Poll - Awards and Unlock Codes

[slayernz]

Okay ... I got motivated by the thread below, which began to touch on the sensitive topic of whether or not there should be some way to unlock rewards even if you haven't achieved the award.
startradersrpg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tips&action=display&thread=1153

Now I've chucked in some potential options for approaches to unlocking the awards, but was limited by the text allowed in the answer fields. So for clarification on some ideas:

1. Status quo
If you're happy and you know it, shoot a torp! Basically, if you feel that having locked content helps motivate you to play the game more, then this is the option for you

2. Unlock code(s) per captain
Here you would like to unlock just a few rewards with a code for a particular captain, leaving other captains able to try for the reward in the future.

3. Unlock code(s) for all games
You want to unlock specific rewards, but for all games existing and new.

4. Unlock by using a captain name
Like some older PC games, if you want to be able to just play the game with all rewards unlocked, how about this:

Captain Name	Unlock
Cory	Unlocks all rewards
Andrew	You can't die - no permanent death
Martin	You start with $1,000,000 (and +5 to all skills)
Trese	Unlocks all rewards, no death, $1M

Haha ... I know how difficult this would be to code for Cory ... sorry in advance if this becomes the winning approach

5. Unlocks in the options menu
Having a toggle in the options menu allows you to enable/disable unlocks. It would mean that if you enabled "unlocks" everything is available, and if you disabled unlocks, you keep what you have, but you have to unlock the award to get a new one.

In other words, if you unlock all rewards, you can buy a W/F tank. Then, if you locked all the rewards, if you wanted to buy a new tank because of a ship replacement, you'd need to survive 1000+ turns on Challenging

6. You don't like unlockable content
The argument here is ... you've bought the game, everything should work out of the box. Why do you have to waste time doing things over and over again in order to get access to the really good stuff. That's what your $2 was meant to give you.

7. You're not fussed one way or the other
You've got better things to worry about than whether content should be locked or available. You just want to go kill Steel Song ships and all this stuff is a distraction.

[Slide87]

=) for me,the 2nd...so I would choose if beginning a game with or without unlocked rewards...and it's difficult,but if I could also choose how many rewards to unlock,it would be More great ^_^

[hapos]

Needs additional options:

Unlock based on death: In death, the game asks you if you would like to unlock something based on how you died. Recommending upgrades based on what has been unlocked already and how you suffered.

Unlock based on difficulty: Basically the achievement badges can be unlock based on accumulating points, such points are accumulated by playing on the higher difficulties but also requiring longer playthroughs. Ex: Impossible needs survival up to date 5, Crazy date 4, so on and so forth.

Unlock based on gameplay achievement: Basically you could set it up so that you reward yourself. You could make it so that selling 1 waterfuel gives you a certain reward or do the opposite in that selling 999999999 items would be the key to unlocking upgrades without doing the tasks required.

Unlock based on choice: Choose which type of unlocking you prefer based on the options already presented

Unlocking based on sliders: A variation of the editor request but more along the lines of simply editing the dates.

Unlock based on faction: Basically you can set it so that you not only have to do the achievements but do it for certain factions. This allows for additional self-imposed challenges that potentially gives flavor to each faction beyond their default sets. Ex: Let's say your capt. plays a campaign where they pissed off House Thulun. Well, you can then make it so that you have to grease your hand to please Thulun to unlock a Serpent's Tooth. The game does it already in certain ways but what this does is that it activates the achievement only after your specific capt. has done this in that universe despite the fact that you have already unlocked the achievement. (As a bonus, the starting ships could be an optional escape shuttle. Upon death, instead of getting an escape shuttle you thus then get a Serpent's Tooth. This could even extend story-wise to the Vae Victus. Instead of acquiring the Vae Victus mysteriously, you could then have a random capt. "recognize" you thus not killing you and instead imparting you with the Vae Victus. Basically it's a bonus way to survive another day without creating a new captain.)

[slayernz]

Hey Hapos,

Thanks for your thoughts. For the most part, those are more feature enhancements related to content that could be awarded due to actions and the like. For example, having unlocks based on how long you survive on a particular difficulty is an expansion of the Thousand Suns unlock.

The unlock based on game play achievement is just that - a game play reward.

