Scripted Missions with Set Pieces

[Kourg]

I think some instanced, scripted missions with giant set pieces would be cool. Like you fly out to a small space station, fight a few waves of frigates and fighters, then a larger boss ship comes out, you defeat it, and then maybe you have to take on the station itself. Maybe take out the defences, doc and infiltrate, or blow the core reactor, or something like this. Throw in Coms chatter, lights, and some alerts. Super tense and exciting. Team up with your friends, earn some creds, and get some loot.

I'm not sure about the instanced part of this plan but it's all do'able. The assets exist and I think missions like these would be more interesting and visually appealing than just flying out to an USS and shooting a few ships.

What do you think? Would anyone else like to play missions like this. What ideas could you come up with that should be fairly simple to implement in the existing game?

 

[Hydrino]

I think some instanced, scripted missions with giant set pieces would be cool. Like you fly out to a small space station, fight a few waves of frigates and fighters, then a larger boss ship comes out, you defeat it, and then maybe you have to take on the station itself. Maybe take out the defences, doc and infiltrate, or blow the core reactor, or something like this. Throw in Coms chatter, lights, and some alerts. Super tense and exciting. Team up with your friends, earn some creds, and get some loot.

I'm not sure about the instanced part of this plan but it's all do'able. The assets exist and I think missions like these would be more interesting and visually appealing than just flying out to an USS and shooting a few ships.

What do you think? Would anyone else like to play missions like this. What ideas could you come up with that should be fairly simple to implement in the existing game?

I have suggested (in the past) that FD should at least try this.

However, I think we are not likely to see it as it is not the type of game FD is building and they frequently say "but everyone cannot "save the princess", because this is a shared galaxy with millions of players". To which I say "rubbish". Create "dungeon instances" and let everyone follow some scripted events similar to the training scenarios.

But, recognize this would be a lot of work and not really aligned with the game as MMO sandbox.

One day when it is all built out to include walking on Earth-likes I think FD would be crazy not to produce a Single-player game set in the ED galaxy with a "player as hero" storyline. Only time will tell.

There may be other ways for FD to achieve missions that "feel" more like this. I just don't know how technically or financially feasible they are. For example, by accessing the commander log (or capturing and storing only select player log events on an FD server), then creating a persistent NPC that could have some small history with the commander and procedurally generated missions based on the data stored in the log files being re-used and expanded in new mission templates. FD mentioned this as a goal ages ago as "Tier 2 NPC", but it is a goal they might not be able to achieve.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

I will only support scripted missions when it is proven that a fully fleshed out system-using the current mechanics-cannot achieve the level of variety that scripted missions can. Indeed, I believe that a fully fledged procedural generated mission system can create more ongoing variety than scripted missions ever can.

 

[Madrax573]

Sounds identical to EVE's mission system... And that is a major down point.

The big problem with it is that after a couple of shots it's just another boring grind where you hunt the triggers for the next section etc and shoot bad guys again.

I'd love some form of 'dynamic' mission system etc but it's one of the hardest things to implement in an online game.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

Sounds identical to EVE's mission system... And that is a major down point.

The big problem with it is that after a couple of shots it's just another boring grind where you hunt the triggers for the next section etc and shoot bad guys again.

I'd love some form of 'dynamic' mission system etc but it's one of the hardest things to implement in an online game.

They're getting pretty close, if you ask me. Once they truly "take off the gloves" in relation to wrinkles & follow-ons, & better tie mission text into the BGS & Faction Type, then I think we could be on to something.