Escape Pods Perhaps?

from Sins Forums
I was just thinking back to all the sci-fi movies I've seen and the ones that stood out the most in awesome-ness. Anyone remeber StarShip Troopers? Ignoring everything in the movie except for the ship scenes I remebered how their ships in the movie had escape pods. I know other movies had them too, but the escape pods on StarShip Troopers were more along the lines in both design and technology as to the Tech's ships in Sins.

The escape pods looked cool in the ship battle scenes I remeber because everyhing's being blown to hell and ships are exploding and crashing into each other, there's debris everywhere, and amongst all this you see these little escape pods (holding I imagine some totally wired crew members) ejecting from the ships and into the unknowns of space (for the unlucky people) or ejecting toward other ship's docks (for rescue) or toward a planet's surface.

I definetly think this would be an awesome backround element. It doesn't have to affect anything positively or negitevly, it's simply just there for looks - for that extra sha-bam. Anyone's posts would be great.
Another Idea,
J
33,636 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Thanks Kalesh. This might be possible. I'll check it out.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
For effect may be nice but it would most likely require extending the death sequence of any ship destroyed in order to be anything close to realistic (I assume you want realism since you want escape pods).

Although using escape pods to keep the crew of your level 10 capitol ship alive and putting them into another capitol ship might be a viable game effect also

-Merc
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Hmm.. the escape pods could slowly fly back to the next capital shipyard. If they arrive there safely, the next ship built there could have the lvl of the old ship. Or let's say, one lvl less, since some crew members probably have died/were unable the escape.

Hmm.. sounds good to me. That will lessen the loss of a high lvl capital ship a bit, although if you're evil, you could destroy the life pods to deny the enemy that possibility.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
That was a feature in Nexus the Jupiter Incident. When a ship was about to explode escape pods launched from it. You didn't always blow a ship up, you just damaged it to the point where the crew abandons ship, then the ship floats in orbit spinning around because it's lost it's stabilizers.

I don't remember the purpose of escape pods, just that they existed. I think you got a higher score at the end of a level for the more escape pods you picked up. Also, a higher experience level for when you bought a new ship because the crew gets placed on it.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
What would be cool is to have the crews of your battleships eject and need rescue. once rescued you could build a new battleship and have it retun to its original level. Also you could capture captains of other battleships and hold them for ransom money.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Another interesting thought. If i was say ejected in space, i would aim for any of the closet ship and try to take them over or planet and start a insurgency....
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
maby in the death sequince you could have it break in half then all da pods go of then it explodes as this is going on there are mini explosions going of all over the ship maby have it a 10 second death sequesnce?
Edit: ooops miss type
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
If cap ships had a chance of creating a life boat (along with escape pod eye candy) that would go to the nearest planet (not dead ones) but make them behave like trade ships in regard to the fact they do what they do automatically and you cant tell them otherwise. Then in the level up thing area for a new cap ship there would be an option to crew it with a recovered command crew(from the life boat). making the ship the level of the crew automatically. Also each level of ship could have a higher chance of generating a life boat on death except for lvl 1. So basicly...

Lvl 1 ships - 0%

Lvl 2 ships - 10%

Lvl 3 ships - 20%

Lvl 4 ships - 30%

Lvl 5 ships - 40%

Lvl 6 ships - 50%

Well you get the idea, a lvl 10 ship would have a 90% chance. and of course the life boat is unarmed and kinda sluggish and more importantly, vulnerable to attack. Also in that magical yellow button we can't use captain names of cap ships would be awesome. So say you get captain Antillies to lvl 10 and his ship gets blown up. you could get your favorite captain back up and running ASAP. Would provide a neat little element, especially if your enemy could see the captain's names. Would provide a little bit more immersion to the game, after all having a certain captain plague you even after you kill his ship over and over would be... well Interesting.
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
they dont even have to do anything but still be there maby if u have any robotic ships u know those cruisers that repair your ships maby u could have them launch drones that pic up the pods and any debris and recycle them (not the people) get like 25% of the stuf back from the ship. or maby this is one way pirates can make money havest the debris from ships they have killed.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
Wow! Fraser responded to this post and he was the first one! Hahaa it's way awesome   
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
visually I'm fine with, beyond that you enter gray territory. think 1) how would you incorporate that? 2) would that derail the game 3) would that be too much of a pain in the butt etc. etc.

and I dont think a group of 20 people in an escape pod could take over another ship/a planet.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
Although using escape pods to keep the crew of your level 10 capitol ship alive and putting them into another capitol ship might be a viable game effect also


Yes, we can add escape pods   No, they can't be interactive elements.    They will be an effect only. These are all cool ideas, but added complexity takes us a bit from our core. There will be a form of debris harvesting...shhhhh...i didnt say that.  
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
There will be a form of debris harvesting...shhhhh...i didnt say that.

YES!!! haha

cough...old news...cough
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

There will be a form of debris harvesting...shhhhh...i didnt say that.

YES!!! haha

cough...old news...cough


what he said!
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah, they've said it several times before, even before beta 1 came out.
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
""""Yes, we can add escape pods No, they can't be interactive elements. They will be an effect only. These are all cool ideas, but added complexity takes us a bit from our core. There will be a form of debris harvesting...shhhhh...i didnt say that."""""


Yes!!! That's exactly the perfect concept! Simple and cool to look at.
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top
Yes that sounds great and your secrets safe with me