Derik LaPierre
Well-Known Member
I had been watching some unrelated content pertaining to the food chain and symbiosis with the natural environment, and this caused me to ponder some interesting ideas/concepts. What if we were able to create living weapons, armour and gear that grows and develops as they are used?
Introduction:
BioSymbiotic gear are essentially symbiotic organisms that are engineered and developed via a quest-line that are biotechnological (or biotheugical/ biomiagitechnological) gear that grow with the player as they are used in the field. The symbiotes gain experience over time, use the same resources (ammo, probes, etc..) that normal gear does, but do not "decay" per say. They instead need food to maintain themselves and grow over time. As long as they are fed properly, they never decay and gain experience and can grow over time and use. If their food/nutrition levels drop past a certain point, its metabolic processes slow down and experince growth reduces and/or halts at a certain point. When food/nutrition levels drop further, its functions and performance/efficiency declines. Once food/nutrition reaches critical levels, the item goes into "torpor" and completely stops functioning to maintain its survival and is totally inert. To emerge from torpor, it needs to be fed again and given time to regenerate to a certain level of nutrition to reactivate again.
The items naturally tier up over time as they are fed and gain experience.
When the gear reaches a certain level of experience, it becomes eligible for "metamorphosis". There could be numerous branching options and metamorphosis trees that the gear could be upgraded through (each having its own discovery HoF) requiring different nutrient resources depending on the type of metamorphosis (one possibility might be to use animal essence among other things). After emerging in its new form, it starts at tier 0 and has to level up again to reach the next evolutionary metamorphosis stage.
This type of gear will not be dependent on the typical "rare drop" mechanics that tend to be over-exploited by economic parasites (a serious economic issue that needs to be delt with for the sake of the games long term survival). Instead, it will use a long term development cycle that requires time, resouces and usage to develop. Scarcity in the market place will be controlled by player driven development instead of drop mechanics. This could be a way to increase the utility and purpose of the massive amounts of animal oils by potentially using it as a food source (since it's TT food anyway, might as well feed it to the gear). Resources that are typically used for crafting cosmetics (hides, horns, etc) tend to suffer a "resource glut" once the cosmetics market is saturated. Cosmetics are not consumable, and demand varies according to player taste. Once the demand is satisfied the customer is taken out of the market, often perminantly. This hunting/mining loot can be used for metamorphosis or crafting higher level food, ensuring that a healthy demand for it can continue.
Furthermore, multiple variant types of gear could be nurtured and raised for different purposes, such as being more effective at low HP mobs, or more damage for bigger mobs, mining at different depths, etc. Each piece of gear would have to be raised from the same starting stage "larva" gear and would need to be evolved separately for every intended purpose and specialization. Thus a whole menagerie of biosybiotic gear could be "raised" by players.
Weapons(Applies to guns/melee/mindforce)
Biosymiotic weapons would be compatible with existing ammo. Instead of decaying with every use, it would consume food to sustain and repair itself. The better fed the weapon, the more effective it will be. It will also have a tier rate that scales with how well fed it is. Once reaching tier 10 it can undergo metamorphosis.
As it evolves, there can be different new traits and attributes that can be selected based on the new form desired, each form requiring its own different resource requirements.
Armour
Biosymbiotic armour (insert Venom/Spawn reference here) will provide protection to the wearer that scales with how well fed it is. Every time it gets hit, it will need to consume food to regenerate. Plates can be added (either normal plates or biosysbiotic equivalents) for further protection. Biosymbiotic plates can ONLY be used on biosymbiotic armour, but regular plates can work on regular or biosymbiotic armour. It will also have a tier rate that scales with how well fed it is. Once reaching tier 10 it can undergo metamorphosis. As it evolves, there can be different new traits and attributes that can be selected based on the new form desired, each form requiring its own different resource requirements.
Tools/Attachments/Amplifiers
Biosymbiotic tools will be able to perform the same functions as their normal counterparts, with an effectiveness that scales with how well fed they are, the better fed, the more effecctive/efficient the tool. Each use will consume food. Since most tools don't have tier rates (except FAPs) most will have an experience bar that fills up as they are used until eligable for metamorphosis. There won't be as much of a variety of tool "species" as weapons and armour, but will be able to be upgraded via (LOTS of) grinding instead of rare loot drops.
