Author Topic: PMM Quarters - Idea & Discussion  (Read 4368 times)

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Marco2001

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PMM Quarters - Idea & Discussion
« on: November 12, 2010, 11:27:28 PM »

PMM Quarters
( Idea of Planetary Mission Module Quarters implementation in MCO )

There is a problem in MCO that needs to be solved - where the base crew will sleep and rest?
Will there be one place where ppl will use the same bed in a cycle and share the room with other ppl or will the quarters be personal?
How would those quarters look like? What would they need to have on Mars?
And finally - how would the quarters look in a game like MCO compared to real life? What are the problems?

The dilema is that on one side personal quarters take precious space in comparison to shared-quarters.
On the other side - on shared-quarters you dont rest...you regenerate and psychologists say that for a while it can be tolerated, but when it comes to share the same room with many ppl for months, ppl simply go gradualy crazy. (how would you feel?)
That is why shared-quarters aren't used now in ISS - there are only 4 "beds" modules in the wall, and when there are more ppl, they simply attach more "beds".
On lunar base, since missions will be a lot more stressfoul and longer, personal quarters will be even more personal.
Of course - not from the start. PMM Quarters module will have to be attached later-on. (PMM Quarters is the official name of it that I found NASA uses)
The same goes with Mars. At the start colonists will live together in a MAV (Mars-Ascend Vehicle) also called ERV (Earth Return Vehicle). When they deploy the desired PMM Quarters module colonists will have from now-on the ability to sleep in their own beds.
And that's reely important - colonists on mars will spend their time there from 500 days to 5 years (or even more in the future). 
So - in sum - in case of the dilema PMM Quarters vs shared-quarters, PMM Quarters win becouse the psychological aspect can't be denied. Shared quarters can be only used for the short time needed to deply PMM Quarters module. 

Since MCO will have the ability to build new modules I see it this way: at the start of the game, players appear in the ERV rocket landing in the mars, near the cunstructed base.
They exit the ERV in space suits, and try to start the base running (start the reactors, clean the PVP, start sebatier reactor, repaired dammaged stuff etc.). Once they do that they will start to redeploy the new modules that can be attached to the main module. That will take a few days at least (for the main ones), and untill then the astronauts can rest in the ERV. Once they deploy the PMM Quarters module, they will now have the ability to rest there, and ERV will not be needed, unless there is a disaster of same sort (like the base has no oxygen, and astronauts are forced to rest in the ERV for a while).

Why would ppl in a computer game want to rest in the PMM Quarters module and not in the ERV? (what difference would it make to players?)
A good question that needs to be answered earnestly.

First of all - in a space simulation like MCO we can't just forget about the fact that ppl need to sleep, and it's just as big of a limit as air/food/water suply, radiation or dust-storms.
There should be a "Psychic strength" or "Morale" bar just as food, water, healt and stamina bar. If it's dropped beneth certain point, your avatar would have reduced productivity, and  each action would take longer to do. That would be a nuisance, and players would want to avoid it. There are numerous ways that "morale" (or "Psychic strength") could be regenerated, and that would be: sleeping in your quarter, staying in a zone that boosts your morale (like greenhouse, or your quarter) or sitting/eating together with other players. You could, rest in ERV but that would take more time, since it's not nearly at that comforting. Morover - you need to share ERV with other players, but PMM Quarter is yours olone.

Second - When a player logs-off....what happens with the avatar? Now he simply dissapears! Thats not a reely good solution for a simulation game. If the avatar would be left alone and didn't dissapear, what do you thing would happen to him? Most propably - he would DIE. But...not necesarilly. I propose that when a player logs off, his avatar stays on the spot he logged-off and if he would want that his avatar to be ok when he logs back-in, he would need to get to a "safe-zone" before he logs-off. The safe-zone would be off-course a bed in which he would need to lay down, before he disconnects. His avatar is safe there. It won't need water or food, he won't get killed by a disaster if it isn't something serious. THINK ABOUT THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THAT IDEA!
Server would have their own life until it's active and players would have to check-up on their avatars from time to time, to see if they'r ok, becouse loggin-off only means that you left your avatar unattended. 

I would imagine that the first thing that comes to mind in objection to that idea is the question "What would happen if I would have an internet-connection problem?". Well - since the SIM would go-on without you, and your avatar is just standing there doing nothing, you would die over time...BUT! Other players might save you! When you have connection-problems, the server would note-all players that "Player X has fainted and needs immidiate rescue!". They would locate him, and brought him back to medical-bay, to heal him, and he would stay there, untill he's logged-on again (he's countious again) (neet idea huh?  ;)).
So, basicly - avatars would stay whether your logged-in or not. In order to be safe you would need to go to bed in your quarter. Not only you wouldn't lose health and be safe, but you would also reconnect as a well-rested avatar (your Morale bar would be maxed).
There is but one even more interesting possible repercussion - your avatar would not need food, water, and you would have full stamina and healt...but...you are still using some air (but only a fraction of that when your awake), and heat (but when your aslepp, your body can adjust to lover temperatures) and base MIGHT have an emergency, like oxygen loss, or power failure, and other players would need to repair it in order to save the ones who are sleeping (the one's that are logged-off). Preety interesting huh? If you fail to repair it your teamates will die, and it will be YOUR FOULT! ( ;D ).

