The Pacing of TiTS.

Should the pacing to TiTS main plot content sped up and put more focus on from FenCo?

  • Yes, make it faster and less side content!

    Votes: 19 27.9%
  • No, it's fine as it is right now.

    Votes: 38 55.9%
  • No, focus even less on it and more on side content and additional planets.

    Votes: 11 16.2%

  • Total voters
    68

balitz Method

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2016
427
267
I'd be surprised if the gameplan didn't end up changing to something like ~8 explorable planets total. Expectations for how long those take seem to have been unrealistic at best; Fenoxo can get caught up writing something like gloryhole scenes for two weeks. Finishing ten planets with some alternates and side planets thrown in is aiming for the stars. For a game like this 7 or 8 is honestly enough; if they were to go back and take advantage of earlier planets/write some actual story scenes for places like Mhen'ga and Tarkus that would be plenty for a story arc.
 

Xeivous

Well-Known Member
Sep 21, 2015
2,466
1,404
I still don't see why alternate planets are being done for the main plot. I mean I could get behind something like the first mass effect did where you initially have to scout a couple different planets for various plot and recruitment things before moving onto a singular path, but having a full on different path that starts out right from the get go when the new player has barely gotten through the tutorial feels wrong to me.
 

Couch

Scientist
Creator
Aug 26, 2015
1,627
929
It should be noted that, as I recall, P4 was slated to be a super-dungeon rather than a full town-field-dungeon location like existing planets, which hypothetically cuts down on the workload considerably. I would assume P10 at least would also be such a dungeon, possibly more. It's possible to crank out a large dungeon within a few months.
 
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Karretch

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2015
2,068
304
I still don't see why alternate planets are being done for the main plot. I mean I could get behind something like the first mass effect did where you initially have to scout a couple different planets for various plot and recruitment things before moving onto a singular path, but having a full on different path that starts out right from the get go when the new player has barely gotten through the tutorial feels wrong to me.
Mhen'ga is barely a tutorial as is. We still have people asking how to defeat Amara since none of the enemies beyond Celise need to be defeated by Lust/Tease, an alternate planet 1 or 2 might be just the thing without cluttering Mhen'ga with more enemies (not that it's packed full as is, but still).
 

Ormael

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2015
6,631
1,786
But if it would be alt P! or then alt zP@ if PC will not go on them still will reach Amara and knwo a null about using tase to beat enemies. But then forcing PC to visit those alt planets...well also sound like bad move.

So in regard to learn diff tactics for fight if it spread on two planets that serve same purpose (finding 1st or 2nd probe) it will still be some that not know those tactics and get stuck at P3.
 

Galgano

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2015
364
134
Edit: Shit! I'm Donald Trump's long lost relative.

This is just me, but I learned about teasing enemies to victory because of Penny. I went to her at lvl 1 so I didn't have the strength to beat the bees. The only way I wouldn't lose from lust was to tease them back (they already had like 40 or 50 lust). So if you make it mandatory to go see Penny before leaving the settlement (she has to brief you on the natives) there's a possibility that, provided they don't try to have sex with them and want to try to get the exp, the player will learn about teasing. Penny can even make a remark before battle that beating them physically may be too tough (2v1 for someone of Steele's level) but you may be able to tease them and wear them down that way since they've been getting high off their own pheromones every time she tried to go in there. Unless it is pretty easy to beat them with merc and smuggler at lvl 1... Their health pool is pretty daunting for a tech specialist at that level. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked from the topic I wanted to talk about.

I remember there being a few games that had a flimsy or superfluous starting main quest that would change halfway through. After a turning point, you would still have the original main quest as more of a side quest that you could work on in the meantime, but this other main quest became a much bigger deal and was more developed. Kamidori Alchemy Meister had something like that I think. The original goal was to become the highest rank of alchemist in the city, but after some point in the game, you stopped needing to progress in that (only the higher ranks of alchemists were allowed to go to certain areas). I didn't even reach the highest rank until my second play through on a new game +. The same mechanic could be applied here. Y'all are saying how the side quests are so much more story heavy. The main quest could start off how it is. You're trying to reach the pods before your cousin. But after Myrellion or another planet like that, the story starts to shift to something else: some galactic threat of some kind makes hunting for the probes either pointless or a nonfactor(the planet for the next probe is cordoned off to prevent loss of life from the threat that has taken up residence on that planet). At this point in the game, Steele has more freedom to explore the currently open planets, give birth to any current babies, and generally dick around. The UGC and the threat are pretty much in a stalemate at this point and it won't be resolved until Steele and a bunch of other people (for all the people that hate that Steele is the only one that can do anything) volunteers to help. Then the story can progress forward.
But for the early game, the focus would be on finding the probes. You'd kind of be on rails; you would have a certain amount of time to find the probes before Game Over (or something equally terrible). Then, like Misty (I think) said, the game would "cannon" you out into a more open experience where you can go explore and dick about doing whatever you want. This is where most people would be able to spend their time. They could find some more probes (it wouldn't really matter since the last probe is locked behind a metaphorical...wall...), but they would have all the time in the world. Their cousin wouldn't be able to claim your inheritance without the blockade coming down.

Sengoku Rance kind of had something like that. You were tasked with conquering territories for Oda Nobunaga but, even if you didn't, the game would still force progression on you even if you didn't. The same could work here. If you take too long, J/J "Abrams" Steele could taunt you by saying "make it more of a challenge next time" and send you the coordinates to the next probe. The downside being that you don't get to complete that portion of the main quest (you wouldn't get the shock blade, or the Plat, or the royal income, etc.). I realize that for this, save files would have to be reset or take into account the 365+ days that some people have, but it could work. What do y'all think? Too much trouble?
 

