Professions in space
- Thread starter Kipper
- Start date
Was just about to go bed (3am here!) and I had an idea that I just had to share.
This game is all about freedom of choice, but I feel sometimes people don't know what to do with it, or worse, may not understand the point of Elite as there seems to be no real objective for them.
So .. linking in the Avatar thread consider this.
After character creation you start inside a space station, 100 credits to your name, and your ship docked ready to leave. Around you are various NPCs going about their business (or could be other players as well - maintaining a busy station is preferred though so balancing a low instance with NPCs would work) and dotted around the place are special NPC recruiters that are based around the professions we're talking about.
Now, as the players (and NPCs) walk about these recruiters try to get your attention to sign up to their respective professions. They can give you a whole speech about how great it would be join then, explain some of the things you could be doing, and all you have to do is sign on the dotted line. Another option is to ignore them all, find the Vendor, load up your ship and head off.
Freedom of choice
Now, here's the fun part to add something for multi-player - Whilst you are running missions tie them together in some fashion. For example:
Player 1: Courier
- The trade merchant wants you to deliver some cargo to another star system. As they know it's an expensive package and the star system is high risk they will also give you an escort "just in case". They tell you to be ready and expect a call within a few minutes once they have found someone. A job for an escort and 2 thieves are added to the appropriate job queue and a timer starts counting down. If no players are found NPCs are assigned.
Player 2: Gun for hire
- The mercenary guys wants you to escort a ship carrying some cargo. You will be paid handsomely if they arrive at their destination. They give you some sparse details and tell you to wait in your ship for their call. A job for a trade-delivery run and 2 thieves is added to the appropriate job queue and a timer starts. If no players are found (see above and below) then NPCs are assigned.
Players 3 & 4: Thieves currently in a different star system
- You get the idea. Your recruiter has found a mark that will be shipping some expensive merchandise and your boss wants it. As the shipment will be arriving in a hostile star system they will assign another member of the Red-Hand to help you. Appropriate jobs are assigned to the right queue (in this case 1 thief; 1 courier and 1 gun-4-hire) and a timer ticks down and if none are found NPC are created.(Making it now 2v2)
Player 5: Adventurer (regular Elite player)
- Looks on the market boards, buys some goods, heads off into the stars.
All action, depending upon timings, would be in the same instance at the hostile star system. If the thieves miss their mark they fail the quest; if the goods are stolen the courier and gun-4-hire fail; etc ... Completing your appropriate mission moves you slowly up the ranks; failing has it's own penalty. (Loss of reputation perhaps)
If FD decide that professions are something they can put into the game above and beyond the old elite design, and they cleverly tie together the missions, it could create some very interesting scenarios.
Very rough idea but what do you think ?
This game is all about freedom of choice, but I feel sometimes people don't know what to do with it, or worse, may not understand the point of Elite as there seems to be no real objective for them.
So .. linking in the Avatar thread consider this.
After character creation you start inside a space station, 100 credits to your name, and your ship docked ready to leave. Around you are various NPCs going about their business (or could be other players as well - maintaining a busy station is preferred though so balancing a low instance with NPCs would work) and dotted around the place are special NPC recruiters that are based around the professions we're talking about.
Now, as the players (and NPCs) walk about these recruiters try to get your attention to sign up to their respective professions. They can give you a whole speech about how great it would be join then, explain some of the things you could be doing, and all you have to do is sign on the dotted line. Another option is to ignore them all, find the Vendor, load up your ship and head off.
Freedom of choice
Now, here's the fun part to add something for multi-player - Whilst you are running missions tie them together in some fashion. For example:
Player 1: Courier
- The trade merchant wants you to deliver some cargo to another star system. As they know it's an expensive package and the star system is high risk they will also give you an escort "just in case". They tell you to be ready and expect a call within a few minutes once they have found someone. A job for an escort and 2 thieves are added to the appropriate job queue and a timer starts counting down. If no players are found NPCs are assigned.
Player 2: Gun for hire
- The mercenary guys wants you to escort a ship carrying some cargo. You will be paid handsomely if they arrive at their destination. They give you some sparse details and tell you to wait in your ship for their call. A job for a trade-delivery run and 2 thieves is added to the appropriate job queue and a timer starts. If no players are found (see above and below) then NPCs are assigned.
