Aquatic vehicles

[Benedict]

I agree, although I think for this change to be worth it, there needs to be a lot of expansion to waterways. As it stands there’s basically only river, and no way to pass under bridges (there’d have to be some code change there, or perhaps raise the bridges by one Z level.

Personally I think it’d be cool to see the introduction of a coastline, with the sea beyond it. It would limit the direction the player can travel in (perhaps the coastline could be decided upon worldgen as always being to the East/North/whatever) but that’s not a big deal, given that the map can extend infinitely in all other directions. The sea could have random islands, some with towns, other just bare, and maybe there’d be boats dotted around for the player to scavenge from.

[KA101]

Yeah, water needs more love. I’ve been thinking islands with a house or somesuch could make a fairly secure base and would justify player investment in Swimming, etc.

Other aquatic locations might involve offshore wind, extraction rigs, reefs (Deep One colony optional, since there are Lovecraftian folks in the game already), etc.

[Fniff]

I think there should be danger as well to prevent everything from being “you escaped the zombie infection! Congrats, you are the protagonist of a zombie movie in pretty much every way now!”. Mutated sharks, deep ones, kraken?

[system]

Maybe a: You hear a large thud and a part was damaged!

Zombies in water hitting the boat, solves the over poweredness.

[Benedict]

At this point, I feel it’s justified to bring everyone’s attention to Derelict, which is how I hope a seafaring cataclysm game might feel.

Seriously. We need boats, someday. The sea in where Whales lives, after all.

[Jihelu]

Or you could just go fast over the water.

[kenoxite]

While I see how this suggestion can quickly lead to these kind of other ideas and conclusions let me add something.

The only goal I had in mind when making this suggestion was to provide another way to explore the mainland, this time by using rivers instead of roads. We’re talking rafts here, after all. A quite inappropriate and vulnerable navigation method.

In my mind, just the river itself could and should kill you if you’re not careful, if things such as rapids were implemented. But even without that we have giant flying swamp creatures that could drain you dry in a couple seconds. If anything, navigating a raft would be something quite risky. Its main benefit would be offering you an alternative (relatively) fast transportation method which is (relatively) easy to build, for those not versed in mechanics or not lucky when looking for a terrestrial vehicle, or parts for it, or gas, etc.

It’s also something that goes well with the “survivor” theme of this game.

[Jihelu]

Seriously though. We have a cbm that slows time right?..I want to go fast over the water.

[system]

“Your boat capsizes! You where eaten by a Water Grue.”

Water Grues… What a way to go.

Water grues would be cool, something lurking in the water nobody knows anything about. It’s only presence would be ripples in the water, creeping up upon your boat and smacking the hull. “You hear a large thud and X part was damaged!” And the boat may capsize where you get eaten by the grue.

[KA101]

Problem with Water Grues is that players can, depending on their luck with Mutagen, pretty much become merfolk/tritons. Grues generally were an omnipresent hazard in Zork and the Water Grues sound like an implementation of Super Drowning Skills.

(Grues generally would be an interesting monster…but Night Vision kills their schtick too. Basically, there’s nowhere a properly equipped/modded/mutated PC can’t go…with the possible exception of lava. Pentagram of Protection!)

[system]

No, they are vultures not like their cousins.

If you are watching the water and not in bad shape (from capsizing or just stupidity) they won’t attack.

They attack when you are below 30 hp on any limb or when drowning, they cannot eat live prey. Which explains no zombies in the water.

[Wuzzy]

I pretty much like the idea.

[uzername]

I was thinking about it before, but I cannot imagine how to implement sailing under bridges. The key point here is that the bridges are on the same z-level as water, which makes them impassable obstacle for aquatic vehicles.

But the general idea is great.

[kenoxite]

Thanks.

Well, Z levels will be integrated eventually. There’s the foundations for it already present in 0.3 IIRC, and it seems it will be developed further.

But, yes, without being able to sail or swim below bridges this whole suggestion is silly. It’d probably also need a revamp/tweak of swamp tiles. Imagine sailing is implemented tomorrow but swamps remain the same. It’d be simply suicidal to get on a raft. Giant frogs and mosquitoes trains, etc. You’d last exactly two milliseconds.

[KA101]

Yeah, I like the general idea. I’d want to find that steel rowboat I used to pilot in Ontario, rather than being confined to rafts/canoes, though. Larger boats ought to have similar tradeoffs to Cars: larger/faster/better armor/storage v. less maneuverable/gas-hungry/attracts attention.

[bookofguns]

maybe they can get the code to make a boat surface to not cause enemies to get hit damage, so monsters can get on your boat while you drive and come to kill you while you jump off the controls to fight them, and hope you have enough time to get back to them so you don’t crash.

[Sunrise]

Why not throw in hovercraft, for hybrid land and water travel while avoiding basic traps? I understand they steer like a very slippery tank, tough, and are super-fragile.

[system]

Trouble is… if you get off the controls you will be run over by your own boat.

The current system won’t support it.

[Morrigi]

Fix the current system?

[system]

Cataclysm itself would need an entire re-write, as do many things.