Forums » Suggestions
NPC Characters
There's really not a lot going on in space most of the time. Aside from the very occasional sighting of that rarest of animals, the player, or an NPC convoy, space is pretty empty. I'd like to propose some ideas to increase the number of encounters in space.
1: The most obvious is NPC Pirates. I'd imagine them being spawned in at Corvus stations across greyspace, and wandering around through wormholes attacking NPC convoys and players. If you have a bounty on your head, the pirates might not attack you (50/50). Occasionally you might see an exceptionally tough pirate with a prom or a valk, or you might run into a small gang of pirates. If you have a bounty license, when you kill a pirate you are paid some credits to reflect the bounty the pirate had on their head. It would be very cool to enter a sector and see a band of NPC pirates attacking an NPC convoy with a Constellation, or something similar.
2: Miners. There should be NPCs who leave from mining stations and fly out to otherwise empty asteroid belts to mine, then return to the station with a full cargo hold. This might be a great way to make a profit for the pirates out there, as they could attack a mining NPC with a full hold. The sectors a Mining NPC can visit should be restricted to prevent them from impinging on actual player mining operations. Perhaps you might occasionally run into high-level NPC miners with a fighter escort.
3: Traders. There should be NPC traders who fly around the galaxy from one station to the next with valuable goods, trading cargos and then moving on. Again, high level traders might have fighter escorts.
4: Bounty Hunters. These NPCs would look for Pirate NPCs and attack them. They would also attack players with bounties on their heads. You might occasionally see tougher bounty hunters with Proms or Valks, but I doubt you would see them in large groups. These would only be around Greyspace.
5: Strike Force Patrols. Let's have SF groups fly around nation space as a general rule. If they see someone being criminal, or encounter an NPC pirate, or someone with a bounty on their head, they attack them. These would always be groups of normal SF npcs, and they would only be in Nation Space.
6: Bot Hunters. These would attack the static hive bots that appear in Nation Space, but only in certain sectors to avoid impinging on player botting too much. They would set out from a station, kill some bots, then head back to the station. They'd always appear in small groups.
Imagine if we had all of this activity going on in game! It would make things a LOT more interesting and immersive. Two final notes;
All bots should be given randomly generated names, preceeded by either "Captain" (for traders, miners, botters, and pirates) or Strike Force or Bounty Hunter (both obvious). For example, you might run into *Captain John Bergman.
All bots should be given a group-specific, generalized hail to use as a response when hailed. For example, if you hail *Captain John Bergman, he might respond with "Greetings, captain, I hope your business today is going well." That would be the same hail you'd get if you hailed any other Trader, but if you hailed a SF pilot, he might say "Stay out of trouble, Citizen," or something along those lines. That would be the same standardized hail you'd get from any other SF pilot. This replaces the binary you presently get from hailing a bot. Ideally, someday you could have a short conversation with a bot, to get information or latest rumors or something, but that's outside the realm of this suggestion.
1: The most obvious is NPC Pirates. I'd imagine them being spawned in at Corvus stations across greyspace, and wandering around through wormholes attacking NPC convoys and players. If you have a bounty on your head, the pirates might not attack you (50/50). Occasionally you might see an exceptionally tough pirate with a prom or a valk, or you might run into a small gang of pirates. If you have a bounty license, when you kill a pirate you are paid some credits to reflect the bounty the pirate had on their head. It would be very cool to enter a sector and see a band of NPC pirates attacking an NPC convoy with a Constellation, or something similar.
2: Miners. There should be NPCs who leave from mining stations and fly out to otherwise empty asteroid belts to mine, then return to the station with a full cargo hold. This might be a great way to make a profit for the pirates out there, as they could attack a mining NPC with a full hold. The sectors a Mining NPC can visit should be restricted to prevent them from impinging on actual player mining operations. Perhaps you might occasionally run into high-level NPC miners with a fighter escort.
3: Traders. There should be NPC traders who fly around the galaxy from one station to the next with valuable goods, trading cargos and then moving on. Again, high level traders might have fighter escorts.