Players 3 & 4: Thieves currently in a different star system
- You get the idea. Your recruiter has found a mark that will be shipping some expensive merchandise and your boss wants it. As the shipment will be arriving in a hostile star system they will assign another member of the Red-Hand to help you. Appropriate jobs are assigned to the right queue (in this case 1 thief; 1 courier and 1 gun-4-hire) and a timer ticks down and if none are found NPC are created.(Making it now 2v2)
Player 5: Adventurer (regular Elite player)
- Looks on the market boards, buys some goods, heads off into the stars.
All action, depending upon timings, would be in the same instance at the hostile star system. If the thieves miss their mark they fail the quest; if the goods are stolen the courier and gun-4-hire fail; etc ... Completing your appropriate mission moves you slowly up the ranks; failing has it's own penalty. (Loss of reputation perhaps)
If FD decide that professions are something they can put into the game above and beyond the old elite design, and they cleverly tie together the missions, it could create some very interesting scenarios.
Very rough idea but what do you think ?
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Here are a couple of my ideas for professions. Please bear with me, I've been daydreaming about this since I was 9 years old. Acorn computers ftw!!!
Repoman:
"In compliance of local galactic law §254'23, I am autorized to reposess this ship due to 3 neglected payments on your loan at EasternGalatic Bank. Eject from your ship immidiatly or be prepared to be boarded!"
Only viable if it will be possible to borrow money to buy an expensive ship of course. But it would bring a nice element to a sandbox spacesim.
Gasminer:
"Hey FLYBOY, lay off the flatulence jokes!! Or else...."
Operating in the upper atmosphere of gas giants, it could bring a nice steady income. Maybe some ship components could be upgradable to filter out some of the more exotic/ valuable gasses?
Salvager/scavenger/chopshop:
"It doesn't look like much, but it will probably bring a few credz if we just sell it for parts.."
Every derelict ship, or even just the scraps from a wreck could be scooped/choppet up and sold for junk value. Or just chop up a stolen cruiser for the valuable parts.
Coyote / human trafficker:
"Yeah, I can get you out of this system, if you can pay... All I need is the cash and a DNA sample and we're golden."
Ships leaving lawful systems would have to be scanned for this to work, and maybe some illigal ship components could be installed to fool the local Vipers?
Private investigator:
"Well Sir, I've been following the breadcrumbs. It appears that your boy has finally turned pirate. Once I get a confirmation on his home port, I'll send you the coordinates. After the check clears, of course..."
This would be a really fun way of getting invovled with other players on an online server. All you'd have to do is to make a "harbourmasters log" in every station. Checking the log could give informations like registration numbers of ships docking and undocking, listings for ships purchased and sold and maybe even goods bought and sold with dates and times.
Infiltrator / dirty cop/ sleeper agents:
"Well, it's finally time. I'd better get paid, otherwise I've wasted a way too much time on this mission..."
Well, more of a special/ rare mission that a profession. But the idea is to get a special job that prompts you to start a military/ law enforcement career just to get to the high-pay/ high-risk (backstabbing) mission.
What do you guys think? :smilie:
Repoman:
"In compliance of local galactic law §254'23, I am autorized to reposess this ship due to 3 neglected payments on your loan at EasternGalatic Bank. Eject from your ship immidiatly or be prepared to be boarded!"
Only viable if it will be possible to borrow money to buy an expensive ship of course. But it would bring a nice element to a sandbox spacesim.
Gasminer:
"Hey FLYBOY, lay off the flatulence jokes!! Or else...."
Operating in the upper atmosphere of gas giants, it could bring a nice steady income. Maybe some ship components could be upgradable to filter out some of the more exotic/ valuable gasses?
Salvager/scavenger/chopshop:
"It doesn't look like much, but it will probably bring a few credz if we just sell it for parts.."
Every derelict ship, or even just the scraps from a wreck could be scooped/choppet up and sold for junk value. Or just chop up a stolen cruiser for the valuable parts.
Coyote / human trafficker:
"Yeah, I can get you out of this system, if you can pay... All I need is the cash and a DNA sample and we're golden."
Ships leaving lawful systems would have to be scanned for this to work, and maybe some illigal ship components could be installed to fool the local Vipers?
Private investigator:
"Well Sir, I've been following the breadcrumbs. It appears that your boy has finally turned pirate. Once I get a confirmation on his home port, I'll send you the coordinates. After the check clears, of course..."
This would be a really fun way of getting invovled with other players on an online server. All you'd have to do is to make a "harbourmasters log" in every station. Checking the log could give informations like registration numbers of ships docking and undocking, listings for ships purchased and sold and maybe even goods bought and sold with dates and times.
