This major addition expands the exploration system even further. (see planet exploration I and planet exploration II to know more)
I have completed the (massive...) framework and scripting system for encounter and tile features and content-wise, I have decided to complete the first content "arcs" to stress-test it.
Regional features

Regional features

Regional features are persistent points of interest on the planet's surface, they can be visited and have effects on a city, an outpost a region, or an organization. They can also trigger special events, some can be easily discovered (even from orbit)while others need to be found with a land expedition.
Built early in reaction to the Urghoghs, these rare and often disabled devices create pocket of developed civilisation.
These are important discoveries as the bonus/malus can be very significant and cumulate across the entire region.
A list of regional features present on this planet
Encounters
Additionally, there are non-persistent "encounters" which are contextual events occurring during travels but also as time passes. They can lead to more areas/events and sometimes contain rewards in the form of goods, codex entries, and people to hire.
This unassuming rock shelter leads to an underground ruined city, this is quite a rare occurrence.
Some action can also be performed, there is a system for crew skill and traits roll and a full range of effects. But for now, there isn't enough content to make very long and engaging adventures.
Some valuable industrial machinery and tools were found here.
Currently, there are :
- Rock shelter (and all variants for all climates)
- Stash
- Abandoned Mineshaft
- Worm tunnel
- Aquifer cave
- Fungal cavern
- Magmatic cave
New areas can also be revealed during an encounter if that's allowed by the context, current region, and the planet.
The Future
It is important to have a critical mass of content for all that to become relevant and properly intertwined, so the future content arcs that will be built upon this framework each have a range of encounter and tile features :
- Civilisations remants (Tile feature)
- Crashed spaceships (Dynamic)
- Unique lifeforms and biomes (Tile feature)
- Geological features (Tile feature, partially done)
- Crew and Expedition routine (but I won't include party member buggering you with their life problems)
- Encounters & Combats (using the abstract ground combat system)
- Accidents (chain of decision and skill/trait tests with very limited initiative reserve)
- Planetary and celestial events (Will occur regardless of player's presence)
- Urghogh (dynamic, related to migration/ presence of giant worms)
-
>>> Bonus <<<
Too short to make a devlog, but too significant to skip it :
Landing
A previous devlog introduced
planet exploration, which is now polished.

Exploring the planet's surface is necessary to find some type of regional feature, trigger some "encounters" or trade with local populations and nations on the surface. Now scanning the planet from orbit is dangerous due to the replicant's threat, which I will describe later.
Some risks are unknown given the survey level of the region
the atmosphere, the relief, flora density, and surface gravity pull are all factors creating more risks to land, while the crew's skill, survey level of a tile, and the presence of a landing pad minimize the risk.
This region has been surveyed and the risks are known.
There are the following hazards :
- Atmosphere density: during atmospheric entry, the ship's hull is heating and can take damage, this risk is dependent on the ship's hull condition, aerodynamic profile, and the ship's size.
- Relief: chaotic relief and ship size influence the risk.
- Flora density: which also depends on the ship's size.
- Surface gravity: which is influenced by the thrust-to-weight ratio of the ship.
Crew casualties
Now any penetrating damage to a ship (including accidents) will wound and kill crewmembers
[ 2023-10-28 00:41:26 CET ] [ Original post ]