I'm sure this is already discussed at length, elsewhere on the forums. I don't care, I haven't seen any threads with this scenario so they don't exist, that said:
I'm holding out hope that they'll give those of us who hate playing with other humans NPC wingmates.
As a mater of fact, I'm hoping that when we get space legs we'll be able to start interacting with NPCs in station and build relationships that eventually lead to NPC wingman, paid or volunteer or both. This got me thinking, how will we interact with the NPCs? This, of course, brings into question how you're going to build the first person shooter aspect of the game. There's a number of choices available for this, based on the RPG/FPS level up model. I'd like to propose a different approach.
CMDRs are given a core set of "personality/aptitude" points. This points are spent once and can be distributed among the typical things, intelligence, personality, strength, dexterity, etc. They will affect various skills (i.e. full points in dexterity gives you rock steady aiming, running and jumping, hand to hand skillz; 0 points to intelligence gives you very few dialogue options when interacting with NPCs other than, yell, grunt, punch face, drool or say me hungry)
These atributes would be fixed, you can't improve them, however there would be another set of "experience points" that could go to increase various skills. If you shoot a gun a lot, you'll get points that affect weapon handling (steadier aim, faster reload, more complicated weapon systems) but the base dexterity would limit how much improvement could be realized. Same for talking to folks (points could be put towards charisma or shrewdness thus opening different dialogue paths, but intelligence would anchor how much improvement could be attained). You could go a step further and have these skills degrade with lack of use (but there should be a limit to how far they'll degrade, as with real life, one you learn something, you might get rusty, but you'll never fall all the way back to being a noob, you'd also recoup lost skill quickly).
Furthermore, they'red be no limit to the number of points you could accrue in a given area, but due to the base personality/aptitude point distribution there would be a limit to how much benefit you'd get with continually adding points to a skill, i.e. low dexterity will always leave some personal weapon jitter, even if you get your level over 9000.
This said, I think there could (and should) be an in-game reset option. It could be handled by having certain "seedy" starports where you go, rent an exorbitantly priced resort suit and drink yourself into oblivion on Lavian Brandy (so it's expensive) and you'll wake up 12 to 24 hours later (real time, so it's inconvenient and people won't be doing it all the time) with "no memory" but still have your stuff, as you go through it you're "reminded" of who you are, this mechanic would let you change your base personality/aptitude. Furthermore, everyone would find out about it and you'd be shunned by your NPC social network and have to start over with that too (CMDR, you've changed, how could you do that, I hate you now, leave me alone x forever! etc.)
Then you can have gameplay along the lines of this (with intelligence and experience giving more or fewer dialogue choices):
You could walk into a bar, start conversations with NPCs. Some might be happy, some might have problems they need help with:
Dejected spacer in a worn flight suit drinking at the bar, you walk up, "Why the long face?"
Spacer: "Pa's mining operation is being harassed by pirates of the blue ball clan, I need a wingman to help
You: a) let me buy you a drink, b) tell me about it, c) you're a wimp, solve it yourself
Spacer: a) thanks! --> few drinks later, Please help! I'll do anything!
Spacer: b) I really don't want to bother you with my troubles --> more dialogue --> what do you say, CMDR, will you help?
Spacer: c) you're right! --> leaves, some time later you get interdicted by the spacer's dad who rages at you for pushing his child into a suicidal mission and you fight for your life.
A or B or C will lead to a series of missions:
A&B) 1st defend the mining operation win or lose would lead to more options, maybe go on the offensive, or take up "residence for a few days/weeks and fly defense or go on the offence and recon the pirate base which would lead to more options:
Plot an assassination of the pirate lord or infiltrate and destroy the base with well placed explosives, maybe both?
Mission arc over, possible outcomes:
1. if you help for pay, you get their gratitude and a cordial relationship, plus a new trading hub.
2. if you volunteer up front you have a friendly base (stop in from time to time and they'll give you mined cargo, you could even enlist their help in mining CGs)
3. if you play your cards right maybe even an NPC that's grateful and will help you out in the future: you, "Hey buddy, remember when... Now i need your help, will you fly with me", grateful spacer, "after what you did, anything! wanna get married?, let's go shoot things!"
4. the family clan is just using you and you can plot they're undoing by going to another bar and talking up pilots to help you attack the ingrates and show them the old pirate lord was a benevolent friend compared to you're unholy fury.
C) search the wreckage of the spacer's dad's ship, find information about the pirate gang --> go join the pirates!
