Forums » Suggestions
First, grats for implementing the long request for more ships in space, around the stations. Thumbs up! Everywhere seems more alive now, with incoming traffic, than when we only had two lonely guards...
Next it can be improvedby:
1. All stations:
1.1. ADD departing ships/ small voys, Launch from station && go away (NEW)
1.2. Fewer incoming ships (Spawn in sector && dock), to balance out departing ones
1.3. Randomize the faction for incoming traffic, within bounds, as no incoming Axia on Valent Stations, or Itani/Serco. Probably draw from a list of 3 "closer" factions. (NEW, edit)
2. Capitals and Barracks stations:
Add a "permanent" military-class capships (Teradon/HAC) around capitals & barracks station. Just make them drift near station, or even parked is OK, With a small escort wing circulating it, if not so hard, only few waypoints, or "defend NPC" mode.
3. Diversify the Station Guard.
More than 2 Station Guards on most stations, up to 12 around nation's capitals. Leave two guards only in smaller stations, and a single one in smallest outposts. Keep Barracks with 4+.
Preferably use different ships per nations, as Valks, Proms and WTD for nations...
4* Border Guard: A capship and its escort wing inside Nations borders. Similar to a smaller War Convoy. Add life to now empty borders (later can be used against contraband).
Remaining space can remain empty... but stations sectors will feel alive like that, adding diversity and relating defense forces to station size and role!
Next it can be improvedby:
1. All stations:
1.1. ADD departing ships/ small voys, Launch from station && go away (NEW)
1.2. Fewer incoming ships (Spawn in sector && dock), to balance out departing ones
1.3. Randomize the faction for incoming traffic, within bounds, as no incoming Axia on Valent Stations, or Itani/Serco. Probably draw from a list of 3 "closer" factions. (NEW, edit)
2. Capitals and Barracks stations:
Add a "permanent" military-class capships (Teradon/HAC) around capitals & barracks station. Just make them drift near station, or even parked is OK, With a small escort wing circulating it, if not so hard, only few waypoints, or "defend NPC" mode.
3. Diversify the Station Guard.
More than 2 Station Guards on most stations, up to 12 around nation's capitals. Leave two guards only in smaller stations, and a single one in smallest outposts. Keep Barracks with 4+.
Preferably use different ships per nations, as Valks, Proms and WTD for nations...
4* Border Guard: A capship and its escort wing inside Nations borders. Similar to a smaller War Convoy. Add life to now empty borders (later can be used against contraband).
Remaining space can remain empty... but stations sectors will feel alive like that, adding diversity and relating defense forces to station size and role!
[edit: moved the philosophical mish-mosh to another thread, so as not to disrupt this one; http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/15/26986 ]
As far as I can tell, the traffic in VO is "real" within the context of the game world.
/2c
As far as I can tell, the traffic in VO is "real" within the context of the game world.
/2c
It's not "real" within the context of the game world either since they carry no cargo and come from nowhere.
#4 already exists with the SMV Nemesis and it's fighter escort. Maybe expand on that?
How about NPC mining ships that undock from mining stations, zap roids for a while then dock again? NPC beams don't heat anything up, and ore prices are so low it's not worth farming them for drops.
#4 already exists with the SMV Nemesis and it's fighter escort. Maybe expand on that?
How about NPC mining ships that undock from mining stations, zap roids for a while then dock again? NPC beams don't heat anything up, and ore prices are so low it's not worth farming them for drops.
Oh. I see where the real vs. fake thing started.
A couple of games make the NPCs lives purposeful.
Take The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. (Just because I haven't played Skyrim yet)
A lot of the NPCs there have a home, they live there, they get up, go to work at their shop or guard post or whatnot, then they go back after their day is done. Sometimes they make detours on the way there or the way back. Their schedule is like clockwork, and they paths that they take are the SAME ones every day, but it's pretty realistic. If you kill them, at home, at the shop, or walking around, they're dead and the shop is closed.
I heartily like the idea of persistent NPC's Something like this:
Let's say "*Prakis Voto" gets up every morning for his 2nd shift work duty in Pelatus. He's a Xith miner because he lost his leg in a tragic racing accident in the Sedina tubes a few years ago. He launches his mining behemoth at 14:30 Server time and goes to a random non-bot sector in pelatus and mines xith until his hold is full, jettisoning everything else. He then returns to the station and unloads, only to do it again until his shift is over at 21:30 Server time. On weekends he's been known to take a Cent out from pelatus and hang around the racing tubes, watching racers. He never races, though. If shot at, he runs away and does not engage.
I realize that generating thousands of little profiles like these would be a huge waste of time for the Devs, but for the PCC it might be kinda neat. If there were persistent NPC characters/names, we could probably do it today with the people in PCC.
A couple of games make the NPCs lives purposeful.
Take The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. (Just because I haven't played Skyrim yet)
A lot of the NPCs there have a home, they live there, they get up, go to work at their shop or guard post or whatnot, then they go back after their day is done. Sometimes they make detours on the way there or the way back. Their schedule is like clockwork, and they paths that they take are the SAME ones every day, but it's pretty realistic. If you kill them, at home, at the shop, or walking around, they're dead and the shop is closed.
