NPCs Crew Members Employment Suggestions

[Koben]

Good morning! These are some suggestions for the current NPCs we hire that so far have almost zero actual reason to exist based on features found in other games:

1. Allow us to send the hired crew members (NPCs) on material gathering "quests" using our owned ships and we'd choose the material type. Then the ships/NPCs would "return" after a while (24h maybe) with a sort of materials that could range from Guardian/Thargoid to Raw/Encoded/Manuffatured including "on-foot" mats. During this time the NPCs and selected ships would be "locked" from being used by the player and the chance of success would depend on NPCs ranks and ship rating (according to ship class and internals). To spice things up a bit, the chance of success for Guardian and Thargoid mats would be rather low and you'd have to send all of your 3 Elite NPCs in iCutter/Corvette/Anaconda for it to have a 80% chance of being successful. (The "NPC Expedition" could be canceled at any time and your ships/crew would be available at the departuring point after a short while but by doing so you'd be forfeiting any expedition rewards);

2. Up to now, our NPCs can only fly our own ships if we go on the fighter ourselves... please, consider allowing us to "wing up" with our NPC crew members, each flying one of the stored ships we select to support us on incursions into Thargoid space and other dangerous tasks. The procedure for NPCs to fly these ships already existis, also the interface to select "commands" to engage/retreat/etc is already designed... and to prevent ganking, NPCs would not take orders to open fire against other players. The risk of losing big money is very much increased and the reward also!


Please, feel free to add your own suggestions to where might me possible to employ our NPC crew members... they already take a huge cut on whatever money we make!

 

[aRJay]

1. Even if the NPCs on these quests only worked while we were logged in and actively playing it still seems to much like automation which is something that the devs seem to be against.

2. The reason we can only have one active NPC pilot out flying our SLF is that more was considered over powered, this would be much worse.

 

[Koben]

1. Even if the NPCs on these quests only worked while we were logged in and actively playing it still seems to much like automation which is something that the devs seem to be against.

2. The reason we can only have one active NPC pilot out flying our SLF is that more was considered over powered, this would be much worse.

The "NPCs being out on a quest" is just an excuse... the coding is actually just "locking" your game assets (ships/NPCs) and preventing you from using them during a predefined time period. This feature exists in Fortnite (Save the World) and it helps A LOT to reduce the grind for materials... (see attached pic)

The NPCs flying our ships would also require very low effort (coding wise) once the NPCs already fly your ship whenever the player go out on the fighter and the "combat directives" are also already there.

 

[CMDR X]

I'd be happy if mine sat next to me in the co-pilot seat instead of being just a JPG in the crew lounge gulping down my profits.

 

[SergMx]

I'd be happy if mine sat next to me in the co-pilot seat instead of being just a JPG in the crew lounge gulping down my profits.

I can't even get my NPC to fire a turret (AX weapons in the form of turrets)

 

[SergMx]

But I'm more concerned about something else. I can get a man on my team and he can shoot my turrets.
I can fly to SLF and my ship will fly.
But for some reason I can't switch to the turrets and fire them myself.
That's what I don't understand at all.

 

[Greasetrap42]

What happens when the NPC goes on a material gathering quest and gets your ship destroyed? Or is it risk free activity that happens as an unseen background task?

 

[Vurrath]

Good morning! These are some suggestions for the current NPCs we hire that so far have almost zero actual reason to exist based on features found in other games:

1. Allow us to send the hired crew members (NPCs) on material gathering "quests" using our owned ships and we'd choose the material type. Then the ships/NPCs would "return" after a while (24h maybe) with a sort of materials that could range from Guardian/Thargoid to Raw/Encoded/Manuffatured including "on-foot" mats. During this time the NPCs and selected ships would be "locked" from being used by the player and the chance of success would depend on NPCs ranks and ship rating (according to ship class and internals). To spice things up a bit, the chance of success for Guardian and Thargoid mats would be rather low and you'd have to send all of your 3 Elite NPCs in iCutter/Corvette/Anaconda for it to have a 80% chance of being successful. (The "NPC Expedition" could be canceled at any time and your ships/crew would be available at the departuring point after a short while but by doing so you'd be forfeiting any expedition rewards);

2. Up to now, our NPCs can only fly our own ships if we go on the fighter ourselves... please, consider allowing us to "wing up" with our NPC crew members, each flying one of the stored ships we select to support us on incursions into Thargoid space and other dangerous tasks. The procedure for NPCs to fly these ships already existis, also the interface to select "commands" to engage/retreat/etc is already designed... and to prevent ganking, NPCs would not take orders to open fire against other players. The risk of losing big money is very much increased and the reward also!


