Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

A place to show the Monomi Park community your fan art and other creations

Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby MisfortuneRising » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:28 pm

Hi y’all! I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted something major here on the forums. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully come back and commit to posting new ideas all the time, but I’ll try to get a new one out every so often, if I can (don’t hold me to that). Anyways, I was thinking about a possible future update idea that I think would benefit Slime Rancher in a huge way. Without further ado, I present to you, the Mochi Mode Update.

Disclaimer: I know that an update like this would probably take a long while to complete. I doubt that it will ever be considered, but one can dream. For now, these are purely my ideas and speculation for what could be a future update.

In this update, you start off playing as Mochi Miles. This is a separate mode from the regular game, so you can’t play as Mochi on your regular save file.

Basic Idea:

You start off playing as Mochi Miles. This would give the developers a good excuse to design the inside of the manor, similar to how they designed the interior of the ranch house. This would also give them a good excuse to design a 3D model for Mochi, just like how they did with Beatrix.

More Insight on the Character’s Backgrounds:

What really makes Slime Rancher stand out from other farming games is that almost every character is provided with a unique background story. Although these stories are intriguing and well thought out, I don’t see them as complete. This update would get the ball rolling in that regard.

As we all know, when you enter your ranch house, one of the options you can click on is of course, the Starmail option. As Beatrix, we get to read a plethora of starmails sent to her over the course of the game by her special someone, Casey. That same system can easily be applied to Mochi, only with starmails from her father.

What we got from the Mochi’s Megabucks Update was that Mochi’s father is very neglectful. This explains Mochi’s narcissistic, bratty attitude and personality. She tries her best to mask her true emotions, since her father most likely toyed with them. Assuming that he did verbally abuse her (This is a cute farming game and I’m talking about a character’s potential verbal abuse. What am I doing with my life? :P). Mochi is convinced that her father sent her to the Far, Far Range just to get her out of his way. Having a starmail system between her and her father would provide an excellent way of learning about Mochi’s history with him. It would also give them the opportunity to name drop her father. For those who don’t know, on the Slime Rancher Wiki, if you go under the Trivia section on Mochi’s page, it reveals that her father’s name is Tatsuya Miles. As of now, this has not been mentioned in the actual game, neither by any characters, starmails, etc. Having a starmail system between Mochi and her father would be an excellent way to do this. We would possibly learn things such as, what’s the company that her father is the CEO of? (I’m convinced that it’s the 7Zee Corporation) Why is her father neglectful? What caused the fallout in their relationship? What was Mochi’s childhood like? What are her interests? Any siblings? A mother figure? These are all questions that could easily be answered through this system.

The biggest and only problem I have with Slime Rancher is the fact that we know little to nothing about our main character, Beatrix Lebeau. We’ve been playing as her for nearly three years now, and all we’ve really gotten about her background is that she owns a plant shop, she likes music and hiking, and has a special someone back on Earth. Aside from that, things like any siblings she may have, any parents she may have, and her childhood are completely unknown.

The Art of a Role Reversal:

One thing that came to my mind when thinking of ideas for this update was the benefits of a role reversal. In the normal game, you can work for Mochi by heading over to her manor. There, you gather three large hauls of quicksilver plorts, each haul you deliver being rewarded by Mochi. First, the Deluxe Chicken Coop, then, Mochi’s Extra Mile, and finally, the keys to Mochi’s manor. Now, we swap roles, and see where this takes us.

As Mochi, we get to work for Beatrix. The requirements for unlocking the teleporter to the ranch are as follows:

Complete at least 1 range exchange request with Beatrix.

Read the starmail she sends you on Day 1 of Mochi Mode.

No zone unlock requirement or expansion unlock requirement since you don’t have access to any of them at the start.

Upon doing these, the teleporter on the manor will activate, and you can head on over to the ranch.

Everything on the ranch looks just like how it does when you first start a game on the regular mode. There’s 1 coral set up, and there’s a few Pink Slimes bouncing about. Some stray veggies here and there, and that’s about it. However, the only difference is that there’s now a call screen to the left of the plort market. This is where we call and talk to Beatrix. This would give the developers a perfect opportunity to provide Beatrix with dialogue bubbles, and a model like the other ranchers on the range exchange and their perspective updates have, such as Ogden, Viktor, Thora, BOb, and of course, Mochi.

