Working on new quests and topics

[Lurler]

Since v0.10.x is finally stable we are back to work on the new version!
And I decided to create this topic to discuss quests specifically. You all know that quests are a major part of the game so we take it very seriously, and we really want to make it even bigger. For example each faction will have has (already) its own completely separate storyline, etc.

Anyway, I just wanted to share what's being worked on at the moment and maybe get some feedback from you.

Mining foreman will have topics about mining. These will work more or less as a tutorial.
"Rats in the cellar" quest is back in a slightly changed form.
"Trade fuel" in space is back. You can ask flying merchants and other ships to share their fuel and if they feel like it they might oblige.
"Science" quest is added, where you can donate artifacts to different science stations and get some services in return.

Any other ideas to add maybe? Something that is not terribly difficult to add and I might be able to do it.

[kyokei]

- Exploration quests
- Trade ship escort quests (not sure if these are already in)
- Hire fighters to fly with you and fight for you
- Capturing ships? In general and maybe have some quests for it? (capture specific ship which was spotted in sector XX)
- Kill for hire quests, so similar to the bounty quests but maybe more... boss like? Big ship with a few escorts flying next to him?

That's all I can think off right now

[Lurler]

Well, these are definitely not "easy" to do But still, thanks for the suggestions.

[kyokei]

Oh ermm... I thought some of them would be easy-ish...
What about a quest which is about transferring a prisoner from point A to Point B?

[Lurler]

Well, I mean I just wanted to squeeze in some simple extra quests that would not require us to create new API functions or create extensive logic to make it work.

Your example with prisoner transport is right on the spot, but it doesn't really sounds terribly exciting, since it's mostly just a fetch quest

[kyokei]

Well if you want something so simple but yet not dull... then I would really need an example from you... and then I can start thinking I have no idea what to think now when you mean simple

[Excalibur]

In terms of faction quests which are offered by all the factions might be:

Recon, scout out opposing factions stations (need to get within a certain distance for it to be "scouted")
Destroy, destroy X amount of enemy faction ships.
Hack, similar to the one already implemented but you would have to dock with the station amid all the firing and missiles flying at you.

Of course, this would pretty much apply to all factions which are hostile to one another. Not sure if you plan to implement dynamic faction relationships.

[BobTheFish]

What about a simple mystery/detective quest where you need to visit a few people first to get the clues?

For example you could say "<Random object> has been stolen/destroyed, the suspect is someone in <Random system>." Then you have to talk to three random people in that system who have the three clues: (1) "The perpetrator is <gender>", (2) "The perp is a <occupation>", (3) "The perp has <facial characteristic>". Once you've unlocked all three clues you can confront the perpetrator.

Or what about needing to find an object or mine a particular asteroid but first you need to talk to three people because one has the system name, one has the x coordinate, and one has the y coordinate. Until you have all three you could be mining asteroids all day before you find the object.

I guess I'm just hoping that the random generation and logic required for a 'complete all three' mission is not too hard?

[jeeplaw]

What about a mercenary job board? I'm a monster fan of the Mechwarrior series where different clans/houses would have contracts on certain individuals. There you could select a credit range (difficulty) of a job you wanted to take on and the system would autogenerate a mission. That could keep replay up for a long time.

[Lurler]

Hm. Detective quest sounds pretty interesting. I don't remember seeing it in other games, at least the ones I've played. Probably a good idea to add it
Okay, today I will try writing something like that ,no promises though, we will see how it turns out. If it turns out fun - great, but if not I won't add it.

[djs4000]

How about a quest that starts after killing a random pirate? Kill a pesky pirate like usual, and when you go collect the loot you find a message about, oh i don't know, hidden treasure, an undercover mission, plans to take over the universe, whatever.