Planned Missions Based on NPC Type

[Bench]

it's not going to have a real plot

 

[Parameter]

So we're going have to an plot then? Sweet.

I need mine to be a gorgeous, Wheel-of-Time-length science fiction epic with hundreds of engaging characters, complex, inter-related story arcs delivered with the best narrative structure and pacing pulled from the minds of the best writers of Baen and Tor, commingled with the creative juices of the reincarnated spirits of Issac Asimov, Douglas Adams, HG Wells, Ray Bradbury, and Terry Pratchett, staged as a cinematic production to rival one of Steven Spielberg's opuses, and interspersed with a carefully crafted game experience guaranteed to leave me totally immersed and howling for more. Next Tuesday might be nice. :p

Seriously, though. This whole thread makes me excited for the next 6-8 months. Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

 

[kiraen]

Actually, I'm kinda confused by that post, Bench.
If you are saying there is going to be a plot, then Tom Cruise is not exactly your best choice. Better then Steven Segal, tho.
And if it has a plot, then it's not sandbox. Open world, maybe.

 

[Bench]

StarMade is a tough game. We're open-world and I guess a sandbox, like Minecraft. We're countless other sci-fi universes through role-play servers. We have the capacity for countless lore and story arcs but it needs to be engaging for both single-player and multi-player, so it can't be locked in to be too linear because it won't work for multi-player, and it can't be too fixed in a single story because that prevents role-play servers from being able to role-play. Additionally the ability to customize your server is a big point, so we need to be able to support role-play servers adding in their own content that's more relevant to their server's "universe".

This is the dilemma we face. It's tough. But we also realise we'd be remiss to not build upon all that StarMade offers to make an engaging storyline and lore.

In light of that (and this is my own personal opinion here not necessarily where the team or the game might be heading) I'd like to take the lore and story side of StarMade towards a number of story arcs that can lead you across the galaxy on adventures, where you encounter factions that have a lot of backstory, that where your decisions can turn the tide in the struggle between clashing empires, but where if you don't want to engage in all of that and just play with your friends and build something, you can do that also.

I want to find that balance between an engaging story-driven experience that you could experience on your own or with friends, and just playing StarMade because you love all the other elements of the game (and there will be a lot).

I like the idea that you can be playing on a server and not really engaging in the storyline, but engaging with a faction or a shop or something and that your experience can be augmented by another player on the other side of the galaxy waging a war with another faction or something. As humans we talk, we share stories of crazy things other players did; imagine if NPCs did the same thing, telling tales of the feats other players did or the state of a war or factions. And perhaps as a player you'll hear something that intrigues you and you go to investigate. You've now created your own adventure and who knows where it could lead.

As a team we're still working out this aspect of the game, and what we want to do with it, but at least from my perspective, that's where I want to take you all.

 

[StormWing0]

Here's an idea make the tools for us to cook up any kind of mission or quest we want to and let us help cook up the various quests and stories. It'd save you a ton of headaches down the road and you could put in things as defaults that could be removed and replaced or added onto.

 

[Bench]

Here's an idea make the tools for us to cook up any kind of mission or quest we want to and let us help cook up the various quests and stories. It'd save you a ton of headaches down the road and you could put in things as defaults that could be removed and replaced or added onto.

I'm not sure what it would look like but I think that that'd be important to allow RP servers to be able to customize their players' experiences. But it needs to be done in a practical robust way

 

[Blaza612]

StarMade is a tough game. We're open-world and I guess a sandbox, like Minecraft. We're countless other sci-fi universes through role-play servers. We have the capacity for countless lore and story arcs but it needs to be engaging for both single-player and multi-player, so it can't be locked in to be too linear because it won't work for multi-player, and it can't be too fixed in a single story because that prevents role-play servers from being able to role-play. Additionally the ability to customize your server is a big point, so we need to be able to support role-play servers adding in their own content that's more relevant to their server's "universe".

This is the dilemma we face. It's tough. But we also realise we'd be remiss to not build upon all that StarMade offers to make an engaging storyline and lore.

In light of that (and this is my own personal opinion here not necessarily where the team or the game might be heading) I'd like to take the lore and story side of StarMade towards a number of story arcs that can lead you across the galaxy on adventures, where you encounter factions that have a lot of backstory, that where your decisions can turn the tide in the struggle between clashing empires, but where if you don't want to engage in all of that and just play with your friends and build something, you can do that also.

I want to find that balance between an engaging story-driven experience that you could experience on your own or with friends, and just playing StarMade because you love all the other elements of the game (and there will be a lot).

I like the idea that you can be playing on a server and not really engaging in the storyline, but engaging with a faction or a shop or something and that your experience can be augmented by another player on the other side of the galaxy waging a war with another faction or something. As humans we talk, we share stories of crazy things other players did; imagine if NPCs did the same thing, telling tales of the feats other players did or the state of a war or factions. And perhaps as a player you'll hear something that intrigues you and you go to investigate. You've now created your own adventure and who knows where it could lead.

