NPC's Need some things to do.

I played this back when it first came out, literally got it in alpha and played like 100+ hours IN ALPHA, just to make a few settlements all across the galaxy and vanish for years on end. Now with how the story elements have come in and now I feel like I am just returning to see how much they have flourished in my years away.

The only thing I really dislike is how they just wander around, maybe have some emotes between eachother... Some are set up as guards (and wow are they sadly under geared for the job ) and others pretty much just wander around without anything to do.

I would personally like to see either the devs or a modder add in some sprites for various things they can do, maybe add in a menu where you can modify their gear (there is a mod called Create A Friend that has a menu like that) and still have them be able to classify as engineer, tailor, soldier, guard, villager, etc. Hell, if you could even designate what they could do while you are gone so they do not just run in circles on the same platform... Getting tired of coming back to my ship to see the various npc's just standing in a tight group running 2 inches left then 2 inches right...

I guess all I am really asking for is some personality and the ability to customize the npc's (gear, job, and designation)
--- Post updated ---
Also had another thought while out and about with my laptop. After running planet to planet I thought "hey, why not just sit back and jam out to some of the music in the Music List, especially when I have all those new ones added in." While listening to each song played on various instruments, I just couldn't help but with that I had some extra people to play the other instruments. But seeing as I had no connection while out and about, how would I be able to do that. Then I remembered my crew mates just aimlessly walking back and forth and just thought "damn, I wish I could throw an instrument into the hands of my shipmates and jam out with a full orchestra... wait... Didn't I post something about how NPC's should have more options that simply walk around and give quests?"

So here I am adding another bit to my post. Really hope someone takes notice ^^

I have also made this post on the Steam Starbound Discussion: http://steamcommunity.com/app/211820/discussions/0/352788917765333242/

 

I like your idea of giving crew members something to do and make them customisable.
An easy fix would be to make them unlock a job-specific blueprint for a "crew console" they could use and actually be "drawn to" as in to simulate their working aboard your ship.
Not only would we get new ship decoration this way, but also give those items a purpose.
A soldier could have a "arms locker" type of station, where you'd equip your crew with guns and melee weapons, a mechanic could have some sort of "tinkering shop", where the current improvements of your ship can be looked up, aso.
I'm really tired right now, so no further delving into the concept, but the ideas are there...

All in all, it should benefit the player both mechanically and aesthetically, while offering more convenience in interacting with the crew.

 

Exactly. I would personally say that since most of the resources are already there, just give them purpose other than just furniture. Got a desk that is just for show? Throw an NPC at it. Got crops what need tilling? Throw an NPC at it. Need an escort to get back to your gear because mobs swarmed you while mining? Hide behind your wall of specially trained, and severely armed crew members. Or, again with my last thought from todays happenings, just set them up to play instruments in the background or with you

 

One of my big issues with crew from the get-go is how weak they are compared to even simple enemies. If I were to build a dirt wall around myself and let my crew fight any more than one or two enemies nearby, they'd both die horrible deaths due to their miserable damage output coupled with their low health and regeneration not making up for it. I made the formidible crewmembers mod to compensate for this (greatly enhanced combat abilities, still not as strong as the player), but I think what Angel is suggesting may be a more interesting solution to the problem of severely undertuned crewmembers. Decking out my crew with proper weapons and armor would definitely go a long way to making the somewhat endless stream of ignorable weapon drops feel a bit more meaningful, especially if one goes for the manipulator route as I did. Once you get your staves and wands, the abundant guns and swords that drop just get scrapped for pixels. I'd like to be able to kit out my crew with such weapons, or perhaps even give them wands and staves too.

Another issue I find is only being able to bring 2 crew members with you. While I understand this forces you to make a choice about which crewmembers to bring, the game's systems conflict over what you should do about it. One system, the ship upgrade system, tells me to grab as many crewmembers as possible, no matter who they are, so I can upgrade my ship faster. The active crew limit, however, tells me to choose carefully. I already have 2 soldiers, a third is completely useless. Even the process of recruiting more crewmembers becomes tedious because you're naturally running around with 2 crew at all times, so when it comes time to recruit more allies, you have to first return to your ship and tell your active companions to wait on the ship.

