NPC crew

[Bobbydylan]

Just thinking about what people would expect from NPC crew, should it ever arrive. For me, all I'd want is a NPC character model on my ship, that gave be a minor modifier to certain abilities.
So, if I hired an Engineer, then then a 10% increase in Power availability (I'm givin' her all she's got capt'n!) and a 10% decrease in AFM unit usage per % repair.
If I hired a Tactical officer, a 10% increase in shield regen, or a 10% decrease in energy usage when weapons are fired.
If I hired a science officer, Detailed scans take 10% less time, and Blue POI's on planets are 25% more accurate.
If I hired a stripper, then no benefit (pardon the pun), but he/she/it sits there in a really revealing outfit.

Does this sound like it's a major developmental investment? I mean, the character models will be needed to be added for Multi crew anyway.

 

[GunnerBill]

Sounds good.
Perhaps instead or in addition to hire fees they should also get a percentage of bounties/exploration rewards etc

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

check the Design Decision on Ships multicrew. It is cool. (i will dig the link out and edit in)

edit

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8258

clearly this is not happening with the multicrew update, but I do hope FD have not permanently given up on decent content other than just Multiplayer, and that it comes later on.
I have been hoping this however since 1.2 went into beta in Feb last year, so I am getting less and less hopeful.

 

[Bobbydylan]

Sounds good.
Perhaps instead or in addition to hire fees they should also get a percentage of bounties/exploration rewards etc

Yeah, makes sense. I'd imagine that they should cost enough that their use isn't a foregone conclusion. So if you get a +10% engineer, then you'd have to pay him 10% of your income in that week?

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check the Design Decision on Ships multicrew. It is cool. (i will dig the link out and edit in)

edit

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8258

Man. Reading the DDF makes me sad. So many cool mechanics as yet unfulfilled.

 

[dxm55]

check the Design Decision on Ships multicrew. It is cool. (i will dig the link out and edit in)

edit

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8258

clearly this is not happening with the multicrew update, but I do hope FD have not permanently given up on decent content other than just Multiplayer, and that it comes later on.
I have been hoping this however since 1.2 went into beta in Feb last year, so I am getting less and less hopeful.

Player multicrew makes little sense on a small ship. Many have said exactly so. Even an Anaconda is a small ship since it's player operable.
I could see it work on a capital ship maybe, but those aren't flyable, so moot point.


What can the non-pilot do? And what if the pilot logs out or gets disconnected?
What if the crew gets disconnected? What will the crew do out of combat, during cruising?
It's already tedium for the pilot to make an uneventful cargo run, what more for the crew?
Too many what ifs...

That said, there's no harm in implementing it, just as long as there's an NPC option to go along with it.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

You could hire NPC crew members from the bulletin board with random qualities. The better qualities the higher the wage they acquire. And if your ship blows up they might die, or even try to make an escape for it in an capsule. And be scooped up and hired by another commander, or sold on the slave market for a descent sum or just released for ransom. This is stuff that adds depth to content

 

[dxm55]

You could hire NPC crew members from the bulletin board with random qualities. The better qualities the higher the wage they acquire. And if your ship blows up they might die, or even try to make an escape for it in an capsule. And be scooped up and hired by another commander, or sold on the slave market for a descent sum or just released for ransom. This is stuff that adds depth to content

Yeah, just like in FE2. Random NPCs with random qualities and experience.

BTW, can I hire them, and then sell them as slaves? Heh. Ultimate betrayal!

 

[X-Terminator]

Like to see Mutiny on Pirates lol!

 

[Duedy]

What will the crew do out of combat, during cruising?
It's already tedium for the pilot to make an uneventful cargo run, what more for the crew?
Too many what ifs...

Obvious while the pilot charges the FSD the other crew can throw a few steaks on the drive to cook and make a cup of tea they found on the planet 5000ly from the bubble.


On a serious note, Solo players will get a rough deal again if there is no npc crew. It is already hard when your solo and have no NPC wings but NPC can have wings to gang up on you.