Tying into what I said earlier, doing this would allow for more information on Beatrix, since she’s the character we know the least about (BOb doesn’t count, since it’s just a bunch of Pink Slimes in a trench coat :P).

This would also allow for facial expressions for Beatrix, just like most of the other NPC’s have (Obviously not Hobson, since we have no idea what he looks like). They can give Beatrix a happy expression, a worried expression, an angry expression, you name it!

One of the first dialogue bubbles would have to clear up where Beatrix is at the time, since she can’t actually be present on the range. Assuming that a new zone will come about down the road, since there’s still 5 empty spots on the plort market, one of these dialogue bubbles would explain something like, Beatrix is conducting some experiments for Viktor and she needs to stay in that zone. There we go. That clears up where Beatrix would be.

Balancing the Characters:

One of the biggest things this update would accomplish would be balancing the characters of Beatrix LeBeau and Mochi Miles. If we think about ages, Ogden and Viktor look to be in either their mid thirties to their early forties. Judging from the looks of Thora, we can assume that both her and Hobson are roughly the same age, which is probably mid sixties to early seventies. This leaves Beatrix and Mochi, who we can probably assume are in their early twenties. Mochi Miles is without a shadow of a doubt the game’s most interesting character at this point in time, in my opinion, and a character that leaves a lot to be desired. Having an update centered on a role reversal would be an excellent way of balancing out these two lovely characters, and providing more information for the other half. That other half, is Beatrix Lebeau. Think of this as a parallel to Hobson and Thora. Hobson and Thora are basically like two peas in a pod, judging from the information Hobson gave us from his journal entries, and his expressed interest in Thora. By balancing Beatrix and Mochi in this sense, it puts them in the same situation. Minus the romance, since I doubt that will ever be canon to the game (Boy do I wish xD).

The Problem, and How it Can Be Overcome:

A big issue with this potential update is the idea of Beatrix possibly revealing Casey’s gender through a dialogue bubble. My opinion: The developers are never going to reveal what Casey’s gender is, and here’s why:

If they were to reveal that Casey was male, it would upset those who consider Beatrix to be a lesbian, and that those who ship her with Mochi wouldn’t feel right doing so. I ship Beatrix and Mochi, and if Casey were revealed to be male, it wouldn’t stop me. But it would stop a lot of other people. It would hurt them, and it would also damage the image of a pretty big part of the game.

If they were to reveal that Casey was female, then those who consider Beatrix to be straight would be upset that she would, canon to the game, be a lesbian. There’s already a huge problem with LGBTQ stuff these days amongst a load of people, and doing something like revealing Casey’s gender would probably cause a war to start (Y’all already know that Tumblr would be like Chernobyl :P). This is probably why Monomi Park intentionally left Casey’s gender vague. No matter what Casey’s gender would be, revealing it would damage the character of Beatrix Lebeau and what little we know about her.

How do we overcome this problem but still have Beatrix share information on Casey at the same time? Simple.

Exhibit A: Example Dialogue Bubble for Beatrix LeBeau:

“Well, ya see, I have someone back on Earth. Casey. We did a lot together. Planting, hiking, making music, all sorts of stuff, and then I came here, and that was the end of that, I guess. (Sad expression on Beatrix’s face.)

And there you have it. A simple dialogue bubble that gives us more insight on Beatrix’s relationship with Casey without tarnishing anyone’s perspectives.

A little side note for anyone who may not know, the name ‘Casey’ is unisex, meaning it can be both a male’s name and a female’s name.

Now for the more fun stuff of the update! ;)

Beatrix would have you complete a series of quests over the course of multiple in-game days. Each set of quests completed would be rewarded with some special new gadgets, which would all be able to be used in the regular Adventure Mode of course, and access to each of the ranch expansions that Beatrix has. This will include The Wilds and Viktor’s Underwater Laboratory, because Beatrix is a kind person and put in a good word for you to Ogden and Viktor. ;)

Each set of quests would get progressively harder. The easiest quests are done in the Dry Reef and the Moss Blanket. Medium difficulty quests are done in the Indigo Quarry and the Ancient Ruins, and the hardest quests are done in the Glass Desert, the Wilds, and the Virtual Far, Far Range.

