InterCoin
Might be my slightly conservative upbringing regarding money, preferring a debit card over a credit card etc, that I dislike the idea of (explicitly mentioning of) a loan shark. So why not create a fancy corporation? Behind the curtains they might be little more than a loan shark,... but calling it a loan shark from the beginning?
(
Divided over the different types of bases, there could be special opportunities for money to be earned)
Starbase: InterCoin branches (or shark-branches)
This corporation might have a few branches spread throughout the bases (not on all of them). They might have missions themselves that could postpone next pay day. The missions will only be available a third of the time. The mechanics is the same as deliver goods, only the pay is different.
Suggested mechanics
- Each delivery will postpone payday by 1 and 1/5th of a day a.k.a. 1.2 days
- Each relationship level will add another 1/5th of a day.
- Thus at relationship level 4, the payday will be postponed by 1.2 + 4*0.2 = 2 days.
- As the delivery itself takes a day, it means that the player will gain an additional day in the latter case.
As the current mechanics appears to be "
you have a debt to be paid, all at once" together with "
there is a slowly growing interest rate", special one-time missions could lower the interest rate by one step.
Starbase: Research labs
Take part of an experiment for some coin each morning. However, although some possible effects might be beneficial, most of them will not. Or at least, the beneficial effects will have a small chance of happening.
Bad effects:
- Alcoholic: Doubles moral boost in bars, with a chance of things going out of hand and the player loosing morale instead.
- Anxiety: Moral boosting activities produce half the morale.
- Insecure: Next cat-whistle does not cost morale, but each day the player will lose one morale until a cat-whistle occurs.
- Pheromones: Increase chance of cat-whistles and groping.
- Rigid: The player will not gain groping resilience (see '
groping titles' below) for twice the normal drug duration.
- Sensitivity: Morale loss from groping is doubled.
- Suggestible: Cannot refuse an indecent proposal.
Neutral to good effects:
- Disciplined: More money (or less moral loss) when doing mission from stern officers.
- Euphoria: Moral boosting activities provide a 50% bonus.
- Provocative: More money (or less moral loss) when doing mission from sleazy officers.
- Sensuality: Increase both payments and chance of groping.
The effects will normally last 3 days. However, each increase in relationship level will mean getting subjected to a slightly higher dose which will last a day longer for each relationship level. But with each increase in relationship level, the payout will increase as well (was thinking of doubling each time, but that might be a bit too much). Note, multiple effects can be in place at once.
There could also be a few permanent one-time effects. Once the player reaches a proper relation level (3), then the player can be given an experimental drug with a permanent effect. Each research lab will only do this once. This can either be the player picking the experimental drug, or it be given by chance. These will in general be beneficial, giving the player an additional incentive to participate in the experiment.
- Charming: After each relation level increase beyond 3, the player will start with 1 progress towards next relationship level.
- Fortuitous: Missions have a 5% higher chance of succeeding.
- Mammary: Increase breast size by one cup, increase both payments and chance of groping permanently.
- Seductress: Get a 10% bonus from missions.
Starbase: Secret agency
Just simple missions. They do not occur too often (a third of the time), but give a nice sum of money. However, you might unlock the "special delivery quest" after a high enough relationship level. In this case, availability is calculated by the total sum of relationship levels among all the agencies.
While trying to infiltrate at the base of a criminal organization, the agency at times delivers altered goods (as in, might contain bugs and trackers). But to not arouse suspicion, they need a civilian (with military background) to deliver the goods. Each next special mission will require an additional relationship level with the agencies. Meanwhile, the criminals expect to see their courier in less and less clothes each time (meaning that each one-day round trip will cost more and more morale). However, the pay for these special missions is (almost) similar to the missions provided by a general. But they are also limited (after two naked round trips, the criminals will get busted, thanks to your help).
Starbase: Sanctuary
I like the idea of not being able to make many saves, as knowing myself, I would be save/loading all the time for optimal result. However, you could introduce one or two special bases where you can save, but only there.
