Anyone for a trip to mars?

[kibblesticks]

Well, there could be multiple biodomes

 

Multiple biodomes I'm fine with, but I can't see any reason we can't house them in open jungle.

 

or perhaps it's a covered crater.

 

I'm not really feeling the putting the whole crater under a dome angle. It negates the need for smaller domes. It also removes the unique "Mars atmosphere" element from the wasteland. Last and probably most important is the technical side of something like that. I don't think a skybox would be able to achieve a decent dome effect and the outer edges of the crater would never meet the bottom of the dome, it'd just stretch out to infinity.

The only other option is a giant, world encompassing mesh. This would bring up all sorts of problems relating to LOD and texcture resolution. Even if you used lots of smaller meshes it'd still require manual placement over a HUGE area. Seems like a lot of effort to go to, just to justify a science fiction concept. My vote goes to putting a G.E.C.K created junge on the surface and saying to any naysayers "You're on Mars, deal with it".

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Well, the jungle could be under the dome (to preserve humidity etc.) and the "outside" could be desert... given mars' current state, a Mojave environment would work well for it.

[devinpatterson]

They're annoying and silly and whilst I quite enjoyed the cheesiness in Zeta, I don't think there's any way anyone could see those things as creepy. The universe is a big place, can't we just say the Zeta dudes came from pluto and leave them out of it? :P Can definately see the reason for going to Mars being the ruins but maybe the government thought they were Zeta Alien ruins when really they were something much much older..

 

I think we share the same opinion of the little alien idjits, that's why I was thinking we only see their remnants (ruins, artifacts, tech etc). We kind of kill two birds with one stone. We're solidly in lore (martian base via the aliens has plausibility) but don't have to deal with the little, babbling wastes of space.

 

But that's just one option, another is we muddy the waters so much that the player (or even us) never know the origin of the aliens. Leave clues that could both support and undermine the theory that were dealing with a zeta type alien base. Essentially just leave the question up in the air.

 

And of course the third option is a new alien race. I'm just a little hesitant to make a whole new chapter of life in the universe if we already have a race that will fit the bill. Part of the challenge of working with fallout is fitting the storyline to existing lore. But if people feel strongly and want to go in this direction that's cool.

 

Oh and maybe a fourth, that is a sort of mix/compromise? By playing with teh numbers (when they arrived and how many) we could have access to a lot of different, possible scenarios. The zeta aliens would be the building block for the scenarios, but could be substantially different in nature from the aliens the player has encountered in the mothership zeta DLC (due to isolation, research etc) . From the basic foundation of the greens we can go in almost any direction.

 

For example lets say they arrived long, long ago when mars still had a appreciable atmosphere and water. Perhaps they were rebels or a splinter group fleeing the zeta homeworld. They may have had time to develop a whole new culture. Perhaps evolving (sociologically speaking) into a mystic/priest hierarchy. Over the ages changing so much in re: to their culture that their homeworld brethren would hardly recognize them. Maybe they followed a storyline akin to the doom 3 martians dabbling in extra dimensional portals, and eventually opening a gate to hell itself, unleashing the demonic hordes.

 

Perhaps they warred amongst themselves and reduced a once green mars to the dead planet we see now.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, their story could be very simple. They had a research site on the north pole a few hundred years ago (500 ad) etc, something went wrong (the human alien hybrids research) and they were wiped out.

 

A lot of variation, a lot of potential plot lines, whatever we want. The zeta aliens we're familiar with could just be the origins of the martians, with the final result being quite different. It's our chance to create and sculpt who they are through a martian storyline. The advantages are that were not really tied/limited to the familiar zeta types, yet we stay within lore (by having them be the origin of the martians). It may also explain why the aliens came here back in medieval times to check on they're brethren (whether to offer aid, war or just out of curiosity).

 

But give it a little thought and let me know which of hte options you'd prefer to go with.