Along with access to a new ranch expansion with nearly each set of quests completed, you’ll also get a handful of handy gadgets and decorations for the manor, and your ranch house! :)

Quest Set 1 Rewards: The Dry Reef

* Triple Hydro Turret
* Super Spring Pad
* Pink Slime Flag Decoration
* Tabby Slime Flag Decoration
* Phantom Amber Chroma Pack
* Access to the new Backyard Expansion

(The Backyard Expansion is just an example. It’s an idea I had a long time ago, and it’s located directly behind the ranch house, obviously. It has four extra plots, and some various decorations to spice it up!)

Quest Set 2 Rewards: The Moss Blanket

* Wall Run Boots Mk I
* Super Pulse Wave
* Boom Slime Flag Decoration
* Honey Slime Flag Decoration
* Hunter Slime Flag Decoration
* Swamp Green Chroma Pack
* Access to the Overgrowth

Quest Set 3 Rewards: The Indigo Quarry

* Pirate Captain Fashion Pod
* Crystal Slime Flag Decoration
* Rock Slime Flag Decoration
* RAD Slime Flag Decoration
* Forbidden Cobalt Chroma Pack
* Access to the Grotto

Quest Set 4 Rewards: The Ancient Ruins

* Rockstar Fashion Pod
* Phosphor Slime Flag Decoration
* Quantum Slime Flag Decoration
* Sunset Orange Chroma Pack
* Access to the Laboratory

Quest Set 5 Rewards: The Glass Desert

* Secret Agent Fashion Pod
* Dervish Slime Flag Decoration
* Tangle Slime Flag Decoration
* Mosaic Slime Flag Decoration
* Fire Slime Flag Decoration
* Messy Mosaic Chroma Pack
* Access to the Docks

Quest Set 6 Rewards: The Wilds

* Wilderness Explorer Fashion Pod
* Saber Slime Flag Decoration
* Party Gordo Flag Decoration
* Poison Purple Chroma Pack
* Prehistoric Beige Chroma Pack

Quest Set 7 Rewards: The Underwater Laboratory

* Construction Worker Fashion Pod
* Quicksilver Slime Flag Decoration
* Glitch Slime Flag Decoration
* Gold Slime Flag Decoration
* Lucky Slime Flag Decoration
* Twinkle Slime Flag Decoration
* Tarr Flag Decoration
* Rainbow Dream Chroma Pack

Upon completing the final set of quests, Beatrix would tell you how much she values her friendship with you. That it was a miracle to meet someone like her out in the vast stretches of the Far, Far Range. A nice, touching moment like this is just what the update needs to tie everything together in a nice little bundle. :)

And finally, ladies and gentlemen, a re-emphasis of how an update like this would be game-changing to a game like Slime Rancher.

The developers really went the extra mile on this game, and they still are! :) Giving almost every NPC a unique backstory that leaves the gate wide open for a possible follow up in the future is something they oughta be extremely proud of! To give the main character a 3D model is something that would’ve been totally excusable to not do, but Monomi Park wanted to go that extra mile. They wanted to stand out from others. And to that I say, “Bravo!” To add the perspective of one of, if not the game’s most interesting character (Mochi Miles) would be a giant leap for Slime Rancher. It would also be a giant leap for farming simulators. An update like this would put Slime Rancher atop the throne as Emperor of the Farming Simulators in my opinion (I think this game is already the king of the farm simulators, if I’m being completely honest). While having that cute, calm, relaxing, and charming feel that it does such an expert job of emphasizing through the use of adorable, living balls of slime, it also has a deeper side to it, but in a good way of course. :) This game draws in people who want a calm and relaxing game, and also people who have taken a deep interest in the characters of the game, and want to know more about them. I used to despise Mochi Miles. Before her update, reading her starmails (even though there were very few) made me wanna break something because of how bratty she acted. But after learning more about her from the Mochi’s Megabucks Update, I instantly dropped all my hatred towards her, and I felt for her. I haven’t experienced what she has, but I still felt for her, and I still do. She tries so hard to hide her emotions, but she’s just a big softie who desperately needs a hug. :) Characters in a farming game with background stories like the ones of Ogden, Mochi, and Viktor are something that isn’t commonly seen. This is what really makes Slime Rancher stand out, and the lack of attention the game gets is a real shame. This game has helped me through a really rough patch in my life. At one point, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but then I discovered Slime Rancher, and I immediately fell in love with it. I had never played a game that was so cute and welcoming, and the characters that the developers at Monomi Park have created are ones that have truly touched my heart.

