Proposal to fix the story loophole

Started by richard, November 11, 2013, 11:59:03 PM

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richard

Current efforts to fix the story loophole (aka "why don't the colonists just leave with the traders?") are focusing around two options, as far as I can tell:


  • it's not feasible because of some complex tech issue (no FTL, small crews, other lame excuses)
  • it's not desirable (the colonists are wanted criminals who don't want to leave the planet)
  • it's all too hard and just do away with traders
Trading is a valuable gameplay mechanic, so the third option isn't really sensible.

I'd like to propose that the traders not be spacefaring.

They are just on the planet, and travel up to the colony door to trade, and then continue on their merry way. They could have armed guards. You could try to kill them and just take all their loot, but then you'd also never be visited by another trader again.

mumblemumble

#1
There is no "loophole", people are just way too optimistic. Its deep space, the ships are serious business, and letting a bunch of most likely unidentifiable people on-board a ship would be a SERIOUS risk.

Its just like hitch hiking, its very unlikely, and especially if you then limit most of the ships to groups (like traders, or other stuff) the chance of letting on complete strangers is a risk almost nobody would take.

Wish people could stop worrying about this thing... its getting annoying hearing it over and over. I don't think there need to be an official "reason" why they can't leave with the traders, instead people should just understand that they CAN'T leave, because theres no reason for the traders to rescue a group of complete ragtag strangers.
Why to people worry about following their heart? Its lodged in your chest, you won't accidentally leave it behind.

-----

Its bad because reasons, and if you don't know the reasons, you are horrible. You cannot ask what the reasons are or else you doubt it. But the reasons are irrefutable. Logic.

Adeelos

#2
Most people would be willing to make room in their cargo space for enough money, which is easy enough to stockpile in the game.

Cyclops

There is also the opportunity to hijack the trade ship. Well, here, have 15 of my colonists as "Slaves". Either come down and get them, or let me send them up in pods.

Oh and by slaves, I meant highly armed boarders.

RebCom1807

Well, what it could be is that those tradeships aren't actually crewed - No sense sending people into the deep unknowns of space if you can help it. I mean, that doesn't say a lot about slave traders, but it's a thought.

mumblemumble

#5
Quote from: Adeelos on November 12, 2013, 12:50:28 AM
Most people would be willing to make room in their cargo space for enough money, which is easy enough to stockpile in the game.
And how would you know that, you run a deep space trading ship?...keep in mind, this is anywhere between 3 - 12  HEAVILY ARMED strangers, which the ship most likely can't even confirm the identity of. And considering the absolute mess of security risks (the colonists killing the crew off, highjack, contamination from possible diseases(this is an uncharted planet, keep in mind), being tracked by those who have bounties on colonists, ect) The risk could be viewed as nowhere near worth it.

There's no SIGNIFICANT reason why they would just be rescued, this "plot hole" is the same as "well why don't they just talk it out with the rebel fleet" in regards to FTL's ending. Yes, TECHNICALLY it has a point, but its reading far too deep into it. The short answer is, the rebels (or in this case, traders) don't give a damn.
Why to people worry about following their heart? Its lodged in your chest, you won't accidentally leave it behind.

-----

Its bad because reasons, and if you don't know the reasons, you are horrible. You cannot ask what the reasons are or else you doubt it. But the reasons are irrefutable. Logic.

nomadseifer

Love of an Idea is love of god - FLLW

Galileus

I'm all the way with Mumble on this - I was pushing the same vector as well. Trade ships wouldn't be manned with too much crew (with the length of the flight especially) and definitely not with anti-boarding crews. After all if pirates can't take your cargo, they will blow up the ship. Why pay for guards if you loose anyway?

There would be armed convoys out there - but these would not stop on some random-ass moons to talk with strangers.

Think of rimworlds as badlands - you never know who works for who and if he won't slit your throat first chance he gets. Trust for strangers goes only as far as the barrel of the gun can allow it.

Sacarathe

Quote from: mumblemumble on November 12, 2013, 12:14:03 AM
There is no "loophole",

Are the people from the crash colonists or survivors? They have the new colony buff at the start, you could say its similar to many colonies in the last 500 years, why when the going got rough why didnt they just leave.

Galileus

Quote from: Sacarathe on November 12, 2013, 09:36:10 AMAre the people from the crash colonists or survivors? They have the new colony buff at the start, you could say its similar to many colonies in the last 500 years, why when the going got rough why didnt they just leave.

They have crashed. In a crashpod. That's supposed to crash. And it crashed. End even if they de-crash it, it's a crashpod. It won't crash them into space tho. And even if they would build crashtapult, they would simply recrash somewhere else. Like a moon with toxic atmosphere. Or without one. Or sun. Or hull of some tradeship that will then crash into sun. And even if they crash on another M-class planet, it'll be thousands of light years away and they would be dead for hundreds of generations before they recrash.

Considering all that, it ain't that bad to be on M-class planet with resources, some traffic around it and raiders out for your blood. Could've been worse. Like crashing into a tradeship that then crashes into a sun, while they starve to the edge of death before dying of suffocation while watching themselves being slowly crashed into a sun :P

Nocebo

I still feel the colonists shouldn't even want to leave. With all the raiders and slave traders going around. I wouldn't trust any ship that would just let me hitch a ride back to my home town. The people that pickup the hitchhikers could be just as dangerous as the hitchhikers themselves..

Also sometimes colonists break down and "give up" which just causes them to walk to the edge of the map. And then i assume disappear. But so far i have imprisoned each one trying to "escape". Doesn't this maybe hint that there already is something else out there? And they just maybe don't want to go?

Events as they happen currently really seem to tell the story quite well already. Slavers and Raiders everywhere in space, and if colonists give up, they go somewhere else.
Supporter of The Mad Boommuffalo Project!

Adeelos

Quote from: mumblemumble on November 12, 2013, 02:25:00 AM
Quote from: Adeelos on November 12, 2013, 12:50:28 AM
Most people would be willing to make room in their cargo space for enough money, which is easy enough to stockpile in the game.
And how would you know that, you run a deep space trading ship?...keep in mind, this is anywhere between 3 - 12  HEAVILY ARMED strangers, which the ship most likely can't even confirm the identity of. And considering the absolute mess of security risks (the colonists killing the crew off, highjack, contamination from possible diseases(this is an uncharted planet, keep in mind), being tracked by those who have bounties on colonists, ect) The risk could be viewed as nowhere near worth it.

There's no SIGNIFICANT reason why they would just be rescued, this "plot hole" is the same as "well why don't they just talk it out with the rebel fleet" in regards to FTL's ending. Yes, TECHNICALLY it has a point, but its reading far too deep into it. The short answer is, the rebels (or in this case, traders) don't give a damn.

I'm just saying, *someone* would eventually say "money" over "safety concerns", especially if it was armed passengers who could help protect *them* from raiders boarding the ship in the long run. There is no black and white. Stop it.

Galileus

Quote from: Adeelos on November 12, 2013, 01:25:15 PM(...) especially if it was armed passengers who could help protect *them* from raiders boarding the ship in the long run.

For all traders know they ARE raiders, murderers and psychopaths ;)

Adeelos

Quote from: Galileus on November 12, 2013, 02:36:34 PM
Quote from: Adeelos on November 12, 2013, 01:25:15 PM(...) especially if it was armed passengers who could help protect *them* from raiders boarding the ship in the long run.

For all traders know they ARE raiders, murderers and psychopaths ;)

Again, not every trader would think that though. Certainly some would, but not all.

Galileus

Well, that's the point. Most would not, meaning we have a good explanation.