Osmos Suggestions, Improvements & Wishlists

[doal]

Late stages are too difficult. As a causal player who can’t foresee multiple trajectories, my last bet is trial-and-error. And still face huge frustration since I’m not gifted to perform exactly the actions I last did. Facilitation to address such issue would be great for causal players. Such as QUICK SAVE/LOAD function. Time Rewind ? Couldn’t be better.

About suggestions for sequel, I would love to see more characteristics of celestial bodies, such as gravitational interaction between planets, moon, comet with tail, binary star and multiple star systems, the end of a star, big bang, gas giant, asteroid belt between planets’ orbits etc.

[spamalot]

I've been thinking about level design...

I like the force levels the most, but they're the hardest also. Still stuck on the last one, even after the update (what exactly are the changes...?). I got as far as being able to pick up all the attractors, but I end up in an unconvenient orbit with all the attractors still remaining. So when I go in for the first pickup I lose mass which always seems to be dropping into one of the attractors or gets eliminated by the border.

How about:
- picking up more orbital variations for attractors
- two attractors orbiting each other as a dual system with the other elements still maintaining a stable somewhat circular orbit
- two fixed attractors with motes orbiting them in an 8-shape (crossing orbits are fun!)

- time shifting deluxe
- have the time run backwards for a few seconds as a bonus for some achievement inside a level
- have the time shift NOT affect you, but your surroundings only (oh yeah, go time machine!)

- space physics tutorial levels
- successful hohmann transfers (or whatever)
- energy (= mass) saving strategies
- implement a record-functionality so people can upload noteworthy incidents or their solution to a level

- different matter pickup types
- depending on the color of the mote you picked up, you can modify the strength of your propulsion (= effectiveness of propulsion)
- expelled mass you eject into other motes could have different behavior:
- push them away
- pull them towards you
- make them explode
- turn them into a sentient mote (seeding life)

Hey if you want me to continue, I can send you my freelance job application

[IronMike]

Some ideas
- new kinds of mote :

- the cutting mote : it doesn't absorb your mote but split it in two parts.
- the explosive mote : like a dying star, it explodes and disperses plenty of small motes. Of course you also have the anti-matter explosive mote
- the dead mote : doesn't absorb matter, it just bumps into other mote
- the viral mote : it neutralizes the absorbing capacity of your mote for 10 seconds. Your mote can still move but cannot absorb !

- tunnel of hyperspace : your mote goes into a black hole and immediately respawn on a other side of the map.

and beside of the game, a screen saver would be nice

IronMike

[Bulska]

I see many good ideas, I have another ^_^

New gamemode: Temperature
Basic idea is that each mote has a temperature. Warm motes will ascend, cold motes will descend. (yeah like in the lava lamp I'm looking at right now)
When one mote consumes another, the temperature of the bigger mote should change according to the temperature of the smaller mote.

More detailed, motes should have the solid/liquid/gas physics implented slightly. Warm motes will expand a little bit, are weaker, but have a smaller density (mass per volume).
Cold motes will schrink a little, are tougher, but have a larger density.
Motes with a higher density than the world around the mote would descend, motes with a lower density than the world around the mote would ascend.

Each mote could also... emit and absorb temperature. There's the world-temperature, the temperature of the surroundings. If a mote is hotter than the world-temperature, it would emit heat, become colder, but increase the world-temperature in close proximity around him.
If a mote is colder than the world-temperature, it would absorb heat, become warmer, and decrease the world-temperature around him.

So if one mote is very hot, it will make the world around him very hot. Then when a colder mote passes trough, it will heat up.

If the temperature idea is combined with more actions for your mote, I think It'll be a cool idea to let your mote convert mass into temperature. Making you smaller, but hotter, making you rise. Another action could be to put extra heat into the mass you shoot out, making your mote colder and emitting warmer motes.

All this would require new set of variables for each mote:
Radius
Mass
Temperature

Radius would now not only depend solely on the mass of a mote, but also on the temperature of the mote.


I can imagine that this would be a heck of a job getting done, because you'd probably need to edit the very core of coding for Osmos.
However, if it could be done more easily, it could be an interresting feature to add.

[Austin]

The temperature concept is interesting, but it would require a brand new type of playing field, as the default circle or box lacks gravity. The changing density would be a nice touch, particularly in attractor/orbit levels.

Also seconding the concept of pickups/powerups changing the player mote's strength or dexterity. How about instead of firing a mote to split troublesome entities in two, allow for the use of a laser? No shift in momentum or mass, just one chance per level (or more in the case of possible puzzle levels requiring this power) to break down everything in a straight line to make for easy absorption. Why else would we be given such accurate crosshairs?

Two words: The Ferax. Straddles the line between "worthy opponent" and "dirty rotten #!@$". Not only can the sucker turn on a dime, it can get a fair amount of thrust by expelling only half the mass the player would have to use, and it knows exactly which angle to aim to reach the next best prey. Why can't we do that?! Being able to chase it around the level like an extended dogfight would be exhilarating... if only I could keep up with it!

Finally, more achievements like "Black Hole Sun" would be a real treat. "Milestone" achievements do little to reinforce the accomplishments of beating a level (or every level) - the real fun is in receiving official recognition from the developers for pulling off crazy/unexpected stunts. Winning a level after being told it "doesn't look good," perhaps? What about tricking that pesky Ferax into being absorbed by a non-sentient mote?

