I'd like to start by apologizing for my lack of updates during the summer months. Although I nearly shelved this project, I have made some real progress in the past few weeks, though. For starters, the in-game map is now considerably larger:

Additionally, the Pegasi faction was dropped in favor of a larger Colonial Union (I thought that they were kind of boring). The overall plot will remain mostly linear, but the player will be given some major choices regarding which factions they aid and fight for as they progress (I'm hoping this will make up for the lack of major threads for each faction). Generic missions will most likely feature in-game corporations posting specific deliveries that are few and far between with a greater emphasis on ferrying passengers. As I enjoy exploration in Escape Velocity, I will try to include some means of rewarding players willing to explore the larges swathes of empty systems to the North-East and far South.

Next:

• Timeline

• Status thread

Edit:
Corrected image size

This post has been edited by ReclusiveOne : 06 August 2013 - 09:23 AM

Wow. That's a lot of systems. I don't envy the work you have ahead of you, but I hope you get through it. What I've seen so far of this TC of yours has been promising, and I'm looking forward to playing it.

Here is my opinion on rewarding players for exploring: I like the most getting a powerful ship or getting a powerful outfit (includes weapons).

Except that in plug-ins I have played, empty systems mean uninhabitated ones. They never contain anything - meaning any outfitters or shipyards.

There is only one plug-in where you get something good in a empty system - and even then you need to board a ship. I remember the ship being a Kestrel (the Nova version) of some sort. The plug-in was Ronin, which is a Nova plug-in.

Anyway, there is not much you can reward players with without giving them a powerful outfit or a ship.

These outfits and ships are the ones you can purchase on that planet.

Then there is a another idea: Empire of Crime (for Escape Velocity) features derelict ships that are derelict warships. For example, I once saw a derelict Weave Dreadnought. It contained 12 Tigersharks when boarded. I took the fighters by pressing the button that gives you them (probably Ammo) and sold them on a station that sells them, they were fighter bay fighter outfits. I made 5 million credits in profit. You could do something like this - put in space in some system a derelict version of a governments most powerful ship, (with absolutely enormous amounts of fighters that cost something like 500,000 per fighter), so the player can make millions from selling them.

When I say absolutely enormous, I mean something like the 12 fighters I just mentioned.

I also need to be able to sell them in a similar way to what happened in Empire of Crime - I sold the fighters in a high-tech planet, I think it was called Brassard Starport, which was in the same system as the Weave headquarters. So what I mean is, I want to able to sell these fighters in the same system as the headquarters of a government. So that I don't have to travel the whole galaxy to find the one planet that lets me sell them.

If I don't have the bay, the fighters are useless to me if I can't sell the fighters.

Or: Put a ship that when hailed gives you a mission that pays millions when you finish it. Or gives a powerful ship or a outfit or weapon. As a reward for finishing the mission. The ship/outfit/weapon could even be more powerful than can you can buy otherwise.

Your first suggestion is pretty good, but I'd need the derelict ships to hold something other than fighters (the classic engine allowed players to loot fighters they couldn't normally launch whereas in Nova you have to own the relevant fighter bay). However, I could do what Anubis did in Polycon and make it so that derelict ships have a chance to carry a rare super weapon. Your second idea is also pretty good. I liked how NPCs could hail you and offer you jobs, but I hated how they paid practically nothing. Thanks, I'll have to get on this right away.

@reclusiveone, on 06 August 2013 - 01:11 PM, said in New Star Map:

Your first suggestion is pretty good, but I'd need the derelict ships to hold something other than fighters However, I could do what Anubis did in Polycon and make it so that derelict ships have a chance to carry a rare super weapon. Your second idea is also pretty good. Thanks, I'll have to get on this right away.

There was once a disabled ship in a Empire plug-in (that's what the five plug-ins created by Tim Isles are called) that had 14 Nuclear Rockets that you could get. Since Nuclear Rockets 135,000 per rocket, you could get more than a million by selling them. Maybe you could put weapon ammo on a derelict to get? That would then show when you board a derelict and you are shown what ammo
the ship has. That I know a ship can contain when derelict, because I have seen it myself in the original game. However, I also know you can give a player a outfit when boarding a ship in Nova. That could mean you could give a player a weapon when boarding a ship. One more note: The ammo you give to players when boarding a derelict must be so costly you get more than a million when you sell the ammunition. Even if you don't get a lot of ammunition, like 14. Otherwise it's not really a reward to players.

However: Ammunition isn't too exciting. And I like your super weapon thing more anyway. And it's not only super- it's rare. Only one thing: if I only get a chance to get it, the chances of getting it must be high enough that I actually can get it, like a 50% chance. DrRalphs pers in Nova gives you a Dr Ralphs Exploration Map when boarded, but not with a 100% chance. The outfit explores all systems that are tens jumps away. Nothing happened when I boarded though. I didn't get the map, I think. Though I didn't look at the list of outfits. I had the whole galaxy explored though, so I think I wouldn't have had any use of it even if I had gotten the outfit.

I like that you liked my idea. I'll get on this means I will get this feature- ships that give you missions that pay you millions when done. And I got even a thanks!

Question: In which systems will those ships that give you missions that pay millions when finished be in?

Here is a another idea: A uninhabited planet that actually has a outfitter and a shipyard. This planet then has a powerful ship and powerful outfit. In the F-25 plug-in the armor and turret offered on a Tryakk planet are more powerful than anything else in the plug-in. Though that planet is inhabitated- by the Tryakk. If the outfits offered on this planet were to be more powerful than anywhere else in your plug-in, it would be the ultimate reward for exploring. It seems a uninhabited system with more than a Leave button is possible - I remember one system in the F-25 plug-in that was uninhabitated, yet had a Spaceport Bar. Here is how good the armor was: it weighed only 20 tons yet gave you 750 armor if I remember right. You could only have 2 turrets, but they would be good both against armor and shields, whereas the two other turrets avaible only would be good against shields or against armor.

I think a uninhabitated planet with a outfitter and a shipyard should be possible- just press the checkbox next to can land/ dock here. Leave is inhabitated (has spaceport, refuelling) Then press the checkbox on has has outfitter and has shipyard.`

Though I don't know how much a uninhabitated system with a outfitter and a shipyard makes. Maybe the system should be inhabitated after all?

This post has been edited by General Cade Smart : 08 August 2013 - 12:36 PM