[Project] Custom Radio Communications

[Serial Kicked]

Hi there,

Those who've played with Yaki Armada or Pirate Guild already know i've created a custom radio communication system with other pilots (ECS Library). And I have in my "to-do" list to extend those custom dialogues to all the main races in another plugin.

Currently, I plan to include the following options:

• Ability to save a ship under attack for a given amount of money
• Asking a fighter ship for an escort
• Player escorting a transport ship to its destination
• Can you point me to the closest {ship owner race} sector ?
• A working version of the "Surrender!"
• Ability to sell a ware that is wanted by a TS if you've got a transporter device.
• Buying a cargo to a TS ship (same condition)
• Ask a police or military ship for help when attacked

But I think some ideas are missing (especially for Goners, capital ships, and police/military), so if you have got ideas about a dialogue that should be included, please tell me

By the way, don't include anything for pirate or yaki ships, as this (in a not so near) future plugin won't handle them.

[Serial Kicked]

reserved

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Well, one idea: You could 'report' a smuggler.

If you fly around scanning, and find a ship carrying illegal goods of that race, you note the ID and comm an officer, select REPORT SMUGGLER, and then pick him off the sector map. The officer flies off into range, scans the target, and if it is indeed carrying goods... does as all cops/military do.

Of course, if it's a false alarm, the officer gets upset and you lose notoriety.

For every smuggler you report and is dealt with, you get some notoriety. If you have a police liscense, you get some creditsss.

This way, you can fight smugglers without actually fighting and losing Notoriety.


Another idea, is reporting a conflict. Say... A TS is under attack, but both races are friendly with each other so the normal attack-all-enemies command doesn't solve anything. What you can do, is report the aggressor to a military or police ship and they move to engage. It might be a bit complex to determine exactly HOW to identify using a check if the aggressor is really aggressive.

And with Pirates, various bribes and cut-throat ideas come to mind. (For example, bribe a pirate into halting his attack, bribe him into distracting police in a sector, or pay one to defend you outright.)

[Serial Kicked]

Thanks for the ideas

The 'report smuggler' is a very good one, and i'll certainly include it. I like the 'double-edged sword' idea behind. As you can play as a 'lawful' player or a clever smuggler who make a false report to lure the police ship/patrol away.

The second one is way harder to code, and doesn't happen really often. In fact i've only noticed such a thing when you stay for way too long in a sector with pirates or xenons. Usually caused by the friendly fire (tend to happen very often in Getsu Fune when race response fleet is activated btw). So i don't think i'll spend hours coding this for a such rare events.

And with Pirates, various bribes and cut-throat ideas come to mind. (For example, bribe a pirate into halting his attack, bribe him into distracting police in a sector, or pay one to defend you outright)

bribes & escort are both included in Yaki Armada and Pirate Guild

Luring police is more difficult to script. And, as future versions will give a full control over the guilds to the player who achieve the maximum rank, it's not so needed (as i can ask all pirates to attack somewhere to distract the RRF plugin when i'm going on rampage in another sector).

[Kagurati]

Hrm, perhaps...

• Hire any ship (including capital ships) for a sector fee or an hourly fee.
• Permanently buy the services of a pilot (a much larger fee than that per sector/hour.
• For gate locations for a fee
• All station locations in the sector for a fee

For the last two, you'll want to make it higher priced than that of a station (and vary between ship/race/noteriety) so it'll be used.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

I have another one.

Talk to any capship or shipyard person, and they tell you the current sector of the nearest NPC TL, should you not be able to find it in the sector. You have to of course, be in decent standing. And it's a free information request.

[Serial Kicked]

Gate location and sector map should be included. Sometime for free depending of relations.

Temporary escort from military ship may be included (same exists for pirates / yakis in my other plugins). I don't think i'll include permenent hiring.

For nearest NPC TL, i think i can even include the nearest available TL.

[Schabernack]

just some thoughts

-Hire as miner-
The suitable ship will equip themself as miner and start working in the pointed sector, the ore is brought to any station or to an special owner station if wanted. Daily paid 10.000c and addional payment of 10% average ore value is receaved per load.

-Hire as Satalite Networker-
The suitable ship will buy adv. sat and put it in any sector, known and unknown. Sure it will not go in the Xenon or Pirate Sectors, life is more worth then some credits. Daily paid 40.000c + cost of each adv. sat..

-Ask for empty ships in this or nearby sectors-

-Ask for a complet description to an unknown sector-
in the storyline if you ask, you get the answer, "go through ... gate"
Here you get furthermore the next two following gates.
"After that go to the north gate, then to the west, after that you should ask again"

-Delivery service-
You've founf sth and want to bring it to another ship or station, for selling or for equiping, but at the moment you have no energy cells and even if you didn't want to go back at the moment, bcz eploring is too much fun.
So ask a suitable ship owner to get the device or cargo load to any destination. Pirates would take illegales wares too, but perhaps they think twice and make their own profit with the load. Anyway they will be paid per sector a fee of xy% of the deliverd cargo value + 1000c. Transporting device required.