[Calin]

I've got a simple request, Programmable controls.
I use the touchpad on my laptop. and sometimes the tapping function freaks out and my mote uncontrollably ejects mass and I die.
I can turn tapping off, but I use it a lot when not playing Osmos. So it would be nice to be able to change the keys around.

[Meal Worms]

Hi Calin,

You can edit the Osmos keybindings! See this topic in the Osmos FAQ.

Dave

[Isodus]

After reading everyone's ideas and having my own here are the suggestions I'd like to make.

Sandbox/Endless Mode:
My thoughts on this is making it similar to the cell stage in Spore. You start out small with other organisms/motes that are all around your size, you are not the biggest and you are not the smallest. As you get bigger it zooms out showing new and larger motes, however as time progresses you encounter new objects (and in increasing numbers) such as attractors, repulsors, anti-matter, ferax (is that what it is called? the sentient motes?) all of varying size so you are never the biggest but you are also never the smallest. Eventually as the game gets far enough the regular non sentient motes slowly dwindle and eventually disappear all together until you are left entirely with the special objects (attractors, repulsors, etc.). Maybe even implement a size meter and a high score board? (this last one was just a thought as I was writing this, either a size meter or score count, each object having a different worth)

Multiplayer Mode:
I have several mode ideas involving multiplayer. Some of you have been concerned about having it be an interactive multiplayer where everyone is in the same field and worrying about the random human element and people ganging up on each other. To this I have a solution, make the online mode to join games be like L4D where you have a lobby.

Lobby:
-When creating a lobby make it so you can depict game level (either custom map everyone must have, one of the maps in the original game, or a random map[for a better explanation on random map see Random Level below]), allow us to state friends only or open to public, and finally the number of players (let's say 2-8 maybe?)
-When joining a lobby you can search for specific maps, search current lobbies, join on a friend (again basically the same system they have for L4D except this game should allow for different number of max players)

Modes:
-Become Huge: each player has their own identical map they start in, the person who created the lobby sets the time limit and players race to be the biggest when time is done. Each player has on their screen a gauge at the top like normal, but instead of one dot on the bar where THE biggest is, there is one for every player so you know when you are way ahead or someone is catching up to you.
-Become The Biggest: Again each player spawns in an identical map (which was depicted in lobby or changed as the server is up (hosted on someone's computer or someone's server) and players race to become the biggest in the map that they are in, however they wish to achieve that. If they are in an orbital map and wish to collapse the system to become the biggest then they can do that or if they wish to play through and absorb other motes risking the current largest mote getting bigger then they can proceed that way.
-Absorb the (insert object here): Again each player starts in an identical map (again map depicted in lobby or changed as the server is running (before level start of course or it resets the level)) but this time the goal is to absorb whatever the object(s) is/are. It could be a zen attractor, or multiple zen attractors, maybe a/multiple repulsor(s). The first person to absorb all their objects wins.
Side note for all multiplayer modes
-The only problem with this is how view your progress against the other people's progress. I made one suggestion in the Become Huge mode that is a simple enough solution for that mode, but it doesnt exactly work for "Become The Biggest" or "Absorb the Object" so one suggestion is to have the zoom feature allow us to zoom out to include all the other players maps and be able to zoom in on them as well. Another idea is to have a mini screen in the corner (or maybe multiple screens in the corners, that could be a player option though) that you can cycle through to the different players and have an idea of what is going on in their map. For the Absorb the Object(s) mode you could also have a score board on the side of the screen that shows the players name and has absorbed x objects/y total objects. Another dilemma is should games not finish until all players are either dead or have completed the goal? Or should it wait until only a certain number of players are done (if you are first done you could cycle through and view full screen the other players)? Or yet another option is once the first person finishes have a timer that starts for the rest of the players to finish and if it doesn't within the time allowed the round is over? And of course the final option is the round is over once the first person finishes.

Random Level:
Though I like the idea of a level editor and having players allowed to create their own level, I wonder how hard it would be to have just a random level creator for everyone. You open up the menu and you have several options to choose from.

Map Type:
-Round or Square (option disable if choose orbital, orbital defaults to round)
-Edges death or reflective?

Objects:
-Type of objects to spawn (check all that you want). Some options are Motes (yes motes should be an option to choose from, the basic non sentient kind. It would be interesting playing a level with no normal motes)
-Number of objects (there should be a max number for total objects) choose as many of what object you wish to spawn until all add up to the max number possible or choose an option to fill in all extras with regular motes.
-Begin static (think ambient levels where nothing is moving) or in motion. If in motion, random motion or orbiting around zen attractor (if you have other zen attractors spawned they should align themselves to orbit around the center zen attractor spaced evenly)

Level Editor:
Basically a much more advanced version of the Random Level creator idea. Allows players to make levels in much more detail, for instance instead of having one zen attractor in the middle you could have multiple as well as multiple zen attractors orbiting around the center one(s) at different distances, velocities, and direction (clockwise/counter clockwise).

[Bulska]

I think that for multiplayer, it would be interresting for multiple players to be in the same playing field. There should be an option for the server host to disable the absorbing of other players. If it's disabled, you bounce off player motes instead of absorbing them.

[Battlefrank]

I find that "black hole sun" being the only "do something cool" achievement is disappointing. You guys should correct that.