Safe flight
Check loading > Put on pilot outfit > Start flight > Put on base outfit > Check unloading
- The player can opt out on 'check loading' when chances of groping is high. However, it will reduce the chance of a successful mission (not careful loading and not careful securing of the cargo). (-10% versus a +10% chance)
- Before the flight, the player can for a fee do a maintenance run of the ship, increasing the chance of a successful mission due to less turbulence. This can be useful when the money to be earned is high. (+20%)
- The player can opt out on 'check loading' when chances of groping is high. However, it will reduce the chance of a successful mission (not careful unloading). The impact on opting out on check unloading is less severe than skipping the check on loading. (-10% chance)
When clothes start to affect groping chances, I think it is best if during unloading, the clothes are affected by the requirements of the current base and not previous base, as it appears to be at the moment. Also, with this setup you increase the moments that the player has to choose between morale and profit. Also, for already safe missions, it can be good enough to check either the loading or unloading.
Safe missions
Each mission has a base success chance. Most will have 100% base chance, but some (often the more profitable ones) will have a lower base chance.
The initial difficulty selection can lower the change by -0% or -10% or -20%.
S
pecial days
Certain days can will affect certain chances, depending on the type of station. Just to add some flavor and diversity to the experience that the player can take into consideration, or ignore. These can either be fixed, or be visible on a calendar that shows the events a couple of days ahead.
- Labor day: People will be slightly intoxicated on industrial bases, increases the chance (and severity) of the groping.
- Science conference: Less money to be earned on science bases.
- Military drill: Certain bases will have more profitable missions.
- Military leave: Slightly less money to be earned on certain bases, but morale boosts events have a bonus.
S
pecial events
There can also be very base specific events (not no the calendar) that will have an effect for 3 to 5 days. When such an event occurs, the player will be informed when waking up by a news message.
- Curfew: No (or limited) moral boost activities available.
- Lab leak (of pheromones): Increases indecent behavior, but as people avoid that place, more money is to be earned.
- Security breach: Missions will not increase relationship progress.
- Station anniversary: Less money to be earned, but double relationship progress (if mission is available).
- Strike: Less money to be earned on the specific industrial base.
Damn civilians
During the introduction, some officers will let it know that they don't like civilians doing military business that much. This to provide the player with a sense of not being in a completely friendly environment from the start, thus making the indecent proposals feel a little bit more natural.
Perhaps a few dialogues from friendly officers saying one time something like "
it is rare to see a beautiful female civilian around here who is not selling her... 'affection'".
Interest rates
Interest have to be paid every 7 days, while every 21 days the interest rate goes up. The player will be able to see the current interest rate, as well as the next rate and when that will occur. Missions that lowers the interest rate by a step might become available and be very useful.
The initial difficulty selection can affect the initial rate and/or the interest rate increments.
Groping, clothes
Clothes will affect the chance of groping and type of groping. When fully dressed, groping will not occur except for special circumstances.
Grouping, double event
Two events can occur at once. When chances decides that a breast grope occurs, there is also a chance that a cat-whistle occurs. However, the chance of a cat-whistle at all, it lower when a breast grope occurs. While determining which groping events occurs goes from 'more severe' to 'less severe', the events will be displayed the other way around. Thus even when it is determined last that a cat-whistle will occur, it will be the first one to happen.
I can try to think of a useful mathematical setup.
Groping, titles
The player can earn titles after enough events. Each type of sexual harassment will have each own title, amount of events required, and maximum level. Each title will decrease the effects of the event by 10%. And each next level will require an increased amount of events.
Catwalk: This can rise up to "
Catwalk 7", meaning a max resilience to cat-whistles of 70%.
Resilient ass: This can rise up to "
Resilient ass 5", meaning a max resilience to butt-groping of 50%.
