World building ideas

[Omnires]

This thread is based on somethings that was said on Discord about things outside of game play that would add to the world of Em-8er to make it feel more realistic and lived in. Please share your idea and note that this thread is all about game immersion and telling a story. Game play need not be a factor in the things discussed here. So this thread can jump around bit as people talk about how different technologies might work, or the biology of different creatures, or the behavior of NPCs, and so on.

I'll start by repeating what I said on Discord. Where I thought about how and if the Omniframes had an system to stop them from damaging themselves as the pilot did things like idiosyncrasies (example, how a lot tend to do things like scratch their head when they are confused or how a good number of people stroke a part of their face when deep in thought.) and acting on reflex (example, a bug lands on your neck and you swat at it without thinking or dust gets in your eye so you reflexively try to clean them.). Whether or not such a system exist in the Omniframes, these are things that would effect people the things you would see Omniframes doing because of the biofeedback the pilots use to control them.

As the Omniframes mimic the movements of the pilot, they would also mimic things like idiosyncrasies. Like how some people tend to bounce up and down and/or sway back and forth when standing in place for to long. Or what if a pilot has allergies, you could see a Omniframe in town mimicing the pilot clear his/her noise. You could walk into a parts shop and over hear a pilot explain how the armor of their Omniframe got damaged because an ant somehow got into their cockpit and bit them on the arm.

And if there is a system in place to stop the Omniframes from mimicing such actions how would it work? Would the A.I. in your Omniframe take over to stop the frame from doing those things? And if so, how would it know what movements are conscious and intentional actions vs reflex and subconscious actions? And would you hear some pilot talking at the bar about how they could have gotten the shot if only they was not fighting against the safety systems of the Omniframe because it misread their movements so stopped them?

 

[Wyntyr]

I'm gonna go with...it's a way in the future sci fi fantasy game where there's space travel not just between worlds in a solar system but between solar systems in a galaxy and since that's about as technological as can be imagined at this time then IMO the AI of an OF can handle butt scratches without there being a catastrophic meltdown (I.E. no embarrassing movements from the OF). Just sayin...

With that said...emotes please!

 

[Dolores]

I don't know if this count, but I hope to see day and night cycle in the world of em-8er each spawn different mobs. (eg. Night mob might be slight more powerful than Day mobs) Would love see variations like this in the game!

 

[Wyntyr]

A day/dark night cycle will be in the game but I don't know if there will be any Tsi-Hu/Kaiju changes during that cycle.

 

[Omnires]

I'm gonna go with...it's a way in the future sci fi fantasy game where there's space travel not just between worlds in a solar system but between solar systems in a galaxy and since that's about as technological as can be imagined at this time then IMO the AI of an OF can handle butt scratches without there being a catastrophic meltdown (I.E. no embarrassing movements from the OF). Just sayin...

With that said...emotes please!

This is true. But that also brings up the possibility of the A.I. in the omniframe working against the pilot stopping their movements because the A.I. views them as being to dangerous or some kind of involuntary action. So there could be situations where the pilot and the A.I. are not synchronize and this could lead to something bad happening. And so some pilots might disable some of the safety protocols on their A.I. to allow them move with more freedom without having to fight against their own omniframe. This would have both pros and cons like anything else, but some pilots would feel the need to do this just to work effectively. The cons would be that they run a greater risk of putting to much stress on parts and equipment causing standard issue gear to wear out and/or break faster than normal. Meaning higher cost for the pilots as they have to use more specialized parts and equipment or having to keep replacing the standard issue stuff over and over again at rate higher than normal. The pros would be that without the limiters on they are free to do what they want without any resistance from the A.I. giving people who have a more unique style of movement and fighting greater use of their abilities.

For example, let's say someone is double jointed and using that to their advantage in melee fights. They would not be able to use their full range of movement as long as the A.I. keeps reading their movements as an error or as the pilot having something like a broken arm. But with the limiters off they are free to bend and twist like they normally would outside of the omniframe.