 

I'm unfamiliar with those references

 

The time machine references (H.G. Wells book, 1960 & 2003 movie) cover the evolution of the human race far into the future. The race splits into a nature loving, above ground race called the eloi, and a subterranean more technological race of morlocks that feed on the eloi. The star trek reference refers to a colony ship within a hollowed out asteroid. The colonists have forgotten their origins and even the fact that they are in a asteroid. They worship the mainframe as a oracle. There is a lot more details to both references, I just listed the points pertinent to what I'd be using for the storyline.

 

but would it not be possible to include a bio-dome within a jungle which is the base for the tribals but has burst open, spilling plants into the wasteland? The ghouls could reside in a second biodome or the catacombs. Perhaps they stole, or are trying to steal, the tribal's G.E.C.K.

 

I think FEV infected flora from the twisted biodome could adapt to martian conditions. FEV is kind of a wildcard with unknown abilities, and I woudn't put anything past it (it essentially created the Master didn't it?). But you wouldn't want a biodome for agriculture breached. The idea with the ghouls is very similar to the idea I am shooting for in biodome-1. The morlocks I referenced would be original pre-war ghouls. They have many of the aspects of ferals (cannibalism), but retain more of their cognitive abilities than most ferals (they weild weapons, can still speak-kind of) . I'v thought of them as inhabiting the subterranean facility/levels of the biodome. I didn't think about a geck per se orginally, since I didn't think a stable system would need one, but it's a good idea and we can certainly throw it in there.

 

This is obviously one of those things that just fits differently in different people's minds. I realise you really want the biodome setting so I'll just lay all my cards on the table and if you still want it then I'll go with it 100% (although I still wouldn't have a clue how to make a biodome that was a size worth putting a "jungle" in). Here goes.

 

I do want the biodomes (both a twisted and a good one), primarily for the sake of their individual story lines. They also make sense from a design standpoint. For the good biodomes, you really need to grow your own food if at all possible. It's not just a question of economics, but also basic survival if supplies become disrupted for the colony.

 

For the twisted biodome, it makes sense that they would want a large area to experiment with, but still have the experiments contained. Don't want your specimens running off and getting themselves killed or causing havoc. In addition they would initially need to be pressurized as I don't think you can make the leap from life as we know it to, something that can survive on mars, all in a fortnight's of research.

 

Actually it probably makes sense to have 3 biodomes. The first two for agriculture, each supplying 50+% of the bases demand. That way if one is destroyed the base can go on rations, but survive for some time at half capacity. And then a 3rd biodome for the "terraforming flora/fauna experiments"

 

Shoot, ran out of time:( I'll try to get to the additonal points you'v made when I get home from work (or if work is slow maybe I'll have a chance to log in).

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Devin, about the "corrections officer" why not make him the Exosuit guy? I'm picturing a Frank Horrigan/Constantine Chase hybrid, with the Brain guy being the chief scientist and only other survivor of note.

There could be audio logs tracing his "efforts to eradicate" the insurrection; IE "log 24: the "dead red rebellion" has infected twenty workers in Sector 3. Traitors rot among us!" and when he finds the "culprit" (are you the instigator of this menace?" [snarls, gunfire] "no good americans would desert (as in, die) so easily, you red worm!"

and so on. the player could (potentially/temporarily) ally with the two of them, with one dying and the other staying around as a companion/ally; the exosuit guy suspects that the brain guy is a Commie sympathizer because the brain guy is preventing him from carrying out an outlandishly trigger-happy and/or deranged scheme, i.e. widescale nuclear obliteration or emergency lockdown/purge of the other survivors; the brain guy, naturally, refuses to let the exosuit guy into the maninframe chamber (or wherever the brain is; the exosuit guy wants to get into something? perhaps a shuttle craft/nuke control center, which the more sensible/less trigger happy scientist doesn't trust him with) so the two are bickering constantly.

 

Insane Exosuit officer: Damn red.

Brain: [says something along the lines of "the stars and stripes are part red, too. )

EXoguy- "don't give me that leftist crap. You are defying my direct orders and barring a superior officer from entry into the command center.

Brain guy: Traitor? You nearly blew my head off! Why should I let you in?

Exoguy: you don't have a head. You're just a brain!

Brain: That's because you nearly blew my head off! You shot me!

Exoguy: red bastard.

