Another in a potential series of design entries related to expressing a Gamma World type of setting in my “dream game” mechanics. Some general thoughts related to economic systems were related here. As always, any feedback is welcomed.
The number of possible transportation methods of transportation in a Gamma World style setting nearly beggars the imagination. Again, part of the intended progression of the game will be to enable the character to obtain and operate ever more advanced equipment… but in this case especially, I want to make most of the options available in some form or another almost from the very start.
Personal: You have the usual walking/running stuff, of course. The mutations and potential psionic abilities add potential options for personal flight, short-range teleportation, and so on.
Beasts: A variety of different beasts of burden with a range of abilities, potentially based on concepts like Podogs (intelligent riding mastiffs) or Centisteeds (horses with 12-18 legs), or even stranger imaginings. A variety of beast-drawn vehicles should be possible as well.
Wind-driven: sailing ships and balloons/dirigibles are the obvious options, but other more fanciful entries could exist in certain environments as well. Sail-boards (and sail-cars?) for traversing wind-whipped prairies and deserts, for example.
Self-powered vehicles: skateboards, bicycles, tricycles… Segways? (heh).
Petroleum-burning vehicles: motorcycles, cars, trucks, etc. I’m assuming these would be mainly post-Cataclysm inventions, actually.
Ancient vehicles: jetpacks, gravcars, maglev cargo platforms, and even powered armors and military vehicles of various capabilities. Power sources could be a variety of different styles of batteries (solar, chemical, etc), hydrogen-burning fuel cells, “micro-fusion” reactors, whatever sci-fi-tech concepts seem to work…
Ancient Mass Transit: I’m thinking cross-continental maglev subways as a big part of this setting. Part of the gameplay at the community level over time could be to discover, unearth, and re-activate various stations/terminals spread across the countryside, offering very fast transport across large distances on a regular schedule. Helping to maintain the infrastructure of the Tubes could be an ongoing side activity as well.
Other Ancient mass-transit systems such as automated sub-orbital or orbital flights, perhaps with stop-overs at orbital stations, might be an interesting possibility as well. (That’s about as far as I want to go, tho. I’m definitely shying away from having ubiquitous teleportation technologies in this setting.)
Limitations
The general concept would be allow the player to interact with most of the above from the get-go, leaving aside perhaps the petroleum-burning and Ancient vehicles except as loaners from others.
Instead, I was thinking that part of the challenge for the player would be to be able to afford to operate, and perhaps maintain, whatever modes of transportation they chose to use. Beasts will need to be kept sheltered and fed (to varying extents); vehicles need fuel/energy and maintenance; even the mass-transit options will have a cost to utilize, and maintenance (as a communal effort) will be required to keep them running.
In addition, there would be skill-based limitations on the use/operation of many of the forms of travel (Voyages being a skill-based/usage-driven design, as opposed to class-based/XP-level-driven). Skills and techniques would govern the level of control and basic speeds (safely) attainable… wrecking the community pickup truck on a joy ride probably isn’t the best idea for making friends and influencing people (could be a decent quest hook, tho…)
Certain objects may require an expenditure (or an act of “heroism”) in order to lay a claim to full ownership, even if the character is the one that unearths/obtains it, depending upon the circumstances. Having the only operational jetcopter or gravcar in the entire region, and not allowing others to use it on occasion, should logically create some potential “issues” with local governments and even the populace at large…
Anyway, those are some of the general concepts I’d be leaning toward for the GW setting. Any comments or concerns?
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December 12, 2007 at 9:05 am
tenfoldhate
With so many different kinds of transportation, from beasts of burden and psionic flight to gas guzzling relics and wind runners, I think it’d be cool to introduce fueling/feeding your “mount” into a game like this. Not to create an extra chore or busy work for players. I think fueling in such a game would fall right in line with the other resource gathering that I’d imagine would be one of the key game elements in a post-apocalyptic style MMO.
If your vehicle was solar-powered, you’d have the benefit of not having to fuel up, but perhaps you’d suffer a speed penalty after nightfall. If you rode a PoDog, perhaps you’d have to stop every so often to hunt down radioactive vermin to turn into PoDog chow. If you salvaged a gas-powered vehicle, perhaps you have to get in the good graces of a clan that protects an old oil refinery or have to resort to hijacking innocent passers-by along the roadside to obtain petrol.
I think in the post-cataclysmic world, travel could be made more three-dimensional without feeling like a second job for players.
December 14, 2007 at 5:03 am
damianov
I agree with the final sentiment, obviously. And those scenarios are definitely along the lines of what I’m driving at.
Resource gathering is definitely a sub-theme I’d be looking at exploring heavily… I must admit, tho, I worry that moving away from the near-ubiquitous “hero’s quest” concept, even only in part, would limit interest in the final product. Eh well, it’s fun to dream about, at the very least…
December 17, 2007 at 3:40 am
p@tsh@t
Hmm. I really like trade offs so the player and their play style can be their own. Simple cheap travel without much required input or faster, more technologically advanced travel requiring more inputs which are harder to obtain…
Of course, depending on how the world works, there is still the opportunity for the remnants of a functioning public transportation system in some sectors too. I’m reminiscent of the still functioning Ring World systems long after the primary society fell apart.
Unlocking the control mechanism to those kind of systems through quests or skill development would be pretty cool.
Can I get a beta invite?
December 17, 2007 at 5:04 am
damianov
That’s the type of system I’d be shooting for, most definitely.
As for a beta invite: LOL, sure… what’s your schedule for, oh, 2021 look like?
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Farrah Kuchel
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