Infiltrator / dirty cop/ sleeper agents:
"Well, it's finally time. I'd better get paid, otherwise I've wasted a way too much time on this mission..."
Well, more of a special/ rare mission that a profession. But the idea is to get a special job that prompts you to start a military/ law enforcement career just to get to the high-pay/ high-risk (backstabbing) mission.
What do you guys think? :smilie:
I don't think you should be choosing a profession through the game, rather choosing it personally and that's how you pay the game. At any moment, depending on the intuition - you might want to change and try something different!
Having said that though, certain choices you make may stick with you for a time. Criminal records, registers of bounties claimed etc. Making you a target for some perhaps and a person to be avoided for others.
There should be mission givers just as you said though, but more reputation based than through some sort of single choice you made at the start.
I'd love to see a wide variety of different groups and factions with their own politics so you could define a path by what you do for who.
Oh, and include a futuristic version of a letter of marque when planets or systems are at war!
Having said that though, certain choices you make may stick with you for a time. Criminal records, registers of bounties claimed etc. Making you a target for some perhaps and a person to be avoided for others.
There should be mission givers just as you said though, but more reputation based than through some sort of single choice you made at the start.
I'd love to see a wide variety of different groups and factions with their own politics so you could define a path by what you do for who.
Oh, and include a futuristic version of a letter of marque when planets or systems are at war!
I think this thread needs some clarification on whats being discussed here. I think many people r blurring the edges of standard gaming composites so ill try to summarise
It looks to me like people are getting mixed up between CLASSES, SKILLS, CAREERS, REPUTATIONS, BONUSES, BUFFS, GUILDS, RANKS so ill try to define each one and assess its relevance to the E4 and the standard Elite universe we all know
Firstly we need to make a clear separation between where the pilot and the ship stands within the game and what bonuses/buffs can be added to each. I personally agree with most people that the skill of the pilot should not in anyway be simplified through gaining bonuses in the game. Elite has always been about the player himself having to learn and develop in order to progress further. Giving players 'easymode' in fights just cos they gained a character bonus is 100% not the route this game should take. Combat should remain about the skill of the player.
However, the ships and technology in the game should be open to bonuses and development.
SKILLS
This is something which applies the avatar/character that the player creates at the start of the game. As explained above its not a good idea for anything related to combat for Elite. I do think its got a place for skills connected to trading, manufacturing, building, exploring, repairing etc. The skills a pilot would need while docked or basically running around spacestations and planets.
I think one great skill should be added into the game and its not been mentioned yet - Engineer. It would be awesome for a player to learn and improve his engineering skills and this could work down various sub-paths. For example Ship repairs, Weapon technology, Defensive/shield technology, Propulsion/Drive technology. The system would simply add a few % to the numbers of each ship part or upgrade u have added to your ship. This would not be game-breaking and would open a whole new area of the game to sink your time into.
They could even add into the game very very rare materials which can only be found at the far reaches of the universe which are needed for the very high end of these upgrades... good or bad idea?
CLASSES
This is where a player will select 1 type of character he wants to play in the game during the character creation. This only really works in an MMO environment where its boring to have everyone in the game the same, so u mix up the population by making them all different classes. These classes r also forced to interact if they want to progress further into the game.
I cant see how classes can add anything to a single player Elite4 unless im missing something?
CAREERS
We have a great collection of possible careers listed in this thread and i do think there is also room to somehow incorporate these ideas into the game. I dont think it works to label your character with 1 specific career, as others have mentioned, this isnt in the spirit of what Elite is all about. But i do think there is room for careers within Guilds and thats next...
GUILDS
Ok i admit Guilds is not the best term for this but it forces readers to look at this in a different way
If anyones played Oblivion they will understand the concept of Guilds im getting at here. Elite has massive room for adding a plethora of factions, governments, religious orders, Industrial conglomorates, criminal gangs etc. which u can join during your game and progress up their ranks. This is very much in the spirit of Elite and has been done on a basic level previously. You can work on whatever faction u like at your own pace or simply ignore them.
