[wip] professions - a role-playing mod

[kuertee]

3 Jan 2021:

• New professions: Mercenary, Police and Pirate
• I updated the list of actions of each profession. Of course, not all actions will be used (e.g. event_player_paid_build_plot_changed). I'll remove those that I don't think works as I test these. And I'll add more when I identify them.
• I went through all of the base mission scripts (even those as yet unused by the game) and added signals for their completions to the appropriate profession.
• I decided to add guilds for each profession. I think a separate entity that gives you extra money is better than simply adding them invisibly to the mission reward. This way, not only is the bonus separated from the reward (which is good in regards to user-experience), but having a representation of the mod in the game world is always welcome.
• Ship proficiencies will be based on the actual ship model/macro rather than ship type (small fighter, large frigate, etc) - which I initially planned only.

26 Dec 2020:
I'm developing an X4 mod called Professions.
It's a role-playing mod that gives the player better returns for actions of their profession.

This is similar to my other mods. It will give the player better returns without cheats but, in this mod's case, for role-playing.
Additionally, there are no penalties for NOT role-playing your profession. It'll be like playing without the mod.

If you sometimes find zen in just doing missions or doing mundane things between the factional wars, this mod should add to that zen.

I would appreciate help in regards to comments, critiques, feedback, etc. - particularly in the professions list itself and the bonuses for the professions.





How it works
It'll be similar to my Skyrim mod, Professions. It's quite dynamic and works like below.

• Performing actions of your profession offer bonuses to those actions.
• The more actions of your professions that you perform, the better the bonuses.
• If you perform actions of a different profession, the bonuses decrease.
• If you perform actions of a different profession enough times, that becomes your profession, and you gain bonuses to actions of that profession.
• There are no penalties in performing actions of a different profession apart from the decreasing bonus to your profession.
• It's easier to main your profession. You need to perform fewer actions of your profession to maintain it. I.e. actions of your profession are weighted more than the actions of other professions in determining your actual profession.
• It's relatively harder to change your profession. You need to perform more actions of a different profession to switch to that profession.
• Like in my Skyrim mod, there is no active "soldier" (or in X4's case, pilot) or "adventurer" profession. This mod considers that you are always a "soldier-adventurer".

The details below are in the very early stages of their development, and so, will be unbalanced when compared to each other.
E.g. 25% construction reward bonus may be a bit too high a reward bonus.
E.g. The bonuses are mostly just money reward bonuses.
But I'll add those details anyway, not only to get ideas started but also until I get a better sense of WHAT they actually should be (from comments, and from things I discover as I code the mod).

Note that the bonuses are the maximum bonuses available.
The actual bonus is based on the player's proficiency with their profession.





Professions:

Spoiler

Show

Builder

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_build_plot_changed, event_player_paid_build_plot_changed, event_player_build_started, event_player_build_finished, event_player_build_finished_components, event_player_built_station
• Builder guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Courier / Transporter

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_collected_ammo, event_player_collected_powerup, event_player_collected_ware, event_player_opened_crate, event_player_assigned_hired_actor, event_lockbox_opened
• Courier guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Hacker

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_hacked_object
• Hacker guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Miner

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_collected_ware, event_resourceprobe_launched
• Mier guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%
• bonus: up to 25% mined material bonus (extra material added to the asteroids themselves - more material for less asteroids)

Repairer

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_crafted_ammo, event_player_repaired_signal_leak
• Repairer guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Saboteur

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_bomb_attached, event_lasertower_launched, event_mine_launched
• Saboteur guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Shipwright:

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_built_ship, event_player_licence_added, event_player_licence_lost, event_player_blueprint_added
• Shipwright guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%
• better ship mod installation results

Spy:

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_signal_unlock_started, event_player_signal_unlock_finished, event_player_created_signal_leaks, event_scan_finished, event_scan_started, event_navbeacon_launched, event_satellite_launched
• Spy guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Trader / Merchant:

• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_playerpricemodifier, event_player_production_started, event_player_production_finished, event_player_commission_added, event_player_discount_added, event_player_licence_added, event_player_licence_lost, event_player_trade_discovered, event_player_trade_completed, event_player_trade_started
• Merchant guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%
• bonus: up to 25% buy discount, up to 25% sale price

Mercenary / Bounty hunter
Police
Pirate

• Mercenary = actions against criminals, xenon, khaak when you don't have a police licence
• Police = actions against criminals, enemies, xenon, and khaak when you have a police licence
• Pirate = actions against enemies, neutrals and friendlies
• actions: mission_success, mission_failure, event_player_attacked_object, event_player_killed_object
• Mercenary, Police, or Pirate guild mission reward bonus: up to 25%

Guilds
Each profession will have a guild. When one of your activities in one profession surpass more than twice than the others, you will be eligible to join the guild.

Note that eligibility is separate from your actual profession score. E.g. there'll be a time when your builder activities is just slighly above all other activities. Your profession is a builder. But you won't be able to join a guild until your builder score is double or more than the score of the others. But this shouldn't be a grind because (1) generating scores of your profession is faster than generating scores of other profession and (2) what the mod asks of you is what you already do in the game. The mod simply offers better rewards when you do activities (i.e. focus) on your profession.

