Lateo
11-14-2008, 07:35 AM
(yes another question, in fact a plea).
Please please please please please, can "ship crewing" be an available option, im aware.
Q: Can I play something other than a Captain like a Doctor or an Engineer?
A: Everyone is a Captain, (remember, if you command a ship, you are automatically a Captain), and you will command a crew, but that does not limit your role. Your character will still be able to choose from a variety of career paths, such as Engineer, Tactical Officer, Doctor, Science Officer, etc. Your career path is your root, and will affect your skills, and how you command your crew. Consider Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, Worf and Kathryn Janeway. Picard was an archeologist and diplomat, Crusher was a doctor, Worf a security/tactical officer, and Janeway was a scientist. Each eventually chose a career in command and became ship captains. This does not mean the game will limit your ship choices based on your profession – far from it. The examples are simply an example of how the game design was inspired.
but one of the core things that made Star trek as good as it is/was, is that other senior members of the crew were -people-, i believe each player being "captain" of a ship, is -great- as an option, but being on a ship crewed by only NPCs will detract -alot-, even if captains can beam over to anothers ship for "dinner"/negotiations.
The more P2P interaction there is the more RP is available.
Using a "structured framework" can do -alot- for both future expansions and reducing development time and also deal with "down time" in various roles.
By structured framework i mean an adaptable matrix that can be applied to each position a PC can occupy ingame, that alters the outcome depending upon starting and midpoint varibles.
In more simplistic terms, instead of events being triggerd for each player captain based upon certain variables (quite liner and meaning only captain can be played until there's large alterations to hardcode).
a "Flow chart" of a kind is used, the position held determines some course of action for certain events.
I.E during a battle
A PC helmsmen would be the one to "fly" the ship based upon the captains orders (customisable Evasive manouvers?), if the PC isnt online an NPC takes the captains orders. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
A PC chief of security would be the one to fire phasers upon the captains orders, again if the PC isnt online an NPC does it. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
during battle damage(events) occurs which the engineer gets to fix/assign NPCs to fix, again if the PC isnt online an NPC does it. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
The -best- way to do this is by something NWN uses, GMs on NWN can "possess" exsisting NPCs, the DMs avatar vanishes, the camera angle is changed to what the NPCs would be (until unpossesed) all the AI of the NPC is suspended and the DM can walk the NPC about/have it perform actions, for all intents and purposes the GM -is- that character until dispossession, where-in the NPCs AI takes over again.
Exsisting basic NPC crew can be "replaced" by a PC's crew member (appearance/name/attributes change on the NPC, changes saved to be persistent) and IC the PCs crew member can be a "transfer", with a framework dictating events based on PC position not -just- what occurs external to the ship can provide "crew" with enough to do Ingame.
having the option to be as now "captain with X background" on a ship, and having the option to "Co-op" on a ship could add a whole new dimension to gameplay, those who want to be the boss can be on thier own ship of NPCs, those who want a "crew"/are crew can have the option of "Requesting a Transfer", either to let someone they know join the ship and replace an NPC while online, or to move to another ship.
(the "requesting transfer" within Fed/Klingon empire opening up a new kind of "trading" not of items but NPCs/PCs).
with a slightly extended framework inplace it would then be a case of feeding in options and determining factors and setting results, making changes in patches/expansions -easier- than a liner model, and the amount of RP it would encourage on the socialising angle is enormous, (shipboard parties during "long" trips? romantic dinner for two in the captains quarters?)
(some of this isnt very clear but if Razor and crew are interested i can provide more details to clear it up)
Please please please please please, can "ship crewing" be an available option, im aware.
Q: Can I play something other than a Captain like a Doctor or an Engineer?
A: Everyone is a Captain, (remember, if you command a ship, you are automatically a Captain), and you will command a crew, but that does not limit your role. Your character will still be able to choose from a variety of career paths, such as Engineer, Tactical Officer, Doctor, Science Officer, etc. Your career path is your root, and will affect your skills, and how you command your crew. Consider Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, Worf and Kathryn Janeway. Picard was an archeologist and diplomat, Crusher was a doctor, Worf a security/tactical officer, and Janeway was a scientist. Each eventually chose a career in command and became ship captains. This does not mean the game will limit your ship choices based on your profession – far from it. The examples are simply an example of how the game design was inspired.
but one of the core things that made Star trek as good as it is/was, is that other senior members of the crew were -people-, i believe each player being "captain" of a ship, is -great- as an option, but being on a ship crewed by only NPCs will detract -alot-, even if captains can beam over to anothers ship for "dinner"/negotiations.
The more P2P interaction there is the more RP is available.
Using a "structured framework" can do -alot- for both future expansions and reducing development time and also deal with "down time" in various roles.
By structured framework i mean an adaptable matrix that can be applied to each position a PC can occupy ingame, that alters the outcome depending upon starting and midpoint varibles.
In more simplistic terms, instead of events being triggerd for each player captain based upon certain variables (quite liner and meaning only captain can be played until there's large alterations to hardcode).
a "Flow chart" of a kind is used, the position held determines some course of action for certain events.
I.E during a battle
A PC helmsmen would be the one to "fly" the ship based upon the captains orders (customisable Evasive manouvers?), if the PC isnt online an NPC takes the captains orders. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
A PC chief of security would be the one to fire phasers upon the captains orders, again if the PC isnt online an NPC does it. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
during battle damage(events) occurs which the engineer gets to fix/assign NPCs to fix, again if the PC isnt online an NPC does it. (keyboard shortcuts to give orders)
The -best- way to do this is by something NWN uses, GMs on NWN can "possess" exsisting NPCs, the DMs avatar vanishes, the camera angle is changed to what the NPCs would be (until unpossesed) all the AI of the NPC is suspended and the DM can walk the NPC about/have it perform actions, for all intents and purposes the GM -is- that character until dispossession, where-in the NPCs AI takes over again.
Exsisting basic NPC crew can be "replaced" by a PC's crew member (appearance/name/attributes change on the NPC, changes saved to be persistent) and IC the PCs crew member can be a "transfer", with a framework dictating events based on PC position not -just- what occurs external to the ship can provide "crew" with enough to do Ingame.
having the option to be as now "captain with X background" on a ship, and having the option to "Co-op" on a ship could add a whole new dimension to gameplay, those who want to be the boss can be on thier own ship of NPCs, those who want a "crew"/are crew can have the option of "Requesting a Transfer", either to let someone they know join the ship and replace an NPC while online, or to move to another ship.
(the "requesting transfer" within Fed/Klingon empire opening up a new kind of "trading" not of items but NPCs/PCs).
with a slightly extended framework inplace it would then be a case of feeding in options and determining factors and setting results, making changes in patches/expansions -easier- than a liner model, and the amount of RP it would encourage on the socialising angle is enormous, (shipboard parties during "long" trips? romantic dinner for two in the captains quarters?)
(some of this isnt very clear but if Razor and crew are interested i can provide more details to clear it up)