Missions and locations

[lysan]

So dear @FDEV,

When the dust settles, and “normality” kicks in, I got a great suggestion for ya.

Smuggling and pirate love.

Not all of us like to be nice commanders, obeying the law and all that boring stuff, we live on the high seas, burning our candles from both ends, drinking rom, and the other things you do when the lights are out, you get the picture!

The environment need to be more arrrgh, we need taverns where we can do our shady business, a place to gather around the table while loud obscure music is playing in the background by a worn out band, stearin aimlessly into the nothingness while they play the same tune over and over.
A place where we get the missions to loot, rob, murder the law abiding sheep’s.

The mission

chain mission, the introduction start after you have been to prison a few times, a prison guard will come to your cell and introduce himself as a representative for a very influential person, a mysterious person with no name, we call him “he we cannot speak off” and he would like to meet you, go to planet [insert planet] and find him at this location. You can then take the mission or not, if you take the mission you get the location in your map where to find him.

when you get to the location you are greeted by a few roughnecks, who want to give you a hard time, you get a choice to intimidate them or take them down, after you win or convince them, a leader will give you a mission to kill a person because reasons.

When you have completed the mission you get the location of the shady place described in the introduction, a place where you can get all the shady mission you want, and you are now a part of “him we do not speak” contractors, and will from time to time receive mission via the comms from him to do stuff.

So FDEV all you need to do is make a nice shady place, do some voice recordings, code a bit, and tatadaaaa you got yourself an interesting immersive thing going on.


EDIT ADDON:

Smuggler / saboteur / assassin characters

In connection with the above, when you receive the missions, they are through the comms, and could be chain missions.

//////// TRANSMISSION ////////
We need you to stop Diplomate [insert name] from meeting [insert name] at [insert location]
you can't kill the diplomate as this will escalate the political situation, so you need to sabotage the ship he/she is travelling with.
The ship is located at [insert station/settlement name] you need to replace the power regulator with this modified version.

The ship will be heavily guarded and you can't be detected, no alarms can go off or guards alerted.
/////// END OF TRANSMISSION ///////

or

////// TRANSMISSION ///////
One of our transports got stranded on [insert planet and system]
we need you to complete the transport, 50 T of [insert cargo]
reload the cargo and complete the mission at all cost, we were shot down by the system police so be alert.
////// END TRANSMISSION //////

or

/////// TRANSMISSION //////
There is a traitor among us, [insert name] is last see [insert location]
track him/her down and take [insert name[ out at all cost, we want to send a message, make it dirty.
///// END TRANSMISSION /////

My point make missions feel like its personal, thousand of players can do the same missions just add some variations to names and locations.

The Tavern should be an important hub for shady people, and when you go there, some interaction based on your rep and influence should reflect it.

 

[Zac Cocken]

Love this idea!

 

[lysan]

updated the OP.

 

[KOIIIAK]

Like this!

 

[N124Hawk]

Now I definitely do like this. Also an addition- maybe pirate outposts could be these lawless social hubs? A grittier appearance than regular concourses, with rougher NPCs and shadier missions.

Or Anarchy minor factions?

I love it

 

[CMDR Myrrhth]

This is great - but the fundamental premise: chain missions with storyline and characters. This can be applied to ALL aspects of the game, not just crime. It doesn't have to be every mission. But those Navy missions to get to the next level - why not make them more interesting? Give it a chain with some backstory. When you get a new Pilots Federation rank - provide a chain mission with some backstory, a couple of characters - something relevant to the rank. Boom, you have immersion AND a progression system with some meaning and some reason for pursuing it that isn't just another number!

 

[lysan]

This is great - but the fundamental premise: chain missions with storyline and characters. This can be applied to ALL aspects of the game, not just crime. It doesn't have to be every mission. But those Navy missions to get to the next level - why not make them more interesting? Give it a chain with some backstory. When you get a new Pilots Federation rank - provide a chain mission with some backstory, a couple of characters - something relevant to the rank. Boom, you have immersion AND a progression system with some meaning and some reason for pursuing it that isn't just another number!

Oh I agree now my field is crime so that’s why I suggest this, however it should apply to all aspects of the game regarding missions and storylines.

It could be power play missions, explorer missions and even trucking missions, it’s only your imagination that sets the limits.

combat need more depth, and why not let you enroll in the navy, you could chose X amount of combats you you need to accomplish as a part of a contract, follow a battle cruiser around and do missions from there down on the surface or as a fighter pilot. The best part is all the mechanics is already in the game they just need to be connected.

 

[dm06]

How hidden the tavern should be?.. I mean if the place exists why I can't get there without visiting the prison several times?.. How that expected to work for wing if one cmdr already knows the tavern location and the rest of team just follows him?..