4: Bounty Hunters. These NPCs would look for Pirate NPCs and attack them. They would also attack players with bounties on their heads. You might occasionally see tougher bounty hunters with Proms or Valks, but I doubt you would see them in large groups. These would only be around Greyspace.
5: Strike Force Patrols. Let's have SF groups fly around nation space as a general rule. If they see someone being criminal, or encounter an NPC pirate, or someone with a bounty on their head, they attack them. These would always be groups of normal SF npcs, and they would only be in Nation Space.
6: Bot Hunters. These would attack the static hive bots that appear in Nation Space, but only in certain sectors to avoid impinging on player botting too much. They would set out from a station, kill some bots, then head back to the station. They'd always appear in small groups.
Imagine if we had all of this activity going on in game! It would make things a LOT more interesting and immersive. Two final notes;
All bots should be given randomly generated names, preceeded by either "Captain" (for traders, miners, botters, and pirates) or Strike Force or Bounty Hunter (both obvious). For example, you might run into *Captain John Bergman.
All bots should be given a group-specific, generalized hail to use as a response when hailed. For example, if you hail *Captain John Bergman, he might respond with "Greetings, captain, I hope your business today is going well." That would be the same hail you'd get if you hailed any other Trader, but if you hailed a SF pilot, he might say "Stay out of trouble, Citizen," or something along those lines. That would be the same standardized hail you'd get from any other SF pilot. This replaces the binary you presently get from hailing a bot. Ideally, someday you could have a short conversation with a bot, to get information or latest rumors or something, but that's outside the realm of this suggestion.
+1
+1^c...
Additional comments:
1) Make those balance out number of online players. Relates to (4).
2) I see that miners should concentrate around mining stations. That is why those stations are there. So a few near, and a lot of NPC miners mining station sector. Probably 2 bots for each NPC miner.
3) Most carrying basic stuff as food, in buses or revs.
4) When number of unrats grow above number of online players, release those directly.
5) Few sparse inside nation, lots in border systems.
6) -1, since HS missions already does it. Would be redundant.
--
Suggestion:
7) Border Patrol, directly related to (5), but identified as border guards, intercepting all incoming players. Close in and hail pretending to be scanning cargo for contraband. Initially, all better than hated pass with anything.
Make those NPCs restricted to a system would allow better control of server resources, freezing empty systems/sectors with ease.
Great suggestion, brings life to universe.
Additional comments:
1) Make those balance out number of online players. Relates to (4).
2) I see that miners should concentrate around mining stations. That is why those stations are there. So a few near, and a lot of NPC miners mining station sector. Probably 2 bots for each NPC miner.
3) Most carrying basic stuff as food, in buses or revs.
4) When number of unrats grow above number of online players, release those directly.
5) Few sparse inside nation, lots in border systems.
6) -1, since HS missions already does it. Would be redundant.
--
Suggestion:
7) Border Patrol, directly related to (5), but identified as border guards, intercepting all incoming players. Close in and hail pretending to be scanning cargo for contraband. Initially, all better than hated pass with anything.
Make those NPCs restricted to a system would allow better control of server resources, freezing empty systems/sectors with ease.
Great suggestion, brings life to universe.
1) Make those balance out number of online players. Relates to (4).
4) When number of unrats grow above number of online players, release those directly.
That would defeat the purpose of the suggestion. If the number of pirates and bounty hunters were proportionate to the number of players on line, and there were a small number of players on line (which there almost always are), you'd have very few NPC pirates and no bounty hunters, which would mean the change would be basically meaningless.
The number of the NPCs in game should be constant to ensure there is always encounter potential with any number of players, not relative to the number of players.
2) I see that miners should concentrate around mining stations. That is why those stations are there. So a few near, and a lot of NPC miners mining station sector. Probably 2 bots for each NPC miner.
Right, exactly.
3) Most carrying basic stuff as food, in buses or revs.
That seems fair, since the NPC convoys would be better protected and logically would carry the more valuable cargo.
5) Few sparse inside nation, lots in border systems.
Also fair.
6) -1, since HS missions already does it. Would be redundant.
