Currently compatible with latest stable update: Glad Giraffe



WARNING

This modification is currently unfinished, and highly experimental. Please, make sure that you back up all save files before testing. ​

Current Changes:

Humans

Base total energy increased by 170.

Avian

Capable of falling further heights without getting damaged.

Falls at slower speeds.

Apex

Runs faster and jumps higher.

Floran

Constantly regenerates health based on light levels.

Energy regeneration rate is based on light.

Gains full effect from eating raw foods. (Other races only gain half the effect.)

Additional healing from eating meat.

Hylotl

Capable of breathing underwater.

Regenerates energy faster while underwater.

Glitch

Unharmed by radiation.

Tolerance to extreme cold and heat, is capable of withstanding harsh environments for far longer than other races.

Immune to poison.

Unharmed by fire hazards.

Does not require oxygen.

Cannot use stim packs.

Only gains buffs and a full healing effect from metallic foods. (All other races take severe damage from trying to eat metallic foods.)

Takes more damage from electrical attacks and hazards.

Reduced movement speed and jump height.

Base defense increased by 25.

Novakid

Unaffected by Radiation, Cold, or Heat, Lava, Fire, and Poison.

Constantly emits light.

Does not require oxygen.

Cannot use stim packs or healing items.

Cannot consume any foods.

Explodes upon dying.



Compatibility

Bugs or Issues

Design Philosophy

This mod actively goes against design decisions previously made by Starbound's developers. While the developers of the game purposely left differences in gameplay for each race out of the equation to allow people the freedom to choose whatever they wish, I have taken things in completely the opposite direction. Because of this I feel it's important to explain my logic behind what I have done.



I am of the belief that something as important as choosing what race you are should be effected not just by how the player wants to look, but how they behave while playing and what their preferred playstyle is. And the race someone chooses should be influence their behavior on a fundamental level. RGV takes things to extremes, dramatically changing things in the name of creating a new experience.



Each of the changes made to the various races are based on lore implications and on necessity to maintain balance between the advantages and disadvantages they bring. With how radically this mod alters things, maintaining that balance will likely be a long and meticulous process. As new features are added to Starbound over time, this will become easier as more tools to work with will become available and more things can be tweaked in a particular races favor. It is also important to understand that for me, in-game lore takes absolute precedence. If something is stated or heavily implied to work a certain way for a certain race, that is the way it must be.



Changes to each race are also considered based on how I would want that race to be played. For instance, Novakid are designed to be immune to many different damage types and naturally produce light, making them highly resilient and allowing them to explore a large number of locations very easily. However, they cannot use healing items, leaving them with no way of restoring health while engaged in combat. This puts them in a dangerous position where they must monitor their health carefully, and because of this ranged weapons are extremely ideal for them. It also gives them room to focus solely on the thing attacking them, as other natural hazards that would have impeded other races no longer server as a distraction for them. The character plays how a Novakid would typically act, focusing on one thing at a time and using a weapon type that the race uses traditionally.



Most importantly, any features whether planned or already implemented are up for debate and discussion. If anything, I actively encourage attempts to find flaw in the design or balance of the mod, and new ideas are always appreciated.



https://github.com/IncredibleMeh/StarboundMod-RaceGameplayVariation If you would like to follow along with the development of this mod more closely, you can take a look at its GitHub repository: