Gravity As Gameplay

AJ · 2004-09-16T01:29:28

Is making gravity an element in a science fiction game too hardcore to be playable? One very immersive factor in science fiction adventure stories is gravity. Adventurers deal with the challenge of high acceleration, crushing planets, and zero-G adaptation among different races. I'm wondering how well this factor would translate if you were running your own ship, exploring environments and dealing with traveling the cosmos. Basics The races in the game world rely on either widespread Galactic technology or their own native tech for their hulls. In terms of Galactic technology, billions of years old, gravity is artificial and can even conform to the shell of a given character (read: not a factor). With native tech like that of the various Terran empires, gravity is generated either by rotating segments or a limited form of artificial gravity. Galactic tech is obviously more expensive, while native tech is (in accordance with the storyline and post-apocalyptic environment) more widespread. Here are some gameplay effects and possible challenges: Maps Reconfigured When a native tech ship thrusts, gravity is along the axis of acceleration. This means that walls become floors and ceilings while some cooridoors become drop shafts (down is now sideways). If you had to manuever through the ship while it is thrusting this would change the spatial layout of the ship, potentially becoming very disorienting. Weakening Under High/Low Gravity Native tech ships would coast between thrusting to save fuel. The ship would switch to rotating or using its gravity ducts for the health and comfort of the crew, to perform maintenence more efficiently and to complete certain projects, usually science based. Among civilian passengers and less hardy spacers, lack of gravity would drain morale, which ultimately affects the ship as a business (if taking passengers) and crew retention / obedience. Over weeks, lack of gravity would lower health and stats among all crew. (Long distance trips will be made with time acceleration, btw, depending on the tech level, so this is abstract). As a tradeoff, onboard space could be given over to recreational facilities which fight the effects of low gravity on the heart and other muscle tissues. Under high gravity (such as hard acceleration to make a deadline), crew would tire more quickly. Less labor would get done onboard, accidents would be more devasting, security personnel would be less ready for combat and more instances of fighting might arise. Maximum Thrust and Manuevering This also would mean that ships can only thrust at the gravity tolerable to their weakest crew members. So low-G crew could only tolerate a few multiples of their maximum gravity before blacking out or even dying. (This limit would appear on the interface). This factor then would affect hiring, and better candidates would be more likely to have bionics or cyber enhancements to help them deal with gravity. You could upgrade to equipment to help deal with gravity. Equipment would range from more expensive flight suits (with compression and circulatory stimulation) to fortifying drugs to gravity tanks and gravity stations of compressed fluids. Terrans ships would have an option of two types of reverse-engineered Galactic tech in the form of gravity ducts and gravplates. Ducts would modify gravity in section of the hull (generating a field) but wear down over time and need replacing; plates would require lots of energy per section Tactical Vulnerabilities When thrusting, all crew would respond to an automatic yellow alert and secure themselves and convert the interior. The time this takes would depend on their level of discipline and training. Ships with rotating sections would have to stop rotating to thrust. This time delay would depend on the quality level of the equipment. Both of these states would be represented in the interface as a flashing status effect near/over the acceleration controls. If you chose to accelerate, you'd get a query along the lines of "All stations have not yet reported secure, sir. If we thrust now we may experience __________ effects. Proceed anyway?" The effects might be damaged equipment and/or crew casualties, but would decrease with crew skill (as more experienced crew would learn to grab onto anything). If time critical repairs or emergency surgery were being performed and you wanted to accelerate, the you would have to delay or risk damaging the endeavor (losing equipment or a patient). If a ship's rotating section were hit and disabled, over weeks it would create problems with morale and health. Boarding Defense When boarding an enemy ship or repelling boarders, acceration and reconfiguration of gravity could be a weapon. An accelerating ship could, if all crew were secure, hard accelerate to trap or injure boarders (using the same system as unsecured crew, modified by the equipment being used to board). Gravity could also be cycled (in terms of plates) higher or lower, provided you were in control of the command deck. If you were boarding a ship, you'd either need to be sure the engine was disabled without destroying the ship, or have jet-pack assisted power armor, preferrably with phase-bonding climbing claws. Spinning, Disorientation, Personal Combat, Getting Stuck Under zero-G there are several personal interaction problems: the potential to become disoriented because of physics-based interactions is high. You could jump into a room and hit the opposite wall too hard, or drift at an annoyingly slow pace, possibly even getting stuck in the middle of the room. And in combat, you could be hit and as a result go spinning. For the sake of playability, then, in this case gravity will only be "psuedo-gravity." You can never be sent spinning although you can spin others or have your allies spun if hit. Walls "magnetize" all personnel, causing them to slowly drift toward any wall in zero-G. And while you can still glance off another object, any object you face you "grip" automatically, preventing you from ping-ponging around a room. Obviously, gravity offers some intriguing possibilities in terms of tradeoffs. For a science fiction game, it would almost seem to be required. But since it is so counter-intuitive, it may not be worth it. Thoughts?

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Wavinator September 13, 2004 03:54 AM

29 comments, last by Wavinator 20 years, 4 months ago

Wavinator

Author

2,020

September 16, 2004 01:29 AM

Quote:
Original post by rrc2soft
Quote:
Original post by Wavinator
Quote:

And finally, in Zero-G combat, remember - The enemy's gate is down.

???

"Ender's Game". Read the novel, is a good one, and Zero-G combat is an essencial part of it.

Oy! It's been probably a decade since I read that book. You, sir, are much more hardcore than I! [grin]

--------------------Just waiting for the mothership...

Gravity As Gameplay

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Gravity As Gameplay

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines