Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role-playing Game – Hydroponics and Progress Update

With Iron Tower Studio’s Colony Ship RPG getting ready to launch into beta, we get this progress update that lets us know how things are going, shares some screenshots, and talks about the game’s Hydroponics area and the giant space frogs populating it. Here are the text parts:

We hoped to wrap up everything in December and start the beta in mid-Jan, but we’re still 3-4 weeks of work away from the finish line. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time we get there, another month of work would pop up out of nowhere, but let’s stay positive and hope it’s the final stretch.

On the programming side, the last hurdle is the non-human enemies. They have properties such creatures never had in our previous games, which required more work and changes than anticipated. They can be placed on walls (see the old wasteland concept), have abilities humans don’t, different THC formulas that doesn’t factor in stats and skills, different movement (a frog jumps over several tiles), etc.

The other task is relatively minor. When you enter a stealth mode, the designated infiltrator is removed from the party (provided you have one), which waits outside. If combat starts (if you’re spotted by guards or fail to kill a guard from behind, we need to switch to the party mode and teleport the party inside the building (at the entrance point, not next to you).

On the scripting side, the framework is done. What’s left to script are the journal entries, quest rewards, and reputation modifiers. Overall, the game is shaping up well and we hope you’ll enjoy it. The first chapter has 3 locations (the Pit, Armory, Hydroponics), 22 quests with multiple solutions, and 30+ fights.

Speaking of Hydroponics:

The Hydroponic Division was originally conceived to adapt Terran plants to the anticipated environment of Proxima Centauri. Extensive gene-editing was employed to develop resistance to alien fungi and pests, and accelerated adaptation hacked into the plants’ genetic code.

Like many other critical systems, Hydroponics was abandoned during the Mutiny. The carefully cultivated flora and fauna was left on its own in harsh environs designed to propagate rapid and brutal evolutionary cycles. When men returned to reclaim Hydroponics, they discovered an environment as wild and hostile as any Earth jungle…

We’ve already covered the frogs in one of the previous updates. If you missed it, here’s the relevant part:

Frogs are already used in agriculture as a form of biological pest control as they have a healthy appetite for insects and are highly resistant to insecticide. Plus they have a wide range of natural abilities: jumping, toxic venom, hallucinogen, even retractable spikes (the wolverine frog), which would make them a top choice when it comes to cost-effective terraforming.

The frog is a ‘hard to hit, easy to kill’ critter (high evasion due to the small size and mobility, low hit points and no damage resistance). They will attack in packs and come in 3 varieties: bullfrog (leg biter that will go for the throat when a character is knocked down or down on one knee), poison spitter, and psyker (fucks with your head from a comfortable distance). It’s a low level critter that prefers easy prey (i.e. low level, poorly equipped parties). They aren’t very aggressive and won’t attack unless threatened. When you run into them for the first time, they’ll be busy feasting on a corpse. If you want to go through that corpse’s pockets, you’ll have to kill the frogs first.

That’s all for now. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your families!