Gnord
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Posted - 2007.07.08 11:23:00 -
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Edited by: Gnord on 08/07/2007 11:24:29 The idea of this mission comes from Worlds Collide. There's an interesting idea there, and I think it can be explored in greater detail.
Mission works like this: The agent tells you about a research station in space. It requires certain specific items that are rare, but are harvested near the research station. That research station's courier was attacked and destroyed. Now the station is running low on supplies. Unfortunately, it is a very complex multi-stage reaction which requires these resources, and if the station runs out of resources, the process cannot be restarted for weeks.
Thus, they need you to get the resources and bring them to the station.
Unfortunately, when you get out there, there are lots of a particular pirate race out there, harvesting the resources for themselves.
This however is not your ordinary slay everything mission. It's like Worlds Collide in that your task is to get in, grab the minerals, and get it back to the research station. The idea is to be under fire the entire time, and survive, rather than to destroy everything.
Key ideas neccessary for this mission type to work: =No enemy scrambler npc's - if there are scramblers, then it simply becomes a slay everything mission. =Complex set of acceleration gates, not neccessarilly linear. - most missions are 3-5 sections in a line with acceleration gates from one to the next. This should be more of a network. Each section has 2 or 3 gates going to other sections, and there isn't neccarilly a wrong answer. =Infinitely spawning npc enemies - Without this, you can warp in with one ship, kill everything, and then run the cargo in a hauler with no challenge. This should be a mission you run with a large cargo hold, but a ship designed to "run blockades". =The cargo AND THE DESTINATION are in-space, in different sections of the mission. - In all the missions I've run, there does not exist a mission where you're supposed to "leave something behind." There should be a designated building/location where you're supposed to leave the cargo in a specified location in space, rather than simply bring it back to your agent. =The objective cargo available is greater than the objective amount to be transferred. This gives the mission runner a few chances to get the specified quantity to the specified location, in case the mission runner's ship is destroyed, and the objective cargo is destroyed as well.
Level 1: Objective amount: 400 m3 broken into ten 50 m3 units. New pilots will need to accomplish this mission with nothing but a frigate. 2000 m3 is available at the material source.
Level 2: Objective amount: 2000 m3 broken into five 400 m3 units. Optimally completed with an industrial equipped to tank, rather than a full set of cargo expanders. 5000 m3 is available at the material source.
Level 3: Objective amount: 10,000 m3 broken into ten 1000 m3 units. Optimally completed with an industrial equipped to tank and perhaps some ganged support ships, or a transport, most likely requires multiple trips. 15,000 m3 is available at the material source.
Level 4: Objective amount: 50,000 m3 broken into ten 5000 m3 units. Optimally completed with a transport and perhaps some ganged support ships, most likely requires multiple trips. 50,000 m3 is available at the material source.
Level 5: Objective amount: 50,000 m3 broken into ten 5000 m3 units. Designed to be a TRUE gauntlet, most likely requiring a gang of ships. 50,000 m3 is available at the material source.
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