-ask for suport in a raid-
you want this bigger ship but do not have a chance on your own.
So ask some pirates to follow you and fly as your wings.
Make sure you have enough money on youre account bcz if you capture the bigger ship, the pirate wanted to be paid 20% of its worth.
(You give a special target)

-ask for distraction-(dont know for sure the engl word)
The pirates you ask start some scrimish on the sector military troops.
As long their shields are not below 20% thei will attack any military ship inthat sector. In this time you are free to do waht you have to do.
I think of a comnination with a jamming device, so you can destroy/capture any ships or stations without a loss of reputation.
Payment 10% of any captured things.
(you give no target)

solong

Edit: Till now i haven't used your script but was wondering if this one
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... sc&start=0
isn't doing nearby things? Perhaps it would make sense to bring these efforts together.

[DangerDave]

An idea sprung to mind thinking of the old Monkey Island 1 game.

*How about hearing and spreading rumours, for example as a private detective?
-Speak to a random ship, and get like 'I recently heard the Boron have some big project'.
-Speak to another, mention the rumour, they reply 'Interesting, I've seen a lot of ship activitiy near <sector>'
- etc...
- Then finally you investigate, find something strange and either capitalize on it, or report to a police/military ship who rewards you and moves to engage, or something.

*Could be evil and hear and spread rumours that:
-Make races start to distrust and eventually hate and go hostile to one-another. Or vice versa.
-Target specific sectors for rumour-milling, causing a conflict and eventual annexing of that sector by your chosen race.
-Spread rumours about illegal activity on a particular station you want rid of.
-Spread rumours of a build-up in pirate/xenon sectors, so military presence is increased, helping you secure a trade lane through it.

*Just general NPC ship given quests or hints, like any RPG I suppose.

*If you find a casino ship, have some mini-games via messages, like blackjack, roulette, etc. Ok, wouldnt be most fun, but a cool little mild distraction to add some immersion.

*Offer your jumpdrive and energy to damaged military, or use tractor to tow to shipyard so they can repair = effectively saving militarys life = huge notoriety bonus (for Goner as well as race).

*Could treat ships individually, so as an individual they begin to like you by:
-Escorting them for free.
-Saving their lives.
-Taking some dodgy cargo they need to get rid of before police arrive.
-Standard BBS style missions (find my daughter; kill this guy).
-Giving them money or wares.
-etc...

Then they can 'owe you one' (some kind of points based system) and as such they will bend the rules to help you out:
-Buying wares/ship/stations you peronally have not enough notoriety for.
-Giving you cash if you say you desperately need it.
-Escorting you for free.
-Helping spread rumours like above.
-Doing a standard freight-run on your behalf.
-Put in a good word to increase notoriety.
-etc...

Would be useful for this one if there was a seperate command 'locate friends' so you could find where their ships are in case you need a favour.

*Offer to buy someones ship off them if they sound depressed or the ship is damaged or something, then offer safe transport for pilot to nearest base -- meaning you buy the ship for peanuts.

*Offer to pay for repair of a ship. Once the ship is docked and repaired you get notoriety bonus.

*Offer up some of your ships as sector patrols where the current ones are very few. Lose control of ships, but recieve hourly payment per ship/class whilst they survive plus small notoriety. Get more payment if you offer to patrol Pirate sectors and keep them in line. (Can just use job police patrol script).

*Challenge similarly-equipped ships to a race, or even deathmatch.

*Be a drug pusher, asking people if they want buy any space weed or space fuel for their long journey.
-Obviously work better on Pirates, but with higher profit margin on non-Pirates.
-Might give a use for civillian ships too.
-Could even hire taxi civilian ships to sell your illegals for you on the 'black market' so they can sell at any station without needing one that actually stocks them.
-And of course, NPC TP class ships could provide huge illegal trading opportunities, but some risk.

*Challenge people to a drinking competition, then you gotta fly to nearest base without autopilot, whilst your ship jerks around and jumps from place to place as you keep passing out at the wheel. In addition, the police are after you for obvious drunk-and-incharge offenses.

*Be a Pirate's alibi. Speak to a pirate under attack and in exchange for a huge wad of money you use up some of your notoriety to contact the police, saying the pirate was with you all day and any illegal goods are purely for legal research. For a little notoriety loss you get big money.

*To increase notoriety with pirates, have a seies of 'dares' set up to show how much of a crazy rebel you are, e.g.:
-Get the pirate to dare you to attack a cap ship. Then you gotta attack it til it turns hostile, then get the heck out of the sector. Get awe from the the pirates and a notoriety bonus with them, plus any money you bet as well.
-Kill a police ship, then get the heck out.

*Offer two ships 1 000 000 Cr. to the victor of a deathmatch between them. Just for kicks to flaunt your power. Also could use to distract sector security.

... and more ideas likely to come!

[Schabernack]

I like the idea of spreading rumors, as my selfe wanted to be since a long time the unseen cause of war
And when war starts I'll get paid to for offering my help and make kills to either side.

And i like the drunken driver/smoking flyer idea perhaps this could be combined with the fog effect and low vision.

If you make a race, then i would want to bet on my own like the blackjack game, as anybody knows there is no better flyer ^^.