Hirelings {aka AI Crew} / Docking Clamps

[Mardrigon]

Yes hirelings or ai crew members. now granted everybody says its a pain and takes away from multi player interaction but hear me out.

Hirelings are crew members that you hire to be 'Haulers', 'ServiceTechs', or 'Gunners'. These 3 jobs are the only jobs they can do and not as well as another player. Each will have to have stats that reflect not only their use but worth and loyalty ro be your crew member.

Lets look at jobs first shall we:

• Haulers - this crew type can cary cargo from miner to cargo teleporter or refinery, but can not activate any player interface. But are limited to a max of 4 (yes, four) cargo slots only.
  
  
• ServiceTech - There is always a need to insure a ship is running propeely and cleanly. Techs do just that to ensure the internals of your ship work.
  
  
• Gunners - Well simly put, the man turrets, but they can only do a maxumin of 60% of weapon damage when they hit.

Now as for the stats I was thinking of:

• Carry - The higher rank the more cargo they can haul around. ( rank / 2 = cargo slots )
  
• Tech Savy - How fast can they do their assigned task. ( 10 minutes - rank = completion )
  
• Accuracy - Can they actually hit the broadside of a barn. ( rank * 7.5% = damage of hits )
  
• Welfare - Simple health and loyalty to the rest of crew, ship, and captain. ( rank * 10% = loyalty )

These numbers are random feature ranging from 1-8, 8 being the best.

Welfare is based not only on the hired rate; but ship systems and decor you placed on ship. Such as the windows, plants, kitchen, bathrooms, bunks, or beds each adds a point each. The other points for loyalty is what you agreed to pay them.

Paying Crew is a simple as completing a mission. The crew members earn their stats times 0.1% of mission earnings. Max would be 6.4%, but thats all stats at 8; who needs a hauler or tech with 8 accuracy, or gunner with carry of 8. So when hiring them you simply agree to pay when you do a mission and only then. But when your working for yourself its for the betterment of the ship and crew; besides your providing room and board while their onboard, right?

A crew members name, gender, age, and nationality or ethnicity of an individual can be random as devs want.

Maybe alien crew in the future where special traits are there>> never know.

Now as for Docking Clamps this is becuase some players like to work with smaller ships in groups. But there is always someone who wants to be the one to hold everyone together. So the one can become the group's carrier or docking barge if you will. This clamp is nothing more then an extra hatch that must go to the outside of the ship like the missle/torpedo tube. It allows for players to walk between ships only when connected. Here they can operate systems of either ship or just ride out a jump or even be a trading merchant.


But let me say these are only a topic of interests to expand the game; its up to devs and community to truely recieve ideas anyone posts.

[[BRE] Eusebius / [DrpyB]]

I'd like to have some additional AI Crew on Board, at least for Turrets.

But for internal work, I'd rather prefer some small Bots that hover around the rooms.
Like putting down a Bot Station with one Bot in it, that can be given one Task and activated by the Player or Engineering Console.

And to make writing AI Pathfinding easier on the devs, there could be pathing tiles put down on the floor, that the Bots then would follow to any Cargo Pad, Extractor, Stairs or what not thats connected to those. =)

[Zothen]

Originally posted by keodosDrpyB:

And to make writing AI Pathfinding easier on the devs, there could be pathing tiles put down on the floor, that the Bots then would follow to any Cargo Pad, Extractor, Stairs or what not thats connected to those. =)

Wow, you know a lot about pathfinding and development, dont you?

[[BRE] Eusebius / [DrpyB]]

I know a bit about programming and development in general, thank you :)

[Mardrigon]

agreed floor tiles that control the bot movement would lessen burden of pathfinding

but my question what do you think of the crew idea as a whole?

[Zothen]

Honestly, not much. Maybe you should have done a search on the forum before.
Was discussed to death: NPC crew will be death of multicrews.

[Mardrigon]

yeah i figured that but thats whay i suggests less accuracy and lower capacity
but ehhh

[[BRE] Eusebius / [DrpyB]]

Well, at least the Idea to have some NPC/Bot hauling around cargo has been debunked for me yesterday, after I looked up what an A.C.T.R. could do :)

But I'd still like some form of NPC Crew aboard my ship, even if its just in form of a Barkeeper that readies me up another cup of coffee.
Or maybe have a Chef, give him the Alien Meat and he goes on and produces the health kits in the kitchen :)

But at the end, for me at least, it would be more about atmosphere, having more things that move and swirl around the decks, so the ship looks more alive, so any form of NPC would be wellcome :) (Even if they'd do just useless stuff like mopping the floor)

About your initial post:
I guess for Techies, and Gunners additions that function similar to the A.C.T.R. woud be more likely, like having a Nanobot Hub that teleports those to a defunct Device and repairs it, or a FCS post where you can Link multiple Turrets and give control of those to one Player.
(After all, having real Players on board being fine and dandy 'n all, the Server Limit so far is 64 Players, and you can't have em all on your ship.)