Hey man, this thread that I said I would update regularly hasn't been updated in 3 years. It's kinda a big deal lol
Well this sounds simply awesome! There are moments in the game where you feel pretty alone. Something like this would make the game feel more interesting, especially in the later parts of the game. Where atleast I sometimes struggle to come up with something significant to do. With a system like this I would have an actual use for all the ships I like to build. Pretty much like running a faction of your own.
This is a pretty cool idea and adds another dimension of management to the game. With regard to the crew classes, I would also suggest that having, for example, a skilled gunner...would slightly increase the damage potential of the weapons. Or having an Engineer could extend the range of the warp drive by a tiny bit. The technician being able to repair to BP is nice. I'd like to see that limited a tiny bit, though. They can only do so if they have the necessary components/a constructor capable of fabricating them. Also, if there's a hull breach and your engineering section gets vented and the Engineer wasn't in a suit....they die and ship/CPU efficiency drops a bit. Of course, none of this has to be rendered if the player isn't around to see it. It could just be background battle reports and then update the models/manifest when the player arrives to inspect.
I like the basic idea though i´d do it differently. And most common reason is performance in both single- and multiplayer. - Mining vessel is kinda obsolet imo as you´d only be able to use it in your current sector if i understood game mechanics correctly and the stargates makes this just an immersion thing, less useful. - Trading vessel, i guess to sell off the loot and possibly ore you don´t need? Also meh on this one as you usually need your ore and selling loot really depends on what price you get. No AI can make this decision better than me. And as "station trading" i.e. buying at station a and selling for profit on station b doesn´t seem to be that much of a big deal i think they´re neither useful nor needed except for immersion. - Allow Crew members to man your guns. This would improve the turrets hit rate. Every gunner has to have a seat AND a bed. It would change a lot on how we design and use our ships. I think this would be very interesting. - Allow Crews above size X to have a farmer & cook to keep them supplied (or you by just ravaging the fridge). - I like the idea of the technician though i´d tie the repair capabilities to either block/triangle count or size. For size X one technician isn´t enough. - Pilots for fighters/bombers on a carrier? Yes omg pleaseeeeeeee. Or to defend a designated homebase with designated landing pads. The ability to send them around would take away a lot of the survival aspect imo. But with the last changes to enemy ships behaviour in a sector (haven´t played since A12exp, only read the feedback so can´t judge exactly) in might even be needed and another nice change. I am not sure how to feel about adding bigger ships. Main reason here is really performance both on computers of players and ability of the AI to even do this properly. I think adding this feature would need a balance rework of how space combat works, even bigger than fighters, and thus force all players to go down this route.
We already have a reputation system for NPC Factions that seems to work pretty well. It could use some refining, such as adding missions to improve standings with those factions at Unfriendly and Hostile. As for NPC Crew (currently purchasable at vendors across the galaxy)... there are already a number of roles somewhat defined for these, but none have any actual functions built in to them. They need some functions, such as: Security Guard - these should engage any entities in their radius, in a manner similar to Turrets. They should target NPC's, Players, Predators, Prey, or Bases, as well as have special functions like Patrol Area (defined like a Motion Sensor, allowing them to walk around a given area), Follow Me (makes them follow the Player around, engaging targets per their Targeting Instructions), and Hold This Position (makes them stationary). Tactical Officer - should improve turret targeting, reload times and accuracy when placed on a structure with Turrets. Worker - Can be assigned tasks such as Maintain Device (will repair an assigned device), Repair Construct (will repair vehicles/bases assigned to them), Operate Device (assigned to a Constructor, will produce items as long as materials are available, with the option to continually produce an assigned item [ie: a Worker NPC assigned to a Constructor to Produce Fusion Cells, would produce Fusion cells continually, for as long as there are materials to produce Fusion Cells. When materials are exhausted, they stop production until disabled or assigned to produce something else). Commanding Officer - Can be used to access the Control options for all NPC Crew rather than having to track down each Crew and give specific instructions. A "Control Panel" for NPC's if you will. Pilot - This might be a tough one, but a Pilot NPC assigned to a vehicle would make that vehicle an NPC with functions similar to the Security Guard - they can then be assigned to Patrol Area, Follow Me, Go To Destination, or Follow Route. Pilots should also be assigned Targeting, again, like Security Guards and Turrets, and could then engage with NPC's, Players, Predators, Prey, or Bases. Patrol Area and Follow Route should be defined by Map Markers, allowing players to designate a "Home" location, from which the NPC Pilot would start a Patrol or Route, Checkpoints to which they would maneuver their vehicles, and Destinations, indicating a stopping point. As an example: An NPC Pilot set to Patrol Area would need a "Home" marker, set at the Player's base, and a number of Checkpoints. The Pilot would then take off in the assigned vehicle, move to each checkpoint and return home. They would then repeat this Patrol Area function for as long as there was fuel in the vehicle. When fuel is low or insufficient, they should alert the player to refuel the vehicle, or, if a Worker NPC is assigned to repair a vehicle, they could also refuel that vehicle whenever it is landed at the "Home" marker as well as Rearm a vehicle if there are munitions available. Generic Civilian NPC's (Dancers, Furniture Occupiers, etc), should have an option similar to the Security Guard to wander in their given area, allowing them to get up from that sofa or table, walk around a while, then sit back down. Dancers would confine their dancing to the area they are assigned, which would prevent them from dancing through walls or dancing so far away they're never seen again. Other NPC's should be given similar sorts of controls and functions as well, bringing both the NPC and the galaxy to life.