It can work with a Reputation system whereby ur given various opportunities to add to your reputation with a specific faction through missions, trading etc. Id like to see titles as rewards for reaching certain goals with these factions too, or maybe open up new technology parts or even ships for purchase
BONUSES
You could find various permits, medals and special items in the original games and they each opened a particular door in the game. These i guess are the closest to bonuses weve had in Elite in the past. Im sure there will be plenty of these kind of items planned for E4
Sorry to kind of take this thread offtrack but i think this is the direction it was going in.. dont be too cruel with me
~Ende~
It looks to me like people are getting mixed up between CLASSES, SKILLS, CAREERS, REPUTATIONS, BONUSES, BUFFS, GUILDS, RANKS so ill try to define each one and assess its relevance to the E4 and the standard Elite universe we all know
Firstly we need to make a clear separation between where the pilot and the ship stands within the game and what bonuses/buffs can be added to each. I personally agree with most people that the skill of the pilot should not in anyway be simplified through gaining bonuses in the game. Elite has always been about the player himself having to learn and develop in order to progress further. Giving players 'easymode' in fights just cos they gained a character bonus is 100% not the route this game should take. Combat should remain about the skill of the player.
However, the ships and technology in the game should be open to bonuses and development.
SKILLS
This is something which applies the avatar/character that the player creates at the start of the game. As explained above its not a good idea for anything related to combat for Elite. I do think its got a place for skills connected to trading, manufacturing, building, exploring, repairing etc. The skills a pilot would need while docked or basically running around spacestations and planets.
I think one great skill should be added into the game and its not been mentioned yet - Engineer. It would be awesome for a player to learn and improve his engineering skills and this could work down various sub-paths. For example Ship repairs, Weapon technology, Defensive/shield technology, Propulsion/Drive technology. The system would simply add a few % to the numbers of each ship part or upgrade u have added to your ship. This would not be game-breaking and would open a whole new area of the game to sink your time into.
They could even add into the game very very rare materials which can only be found at the far reaches of the universe which are needed for the very high end of these upgrades... good or bad idea?
CLASSES
This is where a player will select 1 type of character he wants to play in the game during the character creation. This only really works in an MMO environment where its boring to have everyone in the game the same, so u mix up the population by making them all different classes. These classes r also forced to interact if they want to progress further into the game.
I cant see how classes can add anything to a single player Elite4 unless im missing something?
CAREERS
We have a great collection of possible careers listed in this thread and i do think there is also room to somehow incorporate these ideas into the game. I dont think it works to label your character with 1 specific career, as others have mentioned, this isnt in the spirit of what Elite is all about. But i do think there is room for careers within Guilds and thats next...
GUILDS
Ok i admit Guilds is not the best term for this but it forces readers to look at this in a different way
If anyones played Oblivion they will understand the concept of Guilds im getting at here. Elite has massive room for adding a plethora of factions, governments, religious orders, Industrial conglomorates, criminal gangs etc. which u can join during your game and progress up their ranks. This is very much in the spirit of Elite and has been done on a basic level previously. You can work on whatever faction u like at your own pace or simply ignore them.
It can work with a Reputation system whereby ur given various opportunities to add to your reputation with a specific faction through missions, trading etc. Id like to see titles as rewards for reaching certain goals with these factions too, or maybe open up new technology parts or even ships for purchase
BONUSES
You could find various permits, medals and special items in the original games and they each opened a particular door in the game. These i guess are the closest to bonuses weve had in Elite in the past. Im sure there will be plenty of these kind of items planned for E4
Sorry to kind of take this thread offtrack but i think this is the direction it was going in.. dont be too cruel with me
~Ende~
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Hello Ende - Why would we be cruel ? *hides pitchfork*
You have some valid points and the Guild aspect is the one I liked best (as in how it's used within Eldar Scrolls series games) It ties in which what Kippers was saying about giving people choice that can be flexible - you level up in each one at your own pace rather than picking one and running with that. Titles earned as you reach certain ranks within them including perks (like cheaper ship parts to better intel on star systems) adds a flavour to the game in that, over time, people will no longer be just Commander X Y they could be Commander X Y of the Obsidian Order. (Or something along those lines)
Part of the biggest problem right now (for me at any rate) is that details on exactly what kind of game DB wants to make is sadly lacking. I can come up with a million and 1 ideas to help make this game better, and contribute to the wish list, but unless this all fits into the kind of game he wants to play it's all rather moot.
Derailing my own post - FD needs to grow some balls and jazz up the KS page with some hard details on the kind of game DB is wanting to make. to better help draw in people who frankly don't know what Elite was. Give us a framework to run with in here and not just "Elite, but better"
You have some valid points and the Guild aspect is the one I liked best (as in how it's used within Eldar Scrolls series games) It ties in which what Kippers was saying about giving people choice that can be flexible - you level up in each one at your own pace rather than picking one and running with that. Titles earned as you reach certain ranks within them including perks (like cheaper ship parts to better intel on star systems) adds a flavour to the game in that, over time, people will no longer be just Commander X Y they could be Commander X Y of the Obsidian Order. (Or something along those lines)
Part of the biggest problem right now (for me at any rate) is that details on exactly what kind of game DB wants to make is sadly lacking. I can come up with a million and 1 ideas to help make this game better, and contribute to the wish list, but unless this all fits into the kind of game he wants to play it's all rather moot.
