diff --git a/src/design-proposals/Martians/martian preview.png b/src/design-proposals/Martians/martian preview.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3cedb5c Binary files /dev/null and b/src/design-proposals/Martians/martian preview.png differ diff --git a/src/design-proposals/Martians/martians.md b/src/design-proposals/Martians/martians.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b20cb1d --- /dev/null +++ b/src/design-proposals/Martians/martians.md @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +# Martians/Eggheads (Name TBD I guess) + +| Designers | Implemented | GitHub Links | +|---------------|---|---| +| Teasq | :x: No | TBD | + +## Overview + +![martian preview.png](martian%20preview.png) + +Martians, or colloquially known as eggheads, are the classic and quintessential alien. They're short, have big heads, +and big, black eyes. Everyone knows them, so instead I'm going to drop some lore. + +## Background + +Martians come from the planet Mart, according to NanoTrasen. The planet they actually come from is Glumph, but +that would not be discovered for some time due to reasons that will soon be discovered. + +For many years, companies have tried and failed to add Martians to their workforce due to the Martians' unique +neurological disposition. Initially, NanoTrasen social workers believed it to be a simple language barrier, but when +usual methods to establish an effective and common language failed it was realized that the Martians' brains did not +work like any other species they had made contact with before. + + +Many initially believed it to be a neurological disorder similar to aphasia: what Martians mean to say and what they say +*never* align. Early neurologists coined the term "Martaphasia" but that was quickly dispelled due to PR concerns and +for the simple fact that it was not a disorder. This is the norm for Martians. While Martians can understand the +common language (Anglosinetic, a blend of English and Mandarin!), any attempts to reciprocate results in +the Martians' uniquely encoded language: glumphish. Many attempts have been made by non-Martians to translate the +language, but all attempts have failed. There are no grammar markers and no correlation between the words they mean to +say and the glumphish that is produced. This seemingly insurmountable language barrier has made every attempt at integrating +Martians a failure, until... + + +A group of musical Martians took the music industry by storm: the beloved Alien Kids! This group of Martians possess +a unique neurological disorder: their language is not automatically encoded. This not only created a metaphorical +bridge between Martians and the rest of the universe, it also resulted in a massive wave of tourism to Mart +due to the Alien Kids's indefatigable hunger for concerts. + +Finally, when asked in an interview how the divide between Martians and the rest of the universe could be bridged even +further, the super-genius superstars made a revelation never before thought of: "Just use AAC tablets." This +later became widely known as the "Speech Pro™" as the brand became synonymous with the product. + +## Features to be added + +- They are adapted to high pressure environments and have to wear special inner clothing suits and bubble helmets +or they blobify +- Blobification does not necessarily kill them, just makes them incredibly slow and requires them to be repressurized to +fit back into their suits. (Current idea is a long do-after to "squeeze" them back in.) +- They have language barriers and need Speech Pro's™ to communicate with other species. +- They are particularly weak to piercing damage, because it makes holes in their suits and that is a no-no. +- They have a slightly higher heat resistance, thanks to their adaption to the heat of their planet and the insulative +nature of their suit. +- A selection blues, greens and gray skin tones or at the very least a limited hue selection. +- They cannot wear head items other than bubble helmets due to their colossal cranium. + +- Most importantly, unique uniform, shoes and glove sprites for each department so Martians can still be identified easily. +- A variety of bubble helmets to allow for greater individual expression. + +## Game Design Rationale + +### Maintaining Authenticity + +Martians are as authentically sci-fi as it gets. Their unique appearance,speech and pressurized suits, +while hardly realistic, creates a more authentically alien and strange species that is immediately identifiable. + +### Seriously Silly + +I mean, just look at them. Other than that, I think their unique encoded language is an entirely new possibility for +funny scenarios (see the "I am using a Speech Pro™" bit or having a translator that is just translating absolute bogus), +while the AAC tablet still allows them to engage with the rest of the station in a uniquely limiting way similar to mimes +or mute characters. + +## Roundflow & Player interaction + +Between blobification, the encoded language and the Speech Pro™ I expect player interactions to be largely comedic, while +still allowing for deeper emergent roleplay the same as any other character or role with speech limitations. + +## Administrative & Server Rule Impact (if applicable) + +The one, and I imagine most prevalent administrative concern I can think of for Martians are the formation of +cliques/metafriending. When one's speech is limited, some naturally gravitate towards those they can communicate with +more easily: that being other Martians. + +However, I do not expect a greater degree of meta-friending other than what is already present. Players may gravitate +towards Martians to form friend-groups or cliques, but I firmly believe that is something they would already have done +had they intended to and not something the mechanics inherently promote. + +# Technical Considerations + +- There is a need to port over language systems from other forks specifically for the glumphish, or otherwise a system +that scrambles your speech for those who do not have a specific component. +- Infrastructure is needed to change the Martians' sprites conditionally. This is already being worked on, but the +mechanic of blobifying is impossible without it. +- Displacements are needed for outerclothing and hands. It is not necessary for the head, as that will be whitelisted. +- VERY IMPORTANT: the AAC tablet needs to be renamed to "Speech Pro™"