Just remember there's a difference between making something more vague, and making it more subtle; there are several authors on this forum (of quests and of user fiction) that demonstrate how to write a few paragraphs of innocuous conversation than nonetheless terrifies, amazes, or charms their readers who are paying enough attention. This is usually accomplished by offering a lot of details that might each be vague on their own, but together most neatly fit a single interpretation;
...how we already knew from the update that the Unit treated 'Rage Crystallization' as a research project, implying that it did not start with refined knowledge of how to handle such things, so if we later learned it has a rule against creating separate magical constructs (especially if it's one of the major rules), we would know that the project wasn't initiated by its intention, and then we'd only need to learn more about its problem-solving skills to understand it was a mistake.
(Edit: And once we figured it out, you would be allowed to confirm it without weakening the story or giving spoilers.)
Another way of doing so is conspicuous absence of evidence such that there is evidence of something in particular; like if our Crystalline asked 5 questions, and one of them was ignored completely while the other four were answered thoroughly, that could tell us nearly as much as if it had answered the ignored question.
There are also cases where you could incorporate these details not by making them more vague in the narrative, but instead by setting up more opportunities to draw out those details; conversation hooks or relatively safe avenues of character interaction prepared for revealing certain details naturally that the players can vote among.
MDACRI Unit:
[X] If the MDACRI Unit contacts us again, indicate that we have some minor supply and fabrication abilities, although we do not know the protocols the Unit uses for any resupply or tool requests.
-[X] This is less intended to initiate trade (although that would be nice) and more intended to find an authorized way of regularly interacting with the MDACRI unit to collect information and build trust (or the equivalent for a being of rules, such as favorable classifications or permissions).
Wizard Prison:
[X] Nothing for the moment; wait to collect info on boundaries from the MDACRI Unit before doing anything more that might set it off.
Field Research:
[X] Continue (Droneswarm/Hovertank Propulsion units)
[X] Suspend (Landship Armor, Landship Cannons)
[X] Swap In (Droneswarm/Hovertank control and co-ordination.)
Self Study:
[X] Begin working on the Repair Crystal instructions; if you can't get through all of it in a subcycle, focus on the parts that would be most useful for repairing yourself should the quarantined Arcane information cause damage or distortion when you look at it.
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»☼
Keeping away from the lich seems like a good idea, what with the way the Order Elemental has been responding and what we know about it. I don't want to find out exactly it can pull out from it's magitech prison if we get in the way of it's protocols.
The sky, somehow, was always remarkably clear here for such a broken world. There were even clouds this daytime cycle. The normal planetary kind that made things soaked with reasonably nonthreatening liquid and was just random enough in its impacts to be relaxing. It was nice.
It made messing around with surface wrecks harder, of course, but there was no rush. Rushing had ended up suboptimal, after you'd taken your time to thoroughly dissect your choices.
MDACRI Unit, your almost-fellow, would be to-the-letter methodical if you queried it, or it would disregard something unrelated to its functions, you suspected. Likely would go resonant again if you metaphorically poked the space beast and tried to push further on the Lich topic. Asking basic question on the Thanocracy would draw red flags like pirates to the gleam of the Prime Crystal. Asking it for updates would be similarly fruitless, as shown by what it revealed in its not-quite-glitched original ping. Whatever it had on hand for intel was hopelessly outdated and frustratingly so, even for an ancient prison controller.
Looting the place was very tempting. But, maybe you had already bothered it by essentially reformatting your way through its walls to peek at things? The general structure of the material had a certain order when you rebuilt your internal map of the place with the unit as a focal point, and while you hadn't interfered with more than a fraction of it, you did sort of mess it up without asking.
Not enough that you'd give up your hard-earned armite without being asked, of course. That would be a waste.
The former Angry Ball was no less dangerous for discovering its actual meaning as the physical embodiment of being perfectly angry, it was probably more dangerous for being such a thing. But, no less interesting. You hadn't thought one could perfect the state of literally burning so intensely with rage you turned into some form of micro-star, but perhaps you're misinterpreting what it meant by crystallized. As far as you can tell there isn't actually a crystal buried in the center of the sphere of rage, but you could be wrong. Could be something arcane, or maybe it is actually a swarm of microscopic crystals burning in and out of existence. Something to discover later.
