Alternate Body for the Player Character

[Exastiken]

My idea is mostly for peeps interested in playing certain scenes, but avoiding having a separate playthrough or a particular sexual identity on certain characters (ex. getting pegged as a herm vs getting pegged as a male), is to have the ability to swap to a replacement body on demand. The upcoming planet Uveto's mineral, Savicite, is a conductor of psi-energy; perhaps the player character can get a device (powered by savicite) there that allows them synchronize one additional cloned body to their mind. Said body would be able to experience separate transformations that players don't want on their main bodies as well. Players would be able to swap back to their bodies at the ship. Save file-wise, I think the additional body would take up a "altbody_PC" character object, and when the swap is desired, the PC object's and alt body object's properties would swap traits and values except important things such as lust, inventory, key items, perks, etc. This makes the implementation fairly simple, as it would avoid affecting other scenes and procs, just a scene on the ship that transfers features from one body to another. An issue I can see possibly happening is regarding perks specific to certain transformations; in that case, I suggest that when the device is first used, the altbody copies all values over from the main body, and the bodies evolve in their own ways onwards, so levels and perks would be separate for each body. Thoughts?


Edit: maybe a synchronizing feature would be useful as well, to transfer level and specific perks.

 

[Dormane]

I remember saying Fenoxo saying that he wants to add a cloning bay as an upgrade for ships where you could swap bodies with clones.

 

[Krynh]

I remember saying Fenoxo saying that he wants to add a cloning bay as an upgrade for ships where you could swap bodies with clones.

Really? That seems a bit against the lore of the game. If there were clones than Victor wouldn't have died.

 

[NEET-Hime]

I remember saying Fenoxo saying that he wants to add a cloning bay as an upgrade for ships where you could swap bodies with clones.

The casstech is already to cramped, we need new ships first.

 

[Karretch]

Really? That seems a bit against the lore of the game. If there were clones than Victor wouldn't have died.

Naw, see, the PC's DNA is still fine, Victor's was all out of whack in innumerable different ways. A Victor clone would still have died, a PC clone is stable.

 

[Krynh]

Naw, see, the PC's DNA is still fine, Victor's was all out of whack in innumerable different ways. A Victor clone would still have died, a PC clone is stable.

Oh right.


However if you're going to have a full body clone, doesn't it also have a right to exist?

 

[Xeivous]

I can see this easily becoming another Bess/Ben if we don't nip customization stuff in the bud before the first person to try to code it gets a seizure. Perhaps limit it the clone to being a copy of the PC at character creation.


Also if you manage to get both the clone and the PC to lose their virginities at the same time, it should have a funny variant scene.

 

[Etis]

I can see this easily becoming another Bess/Ben if we don't nip customization stuff in the bud before the first person to try to code it gets a seizure. Perhaps limit it the clone to being a copy of the PC at character creation.


Also if you manage to get both the clone and the PC to lose their virginities at the same time, it should have a funny variant scene.

It's not actually difficult. There are no customization per se, just another character which you can switch control to. Though adequate copy would be pain to do, since usual deep copy would make a mess. Blank character is simple, the only problem would be with character experience. Like perks... Should bimbofication be transferred to new body?

 

[Nik_van_Rijn]

Having a clone seems like a fine idea. I suggest keeping those characters truly separate in regards to perks, stats and levels. So the player will have a fresh start and a prime opportunity for smurfing.


What I don't look forward to is addressing all the moral quandaries caused by the introduction of cloning/body swapping tech into TiTS' seedy, cynical corporate future.

 

[Couch]

Having a clone seems like a fine idea. I suggest keeping those characters truly separate in regards to perks, stats and levels. So the player will have a fresh start and a prime opportunity for smurfing.


What I don't look forward to is addressing all the moral quandaries caused by the introduction of cloning/body swapping tech into TiTS' grimdark corporate future.

