Upcoming planet Phaedra II?

Coalsack

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Aug 28, 2015
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Okay...

I only hope that the next planet has a little more than those two races.
 

Xeivous

Well-Known Member
Sep 21, 2015
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Seriously, alternate probe planets are just an idea that turns a nice simple race into some multiple choice thing that at minimum doubles any writing for the Rival that wants to get into detail about the entire event.
 
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Nonesuch

Scientist
Creator
Aug 27, 2015
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What? Why? What's wrong with it?

1) It's backending content that really should be going towards completing the game. The number one desire I see expressed by players is for us to advance the story, not pile on more waifu pounds around TiTS's increasingly flabby waistline. How long have we spent on Uveto? New Texas? Phaedra II is a probe planet we're turning into one of those for no goddamn reason.

2) Even putting aside the amount of time it will take to do, splitting up the main plotline in this manner is a weird decision that I basically don't see the upside to, aside from "MEANINGFUL CHOICES". It means any subsequent event has to take into account that Steele may not have been to Mhen'ga, and didn't engage with Jack/Jill in the manner that they did there. I'm assuming Fen will have the boss battle play out in exactly the same way, but that only makes it even more unconvincing. Of course a reason for access to be opened up to whichever planet you didn't choose will have to be contrived, and you'll be over-levelled for everything there. I don't like any of this.

3) Phaedra II is going to be a post-apocalyptic desert hell world. Meaning players that select it get the wonderful progression of Phaedra II, a post-apocalyptic desert hell world, Tarkus, a post-apocalyptic desert hell world, and Myrellion, an apocalyptic desert hell world. We'd have the same problem if we put it next, but that only hardens my belief that the whole concept is wrong and hasn't been properly thought through.

I see something like Phaedra as something we'd do once, y'know, we could actually say the game is complete. More early game content to encourage people to play it through from the start, that would be great first DLC-type project. As is, it's a collosal waste of time and resources on something TiTS very much does not need. I think that Patreon donors' patience has a limit, and Fen is really going to test it with this.
 

EmperorG

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Sep 6, 2015
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Like seriously, I don't care at all whether or not the bird-taur things are added into Phaedra II, what I care about is the fact it's going to suck up a year of development just to add in a second path through the start of the game. As others and myself have pointed out in both this thread and many others, this is just nonsensical. I'd just wish Fen wasn't so stubborn about this. It might have seemed a good idea years ago when TiTs was still on the drawing board, but sitting here now after half a decade of development and only 3 planets into the probe race, I just want to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel y'know?

What good is making the start wider, when the length of the story is already so short? I'd rather that time be spent at least fleshing out our cousin, the antagonist of the story that might as well be replaced with a cardboard cutout for all the depth they've been given so far. (Heck at the rate things are going, we'll probably end up with more than half of our cousins scenes written by fans or other writers long before we get the next step in their character arc)

It's just that this whole situation is exasperating, something which I believe most of us here in the forums can agree with judging by the high amount of likes on comments like this about the alternate planet idea.
 

balitz Method

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Aug 13, 2016
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I'd also say that spending time and money on art, which is something that could be easily done later, when there's such a huge backlog of content that needs to be coded is an equally backassedwards decision, especially when Gedan has apparently been dealing with so many issues and couldn't work as much as she'd like to. We've literally had to have volunteer coders come in just to keep the game releasing even minor waifu characters.

Alternate starting planets, literally going back to the start when the game has been stalled for so long going forward is a decision within that same vein. Alternate starting planets would be something to try, if at all, once the basic main story is done.

There's a lot of frustration with decisions like these boiling under the surface.
 

Coalsack

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2015
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I'd really, really love that the devs made Phaedra the 4th planet probe to those who visited Mhen'ga, and at the same time, making Mhen'ga the 4th option to those who visitied Phaedra first.

That, while not solving all the issues, and requiring several additions to the rival scenes in both planets, as well as a re-management of each plane's creature levels and equipment, would mean less of a sensation of no advance in the probe-race.
 
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Raindrops

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Jun 19, 2016
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It's worth noting at this point that Phaedra isn't the next planet we're working on, or something we're looking at starting any time soon. The 4th planet's already been decided on and outlined out.

Any info you're allowed to give us about that? Like, planet type, main species, how developed it is or something?
 
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Evil

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Jul 18, 2017
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I kind of see alternative planets as a legitimate way of keeping the Rival in the story. To be honest, by the time you leave Myrellion, Jack/Jill have been beaten to the punch three times, they've been humiliated by being captured by the Nyrea and Dane is about to jump that particular ship. All in all, they'll probably be left in Steele's dust soon enough.

But by having alternate planets, there's an in for them to be hounding Steele's trail. For example, if you went to Phaedra instead of Mhen'Ga, well you might get the probe, but the Rival is in the Zii filled jungle, getting their own prize, making it a choice of maybe taking the safer approach in the race or compete to gain the probe before the Rival.

Of course, this is something of a moot point because its not going to be Phaedra.
 
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Emerald

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Jun 8, 2016
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Any info you're allowed to give us about that? Like, planet type, main species, how developed it is or something?
The next probe spot will be in a Pirate Dungeon base iirc.
So it'll be smaller work (Probably) than a normal full planet.
 

Savin

Master Analmander
Staff member
Aug 26, 2015
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Any info you're allowed to give us about that? Like, planet type, main species, how developed it is or something?

It's a giant asteroid facility run by pirates and scum; basically space Tortuga. The largest group is made up of laquines, but any rogue group other than the Black Void might have a presence.
 

Xeivous

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Sep 21, 2015
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It's a giant asteroid facility run by pirates and scum; basically space Tortuga. The largest group is made up of laquines, but any rogue group other than the Black Void might have a presence.
No black void seems rather specific
 

Evil

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Jul 18, 2017
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To be fair, Amara leads just one part of the Black Void. In comparison to some of the other factions, she's downright saintly.
 

Raindrops

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Jun 19, 2016
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It's a giant asteroid facility run by pirates and scum; basically space Tortuga. The largest group is made up of laquines, but any rogue group other than the Black Void might have a presence.

Ooh, that sounds sweet! Especially for all the options for Evil!Steele there!

Out of curiosity, will the laquines be herms or have a more normal gender setup?
 

Ethereal Dragon

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Aug 28, 2015
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Ooh, that sounds sweet! Especially for all the options for Evil!Steele there!

Out of curiosity, will the laquines be herms or have a more normal gender setup?

Seeing as this is what the Codex says for that race.

Sexes: 33% Male, 33% Female, 33% Hermaphrodite

who knows what the devs will decide to do :iiam:
 
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