Not really, since this is in nation space and aimed at the static hive. This would make hunting hive in Nation Space (particularly UIT nation space) more immersive.
Suggestion:
7) Border Patrol, directly related to (5), but identified as border guards, intercepting all incoming players. Close in and hail pretending to be scanning cargo for contraband. Initially, all better than hated pass with anything.
That's a good one too. Probably those should be launched from inside nation space, and patrol the grayspace sectors entering into nation space. For the Itani and Serco, if there is an NPC blockade, the Border Patrol NPCs don't go out because they'd get killed.
4) When number of unrats grow above number of online players, release those directly.
That would defeat the purpose of the suggestion. If the number of pirates and bounty hunters were proportionate to the number of players on line, and there were a small number of players on line (which there almost always are), you'd have very few NPC pirates and no bounty hunters, which would mean the change would be basically meaningless.
The number of the NPCs in game should be constant to ensure there is always encounter potential with any number of players, not relative to the number of players.
2) I see that miners should concentrate around mining stations. That is why those stations are there. So a few near, and a lot of NPC miners mining station sector. Probably 2 bots for each NPC miner.
Right, exactly.
3) Most carrying basic stuff as food, in buses or revs.
That seems fair, since the NPC convoys would be better protected and logically would carry the more valuable cargo.
5) Few sparse inside nation, lots in border systems.
Also fair.
6) -1, since HS missions already does it. Would be redundant.
Not really, since this is in nation space and aimed at the static hive. This would make hunting hive in Nation Space (particularly UIT nation space) more immersive.
Suggestion:
7) Border Patrol, directly related to (5), but identified as border guards, intercepting all incoming players. Close in and hail pretending to be scanning cargo for contraband. Initially, all better than hated pass with anything.
That's a good one too. Probably those should be launched from inside nation space, and patrol the grayspace sectors entering into nation space. For the Itani and Serco, if there is an NPC blockade, the Border Patrol NPCs don't go out because they'd get killed.
1+4) My idea was to balance out the numbers, like, fewer players, more "guards", while only unrats when full.
And also save server resources. Do not animate invisible bots...
7) BGs never go outside. They are the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customs]customs[url]. Think of those guards in US-mexico borders checking every car.
Launch from nearest station and patrol WH. Those leaving can be ignored, but anyone entering should be checked.
(When they are ok, we can have contraband...)
And also save server resources. Do not animate invisible bots...
7) BGs never go outside. They are the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customs]customs[url]. Think of those guards in US-mexico borders checking every car.
Launch from nearest station and patrol WH. Those leaving can be ignored, but anyone entering should be checked.
(When they are ok, we can have contraband...)
1: http://vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23591 - related.
+1, OP.
2: +1. Perhaps a few mining low-% rare ores with fighter escorts.
3: +1, but I disagree with Alloh. I think all kinds of trades should be hauling all kinds of goods at all times.
Perhaps, as an addition to this, we could have some smugglers go from UIT -> Itani/Serco with expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders) and would haul uncommon/illegal items. Perhaps some from Odia to Nation Space with Corvus Textiles, or grey to Nation Space with illegal goods.
4: +1, OP.
5: +1. Have occasional clouds of the Observer Strick Force bots fly around wormholes and such.
6: +0.5. HS kinda does this, but some in UIT space and static systems could be neat. A few cents flying with newbs shooting collectors, hehe.
7: +1
+1, OP.
2: +1. Perhaps a few mining low-% rare ores with fighter escorts.
3: +1, but I disagree with Alloh. I think all kinds of trades should be hauling all kinds of goods at all times.
Perhaps, as an addition to this, we could have some smugglers go from UIT -> Itani/Serco with expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders) and would haul uncommon/illegal items. Perhaps some from Odia to Nation Space with Corvus Textiles, or grey to Nation Space with illegal goods.
4: +1, OP.
5: +1. Have occasional clouds of the Observer Strick Force bots fly around wormholes and such.
6: +0.5. HS kinda does this, but some in UIT space and static systems could be neat. A few cents flying with newbs shooting collectors, hehe.