It's a separate discussion, but I don't think grimdark is a good word to describe the TiTS setting, or at least it shouldn't be.  It can come off that way, certainly, when everyone Steele meets has problems, often ones that require the Captain to solve.  Nonesuch is on record as saying he doesn't like characters without problems, and I agree to some extent.  Many characters should have problems: that gives Steele something to do, provides the player agency in the world.  That said, if nobody can handle themselves without you, then you can end up creating a dreary setting by accident where if the PC doesn't go and personally solve everyone's woes, then basically society would collapse.  It's especially notable in cases where the character's woes are basically caused by their own irresponsibility: Reaha, Saendra, Kiro, Sera and Emmy all come to mind.


You'll notice by contrast that most of my characters tend to have their shit together and don't really need Steele for anything, or if they do it's for wants rather than needs.  This is partially because I'm not an especially skillful drama writer, or even character writer, but also because I want to make an effort to present a counterpoint to the darker tones the game can get into and which became more prevalent in recent months.  The world is not a horrible place, but if you let yourself focus on the horrible things, it can seem that way.

 

[Nik_van_Rijn]

@Couch


Does the edited version fit better in your opinion? No matter how you look on it, TiTS-verse is firmly lodge on the right side of the Idealism vs cynicism scale. Maybe my POW is distorted by comparing it to the highly idealistic worlds of Soviet and some of the earlier Western Sci-Fi I grew up on. Or because of how much impact the implications for many of the things had when they crept up on me as soon as I started reading everything in the game, including parts that engaged my non-lizard brain ( Zil Quest, Del and Thraggen being the first batch). Or because of how strongly a lot of events and themes contrast with high adventure you set out on at the beginning of the game.


Thank you for writing those characters by the way. Interacting with something bright like Ceria really does help to alleviate the mood somewhat. As does painting my PC something stupid.

 

[Nonesuch]

@Couch


Does the edited version fit better in your opinion? No matter how you look on it, TiTS-verse is firmly lodge on the right side of the Idealism vs cynicism scale. Maybe my POW is distorted by comparing it to the highly idealistic worlds of Soviet and some of the earlier Western Sci-Fi I grew up on. Or because of how much impact the implications for many of the things had when they crept up on me as soon as I started reading everything in the game, including parts that engaged my non-lizard brain ( Zil Quest, Del and Thraggen being the first batch). Or because of how strongly a lot of events and themes contrast with high adventure you set out on at the beginning of the game.


Thank you for writing those characters by the way. Interacting with something bright like Ceria really does help to alleviate the mood somewhat. As does painting my PC something stupid.

It only is if you compare it to those fond utopias of the 70s. Almost all sci-fi since then has pitched firmly towards the "Everything is Terrible" side of the cynicism half, to the extent that what stands out about TiTS' universe is that there is no impending doom or over-arching problem it's struggling with.


The closest comparison TiTS has in recent memory is ME1 and parts of ME2 without the impending apocalypse/writer team suddenly losing their fucking brains aspect. The galaxy is peaceful and highly evolved as a whole, but there is a hell of a lot of sleaze and tension underneath the surface which gives the enterprise a bit of weight. You could make comparisons to the Foundation and Culture novels also.

 

[Xeivous]

I'll be honest that I'm curious if there's going to be any overarching plot beyond "find pods, get company". As nice as the planet by planet plots are that Steele has to navigate around or through to get to the pods are, I would like for there to be some sort of threat to us beyond our cousin, who really isn't much of a threat.

 

[Milkman]

I remember hoping early on that there would be some actually taint in space. Some sort if eldritch being of lust trying to claw it's  way into the Galaxy / dimention. I was imagining a being along the lines of Warhammer 40k's Slaneesh although toned down a bit for a less grimdark setting.


I'm hoping the savicite horror (Is that still a thing?) on Uveto can tie into some future plot points involving eldritch fuck beings.  


Once psionics come more into play that opens more interesting possibilities for threats. Like there could be a telepathically transmited mental SSTD. Some sort of sexy thought plague / infectious meme that can't easily be quarantined because of it's psionic vector of transmission. 

 

[Galvani]

I like the Blank Slate interpretation of this idea. Seems like it could be done similar to the Sync mod for Minecraft.

 

[Krynh]

You could make comparisons to the Foundation and Culture novels also.

Well the Foundation wasn't a perfect society, and the Culture is which is why all the stories are set outside of it. Except for things like the Excession happening and the war