 

[Arubeto]

We had lots of discussions about NPC crews lately. I think NPCs are really much better suited as crew members than other players, simple because they could be a constant part of your ship - as long as you pay them during your online time - and don't mind not having anything to do when not in combat, for example. Players on the other hand need to be entertained the whole time with engaging mini-games. If those turn out to be just slightly boring, I can already see all the complaints!

Also, going by lots of comments on the forum about the multicrew concept lately, many players seem to prefer having a crew on their ship instead of serving on another players ship. Given that setting up a crew will require at least as much preparation and organisation as putting together a wing - which already is a lot of a hassle because finding people willing to wing up with you spontaneously is really hard already - this preference of staying with your own ship instead of joining another crew may make it even harder to take advantage of this in principle very appealing feature!

That's really the main reason why I'd prefer to have NPC crewmen: not because I don't like to play multiplayer - quite the contrary, actually - but because I fear getting together a crew of players being available and willing to leave their ships to come aboard mine looks like it may become quite difficult on a regular basis.

 

[lysan]

check the Design Decision on Ships multicrew. It is cool. (i will dig the link out and edit in)

edit

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8258

clearly this is not happening with the multicrew update, but I do hope FD have not permanently given up on decent content other than just Multiplayer, and that it comes later on.
I have been hoping this however since 1.2 went into beta in Feb last year, so I am getting less and less hopeful.

Lets wait and see, if the crew mechanics do not end up like in the DDF, we can only assume that it was written by different people. Got rejected and someone made a new design. I hope they use the first one.

 

[The_Quasar]

You could hire NPC crew members from the bulletin board with random qualities. The better qualities the higher the wage they acquire. And if your ship blows up they might die, or even try to make an escape for it in an capsule. And be scooped up and hired by another commander, or sold on the slave market for a descent sum or just released for ransom. This is stuff that adds depth to content

Loved it before, in previous Elite games, and I think it'd be really good in E: D... multi-player, on the other hand is probably a waste of development time, as everyone will want others to be on THEIR ship. Also, I presume that any rewards or ranking progress would be shared (after all, you only make so much in a trade, and the bounty is only so much too), so progress in the game will be slowed too.

 

[zombieapocalypse]

I remember buying multicrew ships in FE2 and not being able to take off until you employed enough people, which could sometimes take days! Anyway OP, sounds like a nice idea. I'd be happy just to have someone sat in those empty seats for a bit of company!

 

[Lestenio]

We had lots of discussions about NPC crews lately. I think NPCs are really much better suited as crew members than other players, simple because they could be a constant part of your ship - as long as you pay them during your online time - and don't mind not having anything to do when not in combat, for example. Players on the other hand need to be entertained the whole time with engaging mini-games. If those turn out to be just slightly boring, I can already see all the complaints!

.

In some ways, FD are going in the right direction with multi crew. For example I like the idea of being able to jump between roles on the ship so you can take over aiming turrets for example. The fault for me is making it human player only.

In my opinion, you should only be able to jump between roles if you have hired an NPC in that role. Then you get the choice, overide the NPC and take control, or let the NPC do his job and take the +% bonus mentioned by BobbyDylan.

Some NPCs can serve mutiple roles but since they are not specialist they offer lower bonuses. Other NPCs are specialists so boost your stats higher. That way if you have an asp with 1 crew seat, you can decide on either a specalist navigation crew member that gives you 20% jump range, or a multi skilled crew member that gives you 5% jump range, 5% fuel efficiently, 8% scanner ranger or whatever.

It's not excluding humans, just making sure everyone gets an opportunity to use the feature and those spare seats get filled.

 

[Arubeto]

It's not excluding humans, just making sure everyone gets an opportunity to use the feature and those spare seats get filled.

Exactly! I am not at all against multiplayer crews, I am just against making this feature - which I really want to try out! - MP exclusive!

 

[Bobbydylan]

Player multicrew makes little sense on a small ship. Many have said exactly so. Even an Anaconda is a small ship since it's player operable.
I could see it work on a capital ship maybe, but those aren't flyable, so moot point.

