Has anyone ever wondered if there would be player escorting mission? Like for their trading missions or otherwise? I was suggesting that there could be missions for escorting real players to certain sectors so that they can complete their trading mission successfully. And if the player paying the money is a problem then maybe the mission computer could do that. Of course, those computer bots are the ones that keep track of the missions accepted and etc.

Funny that you mention it. Yesterday I was thinking about a group mission where you'd have to escort a slow frigate across a sector full of Furies or something. That would be fun.

Yeah that may be fun, you mean that frigate like the one in sector 16?

That's actually a "Battle Crusier". The devs said it's the biggest ship ever planned for release, and that Frigates will actually be smaller, but they didn't feel like changing its name.

That's a BC? I was invisioning something 2x as long, 3x as wide without the long fin and bristling with weapons!

Oh well, I will fly a "BC" then!

Well I hope there are smaller fighters and bigger stations then. I was kinda hoping for a larger variety in scale. Again, I gotta use Homeworld for an example. But hey, it's not something that would stop me from playing the game. Just a suggestion of course.

[bump back on topic]
It should be easy for the cargo mission comp to include on some runs that the hauler group with an escort then, give the group even points for completing the mission. It could also require that the group go through a certain sector and the escort kill a bot enroute.

Here is what i envision as a good group trading mission. YOu form a group and take a trade mission. The computer gives you a list of cargoes that certain stations need, eg

welcome pilots, sector 9 is short on the following items, please deliver them promptly; 22 proprietary neutral electronics, 15 high-grade xithricite ores, 9 nanite replication units, 10 scrap metals, 5 damaged cybernetic components, and 17 iron ore. Pilots will be paid fair market value for the items they deliver.

The group can then decide how they want to set up their own trade runs, (obviously you send the pilots with the bigger trade ships after the larger amounts) and select a few players in the group to act as escorts if they wish. at the end all players get a trade bonus, and an additional cash amount.

Escorting missions would be something else entirely, and go along with a more advanced mission system. for instance, upon accepting a trade mission a pilot might have the option of returning to the missions window, entering an amount s/he is willing to pay, and selecting a button for "request escort" the computer would then create a mission for "escort this trader" with the cash reward being a percentage (90%?) of the amount the trader is willing to pay. (call the difference a paperwork fee for having the computer advertise the mission for you. IMO if you want an escort, you can find one yourself)
Also some trade missions would be "convoy" missions, where the computer is actually setting up a trade convoy. once you accept the mission you are automatically added to a group, (possibly the group leader is a trader of high enough level to be able to accept "lead convoy" trade missions) the computer then advertizes for a certain number of traders, and a certain number of escorts. once all convoy and escort positions are filled, (or the convoy leader decides he has enough to accomplish the mission) the convoy can depart and head to it's destination. XP is then awarded to everyone on a scale determined by how much of the cargo reached it's destination. pilots who are escorts get a good amount of combat/light/heavy (or whatever the skills are at that point) and a little trade. the pilots who signed up to be the trade convoy get a good amount of trade, and a small amount of combat.

ok i think i've rambled on enough for now.

What about spying missions? Put a camera in a small port, then go and make a shot of well guarded object. Bonus depends on quality of picture. :)

A "Battle Cruiser"? I think Frigate sounds WAY cooler. O well, I still want to fly a "Battle Cruiser" With JackHammers instead of whatever lasers it recently used. =D

If doing big missions like convoy escorting is a part of making vendetta a good MMORPG, then I would suggest this could be tried, but this reply has been posted to late, since the big universe may come out any day soon and we wouldnt have time to test this. But it would be fun for people to try missions out like this.

Infact if you bought your own Capital ship for like having it act both as a ship and a station (for docking) it would be kind of fun for like docking on the ship for reloading missile launcher or portecting it agaisnt a bunch of bots trying to destroy it in any possible way they can, bridge, engines, ship capture, etc. To me that would be more of an MMORPG kind of thing, or at least a good adventure.

I like the idea of escorting bots, but the bots need some major AI work.

There have been lots of players paying players for escorting in the past though, so prohaps if player made missions come into the game (bounties like in BB, only you can off the person anywhere, ect) then there could be escort services

I know what you mean urza. So I doubt this suggestion will make it to the final version. but it would be fun if it did.

once the devs get a stable income i have a feeling more suggestions will get tested