It would be a nice touch to the feel of the game if every now and again you would hear NPCs talking about such things. Be they pilots, mechanics, A.I.s, manufacturers, safety officers, and/or just normal citizens talking about their favorite models of omniframes and/or pilots. Kind of like how people talk about different cars and driving styles.

I don't know if this count, but I hope to see day and night cycle in the world of em-8er each spawn different mobs. (eg. Night mob might be slight more powerful than Day mobs) Would love see variations like this in the game!

I would love to see things like that happen in more MMOs where the time of day, time of year and sometimes even the weather matters. The last game I played where such a system was used was in Shin Megami Tensei Imagine. In that game some monsters would only come out in the day time, some only at night, some only in the twilight hours (morning and evening), some only came out at noon, and some only at midnight. And this was not even counting the ones that only came out on sunny days, or cloudy days, or in the rain. And on top of that the ones that only came out during the different phases of the moon cycle, like some only coming out on full moons and other on new moons. It meant that areas would always be changing even while you are in it. Even a place that is normally safe for you would can become super dangerous just because we was not paying attention to the time or weather.

Part of the reason for the system in that games was two fold. One being was because it was more realistic as like in real life different animals only come out at different times of day or their behavior will change throughout the day if their sleeping patterns was more loose like humans (example some animals might be shy in the day time because they know they can be easily spotted but at night they are more bold and aggressive because of their natural camouflage and stealth.). And the other reason for it was that in lore some different monsters draw power from different things. Some draw power from the Sun, some from the Moon, and some from things like the rain. So of course it would make sense for them to be out at time where their power and abilities are at their strongest and avoid being seen when they are at their weakest.

I'm not saying Em-8er need to go that deep into making an ecosystem in the game. But having different wild life do different things based on the time of day and/or the weather would be great for game immersion and it would make the world feel more alive and natural.

 

[Pandagnome]

It would be a nice touch to the feel of the game if every now and again you would hear NPCs talking about such things. Be they pilots, mechanics, A.I.s, manufacturers, safety officers, and/or just normal citizens talking about their favorite models of omniframes and/or pilots. Kind of like how people talk about different cars and driving styles.

You can probably get clues of other omniframes for example someone is missing a part and needs that and when you overhear the talking of npc then it makes more sense like how day to day we have conversations with various people we come across.

idiosyncrasies

This is an interesting thought perhaps this could be for the starter omniframe where it gets to learn your movements and behaviour. Could see this when you just finally made your starter omniframe with the scraps it looks like something from the wastelands but it works.

Although because it is not as advanced with the latest gizmos and all sometimes does things as you mentioned for example when you want to do a leap it might stop you because it thinks its falling. Then you hear omniframe saying ooh sorry i wasn't aware you were leaping hehehe then it lets you continue.

I think that it builds a bond with the user as to say the omniframe is smart and concerned for the safety of the user also.

 

[DragonFly]

I do like the idea of NPC chatter as you walk by. However I don’t think that they’ll go into heavy detail on how exactly the frames are operated.

As stated in discord I would definitely like not chatter to vary by different situations. Like if we lost a base, other npcs in another base will talk about it. Or if the invasion was very difficult they’ll express how much damage was done or how we barely made it.

Or even statistically base on your character. If you have completed a lot of invasions they’ll praise you. Same goes to how many resources you contribute.

Also I’d would definitely like little stories scattered around. They did this in Firefall, I forgot what they were called, but if you picked them up you’d get a piece of a story that would correspond with the lore.

 

[Terib.Shadow]

Also I’d would definitely like little stories scattered around. They did this in Firefall, I forgot what they were called, but if you picked them up you’d get a piece of a story that would correspond with the lore.

If i recall correctly, the name you're looking for is "SIN imprints", there was 5 per area.

 

[DragonFly]

If i recall correctly, the name you're looking for is "SIN imprints", there was 5 per area.

That's exactly what I was thinking of. Thanks.

