THE REMOTE SHIP LOG TOOL

As anyone who has played Outer Wilds will know, the Ship Log is a vital asset on your journey, because it maintains clues for you, even after you die. With every death in the game (and they are numerous), the entire solar system is set back 22 minutes, and you set out again to try and uncover more of the mystery. What the Ship Log provides, is a small piece of permanence that makes forward progress manageable.

It has two primary functions: First, the rumour mode, which is regularly updated when you uncover new locations, and objects in the game world that might indicate where you need to go next.

Secondly, it has a map mode, which works in synergy with the rumour mode in that it allows you to see the planet that the clue has originated from, and set a HUD (Heads Up Display) marker that helps you navigate back to the location to do more research.

When playing the game, I find myself checking the Ship Log at the start of every loop in time, to mull over the clues I have at my disposal, and to plan my next journey. What if there was a way to extend this experience? What if I could be thinking about the mystery even when I’m away from my console or PC?

The Remote Ship Log Tool (or RSLT) would be a companion web app, available for free online, that aims to do exactly that.

HASSLE FREE

Setting it up would be easy – you’d enter a code into the app, displayed on screen in the game on the Ship Log computer. This unique identifier sets up a sync, which means that from then on, your Ship Log in game and the one on your phone are kept up to date with each other. A seamless experience where uncovering a new location in the game, is immediately reflected on the app (okay, maybe a slight delay while the information gets sent over the internet, but you know what I mean).

REVIEW THOSE RUMOURS

The Ship Log information is then entirely at your disposal, and easily navigable on a mobile device. Even while you’re actively playing, the RSLT becomes a second screen experience, allowing you to quickly review clues on your phone (and even see new ones you’ve just unlocked) while you’re playing, without having to go back to your ship and waste precious looped time.

And, when you’re not playing, why should you have to stop pondering the mysteries of the Nomai? Whether you’re commuting, hiding in the kitchen at a party, or just hanging out on your phone over lunch – you can jump onto your RSLT at any time and review the available rumours. Maybe if you review your rumours again, you’ll realise something you’ve been missing…

LOST: ONE SHIP, ANSWERS TO “SPACESHIP”

We’ve all been there. You’re exploring, and you decide to take a brief space-walk, only to realise that you’ve drifted a little bit too far away from your ship. Maybe it fell into a black hole. Or the Sun. Ships can do that.

If you’re lucky, you’ve found somewhere to explore which has enough oxygen to keep you alive until the next supernova, which means you’re not done yet. But to make good progress, sometimes you need the Ship Log to help make sense of what you’re seeing. The beauty of the RSLT is that it reduces your dependency on your beloved spacecraft and means you can still make progress on this run, even if you can’t necessarily fly anywhere. Use the RSLT to make the most of this loop, then find somewhere with a good view.

MORE?

Of course, the RSLT is only theoretical at this point. But it’s easy to imagine the other functions it could have, if it were invented. An encyclopaedia which recaps some of the information in the Observatory? Sure! A live photo feed from your Scout, allowing you to pan around and look for pesky ghost matter? Why not! An audio player that plays sweet solemn banjo recordings from Riebeck? That’s music to my ears.

Outer Wilds is an exceptional game, packed to the brim with joyous sci-fi concepts. The RSLT, in all it’s hypothetical glory, brings some of that imagination just a little bit closer to home, out of the game itself and into our world. We think that’s a mission worth launching.