The module system allows the player to select modules to add to their spaceship to change elements of gameplay. These are designed to work with the core flow of the gameplay and, instead of changing it drastically, will enhance specific parts of the gameplay, making it easier. Some modules will have more of an effect, such as the radar module, than others and, therefore, these will appear in later civilisations, like Moscow. So far, I have decided on 4 modules to include, though they each need playtesting to confirm if they will work, and these are described below. I have come up with more ideas in my blog, which I may use, but chose to exclude them from this final proposal for now, in case I think of more during development.
The radar module provides the player with a circular radar that tells the player about asteroids and fuel pickups that are farther out, clearly showing where they are in relation to the player. The radar has a line coming from its centre all the way to the edge and this line rotates clockwise; whenever the line encounters an asteroid, it pings and the location of the asteroid/pickup in that moment is shown. The radar does not show the asteroids or pickups in motion, as they are only identified whenever the line crosses them. See the image below for a visual representation of what the system will do.
The player’s spaceship is in the centre of the radar and the other dots are asteroids, shown in relation to the spaceship. The dots remain fixed in place until the line crosses them and, because the asteroids are actually moving, it will detect them in a different place; it will place new dots there until the line comes around again (image source: https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/radar_196345)
In the UI, the radar will appear in one of two positions. The first is, similar to a mini-map, in the bottom corner of the screen where it can be big and very easy to read. However, the player would need to take their eyes off of the spaceship to see it, and this may become annoying due to the quick reflexes required to avoid nearby asteroids. The second option is to include the radar in the module itself, as it will remain in the centre of the screen and would not break the immersion by making the player need to regularly look away from the spaceship. The difficulty with doing this is that it would be smaller, as to fit in the confines of the ship, and therefore more difficult to read. A potential solution to this is to make the module very big, and this is something that I will look into.
Upgrades for this module will either increase the speed that the line rotates about the radar or increase the range of the radar itself. I will playtest both and determine which works best.
In the game, this radar is connected to a satellite that is checking for asteroids/pickups and feeding the information back to the radar.
The slowdown field module, when activated, produces an elliptical energy field around the spaceship; when asteroids fly into this field, they slow down by 50%. The field only lasts for 2-3 seconds, and playtesting is required to find the best amount of time, but using it can be vital in escaping tight spots. The field does not slow down the player so using it can allow them to navigate difficult situations easier. The module has a very long cooldown of 30 seconds, but this may change according to playtesting.
Visually, the field is an ellipses that goes around the spaceship and it has a bold border, to make it clear where it starts, and inside of the border it becomes increasingly opaque. There are two ways to implement activation of the module. The first is to have the module automatically activate after its cooldown, however, I feel that this wastes the potential of the module and does not allow the player to interact with it directly. The second option is to have a button that the player can press, to activate it; I feel this option is the best. The button will be positioned at the bottom of the screen, in the centre, because Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines explain that it is better to position buttons at the bottom of the screen, as it is easier for users to access them.
Upgrades for this module will reduce its cooldown.
The burst thrusters module adds two more thrusters that, whenever the player touches the screen, will fire a small burst to shoot the spaceship up really fast for a brief moment. These thrusters, in their current design, do not use up any extra fuel. The thrusters, visually, come out of the sides of the ship and they fire out firework projectiles that explode below the spaceship. This module changes the core gameplay, making it more erratic, because the player will always shoot upwards a little whenever they activate their normal thrusters; this means that controlled descents, as well as staying in one position, will become harder. On the flipside, however, it will be easier to fly upwards and reach new heights.
Upgrades for this module will increase the duration of the burst and make the spaceship go even higher.
This module is based on the Chinese gunpowder arrows and should, therefore, appear as a choice in Chang’an.