[kibblesticks]

Haha! Loving this plotline TrooperScooper, it's hilarious ;D

 

Devin, yeah I really like the idea of a branch-off of the martian dudes. That or we keep it a complete mystery, it's up to you. Mysterious races always seem to work pretty well in other sci fi narratives. On the other hand, having a certain amount of lore can increase interest and help tie in with the rest of the universe so its really just personal preference.

 

I think FEV infected flora from the twisted biodome could adapt to martian conditions. FEV is kind of a wildcard with unknown abilities, and I woudn't put anything past it (it essentially created the Master didn't it?). But you wouldn't want a biodome for agriculture breached. The idea with the ghouls is very similar to the idea I am shooting for in biodome-1. The morlocks I referenced would be original pre-war ghouls. They have many of the aspects of ferals (cannibalism), but retain more of their cognitive abilities than most ferals (they weild weapons, can still speak-kind of) . I'v thought of them as inhabiting the subterranean facility/levels of the biodome. I didn't think about a geck per se orginally, since I didn't think a stable system would need one, but it's a good idea and we can certainly throw it in there.

I do want the biodomes (both a twisted and a good one), primarily for the sake of their individual story lines. They also make sense from a design standpoint. For the good biodomes, you really need to grow your own food if at all possible. It's not just a question of economics, but also basic survival if supplies become disrupted for the colony.

 

Okay, well how about this; the ghouls live in the mainframe building, the entrance to which is located in the jungle. The mainframe structure extends beneath the surface of the jungle with access to the surface possible through either vents or caves. The tribals (it is tribals you're wanting on top isn't it?) live on the surface, using the agri-domes as bases, but also living off the flora and fauna of the jungle. The ghouls prey on the tribals for food or experiments or slave labour or whatever you like. Could take either faction's side? Could have a quest where you help the tribals rid themselves of a terrible beast (boss F.E.V monster) that has been preying on them. Or a slave system like FO Vanilla where you can capture tribals and sell them to the ghouls. That is assuming the ghouls aren't the type to kill you on sight, though I'd assume if they retain speech then they'd at least be curious about a random newcomer.

 

In this map the circle is the agri-dome (could be more). The grey building to the left is the Mainframe. The caves are just rock formations that became overgrown and lead down into the catacombs. Could be home to F.E.V horros. Just so you can see what I'm thinking:

http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j454/kibblesticks/MarsJunglemap.jpg

 

For the twisted biodome, it makes sense that they would want a large area to experiment with, but still have the experiments contained. Don't want your specimens running off and getting themselves killed or causing havoc. In addition they would initially need to be pressurized as I don't think you can make the leap from life as we know it to, something that can survive on mars, all in a fortnight's of research.

 

Fortnight of research? I thought these had been going since the Mars team first set up base over 200 years back or am I getting muddled up? Anyway, research into pressure and the like could have been done on Earth. Presumably they did a fair amount of prep for the mission beforehand. Even if they didn't, the G.E.C.K (if you use the energy-assimilator version, which lets face it, is the coolest) makes up for a lot of those problems. Just say it malfunctioned or some mad scientist wanted to test its full potential and it turned the area into a perfect environment for the dormant native flora to make a come-back.

 

I know you haven't had a chance to read it yet, but even accepting that a vast jungle is "unrealistic", my post about playability vs realism adresses my main worries concerning keeping everything confined to domes and bases.

 

But I really don't think anything's too unrealistic, this is a sci-fi universe. We're on Mars. Earth is home to mutants which defy biology and physics. We're using an experimental terraforming device that collapses matter, in conjunction with a virus that can make ants breathe fire and fuse trees to men.

[greenknightfury]

 

Oh and maybe a fourth, that is a sort of mix/compromise? By playing with teh numbers (when they arrived and how many) we could have access to a lot of different, possible scenarios. The zeta aliens would be the building block for the scenarios, but could be substantially different in nature from the aliens the player has encountered in the mothership zeta DLC (due to isolation, research etc) . From the basic foundation of the greens we can go in almost any direction.

