After re-listening to LaveRadio EP1, I noticed one of the guys mentioning that (EDIT: in Freelancer) NPC difficulty levels are based upon the area that you are in... ie, you are lead through a story and your ship and equipment are improved (skills also?) to match the NPC difficulty, meaning that if you go back to area 1 you completely overpower every NPC (multiplayer included without mods)...
...this got me thinking about NPC difficulty levels (EDIT: in ED), NPCs with are not necessarily tied into a missions (which can be generated at the point in which the mission is accepted, the game can work out how hard to make it based on rank)...
...that doesn't really work very for freeroaming NPCs or Co-Op missions. I hope that the core systems are full of NPCs going about their business...
...so, why not generate NPCs based on the average level/rank of the players within a instance, 20% underpowered, 20% overpowered and 60% on par... if the NPC has been engaged or communicated with, the difficulty is set. If a player leaves/joins that instance, then the difficulty can be dynamically changed as the level/rank average is recalculated (unless previously engaged/communicated with).
...this got me thinking about NPC difficulty levels (EDIT: in ED), NPCs with are not necessarily tied into a missions (which can be generated at the point in which the mission is accepted, the game can work out how hard to make it based on rank)...
...that doesn't really work very for freeroaming NPCs or Co-Op missions. I hope that the core systems are full of NPCs going about their business...
...so, why not generate NPCs based on the average level/rank of the players within a instance, 20% underpowered, 20% overpowered and 60% on par... if the NPC has been engaged or communicated with, the difficulty is set. If a player leaves/joins that instance, then the difficulty can be dynamically changed as the level/rank average is recalculated (unless previously engaged/communicated with).
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