Actual NPC Crews (for all I care minus Bonus Pips) with individual Skill Stats one can train would be the most logical thing for MultiCrew. Always was.
But since basic old idea already exceeded the minimal-implementation standards we've seen in the past, it didn't come.
Just imagine this :
- your Crew NPCs taking up all free seats
- each has individual default Skills at the time of hiring
- you can build all those skills, resulting in increasingly efficient NPCs at their respective Tasks
Mining :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but can also Prospect Asteroids in range and report whatever you've told them to find if they get it
- also can strip-mine a selected Asteroid with Mining Turrets, you just fly the Ship into a suitable position
Trading :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but can also perform basic Tasks like fly the Ship on a Shipping lane (just a tad slower than a Player could do it, like a basic Autopilot)
- can also take over your Docking if you order them to (efficiency and speed of Docking increases with Crew Skill)
- they can keep track of Pricing of Commodities, giving you access to basic Trade Info collected over time
Bounty Hunting :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but can also fly the Mothership, properly KWS Targets and engage at various offensive/defensive levels - while you enjoy the SLF or Turrets instead
Conflict Zones :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but an assigned Crew can also initiate AFMU Repairs, should any Component you highlighted drops below the limit you choose
- and can also initiate egress of your Mothership while you're still in the SLF if the Mothership's hull drops below a limit you choose
Exploration :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but can also perform additional Tasks in both SLF or SRV (i.e. report and investigate POIs, assist in detecting specific POIs/Objects - or simply provide top cover while you're in the SLF or SRV)
- based on skill, can assess Stellar Objects (hey Crew, you think this Planet is a Terraforming Candidate?)
- advanced Route Plotting Options, Crew is able to combine several Galaxy Map Filters and plot several alternative Routes you can assess & pick from
- Crew can filter through existing Data and answer Questions like "Crew, distance to the nearest known Metal-Rich Planet?" , "Crew, locate the nearest White Dwarf and set course")
Salvage :
- NPC Crew can man the SLF or Turrets
- but can also speak up and auto-scan when i.e. a specific USS type appears ("Crew, look out for High Grade USS and speak up if you see any")
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Bottom line :
- NPC Crews never sleep
- NPC Crews are always available when the Player needs them
- NPC Crews don't ever suffer from Instancing Problems or any other Network-related issues
- NPC Crews are being paid all the time anyway... so why the heck not put them to good use?
- Skill-Tree of NPC Crew Members would allow to build them up over time, making them experts in their field eventually (new Gameplay element)
(arguably, the "Iron Man" mode of current NPC Crews would have to go, i.e. by carrying a "Crew Escape Pods" Internal)
- would allow Players to fully get accustomed to Crew Member duties & Controls setup before hopping into another Player Ship
- oh, would also provide an incentive to "dress them up" with Store items, providing additional income for Frontier
![[VR] Goooost](https://d2aefvhu2f0gi9.cloudfront.net/data/avatars/m/111/111637.jpg?1589354934){kind=avatar}