Perhaps you could ask it about the details of the teleportation system? It was a technological system and shouldn't cause untoward attention towards your lack of ancient mage knowledge if you worded it as curiously as possible while staying politely neutral on your intent. Asking for updated knowledge, not for new technology. Phrased as if you already had a frame of reference for what it does (not untrue, the Prime had purpose-built teleporters for moving guests from the arrival port to the correct meeting room, and also ones for moving rude non-guests from the exterior to away with prejudice, if they attempted to land without permission as if you were just an asteroid.) and how it works. And if you started off by referencing how you could create many things given the right detail into an item.
Plus it would, technically, in theory, let you circumvent the wireless issue by being horribly inefficient and essentially making a…...oh.
A thing you'd rather not inflict on a second project if you could avoid it.
Your original idea for wireless theory before it got laughed down for being inefficient enough to be infeasible for anyone butPrime at anything past short range, it was. It had to use teleporters because the storage crystals used would quickly drain out. It had to use them as batteries because there was no direct connection to the actual power network besides a teleport node, and even that received power by sorta kinda siphoning a lot out of the incoming storage crystal before anything else got to it. It had to use radio because you didn't keep enough power leftover for any higher-tech transmitters.
It lasted maybe a single subcycle per storage crystal swapped in. Less if you had to power any sort of mobility functions. Half of one at best if it had weapons. Practically no time at all if it had to fly, which is kind of a requirement for space equipment! You had hoped you'd get to forget that failure, and yet it still works better than your setup with the forcefield modifier. You had all this technology nearby! And whatever arcane bullshit was fighting the Alteri! Something in this mess had to be better than your broken junk.
Plus, you knew the Alteri didn't have problems testing things like you had yesterday. All sorts of potentially-deadly xenotech was just plugged into the walls there in the lab, like they weren't worried about surges or incompatibility or losing full base power from unknown devices! Sure, there was probably some safety measures in the lab, but you'd heard them do it (via infiltrator greatswords when they'd had them in the labs directly) so casually, like they didn't have to work out the math and the geometry and the physics behind how to get to B without actually building something at B first!
===
"So," started Acting Commander Wintarian, having been once again woken up at ungodly hours by the island camp guardsperson, "tell me why this cannot wait until we can actually see the sunlight first?"
"Explosion-Ghost wrote us a message in our script and its only one page long. And then just threw it at me and left."replied the guardsman, holding up the page that had been copied over but not yet read by Wintarian.
"How does something so intent on protecting one spot leave? It was very blunt, straight, obvious, and direct about how we were not allowed inside the room. At all. And now it's left?"
"Nothing on the sensors except the door, sir. We even rebooted them to check for if they were malfunctioning." the guard said back immediately.
"Poke the door." his sleepy commander snapped back.
"Excuse me, sir? Are you still awake?"
Wintarian ignored the response and continued on like nothing had happened. "Not with your hand, obviously. I don't want you blown up. Or your companions up there. Or anyone, really. Just, find something expendable. And then poke. The door. With the thing. Get that piece of junk back out here. I want to ask it a question." There was quite the pause, before the guard asked if he could ask a question first. Wintarian nodded.
"What if your question is already answered on the paper? Theres some writing on the back now." Asked the guard.
"Ask me that again in the morning. I want to make sure the day has actually started before I have to deal with not only some magic air and thoughts, but some smug magic air and thoughts. And not a second sooner." Wintarian said, dropped the call before the guard had a chance to respond, pushed his entire morning schedule back a couple hours, and went back to bed. He was the temporary commander, he could delay his bad day if he wanted to. Anyone who disagreed could say so to his face today. He was starting to see why Wholo had been so enthusiastic about direct solutions to problems, too: The strategy avoided these days as aggressively as it sought fights, and you could train for fights in advance. A stack of undated completed paperwork, a good set of gear, comfortable underclothing, medical supplies...