 

[Omnires]

The SIN Imprints has some nice lore in them. Like about the few people who was immune to the Melding making an underground network to run away an hide from the war. It was mostly old people and children to young to fight. They was hiding from the ACCORD just as much as they was hiding from the Chosen because the Chosen would kill them like any other human and they feared the ACCORD turning them into lab rats and child soldiers.

But finding things like data logs and lost A.I. (or A.I. fragments) would also be a good way tell of some of the lore in the game. Like how in sci-fi like Ghost In The Shell people can store their memories on external hard drives and such. Or like how in Warframe cephalon fragments just parts of the cephalon's memory core you can find not only memories inside of them but even fragments of their personality in them. And given how we'll have A.I. in Em-8er this could not only just add to the lore also effect gameplay.

For example. Let's say you find an A.I. in a wreck and you put it out to know what has happened. you load it up on a quarantined system just in case it is a trap. The A.I. shares what has happened and is also upset that its friend (owner) was killed. As you look around the area more the A.I. tries to get you to avenge the deaths of there friend even after Command tells you to evac the area. You have to make a choice. Do you stay and keep looking for the thing that killed the others while risking the window for evac closing on you? Or do you leave how and not risk it because the threat might be to large to handle alone and need to come back later. Going by what you do next could change how the A.I. you found reacts to you later.

You see, I also like the idea of NPCs remembering things you did and having their options and actions towards you change based on that. Even NPCs that don't have anything to do with game play. Like if you cause to much collateral damage normal NPCs just walking the halls and streets could try to avoid you or yell at you and other thing. If they really dislike you they could try to actively make things harder for you by not giving you all the information you need or not helping you when you need it. Likewise going out of your way to help people could my the NPCs do things like tell you of a good spot to go thumping or where you could get a discount on some parts and upgrade or even if you are down in combat they would try to save you.

 

[Omnires]

What you think some NPC jobs might me? I wouldn't think everyone was a pilot skilled at combat. So what jobs would they have or would all but a few jobs be fulled by A.I. and robots? And if most jobs are done by A.I. and robots that still leaves the question of what do most people do all day?

Off the top of my head I know creative jobs would still be done by humans even if A.I. and robots did all the other work. There would still be people who are artists, singers, and the like. But that would still leave most of the population of humans jobless.

Part of the real question is here is what is the overall level of technology and what is the overall relationship humans have with technology in the game. This kind of thing tips into the more philosophical side of sci-fi because going by what side of the scale you are on it could be a good thing or a bad thing that technology is everywhere and in everything.

To try and cut down on this post being a wall of text, I think this video how to get across what I'm talking about.

 

[Krhys]

When you flick the bird at another player, your Omniframe should do so too...

 

[Wyntyr]

The last time i did world building i wanted it to look like

but it ended up like

 

[Pandagnome]

Part of the real question is here is what is the overall level of technology and what is the overall relationship humans have with technology in the game.

Like to see both, the human brain is incredibly unique not to say the A.I's are so advanced at this time too.

They both learn a lot of each other perhaps some have an entire A.I collony in outer regions or another planet.

With such future just like there are evil humans there could be evil robots it all depends how they were programmed and by whom?

Robots, Kaiju's and Reapers hmm

 

[Omnires]

Like to see both, the human brain is incredibly unique not to say the A.I's are so advanced at this time too.

They both learn a lot of each other perhaps some have an entire A.I collony in outer regions or another planet.

With such future just like there are evil humans there could be evil robots it all depends how they were programmed and by whom?

Robots, Kaiju's and Reapers hmm

You see now that got me thinking about the internet and cyberspace, and how they could work. Because A.I. would be roaming free on the internet along with people. So if people can have total immersion link into cyberspace there can be a whole virtual universe within the internet itself. And given how robotics are people could build bodies for their personal A.I.s. Meaning there are more options to interact with your A.I. while not inside your Omniframe. Because that is one of the things I was thinking about today. Are the A.I. in the Omniframes bound to them (as is they can never really leave them because they are hardwired into the frame's systems) or are they free to go to into other computers and frames (meaning that changes my omniframe doesn't mean having to make friend with a totally new A.I.) or it could be a combination of both?

