Complex crew suggestion

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    I'm back with handful of ideas about crew :)

    First of all some basic questions:
    1) Why we need a crew? It should be neccessary for my ship?
    2) How we could get it and how we could lost it?
    3) How the crew will affect ship construction?

    AD1/ Crew shouldn't be neccessary for the ship, but the main idea is to improve some ship characteristics when the system is operated by the crew. Also there should be more settings for crew member than for example AI bobby (prioritizing the targets, opinion to run away, etc.)

    AD2/ Crew should be recruited in a planets, in cities, large neutral stations. The habitants are called settlers and they can't do nothing except multiplicing. There should be similar mechanism like in minecraft. Settlers needs closed house with roof and doors. If there is less settlers than these houses the settlers will spawn more frequently till houses and settlers are equal. Once recruited settler can't be counted as a settler and become specialist (more later), who could be aligned to a entity (ship or ships, stations, planets, etc.). These specialists could die, but could be respawned in hospital room. Also could be captured and prisoned, eventually enslaved by other faction/pilot and belonged to the others.

    3) With new power system we have enought space for cabins, medical rooms, collective rooms, schools, etc. First of all crew need a cabin, all crew members should have common collective room (bar, restaurant, high command, church...) which also improves the skills of all members. Some of specialists should have special rooms like medical center, manned turret or hangar, etc.

    Specialists
    ...are the NPC crew members. Every settler once recruited become specialist with randomly selected specialization, which couldn't be changed. This specialization gives crew member an ability to improve some ship systems or ship performance and could be determined by skill points 1-100. When specialis die, he should lost some (or all) of these points and could be respawned in medical center. Skill points are collected via time spended in one faction or could be increased in school more rapidly.

    The specialist suggestions are only suggestions. The important thing is to create specialists and we could improve it's behavior later.

    Military pilot
    Pilots could be alligned to a ship or ships and manned turrets. Pilot offers more opinion to behave. For example, priorotizing the targets (ship mass, turrets, weapon systems, etc.), it could be set to run away when there are current mass of enemy ships. Piloted ships and turrets aim better depending on pilot's skill. Pilot could undock your ship (or alligned drone ships) and attack, retreat or making any action with them. Do yu like Top Gun movie? :)

    Medic
    They are important for working medical center, where other NPC sould be respawned, alternatelly could be healed. When healed NPC should stay in medical center bed and medic should be there too. The speed of healing depends on medic skills. I need medic!

    Engineer
    If the ship takes damage, he will start repair damaged parts after short period of time (5 mins). The systems could be prioritized (energy system first, weapons, shields, thrusters, hull, decoration, etc.). It could be done with or without resources, depending on developers. I prefer without. The time needed for repair block depends on engineer's skill. Engineer will also repair docked entities. Let's make some repair docks :)

    Soldier
    Other NPC could use only small hand gun. This guy could use more advanced guns, laser rifles, grenades, torch, rope, advanced body armour etc. He could guard ship. If the torch is applied on ship's hull he will go there and will fight with invaders. In boarding party mode he will use rope to catch ship when close enought and apply torch to get in, then he will start destroying systems, fighting with ship crew or capturing hostages. Skill applies in rate of fire and crew HP. Put some beer in the fridge, there will be party... boarding party :)

    Scientist
    It could be more interesting when we have fauna and flora in planets, but scientist will improve with research lab room one of chamber's effect without any penalties. So specialized ships could work even better with scientists. Depending on skill level. Scientist also could make advanced personal weapon systems, hand scans, torches, body armour, etc. It's not a rocket science, is it? :)

    Barman/cook/priest
    In ship there should be one big common room, which will increase skill level of every NPC on ship even more. If the maximum skill points could be 100, the good common room with good barman should increase whole crew skill level for 20 more points. Depending on barman skill. These barmans should be on every ship.

    Professor
    If your crew member dies, he will lost quite lot of skill. When respawned in medic room you can send crew member to increase skill to school. The rate of skill increasing depends on your professor skill. Education is a weapon.