===
Sometime later after you'd worked yourself out of your shoutfest with yourself over how unfair it was the Alteri had minimal trouble with disconnected objects but managed to do so badly at other things anyway somehow (careful to not let yourself fall back into it in the meantime), you got back to the list of what you'd actually wanted to do today. Like start figuring out how to somehow put together a functional command crystal without a base to work from aside from yourself. You really needed some help. Help you didn't need to work around, that is. MDACRI was at best a friendly neutral for now, a child would be of absolutely no use to you and you don't have the proper knowledge base to teach them all things important to being a descendant of the Prime Crystal anyway, nor the powerbase to let them grow in peace.
So you'd have to start from the bottom, with the sort of things that do such unimportant tasks they sometimes get mistaken for overpowered, rather lost Research crystals: Lesser command crystals. The base is simple, Command crystals are usually some shade of purple, thus, this one is too. Add in the basic crystal layout and give it to the research crystals to tear apart and rebuild virtually until...you get something promising, you suppose. You aren't entirely sure how you bring about its ability to follow basic instructions that aren't you controlling it, but you know how to use that ability to your advantage, and if they threw enough commands at it, eventually it will either respond or explode. Or do nothing.
It'll take them time to work, either way, so you get back to the samples you've retrieved of the drone propulsion technologies you retrieved last cycle. While it might be a bit more invasive, for the sake of not losing everything to it flying off again, you produce some miniature (but sufficient) armite spikes, and just nail everything to the ground in what are most likely non-critical areas.
If they turn out to be important things you've broken and blow up, thats just as informative really, since it gives you another reference point for things to not hit and there is no shortage of drones. The ground drone propulsions aren't so much nailed down as they are rooted in place so you can see their various treads or wheels or orbular transportation move.
It ends up going about as well as you expected for flooding a bunch of confiscated broken drones with power while nailed down, with essentially all of the drones failing to work for more than a few moments after an initial effort to force themselves off the ground. The more damaged ones give up an overgrav warning and power down with a sad whine, while the more functional flight or otherwise non-ground units report anti-containment measures non-functioning, and then one of the following codes you've deciphered: 0x1: Failing to explode into shrapnel, 0x2: Failing to overload reactor, 0x3: Failing to convincingly be inert junk, 0x4: Meltdown failure (external temperature too cold), 0x5: Meltdown failure (external environment missing), 0x6: Meltdown failure (Evaporated instead, external temperature too high), 0x7: Meltdown failure (Transmuted into non-drone object), or 0x8: Meltdown failure (Drone missing)
The ground units eventually just grind to a halt and give either a traction warning or a immobilization warning instead when they realize they are stuck, but give no sort of self destruct code other than 0x1: Failed to detonate ammo storage. You spend the rest of the subcycle enjoying a round of taunt the anti-tampering followed by building a workaround so they would not bother to check their surroundings until you stopped pinning them into the ground.
You could taunt it since you had looked, and whatever was there to prevent your reverse-engineering in these drones either ceased to exist due to being shot out in the big brawl, shorted out from the power surge, or failed due to being stored in the sections you'd used as nailing down targets.
Sometimes there were unexpected bonuses to your range issue, but now that you could see how they moved (if on the ground or close enough they count as a ground vehicle anyway), you had to figure out how they were controlled.
This...was rather more difficult. Whoever had opposed these drones had attempted to, if you were to be a bit dramatic, murdered the hell out of anything that looked remotely communications-like in this swath of drone wreck. Methodically. Every other drone was missing anything the may have been attached to the exterior. The other half had big gaping holes in them, with a pseudorandom variety pack of broken systems, melted wiring, fused pieces, and detonated components. The goal appeared to have been to make it as difficult as possible to do anything complex not programmed in ahead of time, and when that couldn't be done, to just tear out pieces until the formation broke apart at the seams. And to cause seams if there weren't any to shatter on.
You were going to need more wrecks to even start to make progress here, and begrudgingly gave some respect to whatever general or AI counterpart came up with this plan. It was effective enough to cause problems to people not even in the same time period as them!
