When reading someones thread about the options of planned player-like entities, I go an idea of mercenaries.It would work like that:
Somewhere in space, you'll encounter a station. but that station wouldn't be abandoned like others, but full of life, resources, trading and lots of folks ready to fight for you... for the right price. Your faction is currently at war with other, so to get credits to buy them ain't that hard at all. You can buy guys to help you in battles, to repair your ship, mine asteroids for you... the options are endless, so these are only basics. the pirate stations should be full of life too, and turrets only defensive, not offensive. You could find more interesting types of mercenaries than onnboard normal stations, like cooperating groups of fighters, battleships, smugglers... again we could continue like that forever.
Im not sure how the merc buying system would work, but I imagine it like that:
You will come to known mecenary, and click r on him. a window pop-up should show with text on how long will the mercenary help you, how much money does he want and what kind of merc contract it'll be ( like fighter squadron of 5 Light fighters, or veteran battleship, mining ship...) you may click accept or decline at the bottom of window. You click accept, and mercenary ships will immediately lift off the station. In the inventory menu, there would be another part for merc contracts. you will choose the merc you buyed, and order him to go to target sector. The merc would try to complete his job at that sector, or wait for orders. after completing his work, the merc would try to find you in space and give you what you wanted (whe it was only a civil contract on mining/salvaging.) or head back to his home station.
This would let factions use mercs as soldiers instead of need to constantly adding new guys to help them in war. I see that mercs would be quite useful, so drop what you think about it.
Somewhere in space, you'll encounter a station. but that station wouldn't be abandoned like others, but full of life, resources, trading and lots of folks ready to fight for you... for the right price. Your faction is currently at war with other, so to get credits to buy them ain't that hard at all. You can buy guys to help you in battles, to repair your ship, mine asteroids for you... the options are endless, so these are only basics. the pirate stations should be full of life too, and turrets only defensive, not offensive. You could find more interesting types of mercenaries than onnboard normal stations, like cooperating groups of fighters, battleships, smugglers... again we could continue like that forever.
Im not sure how the merc buying system would work, but I imagine it like that:
You will come to known mecenary, and click r on him. a window pop-up should show with text on how long will the mercenary help you, how much money does he want and what kind of merc contract it'll be ( like fighter squadron of 5 Light fighters, or veteran battleship, mining ship...) you may click accept or decline at the bottom of window. You click accept, and mercenary ships will immediately lift off the station. In the inventory menu, there would be another part for merc contracts. you will choose the merc you buyed, and order him to go to target sector. The merc would try to complete his job at that sector, or wait for orders. after completing his work, the merc would try to find you in space and give you what you wanted (whe it was only a civil contract on mining/salvaging.) or head back to his home station.
This would let factions use mercs as soldiers instead of need to constantly adding new guys to help them in war. I see that mercs would be quite useful, so drop what you think about it.