Thirdly - personalization of PMM Quarters. It would be a greate bonus If player could make his quarter the way he want's it. There is some ways to do that that doesn't need a lot of programing. It's lower in the post.

Fourthly - you can't just walk in your EVA-suit all day long can you? You can't sleep in it, you don't feel comfortable in it and personaly I don't know how you can use the toilet in MCO while wearing it ( ;) ). That's why you can go to your quarter and change clothers to casual. Clothes could be even customized at your personal quarter.

Fiftly - in PMM Quarter you could work over mission raports for Earth.

How would PMM Quarter look like? NASA desighn:


In one Planetary Mission Module there could be many PMM Quarters (when I try to visualize it in my head I think that 8 PMM Quarters would fit in in a typical module...4 on each side of the module. That's 8 players in one - if you want more players in your server you would need to build additional Planetary Mission Module for 8 more avatars.)

What functions would PMM Quarters have?
1) Bed - for sleeping, resting and beying safe until a player logs back (unless a disaster accurs in the base, and no-one saves you). You go to bed in order to log-off safely.
2) Drawer - you can suit yourselves in casual clothes and pick what do you want to weare.
3) Desk + Personal Computer - here you can work by sending automaticly mission reports (you gain experience + money for that), but most importantly - it's for recreation. Here player can play in some simple games (like: asteroid, snake, bomberman, chess etc  ;D ). Here you can also send a private message to someone's else computer. There could be tutorials for new players or even some videos. There could also be randomly generated messages from earth like "Team X won's this weeks game with Y" or "Thorium prices skyrocking again - NASA and ESA declares that the new base on Mars will provide enought Thorium for all nations to stave off the energy crysis" or "News from the Mars base [NAME]. Colonists [NAME1] and [NAME2] had succesfouly planted a flag of Earth on a mountain called [NAME]. The president of Mars Exploration Consortium has declared that the base will be revarded with [GOODS HERE] Good job guys! Earth is proude of you.". Also note that the desk doesn't have a regular keebord - it's operated by laser keybord.
4) Clock and radio. It not only does show you the mars time, but you can set the alarm for a specific hour and select the melody. You can select a music and play it now. one function of the clon may olso be to tell you what time is now on different cities on Earth.
5) Picture on the desk - her's an interesting thing that can be programmed. That picture is blank untill you load an image from your computer onto it. When you do - everyon will see it. Those types of digital pictures does exists in a real world. Players could save there the pictures for instance of his/her's loved-ones.
6) Poster on the wall - depending on your proffesion in the base, the poster will change. Some peeple will have periodic table, some the map of the Mars/Phobos, others the map of Earth, picture of a plant etc.. This reminds the player what his avatar do in the base.
7) Door with a combination of 4-digit code. (?) (not necesarry I gues)

Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

profit004

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Re: PMM Quarters - Idea & Discussion
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2010, 12:56:31 AM »
Quarters will get in I am sure after some other things are worked out. =)

thedubman

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Re: PMM Quarters - Idea & Discussion
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2010, 05:22:23 PM »
I really like all of that!  particularly the private PC with all the data...
Ok how about if you log off in a "sleep chamber" (enter chamber to log off) When you log on and emerge from the chamber you gain health and stam bonuses, plus say the abilty for food /water to last longer/ lower O2 usage etc etc..
Non- sleep chamber log off could conclude with a non bonus,.. Logging off in a Suit outside = death if not returnd in time which causes i dunno 50% health/stam loss for 30 mins or something.. (hee hee maybe even induce a cloning cost!!!!)

I like the idea of Morale, I allways thought the idea of "cleaness" would be good. If you dont clean you suit or have a shower for too long you "cleaness" levels go down (think the sims) and eventually cause healt/stam loss.
Morale could be linked to cleaness,food/water amount, suit o2/power levels, morale losses could be added if say base power is gone, morale loss could = stat loss..

pad69

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Re: PMM Quarters - Idea & Discussion
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2010, 04:42:45 AM »
I really like all of that!  particularly the private PC with all the data...
Ok how about if you log off in a "sleep chamber" (enter chamber to log off) When you log on and emerge from the chamber you gain health and stam bonuses, plus say the abilty for food /water to last longer/ lower O2 usage etc etc..
Non- sleep chamber log off could conclude with a non bonus,.. Logging off in a Suit outside = death if not returnd in time which causes i dunno 50% health/stam loss for 30 mins or something.. (hee hee maybe even induce a cloning cost!!!!)

I like the idea of Morale, I allways thought the idea of "cleaness" would be good. If you dont clean you suit or have a shower for too long you "cleaness" levels go down (think the sims) and eventually cause healt/stam loss.
Morale could be linked to cleaness,food/water amount, suit o2/power levels, morale losses could be added if say base power is gone, morale loss could = stat loss..

Nice idea
Murphy's Law applies "Anything that can possibly go wrong, does." or some say it this way "If anything can go wrong, it will.