Class-specific Contracts

[HateSolstice]

I think that, in order to help with the direction and flow of each class experience, specific contract types should exist for each one. Explorers should have missions to go search for ruins on a certain planet, smugglers should have contracts to steal and hide cargo and passengers, pirates could have orders to go hijack cargo and ships, etc.

Something like this could really help with the feel of the game, and help direct people a bit more.

[spike]

I read on here that when you Reject a contract offer, the game takes that feedback, based on type of contract, and offers you less of those in future.

It might not be great to go too far down the road of Classes, as that works against the open-ended nature of the game which is one of its great strengths.

[slayernz]

How about contract types that vary depending on origin. For example,
at a military base, you get contracts focused on blockades/surveillance/assassination
at a palace, you get contracts focused on surveillance/assassination/capture/smuggling data
at a spice hall, you get contracts focused on smuggling people/data/assassination

In addition, there should be some new contract types that don't negatively impact on rep ... eg:
At a palace:
* Transport x number of [food/clothing/water] to planet y as they're currently suffering from a natural disaster (humanitarian mission)
* Transport treaty documents to planet x to help as part of negotiations (diplomatic mission)
* Rescue people from the wilds of planet x as their exploration went bad
* Transport $$$ to another planet (bank run).
- you obviously need to have strong rep with this faction
- if you run away with the money, you instantly become a wanted crim with that faction
- it would also allow piracy missions to take not only goods, but whatever cash they find on ships
* bring back x units of [cargo type], as we need it.
At military bases:
* Recover the flight recorder of a ship that crashed on planet x (or somewhere in deep space).
- this can be a recovery mission for your own faction
* Deliver x number of weapons/torps/ship parts to planet x as they are desperately in need of ordinance
* Deliver this ship part to planet x as another ship captain has requested one.

In spice halls
* Go pick up x from planet y

Also - at least at military bases, it would be cool to be paid in a rare ship part rather than in credits.
"If you succeed in this mission, we will fit an escape pod to your ship when you next dock at our port"

[spike]

The first proposal is already the case - contract types vary depending on the facility you get them from.

Second proposal - Low level missions that have no reputation risk might be an idea for helping low level characters and inexperienced players get started. I don't think it should be a feature at medium and high levels as it's not very challenging.

[oldalchemist]

Is there cash in the game or is it a credit account of some type? Transactions are instant, cash takes up zero space, and other than blockading, you can't seem to grab it illicitly.

[Cory Trese]

Blockades assume that the payment is a bribe in my mind.

"Transport x number of [food/clothing/water] to planet y as they're currently suffering from a natural disaster (humanitarian mission)"
>> IN PROGRESS: "Mission Type: Stash"

"Recover the ship that crashed on planet x (or somewhere in deep space)."
>> IN PROGRESS: "Mission Type: In The Darkness, Salvage"

"Deliver x number of weapons/torps/ship parts to planet x as they are desperately in need of ordinance"
>> PURE AWESOME!!!

[HateSolstice]

I assumed they were either a bribe or a toll myself.

And I was more thinking that explorers should be able to get contracted by aristocrats, crimelords, and petty smugglers to go hunt down X amount of artifacts, for example. Possibly have rumors that could lead you to these opportunities rather than just a spot in the urban areas.

"You heard a rumor that prince So-and-so is looking for someone skilled enough to go spelunking for fancy and ancient artifacts to add to his collection."

This could lead you to a palace. Or replace prince with some underworld kind of guy, and head to the spice hall or some out of the way place floating in deep space.

[spike]

Special Explorer missions could be for retrieving specific, Named artifacts. Think Tomb Raider.

[oldalchemist]

Never give a Cadar Captain a torp delivery mission without some serious fine print.