Please, feel free to add your own suggestions to where might me possible to employ our NPC crew members... they already take a huge cut on whatever money we make!

1/2 AGREE ;

NPS seeking mats / doing other minor tasks, agree, but with PROGRESSIVE limitations, meaning, that if you keep them for a long time, ONLY THEN, will they start to aquire with their OWN affordability, ships with considerable weaponry, and so when doing them, only SLOWLY increasing their ability to do more challenging things, and all the while, you would have to accept further costs, both to equip them / pay for insurance risks for undertaking it, but also the default % of your profits, so if you have 4? what's the max,.. you could be ending up sharing perhaps even more than 50% of your income to them, and perhaps during idle times, 40% ish?

they could for instance, not be able to use engineers, since you are invited PRIVATELY, unless sharing on-foot gear was allowed since all on-foot missions take extra time to do, so what advantages one gets from them are mitigated unlike the potential of getting 4 AI in super powered ships to follow you around all the time!

so while they might be able to do things like data-deliveries during an election, a pirate-hunt mission, would be suicide. Venerable general assassination missions, would be more realistic, but pirate-lord missions, would be a chance if the regular ones, but most likely too much if one of the wing ones where they come with escorts and modded gear. sending them into combat zones would be a automatic death / full-cost rebuy/release from hospital, etc.

The idea is reminiscent of the ability to send crew members in the Star Trek MMO, which TBH i was thinking about a few weeks ago, and had similar thoughts, there should only be a limited range of things they would be prepared to attempt, even-when highly skilled, AND if with good ships, but no engineering. In not being Elite-Pilots pilots, they should at best be able to get commercially-available gear, like those older crappy AX-multi cannons, or hybrid or guardian-developed gear, if you approved it?

There could be a list of things you're prepared to pay-for, if they are not, and depending on their random personalities, each should have a random combination of preferences?

You could also create compensatory difficulties, when using them in things like combat zones, (extra special-enemies arrive, and AFTER you've defeated them, only-THEN, do you deserve to use the advantage they can create)
or on pirate-hunts, the pirates become more alarmed when your wing registers at a higher threat-level? Whereas when going on a pirate-hunt yourself the risk is more reasonably faced.

However you created a system like this, you'd need to tick boxes on & off, as you CREATE a special contract for each mission?

so ticking things on & off, like ... solo-attempt ... or escort only ... or primary (player escorts) ... or with-purchase (and then a list of things having to be bought and a COMBINATION button if you're going to pay for it entirely yourself or 1/2 each? )

and then that is compared, with their personality / preferences of types of work, before they decide to take it or reject it, which returns you to the mission screen.

it could be like the share with a wingmate button, but goes to a new dialogue screen. if the contact is accepted, it creates a new additional tab, if not, you can re-attempt a contract with another of your pilots.

The main drawback, would be the time-consuming aspect of it, overall, it might slow you down MORE than simply doing more missions, re competition in the BGS?

but as your original post suggests, it could be useful for those tedious tasks that you do not expect,
such as say,.. not noticing that you've accepted a 20,000 LY distant tourist mission,
but one of your crew DOES have a ship ready to go long-distance with enough seats?



---

unfair aspects to material gathering, would be neutralized to an extent, seeing as though ;

1 everyone could do it too,
so everyone would actually be on a level field,
even though old-veterans like me would be bitter and twisted about how much effort newer players would not have to,

2 risks of them failing to return with it, could be added as a bit of a random risk, despite the absurdity of you not needing to yourself - personally i've always thought that you should need to at least return stuff in you SRV, to your ship, and dock that ship ONCE, at any port, for it to count.


