Xenoarcheology: overhauled

[jedr]

 

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Oh boy, it's that time again.

 

Xenoarcheology has been gone for quite a while now, and I feel it might be time for a comeback, given the right adjustments are made of course.

 

Let's recap first some of the issues I had with the old system. These biased my opinions and choices:

 

 

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  - It was just mining with a flavor, to be frank.

  You went to a somewhat self-sufficient outpost on the asteroid z-level, geared up and went out to find stuff. Sound familiar?

   

  - The effort/difficulty to reward ratio was very varied.

  Sometimes you dig for an hour and get some useless pots and statuettes, other shifts you'd end up with 2 corgi spawning monstrosities and a sword after fifteen minutes. Get lucky and unlucky is part of the game, but I feel there should be limits.

   

  - Bloated and unclear

  The science outpost that accompanied xenoarcheology had lot's of fancy machines, analyzers, spectrometers, etc.... Never used 95% of them.

   

  Keep in mind that, again, these are the thing's I disliked about old xenoarcheology. These are not the reason's it got scrapped. That would be because it's incompatibility with our current mining system.

 

 

 

So what would I like to see in the new xenoarcheology system?

 

When I think about the jobs I find fun, it's usually because there's a mix of thinking and acting. So I tried to keep that combination in mind as how I would like to see a xenoarcheologist spend his time.

 

Then I looked at what archeology is. It's not digging holes in hope to uncover some strange bits and baubles embedded in solid rock. It's closer to finding and following (historic) evidence leading towards a site where the artifact you seek are buried.

 

I find the evidence part to be of great importance here. Instead of following some obscure particle trail or looking for silver lined rocks. I want there to be a real feeling of puzzling things together and having that lead to a dig site.

 

 

How would this work mechanic/content-wise?

 

Well if we crudely summarize my vision:

1) gather evidence

2) process it

3)Use the complete information

4).....profit?

5) Repeat

 

 

Gathering evidence and processing it.

 

In order to start your search for lost knowledge and fat loot, you'll need to figure out a way to know WHERE to start looking.

 

I think there's several ways of implementing this as information can come from many sources. However all those sources need to be streamlined into one final "data resource" which in turn get's processed into a product that can point the archaeologist in the right direction.

 

This final data resource could be something like a data-pad or some other kind of encrypted data container, while the processed product could be something of an instructional/directional guide.

 

•  

   

  - Books: Good old paper and ink will never go out of style. There's already plenty of books in the game, so why not add some that can be used/analysed for usable data, giving the archaeologist a base set of starting data.

  • - Maybe add some stuff to the library, give the librarian some more distinction from a greyshirt with a camera?

- "lost" data-pads: Like the strange object for the EXPERIMENTor, there might be some lost and forgotten data-pads in the tunnels. More tunnel loot diversifies station traffic and promotes interaction, if done right.

• - Message in a bottle?

- Cargo: Nanotrasen is a huge organisation with lots of resources and interests. It would be logical that they acquire massive amounts of (incomplete) data and need it processed.

 

• - It may also be possible to implement a random event like the excess cargo points to provide science with some new leads, free of charge.

 

- Others: This is of course not a definitive list.

 

 

 

Decryption

 

So you found yourself an encrypted data-pad, now how do you access the secret's within?

 

I was thinking something in the line of a genetics-like mini-game. taking some (heavy) inspiration from mastermind.

I came up with this prototype: http://codepen.io/Joris-K/pen/eJoJdG.

 

Starting up this decryption sequence would require you to insert a data-pad into a console.

After completing the mini-game, you get a decrypted data-packet, ready for use in the pursuit of science.

 

Everything I described above was the easy part, since it's all either completely new, or in my eyes fairly easily adjusted/implemented.

 

The final part of the archeology process is however intertwined with the original reason it got removed: mining and the asteroid rework.

 

Getting the goods

 

The hardest part to implement in my estimation. This would either require severe modification of the asteroid and mining, or a new Z-level in itself.

 

 

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  - Modify the asteroid z-level: I dislike this option on a personal bias: It'd feel too much like the old xenoarcheology where you just dig tunnels to reach your goal. Digging tunnels is for miners, not men of science. It would however, require less work on all fronts, coding, mapping and spriting. If the coders feel like the idea i'll pitch below is grossly out of our league, I'll try and find a compromise here.

   

  - A new Z-level: A clean slate is every designer's best friend, total freedom to work out a vision.

  And the vision I have, is inspired on the underground tunnel network in pokémon pearl/diamond

  (Don't hate).

