The Being, or "Another Goddamn Xhuis Gamemode"

[Xhuis]

"The Being is an abomination. It is something that should not exist. All evidence points towards its existence owing to artificial creation, but surely nothing would want to create a monstrosity such as the Being. As with any organism, it must eat to grow. To survive, the Being requires Biomass..." - Classified Nanotrasen Document NT-T-MJ-012

This is an upcoming cooperative (NOT CONVERSION-BASED) gamemode centered around the Being - a horror of flesh and blood that wishes to infect the station and "integrate" its machinery and lifeforms. One player starts out as the Corpuscle and serves as the Being’s command center; they determine where to expand, how to expand, what to take over. All other chosen players, determined by round population, are Follicles. They exist to serve the Corpuscle’s will. Corpuscles look and function exactly like regular humans until it decides to “plant” itself; Follicles will cast off their disguise shortly after this planting event.

Distinguishing features of this gamemode from past gamemodes include a much more in-depth and complex experience for the leader - including a research tree - and adaptive defenses and playstyles to keep every round interesting.

More to come as the initial design expands and code framework is laid out. You can find the design document here; check back constantly for updates.

[Armhulen]

fun idea

[TechnoAlchemist]

sounds like clockcult-shadowling fusion without conversion

must be a coincidence

[oranges]

it's blob

[XDTM]

Sounds like an actually fun blob mode

[ShadowDimentio]

Blob 2.0: Goon Meatstation Edition

I'm down. I love blob, and this sounds like blob.

[Super Aggro Crag]

Why do you make a thread in feedback when you have no actual work to show? Very vague, no actual framework.

[Xhuis]

Why do you make a thread in feedback when you have no actual work to show? Very vague, no actual framework.

I wanted people's opinions on the idea before I put forth code into something that nobody liked or wanted. As feedback seems pretty positive thus far, I'll wrap up the design document's summary and post it here when I get home.

[ShadowDimentio]

Xhuis if you want a playtester I'm game.

[Xhuis]

I'll PM you when I get home.

Anyway, two things not made immediately clear:

• The Being doesn't consume or destroy the station. Rather, it infects it, transforming existing turf and taking over machinery. Whereas a blobbed area is just a bunch of blob, an infected area is a traversable hellscape of flesh and bone, with strange structures and twisted machines.
• There is no conversion of players. Being caught ends with either your mindless husk serving the Corpuscle or a violent, agonizing death.

[Armhulen]

Xhuis if you want a playtester I'm game.

[Xhuis]

I'll have answers for you two after I get home haha

[Super Aggro Crag]

Ideas dont really matter without any solid mechanics behind them. A concept might sound cool but with no idea of how it'll actually be implemented any feedback generated is meaningless.

[Xhuis]

You needn't worry about not knowing how I'll implement it. I already have plans for a lot of the systems and I'm cooperating with some others on a lot of decisions.

[Aloraydrel]

Sounds neat but I'd like to see what the mechanics will be haha

[Anonmare]

I'm interested but I'd like to hear how the mechanics would be. It sounds very similar to old Blob but it sounds like it would also have some major differences.

[calzilla1]

If acquiring different machines don't let you do different things/ control them (supply console: delete all supply points/ use supply points for your self, robotics contol:destroy cyborgs, vending machines: shoots stuff at people) than shit game mode

[Wyzack]

This seems a lot like blob only different. i think this is a good thing since blob has some potential but as is it fucking blows

[Xhuis]

It definitely has its gameplay roots in blob. One of my core goals for this mode is a blob that's fun to both play as and play against, instead of being awful to fight. Basic mechanics are very clearly defined in the design doc, which you should have within a half-hour. Stay tuned.

[Xhuis]

OP updated with a link to the design document. You have commenting rights for suggestions and thoughts, so try to provide constructive feedback instead of flaming or I'll be forced to disable them entirely.

[InsaneHyena]

Third time's the charm, amirite?

[Xhuis]

Here's to that. I consider clockcult a success, but if this is better than clockcult, all the better.

[D&B]

Are you gonna post a whitelist of whos allowed to code for this and who isnt?

[Xhuis]

Right now I only have the barebones code down. Git put in a new system recently that lets people propose changes, so I suppose anyone can make suggestions easily once the PR is made. So, to answer your question, technically everyone who wants to contribute.

As for playtesting/suggestions, I'm consulting Joan for their opinion on a lot of my choices, and I've already had some offers for playtesting. I'll be keeping in touch with those people as well, asking their opinions on stuff and seeing how they think it'd play.

[Armhulen]

okay now i looked at the design document, and yeah this is pretty damn amazing.