The MDACRI Unit still hadn't responded to your request for a second talk yet, so you decide to take a break there and check back out the Repair Crystal instructions set. Theres something headed your way from the alterin base' direction, but It most likely won't reach you until the next cycle at the speed its going.
...Fixing things was complicated. Some of it you understood, like sure, you save energy not just creating brand new crystals everytime and you can't just replace people with a less-broken version of themselves. That was rude. Less so if they asked, but that was a special case and apparently involved a psychologist.
You weren't sure if you wanted to know the implications of that or why this was in the early sections, soooo you skimmed over the rest of that part. You didn't have anyone else around to become moral problems for you yet anyway. Won't be your problem. By the time it might be you'd have someone who can do the repair work for you, hopefully.
Eventually, you found the part you'd brought up earlier for the repairs to the proxying farseer, and got a couple steps further in comprehension before running into another wall of if-then problems you were drawing a blank on relevancy for to these repairs, technical graphs you couldn't read, and more terms you'd never heard of, but hey. Progress. And some of the graphs were pretty, but now in an 'oh god why is it these colors those are bad colors' sorta way instead of just appreciating the technical art.
---
So with your conversing with MDACRI Unit on hold until it actually picks up the phone and something approaching from base-wards, what to prioritize?
[] Research - More help, more progress.
[] Drone Control Systems - Look for part of the field that wasn't broken like a wave on a coastline so you actually have something to work with here.
[] Hovercraft Focus - There is less of them overall, but they're larger and more intact, perhaps that will give you easier progress? You could always work to scale them down later if needed.
[] Expansion - More power never hurts, and you could control further away minions.
Original compressed name: Shining-in-the-Space, Prime Crystal, Outer Layer Omega-Current, Xenotech-Specialist/Experimentals-Researcher True Crystalline.
Minions Status:
Infiltrator Greatsword (1x): Plenty of reserve power, recording. Shape of a stone greatsword with crystalline hilt components. Tiny solar panel and thermal absorbers. Out of command range.
Focused Manafield Sensor Construct: Setup in the Arena of Power, attuned to its magic saturation.
Arcane: Discovered, but under quarantine.
The Alterin Threat:
They are bad at communication security here.
They are at least somewhat organized (managers)
They appear to lack an answer on the more arcane-bullshit sort of thing around here. Though we hardly know much either, how is that island floating...
They do take research data security seriously, and have a logging system.
Current base is not a full one.
They appear to not be concerned with nighttime security outside of basic measures.
They have a different definition of 'wishing well' than you do.
Opening the fielded door bothered the Secretkeeper's Sanctuary, which might've gone badly for them?
Location: In a crater. Pretending to be a wishing well. Near some suspicious alterin.
Normal:
Assimilated matter
The quick, dirty solution to your lack of range.
Template: Matter
Energy production: 20 per cycle
Fabrication cost: 50 energy, nearby material.
Basic Crystal
Created by converting solid materials, like rock or assimilated matter.
Energy production: 50/cycle
Template: Refined
Fabrication cost: 200 energy, nearby solid material or crystal.
Storage Crystal
A stabilized hunk of additional crystal, giving you more room to store energy without side effects.
Template: Space-filling
Fabrication cost: 200 energy, empty space.
Research Crystal
Because doing everything yourself is slow and complicated.
Template: Space-filling
Traits: Data Storage (replaces Energy Storage: Basic)
Fabrication cost: 700 energy
Research Output: 1/cycle, Research cost 10 energy/cycle.
Repair Crystal
A good helper.
Energy production: 50/cycle
Template: Refined
Traits: Repair Protocols
Fabrication cost: 1,200 energy
Mine Crystal
Storage crystal stripped down and prepared to explode via overcharge.
Template: Space-filling (minimal energy storage)
Fabrication cost: 200 energy, empty space.
Farseer Crystal
An excellent companion to scouting crystal. Energy production alignments have been realigned for exceptional sensory range instead.
Template: Intrusive
Traits: 1st Visual Augmentation
Fabrication Cost: 750 energy
Scrying Crystal
I see you.
