Making planets & moons more exciting? Mission ideas!

El Grillo · Dec 2, 2017

I had a thought while watching canyon run videos on Youtube - how could Frontier integrate this fun result of the game mechanics (flight mechanics + procgen planet environments) as real functional gameplay loops, with set levels of challenge, rewards and a connection to the game world? The answer is missions of course!

What are your thoughts on how Frontier could design more exciting planet-based missions? I think there's a lot that could be done to utilise interesting environments more (e.g. canyons/big craters etc.) but this depends on whether FD is able to develop the tech to recognise such landscape features and locate mission targets, structures like bases etc. in them using their procgen mission system.
If they could, you could have a mission like this:

Mission type: trading (fast courier)
Mission goal: deliver a time-sensitive data file/whatever to another base on the planet within the set time limit
Mission parameters: there is a (pirate/drone/thargoid/whatever) threat present in the area between the pick-up and the drop-off. You need to stay below surface level or you will be taken out. Go through the canyons!

...or something along those lines.
I have no idea whether FDev could implement this sort of thing - beyond designing the missions system to be able to locate missions in particular types of terrain etc., it also would have to dynamically set a challenging (but still possible) time limit for the courier run to be completed.

What other kinds of planet-surface missions do you guys think they could introduce? Try and keep them within the bounds of reasonable possibility! I'd especially be interested to see if people could come up with some more interesting trading/exploration gameplay ideas.

Mr_sukebe · Dec 2, 2017

Let us BUILD something. That would introduce so much. e.g required materials and people to start the build. Potential for local mining, manufacturing etc.
I'm amazed that we've not yet seen this. Seems so obvious.

Cmdr Eagleboy · Dec 2, 2017

Low hanging fruits:
* DEFEND planetary base from attack (work together with defenses to repel NPC attack);
* DROP cargo for station/settlement;

archie456 · Dec 2, 2017

I like the idea of a kill mission, chasing a ship around a canyon or closely over a planetary surface...

Iskariot · Dec 2, 2017

Some nice ideas.
Have some rep.

CapuchinSeven · Dec 3, 2017

Mr_sukebe said:
Let us BUILD something. That would introduce so much. e.g required materials and people to start the build. Potential for local mining, manufacturing etc.
I'm amazed that we've not yet seen this. Seems so obvious.

Trouble is, I would think, is persistence. The game lacks it in almost any form.
It would be cool to put something down as one task, and then keep it running as a later task but the game lacks the ability to do that.

Some sort of short term drilling might work, like a limpet of some sort. I'd like that.

Rubbernuke · Dec 3, 2017

Why not go mini-Battlezone? Have waves of skimmers as you protect an asset? Surface jailbreak (get a pod off-world to a station and freedom?)

PuffyEichhorst · Dec 3, 2017

For me it would be a good start to have planets with caves, like this Thargoid basement. In a second step i would love to see if we have some winches on the srvs to attach to each other and could boldly go where no man has gone before..or to rescue a pod or something...i think there would be plenty of possibilities missionwise...

El Grillo · Dec 10, 2017

^^yes, and what about lava tubes! Would be so cool to explore in the SRV (or even in small ships if the spaces are big enough). I wonder what the gameplay goal would be though? Maybe mining/collecting especially rare and valuable minerals that are deposit/form in such places?

Rubbernuke said:
Why not go mini-Battlezone? Have waves of skimmers as you protect an asset? Surface jailbreak (get a pod off-world to a station and freedom?)

Yes, love it. Not sure why they haven't implemented waves missions yet, those are the basic Eve combat scenarios and lend the whole thing a bit more of a tactical feel and give it more tension, as you just about have time to recharge shields etc. in between waves... and you can have waves FD'ing in from different directions/at different distances so you can sometimes give the player(s) more time to prepare an attack strategy.

Cmdr Eagleboy said:
Low hanging fruits:
* DEFEND planetary base from attack (work together with defenses to repel NPC attack);
* DROP cargo for station/settlement;

This! Low hanging fruit as you say, but stuff that should be relatively simple to implement... Love it.

PuffyEichhorst · Dec 11, 2017

El Grillo said:
^^yes, and what about lava tubes! Would be so cool to explore in the SRV (or even in small ships if the spaces are big enough). I wonder what the gameplay goal would be though? Maybe mining/collecting especially rare and valuable minerals that are deposit/form in such places?

Yes, love it. Not sure why they haven't implemented waves missions yet, those are the basic Eve combat scenarios and lend the whole thing a bit more of a tactical feel and give it more tension, as you just about have time to recharge shields etc. in between waves... and you can have waves FD'ing in from different directions/at different distances so you can sometimes give the player(s) more time to prepare an attack strategy.

This! Low hanging fruit as you say, but stuff that should be relatively simple to implement... Love it.

I live on a fricking vulcanic island and exploring the lava caves here is so amazing with very little input you can create amazing things to explore.