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This post is suggestion for a loose implementation of crewed ships in the game by adding various changes to existing blocks/systems, adding new blocks/systems, and adding/changing some game mechanics. This idea also carries a secondary thought by encouraging the use of decoration and utility blocks in ship design.
Crew
Crew compliment is determined by size of the ship and the presence of certain systems. For example the sum of each dimension minus 40 determines minimum crew complement, and then specific systems add any additional crew requirement (this can be offset by AI as detailed in the AI section of this post).
Crew can be commanded to make field repairs to the ship. It takes time dependent on the number of blocks damaged or destroyed. Any block repaired in this manner will be at 50% health. Complete repairs require repair beams or dry dock. While repairing the ship is shut down. If attacked while making repairs, repairs will be terminated and normal operation will resume after a short startup delay.
The crew automatically tries to stop core overloads.
Crew can be given the following orders:
Crew requirements
Crews are paid whenever the ship docks with another entity, enters the orbit of a planet or enters the range of a shop.
Crew pay is decreased by anything that provides a morale boost and increased by mortality rate (each ship maintains a death rate per mission statistic). Any crew member that is killed is still paid (the next of kin gets the money; this is meant to discourage captains from killing off crew to cheat the bill)
The crew requires food, water and oxygen. Oxygen is provided by life support blocks slaved to a life support system. Food can be provided by terrain blocks slaved to a hydroponics controller. Water is partially provided with basic life support. Both food and water can be stored on the ship. Optimum life support has complete water reclamation systems and does not require supplemental water supplies.
If the ship is designed for longer than short term usage, it will require crew quarters for each crew member.
AI
Allow motherboard blocks to be slaved to an AI Bobby. The size of this computer core reduces the crew requirement of the ship.
The computer can replace up to 5 crew members or (if the normal crew exceeds 59) 10% of the required crew complement (values are arbitrary for the purpose of this suggestion).
Modify AI drones to only work when in range of a sufficiently powerful AI controller antenna array.
Each drone controller requires at least one crew member (prevents infinite drone setups).
AI falls back on emergency protocols when outside the range of a controller. Actions are as follows:
Morale
As the crew spends time aboard ship, morale will gradually decline.
The following have an effect on morale:
Stations, planets, and other fixed entities increase morale when given the appropriate facilities. Additionally, planets have positive effects on morale that may eliminate or increase morale of a ship’s crew, even if the planet has no facilities.
Medical Facilities and Casualties
Casualties can be caused whenever a block that is not armored is destroyed. (The punch effect computer could also be used to reduce chance of casualties, but it would never eliminate it)
Each medical block can treat one casualty.
The ratio of casualties to medical blocks determines mortality and recovery chances.
Casualties are treated periodically. When treated, a random number is chosen to determine if the crew member dies, remains a casualty, or recovers. Each recovery cycle reduces the mortality chance of a casualty by a certain amount.
If a casualty’s mortality rate drops to zero, then that crew member is put in quarters on bed rest until they recover.
Caveats
For this suggestion to work, it will require that build mode be made available only when docked or in range of a suitably designed ship or facility. Such a facility could also be used for complete repairs and rotating out the crew.
Also, I am not suggesting that every crew member be physically present at all times (that would be a nightmare on a number of levels), but that they exist algorithmically (perhaps the crew could manifest in a manner similar to GTA, Saint’s Row, Red Faction: Guerilla, etc.).
Crew
Crew compliment is determined by size of the ship and the presence of certain systems. For example the sum of each dimension minus 40 determines minimum crew complement, and then specific systems add any additional crew requirement (this can be offset by AI as detailed in the AI section of this post).
Crew can be commanded to make field repairs to the ship. It takes time dependent on the number of blocks damaged or destroyed. Any block repaired in this manner will be at 50% health. Complete repairs require repair beams or dry dock. While repairing the ship is shut down. If attacked while making repairs, repairs will be terminated and normal operation will resume after a short startup delay.
The crew automatically tries to stop core overloads.
Crew can be given the following orders:
- Move ship to location
- Guard area (which has a range value and a patrol range value)
- Field repair
- Dry dock repair (only when docked or within range of a suitably designed ship or facility)
- Evasive maneuvers (with the possibility of creating movement patterns)
- Orbit entity (used primarily for planets; ship can trade with entity when in orbit if there are available facilities)
- Concentrate fire (select target)
- Fire at will (each weapon attacks nearest applicable target)
- Hold fire (prevents weapons from firing)
Crew requirements
Crews are paid whenever the ship docks with another entity, enters the orbit of a planet or enters the range of a shop.
Crew pay is decreased by anything that provides a morale boost and increased by mortality rate (each ship maintains a death rate per mission statistic). Any crew member that is killed is still paid (the next of kin gets the money; this is meant to discourage captains from killing off crew to cheat the bill)
The crew requires food, water and oxygen. Oxygen is provided by life support blocks slaved to a life support system. Food can be provided by terrain blocks slaved to a hydroponics controller. Water is partially provided with basic life support. Both food and water can be stored on the ship. Optimum life support has complete water reclamation systems and does not require supplemental water supplies.
If the ship is designed for longer than short term usage, it will require crew quarters for each crew member.
AI
Allow motherboard blocks to be slaved to an AI Bobby. The size of this computer core reduces the crew requirement of the ship.
The computer can replace up to 5 crew members or (if the normal crew exceeds 59) 10% of the required crew complement (values are arbitrary for the purpose of this suggestion).
Modify AI drones to only work when in range of a sufficiently powerful AI controller antenna array.
Each drone controller requires at least one crew member (prevents infinite drone setups).
AI falls back on emergency protocols when outside the range of a controller. Actions are as follows:
- Deactivate
- Guard area
- Return to nearest drone controller
Morale
As the crew spends time aboard ship, morale will gradually decline.
The following have an effect on morale:
- Optimum life support systems
- Decoration blocks
- Extra living quarters (for family members; this is if someone wants to build a generation ship)
- Mess facilities
- Optimum computer systems
- Medical facilities
Stations, planets, and other fixed entities increase morale when given the appropriate facilities. Additionally, planets have positive effects on morale that may eliminate or increase morale of a ship’s crew, even if the planet has no facilities.
Medical Facilities and Casualties
Casualties can be caused whenever a block that is not armored is destroyed. (The punch effect computer could also be used to reduce chance of casualties, but it would never eliminate it)
Each medical block can treat one casualty.
The ratio of casualties to medical blocks determines mortality and recovery chances.
Casualties are treated periodically. When treated, a random number is chosen to determine if the crew member dies, remains a casualty, or recovers. Each recovery cycle reduces the mortality chance of a casualty by a certain amount.
If a casualty’s mortality rate drops to zero, then that crew member is put in quarters on bed rest until they recover.
Caveats
For this suggestion to work, it will require that build mode be made available only when docked or in range of a suitably designed ship or facility. Such a facility could also be used for complete repairs and rotating out the crew.
Also, I am not suggesting that every crew member be physically present at all times (that would be a nightmare on a number of levels), but that they exist algorithmically (perhaps the crew could manifest in a manner similar to GTA, Saint’s Row, Red Faction: Guerilla, etc.).