I'm sure we can all agree the new colony update is killer! And, as we can see there's more where that came from. So, I'd just like to pitch in some of my ideas, which will hopefully, if they haven't been thought of already, spark some thought for the devs. 1. You say goodbye, I say hello: I know I know, dialogue is a tough one to do. NPCs can only say so much. And when it comes to talking with another player in a hear-and-respond fashion, forget about it. However, simple keywords such as "Hi" said in the chatbox, or "goodbye, yes, no, grr, I love you, etc" would initiate a response from an NPC within the area, such as waving, saying "hello," or "goodbye" or making expressions or heart particles. This would be simple, but would add a whole other layer of immersion, making the NPCs seem like they acknowledge your existence more. 2. "Put That Back!": NPCs already interact with objects in the game, but I'd love to see that taken to a whole new level. NPCs can actually pick up and move props. "Now hold up," I hear you say, "you be cray!" But, think about this for a sec. Simple objects such as cups, teapots, candles, and other such aesthetics could be moved, and placed in various places, or, if the NPC is told to do so, placed back in their original location. An NPC could, for example, pick up a teacup, sip it, walk around even, and then place it down again, or pour a tea pot into a cup, or grab a candle when it gets dark and walk around darkened rooms, etc... The problem, of course, would be disorganization. Before long you would have props in really odd places all over. So, I'm sure this is easier said than done, but we (meaning you) could program the NPCs to prioritize prop placement to tables, desks, etc. The props original location being the highest placement priority. The colony deeds could also have a "clean-up" function, which, when activated, much like calling an NPC, would tell them to put all props back in their original locations. 3. Crew for Hire!: Don't you hate it when your exploring and you come across a really interesting NPC, only to realize, you'll never see it again? Well, what if you could? This problem arose during my game play. I have a 4th class ship, and on board are colonist, aka, my ship's crew. And as I'm exploring I find some really interesting NPCs that I wish I could take with me. So, what if you could invite NPCs to join your colony, or become part of your crew. Which is a nice segue into my next point. 4. "Part of the ship, part of the crew: It's allot of fun having colonist aboard my ship, acting as a sort of ship crew. The colonist deeds do get a little funky inside a ship, but it's do-able. However, I think, like the above example, it would be nice to have an option for ship crews. So, like colony deeds, you could have crew contracts, which work exactly the same as colony deeds, accept you have to go out and hire npcs to work on your ship. It makes sense for the colonists to teleport in, as anyone can live in a colony, accept, as in real life, you have to be selective about your ship's crew. So you would basically pick up/collect NPCs during your travels across the galaxy, which, is pretty dang awesome. 5. “Engage!”: Leading off of the previous suggestion, the crew would have specific tasks. I can only think of a few atm, such as cook, janitor, and helmsman. When the ship’s cockpit is upgraded in size a console(s) will be added to the cockpit. This is where the helmsman will sit. The player can say (in chat) the name of a bookmarked location, the helmsman will repeat it to the player, to make sure it is correct, and then the player can say “Engage” and the helmsman will engage the FTL and fly the ship there. Again, easier said than done, but this would be just friggn awesome. I know you could do it faster yourself, but, it’s just cool for the sake of being cool. Also, uniforms. You ship could have a designated dress code, or uniform for each NPC, or not. Just a side note.
I like the idea of recruiting NPCs for your crew. That would give it unique gameplay compared to building colonies. As I imagine it, you find an npc, do a randomized quest to make them like you, then recruit them to your crew. That sounds nice.
yeeaaa....when we got the colony board thing place on the wall, I already made bunch room for that spot....
