[POLL]Is it worth the time/effort to enforce a sci fi theme?

onleavedontatme · Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:36 pm

My original plan for lavaland was fighting in a skynet wasteland vs robots. Right now its demons and dragons.

We have had a ton of new magic antags as well. Pope, ratvar, hog, shadowling, revenant have all been in the past year or so.

I have an urge to change lavaland to sci fi but it'd be a lot of time and effort (dragon is a mech with flamethrower/rockets, legion is grey goo, etc) and I am not sure it'd be worth it. Not like people roleplay much in any case.

Zilenan91 · Post by **Zilenan91** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:37 pm #190659

Sure. If it had lore to back it up it'd be pretty cool.

Wyzack · Post by **Wyzack** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:43 pm #190662

A sci fi refluff would be really cool and i would like to contribute in some way. However lavaland the way it is is not really directly opposed to scifi themes either. Space explorers visiting a hostile natural land full of danger is a pretty classic trope, and i feel the the megafauna and ashwalkers kinda help to enforce these themes.

Zilenan91 · Post by **Zilenan91** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:53 pm #190666

You could probably keep the concept of megafauna if you just change the sprite alone. Ashwalkers would need some work to their tendril to make it like a borgifier thing that spews out the meat of freshly created android shells to assimilate all organics if they were to be changed at all.

Post by **Armhulen** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:08 pm #190669

I would love nothing more than a nuked wall e planet with monsters an shit

Okand37 · Post by **Okand37** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:20 pm #190672

I'd definitely like things to shift into a more science fiction direction opposed to all the sort of magic doodads we have around, as it would make it a lot easier to actually start working on some fluff and lore for the game to really give some more depth to it, for the roleplay aspect at the least. But I don't think lavaland is necessarily magical in itself, creatures like ash drakes and such don't really scream 'magic' just 'dangerous planetary life.' Even something like the legion could be explained as a parasitic creature that takes over a hosts body.

InsaneHyena · Post by **InsaneHyena** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:03 pm #190681

As long as the number of playable alien races is kept to minimum (ideally - just humans), I don't give a fuck about anything else. Just don't add anymore gods. Nar'Sie was enough, Ratvar is pushing it.

MrEousTranger · Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:09 pm

EDIT: removed my autismal cancer

Yes I hate the magic theme its just awful
what you described sounds good skynet wasteland and evil robots
please resprite the demons.

oh yeah remove the angel wings and replace them with an experimental jetpack.

InsaneHyena · Post by **InsaneHyena** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:13 pm #190683

Why is every your post literaly autism?

Bombadil · Post by **Bombadil** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:27 pm #190684

You know space wizards could always be changed to be some asshole using word commanded nanites to do shit that is essentially magic.

I think Colossi and Ash drakes could just be recolored to look more mechanical. Colossi are already practically evangelions. Save for the shooting sthose spine things.

Bubblegum... not so much. Especially since he's totally magic.

Could change lava into nanite/lava sea.

Post by **Atlanta-Ned** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:31 pm #190686

Yes, please. I've held my tongue regarding the more fantastic aspects of the game, but the departure from sci-fi has been disappointing to say the least. The lava itself isn't the issue (though I do miss the asteroid), but the number of supernatural beings is too much. I liked it better when it was just cult and wizard.

DemonFiren · Post by **DemonFiren** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:35 pm #190688

Does that mean ash dragons will become cyborg ash dragons?

Fuck yeah.

Spoiler:

Ryahask · Post by **Ryahask** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:35 pm #190689

The only creatures which I would suggest really merit a change are demons (Bubblegum, Colossus, & Legion). Ash Drakes and Goliaths are completely workable as foreign fauna on an unexplored world. I think the combination of a foreign world with foreign creatures and a more relate-able and familiar Robotic presence would actually make Lavaland more interesting to me, given that new ruins could represent the efforts of a Robotic presence to conquer the untamed world they're a part of.

Post by **Atlanta-Ned** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:37 pm #190690

Can we also look at maybe toning down the lavaland craziness? Right now, I get the impression that our intrepid miners frequently die horrible deaths, often right outside the base before they have a chance to get any minerals for the station. Maybe a 'safe zone' can be added where miners can grab enough minerals to supply the station before they run off and go have fun?

Zilenan91 · Post by **Zilenan91** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:39 pm #190691

Nah lavaland shouldn't be a word that is apparently wordfiltered to be kickin' rad place to be

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:40 pm #190692

Lavaland being filled with bombed out buildings and shit would be pretty cool, extract uranium ore from unexploded bombs, plasma from old generators, metal from random scrap, diamond from jewel boxes, telecrystals from busted consoles, go full stalker with that shit.

ShadowDimentio · Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:42 pm

It's not worth the time or effort. We've got like two people around these days that can sprite, and our coders have furiously defended that they code what they want to and you have no right to tell them what to code, etc.

Sci-fi is great and all but the fight just would never work out.

