[Plugin Request] Expeditions NPC Experimental

  • Hey guys, just wanted to know if anybody wanted to experiment with something that may or may not be complex. I guess we could even call this plugin a 'Foraging Plugin', if you'd like. It's experimental because we don't have NPCs yet. This is something I've been thinking seriously for a month or so that I'm actually curious to see how this shall develop in a Rising World light.


    I was wondering if anybody could try making a test plugin where you could use something like a piece of paper on a bookshelving, or even a desk, to send NPCS (phantoms in this case) to go on various expeditions to gather resources and come back. You could somehow RMB/LMB on the desk to pop open an option screen to then select a set duration or manually set duration of these "ghost" NPCs to go "explore" for resources until they come back with a randomized set of goodies. Think dungeon chest type random, if you need to for example purposes.


    1) LMB/RMB with paper on a desk or bookshelving.
    2) Menu pops up with categories of what these "NPCS" should look for; Set times of 15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, up to 5 hrs real time
    3) Confirm category & time options to then see a timer ticking away somewhere
    (Do your own thing during that time)
    4) Time elapsed to then be notified somehow (Chat?) to then click the desk again to then see what resources these "ghost NPCS" have found.
    5) Go back to 1, or exit out of menu.


    Categories would be food, ores, Miscellaneous, Stone, Dirt, and such. The duration could go from 15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hrs, and etc. Maybe even at 15 min intervals upwards, or even set manually with randomization adding more for longer periods, yet still randomized on the loot.


    If someone could help make this then I thank you kindly. It's very important because it also may tie in with Dummy NPCs and actual NPCs later. If someone can help make this then you have my highest respect. If you need to be paid then something could be arranged after you created the plugin. I'm not going anywhere, thus "after" comment. I need to see results. :D

  • I believe something like that is doable with the current API, though you wouldn't be able to actually see the NPCs doing the gathering or the exploring. You could though have a custom 3D model appearing next to the desk if an NPC is doing some work e.g. a worker/gatherer if it is gathering or an adventurer wielding a sword or something if it is dungeoneering.


    I would propose to help but I am a bit busy atm with other plugins but I will come back to this in the near future to help you out :)

  • Awesome, that just makes me happier to hear because it's more for Rising World than it is for myself. It's still for me, yet more for Rising World & modding. If we do this it'll place a foundation for others to make use of (hopefully) that more can be done with this game. :D


    If we were to add NPCs standing at a desk maybe we could have it be more of a hologram or model on a desk doing the action? Not sure how, yet something within the game could be a placeholder to show the NPC is out and about. Not expecting an actual NPC to be standing at the desk or moving in the terrain, thus the 'Ghost" & "phantom" comment. Great ideas on tools in their hands.


    Well, whenever you do that be awesome. If someone else wants to help then they're welcome to as well for their take on this.

  • If we were to add NPCs standing at a desk maybe we could have it be more of a hologram or model on a desk doing the action? Not sure how, yet something within the game could be a placeholder to show the NPC is out and about. Not expecting an actual NPC to be standing at the desk or moving in the terrain, thus the 'Ghost" & "phantom" comment. Great ideas on tools in their hands.

    Hmm currently it is impossible to give imported 3D models an animation and even if it were possible I am no 3D modeller or animator so would have to either ask someone else to do it for me or just include w/e I could find for free on the web.


    Having said that I can see some sort of GUI like the World of Warcraft garrison missions or the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood small missions you could send your assassins on. In that GUI you would have a tab with the available gatherers/adventurers to hire and a second tab with the available missions you could send them on. The NPCs would cost gold bars or something like that depending on how good/efficient they are at their job.


    Screenshots of the GUIs I quoted above:


    WoW:



    ACB:


  • Yup, that's why I mentioned a pop up window (GUI) originally. I went along with what you mentioned that it probably may be a thing for when Dummy NPCs are a thing so I guess we can double back on the whole GUI thing because that's more plausible than the animated way of things. I'd favour the Assassin's Creed manner because it appears to be the "cleanest" of the bunch; Straighforward. What Assassin's Creed has going is awesome that I'd lean more towards that for simplicity sake. That WoW window has me lost because I haven't experienced that yet.


