is yet another example how big environmental objects complement classic isometric tile map.

 

[ItsChon]

This is yet another example how big environmental objects complement classic isometric tile map.

The map zoomed out like this looks amazing, guess it was hard to fully appreciate the artwork in the zoomed in gifs and photos. At least, for me.

 

[Kamaz]

This is yet another example how big environmental objects complement classic isometric tile map.

The map zoomed out like this looks amazing, guess it was hard to fully appreciate the artwork in the zoomed in gifs and photos. At least, for me.

Not sure how useful it is, but in current builds you can zoom out pretty far.

 

[Infinitron]

Drugs are important part of Junkspace. Imagine living trapped in a tin can for decades and you'll get why one would want to at least expand the mind.

Just be careful what you consume, there can be subtle side effects.

 

[ItsChon]

Kamaz I don't know if this is subject to change or not, but all the NPC character models being the same really makes the map feel lifeless and flat. Is this just a WIP?

 

[Kamaz]

Kamaz I don't know if this is subject to change or not, but all the NPC character models being the same really makes the map feel lifeless and flat. Is this just a WIP?

This is W.I.P., we are in the middle of moving from old style to new isometric version (see previous posts). But, since this is a uniform, most of the characters are intended to wear the same overalls in this location.

Let's see how it feels when current plan implemented.

 

[Kamaz]

Fortunate are those space wreck dweller communities that have old, tiny, banged up and leaking but still running shuttlecrafts. It grants precious freedom to scavenge, trade and migrate in Junkspace.

 

[Drowed]

Oh, I don't remember seeing this project before, or if I did, I forgot about it.

I just put it on my wishlist, I'll definitely watch it from now on, looks really nice! The art is a little weird, but the gameplay seems pretty solid.

 

[Kamaz]

Apparently I came to the wrong neighborhood... :/

OOG: while the game takes place in space on derelict ship wrecks, there's still some variety of environments. For example, this particular scene takes place on a cargo of a rock ship that transports asteroid ore to the Earth. And the two weird "locals" are, in fact, mining equipment - so called minebots, industrial robots used to shovel and move around loads of material.

 

[JarlFrank]

This is my most anticipated RPG. Keep on delivering the incline!

 

[Kamaz]

Like in tabletop RPG, skill checks are dice rolls and can go either way, affected by both your character build and luck. To accentuate this important part of the game play, we've added a prominent animation -

Initially I was shy to shove these under-the-hood mechanics in player's face but then I saw how Larian is doing just that in their Baldurs Gate 3 and decided to not hold back myself. I like dice rolling in RPGs, because

• it demonstrates that there are multiple options available
• it adds suspense and thrill to the skill checks
• it helps to understand math behind it and feel the risk and see how better stats help.

One another thing - these skill checks can be fairly important. Like in this example success and fail lead to self-excluding quests and, potentially, diverging plot. Idea being that FAILURE is just as cool RPG experience as SUCCESS and you should accept it as just different, interesting twist to the story.

P.S. I understand that not everyone wants this level of meta gaming in their RPG, so there's a toggle in settings, to switch it off, along with skill tags in dialog choices (`[CHARM] Wanna talk about it?`)

 

[urmom]

Apparently I came to the wrong neighborhood... :/

OOG: while the game takes place in space on derelict ship wrecks, there's still some variety of environments. For example, this particular scene takes place on a cargo of a rock ship that transports asteroid ore to the Earth. And the two weird "locals" are, in fact, mining equipment - so called minebots, industrial robots used to shovel and move around loads of material.

I was wondering about the materials used to create the ships. Thick rock and metal seem kind of massive for spacecraft engines but who cares it's cool.

 

[Kamaz]

Maybe I need more massive engines for this particular craft...

 

[Kamaz]

Meanwhile our "art departament" was working hard on migrating old 2D/flat animations to new 3D-ish isometric versions. That includes this little fella:

Cambot - one of the minor enemies encountered on space wrecks. Originally used as a mobile security camera/turret for offices and storage areas, 20 years ago, when miners rebelled, corporation remotely changed their protocol to identify anybody as intruder and attack on sight.

 

[Kamaz]

Minebots - actually space mining equipment, are used to work extracted and processed space ore. Even though these machines float in microgravity, they posses surprisingly large mass and are propelled by small rocket engines. That is why ordinarily human personnel is not allowed to work alongside the minebots - it is just too dangerous.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Kamaz]

Thanks for reposting the video!

Tiny additional context what can be seen in the video:

• you can interact with certain items in the inventory;
  
• NPCs can have routines, they move around and can have interactions - I am stealing that bit from Hitman series;
• NPCs can object if you touch something, e.g., try to loot containers;
• knocked-out (or dead) characters float; it's zero-G even if shoe soles and most items are magnetic, stuff still floats in game occasionally;

 

[Kamaz]

I am working on quests, so there's not much to show of that. However, here's small visual update to one of the maps:

Asteroid ore hauling rockship showing heavy damage to the bow. Tiny speckle in the middle there is you.