Like other posters in this forum, I think the implementation of player controlled monsters would make for some interesting gameplay. One such monster could be the Prowler.
The Prowler is first and foremost a creature of stealth. Using its slug-like underbelly, it clings to the roof and walls of Europas underwater caves. When settled, it can activate its camouflage to blend in with the environment, similar to the cuttlefish and other octopuses/pi/pods. When unsuspecting prey swims by, it will open its tentacles to launch its long mouth into the animal. While draining the animal on blood, the Prowler will reveal itself in crimson red. When full, it will pull its sucker back in. The prey will sink stunned and bleeding to the bottom.
The body of the Prowler is similar to that of the Aplysia Deplians
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, using its "wings" to move around in water and its clinging foot to scale all kinds of walls. The head of the Prowler resembles that of the cuttlefish Spoiler
, using its tentacles to hide its mouth.
By waiting outside the airlock, the Prowler can infiltrate a submarine. By settling on the roof of the submarine, the Prowler can attack crew members, bleeding them and stunning them. Allowing the Prowler to grow stronger will eventually let it kill. Due to its soft body, however, the Prowler easily takes damage. A Prowler is easily killed by fire.
Hopefully this sounds like a fun creature to try and fight off. While i'm grateful for the respawn function, i'd like to see deaths become a penalty for the whole crew. I suggest that dead players respawn as either mantises or crawlers, depending on how many surviving players there are.
Lastly, i'd like to offer the flag i designed for Europa, seen here:
Hopefully the size (60 x 40 px) fits in with other assets in the game (haven't downloaded the game on the mac i'm using). I've chosen the flags colors after the physical characteristics of Europa. A brownish red for the scars, white for the specks of ice and and a clear blue for the cold waters below.
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Furthermore, their position and shapes are designed after the greek myth. Europa is represented by the brownish red triangle, as though it were a dress. She sits atop a white triangle with squares on its sides, representing the horns of the white bull that Zeus had disguised himself as. Together they make their way across the waters of the mediterranean, represented in clear blue.
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Hopefully these ideas and assets go home with players and developers alike. Thanks for reading!
p.s. All the images used to create the flag were made by myself or copyright-free.