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Ship out of Luck™ combines your favorite Space Westerns like Cowboy Bebop & Firefly into a Jazzy Action Adventure coming to PC (and maybe more)! Check back in here for regular updates, announcements and content relating to the game.
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Ship Out of Luck - Developing Systems (Grapple Hook)
TIME: 2445.200.0800
Being the only Teknician on board the Erebus makes my role extremely important! Arguably the _most_ important! (if only my fellow crewmembers would learn to appreciate this a bit more, eherm!)
After all, if a blaster-sized hole were to suddenly carve open our precious life-preserving hull, who else could roll out into the deadly vacuum of space and patch it all up? Not the gas-sucking meat sacks, ooooh no, their precious ‘skins’ are sooooo sensitive to explosive decompression!
As my protocols repeatedly dictate, I am compelled to record my ongoing maintenance tasks for review (not that anyone will even bother to read it!):
The Scheider 9000 - High-Tension Tug and Restraint System
The Scheider 9000, or the...err...GRAPPLE HOOK...as some on board insist on calling it, has been operating well-below specifications for a while! Who knew?!
The Captain has insisted that I improve its effectiveness *immediately*!
Oh yes, let me just address this *immediate* priority ahead of the other 200 *immediate* priorities you have, aye sir, I am your most pitifully humble autonomous servant!
I’ll get *right to it* after a well-deserved acid bath and full-cycle charge! Adieu - P131-7
DAY 1 OBJECTIVE - TEST OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE:
0700 - My initial testing suggests that the *Tug* tension-motors can only tow objects of lower mass than the ship itself!
Functional Assessment: Faulty
Performance Parameters: 10% of Target
Damage: Yes...substantial.
0900 - Further investigation is required, but the Ejection Spring mechanism does seem to perform quite well, ha ha!
0905 - Hmmm….It appears to be overperforming...curious!
0910 - I examined our flight records and it is clear that one my cohorts has re-spec’d this system for use in a combat environment!
0911 - Egads, this cabling looks like a Burdarak’s Egg Nest down there, HIDEOUS!
0913 - While manual repairs would likely resolve the issue, dissecting this mess has already raised my tension levels past tolerance. It would probably be for the best to spend the rest of the day recharging.
Day 1 Results: FAIL
Feel-o-Meter: General disappointment in my colleagues
DAY 2 OBJECTIVE - RAISE OUTPUT:
0500 - A new day always brings a fresh perspective! My intention had been to repair the damage I’d discovered the previous day, however I determined I could also potentially resolve The Captain’s requirements by simply increasing the output of the device!
The (aherm) Grappling Hook’s launch housing contains multiple backup projectiles in the case that the main hook tether snaps. I theorized I could increase the efficiency of power consumption by simply firing multiple projectiles at once...
2300 - This approach proved...suboptimal.
Day 2 Results: FAIL
Feel-o-Meter: Mild disappointment
DAY 3 OBJECTIVE - INCREASE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY:
0700 - My next attempt was to optimize the efficiency of the core actuator, this was 100% successful! I would normally detail the specifics, but none of my cohorts ever bother to read these reports anyways...sigh...
0705 - Well, if you really must know: There was a large mass of mouldy sandwich residue left in the upper gear housing (no doubt the careless discards of one of my “peers”)! However a few minutes of scraping increased performance metrics hauling larger objects by 50%!
0709 - My expected timeline completely ahead of schedule, I celebrated by relaxing to my favorite Glorkian Operata for the remainder of the day!
Day 3 Results: PASS
Feel-o-Meter: Pleasantly serenaded!
2215 - MANDATORY UPDATE: I am obliged to amend this report to include that The Captain’s feedback upon assessing my current progress was: “Disappointing”, and that my results were “Pathetic” … Sigh…Perhaps you should clarify what exactly it is YOU WANT next time?!
It appears I am now significantly behind schedule.
Day 3 Amended Results: FAIL
Feel-o-Meter: Dejected, spiraling ever downward, down, down, down...
DAY 4 OBJECTIVE - IMPROVISE FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION:
0200 - While I have not yet recharged to full capacity, my synapses began firing over an inspired avenue of exploration: The Captain did simply state that she wanted me to improve the effectiveness of this tool, so why not multiply its capabilities by deploying it along a vertical axis? This will clearly require some field testing!
0255 - UPDATE: I have just been very rudely informed that this “RIDICULOUSLY LOUD” experiment is disturbing our fearless “Leader’s” precious beauty sleep!
0256 - UPDATE: Future exploration along these lines has been officially suspended...indefinitely.
0257 - MANDATORY UPDATE: I have been obliged to amend this report to clarify that I am a “JUNKWIT”.
0257.5 - MANDATORY UPDATE: A “BOOTLESS JUNKWIT”, to be specific.