---

On foot missions, because they take more time to complete, could more IMO, reasonably entitle you to share you personal gear,
UNlike ship-registration reasons why your crew should have to have ships of their own?

On foot missions / CZs, could also have stronger responses to your crew being with you - security could call-in more reserves / reinforcements,
and at CZs, counter-player special-AI could arrive, a bit like how Omni-Pol are stronger / better tactically trained. IMO they should already be arriving at them.

 

[Koben]

What happens when the NPC goes on a material gathering quest and gets your ship destroyed? Or is it risk free activity that happens as an unseen background task?

They'd not actually use your ship... these assets will just be "locked" until the time for them to "return" is completed. If you need any of these assets for a emergency, you could cancel the expedition and use your Ship/Crew right away.

 

[Koben]

1/2 AGREE ;

NPS seeking mats / doing other minor tasks, agree, but with PROGRESSIVE limitations, meaning, that if you keep them for a long time, ONLY THEN, will they start to aquire with their OWN affordability, ships with considerable weaponry, and so when doing them, only SLOWLY increasing their ability to do more challenging things, and all the while, you would have to accept further costs, both to equip them / pay for insurance risks for undertaking it, but also the default % of your profits, so if you have 4? what's the max,.. you could be ending up sharing perhaps even more than 50% of your income to them, and perhaps during idle times, 40% ish?

they could for instance, not be able to use engineers, since you are invited PRIVATELY, unless sharing on-foot gear was allowed since all on-foot missions take extra time to do, so what advantages one gets from them are mitigated unlike the potential of getting 4 AI in super powered ships to follow you around all the time!

so while they might be able to do things like data-deliveries during an election, a pirate-hunt mission, would be suicide. Venerable general assassination missions, would be more realistic, but pirate-lord missions, would be a chance if the regular ones, but most likely too much if one of the wing ones where they come with escorts and modded gear. sending them into combat zones would be a automatic death / full-cost rebuy/release from hospital, etc.

The idea is reminiscent of the ability to send crew members in the Star Trek MMO, which TBH i was thinking about a few weeks ago, and had similar thoughts, there should only be a limited range of things they would be prepared to attempt, even-when highly skilled, AND if with good ships, but no engineering. In not being Elite-Pilots pilots, they should at best be able to get commercially-available gear, like those older crappy AX-multi cannons, or hybrid or guardian-developed gear, if you approved it?

There could be a list of things you're prepared to pay-for, if they are not, and depending on their random personalities, each should have a random combination of preferences?

You could also create compensatory difficulties, when using them in things like combat zones, (extra special-enemies arrive, and AFTER you've defeated them, only-THEN, do you deserve to use the advantage they can create)
or on pirate-hunts, the pirates become more alarmed when your wing registers at a higher threat-level? Whereas when going on a pirate-hunt yourself the risk is more reasonably faced.

However you created a system like this, you'd need to tick boxes on & off, as you CREATE a special contract for each mission?

so ticking things on & off, like ... solo-attempt ... or escort only ... or primary (player escorts) ... or with-purchase (and then a list of things having to be bought and a COMBINATION button if you're going to pay for it entirely yourself or 1/2 each? )

and then that is compared, with their personality / preferences of types of work, before they decide to take it or reject it, which returns you to the mission screen.

it could be like the share with a wingmate button, but goes to a new dialogue screen. if the contact is accepted, it creates a new additional tab, if not, you can re-attempt a contract with another of your pilots.

The main drawback, would be the time-consuming aspect of it, overall, it might slow you down MORE than simply doing more missions, re competition in the BGS?

but as your original post suggests, it could be useful for those tedious tasks that you do not expect,
such as say,.. not noticing that you've accepted a 20,000 LY distant tourist mission,
but one of your crew DOES have a ship ready to go long-distance with enough seats?