As a team we're still working out this aspect of the game, and what we want to do with it, but at least from my perspective, that's where I want to take you all.

How about player factions can create the story arcs, and upload them to SMD for servers to use? That'd be interesting.

On a side note, if factions are going to be similar to my Dynamic Galaxies suggestion (still haven't heard anything on that subject :p) then I think that missions are mostly shit. I hate missions, quests or whatever, they're repetitive, boring and is just a lot of busy work. Something that'd be more interesting is if you had a sort of influence. Rather than being born special and have everyone offer missions, you need to earn their trust.

Say a faction's miners are underattack, and you're passing by the area. You then decide to go in, and help the miners, thus giving you influence. The more you help a faction(s) the more recognition you'll get, and the chance of being offered something of importance increases. Not only that, but missions won't be a communist style of providing work, it'll actually provide benefit to the faction. The missions assigned will generated via the factions current goal, and what it needs in order to reach it. This would make missions seem less pointless, have your work actually contribute to the faction and will significantly improve immersion.

EDIT: StormWing0 already covered the idea of factions creating their own story arcs. Damn it. :P

 

[Parameter]

I'm not sure what it would look like but I think that that'd be important to allow RP servers to be able to customize their players' experiences. But it needs to be done in a practical robust way

I would really like the ability to hire/place a "fluff" NPC on my station and give it a backstory, maybe even define a set of conversation points or arcs it could use when players approach it. This basic mechanic would allow for players to inject some variety into their faction's NPCs.

Taking it a step further, it would be nice if you could set up fetch quests between your faction's named NPCs. "Oh, you're new around here. Must have just come off planetside, huh? Don't worry, everyone's first time in space is a little confusing. I'll tell you what, take this faction insignia and go talk to Quartermaster Blake. He handles all the logistics on Haven. He'll get you set up with a room and access to the station. Come back to me when you're settled and we'll talk about what you can do to support the IEC."

Another example: "I hear you're the ace who's been keeping our pickets clear of UniCorp hunter drones. I could use your help, if you're not busy with other assignments. I've been studying a captured drone, and it looks like their systems could be repurposed to create missile defense turrets for our light frigates. Start bringing me any drone wreckage you create, and I'll talk to Blake about getting you permission to use those frigates."

Those examples would require some new faction settings/permissions and entities to implement, but being able to set up stuff like this would let player factions create a rewarding experience to match what you're shooting for with NPC ones.

 

[hzzzln]

I would really like the ability to hire/place a "fluff" NPC on my station and give it a backstory, maybe even define a set of conversation points or arcs it could use when players approach it. This basic mechanic would allow for players to inject some variety into their faction's NPCs.

Taking it a step further, it would be nice if you could set up fetch quests between your faction's named NPCs. "Oh, you're new around here. Must have just come off planetside, huh? Don't worry, everyone's first time in space is a little confusing. I'll tell you what, take this faction insignia and go talk to Quartermaster Blake. He handles all the logistics on Haven. He'll get you set up with a room and access to the station. Come back to me when you're settled and we'll talk about what you can do to support the IEC."

Another example: "I hear you're the ace who's been keeping our pickets clear of UniCorp hunter drones. I could use your help, if you're not busy with other assignments. I've been studying a captured drone, and it looks like their systems could be repurposed to create missile defense turrets for our light frigates. Start bringing me any drone wreckage you create, and I'll talk to Blake about getting permission to use those frigates."

Those examples would require some new faction settings/permissions and entities to implement, but being able to set up stuff like this would let player factions create a rewarding experience to match what you're shooting for with NPC ones.

I like it. Instead of trying to come up with a elaborate system for npcs, Schine can handle NPCs like they handle spaceships: let the players create them. I could even see a new community content section where people can upload their scripted NPCs and have others download and rate them.

 

[jayman38]

Here's an idea make the tools for us to cook up any kind of mission or quest we want to and let us help cook up the various quests and stories. It'd save you a ton of headaches down the road and you could put in things as defaults that could be removed and replaced or added onto.

This is why we need an API so badly.
The mission system would start out slowly, but then more and more players would build up various themed API-driven mods on their own. After a few months, the lore would explode and so would the mission options. Parameter's joke epic would become a tongue-in-cheek reality in about 2 years, using the intelligence and creativity of the community. And it would then continue to grow, while providing tons of easy-to-follow templates for other themes, such as those on rp servers.

 

[MacThule]

What would really improve single player as well as multiplayer would be missions (quests) that you receive from NPC's.

This would be good, for sure, but even better would be the ability for PCs to offer and assign missions to other PCs and NPCs. "Go blow up this outpost for me for 10m credits." "Bring me 500K advanced brown armor." etc. NPC missions either quickly get repetitive and predictable or require massive and neverending scripting work by devs and/or server hosts to keep fresh.