Resilient breasts: This can rise up to "
Resilient breasts 5", meaning a max resilience to breasts-groping of 50%.
Exhibitionism: This can rise up to "
Exhibitionism 3", meaning a max resilience to exposure of 30%.
Etc...
These numbers are an indication as to what is possible.
Indecent proposals
At the moment, if not mistaken, the proposals are fixed. Can these be rotated over time? I know of two possible mechanics:
1) After rejecting the proposal three times, the proposal will change. Meanwhile, after refusal the officer will not provide with a mission that day in spite
2) After rejecting the proposal, the relationship progress decreases by one, meaning that the player will have to another mission before being able to ask for a raise again (but be given another proposal). Meanwhile, after refusal the officer will not provide with a mission that day in spite
When proposals can change, proposals that should be declined (if the player is wise) can be added. In such a case the button might state "Accept (unwise)" instead of "Accept". The accepts option might even be turned off. An example would be to agree to only do missions for this specific officer on the base, which is genuinely a bad deal.
Display missions
After reaching relationship level 3, the player can ask if possible assignments can be automatically displayed. Meaning that the player can see the mission available without talking to the officer (reducing amount of clicks). The friendly officer will do so without any strains attached, but the stern officer requires a small fee as it is considered unusual, while the sleazy officer will give the player an indecent proposal.
Basic missions
There will be one or two additional basic missions. The pay is low, it will not improve relationship progress, but provides the player with a chance to visit a specific base, or to avoid others.
And in case of an expansion (see '
upgrading the ship' below), there might be an additional mission that will always point towards one of the three outposts.
Upgrading the ship
When the player successfully pays of her debt, she could use money to improve the engines. These engines will allow the player to reach additional outposts. This is just a way for the player to play on a bit longer. It might be nice to add the option to play a bit longer even after completion anyway.
Below each Colonel there will be an additional major (who will all have three captains underneath), thus increasing the amount of officers by 12 and the amount of bases by 3. The people on the base will be happy with more support, decreasing the progress to each relationship level by one. This means that from the very beginning, the player can already increase relationship level to 1 without doing any mission (albeit locked behind an indecent proposal). This to even out the difference between the bases a bit more quickly.
Instead of money, there could be a "
do enough favors" challenge. As the ship will be equipped with new military engines, it might not be the loan shark, but the army (or more precisely, the general). The missions that increase 'favor' will only be given at relationship level 3. The player will be given double (or triple) time to get the first favor.
At this point, not money but morale could be the limiting factor. There can be an increased chance of groping on the outposts (due to lack of women) while the facilities that can boost morale are very limited. Either in options and/or in its effectiveness (like a
small gym instead of
normal gym).
To make sure that the player cannot pump up morale before starting this second phase, a cap on morale at 70 or 100 might be a proper addition.
Male-female ratio
2-1: The military tends to draw more men than women.
1-1: No explanation
1-2: The less glorious yet important logistic branches tends to draw more female than male officers.
This way the player can select bit between a more misogynist or a more lesbian experience. By the way, I can imagine male officers sometimes craving just a nice time with a women, while some female officers might enjoy acting out their frustrations in a more sadistic way on another female.
Moral
Some of my proposals affect moral on a data level. Instead of whole integers, they now are decimals. I think that the smallest step in moral is '0.1'. This should keep the use of integers still be possible without turning to float values, as you can keep track of moral in 'tenths of a point' instead of 'whole points'. But that might be a pretty big chance.
Edit - date night
When the player goes out with a female officer, there is a display of a man and a woman having a good time... I can imagine the army drawing more masculine women, but I wouldn't mind the female officers to be a little bit feminine.
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Anyway, I am pretty sure that I have done more proposals than can be implemented
But perhaps with a bit of luck, you think that one or two of these ideas might be both enjoyable and doable. Meanwhile I am curious what the next update will bring. And being surprised by completely different ideas is nice too. Hope you're doing well
