Alright, my late night delusional bitching has kinda gotten attention, and I sorta want to explain why I'm so 50/50 about why I want to make a colony, but also NOT make one. If you want the short version of this, skip all the colored writing. What's not to gain, first of all. You can make a massive profit of make a social hub/club, you can make a mining operation and a refinery. Maybe even a research center. But there are a few problems with this. Yah, this is kinda whiny whine stuff, but admittingly, it's an un-ignorable pattern that sticks out like a baboons red ass. First of all, if it doesn't have a bar, or at LEAST a cafe that serves hard drinks (it's still a bar), then the social life of the planet fails in a lot of cases. That is because people like drinking their themselves senseless, either because their character is supposed to be some drunk alcoholic edgelord escaping some sad shit, or people that drink to get happy. The latter I am COMPLETELY fine with, I'm old enough myself to enjoy a hard drink with my friends, but when the latter is in the minority most of the time, it's kinda just a depressing vibe. Next on the list, is security. This one is a duel edged sword with no middle it seems. If it has too much security, then people bitch about it not being fun. If it has too little security, it's a damn chaotic mess with people trying to start fights and trying to BURN EVERYTHING. I get it, you need your little escape and tension moments, but that is why you pick a fight and take it to an ally AWAY from the guards, or in the sewers, not in the middle of the damn street. There IS a middle, and I wan't to make and understandable middle, but people seem to only see one side or the other. Around the bend, behind Security Whining and in front of it, leading the pack, Intro, is Construction! That's right, construction, ranging mostly from how rapidly something is built, how it looks, and what it is made of with it's contents and workings. I believe that construction needs to have funding, and I LOVE people that keep logs on cost of shit, like keeping tabs on resources used and so on. What I HATE is when people whine about futuristic architecture. Listen, I'm getting really sick of this idea that because it's the frontier, everything has to be some haste-built village looking like it came from a French kingdom (minus the Glitch, they have an excuse <3), or looking like the projects in Brooklyn. If you have your damn EMP grenades, lasers, plasma weapons, FTL drives, space ships, radio that can travel FASTER than light (which I want to remind you is theoretically almost impossible), and (the now rare and mod-approved) power armor, then I think it's understandable to have a place like New Gum, a GOOD LOOKING SCI-FI CITY with actual modern (our future) technology. And I know "But Traaaace, those take forever to build!" Take two steps back now, and think of mechs, cargo ships, shuttles, and other things that have shown themselves in Starbound, that are able to make building much quicker, and much more rapid. Oh wait, my bad, we go off server lore and completely ignore Starbound lore for server lore, because Chucklefish got everything wrong. *Dripping with sarcasm* Finally, assholes. Nothing more simple than that, assholes. This is more of a personal issue, but I don't like this, people that are just complete and utter pricks and just want to ruin everyone else's good time for a chuckle. Yah, I'm being serious, and it STILL happens, it's unavoidable, and undeniable. People making throw away characters to have a grenade belt on them, pull a string and make them all go off in a random act of terrorism, raiding attacks with seemingly NO reason behind them what-so-ever, and Florans. "Trace, you hate Florans?!" Because of the server lore, yes, I do. Barely anyone is allowed to play sophisticated Florans anymore, just grind butts together and make cacoons. I know how this works because I had a Floran for a LONG time. Now, the race is just savages and nonnegotiable tribesman. Look, I understand that not every Floran is going to be a Green-Finger, but I'm getting really sick of people that sit back and wait as a Floran to throw an endless amount of Florans through a teleporter or some breeding room that just popped out of nowhere, and relentlessly throw Florans at the colony because, apparently, Florans breed like rabbits, but ten times worse. I don't want to make a colony personally just to have asshats come there and be pricks on throwaway characters. I get an organized bandit attack or robbers, and a Non-OP Floran attack, but with how people do it right now, I'd rather just sit on my ship. Now, I'm going to get into understandable counters to some things in my rant, make you all feel a little better and just make it seem like I'm not venting... As bad... Which is really, REALLY bad. Bars and Cafes tend to be the best recreational area for anyone, anywhere, and tend to be the safest as well. Clubs have the chance for creepy people and random shootings, as well as people slipping drugs into drinks and stuff. Why you all can't just go to a park or an arcade, I don't know, but hey, stats don't lie. Too much security leads to no attacks and strict laws, which make it extremely boring for a lot of people that wait for an event to happen. With a small task force, it leaves room for people to come in as shady characters, like drug dealers and thieves, as well as the occasional Floran that eats people, because "lol server lore, their all savages"... Bite me... Anywho- It's understandable that people have their on and offs about security, and I do admit, it's EXTREMELY hard to balance, but I believe I found a WONDERFUL balance and I would love to try. My strongest reason to NOT do this, however, is my last "con" reason (negative). ... I really don't know how people actually enforce building little villages only. I GET that some people believe that buildings are costly and take time to build, but in my PERSONAL thoughts (and that Gum understood) is that it's the FUTURE people, a hundred years ago we were still building cabins, now we're building freakin' skyscrapers to break world records. Gee, I wonder now what it would be like FOUR HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE FUTURE... I made this section purple because it turned into a rant again, sorry. Organized and planned invasions. That is it, simply put. Random attacks are banned, but people still burn buildings like pricks, explode throw away characters, and the Floran tsunami No, seriously, that is a real thing. I'm not going to say who, but I KNOW who, but Floran players, past and now, spam Florans like its an unlimited zerg. No, they are not a zerg army, simply put, screw you. Damnit, rant again- ANYWHO! But WITH those events, it keeps people on their toes, waiting for more excitement, to spice up the day. A murder mystery, a burned building... No, you people that think it's funny about putting poop down are just pricks. I GET it, it makes TENSION, it makes ENTERTAINMENT... But there needs to be lines, so even if they think it's little, it still needs to go by the leader of the colony. And understand that the wooden building you want to burn was rejected because it's a clinic with hurt people in it... Yah, I'm making a reference, ten points to whoever gets it! Alright, now for the simple version. I don't want to build because my colony is simply doom to fail to begin with. Either right off the bat, or later on. I don't like the people have put SO much effort into good structures, then just have to toss them away because of a new rule chance, of a invasion of impossible number Florans. For those of you that don't know, I'm Ta'Lone, I KNOW how that is because I LOST a colony I GOT that was already FALLING APART. Unless I'm able to get to sit down and type back and forth with some mods, and get a few thoughts across, I'm not going to build under the cons above. I'm not going to subject to BS invasions, people trying to blow up everything, and I'm NEVER allowing edge-lord gathering hotspots. Yah, that will make it boring, but I want to make a colony that is DIFFERENT and doesn't RELY on a BAR for PEOPLE... Look at Bluejay's Store! That was not a bar, that was not weapon store, but it was still fun, it was unique, and it got people to gather without being a shady edgelord (besides someone who made napalm with my stock...) Case rest. Don't be too cruel, this is my opinion after all, but I'm not stopping you from typing a document's worth of flaming back at me. I respect people's opinion as well, so let me have it.
People don't have a problem with futuristic settlements, just don't make them huge and don't have them pop up overnight. Start off with a small trading outpost maybe reguarly advertise on starnet., and as you accumulate materials and funds, slowly expand the place as people move in. Instead of building a massive settlement and then opening up, open it when it is tiny and have it expand organically over time. Also, even though we have skyscrapers now, skyscrapers require hundreds of people to build, with billions of £££ behind them. Skyscrapers exist today but take 10 people with the appropriate skills and stick them in the forest and its going to be a while before they have anything more than a wooden hut, even with engineers and architects. Today we have helicopters and cranes and trucks and stuff, but it still takes months and thousands of people and ridiculous amounts of money to make a skyscraper. This is the frontier so we have high tech things like laser guns and teleporters and things are faster than IRL, but there are still limits to what a handful of people can make in the frontier. In my opinion, Wayward was the perfect example of how a futuristic frontier colony would look. Just needed a bit more organic and natural growth and progression. As for florans. You realise that there was a point where there were more civilised florans than savage florans and that's why people get annoyed with civilised ones. Civilised florans DO exist, but they should always be the severe minority. I agree that florans are not zerg. Savage tribal florans don't just throw bodies at their enemies. Savage tribal florans are still supposed to be cunning and decent tacticians. Hell, they didn't make a savage tribal floran huntmaster character in the lore, based off of the greatest military tactician who ever lived IRL, because they are all retarded. Lore describes florans as being at least equal to combatants of other races when there are equal numbers. Nowhere in the lore does it say florans win by superior numbers. Actually the lore described florans as better than most of the other races when there are equal numbers but people throw fits whenever I bring this up so lets just say they are equal. That said didn't the people in charge of Port Last OOCly agree for the colony to be conquered by the floran tribe?
It seems you didn't see someone shooting a rpg/portable launcher in Liberty Mills bar... just because. Always happens in sb.
Well it's important to remember that there are many races with different ideas of what is normal and civilised behaviour
Er.. wat? Excuse me but I recall you deciding that IC, Ta'Lone WANTED aforementioned falling apart colony? She's the one who made an effort of convincing Scheffler and his team of Marines to stay. They did, and the colony was eventually overwhelmed by Blackfang's horde. I mean they wanted to abandon it specifically because they couldn't keep it afloat, then you took the colony and went otherwise inactive on us? Yep.
