A new update for Colony Ship talks about the armory and conversation screens.
More information.We're wrapping up the Armory (the second location), so we can finally show you something other than the starting town. Let's start with the intro:
With row after row of gutted depots, the Armory stretches before you as a shell of what it once was. The mutineers hit it fast and hard, overrunning the surprised security forces and stripping it of supplies. Weapons and armor meant for the future colony flooded the Ship, turning the Mutiny into a full-fledged war. The Ship Authority held its own in the end, keeping control of the lower decks, but at a great cost that went far beyond the Armory's lost supplies.
Your destination lies ahead - a reinforced door flanked by twin auto-cannons drawing on a seemingly inexhaustible power supply. No one made it past during the Mutiny, and no one's made it past since. Like the proverbial flaming sword outside of Eden, it sits as a guardian, a symbol of ancient strength, and a promise of marvels beyond.
You get the access card from Tanner (as mentioned in the combat demo), so getting past the automated security on that floor will be easy. However, you'd have to get past the local thugs first. You can fight or talk your way through or simply sneak past them. Multiple quest solutions are one of the cornerstones of our design philosophy.
- The old dialogue box at the bottom of the screen wasn't big enough to fit all the text and PC options in more heated conversations, so we went with a vertical setup. It's still work in progress (we switched to it a week ago) so feel free to offer suggestions for improvement. I can't say I like it but it's either this or what we had in AoD or using a scrollbar to make sure you see all the options.
- We wanted to show the skills (you can see them leveling up while talking) but you'll be using all skills not just speech and there's no room to fit them all. Maybe something like index tabs on the side?
- On the dialogue design itself: in AoD it was easy to fail a check and end up dead or in combat. In Colony Ship failures and successes modify the disposition, giving you a chance to recover from your mistakes. For example, this reputation check leads to 3 outcomes:
low rep: disposition -2
"You high or somethin'?" Sharp Face asks, grinning wide. Clearly, he's a man who appreciates quality entertainment.
medium rep: disposition +1
"Big words," says Sharp Face, licking his lips. "The fuck you want here anyway?" The sudden change of tone indicates that he no longer sees you as an easy mark.
high rep: disposition +4
"Easy there, friend," says Sharp Face, raising his palms to show he comes in peace. "No need to get all worked up over a joke. So, uh, what brings you here?" The forced casualness makes it clear that you've been promoted from prey to rival.
Let's show him the card instead:
[...]