    Spy
    Pretty simple. Spy can turn one unarmed ship to ship of other factions. It is the same ship but will look to enemy as a part of faction and guns will not fire at it. The same with NPC crew. Theoretically it could open/close doors or dock to enemy entity, but he can't steal resources or build anything, U should control spy, eventually U could record enemy ship's blueprints when on board. The counter is soldier. The chance the soldier will capture spy when meet him depends on spy and soldier skill. Naturally every player could manually kill him :)

    Miner
    He could be prioritized to search for current minerals, or search these minerals in adjustable range. He could mine ore more faster than drone, depending on skill. I'm the dwarf and I'm digging a hole...

    Trader
    He will search for shops and will try to transport cheap resources from one to another where is more expensive. The profit or range could be set for trader. The skilled trader should lower the buying price and increase the delling price. Money, money...

    Rooms
    Rooms should be determined in building mode as a special invisible blocks. Room needs to be more or less closed from free space with hull in every direction (+X,-X, +Y,-Y, +Z,-Z), the hull don't need to touch room block, but in every direction should be any distance hull, so the room without one wall will not works (Yes, U can put hull in every direction and leave a gaps between sides of walls, but I think it's OK :) ). Same mechanics should be applied when building houses for settlers. Room needs a light source.

    First of all, U need private room at least 36 blocks of free space(at least 2 blocks high) with bed, touching these blocks. The bed should be alligned to one crew member. For more crew members need more cabins.

    Corridor blocks will serve as a pathfinder for AI and will connect rooms.

    Common room could be bar, bridge, church, or whatever U will want to. The common room improves the skill of every crew member. The space needed is SUM of all cabins.

    Medical center is the special room for respawn or cure crew members. This room needs space for every bed. When respawned crew member will stay some time in bed to cure. U can't respawn more members than beds U have.

    Guard point. The place where soldier will stay and depending on priority will go for attackers or guard the place when ship is boarded.

    School. Room for gaining crew skills more rapidly.

    Hangar, the place where pilots could enter and undock the ships or turrets.

    Prison for captured enemy NPC

    Engineering bay with stored resources for ship repairs.

    Science lab for effectivize exact chamber effect and making personal weapons and stuff.

    Common behavior
    NPC crew will do exact work if necessary) for example engineers will go as close as possible to damaged part when start to repair, pilots will go to hangar when in danger, medic to medical center, etc.), will wander on the deck and time to time will go to the cabin. Without cabin after certain time (2 hours?) NPC will suffer skill penalty, so even pilots needs some base for retain powers. NPC will use hand gun against enemy NPC but only soldiers can use torches and more advanced stuff. Exception os spy, who will never use guns. When hurt badly (20% HP left) NPC will stop fire and could be captured by soldier. One soldier could cap only one prisoner and can't cap more until prisoner is dead or put in prison.

    In prison the NPC will stay the time depending on his loyality (depending on time spend in other faction), after this time NPC will join the enemy crew as a slave. The slave will not fire against his previous faction and will change side when soldier from previous faction will stay near. After more time the slave became true member of new faction, so there is a long time to liberate them.

    When dead NPC could be respawned in medical center, priority is in his ship, but practicaly could be in any faction medical center.

    Future suggestions
    In the future, we could add more races, not only human shaped. I would like Zoidberg medic in my ship :), but there could be spider or cthulu shape crew members, members made by pure light or smaller creatures. Every race could have also strong and weak side. Every NPC could be named and eventually skinned, so whole crew in star trek uniforms could be nice. If it will be simple we can add some hand tools too, like hand scanner, grenade, jet pack, for the crew :) The important is whole concept which could be adjusted later ;)

    The whole concept isn't neccessary for functional ship, but it could be nice adding when U already have your ship, because crew could add little bit more effect ;) As a experienced player U can spend more time searching for cities with settlers and maximize your crew.

