Introducing Reputation

[impaktor]

One thing in pioneer I think needs improvement is that you "get the whole game" from start. Apart from needing to work up some funds, you can take any and all missions offered on the BBS.

I've started working on implementing reputation which would un-lock more important missions. It would be for civilian missions and same for all factions. It would increase the addictiveness/fun of Pioneer, since you get the urge to improve your character's stat, and see what's behind those missions you're currently being denied. It would give the player a sense of progress, and of achieving something more than some cash.

So I'd like to check if this is something that would be welcomed. This is how I am implementing it:

1. Low risk missions for Taxi and Delivery will disregard reputation, allowing a new player to build one, or recover from a bad reputation. More dangerous Taxi and Delivery missions would require a reputation.
2. Scoring would be based on completion of missions, it could look like this:
   

   Code: Select all

               
   | Mission type       | completed/failed | reputation needed     |
   |--------------------+------------------+-----------------------|
   | Delivery low risk  | +1/-1            | -                     |
   | Delivery high risk | +1/-1            | rep > 10              |
   | Taxi low risk      | +2/-2            | rep >= 0              |
   | Taxi high risk     | +2/-2            | rep > 20              |
   | Assassination      | +5/-5            | kills > 5 && rep > 10 |
   

3. Assassination missions would require maybe 1-5 kills, which the player would probably amass from previously being attacked during high risk delivery/taxi missions.
4. If the player doesn't have good enough reputation, then the BBS message would say something like "come back when you're more experienced", etc. in a number of different flavours, when clicking the advert.
5. Donations to charity should actually do something, possibly affect the rating, how this would scale with money donated and current player rating I do not yet know.

Note: The reputation system is not for "protecting" the player from taking too dangerous missions, as they will "unlock" these before having the right equipment for some of the missions.

This is as far as I initially, in a first commit, would implement. One could then go further and have:

• Higher reputation: possibly allow the player an advance on 50%, or get 10% more in payment, if good reputation.(similar to Frontier)

I believe I've got the code to do all of the above, in my head and on my computer. Just for fun, I also implemented so that the player can see his reputation. I don't know if this is something that should be possible for the player.

Code: Select all

| rank          | reputation |
|---------------+------------|
| INCOMPETENT   | < -8       |
| UNRELIABLE    | -8         |
| NOBODY        | 0          |
| INEXPERIENCED | 8          |
| CREDIBLE      | 16         |
| RELIABLE      | 32         |
| TRUSTWORTHY   | 64         |
| PROFESSIONAL  | 128        |
| EXPERT        | 256        |
| MASTER        | 512        |

(Notoriety is already in the game, but says nothing about competence, or if the reputation is good or bad.)

[FluffyFreak]

Sounds good, it would motivate players to achieve higher rankings and know that they needed to get a certain number of kills and suchlike before things became available to them.

Also: "With MY reputation?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XusxpT0WHd4 ;)

[robn]

Please look at the Character class. It implements a GURPS-style character property sheet that is exactly what you want for this.

[Hiro Pavonis]

I was wondering if in the case of mission accomplished well in advance there may be a higher score or a score based on the hours more or less than the agreed price.
In the code (I do not know) can be present this math problem?
Thx

[impaktor]

Please look at the Character class. It implements a GURPS-style character property sheet that is exactly what you want for this.

This is where I've implemented it. I did it in a very analogue way (almost identical) to the way killcount works. Not sure how it should interact with the other GRUPS variables at the moment. To my knowlege, none of the player's GRUPS variables are modified in the game. I.e. Notoriety is unaffected by number of missions one has taken, etc. They are only used by NPC's when hiring a crew?

@Hiro Pavonis
Yes it could be implemented, I'll think about it.

Any suggestions on how donations should depend on players current reputation and money donated are welcome. Initially I'm thinking donations could be most effective if you have a negative reputation, and then be less efficient. Maybe adding some dice rolls, and having some charities be less efficient? "The Church of The Celestial Flying Spaghetti" being bogus?

[robn]

This is where I've implemented it. I did it in a very analogue way (almost identical) to the way killcount works. Not sure how it should interact with the other GRUPS variables at the moment. To my knowlege, none of the player's GRUPS variables are modified in the game. I.e. Notoriety is unaffected by number of missions one has taken, etc. They are only used by NPC's when hiring a crew?

Its only minimally used right now. The intention is that it'll be used in every interaction between NPCs, other NPCs and the player.

[Hiro Pavonis]

This is where I've implemented it. I did it in a very analogue way (almost identical) to the way killcount works. Not sure how it should interact with the other GRUPS variables at the moment. To my knowlege, none of the player's GRUPS variables are modified in the game. I.e. Notoriety is unaffected by number of missions one has taken, etc. They are only used by NPC's when hiring a crew?

Its only minimally used right now. The intention is that it'll be used in every interaction between NPCs, other NPCs and the player.

Thanks Robn

They're falling numbers and tables in the head.

I think that assign a small value to each operation performed by the player, and if having crossed that threshold increase or decrease the rating is a great idea! and to access more complicated missions you have to overcome certain characteristics, but they should and should not be acquired thresholds, so the player or engages in the game or be forced to sell hydrogen from one system to another!

Cit. "Great Scott" back to the future!

[impaktor]

I'm done with the code for everything except the donations, and the different flavours of the "deny" message.

@robn:
There are currently 5 Assassination flavours, 13 Taxi, and 10 DeliverPackage flavours. Would you prefer each of these to have a deny-message, or is it better to use a separate lang/module-denymission/en.json of general deny messages, that are then imported into each mission script?

Having them flavour specific could be good since they can be specific, so for assassin mission: "come back when you've killed some pirates" or bad, in the sense a player realizes that "this deny message means it's that mission".

I'm also thinking about code sanity and what is easiest for the translators? Personally I'm fine with either.

[impaktor]

I've decided to go with a specific deny message for each flavour. Slightly more for the translators I guess, but no extra module is needed for the lang.