[Luke Cox]

Nice. I don't think that conversion gamemodes are inherently bad, but we could use more non-conversion antags. Now you just need to figure out what can be done with the Chrono Legionnaire and/or Space Ninja

[Xhuis]

Nice. I don't think that conversion gamemodes are inherently bad, but we could use more non-conversion antags.

That's my philosophy. With two gamemodes one-after-another involving conversion, it wasn't that great. People are sick of conversion modes being the only new modes - that's why this mode involves no conversion, only deeeath..

Now you just need to figure out what can be done with the Chrono Legionnaire and/or Space Ninja

They're dead to me

[Jacough]

Now you just need to figure out what can be done with the Chrono Legionnaire

Syndicate agent from the future sent back in time to erase a specific individual from history before they can accomplish some sort of major scientific breakthrough. Also has a list of people he must not erase in order to prevent a major time fuck up (also red text). Under no circumstances should he make any physical contact with his present self or both present and future agent will merge into a pile of goo and disappear.

[youtube]D01mdGW9-Zg[/youtube]

Erasing his present self is an absolute no no as well for obvious reasons

[TheColdTurtle]

Won't you have to add new sprites for everything that is infected by 'the being'?

[Remie Richards]

I am VERY interested in this.

I once sprited a lot of body-horror humans, are any of these of use?

humanoid-horrors.dmi (5.4 KiB) Viewed 14116 times

Huge preview:

Spoiler:

The multiple frames of the "headstraight" are it's animated attack (it basically headbangs you to death)
Having looked at the SCP you linked in the design doc, they seem to fit the theme.

[Drynwyn]

What keeps people from instantly calling this out as soon as they spot it growing? I saw the stuff about Lariats in the design doc, but unless someone is foolish enough to walk onto the potentially-trapped infected tiles BEFORE yelling ";IT'S A BEING ROUND EVERYBODY TO STARBOARD SOLAR MAINT BRING GUNS", that won't help.

[Xhuis]

snipsnop

Glad to hear you're interested. Yes, this stuff is all helpful to what I'm looking for, and I'll likely use it. Thanks!

snipsnop

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Being and its creatures have night vision, thus causing expansion to integrate any lights nearby so they can be activated only at the Corpuscle's will. Lariats are best situated in dark areas so that people are more likely to stumble into them before they can spot the rest of the growth. If the Corpuscle is spotted early, there's little they can do but push on with an emphasis on defense (see the Attrition Phase).

[Drynwyn]

snipsnop

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Being and its creatures have night vision, thus causing expansion to integrate any lights nearby so they can be activated only at the Corpuscle's will. Lariats are best situated in dark areas so that people are more likely to stumble into them before they can spot the rest of the growth. If the Corpuscle is spotted early, there's little they can do but push on with an emphasis on defense (see the Attrition Phase).

Yes, that would work well.

[TheColdTurtle]

snip

All of that kinda reminds me of that one Lisa game, the one with joy and shit

[D&B]

snip

All of that kinda reminds me of that one Lisa game, the one with joy and shit

The painful or The joyful?

Both have joy mutants

[NikNakFlak]

Maybe you won't leave this one to die like shadowling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Armhulen]

Maybe you won't leave this one to die like shadowling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is gonna suck to sprite. At least shadowlings are just black and red.

[ShadowDimentio]

#BringBackSlings

[Armhulen]

#BringBackSlings

i like you and your ideas, but it needs a lot of work

[ShadowDimentio]

I liked it the way it was, all that was wrong was the powers got broken by bugs constantly.

[Anonmare]

I like the body horror aspect and it sounds very similar in idea and play to The Many from System Shock 2. Plus it is a bit more of a sci-fi staple than Blob classic which is more of an ever-expanding wall of flesh while this is more like an actual infection.

Also I'm of the opinion that the initial infection vectors (the Corpuscule mainly) should have some innate ability to get around airlocks and security cams during the set-up phase. Like how the Changeling armblade can force open an airlock. Maybe give them a biotool that can quickly and quietly force open an airlock and cut cams without an alarm.
I think it might also be a good idea to define which machines can be "infected" and how they behave when taken over. I had a few ideas but I'm not overly sure of the feasibility.