Benefits of joining the guild: the up to 25% mission reward bonus.





Ship proficiencies
Apart from professions, the mod will have ship proficiency bonuses.
The player will get shield and speed bonuses of the ship macro they use most.

It will work similarly to Professions above: the more times the player flies a ship type, the better the bonus, etc.

[Shuulo]

Sounds awesome.
The only thing I can suggest (request?) is to make it faction/ships/sectors agnostic, so it can be used with variety of mods, like VRO or SW mod. This will be a great addition to those ones.

Can the part on ship types be limited to maro and not type? e.g. in VRO and SW there are ships of different sizes that are both Frigates for example, picket frigate and large fire support frigate, or heavy corvette and light corvette that are quite different in stats and roles.

[kuertee]

Sounds awesome.
The only thing I can suggest (request?) is to make it faction/ships/sectors agnostic, so it can be used with variety of mods, like VRO or SW mod. This will be a great addition to those ones.

Can the part on ship types be limited to maro and not type? e.g. in VRO and SW there are ships of different sizes that are both Frigates for example, picket frigate and large fire support frigate, or heavy corvette and light corvette that are quite different in stats and roles.

Ahhh, of course, there'd be differences.
Yes, I can make it work by ship macro instead of by ship type.
Thanks for the heads-up.

[Mycu]

I have been thinking about this idea for a while and have mixed feelings.

In EARLY GAME for me the range of taken missions is greater because the rewards are more appropriate to my level/empty wallet.
In MID GAME+, on the other hand, I choose missions in terms of their profitability, which means that mainly I do build/fleet missions - they are most profitable.

Generally I don't like to stick to one kind of missions because in the longer run it becomes boring.
What I want to say is that with the way I play the professions (as you mentioned) would be just an side addition and not something I would aim for.

And I have somehow similar feelings about Ship proficiencies.
In EARLY GAME I choose the class of the ship I fly based on my budget.
In MID GAME+ the class of the ship I fly depends only on my need because budget is not a problem.

So if in MID GAME+ I want to feel like a general - I stand on the capital ship bridge.
If I want a dogfight a little - I get on some fast and agile S or M class ship.
If I want to explore or do a mission - I choose my Nemesis.

Ship proficiencies wouldn't make me "stick to" particular type of ships - they would be just something extra, used passively - "by the way".
I would also be a little bit afraid of balance while having modifications installed on my ship and additional bonuses to shields and speed.

But I can imagine that for someone role-playing X4 deeper and having other playstyle it would suit better.

These are my two cents.

[aurumgallente]

-How you can give bonus mineral materials when cargo of the ship is full?
-How you can give 25% of the reward for missions where reward is a ship, mod materials or paint job?

In my X2 ship pack there already are a couple of medium interceptors and L frigates and many M ships with S weapons, shields and engines or ships with no weapon systems at all. It's better to not assume ship packs keep the same style of fitting or ship sizes as vanilla game.

[kuertee]

...
Ship proficiencies wouldn't make me "stick to" particular type of ships - they would be just something extra, used passively - "by the way".
I would also be a little bit afraid of balance while having modifications installed on my ship and additional bonuses to shields and speed....

Moving from ship to ship would be just as if you don't have the mod.
But if you stick to your favourite, you'll get the benefits of doing so.
Then if you move from a strike craft to a corvette or frigate and use the latter more, your proficiency would eventually change to the latter.
Then when you move back to a strike craft, it'll be like without the mod - no bonuses, which is how it is now.
Thanks, mycu.

-How you can give bonus mineral materials when cargo of the ship is full?
-How you can give 25% of the reward for missions where reward is a ship, mod materials or paint job?

Bonus materials added to the collectable asteroids, requiring you to collect less asteroids for the more returns.

In my X2 ship pack there already are a couple of medium interceptors and L frigates and many M ships with S weapons, shields and engines or ships with no weapon systems at all. It's better to not assume ship packs keep the same style of fitting or ship sizes as vanilla game.

Yah, after Shuulo's comment, I'm making the proficiency based on the ship's macro rather than type. Thanks, mate.

[kuertee]

• New professions: Mercenary, Police and Pirate
• I updated the list of actions for each profession. Of course, not all actions will be used (e.g. event_player_paid_build_plot_changed). I'll remove those that I don't think works as I test these. And I'll add more when I identify them.
• I went through all of the base mission scripts (even those as yet unused by the game) and added signals for their completions to the appropriate profession.
• I decided to add guilds for each profession. I think a separate entity that gives you extra money is better than simply adding them invisibly to the mission reward. This way, not only is the bonus separated from the reward (which is good in regards to user-experience), but having a representation of the mod in the game world is always welcome.
• Ship proficiencies will be based on the actual ship model/macro rather than ship type (small fighter, large frigate, etc) - which I initially planned.

More details are in the first post.