Introduction:
BioSymbiotic gear are essentially symbiotic organisms that are engineered and developed via a quest-line that are biotechnological (or biotheugical/ biomiagitechnological) gear that grow with the player as they are used in the field. The symbiotes gain experience over time, use the same resources (ammo, probes, etc..) that normal gear does, but do not "decay" per say. They instead need food to maintain themselves and grow over time. As long as they are fed properly, they never decay and gain experience and can grow over time and use. If their food/nutrition levels drop past a certain point, its metabolic processes slow down and experince growth reduces and/or halts at a certain point. When food/nutrition levels drop further, its functions and performance/efficiency declines. Once food/nutrition reaches critical levels, the item goes into "torpor" and completely stops functioning to maintain its survival and is totally inert. To emerge from torpor, it needs to be fed again and given time to regenerate to a certain level of nutrition to reactivate again.
The items naturally tier up over time as they are fed and gain experience.
When the gear reaches a certain level of experience, it becomes eligible for "metamorphosis". There could be numerous branching options and metamorphosis trees that the gear could be upgraded through (each having its own discovery HoF) requiring different nutrient resources depending on the type of metamorphosis (one possibility might be to use animal essence among other things). After emerging in its new form, it starts at tier 0 and has to level up again to reach the next evolutionary metamorphosis stage.
This type of gear will not be dependent on the typical "rare drop" mechanics that tend to be over-exploited by economic parasites (a serious economic issue that needs to be delt with for the sake of the games long term survival). Instead, it will use a long term development cycle that requires time, resouces and usage to develop. Scarcity in the market place will be controlled by player driven development instead of drop mechanics. This could be a way to increase the utility and purpose of the massive amounts of animal oils by potentially using it as a food source (since it's TT food anyway, might as well feed it to the gear). Resources that are typically used for crafting cosmetics (hides, horns, etc) tend to suffer a "resource glut" once the cosmetics market is saturated. Cosmetics are not consumable, and demand varies according to player taste. Once the demand is satisfied the customer is taken out of the market, often perminantly. This hunting/mining loot can be used for metamorphosis or crafting higher level food, ensuring that a healthy demand for it can continue.
Furthermore, multiple variant types of gear could be nurtured and raised for different purposes, such as being more effective at low HP mobs, or more damage for bigger mobs, mining at different depths, etc. Each piece of gear would have to be raised from the same starting stage "larva" gear and would need to be evolved separately for every intended purpose and specialization. Thus a whole menagerie of biosybiotic gear could be "raised" by players.
Weapons(Applies to guns/melee/mindforce)
Biosymiotic weapons would be compatible with existing ammo. Instead of decaying with every use, it would consume food to sustain and repair itself. The better fed the weapon, the more effective it will be. It will also have a tier rate that scales with how well fed it is. Once reaching tier 10 it can undergo metamorphosis.
As it evolves, there can be different new traits and attributes that can be selected based on the new form desired, each form requiring its own different resource requirements.
Armour
Biosymbiotic armour (insert Venom/Spawn reference here) will provide protection to the wearer that scales with how well fed it is. Every time it gets hit, it will need to consume food to regenerate. Plates can be added (either normal plates or biosysbiotic equivalents) for further protection. Biosymbiotic plates can ONLY be used on biosymbiotic armour, but regular plates can work on regular or biosymbiotic armour. It will also have a tier rate that scales with how well fed it is. Once reaching tier 10 it can undergo metamorphosis. As it evolves, there can be different new traits and attributes that can be selected based on the new form desired, each form requiring its own different resource requirements.
Tools/Attachments/Amplifiers
Biosymbiotic tools will be able to perform the same functions as their normal counterparts, with an effectiveness that scales with how well fed they are, the better fed, the more effecctive/efficient the tool. Each use will consume food. Since most tools don't have tier rates (except FAPs) most will have an experience bar that fills up as they are used until eligable for metamorphosis. There won't be as much of a variety of tool "species" as weapons and armour, but will be able to be upgraded via (LOTS of) grinding instead of rare loot drops.