Tornadium · Post by **Tornadium** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 8:49 pm #190695

Can we have a new job slot for explorers or some shit and separate mining and lavaland?

Seriously, no fucker ever mines now.

onleavedontatme · Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:08 pm

http://www.ss13.eu/tgdb/tg/latest_stats ... eralsmined

http://www.ss13.eu/tgdb/tg/stats_2015-1 ... eralsmined

People are actually mining substantially more ore than prior to lavaland being added.

Not really related to this thread though.

Ryahask · Post by **Ryahask** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:09 pm #190700

Kor wrote:http://www.ss13.eu/tgdb/tg/latest_stats ... eralsmined

http://www.ss13.eu/tgdb/tg/stats_2015-1 ... eralsmined

People are actually mining substantially more ore than prior to lavaland being added.

Not really related to this thread though.

I definitely bring more back, as do many others I've seen. The storms in particular seem a good grounding factor which encourage you to make a run to the station. You can either sit in a shelter for a few minutes or resupply at the station and drop off ores.

Zilenan91 · Post by **Zilenan91** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:10 pm #190701

That's because of there always being three miners no matter what
Even when there's only 10 crew there's always 3 miners

All of that mainly because lavaland is actually a fun place to go to so it's a good thing people want to play miner.

Sidon · Post by **Sidon** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:02 pm #190712

Kor why do you insist on ruining good things you do?

MrEousTranger · Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:30 pm

InsaneHyena wrote:Why is every your post literaly autism?

heres an explaination

MrEousTranger · Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:41 pm

past my retardedness
just remove this magic shit
It's ugly and ruins
mah immersions.

Pilgrim · Post by **Pilgrim** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:31 pm #190735

I was talking about it in OOC yesterday and most players agree with me that the new fantasy angle we've been going at isn't very desirable. A lot of the times what's implemented just seems to have no real justification for existence lorewise, possess OP characteristics that are excused by its fantasy background (laughter demon anyone?), and has the tendency to seep into thematically inappropriate areas i.e. traitor uplinks having access to holoparasites.

I think it's okay for lavaland to have a Dark Souls/Morrowind vibe and theme to it, but I dislike this recent trend of it being okay to add things that are Weblife-tier, like the Pope of Sin. While I appreciate the heart and soul that goes into making these they'd be better suited for something that meshes well with the game.

This opens up brilliant opportunities for Demon Station. Dwarf Fortress set 10,000 years in the future after they colonize Hell.

TechnoAlchemist · Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:57 am

I'll say it once again, i would die for you kor phaeron

DrPillzRedux · Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:51 am

I like the hellish look though.

Steelpoint · Post by **Steelpoint** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 2:48 pm #190834

I think it would be worth the effort to try and enforce a more sci fi theme.

However don't forget that you can ascribe 'magic' to really being just a form of technology that is undescribable to our current frame of reference. Akin to showing a caveman your lighter and claiming your a god for producing fire out of thin air.

So long as game modes with a more fantastical element at least try to hint to a more technological background then I don't see any problems there.

The same could be said for lavaland, you could try and twist it around that the inhabitants of lavaland are not some mythical creatures but the end results of horrible and unethical genetic experiments, ala Resident Evil. But this can be in the background or information that is very out of the way to find, such as having to find a hard to find entrance to a research facility that won't really contain much loot.

Incoming · Post by **Incoming** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 2:57 pm #190836

Lavaland is fine as long as thematically its consistent with itself.

You're going down to a hellworld, its ok for that to look different than a station in space.

Wyzack · Post by **Wyzack** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:14 pm #190840

Ashwalkers being changed to disgusting biotech murder machines made from a mass of recycled tortured meat stuffed with messy rusty cybernetics and told to KILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATE is fucking metal as shit and the coolest type of fucked up sci fi. Bonus points if it is run by an AI that has gone berserk after being isolated for thousands of years.

DemonFiren · Post by **DemonFiren** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:02 pm #190860

It would at least justify them possessing an AI combat upgrade.

Still...muh lizards.

Post by **Armhulen** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:16 pm #190866

Wyzack wrote:Ashwalkers being changed to disgusting biotech murder machines made from a mass of recycled tortured meat stuffed with messy rusty cybernetics and told to KILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATE is fucking metal as shit and the coolest type of fucked up sci fi. Bonus points if it is run by an AI that has gone berserk after being isolated for thousands of years.

ho ho ho yes please

Aloraydrel · Post by **Aloraydrel** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:19 pm #190867

Fighting disfunctional ashencrusted cyborgs instead of resprited asteroid creatures would be cooler tbh

MrEousTranger · Tue Jun 28, 2016 5:10 pm

Its 4 to 1 almost
I think the choice is clear.

edit:
Angel wings = experimental jetpack ADD IT

Post by **Armhulen** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 5:13 pm #190885

MrEousTranger wrote:Its 4 to 1 almost
I think the choice is clear.

edit:
Angel wings = experimental jetpack ADD IT

Ahelp: what the fuck is math

It isn't 4 to 1, not even almost.
also, if you want less magical mystical dragons then you shouldn't like the angel wings!