These compound issues led me to release my second mod: Unlimited Active Crewmembers. I wasn't going to make the judgement about how many crewmembers is too many (one actually found out that 99 crewmembers crashed his game, welp) -- but I thought that these conflicting systems needed some sort of resolution that was both fun and not distracting.

I think Plex said it best, they should benefit the player both mechanically and aesthetically. At present, crew act as little more than a gate to unlocking a bigger ship, and I think that's a shame.

 

You made an unlimited crew member mod? Will definitely look into that. Coupled with your mod that makes them more formidable I will be able to just explore while they keep things off of me (kinda what I brought them along for in the first place) or have them help defend towns or do missions.

But yes, Plex has the right idea. Like I said, they should be able to do various things instead of just walk around. I finally got some Engineers, but I already maxed my ship and do not actually see any up side to them... And still do not know what the Tailor does.... But as is, they just keep walking in the same spot. I would like the have them actually be productive, maybe set them down to a planet and have them mine. Maybe make a room for gardening and have them tend the garden. It would be interesting. Though I could also see a lot of people losing interest once they get to many ores and various things from having an over abundance of resources, though that would take time to get enough NPC's (or Create A Friend getting a big update to allow crew member use... though the "storage" that is the gear you give them would be hard to do when they leave the area it is... If it could be made to where the storage is the NPC, that would fix it, but idk if a modder can do that) and enough resources and various building to set this type of system up.

Again, if we could just add in a bit of extra AI sprites and options, it would work well. Instead of the interact button just telling them to follow or stay, have it bring up a UI menu that has options to set them to and spots you can place gear (Create A Friend already has the gear part) but have this part of the actual NPC and not a stationary object. I just do not know how much would have to go into doing that though. I actually saw a screen shot on Fevix's Screen Shot Contest for his Avali mod where the guy had some Avali tenants with brooms in their hands. And the brooms do not look like they belong

 

An interface on interact for all crewmembers would be hugely helpful. I've accidentally interacted with crewmembers so many times and not noticed. It's very annoying realizing you're no longer being followed for some reason.

 

But I thought you wanted me to stay right here where the door you wanted to open is. No? Well good luck remembering where you accidentally told me to stay....

In other news, unsure if the unlimited crew member mod or a patch did it, but my crew members are actually wandering my ship they are no longer running on the same tile... Unless that was me testing console commands and somehow fixed it >_>

 

I've been looking into what is possible with NPCs and, as far as I can tell, there is quite a lot that modders can change/add. I have quite a few things that I'd like to add to my Create-a-Friend mod, but here's a few of them:
-Dialogue trees. I'd really like to rework the way npc dialogue works to include branching dialogue options instead of the same repeated phrases over and over. If it is possible, I'd like to incorporate the ability to discover quests, obtain items, and gain crewmembers entirely through dialogue.
-I really want to take a look at NPC behavior/pathing. The pathing is still pretty bad. I'm pretty sure it's all defined Lua scripts, so it should all be changeable.
-The devs have already defined several different 'personality' types for NPCs, but right now all they do is define the type of quests they offer and what sort of emotes they display around certain objects. I'd really like to tie their personalities into their dialogue, crewmember job, practical behavior, etc. For example, a cowardly npc guard would be more likely to flee from an attack rather than fight; a flirty NPC would slyly give you bouquets of flowers; a sleepy NPC would frequently fall into a deep sleep that you cannot wake them from. So many possibilities for cool mechanics!

I'm just throwing this out there to generate ideas and to get my own creative juices flowing. I really am not quite sure if all this is possible (or if I am experienced enough to be able to pull it off) but it sure sparks the imagination, doesn't it?

