Update (03-Apr-2022)
Hi All,
I wanted to give an update on what I've been working on last week.
A week ago, I mentioned I would work on two things.
- Add morning scenes in the beginning of that game, that should succinctly explain ranks, how pay scales for missions, and hopefully give the player some direction and things to think about. Right now, I don't think what the player can do is being signaled well to the player.
- Add some labels for officers. Currently, there are 6 personalities that affect morale, pay and scenes. By giving them labels, it should help the player make more informed decisions.
I've pretty much finished both of them.
For the first 8 days, as the main character leaves the hanger in the morning, she'll have a short scene which explain the basics of the game. The summary of these explanations are also added to the "help" tab in the menu screen.
I've also added 3 personality types (per gender) to the officer information panels. These already existed, but they weren't super clear. They basically affect how much credits their missions pay, how much morale their missions cost, and also what kind of scenes the main character might have with the officer.
I also made a change to the mission information panel. It now tells you how much morale the mission will cost, later in the day.
You can see both the morale cost and the officer persona here:
Here's how the new hints look like, as well:
Is this helpful? That's 3 of the 8 hints in the first 8 days.
Next week, I'll focus on a bonus system. The idea is that in the beginning of the game, the main character will have 1 or 2 powerful, randomly generated, situational bonuses. These bonuses will be something like 50% more pay from missions starting in security (yellow) stations. Or, maybe 50% more pay from officers of a certain personality. I haven't finalized it yet, but I think this coming week, I'll focus on planning it out, and then the following week, I'll try to build and test it.
If you have any ideas, let me know! Thanks!
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Good work! The new hints will be very useful, particularly officer personalities and moral loss.
Here are some ideas for such situational bonuses:
Improved Morale management:
- Stoic personality: The pilot girl is less concerned with being harassed (e.g. because she's' used to it). Less morale loss for her (either 1 less or 1/2 of the normal)
- a chance of positive morning encounters and/or friendly loadmasters who make her happy instead of groping her.
- Determined: She has a kid (or other dependent) and needs money to support them. Effects: 1. slightly higher morale at start (60 or 75 instead of 50, representing determination to support the kid) 2. Special interaction: look at the kid's hologram to regain morale (always available form the pilot's room in the ship, helpful in case the evening recovery options are giving only 1 or 2 morale) optional: The Loan Shark holds the kid as pawn pledge, she has to pay slightly more money than usual but every time she repays the weekly sum as she gets a message from the kid and gains morale (no morale gain if she fails to pay).
Special stations:
- Resort station: (better opportunities for morale recovery, special lewd options)
- Space Vegas: Gambling opportunity (chance to gain or lose morale or money)
- Penal colony: missions to transport prisoners, guards, supplies etc. Opportunities for smuggling stuff to the prison (gain more money but risk to be caught)
- Construction Yard: ability to modify the ship. That would use up a day so no missions on that day and increase total debt, but enables some features, e.g.:
1. making the ship more comfortable during flights (e.g. new seat for less morale loss due to missions)
2. larger cargo hold. that would allows taking two missions if they have the same destination. NOTE: sometimes, two officers both offer missions with the same destination (e.g. both want different goods transported to the Headquarter). Unfortunately I can't take both at the same time, presumably due to lack of cargo space.
3. Foldable passenger seats (makes officers more likely to give you missions to transport passengers, they pay more than cargo)
4. Install gaming device. Allows the pilot to spend an evening in the ship recovering morale playing holo-games. (essentially, a new morale recovery option)
Special officers (some may be combined):
- Non-binary/genderqueer officer: neither male nor female.
- Old friend from her time in the military: special boosts, perhaps an option to chat with them for a morale recovery.
- Old rival: hates her, might give dangerous missions, might even sabotage her.
- Ex-partner: can be either a friendly ex or one who wants to restart the relationship. Optional: if you also use the "single mom" option suggested above, a male officer could be the kid's father.
- Alien, Robot or Cyborg officer: could allow some special interactions and demands, it's a Sci-Fi game!
Evening activities (more options to regain morale):
- Solarium: gives the pilot a tan if she visits it (would require a new art layer to visualize it)
- Zoo (perhaps with alien creatures, it's a Sci-Fi game!)
- Restaurant (yummy!)
- Dancefloor
- Shooting Range
That's all so far. I don't expect you to implement these ideas, but I hope to see some of them in the game.
Hey, good to hear development is progressing smoothly !
Got 3 ideas regarding bonuses:
1. Bonuses may be a timed and random thing - For example production boon at certain station (lasting between days, for up to weeks) means they are paying extra for transport there. Or an intel coming from friendly officers - like there's high value cargo to be transported asap at station 'x' and they are willing to pay double.
2. Since goal for certain officers is to make pilot wear revealing clothes, perhaps sleazy/stern officers may give a bonus pay equal to total outfit changes.
3. On top of that certain cargo types may additionally impact morale/payment. Like having to wearing more/less clothes due to high/low temperature/moisure etc. of cargo resulting in morale penalty/buff + some small hazard pay. Also with passengers who may grope, praise her piloting skills, or trying to put tips in her cleavage for morale/cash change.