Gamarr · Post by **Gamarr** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 6:26 pm #190904

I see two good arguments, first being that the lavaland is easily justifiable as sci-fi. It's just one particular extreme of hostile environments, with its own evolved flora and fauna. How I viewed it at its first implementation and still do for the most part, despite Legions. Semi-sentient plague is all that is that spreads via hostile spores, that happen to be shaped as tumorous skulls.

Another is that, perhaps, another more sci-fi scavenging option could be done, being basically on a generous Spriter(s). This is a long term issue though and not the main point of this kind of thread. If someone wants to consider and start thinking up a nuked wasteland theme, power to them, with the hard start of creating imagery. So it'd be a labor of love and up to who would want to do the effort.

....Pft, even both are good together. Bluespace experiment on the planet fucked it sideways so hard that parts of it crossed into a hellish landscape, with the predators/survivors of each biome clashing; the mining outpost somewhere along the cataclysmic border between radioactive pit and everythingislava.

Post by **Armhulen** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 6:45 pm #190912

Gamarr wrote:good vibes

I will fukken learn how to sprite well for this

MrEousTranger · Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:41 pm

Armhulen wrote:
MrEousTranger wrote:Its 4 to 1 almost
I think the choice is clear.

edit:
Angel wings = experimental jetpack ADD IT
Ahelp: what the fuck is math

It isn't 4 to 1, not even almost.
also, if you want less magical mystical dragons then you shouldn't like the angel wings!

ok first Mr math Nerd
its 27 to 7 with that asshole who said iplying anyone rps
that means its actually 3.8 to 1 which is .2 away from 4
which is why I'm not retaking math.
LEARN SIMPLIFICATION

and I meant that if we were to keep angel wings (which im against) they
should be changed to some jetpack like item instead of magical snowflake angel wings.

MrEousTranger · Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:50 pm

everything gamarr said is wonderful.

Screemonster · Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:25 pm

Wyzack wrote:Ashwalkers being changed to disgusting biotech murder machines made from a mass of recycled tortured meat stuffed with messy rusty cybernetics and told to KILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATEKILLASSIMILATE is fucking metal as shit and the coolest type of fucked up sci fi. Bonus points if it is run by an AI that has gone berserk after being isolated for thousands of years.

isn't this basically the plot of moontrap

I'm all for it

Wyzack · Post by **Wyzack** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:29 pm #191358

I just came up with it off the top of my head but i am not surprised it is already a thing. The hardest part of doing it well is getting sprites with the appropriate squick factor. They need to be real gross and disturbing

Zilenan91 · Post by **Zilenan91** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:41 pm #191366

We could remake ashwalkers into the Grandchildren

Alex Crimson · Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:42 pm

I think its fine the way it is. We have plenty of content in the game with cult/religious/medieval themes. Look at something like Stargate or Warhammer 40K, they have plenty of crazy magic shit, and maintain the sci-fi.

You do not need to force everything to be crazy robots/cyborgs/machines just because its in spaaaace.

Tornadium · Post by **Tornadium** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:25 pm #191386

I would argue that Lavaland needs toned down heavily, major theme overhaul and complete cut of the antag spawn roles.

MrEousTranger · Thu Jun 30, 2016 1:01 am

Alex Crimson wrote:I think its fine the way it is. We have plenty of content in the game with cult/religious/medieval themes. Look at something like Stargate or Warhammer 40K, they have plenty of crazy magic shit, and maintain the sci-fi.

You do not need to force everything to be crazy robots/cyborgs/machines just because its in spaaaace.

Kill this man.

InsaneHyena · Post by **InsaneHyena** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 7:05 am #191489

I would argue that Lavaland needs toned down heavily, major theme overhaul and complete cut of the antag spawn roles.

I wouldn't expect any other opinion from you.

Not-Dorsidarf · Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:33 am

I think that there's a difference between "We have a sci-fi theme" and "Sci-fi only".

Space Wizards, for example, are blatantly magic. No way around it. They're magic men in robes who come to shit all over your advanced tech with heebiejeebies. But I think everyone likes that, even the most scifi men.

Evil, reality-tearing cults? Sure. They're some of the most fun thematics we have.

Its just when mystical hooha becomes normal stuff, like miners finding magical potions and magic wings and fucking videogame power-ups and stuff that it just feels... wrong.

DemonFiren · Post by **DemonFiren** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:03 pm #191526

"No way around it."

Bay certainly tried.

InsaneHyena · Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:05 pm

Bay is dead and irrelevant. They always took themselves - and SS13 - too seriously. They removed the cluwne, now the cluwne removed them.

DemonFiren · Post by **DemonFiren** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:07 pm #191530

Congratulations, you're getting the point.

Enforce sci fi theme?