New Dupe Type Idea: Aquatic Dupes

[blash365]

At the moment we already have "ordinary" Dupes and Bionic Dupes.

I really like how Bionic Dupes come with their own set of opportunities (no food, instead they need power) and challenges (battery management, more dangerous liquids).

I think there are a lot more types of dupes that could be interesting (mutants, aliens, etc.) but they need to bring something to the game and ideally make up a good bundle of content (like bionics, flydos and other robotic/remote devices).

 

My suggestion for such an expandable Concept are Aquatic Dupes. 

 

Why aquatic dupes?

First of all, because it is as far from a bionic dupe as possible (nature vs. technology).

Second, so far liquids are more of a danger for our dupes than a livable environment. Aquatic Dupes allow to flip the play experience and base building.

Third, Aquatic Dupes will use all existing technologies and mechanics but with a spin that makes them unique.

Further, it allows the player to have more interactions with liquids. So far they are only an obstacle, a resource, something you use for liquids locks to separate gases or farm fish in. Now it can be a full part of the base.

 

So what are the new rules for Aquatic Dupes.

1. They "breathe" water, not oxygen.
   1. While dupes hold their breath within water and prosper in Oxygen, Aquatic Dupes do the opposite.
   2. They consume water at a 100% conversion rate as if it was oxygen, effectively allowing you to skip oxygen generation. 
   3. When in oxygen atmosphere, they do hold breath for some time, but instead of suffucating have a "labored breathing" debuff, which increases stress, oxygen consumption and forces them to heave (otherwise printing out a dupe without water nearby might be a problem)
   4. polluted water, salt/brine act similar to polluted oxygen, increasing their overall consumption rate plus adding debuffs similar to eye irritation
2. They require a regular contact with liquid to give them from drying out
   1. contact with a body of liquid (including showering) will add a "soaking wet" buff, which is a morale/stress relief contrary to ordinary dupes
   2. once the "soaking wet" buff disappears, it is replaced with a "drying out" debuff, which adds an increasing agility, stress and morale debuff
   3. this is similar to gear oil for bionic duplicants but more integrated into the game world
   4. atmo suits check points will have a liquid input, allowing the checkpoint to fill passing atmo suits with an amount of water (similar to the existing "soiled suit" status)
      1. this will give them similar conditions as other dupes when wearing an atmo suit
      2. this will require a bit more checkpoint management, because you dont want ordinary dupes (or bionics!) to end up with a water-filled atmo-suit and vice versa.
3. the skill tree of Aquatic Dupes is similar to that of ordinary dupes, but has an extra branch with aquatic feats
   1. swimming, allows Aquatic Dupes to travel a certain distance (tiered-skill) in all directions when in liquids (similar to having a jet-pack under water)
   2. improved gills, allows aquatic dupes to "breath" in certain liquids (brine, salt water)

 

Possible new buildings/plants/animals:

• water-bed (a bed filled with water for an aquatic dupe to sleep in), does not flood
• water jet suit a check-pointed device (requires fuel) similar to a jet pack suit that allows dupes to travel a certain distance under water (similar to swimming)
• Algae Tiles
• Aquatic Decor Plants
• more fish (jelly-fish)
• Noctopus (an Octopus that excretes crude oil at night)
• Corals

 

 

The most prominent place for Aquatic Dupes would most likely be the water asteroid. 

While it certainly is an interesting challenge to build a base there, it is also very tedious and repetitive. Shipping all resources there, pumping all water into reservoirs, water rooms or space. Building a corridor, managing pressure and slowly creeping your way downwards to reach grafite, after which you most likely will never set foot onto the planet again.

Aquatic Dupes would be able to create a completely different base there and make it a livable home where all other dupes are out of their comfort-zone. 

Yes, they would have an easy time not needing to create oxygen, but truly, that is not a problem for any dupe-type on that planet.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pproy]

So an issues I have woth bionic dupe is they seem to always show up in the printing pod when im looking for a normql dupe with specific skill (in other word, limiting the currebt dupe selection). If moretype of dupe are to be introduced in the game, I feel there need to be a new building that the purpose would be to mutate existing dupe.

For aquatic dupe per say, I'm not sure how well they would play with current starts. That said, it would be cool if they introduce a map seed specificly for them in the test lab. Basicly, like you described, a start where we are under water and building are changed so they work under water. While they are now introducing more map for it, I feel like the test lab is not fully exploited. It the perfect place to introduce weird map and mecanic to challenge players.

For the base games asteroid, new aquatic critter could be introduced. Speaking of the water asteroid, I always though it was pretty barren. Perhaps we could introduce a new whale critter which, like the experimental tree, we could feed it something and it could then puke ambergris that could be refined to graphite.

[blash365]

7 hours ago, Pproy said:

For the base games asteroid, new aquatic critter could be introduced. Speaking of the water asteroid, I always though it was pretty barren. Perhaps we could introduce a new whale critter which, like the experimental tree, we could feed it something and it could then puke ambergris that could be refined to graphite.

Yeah, i also had a rework/refinement of the water asteroid in mind.

A renewable source for graphite is awesome. And space whales are actually a thing in some other indie games, so it would be a fun reference.

 

[Sebastiangperez]

The water is not transparent enough to make this, they could use some kind of suit and live outside. 

I think a better way of using some mutation dupes , maybe eating stuff , take the advantage of the apothecary in avantage where you can make pills for some mutations, dupes can fly, dupes can be superfast, resiste hot / lava / cold.

Also, seems like plants are not mutated enough, in the recent trailer / short , we some some plants grow bigger, taller, and bring more food than normal without the need of radiation, that will be a must