Honestly, if you are planning to start a colony on the idea that "Its just eventually going to fail", Then it will. Yes eventually colonies reach their apex point, but that is the life of colonies. Going into creating a colony with the mindset that it will fail, will ultimately be its undoing.
Childhood friend analysis- Complaining, check. Contradicting self, check. Got off topic a few times, check. Trace, get some sleep, you didn't sleep well last night, I can tell.
A colony doesn't have to end up in death, destruction and decay if you don't want it. It seems like it was a trend with the latest few, especially after how spetacularly Asani fell before the wipe. Resolute let itself burn to the ground thanks to the colony owner himself for... some reason. Katune was essentially abandoned by Max because it stopped being popular despite the fact that there were still several people living in it. Mattis is now "shoot on sight" on everyone regardless of who it is because... fuck all if I know. Or... or... you can accept the fact that the colony is no longer a hub and just say that ICly it is fine, that it is simply not the local hotspot anymore. Running DG gave me insight on how it goes with regards to the delicate balance of having security and also letting bad things happen. Folks wanted events. I gave them events, so long as they spoke to me first and let me know. I did not have the terrible issues you have described, despite the fact that I made security rather lax on purpose. Officers around, yes, but no massive checkpoints that limits everyone to be a goody two-shoes inside. There were enough incidences of robbery, kidnappings, burning houses, vagrants... but nobody exactly said "oh shit it is a haven of death and corruption". There is this trend going on that apparently says making a colony makes you a successful member of the community, and for it to stop being a popular hub makes it bad. It is not. Folks simply get tired of the environment and want something new. If you can accept these things... then by all means, build your settlement. I will support you all the way.
I agree with alot of, and disagree with some more. First off, I think I have some explanation to the bar problem. People want interaction. They want to RP, they want to talk, they want to see what happens. Alot of the time though, they don't know when, where, or with whom anything is actually happening. So, they want to head to the nearest colony and loiter, to talk to other people and maybe start something. A bar/cafe/club gives them a good excuse, because they are the few places a single person can stand by him/herself for hours on end and not be looked at like a creep/loner, expecially if they are just enjoying some drinks. Combine that with the idea that people they know might show up, and bam, youve got a vague sense of hope for people. Granted, I'm as guilty as alot of people for this, and I don't -really- have a solution, but if someone can make sense of that ^ verbal tidal wave then knock yourself out. Next, events. There are A LOT of people who just want to cause destruction. Whether it's for an actual IC reason, or just OOCly want to piss people off, theyre always out there. I'd say that small random events like a mugging or a robbery or a drug drop are all fine, but if you want to do something that can either A) Change the physical terrain/view of the colony, or B) Alter the colony in any other major way, you need permission from the colony's owner, as well as anyone who may be involved. Florans Well...While I do believe that the majority of Florans should be, while maybe not savage, at least unintelligent. But I also believe there should always be that minority, maybe 2 or 3 Florans on the server at a time that can claim to be of higher intelligence. I don't think the lisp should go away but thats a completely separate argument. As for any sort of Floran invasion, that should definitely require planning. Figure out an end goal, and/or give the colony warning so it can set up some defenses. A mob of Florans don't stand well against flamethrowers, or anything incendiary. With the right tools, and mob can be held off, its just a matter of planning. Miscellaneous I also like people keeping finance logs, and I have logs for Jace and Stirpis going 5 months back. It would go farther but I never thought about it until then. I think the reason people build small cities is because its a completely east-west game, and walking 10 minutes one way to find that one building is an inconvenience. Which is inconveniencing. Security is tricky, but I liked Asani's approach to it, even though it eventually got shot down in a blaze of glory (cough criminal alts cough). Find a ratio of people visiting the colony and guards, like 4:1 or 5:1, and have that many guards. Give them a small building, one or two jail cells, a badge, and just let them go at it. Wander the town, linger, talk to people, basically live their lives, but have the authority to uphold the law. TL;DR: Go back and read it ya dunce Disclaimer: I was REALLY tired. Theres probably stuff I missed/contradicted myself, I 'unno.