While in cyberspace the A.I.s could have made a world just for humans because most people would not be able to understand or handle just raw data. So the they made a virtual simplified world/universe based on the real world. Like how your personal drive and home page could just be a virtual home where your avatar and personal A.I. lives when you or they are not online.

 

[Pandagnome]

You see now that got me thinking about the internet and cyberspace, and how they could work. Because A.I. would be roaming free on the internet along with people. So if people can have total immersion link into cyberspace there can be a whole virtual universe within the internet itself. And given how robotics are people could build bodies for their personal A.I.s. Meaning there are more options to interact with your A.I. while not inside your Omniframe. Because that is one of the things I was thinking about today. Are the A.I. in the Omniframes bound to them (as is they can never really leave them because they are hardwired into the frame's systems) or are they free to go to into other computers and frames (meaning that changes my omniframe doesn't mean having to make friend with a totally new A.I.) or it could be a combination of both?

While in cyberspace the A.I.s could have made a world just for humans because most people would not be able to understand or handle just raw data. So the they made a virtual simplified world/universe based on the real world. Like how your personal drive and home page could just be a virtual home where your avatar and personal A.I. lives when you or they are not online.

I like it alot reminds me of where in Marvel's Agents of shield there was this virtual world and you could see the evil version of you too and the worlds that are created by the others who are linked in this cyberspace

Imagine if we had to go into these virtual cyberspace to help a mek who perhaps is trying to retrieve something from an older wrecked mek and in the cyberspace you are faced against some virus residue that was left from a hacker.

Viruses can't see but they can sense movement so if you stand still they could whizz past you.
Only way to turn off these viruses is to locate the effected area and hack that area for the antivirus to take effect.

In this cyberspace as you say all meks live there its another world but in this world there can also be attacks just like on the planet by hackers, and advanced specialized kaiju's made for such things
when online.

If you are offline they go into these compartmentalized regions that is on lockdown.
When the pilot is online again an alarm would alert that your mek's compartment is underattack. Engineers can reinforce those compartments with reinforced firewalls,

This way the weaker viruses would take longer and buy you more time to clear out the area so you can get your mek into the cyberspace.

Then there is the question if a double assault towards the cyberspace and for example a friends Headquarters. You would be able to use your mek for a time until the cyberspace is taken over would cause the meks in the outer world to slow down, talk jibberish or even self destruct.

So in that case its always a good thing to help out for both and that could go in the favour of specialized skill tree for engineers/recons to have faster hacking tools or even recons to avoid viruses much easier and so on.

wow i could really see that biomes, virtual cyberspace worlds, gateways, perhaps more planets in the future. This could be one of the greatest games ever made my imagination is on a ride!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

[Wyntyr]

Someone say virus?

 

[Omnires]

I would love it if the game didn't just have us fighting physical battles all the time. But also things like cyber warfare and biological agents. For example, we also have to fight off attacks to the information networks because one of the first rules to winning a battle or war against a large enemy force is to disrupt, if not destroy, their means of communication cutting off their ability to coordinate attacks and mount effective defenses. There could also be things on the planet that we don't know able that could kill us besides the enemy. For example, say a type of plant or animal that only shows up on the planet like every 17 years pops and with them comes some kind of virus or toxin we didn't know about. This plants or animals not actively trying to kill us but it just a part of their biology. Now we have to race to find a cure for the toxin or biological agent before it spreads to much and we are no longer able to fight off real enemy the next time a portal opens up and a kaiju comes out. It could be possible that this toxin or biological agent is just as deady to the Tsi-Hu as it is to us. So might have to go on missions to find out what they are using to fight the sickness to give us clues on how to fight it while A.I. do the task of running health simulations and trying to find the right protein folding solution.

Fun fact, in real life there are few protein folding simulation games out on the internet now. Despite them being a "game" real doctors and scientists are using them to try and help cure things like cancer. Because protein folding is like a super hard puzzle, so how knows the next great cure could come from some kid thinking they are playing a puzzle game only to find out later doctors used the solution they came up with to sure people.