 

 

The asteroid is supposedly a pretty big rock. Wouldn't it make sense that there's more to it then the surface area we mine? I know that depth is a dimension that's almost never used on this server. And in practice it would only be an illusion.

 

If we equip the outpost with a teleporter akin to the bridge one,(although heavily modified, and incompatible with the normal teleporter beacon network, for balance reasons). Link that up to console where the decrypted data get's entered. That data will allow the teleporter to lock onto a dig-site. Now we have a way to access many, many medium to small room-sized mini-dungeons/dig-sites, each with their own unique identity. This would reduce the amount of mining to a bare minimum, maybe to access some small hidden compartments, or to clear out a structure.

 

This vision is very ambitious, but I feel that the amount of new locations alone is worth it. It allows for much more content, instead of having to cram stuff into the existing asteroid, and allows for greater variety in the dig-sites, certain theme's or aesthetics that wouldn't fit in the asteroid now are open for discussion.

 

Ooh, shiny!

 

Of course, there's no archaeology without artifact. Old and forgotten items that tell of ancient stories and lives lived. There's already a lot of functional and fluff items from the old system, but some custom made items to fit with the theme of the site would be amazing.

 

I am unsure if the big, structure-like artifacts you discovered with the particle finder should return. They were to most interactive part about the old system, bringing out random effects and overall being interesting rewards, if not totally unreliable and unstable if times. I don't know if the wacky randomness is in line with what i'm trying to sell here.

 

An other thing i'd like to see added, is the existence of item schematics. Unique rewards that allow you to upload a new item blueprint to the r&d database, and allowing it to be produced by the protolathe. functionality, material costs and rarity should be taken into account.

 

In conclusion

I know that this is a very ambitious pitch, maybe the most ambitious paradise original project yet.

I'm in no way able to do this by myself in any reasonable amount of time (yet). I made this to ask feedback and opinions, but also to gather up and see who from our content creators is interested in pitching in some spare time.

 

I say content creators, because this needs coding, mapping, spriting, hell even some soundwork would be an amazing bonus.

 

Yes, this probably will never come to fruition, yes this is something we don't have the rescources for, but a man can dream, can't he?

 

[ProperPants]

 

If we equip the outpost with a teleporter akin to the bridge one,(although heavily modified, and incompatible with the normal teleporter beacon network, for balance reasons). Link that up to console where the decrypted data get's entered. That data will allow the teleporter to lock onto a dig-site.

The existing teleporters have two regimes for finding location to teleport to: gate regime and teleporter regime. The teleporter regime is effectively the only one, since the last time I checked, the gate regime has absolutely no targets. Perhaps this existing system could be used somehow, though I don't really know what it's meant to do in the first place since it doesn't work.

 

As for the entire idea, I love it. I'm bad at ideas and suggestions, so I can't really critique this. The DZD is working (or will be working) on Xenoarch 2.0, so perhaps you should talk to him about this. He'll probably see it anyway.

 

[jedr]

 

Due to the enormous scale of this, it probably never will get implemented like this, not in one go anyway.

 

If I had to split it, I would leave all the "archeology" stuff out, maybe leave it for a second update that can interface with the data decryption job, and have the blueprint system I suggested be the reward for decrypting data-pads. But if we ever get to part two, i'll take the teleporter suggestion into account, thanks.

 

Splitting the content would make the size a bit more workable, which would lead to faster release and more importantly, no one would have to touch old archeology code. While the archeological underground network is a dream I really hope to see completed, I feel like a data-decrytption job is a more achievable goal to aim for.

 

Aim for the stars, land on the moon kinda stuff, you know?

 

[alexpkeaton]

I wanted to just say that this is awesome. When I started playing, xenoarch was already scrapped, so I don't know how it used to be. I'm afraid I don't have anything positive to add but my support for a robust return of xenoarch.

[Crazylemon]

Sure, I'm game. Throw up a branch and I might aim for some PRs on it to help us along our way

[DisreputableSquid]

I'd be happy seeing Xenoarcheology make its return in any form, but I do admit I enjoy the digging part the most.

[Crazylemon]

So, Jedr, are you going to set up the git branch, or should I?

[jedr]

Should I set up a discord server to improve communications? That way everyone involved can talk over a more fluent channel, and it would be easier to keep track/ in touch with the people who don't use the forums/git.

[Crazylemon]

That sounds good, go ahead.

[jedr]

PM me over discord/ the forums/ In game if anyone else wants the link to the xenoarch server