Idea: Space Station Mode

General discussion about the game.
KirksEchoingScream
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:41 pm

Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby KirksEchoingScream » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:17 am

Here's an idea for the developers, or mod makers, to consider.

There have been calls for an infinite exploration mode, but considering all "locations" in the game are either ships or multiple choice quests there's no real need for you to move at all! Why not let the action come to you?

I suggest adding Space Station Mode. This would effectively be a bit like turning on your distress beacon. You would not be able to move, instead you'd just wait and random events would occur. You'd get ships attacking, requests for aid, traveling merchants you can occasionally purchase items from, almost everything the game offers now. Except because you're stationary the fun never has to end (until you die)!

The premise could be that you're a Federation Space Station, guarding a system against rebel incursions. You'd be much larger than a ship, with room for a lot more armaments, augments, and crew, than the kestrel can hold but you'd start off with very little. As you win battles and trade you'd grow in power, just like in regular FTL, except with a much greater maximum power and designed for longer games with no clear end point.

Unlike regular FTL the rebel ships would come to you, and they would grow in strength until reaching a certain maximum power. And although you would start off with a great deal more hull strength than a ship, you would not be able to repair it except when merchant ships with repair crews randomly arrive. So the game would consist of seeing how long you can keep your hull intact between repairs, against endless waves of rebels, interspersed with other friendly and hostile ships.

Imagine commanding an immense station, bristling with weapons, your large crew running around repairing systems, as ship after ship arrives to chip away at your defenses. Sounds like a fun time.
White Elk
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:13 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby White Elk » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:34 am

Station Defense: Great idea for a mod.

Like a besieged station who must hold out until fleet reinforcements arrive. Station armed with multiple weapon systems, but many being offline due to missing critical parts. From time to time (one of the random events), a ship gets through the siege to deliver parts, munitions, scrap, and personnel; or an attacker can be bribed, more. At end of every stage (sector), new stuff arrives, or station engineers make improvements, etc.

Some events require the station to aid a ships entry to station (Would be cool to see the ship taking damage and fighting. Becomes a race against time. Player faced with difficult choices and AI has variety of tactical approaches). Have various drones but also fighter squadrons. Allow teleporting onto enemy ships (with requisite parts), a successful boarding allows scraping ship at station or automating it to attack the siege line. Lots of possibilities here.
Kirbypowered
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:37 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby Kirbypowered » Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:09 am

Reminds me of someone's idea to combine Space Station 13 and FTL. I like it. It could maybe be a little more real time too, so that there's a non-fixed amount of time between events in which you can order your crew to do what needs doing.
splette
Posts: 76
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 12:37 am

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby splette » Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:58 am

Sounds like a great idea. I think it's out of the scope of a mod though. I hope the developers will consider creating missions outside of a ship though.
KirksEchoingScream
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:41 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby KirksEchoingScream » Tue Oct 02, 2012 1:03 pm

splette wrote:Sounds like a great idea. I think it's out of the scope of a mod though. I hope the developers will consider creating missions outside of a ship though.


It's not really outside the scope of a mod. If you think about it, the space station is just a ship. All you're doing is making a new design ship but with no engine or other systems.

The game already has a system in place for waiting and having ships come to you. The big challenge would be scripting new quests and getting rid of the ones about traveling. For example:

The escape pod of a pirate princess arrives at the station, following immediately by a furious pirate dreadnought determined to return her home. She begs for you to grant her asylum.

*"Sorry lady, but this isn't a shelter for runaways." -Pirate ship thanks you and leaves peacefully
*Fight the ship. - Gain a new crew member and fight the pirates


It's nothing the game doesn't do already, it just needs new text.
mqstout
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:48 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby mqstout » Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:53 pm

This is one of my favorite requests I've seen listed here and is an IDEAL FTL expansion/2nd campaign mode. I hope the devs notice it!
Honelith
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:14 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby Honelith » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:28 pm

I'd love this! :D
Maze1125
Posts: 144
Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 12:09 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby Maze1125 » Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:59 pm

Great idea, perhaps you'd also be able to send out ships yourself to near-by systems to look for supplies or for quests.
Grumpy-Mcfart
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:46 am

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby Grumpy-Mcfart » Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:52 pm

sounds fun to me.
WARNING: This post was produced on equipment that is also used in the manufacture of sarcasm. Trace amounts of sarcasm may have contaminated the post as a result.
jedi93
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:48 pm

Re: Idea: Space Station Mode

Postby jedi93 » Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:20 pm

I totally support this idea.
It sounds really great :)

greetz
jedi93
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