7: +1
@tarenty:
3) Convoys already take valuable goods inter-systems. For me, seems logical that it should be completed with intra-systems transports of basic goods, as food and ores.
But it is not *only* cheap haulers, but most...
3) Convoys already take valuable goods inter-systems. For me, seems logical that it should be completed with intra-systems transports of basic goods, as food and ores.
But it is not *only* cheap haulers, but most...
3: +1, but I disagree with Alloh. I think all kinds of trades should be hauling all kinds of goods at all times.
Perhaps, as an addition to this, we could have some smugglers go from UIT -> Itani/Serco with expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders) and would haul uncommon/illegal items. Perhaps some from Odia to Nation Space with Corvus Textiles, or grey to Nation Space with illegal goods.
That's also a good use of Traders. Maybe we could eventually have different classes of traders, some hauling cheap goods in cheap ships, some hauling valuable cargo in tough, fast ships.
5: +1. Have occasional clouds of the Observer Strike Force bots fly around wormholes and such.
Yeah, that'd be neat.
+1 to the linked idea also.
Perhaps, as an addition to this, we could have some smugglers go from UIT -> Itani/Serco with expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders) and would haul uncommon/illegal items. Perhaps some from Odia to Nation Space with Corvus Textiles, or grey to Nation Space with illegal goods.
That's also a good use of Traders. Maybe we could eventually have different classes of traders, some hauling cheap goods in cheap ships, some hauling valuable cargo in tough, fast ships.
5: +1. Have occasional clouds of the Observer Strike Force bots fly around wormholes and such.
Yeah, that'd be neat.
+1 to the linked idea also.
Alloh, convoys are slightly less than common. I don't see how the occasional convoys we get supply everything. Also:
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23428#291726
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23425#291680
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/22698#282830
Alloh's post ^^
Related ideas.
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23428#291726
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23425#291680
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/22698#282830
Alloh's post ^^
Related ideas.
In terms of adding some life to the universe, having NPCs do pretty much everything players do would be interesting. NPCs mining asteroids around stations, for example, might make a "mining station" actually look like a mining station. Military patrols spawning from "barracks" stations would be interesting. A constant shuffle of trader NPCs bouncing around "commercial stations". Capitol stations should be hotbeds of all activity
This idea is pretty great, I'd love to have that kind of stuff going on. It works well with my OP here, too.
This idea is pretty great, I'd love to have that kind of stuff going on. It works well with my OP here, too.
Tarenty, leave workhorses hauling crap, and make it:
8) smugglers go from gray into nations with illegal, rare or expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders).
Edited from Tarenty's post.
Those would be fun to hunt, even for non-rats. So they should be unaligned. If impossible, at least Corvus...
8) smugglers go from gray into nations with illegal, rare or expensive goods. These smugglers would be in expensive, fast cargo ships (Atlas-X/B, Marauders).
Edited from Tarenty's post.
Those would be fun to hunt, even for non-rats. So they should be unaligned. If impossible, at least Corvus...
"Those would be fun to hunt, even for non-rats."
If some one hunts traders they are in fact pirates. It does not matter if the trader is PC or NPC.
If some one hunts traders they are in fact pirates. It does not matter if the trader is PC or NPC.
Smuggler with illegal cargo <> trader with legal cargo.
doesn't matter if PC or NPC.
doesn't matter if PC or NPC.
"Alloh, convoys are slightly less than common. I don't see how the occasional convoys we get supply everything. "
That just means we need more convoys. anyway, it would be cool to have persistant NPC's that will converse a little, and even grow to like or hate you based upon your previous actions tward them.
That just means we need more convoys. anyway, it would be cool to have persistant NPC's that will converse a little, and even grow to like or hate you based upon your previous actions tward them.
I'm +1 on this suggestion. Space feels very lonely to me too, and I seem able to go quite some way (e.g. into grey space) without encountering anyone or being hassled by pirates etc. It'd be nice if there were a few more people for me to mug as well :-) (e.g. NPC traders).
Yeah. More NPCs would definitely make things more interesting.