Randomized NPC Loadouts

Timmy51m wrote:
One thing I’ve always thought was sadly lacking in freelancer was the inability of the game to recognise the level of the player and automatically spawn NPC’s at a similar level, therefore always providing a challenge to the player regardless of the system they are in.

As things stand, once you level up, systems within liberty become pointless, then bretonia, then kusari, then rheinland, until finally the only two systems worth being in are omicron alpha and gamma. Effectively the game kettles players into two systems after a few hours of gameplay rendering 95% of the game useless.

If a method could be found to generate NPC loadouts based on the player characters level, the other 95% of the game would be brought back into play. Obviously it would require missions to be offered based on the player character level also, but it would be mighty fine if you could still play the game in liberty, supposedly the most powerful and advanced of all the houses, when you are maxed out level wise, as opposed to popping them like frogs with sticks of dynamite sticking out of their arses.

You can generate dynamic encounters whereby all systems have ships from level 1 all the way up to level 19. That’s more realistic and practical than your proposed solution, too, since it makes sense for all kinds of people to be around, rookies and veterans alike, and that it’d be impossible to do what you’re saying with two players of very disparate levels in the same area. Instead, it’s just a matter of setting up the spawn zones so that certain areas spawn more low-level NPCs than others for newbies to fly around in. It’s much more flexible than the default FL system for sure.

Remember level scaling works in the likes of Oblivion because you’re alone in the world.

You’re right, I can see that now. That’s what I get for only playing single player, failing to see the impact of such a system in multiplayer.

Maybe an easy solution would be to just duplicate all the systems and set them up as level 18-19 systems. Kind of like a parallel universe. Once you level right up just wander over into the alt universe.

Unless you force people away (which would cause other issues like not being able to help your new friend without forcing yourself into a newbie character), you can be sure traders would exploit this alternate universe concept by always going in the newbie mode so as to avoid danger.

Multiplayer’s complicated, isn’t it?

@Chips: Fox said “plugin” and “on the fly”, a fair indication he meant while the server was running.

@Fox: Your request is just way too complicated, hence my alternative. I’ve thought of another two ways of doing it - multiple loadouts in [NPCShipArch] (loadout = li_n_li_elite_loadout01, li_n_li_elite_loadout02, li_n_li_elite_loadout03) and/or groups within [Loadout].

; all the common stuff before this
group ; let the plugin know
; Outcast loadout
equip = fc_ou_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon01
equip = fc_ou_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon02
equip = fc_ou_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon03
equip = fc_ou_gun01_mark02, HpWeapon04
equip = fc_ou_gun01_mark02, HpWeapon05
equip = missile01_mark01, HpWeapon06
cargo = missile01_mark01_ammo, 8
equip = fc_ou_turret01_mark01, HpTurret01
group
; Corsair loadout
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon01
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon02
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon03
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark03, HpWeapon04
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark02, HpWeapon05
equip = fc_c_gun01_mark02, HpWeapon06
equip = fc_c_turret01_mark01, HpTurret01
group ; now the plugin can choose a random, but consistent, loadout
; all the common stuff after this

```Could probably still do the individual random equip items within each group, too.

FriendlyFire wrote:
Unless you force people away (which would cause other issues like not being able to help your new friend without forcing yourself into a newbie character), you can be sure traders would exploit this alternate universe concept by always going in the newbie mode so as to avoid danger.

Multiplayer’s complicated, isn’t it?

No #$%%!

adoxa wrote:
@Chips: Fox said “plugin” and “on the fly”, a fair indication he meant while the server was running.

Ah sorry,my mistake, I was assuming he meant mod makers…not server operators.

I was assuming a universal method of making mods - via FLMM, whereby changes made on the fly on the running game aren’t reflected within the files stored within FLMM (traditionally what the mod maker distributes yes?)… so you’d still have to mess about with loadouts afterwards in the original files.

Hence the questions.

Of course for server operators then a plugin to indefinitely tweak loadouts is perfect And seeing who makes mods these days, I guess server operator/mod maker is the same thing

I was going to do it after FLMM, which got unexpectedly sidetracked, and now I’ll be doing a “quick” update to JFLP before getting back to it. By then, my net will have run out, so even if I do it, I don’t know when you’ll see it…