    Are you familiar with Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO where you could send your companions off on expeditions for them to return with relics and such? If "you" want to go that detailed then you're free to as well. You would basically select a situation/scenario for them to wander off on with them just wandering off to get relics, resources, and such.... I'm going to assume it's similar to how Assassin's Creed does it for simplicity sake. I however do wonder if we should play around with levels though that the higher their levels the more they can gain from their "expeditions"? Maybe that should come second after the foundation of the whole request.


    What originally made me think of this would be the whole KanColle (Kantai Collection) side of things with Azur Lane expedition following off from that with randomized timers & rewards.


    http://kancolle.wikia.com/wiki/Expedition#/Expedition_Tables


    &


    https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Commissions


    I simply love the idea of having closely tied NPCS you see in the same room as you disappear on adventures to then come back with various loots. It's a fun feeling. You start thinking "where is she or he" been?" T he whole leveling them up, giving them accessories, and such so they can handle such expeditions. SW:TOR gave the most unique feeling because it was in space that you could partially "feel" them on other planets and such where I was standing inside a Sith spaceship..... With the way I see Rising World growing I could see them being both present with you + seeing them wandering off to wherever they go in their GUI world, Assassin's Creed style. It be an interesting perspective to work with in Rising World's case with what we know, how it feels it'll evolve as a game, and such. I'm curious.


    ----------


    Edit;


    I re-read the post that I agree that maybe we should have some portraits to choose from (insert our own) to then pay them food or ingots to then make them go on adventures to come back with whatever they found. I would probably fiddle the plugin a bit to place in a portrait of my custom characters to give that illusion that my own characters are in the game until Dummy NPCS & actual NPC Companions are a thing.

  • As I said it will take some time before I am free to get into a project like this one, but once I do I will have a first very simple version to see that it works and it is fun and then it could be expanded in whichever direction is needed, is more fun, etc.


    Edit PS: No I haven't played Star Wars Online so no idea how that system was but many games have similar systems to send NPCs into expeditions. There is definitely no shortage of examples to gather info and copy or create something similar to the good parts of.

  • Yep no worries it is better to have all the info from the beginning here in one thread rather than have to figure it out on the spot, or talk it through quickly in chats when development actually starts.

  • I really love this idea! We do need more control over NPC's via the API though before something like this could be implemented in a "none ghost" way. Think of sending jaguars out on missions to kill other beasts for meat and then bringing the kill home to bbq! :D I've done AI before (I code RoboCode bots when not working on my rising world plugin) so we would need basic control over the NPCs. The basic controls aren't difficult it's just chaining them together in some coherent manner that makes the magic happen.

  • We do need more control over NPC's via the API though before something like this could be implemented in a "none ghost" way.

    Well you could flag an NPC by its unique number and then set its position and move it around on the map in some "adventure" path :D hahahaha

  • I'm now laughing while also wanting to add "I told you so!" on the part of that this benefits Rising World than it does for me. It's just a 'Two birds with one stone' suggestion.


    Well, do let me know what you make out of this idea on both the original & spin-off ideas so I can check them out whenever they happen. I guess when we get Dummy NPCs we could somehow tie what yahwho mentioned with that with what Mino mentioned about stationary animation at a desk, or something.

  • I know I shouldn't get ahead of myself that we should focus on the foundation stuff first, yet wanted to add one more simple thing when looking at how Planks & Beams does things.


    An optional set-up where we can create NPCs to then assign a portrait to them via a folder (how textures are assigned to PNB) that you can then see them wandering off in the window.... It's a small customization option that would personalize the whole thing to the user....


    That's all.... I keep looking at the Assassin's Creed image above that its nudging me that route. But yeah, I"ll still be patiently waiting to see what happens with this. Take your time.

  • don't worry I haven't forgotten but something like this will take a lot of time once I start it so I want to finsih with my other plugins first :)

  • Just a friendly reminder that this is still "open". Still waiting that maybe probably have been a good thing we waited this long now that we have a thing called 'pouches'.


    If this plugin can be tackled by anyone, or Mino, then fishing should be a category they should be active in by bringing back fish. Pouches should also be a thing, more so if there may be a category for 'dungeon' runs. Everything still RNG, yet still focused heavily on NPC expeditions, if illusion (invisible to the player's eye; On paper) in some page you can organize them in.


    Still would love to play with NPCs you can create and send on expeditions. Pouches would be a good thing to get after "they" return from their expeditions/adventures for either a set time, or elapsed time to then return..... Think Fallout Shelter, it's free on Steam. Those kinds of expeditions.

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