I disagree

What can the non-pilot do?

That is the largest design challange. But I hope the guy who did the SRV design document isn't working on it, cos (IMHO) the game forces needless SRV use onto us. POI disappearing at sum 2km alt, being an example.

And what if the pilot logs out or gets disconnected?

Get kicked to the menu I imagine.

What if the crew gets disconnected?

Nothing. He's just gone.

What will the crew do out of combat, during cruising?

Same thing as the pilot does. Faf with the Galaxy map or look at the outside of his ship. Talk to each-other about politics.

It's already tedium for the pilot to make an uneventful cargo run, what more for the crew?
Too many what ifs...

And that's it. Traders will have no use for multi crew. Nor will explorers. In fact, only combat pilots will get use from it, as I imagine it. NPC crews make waaaaaay more sense.

 

[bitstorm]

For me I think want to see NPC crew to be persistent.

AS in they are persistent individuals that continue, improve, and can be moved from ship to ship. Don't want to see just some different random NPC appear each time that is effectively static and unchanging.

I want them to "skill up" over time, not asking them to be fully fleshed out personalities or anything but I would like to see some notion of attachment to your NPCs, skilling them up seems a decent way to do this.

So like your crew becomes an asset and something you want to protect, in that you're a bit more bothered about losing a ship because it could/would mean the death of your crew and you'd have to source a new crew who inevitably won't be quite as skilled.

Make NPCs feel alive and important, not disposable please.

 

[dxm55]

And that's it. Traders will have no use for multi crew. Nor will explorers. In fact, only combat pilots will get use from it, as I imagine it. NPC crews make waaaaaay more sense.

Exactly. I'm all for NPC crews.
Not really so hot about player crews.

In a short duration shooter game like Battlefield or Star Wars Battlefront, I could imagine being the passenger or gunner onboard the vehicle for that couple of minutes. And even then, I can always hit "exit vehicle" and get out or parachute to safety and continue my way on foot.

Not so much for space, is it? You're stuck for the duration of the trip. And god forbid if you get interdicted, and your pilot flies like he has two left hands.....

 

[Cynaqq]

I don't agree with player crews being useless for traders and exporers. I mean, it can surely seem that way if you are a sad little neckbeard who has no friends and is too self centered to share a little experience with others but especially with ship launched fighters, traders will get a use out of multicrew. It'll also be fun. Do you guys ever evaluate a game feature by asking the question 'is this fun'? To me, exploration with a dedicated SRV driver in a team is infinitely more fun than going out alone. But no, we have to shun everything which don't immediately make monetary gains for the individual.

This game is designed to create a platform for people who want it to get together with friends and have lighthearted fun going on space adventures. The modes are only equal by the numbers on paper, in the sense that you can work the same thing for the same amount of profit and the same amount of influence points in either mode. It certainly doesn't mean the three modes have to be equal in the amount of 'fun' they provide. Clearly, the game is designed to be more fun with a few friends.

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Exactly. I'm all for NPC crews.
Not really so hot about player crews.

In a short duration shooter game like Battlefield or Star Wars Battlefront, I could imagine being the passenger or gunner onboard the vehicle for that couple of minutes. And even then, I can always hit "exit vehicle" and get out or parachute to safety and continue my way on foot.

Not so much for space, is it? You're stuck for the duration of the trip. And god forbid if you get interdicted, and your pilot flies like he has two left hands.....

The pilot is supposed to be your friend. FD will not force someone you met for the first time into your ship or vice versa. While in transit, talk about something! I'm sure it's not a very new concept to you. If you get interdicted, all the more fun! If your pilot sucks, then you have something to laugh about later on. If not, then share in on the achievement by cheering him on. Something you surely CAN'T DO with NPC crew. I'm not saying NPC crew would be useless but it's not a no brainer priority over player crews, which have the benefit of bringing people together.

 

[Dan Dare]

Lots of opportunity for mini games with multi crew; chess, backgammon, checkers, maybe even get in a game of monopoly or risk on those really long runs with a larger crew?