I really hope we get to know more about them in the future. :)

-MisfortuneRising

P.S. I literally have a tank top of Beatrix and Mochi after they got married! They’re my OTP! I seriously can’t get enough of them! They make such a cute couple! :D
User avatar
MisfortuneRising
Rancher
 
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:34 am

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby SlimeCone99 » Wed Jun 19, 2019 9:22 am

While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.
I like Slime Rancher... just that what did you expect

Avatar done by anapntes (thanks for that :D)
User avatar
SlimeCone99
Keeper
 
Posts: 614
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:51 am
Location: In the middle of a road

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby MisfortuneRising » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:27 pm

SlimeCone99 wrote:While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.


I’m open to feedback. If you wouldn't mind telling me what you see wrong with this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! :)
User avatar
MisfortuneRising
Rancher
 
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:34 am

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby SlimeCone99 » Sun Jun 23, 2019 2:25 pm

MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.


I’m open to feedback. If you wouldn't mind telling me what you see wrong with this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! :)
I don't think the Docks should be the reward for the hardest quest and why would Mochi go to Beatrix's ranch if she is just a random rancher?
I like Slime Rancher... just that what did you expect

Avatar done by anapntes (thanks for that :D)
User avatar
SlimeCone99
Keeper
 
Posts: 614
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:51 am
Location: In the middle of a road

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby MisfortuneRising » Mon Jun 24, 2019 6:46 am

SlimeCone99 wrote:
MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.


I’m open to feedback. If you wouldn't mind telling me what you see wrong with this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! :)
I don't think the Docks should be the reward for the hardest quest and why would Mochi go to Beatrix's ranch if she is just a random rancher?



The docks are for the fifth quest set, not the seventh. It’s not the hardest quest set. You’re missing the point of my main idea though. To Beatrix, Mochi is a random rancher, so the same thing can be applied in the opposite way. To Mochi, Beatrix is a random rancher. The main idea is to give us more information about Beatrix, since she’s our main character and the one we know the least about. And, it’s also about the art of a role reversal. We work for Mochi on the main game, and we work for Beatrix on Mochi Mode. It’s meant to balance it out since Mochi is the game’s most interesting character. I hope this helps.
User avatar
MisfortuneRising
Rancher
 
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:34 am

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby SlimeCone99 » Mon Jun 24, 2019 8:26 am

MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:
MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.


I’m open to feedback. If you wouldn't mind telling me what you see wrong with this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! :)
I don't think the Docks should be the reward for the hardest quest and why would Mochi go to Beatrix's ranch if she is just a random rancher?



The docks are for the fifth quest set, not the seventh. It’s not the hardest quest set. You’re missing the point of my main idea though. To Beatrix, Mochi is a random rancher, so the same thing can be applied in the opposite way. To Mochi, Beatrix is a random rancher. The main idea is to give us more information about Beatrix, since she’s our main character and the one we know the least about. And, it’s also about the art of a role reversal. We work for Mochi on the main game, and we work for Beatrix on Mochi Mode. It’s meant to balance it out since Mochi is the game’s most interesting character. I hope this helps.
ok
I like Slime Rancher... just that what did you expect

Avatar done by anapntes (thanks for that :D)
User avatar
SlimeCone99
Keeper
 
Posts: 614
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:51 am
Location: In the middle of a road

Re: Slime Rancher Update Pitch: Mochi Mode

Postby MisfortuneRising » Mon Jun 24, 2019 2:41 pm

SlimeCone99 wrote:
MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:
MisfortuneRising wrote:
SlimeCone99 wrote:While I can see some problems with your idea I still think it's a really nice one and it would be a nice addition to the game.

Also there could be more to Mochi's personal life, like her routine with business related things.


I’m open to feedback. If you wouldn't mind telling me what you see wrong with this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks! :)
I don't think the Docks should be the reward for the hardest quest and why would Mochi go to Beatrix's ranch if she is just a random rancher?



The docks are for the fifth quest set, not the seventh. It’s not the hardest quest set. You’re missing the point of my main idea though. To Beatrix, Mochi is a random rancher, so the same thing can be applied in the opposite way. To Mochi, Beatrix is a random rancher. The main idea is to give us more information about Beatrix, since she’s our main character and the one we know the least about. And, it’s also about the art of a role reversal. We work for Mochi on the main game, and we work for Beatrix on Mochi Mode. It’s meant to balance it out since Mochi is the game’s most interesting character. I hope this helps.
ok

Thank you. :)
User avatar
MisfortuneRising
Rancher
 
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:34 am


Return to Creative

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests