Xenon Hardware: Station Modules

[Crimsonraziel]

Personally I'd love to build some Xenon style stations. Those modules could be more expensive to build but require less workforce to operate at maximum efficiency. You could even throw in some additional research after obtaining their schemes in order to adapt them.

[Kitty]

You wanna build terraformers ?

[VolusRus]

With working Xenon economy a Xenon gamestart may look nice...

[RAVEN.myst]

A qualified "yes" here: I am reminded of the satisfaction of capturing and then reverse-engineering Js and Ks in TC and AP - if Xenon station tech were to be made available, I would want it to be very challenging (and ideally, also interesting) to obtain, otherwise it would just be cheapened. So, 'yes' if difficult and puzzling, otherwise 'no'.

[Crimsonraziel]

You wanna build terraformers ?

Actually, I'd love to. I miss my #deca.

[mr.WHO]

Well no matter how good or bad this would be (lore wise). I think Egosoft should at least technically allow this in code, so that modders could make something useful with it (e.g. Xenon game start and gameplay).

[linolafett]

Well no matter how good or bad this would be (lore wise). I think Egosoft should at least technically allow this in code, so that modders could make something useful with it (e.g. Xenon game start and gameplay).

we actually do allow it on a technical level, because we already constructed some xenon stations in the ingame station build editor.
I dont think this will be exposed vanilla to the played for other reasons.

[mr.WHO]

Great news - modders can turn this to something nice after release

[Lc4Hunter]

Great news - modders can turn this to something nice after release

And we will

[Morkonan]

I think a "Xenon Game Start" with accompanying long story mission would be interesting.

But, I don't mean just a start that treats itself like it took a template from another and just slapped different ships and faction affiliations on itself.

Being an "A.I.", something truly alien, would be a great perspective to explore in an X game. And, there's a huge door there to create many wild and interesting missions, unique to any previous X game experience.

Imagine the feeling you'd get as you were introduced to what its like being a Xenon entity. The game loads up and there you are, docked to some Xenon complex somewhere. As you explore, you quickly learn that... everything that isn't Xenon wants to end you. Every sector is full of red blips. And, if that wasn't disturbing enough, the Xenon don't care about you, either. So, why do you "care?"

Exploring what an A.I. intelligence might "think" about or what, if anything, it could "feel" would be a pretty neat experience, if done right.

I understand the concept of keeping truly "alien" characters, like the Xenon, distant and unknown to the player, so they retain the malevolence and mystery they're created with. But, one doesn't have to break that barrier with a Xenon DLC. A lone Xenon drone, somehow becoming "conscious" and concerned about its ideas of "self" would be a pretty interesting way to start an X game.

[Crimsonraziel]

Great news - modders can turn this to something nice after release

And we will

I'll count on that

[Kitty]

I think a "Xenon Game Start" with accompanying long story mission would be interesting.

You are a spaceship. Your CPU has been expanded by big mamma, also known as #cafeine000. Your mission is to reformat all Teladi sectors. Your means: you have guns and sensors. You have to credits. Credits mean nothing to you. You cannot earn credits. Instead, you have a Utility score. You earn Utility score by destroying carbon-based auto-replicants. You earn Utility by caping their ships and selling them to Xenon shipyard for reverse engineering and recycling. You can "own" other spaceships with lower IA performance. You cannot download yourself anywhere. You are a spaceship, not a walking drone, understood ?

If you succeed, you'll have the biggest of all reward: you'll be mass produced!

Well. Would this stard have any interest ?

[rulerofallcheese]

You wanna build terraformers ?

LOL - Funniest thing I've seen all week. Thanks.

[Eoniton]

Even if it won't be possible to build xenon modules, it would be very rewarding to get "special" modules with bonusses or the reward of building your own xenon based ships.

[Sparky Sparkycorp]

I'm torn on this. It sounds fun but also perhaps it's the essence of using Xenon Tech and thus a big safety gamble.

I think a "Xenon Game Start" with accompanying long story mission would be interesting.

You are a spaceship. Your CPU has been expanded by big mamma, also known as #cafeine000. Your mission is to reformat all Teladi sectors. Your means: you have guns and sensors. You have to credits. Credits mean nothing to you. You cannot earn credits. Instead, you have a Utility score. You earn Utility score by destroying carbon-based auto-replicants. You earn Utility by caping their ships and selling them to Xenon shipyard for reverse engineering and recycling. You can "own" other spaceships with lower IA performance. You cannot download yourself anywhere. You are a spaceship, not a walking drone, understood ?

If you succeed, you'll have the biggest of all reward: you'll be mass produced!

Well. Would this stard have any interest ?

Sounds fun...although might #decafeine000 be better?

[Crimsonraziel]

#decafeine000

What numeral system ist this, quadrovigesimal?

[Sparky Sparkycorp]

#decafeine000

What numeral system ist this, quadrovigesimal?

No idea...we'd have to ask Kitty!

[ezra-r]

It would be amazing to have that and other races modules, each with their own specific buffs. For example:

Teladi + 5% output for profits
Argon -2% resource ingredients needed
Split - +5% manufacture speed
Xenon -10% energy needed, 2% output, 1% speed <-- ultra hard to get.
and so on...

[Crimsonraziel]

It would be amazing to have that and other races modules, each with their own specific buffs. For example:

Teladi + 5% output for profits
Argon -2% resource ingredients needed
Split - +5% manufacture speed
Xenon -10% energy needed, 2% output, 1% speed <-- ultra hard to get.
and so on...

Xenon modules should not be superior to other modules.
Just have them require less workforce and no other benefit. This isn't useless but doesn't matter on the long run and folks, that don't like to struggle with Xenon tech, don't feel like they are missing something.

All in all, I don't think those buffs are a good idea in general.
For race/faction specific modules they are pointless (+5% more Teladianium compared to what? Split Teladianium Factories?).
And for the other modules it only causes frustration when designing your blueprints because numbers just don't match. This will ultimately lead to most player stations being "single race" complexes.

[ezra-r]

It would be amazing to have that and other races modules, each with their own specific buffs. For example:

Teladi + 5% output for profits
Argon -2% resource ingredients needed
Split - +5% manufacture speed
Xenon -10% energy needed, 2% output, 1% speed <-- ultra hard to get.
and so on...

Xenon modules should not be superior to other modules.
Just have them require less workforce and no other benefit. This isn't useless but doesn't matter on the long run and folks, that don't like to struggle with Xenon tech, don't feel like they are missing something.

All in all, I don't think those buffs are a good idea in general.
For race/faction specific modules they are pointless (+5% more Teladianium compared to what? Split Teladianium Factories?).
And for the other modules it only causes frustration when designing your blueprints because numbers just don't match. This will ultimately lead to most player stations being "single race" complexes.

I disagree completely.

Although what I described was merely an example, not a perfect design of how they should be (Egosoft does not pay me to think for them), the reason I meant this and the Xenon being better and tougher to get is to have interesting endgame goals, this possibly being one of them.

Xenon are about the most "alien" "particular" "different" race Egosoft has, so unless they plan to add another misterious race with something cool to get from them, they may probably end up like in Rebirth, mere terrorists like pirates which just roam and kill everything on their way = not fun.

There must be particular far away goals one the game must have to make sandbox interesting. Sandbox with no direction in particular is not really fun. Different race modules with different buffs well designed for player needs, and some of them hard to get would add lots of playability to a sandbox game, players like choices, meaningful if possible.

Of course if you design this idea correctly, factories would end up with mixed race modules, depending on the player needs and what the player has managed to achieve, with high level players ending up with some factories with the best of the best, if they can achieve it.

Folks that don't like to struggle with Xenon tech, are free to stay away from them, but removing gaming possibilities because some players prefer the trader or the likes is, as I see it, locking yourself in a cage. Everyone should play the game their own style, but possibilities and long range goals should be there for the most typical play styles, that is, trade, manufacture, fight, explore.

We don't want Rebirth, we want a real game.