Template: Intrusive
Traits: 2nd Visual Augmentation
Fabrication cost: 2250 energy
Siphon Crystal
Absorbs nearby energy going in its general direction. Could be used to acquire energy from others if placed in their power lines.
Energy production: 50/cycle
Template: Refined
Traits: Absorption Fields
Fabrication cost: 2200 energy
Available traits:
Energy Generator (Basic), Energy Storage (Basic), Data Storage, Absorption Fields, Dampening Fields, Defensive Offense, Explosive Entry, Repair Protocols, Visual Augmentation
Check the crystals threadmark for energy costs and details.
---
One part trying to write it better and many parts being distracted by neat games later, I got back to updating this >.> <.<
Adhoc vote count started by Aklyon on Feb 10, 2018 at 3:38 PM, finished with 13 posts and 5 votes.
[X] If the MDACRI Unit contacts us again, indicate that we have some minor supply and fabrication abilities, although we do not know the protocols the Unit uses for any resupply or tool requests.
-[X] This is less intended to initiate trade (although that would be nice) and more intended to find an authorized way of regularly interacting with the MDACRI unit to collect information and build trust (or the equivalent for a being of rules, such as favorable classifications or permissions).
[X] Nothing for the moment; wait to collect info on boundaries from the MDACRI Unit before doing anything more that might set it off.
[X] Continue (Droneswarm/Hovertank Propulsion units)
[X] Suspend (Landship Armor, Landship Cannons)
[X] Swap In (Droneswarm/Hovertank control and co-ordination.)
[X] Suspend (Armite Weakpoints [0/250])
[X] Start (Delegation [500])
[X] Begin working on the Repair Crystal instructions; if you can't get through all of it in a subcycle, focus on the parts that would be most useful for repairing yourself should the quarantined Arcane information cause damage or distortion when you look at it.
[x] Ask MDACRI about prison rules and what we are/aren't allowed to do with the facility by the rules of contact and/or protocols.
[x] Search for The Lich
-[x] Try to speak to it UNLESS prohibited by the protocols. Maybe it'll respond to you instead.
[x] Continue (Landship Armor, Landship Cannons, Droneswarm/Hovertank Propulsion units)
Your original idea for wireless theory before it got laughed down for being inefficient enough to be infeasible for anyone butPrime at anything past short range, it was. It had to use teleporters because the storage crystals used would quickly drain out. It had to use them as batteries because there was no direct connection to the actual power network besides a teleport node, and even that received power by sorta kinda siphoning a lot out of the incoming storage crystal before anything else got to it. It had to use radio because you didn't keep enough power leftover for any higher-tech transmitters.
It lasted maybe a single subcycle per storage crystal swapped in. Less if you had to power any sort of mobility functions. Half of one at best if it had weapons. Practically no time at all if it had to fly, which is kind of a requirement for space equipment! You had hoped you'd get to forget that failure, and yet it still works better than your setup with the forcefield modifier. You had all this technology nearby! And whatever arcane bullshit was fighting the Alteri! Something in this mess had to be better than your broken junk.
Plus, you knew the Alteri didn't have problems testing things like you had yesterday. All sorts of potentially-deadly xenotech was just plugged into the walls there in the lab, like they weren't worried about surges or incompatibility or losing full base power from unknown devices! Sure, there was probably some safety measures in the lab, but you'd heard them do it (via infiltrator greatswords when they'd had them in the labs directly) so casually, like they didn't have to work out the math and the geometry and the physics behind how to get to B without actually building something at B first!
What was the deal with the Explosion-Ghost? Was that something we did? I can't even remember if that part the Alteri were exploring was connected to MDACRI in any way.
It's been a while. I need a reminder of our current problems and goals. Do we need to choose a research project? I see that we aren't studying anything.
MDACRI Unit:
[X] If the MDACRI Unit contacts us again, indicate that we have some minor supply and fabrication abilities, although we do not know the protocols the Unit uses for any resupply or tool requests.
-[X] This is less intended to initiate trade (although that would be nice) and more intended to find an authorized way of regularly interacting with the MDACRI unit to collect information and build trust (or the equivalent for a being of rules, such as favorable classifications or permissions).
Wizard Prison:
[X] Nothing for the moment; wait to collect info on boundaries from the MDACRI Unit before doing anything more that might set it off.
Field Research:
[X] Continue (Droneswarm/Hovertank Propulsion units)
[X] Suspend (Landship Armor, Landship Cannons)
[X] Swap In (Droneswarm/Hovertank control and co-ordination.)
Data Crunching Research:
[X] Suspend (Armite Weakpoints [0/250])
[X] Start (Delegation [500])
Self Study:
[X] Begin working on the Repair Crystal instructions; if you can't get through all of it in a subcycle, focus on the parts that would be most useful for repairing yourself should the quarantined Arcane information cause damage or distortion when you look at it.
This won, with three votes. The Unit didn't respond to us trying to ask it something, so we did not get to do that part, we didn't loot anything down there, we studied the drone propulsions, and we attempted to study the control systems but found all the ones we could easily check out had been destroyed. Plus we started research on delegation.
We went on a tangent of how we went so fast past the boundaries of our entrance test for the wireless tech field (the expected answer had been 'build a teleporter crystal of the right size to hit the target', not 'build a teleportation system' that we had gotten laughed at when we had to explain what our cobbled together junk was and why its so inordinately inefficient. We then remembered that since the alteri are not space rocks they don't have a group dedicated to moving stuff from afar, and got mad about that.
Nevill said:
What was the deal with the Explosion-Ghost? Was that something we did? I can't even remember if that part the Alteri were exploring was connected to MDACRI in any way.
The ghost that guarded the door on the floating island. The one that caused explosions. It never named itself and the Alteri haven't decided on a single name for it yet. That may be less important if its actually vanished.
It's been a while. I need a reminder of our current problems and goals. Do we need to choose a research project? I see that we aren't studying anything.
Research will continue if you don't pick something new, the vote is to pick something to focus on before either the incoming something interrupts, MDACRI Unit responds to our request to talk, or something else happens.
Current Problems:
Not sure how dangerous MDACRI Unit is and whether we should ask it certain questions or not (like if it knows who we actually are, or how the Thanocracy is).
There is apparently a lich still alive in the prison complex and the existence of it (and its refusal to speak?) has been driving the unit mad.
The Alteri can contact people and/or things off the planet and we can't, and are actively investigating things on the planet.
But they think we're a wishing well, so theres that at least.
And they haven't figured out those swords are actually listening devices.
Also, they're focused on this one floating island instead of you.
We don't have any of our nice things.
Current Goals, from easiest to hardest:
Rebuild our stuff, like assistants.
Not get mined by the Alteri or attacked by ancient technology still active. Or by ghosts who explode things.
Finish our wireless technology we were working on before so we can actually use some of this stuff for more than salvage or building materials.
Leave. Go find the Prime Crystal. Get back to either a normal life of not being stuck alone in a hole on some stupid planet full of cool things, or lead a smaller crystal back to this planet and properly investigate things as part of the lab and not the vanguard.
Adhoc vote count started by Aklyon on Feb 20, 2018 at 8:21 AM, finished with 23 posts and 9 votes.
[X] Expansion - More power never hurts, and you could control further away minions.
[X] If the MDACRI Unit contacts us again, indicate that we have some minor supply and fabrication abilities, although we do not know the protocols the Unit uses for any resupply or tool requests.
-[X] This is less intended to initiate trade (although that would be nice) and more intended to find an authorized way of regularly interacting with the MDACRI unit to collect information and build trust (or the equivalent for a being of rules, such as favorable classifications or permissions).
[X] Nothing for the moment; wait to collect info on boundaries from the MDACRI Unit before doing anything more that might set it off.
[X] Continue (Droneswarm/Hovertank Propulsion units)
[X] Suspend (Landship Armor, Landship Cannons)
[X] Swap In (Droneswarm/Hovertank control and co-ordination.)