Unlocks based on choice is an expansion of #5

Unlocking based on sliders ... is that requesting the ability to modify the current date of play?

There is a back story as to how you acquired your ship - it's much more decked out than a basic escape shuttle, and to have a ship such as the Vae act as an escape shuttle would make the shuttle too powerful.

Dunno about the unlock based on death ... if you have the ability to unlock stuff through other options (eg 2, 3, 5, 6), then it wouldn't matter if the reason why you want to unlock something is because you died.

[boeu]

Wow. Im not one for the unlocks but some of the suggestions sound pretty cool :-)

[hapos]

Nov 18, 2011 0:24:56 GMT -5 slayernz said:

Hey Hapos,

Thanks for your thoughts. For the most part, those are more feature enhancements related to content that could be awarded due to actions and the like. For example, having unlocks based on how long you survive on a particular difficulty is an expansion of the Thousand Suns unlock.

The unlock based on game play achievement is just that - a game play reward.

Unlocks based on choice is an expansion of #5

Unlocking based on sliders ... is that requesting the ability to modify the current date of play?

There is a back story as to how you acquired your ship - it's much more decked out than a basic escape shuttle, and to have a ship such as the Vae act as an escape shuttle would make the shuttle too powerful.

Dunno about the unlock based on death ... if you have the ability to unlock stuff through other options (eg 2, 3, 5, 6), then it wouldn't matter if the reason why you want to unlock something is because you died.

I think Thousand Suns is a bit of an exception in that it's designed like an introduction badge. It's kind of like those "oh you've sold 1 piece of meat at the market" badge or "you've clicked on the mute button here's a badge" seen in so many games.

For that reason, it's not really a reward except for the reward itself. That's why it seems so similar.

The difference can be easily seen by how Thousand Suns is achievable on all difficulty. In other games, this would be like a Length achievement. It's rarely compared to Survival mode in other games.

As for the difference between feature enhancements and unlocks, I get the difference but at the same time I think it's a bit blurred because these are not just originally cheat codes or secrets but rather codes unlocked through achievements to begin with. You have to factor in not just what's being unlocked but what the achievements are and the "feel" received by unlocking something.

Especially with the way ST does rewards. They are not really rewards IMO but feature enhancements. I know I can't dominate the game with any of the starter ships. They are just starter ships. Ditto for upgrade except (ironically) for the Water Fuel tank which is already easy enough to unlock accidentally.

With regards to the difference between #5 and unlock by choice, I interpreted #5 as more "here are options to make the game easier". Where as unlock by choice is more like "here's different ways to freshen the experience of the game". Is it just an expansion? It would have to depend on the different type of unlock features but the design of it I think have different intentions.

For sliders, I saw it more like editing the length of the achievements. Like if you want the experience of trying to achieve Big Tent but having a longer span of time to do so, you can set it that way. Another possibility would be to do the achievement after you've passed the dates.

"There is a back story as to how you acquired your ship - it's much more decked out than a basic escape shuttle, and to have a ship such as the Vae act as an escape shuttle would make the shuttle too powerful. "

Not necessarily. I think one thing to keep in mind is that at the point the player has been in, losing whatever ship they had is more likely more powerful than the Vae Victus and the escape shuttle would really be sold anyway.

It also bears mentioning that many unlock codes are requested because people want an easier game. If people can get away with a God mode code they might even request it though I admit I did not check the prior link but the notion of editing the awards seem to stem from their difficulty and length of time in unlocking and less about being less powerful.

Unlock based on death is more like New Game+. Let's say I really want an achievement so badly but I kept dying on a difficulty level. Or maybe it's the opposite. I don't care for the badges. I don't know about the badges. I did not even realize that you need to go to the Hall of Records to Record the Exploits.

...but I want "some reward for my hard work".

Unlock based on death not only introduces me to the value of this specific item to unlock but it's a way of giving players who hate dying that nudge to keep on playing to discover that the game is alot more fun and richer than it originally seems because they died from some ignorant of a certain game mechanic.

Often times in other games, this is called the game over trick. Sometimes you get to a point in a game where you made mistakes past the point of no return (low fuel/water/accidents) that the only option is game over. What of players who hate this? ...or players who want an increasing difficulty feel without replaying the earlier starting level. Developers then design a game over trick mechanic that can range from setting the game on easy upon certain amount of deaths or retaining the exp/money acquired from the same level after failing it.