Derailing my own post - FD needs to grow some balls and jazz up the KS page with some hard details on the kind of game DB is wanting to make. to better help draw in people who frankly don't know what Elite was. Give us a framework to run with in here and not just "Elite, but better"
But while there is nothing yet set in stone about the game u could argue that right now is the best time for us to throw down our wishlist... im sure the devs r reading their own forums after all
fisherman????
LOL.
I can just imagine this as a mini-game inside the game. Find distant worlds with oceans, land your ship near a body of water and then cast a line for a few hours to see if you get a bite? Keep a ladder of largest fish caught?
The mind boggles what you'll do if your on a super-earth and you've caught a fish the size of a dune sand worm? Tie the line to the rear of your ship and then punch the accelerator?
I can see it now. Your cruising deep space and see a slower trader in front of you. You try to overtake when you sudden realise.... what!?!?!.... is that guy pulling a giant fish?!?!
But while there is nothing yet set in stone about the game u could argue that right now is the best time for us to throw down our wishlist... im sure the devs r reading their own forums after all
I also believe that as there are no details of the game; no concept ideas other than listing what was, not what will be, it's hurting our campaign.
You're right though - jot some ideas down here - more of a wish list really - and see where it takes us .. Just working on your staff replay first (challenge accepted!
)id just LOVE that!! and imagine the talk.....it was THIS big LOL
fisherman????
I kid you not there is an Elite clone called Deep: Submarine Odyssey (actually set underwater on an ocean planet) that includes a great deal of fishing.
At risk of sounding overly simplistic, my view is that you should be what you do.
I guess the key is for the game to provide sufficient variety of activities/missions for you to spend more of your time with a certain style of play, if that's your preference.
Elite is an open universe, and rather than having classes alter how well you do things, I would say that if you spend all of your time as a trader, it's possible that you'll spend less time dog fighting, and so naturally your human skills for dog fighting may be impaired naturally.
However, if you're someone who primarily trades to build up cash, and do a lot of dog fighting due to circumstance (or are naturally skilled), then you should be allowed to be good at both.
In summary, my view is that your profession should only be limited by the activities you undertake, the resources/equipment that you have, and the skills that you have.
As far as guilds/organisations go, I would think that if you prove yourself worthy and meet the criteria, then you can earn your way into any such organisation. Much like real life. You may ascend through ranks however, based on your success with related activities/missions.
That's how I see Elite, anyway
I guess the key is for the game to provide sufficient variety of activities/missions for you to spend more of your time with a certain style of play, if that's your preference.
Elite is an open universe, and rather than having classes alter how well you do things, I would say that if you spend all of your time as a trader, it's possible that you'll spend less time dog fighting, and so naturally your human skills for dog fighting may be impaired naturally.
However, if you're someone who primarily trades to build up cash, and do a lot of dog fighting due to circumstance (or are naturally skilled), then you should be allowed to be good at both.
In summary, my view is that your profession should only be limited by the activities you undertake, the resources/equipment that you have, and the skills that you have.
As far as guilds/organisations go, I would think that if you prove yourself worthy and meet the criteria, then you can earn your way into any such organisation. Much like real life. You may ascend through ranks however, based on your success with related activities/missions.
That's how I see Elite, anyway
Its good to see that almost everyone has the same view on this point... we dont want classes in the game cos we all feel it limits what Elite is all about!
The guilds and organisations i think everyone is pretty much the same too... but how about the idea of professions?
Professions are skills that u can learn and develop throughout the game which will give u small advantages in specific areas.
Despite my feelings regarding FD's handling of the KS campaign I just can't help myself - this is exciting stuff
I am in agreement with regards to classes - Elite was free form and you could do as you pleased.
Guilds (in the Skyrim sense) I also think fits into the Elite universe - various factions and professions should have a registered body that you can join (if you can find - cue smugglers / Assassins Guild) and work your way through the ranks. Presumably at various stages you would receive either access to new tech / vendors; perhaps even perks of some nature.
Professions though are basically the same as Guilds ... When you mentioned the Engineers in a previous post this could be regarded as a profession you learn or a Guild you join - To me there is no clear distinction between the two as they end up at the same place.
