Mission variety ideas.

[Callaghan]

Ok so I have sunk god knows how many lynxes, privateers and what not in missions, and am getting bored quickly by how easy the missions are and the lack of variety. I´m picking the missions that are above my rank and they are still too easy. Some suggestions for mission types that should be added ASAP to make the early game more interesting, more of a ´game´ and less of a ´grind´in an attempt to get to supposed game content. Mission variety is especially important at this early stage when trading and crafting aren´t really viable unless you play the game 24/7, and would greatly improve new player retention. I can see that the devs have their hearts in the right place, but I´m worried they are getting distracted by less important aspects of the game. Right now, to be completely frank, the game doesn´t feel like a sailing adventure where the player feels drawn to explore and discover and, well, play. Right now it feels like being a coffee boy for a faceless corporation that has been given the vague, distant promise of a better afterlife if they make enough coffees and run enough errands. 

 

Rewards relative to difficulty - Why on earth do I get the same gold and XP when fighting a rank 3 mission enemy as with a rank 1? This just goes against common sense, creates a sense of grinding where there neednt be, and is probably one of the easiest things to change from a coding perspective.

 

Unique/Special AI enemies - In line with the style of the game, I´m not talking about characters with abilities etc. I just think that this could be a good way to make the missions less crushingly predictable and repetitive. Every 1/10 missions, for example, the AI could be in a uniquely powerful ship relative to the player, with XP rewards to compensate.

 

Convoy intercept - accepting the mission would create a trade convoy on the map (good escort compared to OW AI convoys) with very valuable cargo. Any player could attack in theory but the player who started the mission would have the advantage of knowing the departure and destination ports, allowing them to plan an ambush point. This would be an especially good mission for groups, as it nicely bridges the open world map and the battle instances in a way that the game hasn´t yet explored.

 

Convoy escort - not a personal favourite, but more or less essential for this kind of game, could maybe be a good low level mission type that encourages new players to explore the world earlier on, as opposed to waiting till they get an SOL, which seems to be the case right now.

 

Delivery missions - exactly what they say on the tin

 

Pursue and capture - pirates would often flee from navy ships as opposed to stand and fight as they do in the game, I would love to be able to play missions where I chase a pirate ship loaded with booty through an archipelago or series of rock formations around a cove, needing to catch them before they escape to deeper waters where they will be able to escape.

 

Spy/scout missions - could be held within specialised battle instances where the player ship has to get close to a port or fortification (rendered within the instance) without being detected, and then escaping with the intel.

 

Sailor retrieval - entering this typr of instance would place you in the aftermath of a large battle, with floating burning hulks and a few surviving victors roaming looking for survivors, your mission would be to enter this smoky landscape and rescue friendly sailors while fending off the enemy.

 

Just a few ideas off the top of my head - the combat is very well implemented in this game and it really should never feel like a grind, a few simple changes just need to be added for this to be the case.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Callaghan