Well this thread didn't age all too well... I left the game for another 3 years to let it mature a bit more, recently decided to give it another go and, it has improved pretty decently since then. Unfortunately, still no developments in terms of NPC recruits. Pity. I always thought it would add a rudimentary but fun strategic element to the somewhat boring late game. This is still a sticky thread and improvements to how AI behave and react to each other was quite a jump in the right direction so, who knows? Hope dies last! At least NPC spawners are more useful now I suppose, forbidden blocks or not.
I think I'm going to roll with this thread a bit more, despite its age. It is still stickied after all, and I don't think I ever actually provided any suggestions for this type of feature. In order to improve the chances of ever seeing such features, I'm going to keep it simple, using existing game mechanics, and leaving out more complex things like followers, orders, direct NPC interactions and fleet formations. Let's start with worker type NPC recruitment, say you want engineers to repair a BA, for example: -Add some playable NPC spawners. -Add a trader where players can recruit NPCs, recruited NPCs can either be kept as an inventory item or just a number in a menu. -Go to the NPC trader and recruit some engineers. -Go back to your BA, build a NPC spawner on the BA and assign some engineers to the spawner. It will spawn engineer-like NPCs that wander around just like NPC spawners normally would (maybe with some additional "work" animations). They do not respawn when killed, you'll have to recruit and assign new ones. Damage to the base will be gradually repaired depending on how many engineers you have assigned to NPC spawners. Larger BAs will require more engineers for repair rates to be reasonable. Same principles apply for farmers: -Recruit and assign farmers to an NPC spawner close to your growing plots. -Assign a storage where harvested crops should go. Grown crops will automatically transfer to the assigned storage as long as you have enough farmers. The number of farmers required depends on the number of grow plots on the BA. *** For troops, simply use the NPC spawners as they are, only difference is that you have to recruit soldiers and assign them to the spawners. And they also don't respawn when killed, you need to recruit and assign new ones. Troop transports can be the same as the current AI ones as well, as I mentioned in the announcement thread. You call in a troop transport (provided you're in the same planetary playfield), it flies to the location you called it from, drops off troops and flies back home. Players will have to recruit and assign troops to the troop transport spawner for it to work. Same like worker NPCs. *** For AI piloted ships and crew, use the current system for PVs and OPVs. Only difference is that the player can define the patrol radius and flight altitude for PVs and waypoints for OPVs. Maybe also a "sticky" waypoint you can attach to a vessel so others follow it (for assembling fleets) and an option for them to avoid or engage enemies. Pilots and crew assigned to a ship won't actually spawn from NPC spawners, they will just be a number in a menu for the sake of keeping things simple. The number of crew required depends on ship size. SVs will only require a pilot, larger CVs will require a pilot and crew depending on its size. Damage to a CV will result in crew losses, degrading its AI performance when undercrewed.
I like the idea of NPC enhancements in the areas of pathing for both enemy and friendly on foot and in vehicles I would love to see NPCs that follow you around with different roles like bodyguard or medic that you can assign ships to pilot I also have thought extensively about death in this game having a knockout period where either your friends or an NPC can revive you and enemy AI doesn't target you thinking you are dead would make the experience more immersive than just straight out dying and would add loads to the survival feeling specially if you can also revive NPCs and peers alike.
