I plan to make a new gameplay mode. The idea is to mainly bring together the ton of different independent features and develop a gameplay mode that has more meaning. Currently Terasology has a lot of different features, but there is not really a good way for the user to enjoy them. What is really missing is a consistent gameplay setting which offers some challenge to the end-user and makes the game enjoyable.
Terasology doesn’t have a good combat system yet, so the gameplay mode would have to do without combat. There is very little creatures support in WildAnimals which I plan to build on and add more creatures to. The creature models could just be placeholders (different colored deer), while models with animation get built in Blender. Creatures would have different properties and would be used for different things like carrying around materials, for food, for fur etc. The world generation that happens in Core module’s Perlin implementation doesn’t create an environment that offers much interaction with the user. I plan to extend the PolyWorld module to create a world that has different biomes which make the user adapt to survival strategies that would be necessary. Each biome would also have characteristic features such as unique flora and fauna. The world would have directions that provide the player with a much needed sense of navigation. On top of all this there would be biome related quests or puzzles that the user would need to solve to unlock a hidden treasure chest or find a book which has a spell or lore. The spell would unlock access to other secret locations like a locked door. Along with all this there would be already created modules like Books, Equipment, Cooking, Hunger, Breathing etc.
List of Features/Modules
Following are a list of features that the gameplay mode will have. These are all the possible ideas that can be taken forward.
Can I get some suggestions for such a gameplay mode.
The overall motive of the player would be a lot related to how we want the plot to progress. IMO it would mostly involve discovering new recipes that'd help him progress. Like the initial journal would have some clues for where to start with, further clues would build on top. The player might not be able to access say some poisonous biomes until he has the expertise to craft breathing equipment. Won't be able to tame animals (which would require him to do something else) until he can cook some poisonous berries etc. Treasure chests having books containing more information would be unlocked after he finishes quests and puzzles etc. These books will have further clues that can lead to other locations. Haven't thought about end game areas.
Terasology doesn’t have a good combat system yet, so the gameplay mode would have to do without combat. There is very little creatures support in WildAnimals which I plan to build on and add more creatures to. The creature models could just be placeholders (different colored deer), while models with animation get built in Blender. Creatures would have different properties and would be used for different things like carrying around materials, for food, for fur etc. The world generation that happens in Core module’s Perlin implementation doesn’t create an environment that offers much interaction with the user. I plan to extend the PolyWorld module to create a world that has different biomes which make the user adapt to survival strategies that would be necessary. Each biome would also have characteristic features such as unique flora and fauna. The world would have directions that provide the player with a much needed sense of navigation. On top of all this there would be biome related quests or puzzles that the user would need to solve to unlock a hidden treasure chest or find a book which has a spell or lore. The spell would unlock access to other secret locations like a locked door. Along with all this there would be already created modules like Books, Equipment, Cooking, Hunger, Breathing etc.
List of Features/Modules
Following are a list of features that the gameplay mode will have. These are all the possible ideas that can be taken forward.
- Survival- The presence of different biomes would require the player to adapt and survive to the associated extreme conditions:- Adapt to temperature (Arctic/Desert), Hunger and Thirst, Breathing (Toxic environment, Oceans)
- Exploration- The world would be such that some places are locked away and aren’t directly accessible. The player would need to solve puzzles or interact with different components to unlock them.
- Creatures with hunting and taming- Add new creatures and improve interaction. Inspiration from ARK Survival Evolved, watch a related video here.
- Taming Creatures- Taming would require a player to chase and knock down or subdue an animal. Lethal weapons would be required to use cautiously as they could possibly kill the animal. Spiking the animal’s food with a mildly poisonous berry or potions would be a possible idea too. Chasing the animal and knocking it out with a non-lethal weapon would be the easiest. Animals will have different speeds and the ones having higher speeds will be difficult to chase. Such animals could be captured by leading them to a trap. Taming creatures would allow the creature to interact with the player, carry an inventory etc.
- Hunting Creatures- Instead of knocking out or subduing animals, you’d just kill them for food. Killing an animal would drop items such as meat, fur and bones which can be used for many purposes.
- Taming Creatures- Taming would require a player to chase and knock down or subdue an animal. Lethal weapons would be required to use cautiously as they could possibly kill the animal. Spiking the animal’s food with a mildly poisonous berry or potions would be a possible idea too. Chasing the animal and knocking it out with a non-lethal weapon would be the easiest. Animals will have different speeds and the ones having higher speeds will be difficult to chase. Such animals could be captured by leading them to a trap. Taming creatures would allow the creature to interact with the player, carry an inventory etc.
- Equipment and Crafting- Crafting would still be a prominent part of the game. With a large number of items available across several biomes, crafting would be more fun. Equipments with special properties like a book that lets you float, a ring of power etc can be placed in hidden locations and at end of puzzles.
- Cooking- With different biomes would come different trees and animals which would offer more fruits/vegetables and meat. All this can be cooked up by the player to make himself a nice recipe.
- Potions- Enable existing potions and add more so that they can be kept as rewards in treasure chests that the player finds in secret locations or after solving puzzles.
- Journal- Enable and improve the Journal. A world this big and diverse would require you to keep track of a few things. Automatically keep a count of treasure chests unlocked and puzzles solved. Track Tasks/Quests as the player looks for x objects of related interest etc.
- Books- Some books can be kept as lore or have secrets about how to do things (hunt/tame animals) or where to find items.
- Structure Templates- can be used to add advanced structures here and there.
- Add Boats- Create a new module to make possible the creation of boats so that travelling in oceans and seas is possible.
- Rails module- Use the rails module for laying out tracks and transportation in game if it’s in a good situation by summer. Otherwise work on fixing the rails module.
Can I get some suggestions for such a gameplay mode.
The overall motive of the player would be a lot related to how we want the plot to progress. IMO it would mostly involve discovering new recipes that'd help him progress. Like the initial journal would have some clues for where to start with, further clues would build on top. The player might not be able to access say some poisonous biomes until he has the expertise to craft breathing equipment. Won't be able to tame animals (which would require him to do something else) until he can cook some poisonous berries etc. Treasure chests having books containing more information would be unlocked after he finishes quests and puzzles etc. These books will have further clues that can lead to other locations. Haven't thought about end game areas.
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