SpaceWreck: postapoc space RPG inspired by Fallout

Dialogues now show requirement tags for skill checks without exact number but ▲/▼ icon instead to indicate the difficulty. And there's also post-check animation to indicate that roll happened under the hood.

SW-speech-roll.gif


And, yes, previously almost all of the dialogues were skill gated (think New Vegas) but now I'm adding/changing to rolls in some places.

Oh, and I am aware that there is great shizm between players that want to see mechanics (skill check rolls) and those who want more of an immersion. So, you can turn this all off and looks like this:

SW-speech-roll-no-tags.gif


Of course, it would be better not to show them to don't break the immersion however many players might just miss the idea that speech/skill affects your dialogue. Like, I loved Fallout 1 but I learned that it had speech checks only some time after I completed it first. New Vegas was great in this - it shows that there are tons of options to approach the quest. But it does make it all mechanical and metagamey in a while. But umm, thing is, I kind of like both approaches and some days prefer one over other, other days - vice versa.

Just curious - what's your take on this whole metagaming aspect, e.g. skill check indicators in dialogues?
 
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This is how traveling between wrecks (de facto locations) in JUnkspace might look like.

animationcockpit.gif


BTW, how many obscure gaming references can you find in the GIF?
 
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I only recognize the brahmin.
 
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I've been working on content, so there's not much to show atm. But here's tiny animations update for one of the enemies (or friend - it depends) you can encounter in game.

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While exploring Junkspace, you are likely to run into a cambot. Once a popular and cost-effective all-in-one security solution, they still guard company's property blissfully unaware of decades passed
 
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SW-multiple-choice.gif


Only one of the options gets you what you need, but all of them have skill-checks. Fail, and it may get you in trouble.

How to make the informed decision? Explore, gather information or use perception check to read NPC's personality profile.
 
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Do you like mines in your RPG? I like mines.

Not the part where you step on one - that's just annoying. But I really like the creative tactical solutions they provide.

SW-place-a-mine.gif

You can place mines. Be careful though, once it is set it does not magically recognize you - it will detonate on anybody indiscriminately.

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Mines can, of course, be disarmed. It is a SCITEC skill roll and if you fail. Well, you've got 2 seconds to get away

SW-succesfully-disarm-a-mine.gif

...but if you succeed, you can pick up disarmed mine for yourself and place it wherever you need it.

Silver lining if you step on one - they leave reusable parts behind, so not completely a waste of hp.
 
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SW-trigger-a-trap.gif


Containers can be trapped too. You can evade taking damage with successful EVASION roll or, even better, spot the trap from afar with good PERCEPTION

SW-detect-a-trap.gif
 
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UPDATE: now detect only on interaction update

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Nothing major, just adjusted the tone, the colours for secondary DOS themed colour scheme. I think this nu blu is easier on the eyes.

new-blue-inventory.png

new-blue-dialogue.pngp

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I also switched to a more readable font, I think. Previous one was cool but all-caps is probably not the best choice for reading lots of text. And we got lots of text. 42k+ words as of now.

For the reference - this is how the DOS theme looked some time ago, with eye-burning blue and all-caps font:

DOS-theme.jpg
 
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Redesigning characters art, now with all isometric angles.

New vs old
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Playing Fallout, I was blown away first time I realized you can set a timer on a bomb and reverse-pickpocket it on NPC. And blow it up!

So, naturally, I had to have it in my game as well!

SW-place-an-armed-stealth-bomb-2.gif
 
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I have implemented a simple item condition system.

Some items - mostly weapons, armour and tools - have condition parameter that affects their performance and longevity. The condition wears down with each use of an item - shot for weapons, application for tools and received hit for armour. Item that reaches condition 0, turns into a Junk. Weapons also lose damage proportionally (currently DMG = baseDMG * (0.5 + condition/200)).

You can repair items with lower condition instances but for that you have to have at least average (3/5) tinker skill. If not, you'll most likely throw away deteriorating guns always looking for one in better condition.

Special note is about condition 100, or, as I call them, pristine items. These items are basically new, unused or with minimal wear. They would not deteriorate any further. The idea being that items with condition below hundred are old and used, while new items wouldn't break down in the near future.

I do realize condition is not universally liked in RPGs, plus, original Fallouts did not have it in any form, it was only New Vegas that had in game. But, I have decided I want condition in Space Wreck because of these two reasons:
  1. It fits the crumbling derelict world. It directly demonstrates to the player some of the hurdles survivors in Junkspace have to endure - finding and maintaining equipment usable, looking for scraps to patch it and keep going.
  2. It kind of addresses the problem RPGs have - every enemy you face and inevitably best - will have a weapon. While first pistol can become your weapon, rest of them are much more useless. With condition there's always use for a copy of gun you already have.
SW-condition-showcase.gif
 
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Drugs. There are drugs in the game now. Need to be more perceptive to read this person? Want to ignore some pain? Not enough speed..err..action points? No problem for your needs, there are remedies!

Just, so you know, there are are drawbacks. Some stats go down but…in expense for others, so better plan ahead. And be careful - there can be subtle side effects…

 
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old-shuttle-on-Kurbads.png


Fortunate are those space wreck dweller communities that have old, tiny, banged up and leaking but still running shuttlecrafts. It grants precious freedom to scavenge, trade and migrate in Junkspace.
 
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Apparently I came to the wrong neighborhood :/

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Like in tabletop RPG, skill checks are dice rolls and can go either way, affected by both your character build and luck. To accentuate this important part of the game play, we've added a prominent animation -

SW-scitec-dice-roll-flat.gif


Initially I was shy to shove these under-the-hood mechanics in player's face but then I saw how Larian is doing just that in their Baldurs Gate 3 and decided to not hold back myself. I like dice rolling in RPGs, because
  • it demonstrates that there are multiple options available
  • it adds suspense and thrill to the skill checks
  • it helps to understand math behind it and feel the risk and see how better stats help.

One another thing - these skill checks can be fairly important. Like in this example success and fail lead to self-excluding quests and, potentially, diverging plot. Idea being that FAILURE is just as cool RPG experience as SUCCESS and you should accept it as just different, interesting twist to the story.

P.S. I understand that not everyone wants this level of meta gaming in their RPG, so there's a toggle in settings, to switch it off, along with skill tags in dialog choices (`[CHARM] Wanna talk about it?`)
 
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minebot.gif

Minebots - actually space mining equipment, are used to work extracted and processed space ore. Even though these machines float in microgravity, they posses surprisingly large mass and are propelled by small rocket engines. That is why ordinarily human personnel is not allowed to work alongside the minebots - it is just too dangerous.
 
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If you want to get rid of a character or need an item it is holding, murder is not the only option. For example, while he's not looking, you can spike his drink with sleeping pills
 
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I am working on quests, so there's not much to show of that. However, here's small visual update to one of the maps:

SW-Kurbads-big-objects-front.gif


Asteroid ore hauling rockship showing heavy damage to the bow. Tiny speckle in the middle there is you.
 
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