NPC as SRV collector limpet!

[Noobilite]

This may need to be done carefully with the AI. But what if you could send out npc crew as basically glorified limpets to collect ground targets for you at ground sights. It would be a godsent for anyone collecting stuff during exploration. This could allow at least 1 srv plus you two speed up collection of resources at any landable resource location. Maybe even more than one crew/srv out at a time with you. this could lead to ground combat scenarios where you take a large bay with you to assault a location carefully. Maybe eventually commands like pets in most mmo's to coordinate assaults. Maybe a little better than most mmorpgs though. It's been done before btw in other games. They could find good templates. But this could lead to more missions types and activities in the future.

 

[Leadfoot]

010 Drive up to stuff,
020 other guy unfastens seat belt,
030 gets out,
040 walks over to stuff,
050 picks up stuff,
060 walks behind the SRV,
070 dumps stuff into that thing behind you that does stuff,
080 if more stuff goto 040 else
090 guy walks around to door,
100 gets back in,
110 fastens seat belt,
120 continue to the next location.

compared to just opening the cargo scoop and drive over the stuff.

The animation would be neat to watch 4-5 times. It is a nice idea but I don't see it as something practical.

Now, if you (or the NPC) needed to go inside a building for stuff.....

 

[Noobilite]

That is also an option, but I was refering to them controling the SRV like how they control a fighter to do it for you. Then you could send them out to collect nodes or have a second vehicle to speed up collection. Basically two srv's out at once.

 

[moorison]

I suspect the reason for no NPC-SRVs is that the pathfinding on rough terrain is hard, which explains the hovering skimmers. How often would you accept an NPC getting stuck in a small rift or tumbling down a steep cliff to its destruction?