This is the 38th entry to my Random Design Ideas and Suggestions document, which I have slightly altered for the portfolio.
2/10/21 This can be done with either a procedural or fixed design.
5/11/21 – I left this one on the back burner for a while, now it is time to put in the details. This is a ship traveling from one place in space to another, and AI systems are managing and piloting the ship through hyperspace. Usually everything is fine, but once in a while, a problem occurs and requires crew intervention. This is when hypersleep becomes disrupted, and players must address the problems for the sake of the ship, crew, and payload.
This can be designed in a variety of ways, using successful examples to help with the design process and shape the nature of the game. Whether it is a limited crew that comes in and out of hypersleep, or a massive crew that depletes with each player failure or avoidable catastrophe, the point is to survive with an intact ship and crew by the end of the journey.
This model works just as well with a fixed story where events happen in order if the prior steps lead to them, or something procedural where every run may use similar events and crew but nothing is predetermined or fixed in any way.
The Decision Makers – One concept is The Oregon Trail style game, or even done in the style of FTL: Faster Than Light where players are activated to make decisions about crossroads, engage in activities that the AI cannot handle with its automated robotics and systems, perform exterior repairs, deal with hazards like pirates or a tribble infestation, or do trade to resupply materials in places where AIs don’t have legal rights and cannot engage in trade. Player success will give advantages, mitigate losses, and create new opportunities. Player failure may result in crew loss, extra resource loss, catastrophic ship damage, or the AI going berserk and turning completely HAL.
Wake Up and Shoot! – Another concept is a SHUMP format, where hypersleep is only disrupted when pirates, asteroid belts, imperial interdictors, and other space hazards come up. This may also include blasting apart pieces of a decomposing derelict and grabbing cargo left behind. This format should present trade opportunities at stations, where players can replenish critical supplies and buy or trade for upgrades that improve combat effectiveness and defenses, fuel supply to make longer trips without stopping, or better hyperdrives to go further on each jump.
Space Mania – Another is more of a horror theme, where players take up the role of detectives to investigate oddities picked up by internal and external scanners on the ship. Perhaps someone activated early, couldn’t return to hypersleep due to a malfunction they developed, refused to go to VR (or got stuck in VR) and developed space mania, then started to do destructive things upon the ship. Find out who they are/were, what they’ve done, and locate them in case they are still a threat.
Player as Friend Computer – Another is a puzzle type game where the player is the AI computer, who first identifies a problem, then must select people from the crew that have the skills they need, and wakes them up and gives them orders to complete the puzzle tasks. They have some autonomy, but are mostly awaiting your queues, and perhaps your assistance opening doors and equipment lockers for the task. As the game progresses, this can involve multiple crew members from across the ship, and they all need to be managed so they complete their tasks in a sequence or in a timely manner to avoid hazards or catastrophes. Giving them the wrong tools, sending them to the wrong places, and giving them the wrong orders, can also result in catastrophe. If they are left alone for too long, they may get bored and roam around, suffer ill effects from being in the dangerous room where you last left them, or try to pry open equipment lockers in search of snacks. When they’ve completed their tasks, you have to return them to their hypersleep pods, which may require some coaxing if they seem to like being awake and don’t want to return to sleep yet.