I realize this would be a tremendous amount of work, and in fact, would be a completely separate game, for all practical purposes, but wouldn't it be amazing!
I'm holding out hope that they'll give those of us who hate playing with other humans NPC wingmates.
As a mater of fact, I'm hoping that when we get space legs we'll be able to start interacting with NPCs in station and build relationships that eventually lead to NPC wingman, paid or volunteer or both. This got me thinking, how will we interact with the NPCs? This, of course, brings into question how you're going to build the first person shooter aspect of the game. There's a number of choices available for this, based on the RPG/FPS level up model. I'd like to propose a different approach.
CMDRs are given a core set of "personality/aptitude" points. This points are spent once and can be distributed among the typical things, intelligence, personality, strength, dexterity, etc. They will affect various skills (i.e. full points in dexterity gives you rock steady aiming, running and jumping, hand to hand skillz; 0 points to intelligence gives you very few dialogue options when interacting with NPCs other than, yell, grunt, punch face, drool or say me hungry)
These atributes would be fixed, you can't improve them, however there would be another set of "experience points" that could go to increase various skills. If you shoot a gun a lot, you'll get points that affect weapon handling (steadier aim, faster reload, more complicated weapon systems) but the base dexterity would limit how much improvement could be realized. Same for talking to folks (points could be put towards charisma or shrewdness thus opening different dialogue paths, but intelligence would anchor how much improvement could be attained). You could go a step further and have these skills degrade with lack of use (but there should be a limit to how far they'll degrade, as with real life, one you learn something, you might get rusty, but you'll never fall all the way back to being a noob, you'd also recoup lost skill quickly).
Furthermore, they'red be no limit to the number of points you could accrue in a given area, but due to the base personality/aptitude point distribution there would be a limit to how much benefit you'd get with continually adding points to a skill, i.e. low dexterity will always leave some personal weapon jitter, even if you get your level over 9000.
This said, I think there could (and should) be an in-game reset option. It could be handled by having certain "seedy" starports where you go, rent an exorbitantly priced resort suit and drink yourself into oblivion on Lavian Brandy (so it's expensive) and you'll wake up 12 to 24 hours later (real time, so it's inconvenient and people won't be doing it all the time) with "no memory" but still have your stuff, as you go through it you're "reminded" of who you are, this mechanic would let you change your base personality/aptitude. Furthermore, everyone would find out about it and you'd be shunned by your NPC social network and have to start over with that too (CMDR, you've changed, how could you do that, I hate you now, leave me alone x forever! etc.)
Then you can have gameplay along the lines of this (with intelligence and experience giving more or fewer dialogue choices):
You could walk into a bar, start conversations with NPCs. Some might be happy, some might have problems they need help with:
Dejected spacer in a worn flight suit drinking at the bar, you walk up, "Why the long face?"
Spacer: "Pa's mining operation is being harassed by pirates of the blue ball clan, I need a wingman to help
You: a) let me buy you a drink, b) tell me about it, c) you're a wimp, solve it yourself
Spacer: a) thanks! --> few drinks later, Please help! I'll do anything!
Spacer: b) I really don't want to bother you with my troubles --> more dialogue --> what do you say, CMDR, will you help?
Spacer: c) you're right! --> leaves, some time later you get interdicted by the spacer's dad who rages at you for pushing his child into a suicidal mission and you fight for your life.
A or B or C will lead to a series of missions:
A&B) 1st defend the mining operation win or lose would lead to more options, maybe go on the offensive, or take up "residence for a few days/weeks and fly defense or go on the offence and recon the pirate base which would lead to more options:
Plot an assassination of the pirate lord or infiltrate and destroy the base with well placed explosives, maybe both?
Mission arc over, possible outcomes:
1. if you help for pay, you get their gratitude and a cordial relationship, plus a new trading hub.
2. if you volunteer up front you have a friendly base (stop in from time to time and they'll give you mined cargo, you could even enlist their help in mining CGs)
3. if you play your cards right maybe even an NPC that's grateful and will help you out in the future: you, "Hey buddy, remember when... Now i need your help, will you fly with me", grateful spacer, "after what you did, anything! wanna get married?, let's go shoot things!"
4. the family clan is just using you and you can plot they're undoing by going to another bar and talking up pilots to help you attack the ingrates and show them the old pirate lord was a benevolent friend compared to you're unholy fury.
C) search the wreckage of the spacer's dad's ship, find information about the pirate gang --> go join the pirates!
I realize this would be a tremendous amount of work, and in fact, would be a completely separate game, for all practical purposes, but wouldn't it be amazing!
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