Alternative Way Of Getting Missions

[Fniff]

So, missions are fun enough and give good goals. But NPCs are buggy as hell and unable to be properly used at the moment. So why not put in a placeholder?

How this would work would be that the starting shelter has a “emergency comms set” near the computer. When activated, it brings you into a conversation with a friendly NPC who talks but doesn’t have a presence in-game, explained as them being a survivor in a barricaded bunker somewhere while you talk to them with a radio/computer. When a quest is completed (I imagine the majority would be easily portable as “bring me [z]” to “my [z] is at [y], get it cos you need it more then me”) a “deliverybot” is sent with a reward. To make sure players don’t follow it, it can fly off in an instant to an out-of-sight place.

I think this would make a good placeholder for NPC missions, and if the quests got harder more direction would be given.

[vache]

You could use a two-way radio to get in contact with the military who ask you to do something serious (kill fungal bloom, etc) and they reward you by dropping crates nearby with supplies.

[Pthalocy]

Would be interesting to find other sorts of npc things that instigate quests, too. I mean, there’s “find my dog” but it’d be nice if the dog follows you and a dialogue opens up saying how it seems to want to follow you. Maybe it leads you someplace. (probably to another currently-buggy npc but it would be more interactive.)

Maybe someone could attempt to contact you through working computer terminals. Perhaps cellphones could be another source? Like, someone phones you mistaking you for the original owner, who wants to get in contact with another survivor. Maybe you can bring food and drink to them as a fetch-quest that doesn’t necessarily rely on venturing into town.

Obviously internet and phone networks are questionably available at best, but we have the terminals/devices for accessing both already in-game, yet neither serve this purpose. I might be thinking too far ahead given the current state of npc’s.

[Catfoodbob]

Maybe you could also finde notes of from people giving you a quest to -investigate here -save person here -or such

[KA101]

Interesting. I’m not sure how much of this is lore- and-programming-compatible, but I like the general idea.

[Pthalocy]

Yeah, lore would prove problematic since I know we’ve got some variation on how connected computers/phones are.

At least if we get to a point of an overhaul for npc’s there’ll be a pool of ideas already in the making

[John_Candlebury]

Well most cellphone stations have backup generators in them, so a tech savvy faction could definitely put the grid back online inside its territory with little effort if it desired, now I don’t know if cellphone station can operate the buying of call time by themselves or if they need something else online, but that can be hand waved by saying that: by law, cell phone providers are obliged to provide free service during a national emergencies (it could be an actual law IRL, it makes kinda sense really).

So it can certainly be done in reality, but I don’t know what the actual advantages it would have over the much cheaper radio, sure transmissions would be much harder to intercept but at a gigantic cost of resources or maintenance; I guess that telling people that we have cellphone coverage in our territory would be a nice recruitment tool at the least.

[StopSignal]

Maybe you could also finde notes of from people giving you a quest to -investigate here -save person here -or such[/quote][quote=“vache, post:2, topic:6415”]You could use a two-way radio to get in contact with the military who ask you to do something serious (kill fungal bloom, etc) and they reward you by dropping crates nearby with supplies.

I think this ones are the best ideas, for now. Really good ones. What do you think?

[kevin.granade]

Yea, there’s no reason missions/quests have to be tied to NPCs. For a really simple example, when you use a radio to pick up a broadcast, it could set up a mission to investigate the source of the broadcast, or you could find a note that identifies the location of a stash, or a safehouse that then gets marked on your map.
For rewards, they could just tell you about the location of valuable things, like stashes or shelters (bunkers, those are in demand, right?), no need to have a robotic delivery system.

[Pthalocy]

I completely agree, Kevin.

[Rivet]

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:9, topic:6415”]Yea, there’s no reason missions/quests have to be tied to NPCs. For a really simple example, when you use a radio to pick up a broadcast, it could set up a mission to investigate the source of the broadcast, or you could find a note that identifies the location of a stash, or a safehouse that then gets marked on your map.
For rewards, they could just tell you about the location of valuable things, like stashes or shelters (bunkers, those are in demand, right?), no need to have a robotic delivery system.[/quote]

Sounds very much like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, which means I’m all for it.

[Womble]

Missions don’t need material rewards, unless you’re dealing with military or paramilitary organisations.

Why would the survivor help “Drainpipe in Broadlands”, the voice of a person they’ve never met? Because this is one of the other last survivors of the human race. The current scenario, with NPCs inactive, is almost unimaginably lonely. Having someone to talk to - better yet, hearing someone express their gratitude! - would be worth more than all the mininukes in Massachusetts.

[Slax]

“We buried a specimen and some work material at X. This is by no means a good solution but hopefully we suppressed the issue.”

Go to location, find Hulk + stash.

That computer message didn’t say the specimen was ALIVE.

[kevin.granade]

[quote=“Slax, post:13, topic:6415”]“We buried a specimen and some work material at X. This is by no means a good solution but hopefully we suppressed the issue.”

Go to location, find Hulk + stash.

That computer message didn’t say the specimen was ALIVE.[/quote]
It wasn’t when they put it there

[AseaHeru]

I like the military idea…

The cellphone thing is (I think) true, just calling 911 has no charge for cellphones, and it makes sense for national emergencies to blanket effect that.

[kevin.granade]

I kind of assume whoever brings the tower back online would just reconfigure it.
and also put up billboards or something with a number to call… hrm, sounding interesting now.

[RipRoarinBoogerPenis]

More missions are always good. I especially like the idea of stashes spawned with marked locations on the map as quest rewards.

[Creamy_Goodness]

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:16, topic:6415”]I kind of assume whoever brings the tower back online would just reconfigure it.
and also put up billboards or something with a number to call… hrm, sounding interesting now.[/quote]

yes, Yes… YES! Please kevin this must happen now its too awesome not to

[Pthalocy]

Only if contacting the station in person is occasionally rewarded with a radio recording booth full of zambos.

[AseaHeru]

Yes. That is needed.