Gammerick

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2015
222
30
As far as I'm aware, the original plan was to blossom out into a greater plot shortly after planet three, which turned out to by Myrmellion, via the Factions system. However, that system has been, ya know, cut off the "to-do" list completely. Whether or not something will replace it is debatable and, to be honest, doubtfully planned in either direction.

Right now the overall focus is both finishing up side planet Uveto (when Savin doesn't have to snort blood, anyway) and then the alternate path worlds for both the first and second planet as per Offbeatr plans. So, uh, main plot is probably gonna be a bit. Probably another few years.


The faction system is gone? I was looking forward to that!
 

Emerald

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2016
2,139
2,771
I don't know if it's gone, but it's definately severe back-burner.
Nope, axed.
There was a thread about it a long time ago.
 

JDeko

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2015
1,708
457
Kekistan
www.facebook.com
I'm already stressed over having to choose between Shade and Kara
 
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Gammerick

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2015
222
30
So it won't be possible to allign with slavers or space pirates or whatnot?

No reputation system either?
 

Emerald

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2016
2,139
2,771

argenten

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2015
752
71
34
Yup, it was one of the coming draws that would have really added a lot to the game...ah well, can't really express surprise that it was cut though. Coding is hard enough as it is and idk how hard that'd be to include. It'd have been awesome but there's only so much we can really expect at this point.
 

Klaptrap

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2015
436
202
Yup, it was one of the coming draws that would have really added a lot to the game...ah well, can't really express surprise that it was cut though. Coding is hard enough as it is and idk how hard that'd be to include. It'd have been awesome but there's only so much we can really expect at this point.
At this point, I would like to know what we could realistically expect. Is space combat still in? Different ships? Psionics? Are all of these going to have some effort put into them or are they going the way of reputation and SSTDs?
 

shadefalcon

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2015
1,661
983
At this point, I would like to know what we could realistically expect. Is space combat still in? Different ships? Psionics? Are all of these going to have some effort put into them or are they going the way of reputation and SSTDs?
Space combat will most likeky become a thing. I'm pretty sure the coding of it is being worked on.
More ships is also highly likely.
Psionics are a bit more late game-ish I presume, but I think those are gonna arrive in some form too.
 
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Klaptrap

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2015
436
202
Space combat will most definitely become a thing. I'm pretty sure the coding of it is being worked on.
Different ships will become a thing.
Psionics are a bit more late game-ish I presume, but I think those are gonna arrive in some form too.
No offense, but I'd like more than just a guess from a gray name.
 

NotYouNorI

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2015
2,269
807
Not really. Is Shade coding or something?
He writes and is rather active.

I can vouch that ship combat and stuff is being worked on. There was a poll a while on what would be worked on next and space combat (ship stuff incluting) was second highest after the nursary (which has been implemented.

Also it has, already, been confirmed several times in various threads.
 

shadefalcon

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2015
1,661
983
I can vouch that ship combat and stuff is being worked on. There was a poll a while on what would be worked on next and space combat (ship stuff incluting) was second highest after the nursary (which has been implemented.

Also it has, already, been confirmed several times in various threads.
I probably should've mentioned that...
But yeah. We also hear some talk on picarto chats every now and then.
 

EmperorG

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2015
1,242
398
36
Psionics are a bit more late game-ish I presume, but I think those are gonna arrive in some form too.

Well its already here in the form of strange-egg and the Milodan Fertility Priestess. Sadly not for the PC though, but one day!
 
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Nik_van_Rijn

Well-Known Member
Sep 10, 2015
2,415
506
Moscow, RF
Are all of these going to have some effort put into them or are they going the way of reputation and SSTDs?
Technically, SSTDs are in, even if it's just one thing based Couch wrote, taking it for the team.

And if you look at the exact post, you'll see that it's the rep grind that was decided against, for a time being. There will likely still be groups that take helping their members into consideration:
A faction system was never part of the Offbeatr plans, and while it may have existed on an "ideas" document (and been near and dear to Savin's heart), I don't feel it was a good for TiTS for a number of reasons. I'll explain more on that further down.

Generalized faction systems work great for games with lots of low-impact quests - things like MMOs or Bethesda games. Our games have fewer but more significant quests. If we add a new Xenogen base in a future planet, I'd rather have it check if you helped out Dr. Haswell (because the local leader is his friend), or the Myrellion Doctor than check against some arbitrary Xenogen "score" that exists only to incentivize grinding.


Let's keep TiTS quest significant and meaningful, rather than abstracting them behind numeric systems for the sake of numeric systems.
 

Magic Ted

Forum God
Moderator
Aug 26, 2015
744
476
A space expansion has been in the code-works for some time now, so that's certainly getting through.
 

Unicornzombie

Well-Known Member
Mar 5, 2016
47
24
Is there plans for Captain Steele being able to acquire new ships, possibly bigger or better ones., ones with room for more crew members? I'd like to see used ship salesmen or maybe the chance to board and capture other ships or even salvage and repair crashed or derelict ships.
 

Lancer

Well-Known Member
Nov 1, 2016
1,282
420
Is there plans for Captain Steele being able to acquire new ships, possibly bigger or better ones., ones with room for more crew members? I'd like to see used ship salesmen or maybe the chance to board and capture other ships or even salvage and repair crashed or derelict ships.
Bigger and better ships and space fights are currently being worked on as the next big feature. The won't be ready for some time, but they are coming. Boarding, capturing, and salvaging ships is unlikely to happen however, simply due to the how ships are already a massive project.
 
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