Mission ideas

impaktor
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Re: Mission ideas

Post by impaktor »

@tropicalpioneer That sounds like a massive expansion of pioneer - not that I'm against it, it's just very big. Ideas like these (build a fleet / base) have been suggested before.

I think a very first step is getting mining into the game at all, through mining machines, like they were on Frontier (Amiga version, in the DOS version this was buggy). Then you have to go back and supervise them, from time to time, as you suggested.
tropicalpioneer
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Re: Mission ideas

Post by tropicalpioneer »

Sorry, I was (not much) thinking out loud when I read somebody's comment about missions being all like: load/buy point A, go/kill/drop point B (maybe action on point C).

What kind of missions (functions?) could be (relatively) easily developed, that are about "management/building" rather than "action/execution"?
sturnclaw
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Re: Mission ideas

Post by sturnclaw »

A long-unmaintained PR that proposed a basic implementation of a racing mission was recently closed. I'm posting it here for reference and as an open call for any mission coders in the future who are willing to adopt the branch, address the outstanding feedback, and do the remaining 40% of the work on polish, rewards, and UI.

https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/pull/4358
Keeper
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Re: Mission ideas

Post by Keeper »

Looking again at WKFO's video where he put the Parthenon on a random world gave me an idea for a different type of S&R mission that's mechanically the same as an existing one but would be fun to have nonetheless for variety and an excuse to land on bodies that one otherwise might never even visit, which is a good thing in my book.

On the BBS you get a "Survey Resupply" job available.

"Hi, I'm Name from Company Survey Corp. We have a team on SomeLandablePlanetMoonAsteroidWithoutAnyStationOnOrOrbitingIt whose work will require them to stay longer than expected. We need someone to deliver them 1t of Food and 1t of Water so their mission can be extended."

As an incentive to prevent the player from running away with the cargo, maybe pay an insurance deposit upon taking the mission.

The survey group would be a ship with a bit of survey equipment nearby (a model like that Parthenon but obviously less ancient Greek...). Like other S&R missions with a landed ship, the player must land near the ship to complete the delivery.

As long as the mission specifically always involves a landable planet, moon or asteroid that doesn't have any stations on or around it, this mission would give players a reason to visit bodies they otherwise never would.

Of course, this brings up the question of how your own pilot stays alive without food or water. Do we assume that the docking fee covers a replenishment of your ship's pantry? Should Pioneer have a Ship's Pantry module that requires players to restock it from time to time so they can do long flights (and it depletes faster with more passengers/crew)? That's another kettle of fish.
Keeper
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Re: Mission ideas

Post by Keeper »

A further idea or two, which don't require building any new models:

Toxic Waste Dump! Message on BBS from Foobar Heavy Industries willing to pay you to haul their hazardous waste to a dump site on some uninhabited world or moon. They give you coordinates (so players can use the coordinate information on the HUD for a change), and at that location you see a bunch of cargo pods on the surface. You land within the designated area to complete the mission. (Maybe you actually get paid up front but this dump site is a way to get rid of the waste cargo without paying for someone to take it back or illegally jettisoning it.) Could even wrap it in text suggesting it's not entirely legal, like "Remember that jettisoning waste cargo is illegal, but you might find coordinates x, y on Somerock of interest." (You know, heavy industries may not be the most environmentally ethical businesses...) Either that or it really is a legal dump site in the system.

Prospector Overflow! Message on BBS from Foobar Prospecting Inc., saying their small mining (or -- potentially illegal -- harvesting of live animals on an uninhabited world with life) operation produced more than their crew's ship can carry, so they need someone to go pick up cargo at the given coordinates on some uninhabited world or moon and deliver it back to this station. When you get there, you see the cargo pods and the ship of their crew on the surface. When you land, the cargo is de-spawned as it is added to your hold. Then the ship takes off, flying to the original station. They player can choose to fly in formation with the AI ship or rush the cargo back. (If illegal live animal harvest, it might behoove the player to stick with the other ship in case of police scans!)
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