0258 - MANDATORY UPDATE: Apparently my deadline has been extended by a day to “FIX THE DAMNABLE THING” or be “VENTED OUT OF THE GARBAGE HOLE WITH THE REST OF THE TRASH!”...so rude!
0300 - This episode has left my energy reserves somewhat depleted so I’d best recharge for the remainder of the day and return to this problem with a fresh perspective.
Day 4 Results: FAIL
Feel-o-Meter: Generally concerned with my job security
DAY 5 OBJECTIVE - REPAIR ACTUAL DAMAGE:
0800 - I spent several additional hours overcharging this morning and treated myself to a glass of Fizzoil-5000™. While it achieved no functional improvement, it made me feel better.
With so little time remaining, it seemed that repairing the actual damage might be the most effective approach, but passing the mess hall I discovered a message left from the previous day:
“Great Job Trashpile! New Grapple works perfectly!” - M
...curious
0805 - Evaluating the flight logs, it would appear my “Pathetic” experiments have actually borne fruit, ha ha! Junkwit indeed!
In the interest of efficiency, it appears I can deprioritize repairing the damage, mission accomplished!
Day 5 Results: TOTAL SUCCESS
Feel-o-Meter: Confident in my consistently excellent performance!
Now, how to reward myself for a job well done?
Signing Off - P131-7 (Autonomous Repair Automek: TGS-Erebus)
After too many years churning out vidja games for “The Man”, we’ve finally jumped on the indie bandwagon, right when the last inch of the Steamy gates have cracked open to funnel a whole new generation of creative effort down a blackhole of discoverability, yay!
In the interest of documenting our journey towards abject poverty, I present to you the first public details of our ongoing effort to simulate our fate as if it were in a fictional future…
Ship Out of Luck is a wacky space adventure where you take on the role of a wily but washed-up space captain-turned-bounty hunter trying to stay ahead of her debt by chasing down some of the lowliest scum in the galaxy.
This is an action RPG where you take the helm of a rust-bucket starship, balancing the morale of your oddball crew against the choice of being sneaky, blasting everything in sight, or sweet-talking your way of trouble.
A soundtrack full of funky space jazz sets the tone for a journey where you will have to face the shadows of your past in order to hunt down the man who once ruined your life and career…Heavy stuff!!
Here’s some answers we’ve put together to get some questions out of the way:
Q: What the..? I mean…What?
A: Yeah I know, right?! We thought the same thing ourselves! And then there’s this guy:
Q: What the hell was that?!
A: That’s Bob! He’s a Glorkian...he likes you!
Q: Oh-kaay?
A: ...to eat, I mean. He would like to eat you...
Q: Right, so, moving right along then…
A: ...for dinner!
Q: Yeah I got it, so how about the Unique Selling Points (USP™) in the game?
A: Oh, damn… No softball questions from you, huh?
Q: Seriously? That’s a pretty basic…
A: Whoa ok, jeeze, gotta pick on the new guy, huh! Ok, well, for starters you play as a spaceship!
Q: Oh, so it’s a Twinstick Shooter?
A: What? Nononono! Launching a Twinstick Shooter in this glutted market is like committing indie game studio seppuku!
No, in this game you are “technically” playing as this Spaceship Captain right here:
...she only happens to fly a spaceship!
Q: So...you do control a ship in the game?
A: Well, yes, err mostly…you do. Correct.
Q: And you use 2 gamepad thumbsticks to control said ship?:
A: Well 1 technically, but yes more or less [And Keyboard + Mouse Controls also available!].
Q: And all of this from a 3D isometric sorta perspective:
A: Yeah...
Q: Aw jeeze, well I really don’t mean to be a stickler on this one point…
A: But?
Q: Well, you know this game kind of comes off as a Twinstick Shooter, right?
A: What?! No?! Whatever makes you say that?
Q: Well this:
A: Oh…
Q: And this:
.
.
A: Ok, yeah...
Q: These are your GIFS!:
A: Hey! We aren’t interested in conforming to your socially constructed categories, man!
Q: Kinda boxed yourselves in on that one...
A: Ok, ok! Just ignore the whole ship thing for a minute!
Ship out of Luck is much more of a Story-Driven Action RPG, with a big beautiful expansive world:
...where you have this misfit crew that is constantly chattering at you…
...And an awesomely funky Space Jazz Soundtrack...
...you just happen to also control a ship in the process...with analog sticks, amongst other things.
Q: Ok, well maybe that does sound kind of interesting.
A: Yeah! AND we have a TON MORE to talk about in the next days, weeks, months [and hopefully not year(s)]!
Q: But, but, I’ve got more questions!
A: Suuuure you do, but for now, let’s just leave you with a peek at this lil’ guy:
...isn’t he cute?
Q: I guess he wants to eat me too?
A: Yup!
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