• Such as:-
• Security cameras could be taken over so the AI and cam console can no longer see though them but The Being can use them as it's own eyes. Fire alarms/APCs/Air alarms could just bed locked out anyone that's not The Being, including silicons like how clockcult airlocks work.
• The Cloning pod could be used to passively generate biomass at a somewhat high rate, making it all the more important to defend.
• Maybe infecting the crusher let's it convert anything dropped into it into biomass, not sure how useful that would be.
• The robotics console could be accessed to lockdown or detonate cyborgs, or hack them if that would be beneficial to The Being.
• Infesting the AI could flip it to be on the The Being's side with a Law 0 (and any cyborgs hooked up to it), at the cost of it being unable to control anything The Being hasn't already infected.
• Infecting an unoccupied mech makes it hostile to the crew and behave similar to a blobbernaut. Not player-controlled.

That's all I can really think of really. I wanted to think of something for the SMES and telecomms machines but I can't see how they'd benefit it.

[Remie Richards]

snip

All of that kinda reminds me of that one Lisa game, the one with joy and shit

The painful or The joyful?

Both have joy mutants

Never actually played those, though comparison to other things is a good sign, means I've not gone wrong anywhere.
I just know my body horror staples:

• missing limbs
• gaping wounds
• lack of faces
• insides where they shouldn't be

etc.

[ShadowDimentio]

Infecting atmos gives a boost to biomass rate and unlocks dispersing the Taking and building Pustules through vents
Infecting gravgen allows toggling of gravity and unlocks a powerful station-wide stun with a long cooldown
Infecting cargo (cargo console) allows for ordering stuff
Infecting science (R&D machines) makes food web mutations cheaper
Infecting virology (viro machine) unlocks a more virulent form of the Taking
Infecting medbay (sleepers and cryo) increases heal rate of the Clot and unlocks a regen effect for everything
Infecting genetics gives a large boost to biomass rate and unlocks new mutations
Infecting AI (AI core) unlocks access the door and camera network
Infecting tcomms (main server) suppresses the alert to the crew from HQ and unlocks access to the radio network and lets you forge messages
Infecting engine gives control the station's power and unlocks electrified Arteries
Infecting nuke unlocks very powerful food web mutations
Infecting security (eating three guns) unlocks turrets and improved armor
Infecting chemistry (chem machine) boosts biomass rate and unlocks Lariats injecting chems on attack and Pustule gas being acidic

*Unlock means you only get these mutations by doing this and buying them through the food web

[Cik]

it seems cool

to be honest i always liked most of your game modes, and i'll probably like this one too
good luck with it

[Xhuis]

anger

I didn't leave shadowling to die. At all. I patched it diligently until the end.

ideas

To respond in order:

• I am planning on allowing the Corpuscle to rip open airlocks in its human form. This leaves an obvious marker that disappears afterwards, so you can't do it on high-profile stuff like the Bridge without being outed.
• The camera and firelock ideas are solid.
• I actually planned on this! It's a little more sinister, though. It doesn't just create Biomass. It uses backup databanks to create living, conscious clones... then eats them alive and starts a new clone.
• Don't think so for that. Probably just a thematic retheme into a giant maw or something.
• Not sure about that. I planned on having borgs be able to be integrated to serve the Being, though, so I can work with that.
• Sure. A big stompy mech with giant tendrils spewing from its mouth sounds awesome and horrifying.

ideas

To respond in order:

• Sure. It'd be obvious, though; an invisible Taking would be immensely powerful.
• Not sure about free control of gravity, as it's very strong and all Being structures are rooted to the ground. A stationwide gravity surge is cool though.
• Probably not.
• Sure, that's cool.
• Ooh, evil. I like it.
• Sure. It'd have to be a specific machine, though; maybe a crew monitor or something.
• See above; the clone pod will turn into a Biomass generator of eternal agony. The research machines could easily allow for hidden upgrades though.
• Unlikely to ever happen but sure. I plan for the AI to gain access to the Mesh and basically go totally insane with its laws. Like, even more errored-up than the malf law.
• Probably only the forging, and on a big CD. There's no alert message like blob has for the Being.
• Definitely no power control. An electric fence made of flesh sounds amazing, though. Hmm... teslium gland upgrade, anyone?
• Oh, yeah. And some even more horrifying body horror. That's a lot of uranium.
• Not bad.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions, feedback, and support. I'll 100% keep them in mind when I start coding in earnest.

[ShadowDimentio]

Not uranium, even worse-- plutonium.

[TheColdTurtle]

Remie just play the Lisa games, start with the painful. Both fucking amazing games and it may be useful when thinking of body horror ideas. Also don't look anything up about the story.

[ShadowDimentio]

Spoiler: Life sucks and everyone dies

[Xhuis]

I've got plenty of free time today, so I'll get some work done on the design doc and maybe even some code framework. Make sure to check back frequently.

[jaxy15]

Plasma cutters should do extra damage to Necromorphs Follicles.