Korolov mission ideas

[george moromisato]

Cardinal has got me thinking about Korolov mission ideas. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on what kind of missions we could have.

A few constraints/guidelines/ideas:

1. As you know, Korolov's main challenge is the Charon pirates, who attack their freighters. The Outlaws/Black Market are a secondary enemy--they generally don't attack freighters directly, but they fund the pirates and sell the stolen good. Salvagers and Korolov have an uneasy truce.

2. Korolov Shipping is a part of the Corporate Hierarchy. Although allied with the Commonwealth, they are somewhat independent. The Commonwealth militia looks down on the "freight herders" of the Korolov. [Something that needs to be developed in the game.]

3. There is a belief among the freighter and escort pilots that a traitor among the leaders of Korolov has been selling freighter routes to the Charon pirates.

4. Since Korolov appears early, I'd like to keep the game mechanics of the missions simple. For example, I'd like to avoid wingmen (except maybe as a high-level mission). Remember that we need to design these missions for the novice players (while still keeping them interesting for us).

5. I'd would prefer to improve the escort missions to make them more exciting, but I'm open to any kind of mission idea.

6. Perhaps the player should be able to choose from a set of missions. Some might be riskier than others, but might pay more. Some might require the player to forfeit money if the freighter is destroyed. [This is just a thought--it might be too complicated for the early levels.]

7. Perhaps there is a chance that, after taking an escort mission, the player is met by a traitor who wants to find out the mission path in exchange for money. Or perhaps it's just a sting...

8. Different freighters should have different modifications. Some might be faster than others; some might be better armed; etc.

9. Perhaps some freighters break down in mid-voyage and the player needs to repair it with some item. If the player doesn't have the item, she has to go to the nearest station and get it, meanwhile leaving the poor freighter defenseless.

[Cardinal]

9. Perhaps some freighters break down in mid-voyage and the player needs to repair it with some item. If the player doesn't have the item, she has to go to the nearest station and get it, meanwhile leaving the poor freighter defenseless.

This might be complicated or too frustrating, but heres an idea.

The rusting tub of a freighter, you are guarding breaks down the first time it is shot by an enemy (or you). However, the damage is severe and unfixable - the reactor has exploded. Thankfully, damage is localised within the freighter and the crew survived and cargo is intact but life support is down.

The situation is dire. Leaving the vessel to get help isn't an option, as the crew will quickly dessicate (they are given say a two or three minutes in game timeframe) or be destoyed by merciless pirates. So the captain of the freighter comes up with this solution: They will tether their freighter to yours and you will tow them to safety (or back to Korolov?).

This mission is going to be a real pain, as the freighter is carrying a max-capacity load, so your ship will similarly be slowed down, and difficult to handle. And of course, the pirates continue there attack. The swine!

* * *

I've got another idea in mind, but I'll put it on later. I'm having a fencing lesson tonight, see if I can cripple someone. Wish me luck.

[Cardinal]

Mission Idea: Kicking the Bucket

"Honouring your services to Korolov, we would like to gift you this +50% heavy recoilless cannon and install it free of charge for use in your continuing loyalty us and for use against the scourge of the galaxy, those bounders, the Charon Pirates.
Now, if you would just safely escort the freighter Bucket to..."

You escort the freighter Bucket across the solar system, nothing too eventful here, beat back a few pirates, but when you arrive at the destination... Bucket doesn't stop. You recieve a message from Buckets Captain, who says that all the computer controls have seized up - Bucket is constantly firing her thrusters, and she can't be steered.


Bucket's captain will shut down the gyroscopic stabilisers (or some such sci-babble). What the player needs to do is fire their kinetic weapon at one side of Bucket, and by continuing to do this, Bucket can be rotated a little every shot and she can be aimed back towards Korolov, where she can activate her docking computer.


Of course... an added complication is that Bucket is going to announce somewhere during the mission that her fuel supply is down to 50%, then 25%, then running on fumes.


The player can't simply continually fire weapons at Bucket. You would need to hit her slowly enough for the shields not to collapse and for Bucket to not take damage. Don't forget, thats a +50% Heavily Recoiless Cannon you are smacking her with... Did you forget to turn off your cannon accelerator?


And why won't those abject scoundrels, the Charon Pirates, just give up already?


The only difficult thing I can see with this mission is programming a ship to rotate when hit. Would you need precision shooting, right on the Buckets corner maybe?

Edit: Corrections, clarifications.

[Icabod458]

This is in reference to #2. I don't know if this would help or hinder but since the militia "looks down" on the "freight herders" of the Korolov, shouldn't the fortress missions show that the player has been a "herder" and therefore reflect that: maybe have to do the first fortress mission a couple or three times before being granted a military ID?
Code wise, I know this might be a bit difficult to undertake but shouldn't there be some type of "punishment" for being a "freight herder"? Sure the "freight herder" has finally seen the light and wants to join the militia and there should be an initiation into the ranks of the militia. Perhaps even a mission to releave a Korolov frieghter of its cargo to "prove" the player has indeed "seen the light"?
I have been playing Transcendence since version .96. I enjoy each new version, small or large, and look forward to .98c. Kepp up the good work, George.

[kaypy]

A simple variation on the Korolov missions would be to have the player do a delivery themselves, rather than be escorting a freighter. (Like the military mission)

This would tend to imply a smaller cargo than the usual Korolov haul, hence it should probably be something expensive, and thus prone to drawing pirates in quantities that would be 'inconvenient' to have to defend a poorly armed freighter from.

Hmm.

"drawing pirates"

How about decoy run and ambush missions?