I heartily like the idea of persistent NPC's Something like this:
Let's say "*Prakis Voto" gets up every morning for his 2nd shift work duty in Pelatus. He's a Xith miner because he lost his leg in a tragic racing accident in the Sedina tubes a few years ago. He launches his mining behemoth at 14:30 Server time and goes to a random non-bot sector in pelatus and mines xith until his hold is full, jettisoning everything else. He then returns to the station and unloads, only to do it again until his shift is over at 21:30 Server time. On weekends he's been known to take a Cent out from pelatus and hang around the racing tubes, watching racers. He never races, though. If shot at, he runs away and does not engage.
I realize that generating thousands of little profiles like these would be a huge waste of time for the Devs, but for the PCC it might be kinda neat. If there were persistent NPC characters/names, we could probably do it today with the people in PCC.
Leebs... you really need to give Skyrim a try. Just clear your schedule for a couple months and dive in. Though it maintains the ES approach to NPCs -- even moreso, in so far as certain game-generated events can result in the deaths of valuable (but non-essential) NPCs without you doing anything.
Yeah, I really like it when a game gives its NPCs a daily routine. Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town did that too. Though sadly you couldn't murder them like you can in the Elder Scroll games. But it was still fun stalking people to see what their routines were and everything.
If VO did something like that, it would have to use a random person generator so that it could automatically repopulate after people like me fly through and murder everybody for the heck of it. But on a delay, so that for a while after a mass murdering the population would be low.
If VO did something like that, it would have to use a random person generator so that it could automatically repopulate after people like me fly through and murder everybody for the heck of it. But on a delay, so that for a while after a mass murdering the population would be low.
unrats!
@ARF: #4 already exists with the SMV Nemesis and it's fighter escort. Maybe expand on that?
Aren't you confusing 2 and 4 ?
#2 exists only in Sol2, or very few stations now, but should be in every Nation's capitals and Barracks stations. You allways expect to see some Navy ships nearby or inside Navy bases, instead of two lonely patrol boats...
#4 is new, there's nothing like that yet in (Serco, UIT, Itani)/Gray borders... you enter a nation, there is the Border Guard. They can start simply hanging there doing nothing as a start, only reacting to attacks.
About miners, the logic exists and your request is simple... but much more complex... Probably faster add them later
@Kierky:
I'd love to see unrats, and more active "permanent" NPCs as traders, miners, etc... but I tried to keep as simple as possible, no NEW logic required... all the above uses existing logics: Park, Drift, Dock or Go Away.
Same KISS principle above rules out the "permanent NPCs", despite I'd love to see them around...
Aren't you confusing 2 and 4 ?
#2 exists only in Sol2, or very few stations now, but should be in every Nation's capitals and Barracks stations. You allways expect to see some Navy ships nearby or inside Navy bases, instead of two lonely patrol boats...
#4 is new, there's nothing like that yet in (Serco, UIT, Itani)/Gray borders... you enter a nation, there is the Border Guard. They can start simply hanging there doing nothing as a start, only reacting to attacks.
About miners, the logic exists and your request is simple... but much more complex... Probably faster add them later
@Kierky:
I'd love to see unrats, and more active "permanent" NPCs as traders, miners, etc... but I tried to keep as simple as possible, no NEW logic required... all the above uses existing logics: Park, Drift, Dock or Go Away.
Same KISS principle above rules out the "permanent NPCs", despite I'd love to see them around...
Unrats, and a series of missions involving them, already exist. They were only removed because apparently they made Gray too much of a pain for moth-flying trader pansies (and those who whined about not being able to hang out at Gray WHs safely).
Alloh, No I'm not confusing the two. SMV Nemesis patrols between Sol II then guards the border at Geira O-4 for a while before patrolling back. It's got a fighter escort and even responds if you hail it.
SMV Nemesis patrols between Sol2 and Deneb border. What about grayspace borders? Can't the enemy come from there? And what would happens if enemy attack on Deneb border happens when it left GR?
#2 would be make more named capships like SMV Nemesis with its escort, but "tie" one to each Nation Capitals and major Barracks, and a smaller, unnamed Trident and more stations guards to all other barracks.
#4 is border guard, static in nations' border facing grayspace, to make it feel "militarized" and defended, what requires being allways populated. A Connie in UIT borders, and HAC/Teradon in Serco/Itani borders. The cappie is no real treat to agile ships, while unlike War Convoy, its fighters can be in "defend NPC (capship)" until later we implement the border guard logic. It is dull that when you enter a nation in state of war and there is no one but a few automated turrets... Just adding the capship and figthers parked there will add a lot to realism. Even if a "fake" border guard...
#2 would be make more named capships like SMV Nemesis with its escort, but "tie" one to each Nation Capitals and major Barracks, and a smaller, unnamed Trident and more stations guards to all other barracks.