 

For example lets say they arrived long, long ago when mars still had a appreciable atmosphere and water. Perhaps they were rebels or a splinter group fleeing the zeta homeworld. They may have had time to develop a whole new culture. Perhaps evolving (sociologically speaking) into a mystic/priest hierarchy. Over the ages changing so much in re: to their culture that their homeworld brethren would hardly recognize them. Maybe they followed a storyline akin to the doom 3 martians dabbling in extra dimensional portals, and eventually opening a gate to hell itself, unleashing the demonic hordes.

 

Perhaps they warred amongst themselves and reduced a once green mars to the dead planet we see now.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, their story could be very simple. They had a research site on the north pole a few hundred years ago (500 ad) etc, something went wrong (the human alien hybrids research) and they were wiped out.

 

This work perfectly as we see their penchant for experimenting with their own genetics with the abominations of FO3 their experiments with mixing Supermutant samples with their own and evidence they were going to do the same with ghouls and had with humans (though those last were both implied not encountered like the escaped abominations). They could have easily had a splinter research or rebel group on Mars playing mix and match with their dna based on Martian life (or the human/alien hybrid thing), becoming very different from the base form.

 

 

but would it not be possible to include a bio-dome within a jungle which is the base for the tribals but has burst open, spilling plants into the wasteland? The ghouls could reside in a second biodome or the catacombs. Perhaps they stole, or are trying to steal, the tribal's G.E.C.K.

 

I think FEV infected flora from the twisted biodome could adapt to martian conditions. FEV is kind of a wildcard with unknown abilities, and I woudn't put anything past it (it essentially created the Master didn't it?). But you wouldn't want a biodome for agriculture breached. The idea with the ghouls is very similar to the idea I am shooting for in biodome-1. The morlocks I referenced would be original pre-war ghouls. They have many of the aspects of ferals (cannibalism), but retain more of their cognitive abilities than most ferals (they weild weapons, can still speak-kind of) . I'v thought of them as inhabiting the subterranean facility/levels of the biodome. I didn't think about a geck per se orginally, since I didn't think a stable system would need one, but it's a good idea and we can certainly throw it in there.

 

I like this one: primitive tribal but intelligent ferals is an awesome idea.

 

This is obviously one of those things that just fits differently in different people's minds. I realise you really want the biodome setting so I'll just lay all my cards on the table and if you still want it then I'll go with it 100% (although I still wouldn't have a clue how to make a biodome that was a size worth putting a "jungle" in). Here goes.

 

I do want the biodomes (both a twisted and a good one), primarily for the sake of their individual story lines. They also make sense from a design standpoint. For the good biodomes, you really need to grow your own food if at all possible. It's not just a question of economics, but also basic survival if supplies become disrupted for the colony.

 

For the twisted biodome, it makes sense that they would want a large area to experiment with, but still have the experiments contained. Don't want your specimens running off and getting themselves killed or causing havoc. In addition they would initially need to be pressurized as I don't think you can make the leap from life as we know it to, something that can survive on mars, all in a fortnight's of research.

 

Actually it probably makes sense to have 3 biodomes. The first two for agriculture, each supplying 50+% of the bases demand. That way if one is destroyed the base can go on rations, but survive for some time at half capacity. And then a 3rd biodome for the "terraforming flora/fauna experiments"

 

Shoot, ran out of time:( I'll try to get to the additonal points you'v made when I get home from work (or if work is slow maybe I'll have a chance to log in).

 

Well first for kibble: You could make a dome huge (the ones in Old World Blues were friggin huge outside of them, they could be sized up I'm sure, they put a small town inside a hangar in that too) all the offices and living quarters could be under the dome itself or built into the base of the dome (imagine a dome over the Citadel from FO3 and the courtyard allot bigger and full of a jungle or fields). Like has been pointed out some of the vegetation could easily spread out, since nobody would have worried about the possibility that the specially designed or mutated plants would carry themselves out of the dome as seeds or small cuttings in their boots and on their suits. Some of the FEV mutated plants would adapt and thrive easily (Mars' atmosphere is mostly CO2 so awesome for plantgrowth and would cause an explosion in low moisture requiring plants, and the presence of the bases could easily make for some extra heat if they are at the pole and release some of the water ice at the pole, along with the increased temp from the oxygen the plants would create), and would make a nice jungle very well that could have spread around the others.

