Ehhh I mean being able to hire NPC teammates a la the same mechanics as the crew lounge isn't a bad option? But it should be an option, not a requirement or completely imbalanced advantage. I kind of like being able to work alone when I want to (which is most of the time). If the game were balanced around multiplayer as a requirement, and NPC teammates are a necessity to get things done alone, I feel like that'd lessen the game.
i don't think he meant it would have to be only- AI ... i think he was just pointing out that adding the revive ability, would be able to ALSO, be used, in COMBINATION, with hired NPCs, alonng with whatever-other things were added to that if it were implimented.
i think more challenging group missions , WHEN you already have, a team of NPCs, would be a cool addition too, healing probably should come as a part of something like that, otherwise it would be a massive dissapointment, when some bug , or accident, or stray grenade or something, kills you in the middle of a team-mission, and you have to re-start all the way back at the port.
BUT ... it should only work, if your team can survive, the rest of the combat, if there is one ... or hazard, if all of your team is also exposed ,
so say,
1 You've hired a team, to take on some difficult group-missions, (doesn't matter if players or NPCs)
You get them equipped, ( that makes USE of all those spare suits we have lying around )
Get them on board your chosen ship ( with enough seats (again, doesn't matter if other players or NPCs ))
You goto the mission destination, scout it out, attack the base's defenders, do the mission...
... BUT, then on the way back ... you hadn't disabled the ground-turrets at the base ... and it pecks you off UNlike your teammates.
Q. Should you be able to start from being healed, or should it ASSUME that your NPCs would not be able to revive you, and all die automatically?
What-if they could've survived it, healed you quickly, and you could've done a runner to your ship, or at least one of you, backtrack around the turret, disable it, whle the other 3 are healing each other, or dragging each other behind cover etc? (where that possible)
After you'd die ... it'd be FAIR, to let the AI behaviour attempt to do whatever it should - if you die, that'd then be use a meditkit to revive you - if you weren't being shot at momentarily, you might be able to make it back to the base, disable the turrets ... thank you very much!
Whereas if it just blacked out ... you're back at the base ... iamgine how frustrating it would be!
ED can be VERY frustrating from death-bugs, at times - I lost 8000 merits the other day .. 800 kills , at a PP expansion, because a SRV ... counts as a 'vehicle' apprently ... in terms of where the data for all the kills i'd done in my SHIP ... in combat zones ... in SPACE ... supposedly 'should' ... be also kept and LOST ... in an SRV.
at times, the dev.s make some shockingly stupid decisions like that, (you can die on FOOT, by comparison, as many times as you want, and NOT lose, your merits )
.
NOT allowing NPCs, while other human players COULD heal you with a medikit ... would just make an unneccessary complication / unfair-refusal ... when in realism terms, and ... mmm ... equitable or equivalent terms ... the same risks / hazards / difficulties ... SHOULD REWARD ... players, in the same way.
Definately, i say. 100% agree.
programming behaviour, of AI, though , can mean lots of repeitive testing , of their choices, like ;
when does character-class TYPE 1, level 4, collect ammo?
when does character-class TYPE 2, level 1, collect a medikit?
when does character-class TYPE 3, stay-behind cover and-NOT collect ammo?
its a bit of a nightmare, trying to make programming for all situations, i imagine that would be their main barrier to doing it at all - having them use medikits would be a tiny aspect of a massive job, by comparison.
