Creatures of the Deep

[Crixas]

So you've just taken the Aquaboy perk. You know the one - That glorious perk that allows you to breathe underwater indefinitely. However, it's entirely barren down there. A world full of mirelurks, sonic mirelurks, mirelurk queens, and mirelurk-lings, and somehow, all of the water... is completely, safe...?

 

What? Wait, really? What planet is this again? There are some very vast underwater environments pot-marked by junk and rubble, and yet somehow, there's not a single moment in time when I've ever felt threatened in the deep blue sea, and this cries out for correction... and perhaps the addition of a few new and horrible surprises! I mean, we've all seen the evidence of hostile sea life, be it the man-eating dolphin-shark creatures (yes, they eat people) that are so frequently used for raider-noms, or the mirelurk queens that seem to burst out of every deep body of water every time a scripted situation calls for it, or the innumerous fish that wash up on the shores (and look way too fresh to have been there for 200 years), but... there's just zero out there in the deep blue sea, or even in the underwater channels criss-crossing the commonwealth!

 

I realize that what this boils down to is a rather ambitious underwater overhaul, especially if we're going to give a player a way to fight back (hindered, since this is their turf, not yours!) - perhaps underwater melee combat, and a few new mods for ranged weaponry (unlocked at higher levels) that enabled them to be utilized underwater (reduced range? Water don't take no guff from bullets). Most of this is likely impossible until the creation kit is released, but even so, here's to casting my line and hoping that I get a bite.

 

Your thoughts?

Edited March 19, 2016 by Crixas

[BlueBeard1983]

I like the sound of this. Maybe make it so that Melee weapons swing 20% slower, do less damage, and whatnot. Same with unarmed attacks. Also, there's the harpoon gun in the game files that can be fixed and placed in game. I wouldn't add it the ability to use guns, but maybe energy weapons, with a waterproofing mod would be possible. Add in a mutated Great While that's double the size of Megalodon for a challenge!

[Crixas]

@Melee Weapons:

Oh, for sure. A swing speed reduction would make sense. As for the damage reduction... I agree, but as with all things, a little playtesting goes a long way. (Meaning that until someone picks this up and plays around with it, I'd best reserve full judgement)

 

@Energy weapons:

This could be really neat if someone with some modding prowess got ahold of this idea.

Bubble streams after shooting would be a really, really nice touch, but that's a ways away.

Have to agree though, that ballistics are unlikely to truly work in an underwater environment.

 

@Harpoon Gun/Great Whale:

Hehehe! This is getting a bit too close to a Mobi Dick scenario (first boss name?)! :smile: I can't help but envision something like this as being some much larger enemy type; one yet unknown to us. Something that might wake up as a player swam past it, large enough that it might not notice us, but that we'd sure as heck notice it whilst feeling like an ant among giants (to be read as "something that would make us want to get the heck out of the water as quickly as our little arms could accomplish that.")

 

My hope is that someday there will be swimming Mirelurk Kings, Dolphin-whatever-the-heck-they-are's, unique underwater creatures, enemy attacks, etc. Even further along, I envision that while swimming something could occasionally try to drag you under, prompting you to slash at the claws or teeth of your underwater assailant (or, if you were unprepared, beat them with your fists) before it could successfully drown you. Heck, if someone could animate the event, complete with the arm-flailing partial panic that a character would surely feel as they were tugged below the waters surface, wouldn't that leave an impression?

 

I fear my imagination's running a little wild given what the possibilities are right now, but hey, it's fun to dream.

Well, with any luck, right? Here's to hoping.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Crixas

[Iamkiing]

this is an awesome idea