Decoy run is pretty simple. Instead of fighting off pirates attacking a freighter, you are sent in some other direction while the pirates hopefully come after you. If you deviate from your proper course too much, the pirates will realize somethings up and go after the real ship instead (poll player position periodically and rejig pirate orders as needed?)

Ambush: A freighter advertised as carrying something excessively valuable is sent off, with you in tow. Once in the middle of nowhere, it stages a 'breakdown'. When the inevitable horde of pirates descends, the freighter reveals itself as being not only fully functional, but also armed to the teeth. Reinforcments from the Korolovs hit the pirates from behind and the whole thing degenerates into a free-for-all. In addition to the basic mission pay, you are given a bonus based on how much damage you personally dish out and how many Korolov ships make it back (otherwise the player could just sit it out).

I think all of these could be implemented in 98b...

[OddBob]

Why are the Salvagers and Korolev at an uneasy truce? I don't see a conflict of interest...
I'd like to see some missions exploring their relationship.

I can think of a few ways that I'd like escort missions more:

It's a simple idea, but I think a convoy escort would be fun, perhaps on a long route to several destinations (or to an adjoining system if this is possible).

A small convoy mission is just two or three freighters.
I like to think of a large one as a mobile Ag station mission, where you can dock with the lead ship and get updates and a few simple repairs or rewards, or just a chance to catch your breath. This means you can segment the mission into stages like the Ag station. One stage could involve a breakdown or rescuing a ship that got separated from the main group.

I'd also like an evasion mission. Several large groups of pirates are spawned in the system and they wander at random around your flight path. The freighter is set to follow you and you have to lead it through the pirates without getting seen, or fight it out if you do get spotted.

I think that an overall story could be put into the regular escorts so they aren't as tedious. For example, a certain station will give you a normal escort and tell you that they have given false copies of the paperwork (with an incorrect route) to all the officers at the station except for one they think might be the traitor. If pirates are waiting for you on the correct route, they will know the person they gave the real paperwork to is the traitor. However, when you take the mission you only get a few pirates (just like now). After each mission (three or four total) they will tell you they are getting closer and closer to finding the traitor until one mission where pirates ARE waiting for you.

[evilbob]

how about...

"Unforeseen consequences"

Not really a Korolov mission, more military, or maybe military/Korolov joint mission- Giving you a device called the "space-fabric singularity core", they send you out to test it-

" this is the latest in military technology, and we want you to test it. It'll be installed on your ship for free. Just activate the device once you're a safe distance from the station"

but of course, noting goes to plan, and "something" fails, teleporting you to the old Sol system- full of the heretic-gate radiation particles, blasted planets, a dying sun and many wrecks, with the occasional scavenger/refugee ship. And a broken gate. So, by trading with the refugees, hunting down the last hostiles (obviously toughened by their harsh lifestyle) to find some gear to fix the gate (using the remains of the burnt out space-fabric singularity core, as well). With that done, the gate (not working as it should, of course) takes you through several alien systems (all abandoned, but with "something" left). And after that, you make it back to the station you got the mission from, get a medal, and all the alien gear you gathered on your quest.

(yes, I like long winded quests/missions- all the current ones seem too short to me)[/i]

[(name here)]

Uh, Sol's sun is fine, I doubt large-scale radiologicals were employed in the first ares-commonwealth war, the gate is fine, and there are no aliens in the Sol system. the war that devastated the sol system was only a hundred years or so before the incryom arrived at SKs, and both the commonwealth and the ares fleets got out fine after the war.

[OddBob]

I do like evilbob's quest though (even if it doesn't fit the story, which I'm not sure if it does or not. Is the earth gate open? I get it confused with other universes...). I've always envisioned a lengthy side quest almost exactly like that one, but replace "sol" with "interstellar space".

Basically occasionally a gate malfunctions and throws someone out to the void. But it always picks the same spot so there is a 'community' of stragglers (enough freighters come through that they have supplies, however the freighter pilot may or may not make it...). You have to do a few quests to find parts to modify a jumpdrie to get you to a nearby star and eventually navigate several uninhabited systems (although not without hazards, be they astronomical or otherwise) and come out in some forgotten gate in St K's or something. I posted it on the UTF somewhere in more detail.

[Stormhawk]

I like EvilBob's idea, it would be cool to get a glimpse of the syrtis war and old technology. And perhaps you find a strange race of humans that survived the devastation. They've been living in an old expiremental battlestation that was healed by a colony of nano machines. All they want is to get back to other humans so they offer you a deal, they have this top secret dreadnought that could take them all back to human space. The catch, you must leave behind your beloved ship to pilot their dreadnought.

The dreadnought would look awesome, but have old technology. Then maybe the commonwealth offer you a Ronin C for your troubles. You would have to choose between the dreadnought or the Ronin.

[evilbob]

Uh, Sol's sun is fine, I doubt large-scale radiologicals were employed in the first ares-commonwealth war, the gate is fine, and there are no aliens in the Sol system. the war that devastated the sol system was only a hundred years or so before the incryom arrived at SKs, and both the commonwealth and the ares fleets got out fine after the war.

what do we know? All we know is "Sol in ruins"- this could be anything, and we don't know what weapons were used, or what secret ploys went on that caused the sun's collapse.

[(name here)]

At one point George said that sol was still around, just largely irrelevant. Mars was destroyed, and earth was ravaged, but if the system were massively irradiated, the ares fleet would not have been able to make it's escape, same if the gate were down. Lastly, you wouldn't find any alien gear, though lighting cannons and fusionfires would be plentyful. Going to sol would be cool, but not fitting that description. Just have it take place elsewhere.