"crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

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"crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

Postby akkamaddi » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:19 pm

Hi.

So, this is a rather wild idea, but I think it could actually work. This is actually going to directly address some taboo subjects, including Ulti-May Ayer-Play, but let's quickly move on and hope EmeraldPlay didn't hear that when they were reading. ;-)

Basically, make a prequel game. It could be one of the earliest explorers of the Far Far Range, possibly someone who was a mentor to Hobson or Thora. Think "Slime Rancher: Retro Chronicles!".

And... and this may blow up the thread faster than multi player...

Make the prequel a retro-style RPG Maker type game, in a similar vein to Stardew Valley.

I know that it totally contrary to the "jumping into a ball pit" idea behind Slime Rancher, but give it a little thought.

First, the retry style RPG's can be an excellent medium for story telling. Besides Stardew Valley being an excellent example, there are also games like "To the Moon" and "OPUS: The Day We Found Earth".("OPUS: Rocket of Memories" is supposed to be excellent as well.) The people behind Monomi Park have proven that they can write a story, and there is already fertile ground that can be tied into Slime Rancher.

Second, if it is designed through RPG Maker or something similar, it could be easily opened to modding. With the teleporters, it would be easy to splice in fan-created areas. An old post of min here (viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4673&p=35547) was the idea for a "teleport nexus" that could be used to add new areas, official, DLC, and fan made. Of course there would be the caveat that if you use mods, your on your own. The game could also have "Original Mode" which contains only the official story and content, and "Open Mode" which enables modding support, so players could do whichever they wished, or do both in parallel. I think everyone can see that there is a lot of creativity in the fan base. An Original Mode setting would preserve the artistic vision of Monomi Park, while Open Mode would let players run a tweaked to downright messy game at their own risk. Someone with RPG Maker (I think there is still a free version) could see their wiggly vision of their own ideas appear in the game.

Third, this could potentially have a multi-player mode. With a retro game, it would be entirely possible. Granted, it would not be the Splatoon free-for-all some would like, but it could still be fun.

And, just as an aside, it could also be real cool if Beatrix finds an area that relates to the retro prequel. Perhaps it could be an old, dilapidated farm with one or two salvageable ranch plots. Add to that a damaged silo and damaged computer, and have the Slime Rancher game read the Retro save game. As different milestones are reached, the computer Beatrix sees could have old journal entries recovered, told by that character years later before he/she leaves their ranch. Late in the Retro game, the silo Beatrix finds could be slowly repaired, and each of the four silos (or perhaps the old models only have two, or two or three single-silo structures) is eventually restored containing a few fruits/vegetables or even plorts of plants and slimes that have become extinct, or are from a distant part of the Far Far Range. (The Retro character gets lots at sea, and captures Squid Slimes. Stuff happens, and a trigger is met. In Original Slime Rancher, Beatrix is notified that the ranch computer has repaired a silo, which ends up containing a few Ink Plorts, that she can feed to Water Slimes and turn them into Squid Slimes. Something like that.)

And the big question... Why?

First off, more Slime Rancher! We see a small slice of a much larger world. There is a lot of history, and there could be other stories to tell. A prequel could expand the narrative while leaving Beatrix's story intact.

Second, I really have absolutely no doubt that Monomi Park could make an excellent retro game.

Third, it would be a "best of both worlds" scenario. We would have the ball pit fun of slime rancher. The retro game would be a more fan-interactive outlet. Modding could add player ideas, and multi-player would be much easier to implement. We could have our Cake Slime and wiggle it too!

To close, I do want to say that I know this would not be a quick or frivolous undertaking. I know we all cannot just clap our hands, fart three times, and it will appear in a poof of pixie dust. This idea hit me a few weeks ago, and the more I think of it, the more I think it would be a good idea. (Granted, I could be wrong, and I'm expecting that explanation soon.)

Thank you for your time. Stay wiggly!
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Re: "crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

Postby EmeraldPlay » Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:46 am

Why would you turn it into an RPG?
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Re: "crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

Postby Java » Thu Sep 27, 2018 11:46 am

what's with the absolutely not prompted slagging off of emerald?