---

unfair aspects to material gathering, would be neutralized to an extent, seeing as though ;

1 everyone could do it too,
so everyone would actually be on a level field,
even though old-veterans like me would be bitter and twisted about how much effort newer players would not have to,

2 risks of them failing to return with it, could be added as a bit of a random risk, despite the absurdity of you not needing to yourself - personally i've always thought that you should need to at least return stuff in you SRV, to your ship, and dock that ship ONCE, at any port, for it to count.


---

On foot missions, because they take more time to complete, could more IMO, reasonably entitle you to share you personal gear,
UNlike ship-registration reasons why your crew should have to have ships of their own?

On foot missions / CZs, could also have stronger responses to your crew being with you - security could call-in more reserves / reinforcements,
and at CZs, counter-player special-AI could arrive, a bit like how Omni-Pol are stronger / better tactically trained. IMO they should already be arriving at them.

My point is there are many aspects of the game where these NPCs/Crew members could be employed and FDev should allow us to use them on something other than just fly a SLF.

 

[CMDR Tod Quiller]

1. Even if the NPCs on these quests only worked while we were logged in and actively playing it still seems to much like automation which is something that the devs seem to be against.

2. The reason we can only have one active NPC pilot out flying our SLF is that more was considered over powered, this would be much worse.

Having more that one active NPC crew member in an SLF would be fun though.
Why would it be overpowered? You're Paying for their services. It's about strategy.

 

[CMDR Tod Quiller]

Good morning! These are some suggestions for the current NPCs we hire that so far have almost zero actual reason to exist based on features found in other games:

1. Allow us to send the hired crew members (NPCs) on material gathering "quests" using our owned ships and we'd choose the material type. Then the ships/NPCs would "return" after a while (24h maybe) with a sort of materials that could range from Guardian/Thargoid to Raw/Encoded/Manuffatured including "on-foot" mats. During this time the NPCs and selected ships would be "locked" from being used by the player and the chance of success would depend on NPCs ranks and ship rating (according to ship class and internals). To spice things up a bit, the chance of success for Guardian and Thargoid mats would be rather low and you'd have to send all of your 3 Elite NPCs in iCutter/Corvette/Anaconda for it to have a 80% chance of being successful. (The "NPC Expedition" could be canceled at any time and your ships/crew would be available at the departuring point after a short while but by doing so you'd be forfeiting any expedition rewards);

2. Up to now, our NPCs can only fly our own ships if we go on the fighter ourselves... please, consider allowing us to "wing up" with our NPC crew members, each flying one of the stored ships we select to support us on incursions into Thargoid space and other dangerous tasks. The procedure for NPCs to fly these ships already existis, also the interface to select "commands" to engage/retreat/etc is already designed... and to prevent ganking, NPCs would not take orders to open fire against other players. The risk of losing big money is very much increased and the reward also!


Please, feel free to add your own suggestions to where might me possible to employ our NPC crew members... they already take a huge cut on whatever money we make!

I always wondered why we were never allowed to wing up with Allied NPC's. It'd even be better as we are commanders and we could give orders in CZ and AXCZ.
Though I'd rather do that with SLF's too.

 

[Koben]

I always wondered why we were never allowed to wing up with Allied NPC's. It'd even be better as we are commanders and we could give orders in CZ and AXCZ.
Though I'd rather do that with SLF's too.

You can still give them "orders" using the middle panel if your NPC is flying either SLF or your ship... the suggestion is to use this existing mechanics and have your NPC flying one of your ships as a wing member. As we have 3 "vaccancies" to hire NPCs, it'd be nice to have them being assigned to both CREW AND WING members if so you'd choose!

Please, FDev!! Make it happen!!!

 

[CMDR Tod Quiller]

You can still give them "orders" using the middle panel if your NPC is flying either SLF or your ship... the suggestion is to use this existing mechanics and have your NPC flying one of your ships as a wing member. As we have 3 "vaccancies" to hire NPCs, it'd be nice to have them being assigned to both CREW AND WING members if so you'd choose!

Please, FDev!! Make it happen!!!

Honestly I'd only want it to my SLF's 2 at the same time would be perfect as one at a time is dull and very underpowered. Specially in AX combats as I use Guardian SLF's.
But I get the point.