Spaceships will form a part of the core story. I want to add them to the game right away, since I have to redo many of the core story components anyhow and I might as well have all the things that are going to be needed before I start.
Basic Info: What spaceships mean to the player
There will be a number of spaceships in the game. Some of these may be controlled by the player; others will be controlled by NPCs or factions. Control of a spaceship may pass from the PC to a NPC, or vice versa, during the course of the story. Both PC-controlled and NPC-controlled spaceships can move to different cities.
If the PC is captain of a given ship, all of that ship's crew members can be asked to join the party. When a ship leaves port, all the crew are brought with it, plus a small number of guests. The number of guests and extra mecha that can be brought can be changed by upgrading the ship.
Every ship contains a number of cells- these are like the rooms in a building. If the PC controls the ship, he can modify these cells at a customization shop. An empty cell can be filled with a room of some type, an existing cell can be changed to a new type, and crew can be hired to man the cell. Here's a list of cell types I have planned and the crew that can be hired for each:
- Security: up to 2 guards
- Sick Bay: 1 doctor + 1 nurse
- Engineering: 1 mechanic
- Shrine
- Exercise Room
- Recreation Room
- Recording Studio
- Laboratory: 1 scientist
- Mess Hall: 1 cook
- Guest Quarters: +2 guests can come when ship leaves port
- Kennel: +4 pets/robots can come when ship leaves port
- Mecha Bay: +2 SF:2 mecha can be carried
- Cargo Hold: May
Certain cell types and crew members may be unlockable based on the PC's faction. For instance, if the PC is a member of the Silver Knights, instead of guards he'll probably be able to hire knights.
Moving a ship should cost money. I haven't decided yet if the ship should move on the world map, or if the player should select a destination from a menu and the ship will move there instantly.
Technical Info: How it's going to work in the program
Spaceships are scenes. One spaceship may also have several subscenes.
When a ship is to be moved, several things must first happen. The ship entrance must be located and moved as well. All crew members who aren't currently on the ship must be located and placed in their respective cells. Any extra passengers and cargo must be removed from the ship and left at the spaceport of the scene being left. If there's no spaceport... er, I'll have to think about that.
When a ship enters a city, an appropriate docking location must be found. I think I'll need to add a docking area to all spaceports. What happens if there's no appropriate docking area? Er, I'll have to think about that as well.
When a crew member is hired for a ship, that crew member must store the IDs of the ship and its assigned cell. If a crew member dies, it will then be possible to hire a replacement. If a cell is changed while it still has an associated crew member, that crew member will be "fired" and erased from the game unless its relationship with the PC has been upgraded.
The core story can have a ship assigned to it; if this is the case, the PC will travel with that ship. At some point in the story, the PC may be assigned command of the ship he's sent to travel with. Alternatively if the PC has a spaceship through other means it may become involved in the core story. There may be a "crew mutiny" event whereby the PC loses control of his ship, though there should usually be a way to get it back.
Every ship should have a Bridge cell that cannot be sold or modified. A number of crew can be hired for this cell: Navigator, Security Chief, and maybe some others.
There will probably be a quest whereby the player discovers a wrecked, empty spaceship in space, and then has the chance to kill off the vermin infesting it + repair its systems. If it's a good ship, it may be infested with all kinds of nasty things (synths, defense robots, fungal ghosts).