    Any questions? :)
     
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    Whoa there! Obviously a very well thought out one (and the roles tho...). Thumbs up from me.
    (Though you may want to simplify some of the stuff (and Im pretty sure recruitment like that aint gonna happen)

    Also, it seems quite similar to the proposal given by Lecic some time ago, especially recruitment of crew.
     
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    Well I think it is less complicated than having only one crew type, which could be pilot/soldier/engineer and medic at once. We could have similar menu like for the fleet, where should be all crew members of the ship. Crew member should have smaller menu with priorities and general skill points. I think it is also more simple for programing, dividing the crew problem and behavior to smaller parts (specialists).

    Any link of Lecic threat? Thanks ;)
     
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    I read the article and there is a philosophy difference. My crew system is a way how to improve your ship even more beyond the limits of pure one-man ship. Your ship can take care of crew, chambers could work better with scientists on board, engineers take care of repairs and turrets and fighters are more effective and better adjustable than pure AI bobby stuff. Miners and traders could add some life in wasted empty space and will take care of our economy. The cost is investing a lot in interior, recruiting and taking care of crew. So the crew is an entertaiment for advanced players ;)

    In Lecic threat, crew is a way how to limit drone spawn and turreted ships and it is a must for every faction.
     
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    Nice post OP! Hopefully crew will beable become a viable mechanic when they stop clipping through walls -_-... Currently all you end up with is a trail of spazzing crewmen in the wake of your ship.


    Starmade ships be like^^^^
     

    Lone_Puppy

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    Nice post OP! Hopefully crew will beable become a viable mechanic when they stop clipping through walls -_-... Currently all you end up with is a trail of spazzing crewmen in the wake of your ship.


    Starmade ships be like^^^^
    Proof that this reality is merely a computer simulation in some game somewhere in the multi-verse. Or that Jack has simply gone crazy building too many houses.
     
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    chambers could work better with scientists on board, engineers take care of repairs and turrets
    How about engineers make chambers better, and technicians take care of repairs.

    The vast majority of people physically doing repair work are not engineers.
     
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    Lone_Puppy

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    How about engineers make chambers better, and technicians take care of repairs.

    The vast majority of people physically doing repair work are not engineers.
    It would be neat to see this activity and it have actual purpose. Like seeing the tech's actually repairing/replacing something based on the ships blueprint. Would be hellishly slow compared to having the shipyard eat it or repair to design, but interesting to watch.
     
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    It would be neat to see this activity and it have actual purpose. Like seeing the tech's actually repairing/replacing something based on the ships blueprint. Would be hellishly slow compared to having the shipyard eat it or repair to design, but interesting to watch.
    But it could be handy in some situations. When ship suffers minor damage, shot of PD turret, atempt to snipe the reactor, U don't need to go back to your base for repairs. Also a little bit benefit could be that technicans could repair without resources (depending on developers). When your thrusters or stabilizers are shot off, prioritized technican will repair these crucial parts first, then U can bring your warship home for faster repairs.

    As I said, whole crew concept isn't designed to offer great advantage of ships with crew but could be nice addition.
     
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    Wolverines527

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    I like this alot and i really hope the schine team is watching because this is very well thought out
     
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    How about engineers make chambers better, and technicians take care of repairs.

    The vast majority of people physically doing repair work are not engineers.
    Could be that certain chamber effects could be locked behind an engineer and/or scientist's skill level. Or take additional resources/not as cost-effective without an engineer/scientist.

    Ex. Chamber effects can get upgraded to level 2 jump proficiency, but require an engineer/scientist to be level, say, 15 in order to get level three proficiency and the jump interdiction effect. Or they both consume 50% more power without them.
     

    Wolverines527

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    And how to make Schine team to watch this? :)
    Lol out of my 3 threads i have ever made only one was graced with the precence of a member of the schine team i think it was bench i think i had a 2 page thread it was about weapons and armor for astronaughts