Misc Suggestions

[whiteraven_t1 10]

Having played TKOM for a while. Not a bad game, but it feels a bit "arcade-ish" and way too much straightforward.

So, I'd like to give some personal suggestions on what I'd really like to see featured in game.

Please don't take these as critics, I'm just trying to be useful :)

1 - More locations.

I imagine that the available locations are only a fraction of what will be released in the end, but I'd like to write this anyway just to underline its importance.

2 - Locations shouldn't be *unlocked*

"Unlocked" doesn't exist in research. You find the place among all the others for some specific reasons, after you have painfully collected an enormous amount of data about the planet itself. This leads to the next suggestion.

3 - Feature orbiters in game

We should be able to launch not only landers and rovers, but also the first orbiting satellites that provide us all the information needed to identify the most interesting areas for research.

To use a shortcut, you can think of a "interesting location found" achievement in game, but unlocking places just by clicking on it and paying a certain fee is something you see in a flash game to buy a power-up, not in a research-oriented game.

4 - Design your own mission

Who is deciding them? Why can't be player in the committee deciding which place is useful and which not? We should be able to go through the satellite data (which is not only visual mapping, but also radar data of the soil and below it and so much more) to find our own objectives.

5 - Don't force the player to follow a specific order in using the instruments

Why should we use the radiation monitor system only in a specific spot of the surface which is 10 meters wide? What does that even mean?

And why do I have to take photos first, then go back to that meaningless spot to measure radiations which will be exactly the same where I already am and where I previously landed?

This feels like a point-click adventure, not research, less than ever exploration.

6 - Research is not an unlock!

No it's not. Really... it's not.

You can't say "you unlocked this and this technology". Space agencies spend billions in research and testing of systems and components. It would be great if we could spend part of our budget to finance the research we're interested into.

Am I interested in orbiters, maybe? Then research satellite technology and long range instruments?

Rovers and collecting soil? Whatever?

7 - Vectors to reach Mars!

It's so important! How comes that nobody is talking about the *vector* used to reach the planet. How about time windows?

Are we really teleporting those rovers directly on Mars?

That's also another totally new area where lots of features can be implemented: research new vectors, new engine systems, new payload systems, new landing systems.

Are we using a moon base to launch it? The ISS? A new station? We need to know it and manage it!

8 - Competitors!

There are always competitors. How about news talking about the endeavour of some other space agency which we should ideally beat in research production and achievements? That would give some challenge.

9 - Manage your colleagues

Who are they? Am I alone in this space agency? Competence of the personnel is of capital importance.

Also, a good and famous space agency will have great applicants, so their quality in game will be bound to our successes.

Also, particularly complex research and solutions could be bound to our personnel's experience and capabilities.

A vital layer of complexity, totally ignored by the game.

I hope I've been useful with these suggestions. If I'll come up with new ones, I will post them if judged useful :)

[EmissionGeneration 10]

1 - More locations.

Indeed there will be many Locations on Release, but I'd like to say that I would prefer [personally] that we don't have set locations that we can go to, but choose our own from the entire Map of Mars.

2 - Locations shouldn't be *unlocked*

I agree that Locations shouldn't be unlocked. It just makes it feel like the Game is following the trend of almost every other Game out there. This is meant to be about Science, so Science should be used to progress your Technology.

3 - Feature orbiters in game

Yup, Satellites should be a "Must Do" at the start of every Game [and during] so you can start Mapping out Mars.

4 - Design your own mission

Same as #2. It would be nice to have Freedom to choose what we would like to Explore. I understand though that the Game cannot be developed to Interact with every single inch of the Mars Surface, but that's why Mission Locations should be as they are now, which is a set location that we need to go to, but any random location we choose to explore should be for pure Exploration rather than adding to your Project. Cause this would prevent us from earning a Profit from Exploring off site locations, a way you could still earn Cash would be, Successful Landing, Drive so and so amount of km, Analyze so and so amount of Soil and Rocks. This way we could still get a income for doing our own Exploration.

5 - Don't force the player to follow a specific order in using the instruments

Definitely. The game has 0% Freedom. Always having to Analyze 1 Rock and 1 Rock only, or Take the picture in the exact way the game requires you to, is just ridiculous and in no way revolves around doing Science. Yes you can Analyze any Rock or Soil as you wish, but it doesn't go towards your Main objective which it should do. Personally, I play Career Mode because I like building things up for myself, and going off and doing my own thing gets me nothing in the Game but for my own interest.