 

[lysan]

How hidden the tavern should be?.. I mean if the place exists why I can't get there without visiting the prison several times?.. How that expected to work for wing if one cmdr already knows the tavern location and the rest of team just follows him?..

Easy, he can lead them there, and the bouncer will only let him inside, if you try to force your way in a security team will be dispatched
or there is an option where he can vouch for them as a one time only entrance.

NOTE:

if he / she is with them and got access he/ she can vouch for the team to get in as long as he / she is with them, if not they cannot enter.

 

[dm06]

So the places is actually known and not hidden, but there's a huge bunch of muscles guarding the entrance. That's acceptable.

 

[lysan]

So the places is actually known and not hidden, but there's a huge bunch of muscles guarding the entrance. That's acceptable.

Well, it's hidden in a way that it's location is not broadcasted anywhere, you need to find it by accident, or get invited just like the engineers.
However if you're not invited, you can't get in unless your friend will vouch for you, and you need to deliver all your guns to the big fellow there in the cage, you will get them back when you leave

 

[lysan]

Now I definitely do like this. Also an addition- maybe pirate outposts could be these lawless social hubs? A grittier appearance than regular concourses, with rougher NPCs and shadier missions.

Or Anarchy minor factions?

I love it

It would be a good opportunity to buff the criminal path of the game, maybe a crashed fleet carrier as their HQ somewhere on a desert planet, the assets is already in the game of course they need to do some work however the time is minimal, a lot could be done in 6 month.

 

[CMDR Myrrhth]

This suggestion reminds me of an old video by Vindicator Jones where he describes how more narrative and characterisation could be included into the game using existing systems.

Skip to 5:05 to skip the rant about the grind and get straight into the suggestion section of the video.

Watching it again it's actually even more relevant now with Odyssey; this kind of mission has a lot of potential!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Q0LY3tOMY&list=PLST2VzDxDCryydzCAcePuCMoBKYK85U1s&index=2

 

[Aldarion 3TwoAlpha]

Easy, he can lead them there, and the bouncer will only let him inside, if you try to force your way in a security team will be dispatched
or there is an option where he can vouch for them as a one time only entrance.

NOTE:

if he / she is with them and got access he/ she can vouch for the team to get in as long as he / she is with them, if not they cannot enter.

There may be shadier places within the shady place, I would say

 

[lysan]

There may be shadier places within the shady place, I would say

Absolutely! That’s up to the game level designers, to bring life is not just adding more assets, it’s to use the assets you already got in a way where the player get the feeling of involvement and personality.

All missions in Elite are basic get this, turn on that, and that is fine, the problem is that there is no missions where you get more involved in that small part of the story?

I could make many mission using the assets already in the game, all it would need is some voice acting in some parts of the mission and some scripting in some key parts of the mission, however if you know how to do it (I don’t, but I know people who can) it’s not that time consuming even with all the QA processes. FDEV is good at some parts of game design, however they need to buckle up and get into fifth gear regarding missions and how to execute them.

 

[Hannakaaji]

Absolutely! That’s up to the game level designers, to bring life is not just adding more assets, it’s to use the assets you already got in a way where the player get the feeling of involvement and personality.

All missions in Elite are basic get this, turn on that, and that is fine, the problem is that there is no missions where you get more involved in that small part of the story?

I could make many mission using the assets already in the game, all it would need is some voice acting in some parts of the mission and some scripting in some key parts of the mission, however if you know how to do it (I don’t, but I know people who can) it’s not that time consuming even with all the QA processes. FDEV is good at some parts of game design, however they need to buckle up and get into fifth gear regarding missions and how to execute them.

Man, even unlocking Engineers should have more personality. I mean, Domino Green seems very funny, but there is no more interaction than "hi. here your upgraded stuff." I mean, every engineer should have they on set of mission, that would reveal more of they personality.

Go to planet x, steal this for me. While there something change, the character talks to you. You finish your mission, go to the engineer/whatever, they talk some more, dialogue, and stuff.

Hero Ferrari should be something like: You first talk to her, she tells you that you should act for X faction that she supports, probably militaristic biased. One of the mission, something change/happen, so stuff progress while there is some kind of interaction between player and character

 

[lysan]

Man, even unlocking Engineers should have more personality. I mean, Domino Green seems very funny, but there is no more interaction than "hi. here your upgraded stuff." I mean, every engineer should have they on set of mission, that would reveal more of they personality.

Go to planet x, steal this for me. While there something change, the character talks to you. You finish your mission, go to the engineer/whatever, they talk some more, dialogue, and stuff.

Hero Ferrari should be something like: You first talk to her, she tells you that you should act for X faction that she supports, probably militaristic biased. One of the mission, something change/happen, so stuff progress while there is some kind of interaction between player and character

She also standing the same place all the time, however yeah more interaction variation would’ve made it more immersive.