This is going to be a Captain Hindsight post. I don't expect FDEV to change anything drastically that late into development but still want to tell you how to make it right (in my opinion, not yours).
I'll start by predicting that we will have a poll about the implementation of multicrew during beta with the following options and results:
Do you like multicrew?
I don't care 50%
Yes, it's perfect 15%
No, I don't like it 35%
The problem is (as always) that FDEV tries to cater to all different kinds of players, which is almost impossible with a single feature and such a heterogeneous community.
Some keywords that don't necessarily match:
- What about exploration
- We need more roles
- My immersion
- Gameplay trumps realism
- Nobody is going to use it
- This breaks the logic of other mechanics
- It should be fun
- Quick drop in and drop out
- Consequences and rewards
- Deus ex machina
- DDF
- etc.
I think both, the instant action and the slower but more immersive variant are valid, but they can't work together in the same feature. That's why Multicrew should be split up in a realistic-immersive and an arcade-action mechanic. You don't need to make up lore reasons for one feature and you don't need to compromise the instant action experience.
Without going into much detail or thinking it through, that's how it could work (not necessarily needs to be that way, just brainstorming...):
Realism-Immersion
- You can only board a ship when meeting at a station or in space
- Not purely combat focused, potential benefits could be faster travel due to better navigation, faster / more effective mining, enhanced scanner mechanics
- Works with NPCs
- Can be used for combat but doesn't add any magic pips and stuff
- Missions get shared
- Allows large ships to interact with outposts by adding a ship launched carrier for cargo and / or passengers
- Doesn't rely on telepresence
- Doesn't need to be fully implemented in the first iteration
Arcade-Action
- CQC gets added as Arena mode to the main game, you can access it from anywhere using the telepresence magic stuff or by flying to hotspots directly (Arenas are present in the Capital and othetr remarkable systems)
- Using telepresence takes a small share of your profits to encourage direct travel to the arena
- Large multicrew ships are added to the Arena
- You can add use as much magic and stuff as you want, don't care if it's magic pips or boosters or bananas and turtle shells
- Allows instant drop in and drop out action
- Not just about multicrew, but you could have some leagues and ladders and stuff
I know that this would require a lot of work, it will not be added to the game and as always people will disagree. But maybe it shows how a feature could be implemented in a way that pleases more than one type of player, by making different features rather than trying to break the lore with a crowbar.
I'll start by predicting that we will have a poll about the implementation of multicrew during beta with the following options and results:
Do you like multicrew?
I don't care 50%
Yes, it's perfect 15%
No, I don't like it 35%
The problem is (as always) that FDEV tries to cater to all different kinds of players, which is almost impossible with a single feature and such a heterogeneous community.
Some keywords that don't necessarily match:
- What about exploration
- We need more roles
- My immersion
- Gameplay trumps realism
- Nobody is going to use it
- This breaks the logic of other mechanics
- It should be fun
- Quick drop in and drop out
- Consequences and rewards
- Deus ex machina
- DDF
- etc.
I think both, the instant action and the slower but more immersive variant are valid, but they can't work together in the same feature. That's why Multicrew should be split up in a realistic-immersive and an arcade-action mechanic. You don't need to make up lore reasons for one feature and you don't need to compromise the instant action experience.
Without going into much detail or thinking it through, that's how it could work (not necessarily needs to be that way, just brainstorming...):
Realism-Immersion
- You can only board a ship when meeting at a station or in space
- Not purely combat focused, potential benefits could be faster travel due to better navigation, faster / more effective mining, enhanced scanner mechanics
- Works with NPCs
- Can be used for combat but doesn't add any magic pips and stuff
- Missions get shared
- Allows large ships to interact with outposts by adding a ship launched carrier for cargo and / or passengers
- Doesn't rely on telepresence
- Doesn't need to be fully implemented in the first iteration
Arcade-Action
- CQC gets added as Arena mode to the main game, you can access it from anywhere using the telepresence magic stuff or by flying to hotspots directly (Arenas are present in the Capital and othetr remarkable systems)
- Using telepresence takes a small share of your profits to encourage direct travel to the arena
- Large multicrew ships are added to the Arena
- You can add use as much magic and stuff as you want, don't care if it's magic pips or boosters or bananas and turtle shells
- Allows instant drop in and drop out action
- Not just about multicrew, but you could have some leagues and ladders and stuff
I know that this would require a lot of work, it will not be added to the game and as always people will disagree. But maybe it shows how a feature could be implemented in a way that pleases more than one type of player, by making different features rather than trying to break the lore with a crowbar.
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But then by the point someone tries this they already have the main game so maybe it doesn't matter.