[X] Suspend (Armite Weakpoints [0/250])
[X] Start (Delegation [500])
[X] Begin working on the Repair Crystal instructions; if you can't get through all of it in a subcycle, focus on the parts that would be most useful for repairing yourself should the quarantined Arcane information cause damage or distortion when you look at it.
[x] Research - More help, more progress.
[X] Drone Control Systems - Look for part of the field that wasn't broken like a wave on a coastline so you actually have something to work with here.
[x] Research - More help, more progress.
[X] Drone Control Systems - Look for part of the field that wasn't broken like a wave on a coastline so you actually have something to work with here.
[X] Research - More help, more progress.
[X] Drone Control Systems - Look for part of the field that wasn't broken like a wave on a coastline so you actually have something to work with here.
I'd been thinking about this recently, and after re-reading it lot of that thoughts was 'why is this like this, this is dumb, this is barely moving forward at points'. Some of the thoughts was that there is some way better quests here and that theres no point in me reviving this, but if there really was no point I wouldn't have posted this second version of the quest here in the first place. At the end, I had three major points written down:
I've got all this huge detail about our crystal types...and it almost never is relevant. The only times knowing exactly how many of a specific varieties of crystal we had came up in updates was if we were making a new kind, or if nothing special was happening that turn. The map is cool and shows how big we got, but the surface and anywhere that couldn't be described with the sideview map is at best vaguely described. And that everything else is for the most part where what actually moves the quest plot forward happens.
Energy production sounds important and I had a spreadsheet for it...but every use of it I wrote down or implied is abstracted away unless its for construction purposes. If expanding our mass of crystals didn't have exact energy costs associated with it, it would be a pretend stat, just there to look impressive from how much energy we pull out of nowhere. I should change this or just throw it out. I'm going with changing it.
As much as it'd be cool to just pick up the previous vote and transmute it into a new update for ya'll, I'd rather have a redo in a new thread honestly. it would be easier, and abruptly changing how the quest works after 15 pages (and a year of no update according to the necro warning) sounds like a great way to confuse everyone.
With that, the point of me posting this instead of just keeping it to myself is that I wanted to see what whoever is actually still watching this thread thought of what I was thinking for Crystalline v3. The doc doesn't have the research list or big crystal functions list from this thread since those would just make it a huge wall of text, just mechanics changes to make more sense, have less graphics and spreadsheet work needed per update, and possibly have narratively better turns because of it. The plan (if the new idea isn't terrible, anyway) was to have the same protagonist crystalline, same planet, same xenos, but shifted one dimension over where things went differently. Us landing on the opposite side of the Alterin base, for example.
Hope I didn't disappoint anyone too much with the OP post alert, let me know what you think of it, and have a good day.
Honestly, I'm fine with a subtle reboot like that. I enjoyed reading the quest. However, I never really had the time to participate in the thread when it ran, and think I would enjoy it more if I had the chance to play instead of read.
I thought this was a very cool exploration quest, a guilty pleasure of mine, which was unfortunately dragged back by its mechanics somewhat. I skimmed through the document, and so far I like what I see - like, say, the turn time compression. Doing research before was like pulling teeth, as we didn't have nearly enough research crystals to get anything more than basic tech in a reasonable timeframe.
...but every use of it I wrote down or implied is abstracted away unless its for construction purposes. If expanding our mass of crystals didn't have exact energy costs associated with it, it would be a pretend stat, just there to look impressive from how much energy we pull out of nowhere. I should change this or just throw it out. I'm going with changing it.
Knowing how relatively expensive each type is is useful information. Applying energy to attacks, non-expansion matter creation are ways to make it more relevant.
Also, as Progress Quest and the clickers show, people like watching numbers go up.
Knowing how relatively expensive each type is is useful information. Applying energy to attacks, non-expansion matter creation are ways to make it more relevant.
Also, as Progress Quest and the clickers show, people like watching numbers go up.
Yup on that second part. Which is why its mostly the same in the new thread mechanics-wise, but with less laser focus on 'hey here is what we have in a map what do', and more of a 'here is what we have and how much energy we have to get more, but also theres stuff we found what do' aim.