[blackgauntlet]

Whoa... are you Volyren Nightsong in disguise?

And Vae Victus IS an overpowered ship IMHO.

Also, the back story of us being the nephews/nieces/sons/daughters of a moisture/spice farmer whom had stashed this beauty in a cave somewhere still stands, right?

[slayernz]

Back story is thus:
"When your father first told you about his spacecraft, the Vae Victus, you laughed at him. A cruel thing, to laugh at a dying man, but you did not know what else to do.

It was an unbelievable thing for a destitute Spice farmer on a worthless refugee planet to say. Worth laughing at -- but something in his eyes cut short your mirth.

'I wanted to finish this myself,' he had said, in the time before he passed.

It wasn’t until several weeks after his death that you were finally able to locate the entrance to the vast cavern that held the sleeping Vae Victus. At several points during the search, you nearly gave up. In spite of your father's reputation as a liar and thief, the man was telling the truth -- the Victus is a Juror Class Starship, and from what you have seen of her so far, a very workable, if aged, space machine.

’I never wanted to involve you, my son, but fate has left me no choice. You must grant your dying father two requests. Deliver this message and use my old ship to make a better life for yourself and your mates. Don't end up a broken old man and a Fringe Spice farmer...'

The auto-pilot has announced that the destination for your father’s messages is 5 AU south of your position. You must land in the Urban Zone and visit the Palace.

[blackgauntlet]

I've always wondered how the First Mate suddenly comes in between that back-story and the game...

Could it be...

First Mate: Look... I am your father...
Captain: Noooooo!!!!

[Slide87]

Ghghgh,perhaps with a black mask and that strange breathing...=))

[hapos]

Nov 18, 2011 3:22:10 GMT -5 blackgauntlet said:

Whoa... are you Volyren Nightsong in disguise?

And Vae Victus IS an overpowered ship IMHO.

Also, the back story of us being the nephews/nieces/sons/daughters of a moisture/spice farmer whom had stashed this beauty in a cave somewhere still stands, right?

Who's Volyren Nightsong?

I think the Vae Victus is overpowered for hardcore players and underpowered for newbies.

At least for me, you don't really get to realize this until you unlock all the other starter ships. Especially on Impossible where it's impossible to fill up the cargo hold full of water fuel immediately.

The backstory sounds cool. Unfortunately (unless I missed a version) I haven't spotted this info in the game. Is there a new version of ST RPG out there or did I miss this because I sklpped the manual?

Also I wouldn't worry about the first mate. Seems like it's more realistic for one man to hire a person than to hire a crew and the Vae Victus not only starts out with tons of credit outside of Impossible, it's also full of crews plus a backstory where you eventually sell the Vae Victus makes the ship's value kind of anti-climatic.

In some ways after finally reading this, I think it even makes more sense that the Vae Victus be in the protagonist's hands as an escape shuttle. Otherwise if the backstory was fleshed out, imagine how horrible it is to have the protagonist sell such a ship and never try to reacquire it again. At the very least the backstory implies that the Vae Victus when sold would at least make the protagonist rich but gameplay wise that's clearly not the case.

[slayernz]

The backstory is in the game strings, but I haven't seen it in the game. It wasn't something that I made up in order to appease my own personal need for detail <grin>.

Unofficially, the first mate (ole Turdlip) actually worked as first mate for your father. He was a family friend and when he heard you were hunting for the Vae, he took it on himself to protect you as best as an old man with a prosthetic upper lip can.

[blackgauntlet]

Oh... so it should be like:

First Mate: Look... I am your fath-
Captain: Noooooo!!!!
First Mate: -er's friend.
Captain: Aaahh....


And oops... I dismissed him in every game at any chance that I got... ;D

[slayernz]

He's helpful for those just starting out, but becomes airlock fodder when you start recruiting new officers

Wouldn't it be funny if he was actually an ex Templar Commander, who fought in the Medrian Trade Wars of '35. It was during that multi-factional conflict that he met your father.

[blackgauntlet]

Really? I KNEW why my dad couldn't afford a better ship! Damn Templars pay their men PEANUTS! PEANUTS, I TELL YOU!!!