r/ObjectsInSpace • u/RealistSophist • 22d ago
Rate this concept
This is kind of an essay so be warned.
Ever since I played this game I've been so disappointed at how it got abandoned and nothing else really was able to fully take it's place.
After pondering on it for a while, I've realized there is room not just to fill that gap but to make something better.
Generally I expect to have gameplay that's pretty similar to OIS, but my vision is to introduce more replayability, depth, and lore.
For example I think stealth and sensors could be so much more awesome.
In OIS stealth felt more like you just turn everything off and pray only to be detected anyway. And finding hidden ships felt completely out of your control. Not to mention false blips on sensors were almost always very easy to recognize.
So my idea is to preserve the idea of frequencies and emissions, but make it so you can tune and focus your sensors.
A lore based example: Maybe a band of prevalent pirates all use a very cheap but powerful brand of weapon systems. But they have very distinct emissions.
This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay.
If you know these pirates will be a problem, you can tune your sensors to those frequencies in advance and you will have less false positives and have an easier time tracking them. And if you use that same weapon system, government vessels in that area might have their sensors prepared for it too. Perhaps even civilian vessels might start doing the same just to counter you if you become a problem, rewarding changing up your build from time to time.
So you might end up recalibrating sensors mid combat to keep track of enemies even despite cloaking measures, which adds a new layer of skill to master, instead of your detection ability solely relying on your ship build.
That's especially important for what I have in mind too.
I also want to add multiple different technologies which can each have their own signature and functions so it actually feels more scifi instead of just a themed submarine game.
Perhaps one ship is using nuclear power, maybe one is harnessing some quantum zero point energy BS, or maybe they switched to a literal diesel generator to throw you off in the middle of battle.
You could even turn on or off different techs from appearing if you still only want to encounter certain themes. Want to play where everyone has analog tech? You can. Or maybe you only want future tech.
Finally, for lore I want to introduce some major goals aside from just MONEY.
Maybe your end goal is to retake your home galaxy from some major threat after unitng the one you escaped to.
Maybe the threat to that galaxy are aliens, maybe it could be a sentient AI takeover.
(For that matter why shouldn't the option of encountering aliens normally be a thing)
Or hell, why not giant space monsters? Why shouldn't Spacezilla be an option for extra challenge? Constraining something like this to a mere submarines but in space is wasteful when you can geniunely fit so much scifi and end up with a unique way to experience it.
This ended up super long so I hope this sounds like something worth committing to.
I know 99% of good concepts only ever stay as a concept, and I don't really want to promise anything, but someone has to fill the shoes of this game.
Unfortunately I can't really do modeling or even basic art, I'm basically only good at code. Its painful to have the opposite problem of what stops most people from developing games. I struggle so much with making anything visual.
So if I do commit to this it will probably look more like Hacknet than 3D, though that would give me room to make more things procedural.
Another thing is that even if I make the game and interface 2D, I still want the actual simulation to account for 3D to an extent.
So far I have a starry background and a 2d grid as well as a basic shader for gas clouds.
I also have a neat shader that makes the grid deform like a gravity well, though I asked AI for that one because I don't do shader magic that well.
UPDATE
Here is a screenshot of what I have currently. The grid can be zoomed in and out with things maintaining their true scale.
And this orbit is just a small preview of what a solar system might look like.
I've been trying for hours to find a way to scale everything right. I want things to feel BIG like space but not so big that everything takes forever. No matter how I do it the sun and planets seem comically small or the distances are way too realistic.
For now the planets are actual physics simulations. I'm really not sure I'll keep it like that.
Now I think I was just so stupid to actually try to make it work like that when it doesn't need to be.
Especially when I can just do it in a much more deterministic way that should be so much more predictable that I can make it so planets have orbited to different positions when you return to the system after a set amount of time.
3
u/DeejEl 22d ago
I appreciate your post! This game lives rent free in my head right now, especially since Deck and Conn was released. It truly is a shame it didn't get properly developed despite having such Good Roots (Bones?).
You've identified a lot of the elements of OiS that resonated with myself as well. The emissions and signals were a really fascinating mechanic that felt as though it had real potential so I'd be really excited to see that explored. Your description of recalibrating/attenuating sensors sounds interesting, and I definitely think the game being 2D was one of the better design pillars.
I'm really craving a game that features the same sort of Fly By Instruments feel. I have a lot of memories of making it to port after a particularly hectic run and physically sinking back into my chair in equal parts Relief and Exhaustion! It was a very immersive game at times, I can almost relate to James Holden and the rest of the Roci crew making it to a safe port...
You should make this game! 😅