Unless I misunderstand what you are meaning here I do not agree with this statement. How many times in Elite did you come up against pirates and from maximum range toast them using military lasers ? That had nothing to do with your skill other than using top of the line hardware against an inferior enemy.
As long as perks that are introduced are available to everyone irrespective of the path they have chosen* I have no issues. That includes joining the Assassins Guild (that might allow you greater knowledge of ship weaknesses and give your weapons x% increase) or the Engineers Guild (that might allow your shields to work better; increase the energy output of your reactors; etc) and so on.
*The only exception to this would be faction based rewards. Each faction should offer up some kind of perk for being favorable with them at the exclusion of everyone else. Of course over time you can change your faction alignments.
I am in agreement with regards to classes - Elite was free form and you could do as you pleased.
Guilds (in the Skyrim sense) I also think fits into the Elite universe - various factions and professions should have a registered body that you can join (if you can find - cue smugglers / Assassins Guild) and work your way through the ranks. Presumably at various stages you would receive either access to new tech / vendors; perhaps even perks of some nature.
Professions though are basically the same as Guilds ... When you mentioned the Engineers in a previous post this could be regarded as a profession you learn or a Guild you join - To me there is no clear distinction between the two as they end up at the same place.
Unless I misunderstand what you are meaning here I do not agree with this statement. How many times in Elite did you come up against pirates and from maximum range toast them using military lasers ? That had nothing to do with your skill other than using top of the line hardware against an inferior enemy.
As long as perks that are introduced are available to everyone irrespective of the path they have chosen* I have no issues. That includes joining the Assassins Guild (that might allow you greater knowledge of ship weaknesses and give your weapons x% increase) or the Engineers Guild (that might allow your shields to work better; increase the energy output of your reactors; etc) and so on.
*The only exception to this would be faction based rewards. Each faction should offer up some kind of perk for being favorable with them at the exclusion of everyone else. Of course over time you can change your faction alignments.
Just so you know that when I started this thread, it wasn't meant to be about what the game forces you to choose to do in space, or what specifically you do in space.
What I wanted to try and get a list of was very broad 'options' that the game could allow you to fulfill in order to make money.
So for instance - a trader is someone who buys and sells items. This includes any and all items and also includes smuggler (who trades in illegal goods) or fence (who trades in stolen goods).
A miner extracts ores/minerals for sale. This includes asteroid mining, surface mining, gas giant and star skimming.
A privateer fights for money; this includes the traditional pirate (outlaw) who makes money from stealing cargo (to sell to the fence), privateer who is a pirate in all but name (has an allegiance to one faction and attacks its enemies), and a bounty hunter who hunts criminals or other wanted individuals.
A mercenary carries out dangerous missions for money and no questions; whether that's assassinations, transporting high profile people or cargo, recon or bombing etc.
...This is the sort of thing I was meaning.
So without being TOO specific about exactly what you'd do, more of a 'what are the broad options for generating money' sort of thing.
I'm really looking for something that other space sims haven't introduced or thought of, if such a thing exists
What I wanted to try and get a list of was very broad 'options' that the game could allow you to fulfill in order to make money.
So for instance - a trader is someone who buys and sells items. This includes any and all items and also includes smuggler (who trades in illegal goods) or fence (who trades in stolen goods).
A miner extracts ores/minerals for sale. This includes asteroid mining, surface mining, gas giant and star skimming.
A privateer fights for money; this includes the traditional pirate (outlaw) who makes money from stealing cargo (to sell to the fence), privateer who is a pirate in all but name (has an allegiance to one faction and attacks its enemies), and a bounty hunter who hunts criminals or other wanted individuals.
A mercenary carries out dangerous missions for money and no questions; whether that's assassinations, transporting high profile people or cargo, recon or bombing etc.
...This is the sort of thing I was meaning.
So without being TOO specific about exactly what you'd do, more of a 'what are the broad options for generating money' sort of thing.
I'm really looking for something that other space sims haven't introduced or thought of, if such a thing exists
Of course ... I did have a good laugh at the space fisherman idea.
I'm just trying to see if there's something no game has yet covered. Frontier did exploration of course, but how can you make a exploration a viable paying career compared to trading in order to make people want to do it?
I guess one idea is that it would be a path that didn't make a steady income, but when you do find something it had the potential to be worth the same as several trading runs so it evened itself out over time. The further out you are, the higher your chances of happening across valuable stuff.
That kinda makes exploring the Elite equivalent of fishing in my book