#4 is border guard, static in nations' border facing grayspace, to make it feel "militarized" and defended, what requires being allways populated. A Connie in UIT borders, and HAC/Teradon in Serco/Itani borders. The cappie is no real treat to agile ships, while unlike War Convoy, its fighters can be in "defend NPC (capship)" until later we implement the border guard logic. It is dull that when you enter a nation in state of war and there is no one but a few automated turrets... Just adding the capship and figthers parked there will add a lot to realism. Even if a "fake" border guard...
Hhmmm That Connie parked outside Corvus Capital is a sort of reply to this post?
Cool! Just hope it is a feature, not an accident...
Cool! Just hope it is a feature, not an accident...
Just some thoughts on the "believability" of the new 'voys that abound. Why are they ALWAYS the same faction as the station they're arriving at? Does XX only transport stuff to other XX stations? Corvus only to Corvus stations, etc? And why do I never see them leave from anywhere?
Mix them up a bit. Have XX arrive at (or leave from) Corvus rather than ANOTHER Corvus 'voy.
Also, +1 to varying station guards at varying station types etc.
Another +1 for mining teams that head out to mine... but why not let their beams heat the roids? Gives a good reason for competition to get the good/cool roids and/or reason to hunt them (farming or elimination competition for the same resources). This will also increase NPC traffic diversity.
Dent.
Mix them up a bit. Have XX arrive at (or leave from) Corvus rather than ANOTHER Corvus 'voy.
Also, +1 to varying station guards at varying station types etc.
Another +1 for mining teams that head out to mine... but why not let their beams heat the roids? Gives a good reason for competition to get the good/cool roids and/or reason to hunt them (farming or elimination competition for the same resources). This will also increase NPC traffic diversity.
Dent.
A couple guesses. First, this is probably just a very quickly implemented test state to make sure the added load on the production server doesn't cause any problems, and to see if the greatly increased number of observers note any bugs the devs missed. I expect they'll make it fancier later once they're more sure of it. Second, the devs were probably trying to reduce the server impact by not having these convoys travel across the universe, which uses more resources than spawning some bots in the station sector IFF a human is present.
I made similar guesses regarding the 'voys traveling across the galaxy, and I don't think they really need to do so, but having the local faction only spawn, and only having arrivals stretches credibility a bit.
All I'm suggesting is mix up the factions a bit and have some 'voys undock and leave as well as the arrivals.
Dent.
All I'm suggesting is mix up the factions a bit and have some 'voys undock and leave as well as the arrivals.
Dent.
You are forgetting that if you are within 1km of a ship when it warps out, you can see where it went. Having the ships warp out but not show up in the next sector would be worse than not having them leave at all.
I do agree about the local faction thing though, in the current implementation.
But overall, I'd rather there not be fake convoys. Change them to miners like other people said.
I do agree about the local faction thing though, in the current implementation.
But overall, I'd rather there not be fake convoys. Change them to miners like other people said.
Another idea to make things more interesting would be to have service crew for capships undock from stations, dock with capships, then move their cargo back to the station when a convoy with a capship arrives at a station that can't dock one.
This would be a huge improvement over just having the darn thing warp out into nowheresville.
This would be a huge improvement over just having the darn thing warp out into nowheresville.
@ARF:
I have suggestedted that before, a few times, while dealing with spread convoys and general improvements for convoys. That is really a need... now a capship in a convoy never really delivers its cargo, it simply get to station sector and go away, with cargo... And the loading stage is a perfect "convoy formation" stage, that would avoid the spread convoy when capship is present.
And also that stupid "the convoy departs when you launch" thing... Convoys should be a sort of mini-events, starting at given timeframe, with or without players to escort it.
But that surely deserves its own topic, doesn't?
I have suggestedted that before, a few times, while dealing with spread convoys and general improvements for convoys. That is really a need... now a capship in a convoy never really delivers its cargo, it simply get to station sector and go away, with cargo... And the loading stage is a perfect "convoy formation" stage, that would avoid the spread convoy when capship is present.
And also that stupid "the convoy departs when you launch" thing... Convoys should be a sort of mini-events, starting at given timeframe, with or without players to escort it.
But that surely deserves its own topic, doesn't?
I agree with Alloh, convoys should depart regardless of whether a player is willing to escort them or not. As a frequent hunter of npc voys, I found it quite annoying to pop an incoming ship only to find it was empty, especially when I have to then run from the NFZ because they were close to the station. Also, in order to have any chance at loot I have to start the escort myself, then kill the things I'm escorting, with no punishment in terms of faction standing or creds. That seems a little messed up, don't you think?
The solution is to have escorts start regardless, so that players don't have to pop the very voy they are escorting...
The solution is to have escorts start regardless, so that players don't have to pop the very voy they are escorting...
Convoys do eventually leave on their own if nobody takes their mission. Or at least, real unmanned convoys do eventually leave. I don't know for sure whether they correspond to actual listings on the boards. But they're just as real as the ones you can escort - they have loot, they go places, they get stuck, etc.