Forums » Suggestions
utilize 'group action' instead of direct messages and/or mission interface for NPC/Capship commanding
This was originally a suggestion for an interface through which pilots could command flight wings of NPCs while also allowing a way for NPC 'commanders' to issue requests for support or such in deneb or hive skirmishes; ultimately, my thoughts on everything ended up becoming what i'll split into multiple independent suggestions, but this is where it starts.
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My problem with NPC support in VO currently is that it relies on the mission interface (afaik) for giving commands, which limits both where NPCs can be used, and how they can be commanded en mass. Because (currently, and I think it maybe should remain this way) most missions that would be bothered by group gameplay outright cannot be taken by pilots in a group, this already forms a type of filtering; should a pilot unlock the capability of hiring NPCs (through Orion, building furies, or future possibilities), the missions that allow groups should have few issues with allowing NPCs in pre-existing groups to participate. By allowing NPCs to be managed through a new group interface, the mission used to hire/build/etc the NPCs can be ended and a new mission to be taken. Because NPCs can have more complex commands issued than what single buttons in the mission interface can allow, those NPCs can (provided the pilot issueing the commands be skilled enough to properly manage them) have a potentially bigger impact in fights.
This is a quick mockup of a potential group interface I have in my head. You can see your group members (including NPCs, Capital Ships, and Deployables) on the top left, which also lets you select your target for any /group_action commands you send (if "all" is not selected. unrelated, is there a way to allow multiple line selections in VO iup?). To the right is a list of all Group_actions sent or received in the current group. Below is where you can see your group's chat and add your own to it, or have preset /group_actions pasted from the drop-down menu that I... didn't know where it would look good to place. If elements from the current group interface in the PDA were migrated over, it could be given its own section of the PDA instead of having to share a narrow and relatively uninteractive section with the buddy list.
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My problem with NPC support in VO currently is that it relies on the mission interface (afaik) for giving commands, which limits both where NPCs can be used, and how they can be commanded en mass. Because (currently, and I think it maybe should remain this way) most missions that would be bothered by group gameplay outright cannot be taken by pilots in a group, this already forms a type of filtering; should a pilot unlock the capability of hiring NPCs (through Orion, building furies, or future possibilities), the missions that allow groups should have few issues with allowing NPCs in pre-existing groups to participate. By allowing NPCs to be managed through a new group interface, the mission used to hire/build/etc the NPCs can be ended and a new mission to be taken. Because NPCs can have more complex commands issued than what single buttons in the mission interface can allow, those NPCs can (provided the pilot issueing the commands be skilled enough to properly manage them) have a potentially bigger impact in fights.
This is a quick mockup of a potential group interface I have in my head. You can see your group members (including NPCs, Capital Ships, and Deployables) on the top left, which also lets you select your target for any /group_action commands you send (if "all" is not selected. unrelated, is there a way to allow multiple line selections in VO iup?). To the right is a list of all Group_actions sent or received in the current group. Below is where you can see your group's chat and add your own to it, or have preset /group_actions pasted from the drop-down menu that I... didn't know where it would look good to place. If elements from the current group interface in the PDA were migrated over, it could be given its own section of the PDA instead of having to share a narrow and relatively uninteractive section with the buddy list.