NPC wings
- Thread starter molgrips
- Start date
I've been saying we need this for a long time, predictably someone is going to be whining that you should use the search, they would probably complain of necroing if you found another thread, but whatever.
I don't get why there's a line of thinking that says this should be something only open to Open or Servers, or Multiplayer, Convoy escort is quite often mind-numbingly boring.
I don't get why there's a line of thinking that says this should be something only open to Open or Servers, or Multiplayer, Convoy escort is quite often mind-numbingly boring.
This would totally transform the game, in a positive way, for many. Space truckers especially. It'd be cool if you had the option of paying just their base contract rate, or paying an additional fee plus covering possible rebuys. The difference being whether or not the hired NPCs will defend you to the death or run when things get too hairy. Then add on new trucking missions that are extremely lucrative and extremely dangerous, like arms shipments to war zones where you can expect to be interdicted by military wings. Hell, I would probably break my never-a-space-trucker ethos for that!
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I see some challenges with the AI.
But overall, I would expect that we should be able to substitute other players with NPC's, so not only to wing up, but also do multicrew with NPC's.
This game have focus on not making any difference between game modes, but you cannot be in a wing or do multicrew when you are in solo.
Would the NPC be as good as other players? it would depend. if you are totally uninterested in combat, then a few NPC combat wing mate would most likely be a big improvement. If you are a good combat pilot , then you are are likely to find the NPC wing mates you hired to be a bit lacking, but we do have NPC SLF pilots and they are doing OK, not the best, but not the worst either.
Also if you are only two playing one evening and want some extra firepower, hire some NPC to fill out the wing. That would make sense. too.
But overall, I would expect that we should be able to substitute other players with NPC's, so not only to wing up, but also do multicrew with NPC's.
This game have focus on not making any difference between game modes, but you cannot be in a wing or do multicrew when you are in solo.
Would the NPC be as good as other players? it would depend. if you are totally uninterested in combat, then a few NPC combat wing mate would most likely be a big improvement. If you are a good combat pilot , then you are are likely to find the NPC wing mates you hired to be a bit lacking, but we do have NPC SLF pilots and they are doing OK, not the best, but not the worst either.
Also if you are only two playing one evening and want some extra firepower, hire some NPC to fill out the wing. That would make sense. too.
Problem is that Frontier already kind of insinuated with Ship interiors that they won't work on something if it's too complicated. This will be complex for sure since you can technically hire a wing npc and take them to the black. If you make it system only, then they really become even less helpful.
Anything that ads more interesting gameplay is great in my book though even if it were system only. They could actually make visiting the nav beacon even more resourceful by letting you hire npc ships there through contact menu.
Anything that ads more interesting gameplay is great in my book though even if it were system only. They could actually make visiting the nav beacon even more resourceful by letting you hire npc ships there through contact menu.
The easiest solution I can think of would be to give them a maximum distance they're willing to follow you from home and a decent-but-not-explorer-grade jump range. Similar to how you can't take an apex more than 100ly, NPC wingmen would leave the wing and end the contract there if you go too far from their home base.
You wouldn't take them into the black - they'd be like 'dude what're we doing out here, screw this I'm outta here' and quit the wing.
Well this is different. It's just coding behind the scenes. The problem with ship interiors isn't that it's just a lot of work, it's fundamentally nonsensical. In a real spaceship you'd have a cargo hold, with spaces to put cargo. But in ED you can replace a cargo hold with hull armour, that goes on the outside of your ship? How does that work? And I am pretty sure that the outsides of the ships are not designed with the internals in mind. So ships would have certain slots on paper but you wouldn't be able to draw them. There is much that makes no sense. Module protection in place of a cargo hold? What? And how does a docking computer take up the same space as a tonne of cargo?
There are only two solutions to this:
1) Get rid of all the ships and start again
2) Come up with a load of arcane 'type homologation' style rules like we have for cars where certain combinations aren't approved, so having hull armour means you break some other rule about cargo loading so it's prohibited even though there's space.
Well this is different. It's just coding behind the scenes. The problem with ship interiors isn't that it's just a lot of work, it's fundamentally nonsensical. In a real spaceship you'd have a cargo hold, with spaces to put cargo. But in ED you can replace a cargo hold with hull armour, that goes on the outside of your ship? How does that work? And I am pretty sure that the outsides of the ships are not designed with the internals in mind. So ships would have certain slots on paper but you wouldn't be able to draw them. There is much that makes no sense. Module protection in place of a cargo hold? What? And how does a docking computer take up the same space as a tonne of cargo?
There are only two solutions to this:
1) Get rid of all the ships and start again
2) Come up with a load of arcane 'type homologation' style rules like we have for cars where certain combinations aren't approved, so having hull armour means you break some other rule about cargo loading so it's prohibited even though there's space.
I guess one may think of module reinforcement as a backup for most sensitive parts of your modules to be replaced/activated when main module receives significant damage.
In a similar way hull reinforcement equipped in the optional slot may play similar role, e.g. reducing the overall damage by blocking the opposite-side ship structures for kinetic damage or adsorbing significant part of thermal damage being connected to the ship surface.
In the end Elite is not exact simulation, we don't need everything to be explained in terms of 21th century. Just let your fantasy to find good explanation
I think both ship interiors and NPC wings would be great additions to Elite. And despite it was told that FDev doesn't currently work on the former, I still hope we eventually see them as well as many good ideas from this forum.