 

Now for your thing devin: I really like the idea of the domes like that, and can definitely see the idea of the supply domes not being somewhere they want the experimental plants grown. Also makes for easy separation into different tribes/societies for each dome, like city-states.

[devinpatterson]

Before I address your points specifically I should clear up what might be a little communication error on my part. I think I may have given you the impression that that I didn't want an open jungle, when I commented, "no standing water for a swamp on the martian surface". I was just refering to actual H20, I'm completely behind a FEV mutated jungle, it's a great change of pace from the facility interiors and the desolate martian wasteland. That's why I was saying earlier that your work on the alien fauna is very important not just for driving home the "alienness" of the mod but also driving home the contrast to our other locals.

 

In addition I think my idea of scale re: the biodomes is different. I see them as being big enough to have a crop for a couple hundred people and a little of the area as recreational (small park). Something along the lines of two or three times the size of the old world blues domes. Not a seperate worldspace in and of themselves, but an interior cell (if possible). So the toxic jungle is essential as the domes scale is pretty limited.

 

Re: the toxic jungle, I think it would look cool if we threw a few wrecked/deteriorated/weathered facilities, machines and robot hulks mixed into the jungle. It would give it a great look. We could have giant vines running in and out of the facility, creepers running up the side etc. Rusted/weathered robot and machine wrecks/hulks could have flora sprouting from them etc.

 

There's going to be two things in this mod for definate: Wasteland, and Domes. The wasteland you're going to be seeing a lot of and that's fine because wide, open exploration is Fallout's thing. The domes are necessary because the humans have to have somewhere to live and because they fit the retro 50/60s scifi theme.

 

I think we're looking at the wasteland in two fundamentally different ways. I believe your point of view has a lot of merit, especially in regard to open exploration. And my viewpoint will share that idea, but only later in the mod (once the appropriate armor is acquired).

 

I see the martian wasteland essentially as a place you do not want to be. It's one of those "run like hell, just try to get through it alive" encounter zones to me. Essentially its a great equalizer. Even if your level 50 and have one of the crazy lonesome road perks that pumps your health up to 600 your still at risk because of your suit. You can be Bruce Lee, an elite sniper and a laser commander all wrapped up in a death dealing, apocalyptic killing machine, but if your suit is toast, you can't breath (and your just as dead as the next guy). So in the beginning of the mod speed and/or stealth will be the order of hte day when your traversing the martian desert.

 

In addition to it leveling the playing field I also want it (vacuum) to perform a few additional functions. I'd like to use it as a game mechanic, in some of the interiors, both for the player and against him/her. Clever players will be allowed to depressurize certain areas to rid themselves of enemies. I had thought of a large biomass creature that can't be harmed by conventional weapons, but it's chamber has armored windows that can be shot out to kill it. A little mini-boss encounter.

 

On the other hand, the player may encounter explosive decompression that he/she will be the target off. For instance, while inside, the player will walk by a window with a view of hte martian vista when suddenly a FEV horror will crash through the armored glass pouncing on him/her. If the critter takes the player by surprise and shreds up his/her suit the situation goes from bad to worse.

 

I'd also like the hostile mars exterior to be a ever present theme in the first part of the mod. I'd like the player to feel like he/she is always between a rock and a hard place. Choosing between the deadly mars environment and a facility of unknown horrors. I think we can squeeze out a lot of atmosphere/ambiance that way. Initially the mod could even resemble a survival horror genre, where even a few feral ghouls could be life or death.

 

But as hte player adventures we reward him/her by giving him/her better armor and nullifying the threat of vacuum. It gives the player a chance to progress (and just as importantly they *feel* like they are advancing) and begin to focus on other issues/story lines.