"i have a suggestion but first i'm gonna insult a member of this forum for fun! pay attention to me!"
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be gay, drink cider, break boundaries

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Re: "crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

Postby Purplecharmanderz » Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:44 pm

Java wrote:what's with the absolutely not prompted slagging off of emerald?

"i have a suggestion but first i'm gonna insult a member of this forum for fun! pay attention to me!"

has more to do with emerald's usual line "NO" when it comes to subjects that are a solid no according to how the devs have stated they want things to grow. including pure sabers in the base game and multiplayer.
Same username as I have on discord. I do no damage challenges if you have ideas for those feel free to share
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Re: "crazy" idea that could actually work? A prequel...

Postby akkamaddi » Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:05 pm

Oh, OK, so....

Java, thank you, but I know that Emerald is a joyful ray of gentle moonlight, scintillating happiness on our smiles. ;-)

Emerald also tends to make valid points, and while they may latch onto a single complaint, I actually have learned to make posts with Emerald's criticisms in mind.

But, EmeraldPlay, I really want to address your question, "Why would you turn it into an RPG?"

I saw that at lunch, and I have been thinking of an answer. I really have to start with, "How would you categorize Slime Rancher?"

I'm curious because I think we may first have different ideas of "RPG", but I'm wondering if we are seeing different things in the game. I'm genuinely quite curious about that.

For my answer (and I apologize for bouncing a bit, but I'll tie things together), I think we have to start with the idea that "RPG" can be a really broad term. Many associate it with the traditional JRPG's, like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. For that, no, I think that would be a very bad fit. (But, I think we would all laugh our buts off at the image of a "slime wizard" burying a group of orcs under a tide of cute bouncy pink slimes.)

RPG's can also be highly story driven, like Stardew Valley, To the Moon, and the two OPUS games. I think that a retro style game for a retro story would be a good gimmick, but something narrative driven like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Three Seasons, etc. could be a good medium to tell the story of one of the early settlers who had little contact with others.

With Slime Rancher, for me, I think the narrative is one of the draws of the game. Yes, the "ball pit" aspect is really fun. The ranching is fun. However, there is an inevitability to the upgrades if you are patient. If you can make a thousand NB, you can make 10K. If you can make 100K NB, you can make a million. Yes, there is the constant push to make your ranch a little better so you can get a little more out of it so you get better stuff to push your ranch to make more lather rinse repeat. I'm very happy with my big golden 7Zee statue. The valley to the overgrowth contains a growing collection of ornaments. I've also recently re-started the game to try another play through.

All that said, for me, without the stories, it would be a very elaborate Cookie Clicker. (To be honest, I'm in NO position to throw any shade at Cookie Clicker, as I complain I can't get Duke Taters to spawn or get the Wheat Thins Cookie to spawn.) Yes, the settings are amazing, and the music is great, but Bigger! Bigger! Bigger! only has so much appeal. The stories in this game are masterfully told.

-SPOILER ABOUT ENDING-
Spoilers....

I really love that this game ditched the trope that you have to sacrifice everything for a relationship, and being "in love" makes everything work out in the end. In a way, both Beatrix and Hobson use opposite narratives to tell the same story. They both walked away from what was in front of them and found happiness leaving that behind. Beatrix left a "safe bet" relationship for adventure, and found happiness. Hobson walked away from mystery for a "safe bet" relationship, and found happiness.

.... end spoilers

So, I think the RPG narrative elements in Slime Rancher are what give the characters such strong meaning. If Beatrix just wanted to roll in a pile of gold coins, the game would still be fun, but I really believe it would loose such a well executed element of the game. I think Slime Rancher is much more than a pretty sand box.

I would really love to see a second story from Monomi Park that is a bit more narrative heavy. I love the story and I love the setting. It's not just fun but charming, and I want more.

As for the actual RPG style, I think a narrative heavy with a retro implementation of the current game style. Actual "combat" in the JRPG sense should be absent to rare, perhaps one or two climactic events. Perhaps there is a Tarr Tide coming, and it's "fought" with different plorts.

Otherwise, there is plenty of fertile soil for a story. It could be a totally unrelated early rancher. It could be one of Thora's parents fleeing to the Far Far Range. It could be the rancher who found Nimble Valley, who was swindled by a patriarch of the Miles family, who hadn't yet made their fortune.
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