March 18, 2025
The importance of merging storytelling with gameplay mechainics.
The story informs the gameplay which feels like a story, making Lifeship immersive and interesting every step of the way.
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Boryslav Dosllidnyko, Bio-Engineer, Plant Pathologist, UN Commission on Global Food Supply
18 September
We are on site investigating declining crop yields throughout Ukraine. Our little corner of Kherson (20,000 Hectares) represents a mix of areas already blighted and areas still producing high quality wheat. (Hopefully)We will have some answers soon.
19 September
Today, my team set up monitoring equipment to track acidity, nitrogen, and microbe propagation at a healthy (1,000 Hectare) site. There are other teams, (of course) monitoring weather patterns, seismic activity, and even bird migrations. While I don’t think the birds will lead to anything useful, it pays to check everything when the world’s food supply (And my snackcakes!) is at stake.
25 November
A super weird day. Almost 1,000 hectares of wheat, all dead.But (strangely), there are still patches of healthy wheat. I suspect metal toxicity caused by a pH shift in the soil. I expected it to taste slightly metallic, (I don’t eat soil, just taste. Promise.), but it felt like glass (and tasted awful. Unlike normal soil). I’ll need to wait for the soil samples to be formally tested before I know the cause for sure, but I have some theories.
1 December
So…the soil analysis came back and I honestly have morequestions than answers. Silicate disruption at this scale usually means seismic activity (Russian volcanoes was not on my Bingo card), but our seismic team has reported nothing abnormal, and the fields nearby seem untouched. We’re doing a deep sample tomorrow, and (hopefully) get some answers.
3 December
I am writing from the back of a UNSA evac. (Hey that rhymes)We had a few set backs yesterday. First, an earthquake. It destroyed most of our equipment, and I don’t think Mr Bitar (The Project Lead) is going to be walkingon his leg any time soon. We could have gotten new gear, but (For whatever reason),a cluster/consortium (Maybe 300?) of those xeno-spiders(I think they look like crabs) picked that day to leave their dark holes and find us. Rather than engage over dead crops, the UN has evacuated us.
Nadezhda Leto, Kirillov Station Monitor, GS RAS(Geographic Survey of the Russian Academy of Science)
14th of February
I am supposed to write a report each week, but I didn’t know that until this week. So I am starting my reports, on Valentine’s day because loooove writing reports. Today’s seismic activity…within normal parameters.
22nd of February
Writing this a day late, because I forgot and it is timestamped. Today’s seismic activity, a small quake registered and turned out to be a glitch. It was definitely fun talking with Piotr for two hours about why his equipment didn’t detect anything. I love my job.
28th of February
We had another glitch, same as last week. No other seismicmonitoring stations detected the quake, but techs have been through the systems and found no fault. Guess I am just an idiot then. Someone online posted about secret government earthquake generators…maybe I too should huff paint.
10th of March
This isn’t a glitch. The monitors are picking up something below that is shaking the ground. Piotr’s sensors even registered it this time.The UN is sending a research team next week. Not sure if I should be happy…or sad. Either way, at least it will be different.
Piotr Lebedev, Kuzino Station Monitor, GS RAS
Piotr – “In collaboration with Nadezdha Leto, I took several abnormal seismic readings on the 10th of March of this year.”
UN Secretary General Gerhard Nordquist
Secretary General – “And these anomalous readings corroborated Ms. Leto’s data?”
Piotr – “Yes…uh, sir.”
Secretary General – “Can you explain why Ms. Leto’s initial reports were not escalated?”
Piotr – “I believe it was assumed to be a glitch?”
Secretary General – “But it wasn’t.”
Piotr - "No. It was an early detection of…the thing…the Terraworm”
Secretary General – “When Ms. Leto contacted you on the 22ndof February, you reported no abnormal activity leading her to the misunderstanding that it was a glitch in her monitoring equipment. Our seismologists have looked into the data, and can you guess what they found onthe 22nd?”
Piotr – “You want me to guess what your UN seismologists found in the data? Hopefully, something useful.”
Secretary General – “They found anomalous seismic activity on that day, which, if reported, could have saved lives.”
Piotr – “They would have been very useful to talk to, I agree.”
Secretary General – “Do you feel responsible for what happened to the people on that island? For your friend, Ms. Leto?”
Piotr – “If you are accusing me of something, Mr. General…Nordquist, I think that I need to speak to my advocate.”
Secretary General – “We lost over 15,000 people in Kirillov, Mr. Lebedev. Something to think about.”
Piotr – “I am aware of how many people were lost. I lost three cousins, and my best friend from university. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since the incident, Mr Nordquist. Something to think about.”