Well let's look at Mawl for a bit No bar No security. Security was just the fact that a fight could break out any time and no one wants to get shot. It was a hub Future junkyard setup There were random attacks and planned events. If I could say, Smoke's shop at Mawl was a hub inside of a hub. There was never sitting round having drinks and I always moved around. People there would buy stuff, try and get jobs, and strike business deals. I'd RP repairs and construction and it was all cool. I haven't seen a shred of bar RP since Mawl came along. The place had no security. YOU were your own security. Hell, I'd consider Aiko's Viper group to be the place's security, but even then the place allowed for a lot to go on. People chose who to help and people chose who not to. Construction's iffy. Some people just like a certain style. Construction should take a long time. Not everyone has mechs, cargo ships, and all that jazz. And yeah, future setting does reduce the whole pricing on architecture, but things're still expensive. Hell, a town ain't even a quarter mil. I understand the whole thing about people whining, but it kinda just happens. People got opinions, and people can say em all they want. It's just a matter of if they stick in your ears or just pass right on by. Assholes? Assholes are everywhere. But your rant on them sounded more personal. Florans snowflakes? That was an issue when they outnumbered regular florans. Now you can just ignore them. Everyone's got their own RP. Floran disposables? Well, people are more strict about coordinated events now. Random attack worries? Some people just randomly get attacked. But large scale like Blackfang? Yeah that does go through some player communication. Especially since things are more strict about coordinated events. You're judging from pretty old examples, be it Port Last or New Gum. I remember you from Katune, but I don't think you were around for Dexter's Garden and Mawl too much.
Well I'm pretty new by comparison to many of the other peeps on the server but the Mawl didn't have a bar for quite a while and I'm not sure that the owner is on anymore (prone to ragequit it seems & it maybe lasted a week), and The Mawl is honestly the place to be currently. Seriously though it would be easy to find a similar situation to a bar and make it appeal to the crowd you want. You can have a governmental senate style place and people would go there. You could have a sports arena, people would go there. Honestly, just think of a social thing people can do and make it, that's what people really want, to go somewhere there is people...it's (from my perspective anyways) got literally nothing to do with the bar itself. On the Mawl I just tell people my shop is open for business and people show up. Not really that hard to do if you try.
Florans aren't unintelligent. They are cruel and savage, with a very primitive level of technology, but that doesn't make them stupid. Their lack of technological development doesn't make them stupid either. Humans 500 years ago weren't any less intelligent than today. Less knowledgeable sure, but not less intelligent. They lack scientific knowledge and understanding but they are cunning. Don't confuse a savage lifestyle with stupidity. Mongolians and Genghis Khan had a nomadic culture of raiding and pillaging but were very successful for a long time even against ''more advanced'' societies at the time, often showing tactical and diplomatic genius. The other races often under-estimate them and see them as really simple. There are multiple examples in the lore where savage tribal florans are portrayed as smart and cunning, and outsmarting the more technology advanced races, or at least being smarter than the other races would expect. Thinking florans are all stupid retarded primitives IC makes perfect sense but that's really not how they actually are. ''Upon first contact with the Floran Brood in [Redacted], the USCM far underestimated the level of aggression, cunning and savagery the Floran race would eventually become known for.'' ''Perceptive. There is logic in the construction of this bench that one would assume is beyond the Floran. '' Tribal florans play the dumb primitive act, or pretend they just want to make friends so you let your guard down, then they slit your throat. Sunflower Tzu, a celebrity amongst Tribal florans is a huntmaster, and he is based upon the real life ''Sun Tzu'', who wrote ''The Art of War'' which is still used by modern militaries for its tactical genius.
Incorrect. Intelligence and wisdom in the sense of reasoning skills, analysis and other things can get better over time. While not exactly on a species-wide scale (as far as I know) intellectual stimuli can make us sharper and more intelligent. There is a reason why games are pointed as a great way to ward off Alzheimer's on the elderly, and naturally nowadays we have far more stimulus than anything in the 1500s. Yes. Because there are things that are ingrained in the minds of many species. "Avoid danger. Hunt in groups. Stay with the pack. Avoid predators." A Floran can be cunning the same way a tiger can be cunning in how it stalks its prey before taking it down. That does not make the tiger intelligent. The mongol nomadic lifestyle was such because they had very scarce resources and were forced to stay on the move. Life was precarious and they were very susceptible to the elements. Yes, Gengis Khan was a conqueror, but the mongols were hardly savages. In fact, he was well able to count and could organize his army very effectively to take down foes who were unprepared for his conquest. But above all, they were nomadic, but they were not savages. Despite the fact that there was a ban instated by Greenfinger, somehow there is a Floran who just coincidentally has the same name as a human general, wrote a book with the exact same theme and name, somehow printed or distributed it to its population that was banned from learning how to read. Yes, they are cunning. That does not make them incredibly smart. They are cunning the same way a predator is cunning.
I tried it twice, on my own. Since I didnt get any support, why? I dont know why. I can bitch and moan about the why for a whole lot of reasons but I wanted a Asian-vibe place with the customs, traditions and other stuff common-place there. But most of the time it was not to be. I aint saying Uwajima isn't dead either. I'm biding my time there for someone who wants to commit to it just as I am to make a fun Asian-vibe place. This is also a calling card for anyone that IS interested. Send me a PM, everything you see with laws etc. Can be subject to change through conversation if you wanna help build the place further.