 

In regard to armor I thought we could follow something like this;

science suit 6DT Health 25 (biohazard, radiation or chemical. all the same dt). Looks like your standard radiation suit, except biohazard and chemical are differnt colors. aka they're deathtraps.

space suit 10DT Health 100 (vanilla item)

Chinese stealth armor 12DT Health 100, similar to the vanilla version but adapted to function in mars' harsh environment.

All-purpose science suit 13DT Health 200 " "

Armored pressure suit (recon armor) 17DT Health 400. Essentially this could be recon armor or could simply be a reinforced suit for extended time in the martian vacuum (armored against falls etc).

Power Armor 25DT 2000 Health T-51b adapted for mars.

Mars assault vehicle ??DT ???Health. This will be that 10' tall robobrain bot you ride around in. I'm guessing it will have a fair amount of health and DT.

 

All of the above armors (and any unique versions) would be added to the same formlist to be checked against in our scripts to see if the player is protected from the devastating environment. We can also include repair kits that function just like weapon repair kits for the armor. Not only off the shelf kits but craftable at a workbench as well.

 

And for the vacuum effect, I'm seriously thinking of just attaching a small OnEquip/OnUnEquip block to the armors. On un equipping (as I believe would happen when an armors health reaches 0) the script will check if it is a interior cell or an exterior. If exterior it would begin to modAV the players health. We'll need additional triggers at exits to the exteriors but that's the basic idea I'm leaning toward at the moment.

 

A little sub-quest I was pondering concerns the monorail system. I wanted to disable fast travel since it takes out a lot of the risk in traversing the martian desert. But on the other hand I didn't want the player to be traversing back and forth for half an hour at a time. So I thought we could have a monorail station at each facility/site. Each could be activated/repaired. Once that is done you could travel from any activated/repaired monorail station to any other activated/repaired one. Or it could resemble deadspace's monorail, where you arrive at one station and have to unlock another station to exit to the next local. Either way it would cut out fast travel, but not constrain the player to spending 90/% of his/her time tromping across the martian vista.

 

My main concern is that by placing everything in domes you risk "bullet-pointing" the action. .......Open Jungle:......1. Has a myriad of different terrain types.....Closed Bio-Dome:....

 

1. Much more interesting for a focused narrative......-Like I said, that's me laying my cards on the table. If you still want to go with the biodomes then we'll do it but I'm not going to lie, a G.E.C.K jungle is something that strikes me as truly awe-inspiring.

 

I say we do both, we need the jungle just as much as the biodomes. I believe they have all become integral to the story line.

 

As for extra "zones", I'd just like to put forward a suggestion that we keep everything confined to the crater for the time being. Moons and space stations and polar ice caps are great for add-ons and finales, etc.. but Bethesda themselves avoid "transportation" to different areas like the plague and I think there's a reason for that. It's easy to keep things focused if everything is connected.

 

Yeah we do have a lot on our plate. Although I'd hate to shelve the nuked Chinese military base, and phobes they both had so much potential. But maybe we'll have time to work on them in the future. In regard to the pole I wasn't really proposing a new location, but rather suggesting that the pole is a good spot for our crater, as opposed to any other area on mars. Mostly because water has so many uses that it's a good base of operations (which could explain why the alien base is there).

 

To finish, I'd just like to say I really like the whole biodome narrative. The main base getting overrun and potentially dealing with a chinese invasion/missile strike/whatever explains nicely why they can't contain the G.E.C.K biodome going nuclear. When do you think it happened roughly?

 

I'm thinking the shite hit the fan right at the time of the great war. When the nukes began to fly on Earth, the Americans and Chinese on Mars kicked the crap out of each other. The Chinese base was much smaller and recieved the worse of it, due in part thanks to the mobile cavalry (power armor), but some of the US facilities were damaged (including the terraforming biodome aka the twisted/corrupted dome) as well.

Edited February 15, 2012 by devinpatterson

[kibblesticks]

Before I address your points specifically I should clear up what might be a little communication error on my part. I think I may have given you the impression that that I didn't want an open jungle, when I commented, "no standing water for a swamp on the martian surface". I was just refering to actual H20, I'm completely behind a FEV mutated jungle, it's a great change of pace from the facility interiors and the desolate martian wasteland.