 

Hey Peelz, if you want some help on dialogue or some proof reading, I volunteer as tribute I actually find a lot of various dialogue and grammar issues here and there in the game

 

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

 

Hope this thread hasn't flat lined already wonder if I bump it, will anyone notice? Chucklefish, notice me senpai

 

I'd like some improvements as well, both crew-wise and Tenant-wise.

Aesthetically, for Crew some big things I'd want is to be able to individually customize their outfits. Not everyone wants uniforms.
Also, have them move around the ship more. I have a fully upgrades Floran ship, and I have put interactable things all over the place, but they still only stick to the rooms closest to the Teleporter, and don't touch the greenhouse or the rear of the big room in the back at all.

Gameplay wise, they seriously need to do more damage, and not walk around in lava/poison/traps/etc.

As for tenants, it'd be nice if you could designate a bed to a particular tenant. It's super annoying to have them sleep everywhere except their house.

It'd also be nice if Guard tenants could be given a patrol path or something. The fact that they only patrol a little to the left and right of their spawner sucks. Make a guard tower? You have to build a guard spawner at the top. Make a gate? Gotta build a guard spawn right at it. So on and so forth.
It doesn't sound too bad, but it makes it that you have to somehow incorporate 2 doors/hatches, and a backdrop into wherever you wanted the guard. Which is pretty annoying. And they can't go up and down a guard tower.

Npcs you are escorting should also be able to hop in your hoverbike. It's got a spare room, so they should be able to.

Finally, would also be great if you could just flat out decline a guy from being your crew member if you don't want him. Currently you have to just destroy the tenant spawner and replace it to get a new tenant so he stops asking to be in your crew. It'd be nice if there was an option to say no, and still keep your tenant, while having said tenant stay.

Besides that, I totally agree that it'd be super great if you could have NPCs play with you when you play a song. Perhaps they could have an item slot dedicated to instruments, and when you give them an instrument, they'll play whatever song you are with you in sync, with their instrument, similarly to how multiple players play songs together.

Edit: Just found something else after starting up Starbound just now. NPCs need to be able to open hatches. They always get stuck just jumping and bashing their head against a hatch until I open it up for them.

 

That just gives me an idea of how to make guard towers: A sliver of free space they can shoot out of but can't jump out of, and a door controlled by a keypad or panel away from them, with possibly a timer for auto-closing. Or near them - it doesn't matter, they never use panels.

Well, that's not true. I watch as my electrician tenants press the elevator call buttons in my base all the time, but never use the elevators (tho the elevators are rather complicated systems, but it's kinda funny how they go, "ooh, button!" I think it's cute. Just like they like using the teleporters all the time to go... six feet to the right. And then puke.

Funny enough, they know how to use my automated airlock with ease - emphasis on automated. The NPC will want to use some object, devise a path to it - through two doors, swim to the surface, through one door, and then banging a drum, etc - and while logic would say "use the elevator to that floor instead of taking a short swim in the ocean," the elevator doors don't open automatically by proximity sensor yet the airlock doors do, so the NPC would just wait at the elevator door forever, but the airlock door is for all intents and purposes foolproof.

I jam packed my base with tenants, so now I'm kinda thinking, if I replaced all my elevator call buttons with proximity sensors, the tenants would use the elevators all the time - they wouldn't know how to press the corresponding buttons for their intended destination floors, but enough tenants on differing floors would keep calling the elevator so those on the elevator would be taken for a ride regardless. The building would be full of life! Very dumb life, but life nonetheless.

 

I would love for them to be talking actual text bubbles to each other rather than inspecting the furniture and asking me if there is a ship they can join(not till I get that novakid, Gem!) I understand there's probably a limited amount of conversation to put in, but maybe there is a way to at least vary it somwhat based on the environs and what is in the colony.

in order to spice things up I tend to pit amenities in the colony, club halls, bars. I think I'll try an arcade or a advertisement billboard next.

 

Bump?