Seperated the discussion about the doc itself and the implementation. I admit I messed up by having them in the same thread, so this one will be specifically for discussing the document.
This should be spelled out more clearly in the species design doc, but:
The objective of a design doc is to provide the design of a gameplay element, not its specific implementation details.
This is covered for mechanics in the document, but the same logic applies to rule 1 (i.e. distinct identity).
Itâs the job of the art maintainers to determine if sprites are suitable, for example, but thatâs an implementation detail suited to a PR discussion.
In terms of visual styling, I think this species should lean more towards something explicitly animalistic rather than anthropomorphic. Thematically, I feel like they are very much a retread of what lizardpeople do but with a weaker execution. Having digi legs, a hunched over back, perhaps slightly larger proportions, etc. would better suit the design elements stated in the doc.
The section of the visual design is pretty much bare and in need of specifics. Thereâs a lot of discussion around whether this is going to be a sparkledog appearance or a more grounded appearance. This should be clarified in the document rather than just left as an implementation detail.
In terms of the mechanical features proposed, I would recommend stripping back some of the more generic ones to focus on the more standout abilities. The leaping, messy drinking, and carnivore diet actually create a pretty cohesive set of traits that delivers on the theme of the species. The cold adaptation and smell, while mildly interesting, doesnât really match the general vibes of the other abilities.
My general feelings are that I would prefer if the design pushed the visual and flavor elements to help distinguish it from other species more. If the gameplay experience is meant to be mostly the same as humans, then the other elements should compensate for it IMO.
So I donât really have the energy to write something particularly long right now but Iâll put down my thoughts.
I think Vulpkanins as a species idea (excluding the mechanics) are really ordinary, both visually and conceptually. It is a very generic furry species when we really donât need more (see: moths and lizard people) when you can do more interesting ideas, especially customisation-wise. Considering that itâs in a sci-fi world where the craziest stuff happens, I feel like unique designs and creatures like a rock golem with four arms or a walking plushie with itâs whole head as an eye (as examples) would be way cooler to see on a space station.
I have also not read the species doc, so this is just my very long-standing opinion.
My opinion is positive, and it relies primarily on:
While I do not think it is inaccurate to call the visual design somewhat generic, I also think that if we account for future species being more exotic, we have room for it. So it is not an issue for me.*
If I wouldâve had objections it would be from game balance, but I believe you have achieved a well-rounded set of abilities.
*I.e. I will be a lot less inclined to approve a humanoid species submitted next without something more âout thereâ in between.
I agree with Emo, while the art in the existing PR is not final, the doc should show some details on what the final stylistic art direction is aiming for. And in my opinion their currently proposed art design is quite weak and does not fit into SS14 at all.
While we do have lot of furries in our playerbase, Space Station is not primarily a furry game. At their core the currently proposed vulpkanins are a âI want to play as a fluffy humanâ species, but to me that does not really fit into the gameâs science fiction theme. For that reason I think they would be a better choice for downstreams.
What I do think would work instead is redesigning them with a similar theme to FSPâs concept art, which has a much stronger aesthetic
Regarding the abilities:
Leaping seems like a fun concept, but will be likely very hard to balance as it should not give any major advantage in combat or when working as a salvager, where it can be used to move between grids.
Instrinsic chem goggles are a big no from me as that just makes an existing tool redundant instead of adding something new. The sense of smell however fits thematically and could work with another mechanical implemenation, that would need to be mentioned in the doc.
Cold adaption and carnivore diet make sense, and I liked the bone eating idea that was mentioned before, but doesnât seem to be part of the doc.
Messy drinker is a little bit disgusting, but kinda fun at the same time. I approve of that if you make the code predicted 
Iâm also kinda surprised that both the PR and design doc have received so many downvotes (I would have expected more furries in our playerbase!) and the addition of new species to be seen as something very positive.
But I assume for many it might be a similar opposition to the visual design direction? Some feedback from others here would be helpful.
I largely agree with this sentiment, I donât find Vulps particularly interesting as a species either. We already have lizard people, moth people, bird people, and now⌠canine people
The spite design is serviceable, but again, boring. Emoâs suggestions would add a lot to their visual design
I have some concerns about the leaping ability, particularly if it offers an advantage in combat. The doc states that they can âcrash intoâ people, but its not clear what this entails mechanically. It also states that Vulps can use âjumping into wallsâ as part of role play, but like the âmessy drinkingâ trait, I see to fail to see how - players shouldnât be encouraged to role play as an animal unless they actually are an animal
Messy drinker is a little bit disgusting, but kinda fun at the same time. I approve of that if you make the code predicted
Now that eating is predicted its a matter of just setitng up another predictedrandom hack so I can do that no problem.
I liked the bone eating idea that was mentioned before, but doesnât seem to be part of the doc.
I wanted to keep that as a seperate thing unrelated to vulps, I have a PR open.
You can view that on the implementation PR, but I guess could be clarified in the doc
Iâve been mentioned with regard to the visdev of Vulps, so:
One of the challenges here is that this is a popular downstream species, and, as we can all see from Scarâs PR, there is a SHEDTONNE off spriting work done for them. Putting that aside is a bit tricky, I know Scar feels very strongly that without the sprites that already exist he fundamentally canât implement the species.
I think that worry might be a bit unfounded; the bulk of the work is helmet resprites and customization options. Those resprites in general look potentially really useful to several species (i.e. Vox, lizards). Likewise, I donât think thereâs anything wrong with using a sprite sourced from downstream as a V1, so we can put that all aside for the design.
The trick is to âyes, andâ the downstream design. Yes, canine-like aliens. And?
With my first go at some visdev art for them, I went with âwerewolfâ and I started from there. Itâs mammalian but clearly nothing to do with a simian heritage.
Hell, make their ancestor corgis.
Iâd like to propose:
Incorporating the customizations that already exist for Vulps then gives them a variety of big ears and tail options, which rounds out their diversity.
I do agree on leaping being tricky. For the sake of this design, my question is:
Is it unreasonable to expect someone who is implementing leaping to be able to tune it to not affect combat balance? It can be done badly, but thatâs not a blocker to accepting the design in principle.
I added a small part in the doc to mention digitigrade legs and wider shoulders. I have no idea how to present it better.
Also removed reagent sniffing.
I think the proposed ideas are okay, and if any prove to be more powerful than anticipated then we can tweak them. We should not require design proposals to have absolute zero doubt, we will never reach that. Its enough to establish that ability X is not meant to provide combat advantage, and then iterate it out.
though I have a practical concern/warning about multiple tail variants.There is currently a PR to add tail sleeves for hardsuits worn by reptilians. This currently only supports one sprite per species. This is mostly acceptable for reptilians, who do have tail variants but they are similar enoufh for this to be not that apparent. If vulpkanin are added, and that other PR too and the idea catches on, how will we handle vulpkanin suit tail sprites even if we someone is willing to make them?
That PR is not merged yet, though, so technically this cant be considered a blocker.
Ps. Digitigrade legs are non-negotiable :3
Merged as per the vote