6 - Research is not an unlock!

I would much rather a Option where I hire, [or train] Scientists and Technicians to perform my requested Projects, which are learnt over time, not instantly gain new "abilities" from doing some Missions.

7 - Vectors to reach Mars!

Although I enjoy the "Real Mars Time" feature, I have to say the feel of "Teleporting" as the OP said, just seems rediculous. What I would like to see is the time moves as it does in Real time, but the time it takes for Launching the Vehicle, landing ect is added onto that time, so it actually Moves. I might launch when it's Daytime on Mars, but might end up getting there at Night time.

8 - Competitors!

A Space Race would be a nice Challenge to have in Single Player indeed.

9 - Manage your colleagues

Having a crew should always be a must for a Career Mode. Also, who is funding us? What are they pushing for us to achieve? What will provoke them to cancel our Agency? I'd definitely like a Management system set in place.

At the end of the day, as I've said before, the Concept for this game is incredible, but it is lacking alot that will keep us glued to the screen for hours. Some people might want to follow Waypoints, and only play the Game the way the Game tells them to, but personally, I enjoy playing it my own way while still achieving a outcome.

[dram 14]

Many interesting features and design overhauls. Definitely taken into consideration, so thank you for the input. Some of these will be possible, but not all. For example competitors would be a long-winded track that would be better spent on implementing something more impacting to gameplay.

Either way, keep the ideas coming :)

[whiteraven_t1 10]

Just checked again the game after some months...

I find it awesome! I was really positively surprised to see some of these suggestions implemented in game.

The game itself it's still not perfect, but it's now interesting and rewarding.

As you mentioned in another thread, you guys are very busy and can't implement everything, while mods can.

How about making some guides and suggestions on how mods can be made?

Maybe some mod templates that show the ropes on how to modify certain things, on which people can start building. At least, this is the biggest need I've found while modding/scripting Arma 3: lack of documentation and no basis at all on which to build.

Keep up the good work! ;)

Edit:

Thinking about it...

The missions have become much better, but still feel a little "stiff".

When you complete one, you immediately get the following one, provided that you have enough technology, otherwise you get the red message "insufficient technology for new missions".

So:

- How about a hint on what we should research to get those missions? Surely scientists know what they want to obtain from future missions, so having a little dialogue that tells you what technologies (or even better: what instruments) you're missing would be very useful.

- Also, we could have a loading bar also for new missions: it takes time to analyze the collected data and identify new targets, evaluate mission feasibility etc.

This could also open up the possibility of having another branch of the technology tree, in which you upgrade the available ground tools of the space agency: computational clusters, observatories (optical, x-ray, radio, ...), industry partnership programs, and such.

Some of these technologies could be vital for making certain advanced objectives visible in the map, or to increase their value.

Edited December 30, 2013 by WhiteRaven_t1

[paajtor 10]

One more suggestion:

I would like to have a scale-bar on the maps (Mars, Deimos, Asteroid Belt) in the control room.

Now I've read somewhere that an exploration-area is around 4x4km (?), but still it would be great to have a scale along the bottom of the map, and preferrably one that changes according to zoom-level.

Same goes for the Nav-image in the topleft corner of the GUI (the one that shows a top-down view of my vehicle, if you connect to a satellite above).

[Kagehiko 10]

Maybe these "Competitors" could be other players? This game has a lot of room for multiplayer, just like IRL, each rover is managed by a different team of engineers, which means that TKOM could have co-op up to as many rovers the host has.

[Teddybear1 11]

On another note - whatabout a new series of games:"Inner Space-Exploring the World`s Oceans".-game.

Where the player could see all kinds of wondrefull things about the Sea-you allready have Conself III Habitat. With the Submarines and Ships that we have ,you`re all

ready on the way to relese another game?

What do you think?

Many will like it ! Even as a stand-alone DLC you will have to pay for.

[paajtor 10]

Inner Space-Exploring the World`s Oceans

...

Where the player could see all kinds of wondrefull things about the Sea

Subnautica is in the works, you've heard about it?

Release: 2015 (?)