*audible sigh of relief* Yup sounds like a complete misunderstanding, feel a bit foolish for going on so much now :facepalm:

 

 

I see them as being big enough to have a crop for a couple hundred people and a little of the area as recreational (small park). Something along the lines of two or three times the size of the old world blues domes.

 

Got it, I'll go re-check the size of the OWB domes. I'm really bad at visuallising scale which is why the maps are so out of proportion.

 

Re: the toxic jungle, I think it would look cool if we threw a few wrecked/deteriorated/weathered facilities, machines and robot hulks mixed into the jungle. It would give it a great look. We could have giant vines running in and out of the facility, creepers running up the side etc. Rusted/weathered robot and machine wrecks/hulks could have flora sprouting from them etc.

Sounds very awesome.

 

I think we're looking at the wasteland in two fundamentally different ways. I believe your point of view has a lot of merit, especially in regard to open exploration. And my viewpoint will share that idea, but only later in the mod (once the appropriate armor is acquired).

 

Actually didn't think of it like that but this sounds great. The exploration being a reward for completing the first section of the mod. Also the idea of Vacum-death sounds cool, just spitballing ideas but perhaps have a script that makes the player explode, ala bloody mess perk, after a certian amount of time/hp loss.

 

The player will walk by a window with a view of hte martian vista when suddenly a FEV horror will crash through the armored glass pouncing on him/her. If the critter takes the player by surprise and shreds up his/her suit the situation goes from bad to worse.

I want to play this encounter.

 

I'd like the player to feel like he/she is always between a rock and a hard place. Choosing between the deadly mars environment and a facility of unknown horrors. I think we can squeeze out a lot of atmosphere/ambiance that way.

 

Kind of like the feeling you get when you first step out into the Wasteland, get attacked by the eyebot (after shooting it) and try to hide in Springvale school..

 

I wanted to disable fast travel since it takes out a lot of the risk in traversing the martian desert. So I thought we could have a monorail station at each facility/site.

When I first thought Mars travel I was thinking of some kind armoured car but monorail is much better, plus it doesn't require a driving license :yes: I'm seeing a sleek, retro hover-carriage with art-deco plating?

 

 

 

In regard to the pole I wasn't really proposing a new location, but rather suggesting that the pole is a good spot for our crater, as opposed to any other area on mars. Mostly because water has so many uses that it's a good base of operations (which could explain why the alien base is there).

Gotcha, makes sense. Have you seen the (relatively) recent Dr.Who episode "The Waters of Mars"? Great bit in that about the waters on Mars. :P

 

Cool beans, sounds like we have a bit of a decent narrative happening here! If you want me to do any models so people can get started with building bases and the like just holler. Otherwise I might give the mono-rail of the future a bash.

 

Edit: Actually, having studied a few styles, a sleek art-deco carriage would be way too fanciful for mars. Probably best to make it more like a submarine in shape, with thick metal sheets and large rivets to withstand the immense surface pressurre. *sigh* why can't we have nice things.

 

Edit #2: When you spoke earlier about a dome with others coming off like spokes on a wheel, was this the kind of thing you meant?

 

Edit #3: Actually these guys seem to be working on a mod that lets the player be carried by a train. Maybe we could get help from them if they figure it out.

[TrooperScooperMKII]

Devin, the vacuum "equalizer" sounds great.

King Kong and Planet of the Apes references in the jungle area, and Jawas for a Ghoul scavenger thing...

 

or http://images.wikia.com/trigun/images/3/35/Flourishanime.jpg

perhaps a little Trigun nostalgia?

[kibblesticks]

Monorail Freight Carrier #1 WIP:

http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j454/kibblesticks/MarsTrainFront.jpg

 

 

Looks a bit too modern now, but texturing should sort that out. Designed with the idea that freight and personnel need some means of transportation across the planet surface. The interior will be contain seats at the front and will house crates at the rear. Not too sure how it's going to turn out yet so I may have to scrap it if it doesn't fit the "look". What style are we going for btw? Because a lot of fallout is art deco style, but fancy architecture wouldn't be a priority on Mars.