mkint
616
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Posted - 2012.01.11 18:23:00 -
[1] - Quote
CCP Manifest wrote:I too agree with the OP and am fond of suggesting it during brainstorming sessions.
One thought would be to have NPC caravans going from sov space (representing trade from people on the planets), and have disrupting them in some way be involved in Sov Warfare--giving small gangs the ability to debuff the enemy in effect by making continuous intercepting strikes. Maybe reducing overall income in some way or something else...
Related to making the NPCs more important, I've been poking this idea around last week while on a long drive through the Idaho deserts...
One of the problems with trying to add "richness through NPCs" is that there's no damned difference between them. Even with shooty NPCs you check before starting the mission that your hardeners are okay, but once you're in space with them not a f*ck was given. Caravans even more so.
Idea: Part 1, The icons for NPC ships need to reflect the nature of that ship. The old new icons that failed to make it to TQ because they sucked, failed to do this in a big way. What I'm thinking is something that looks fast and sleek for frigs (like a > kind of shape) something solid but sleek for cruisers (like maybe a flat oval, outline for cruisers, and a more solid filled for battlecruisers) and something bulky and solid for battleships (the current cross might actually be appropriate.) I hadn't thought of a hauler icon since it's mostly a non-issue in missions, but with the caravans and hauler spawns it would add a lot of value to the game.
Idea; Part the second: The colors of the NPCs should reflect their faction. Empire factions already have a color, so other factions would need to be squeezed in between. For example, while Minmatar is red, Angel would be dark red, blood would be bright red.
What this accomplishes: The added texture to your encounters makes it feel like it actually matters what NPCs you confront. When you enter WC, and see two clearly different NPC factions in the first room, it would make it feel like you've stepped into an epic confrontation (yeah, I know, there's nothing epic about WC, but changing NPC behavior sounds like a whole lot more work.) It ties what you see in space to what you read in the fiction. It has the potential (with your regional caravans feeding nullbears) to be used as intelligence to figure out where the supply lines can be cut. |