- Proposal
- Add NPC/AI gunners for POBs and maybe ships like ARC170 as well.
- Justification
- "Everyone" wants to use their POB more. The population, as well as the coordination necessary, and even player willingness to participate, limits how often POBs can be used properly, and I think many agree it is a bummer. This could solve that and content could even be added to support it further. It also would be a unique offering only available on Restoration server. If they do less damage or are less accurate, players will always seek players instead IF they can get them as well.
- Motivation
- Lack of POB use and inability to use them solo in a meaningful way. Desire to fulfill the fantasy of being an exclusively YT-1300(or other POB) pilot and being able to do so solo.
I really think that NPC gunners could be done properly without breaking balance. Giving them either an accuracy penalty, damage penalty or cost for use seems reasonable. As well as a limit to how many you can bring perhaps, to not allow larger gunships to be fully crewed. If only 2 gunner positions could be filled by NPC crew/AI gunners, that would also allow a gunship to be crewed in full by less people, which would be beneficial towards their use in the game, as crewing the entirety of a large gunship can be difficult, let alone having someone running around the interior repairing as needed. A huge fantasy in Star Wars is to pilot the Milenium Falcon and have a good ol' tail chase, this would allow Restoration to UNIQUELY offer this experience for solo players and I think it would be a very good thing for the servers suite of features.
If the NPC route is taken, there could be an entire system for improving these guys and building a relationship with them in some way in the future.
If the more basic AI gunner route is taken, it still is massively beneficial to ship variety in space.
This system would even benefit the fighters with gunner positions, as currently most people who use them just take the rear guns off and use the extra mass for more shields or weapons, etc. Finally with this system, these ships could be used as intended more often, without relying on someone who is actually willing to sit in your gun. In these fighters, I'd argue it is even LESS common for people to want to get in the gunner spot.
To be clear, a ship like a YT-1300 using this feature should be defeatable with superior skill by a fighter, I don't want this to be OP.
Keep in mind when considering this, this game does not have the population it once did, this is not my only reasoning for this feature as you have read, but still. It is my opinion this is not only sorely needed, but would add a lot of fun to the game.
If the NPC route is taken, there could be an entire system for improving these guys and building a relationship with them in some way in the future.
If the more basic AI gunner route is taken, it still is massively beneficial to ship variety in space.
This system would even benefit the fighters with gunner positions, as currently most people who use them just take the rear guns off and use the extra mass for more shields or weapons, etc. Finally with this system, these ships could be used as intended more often, without relying on someone who is actually willing to sit in your gun. In these fighters, I'd argue it is even LESS common for people to want to get in the gunner spot.
To be clear, a ship like a YT-1300 using this feature should be defeatable with superior skill by a fighter, I don't want this to be OP.
Keep in mind when considering this, this game does not have the population it once did, this is not my only reasoning for this feature as you have read, but still. It is my opinion this is not only sorely needed, but would add a lot of fun to the game.
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