The Indie Game Magazine February 2015 | Issue 46 | Page 15

a level-based system which tied combat into J.C. Smith: Many missions offer Skill Checks
at points in the mission. You’ll see options
the non-combat activities.
like (Diplomacy) ___, (Hacking) ___, or
Repop is designed as more of a throwback to
(Intimidation) in some dialogue or choices.
games like Ultima Online and Star Wars GalThose roll against a skill and depending on
axies. While most characters will participate
the result of that check, the mission can
in combat, other systems aren’t directly tied
fork into different branches. These types
into it. You can simply go out and harvest,
of checks often lead to better rewards or
stay in town and craft, hang out at a cantina
easier completion if successful, but if you
and tell stories or dance, attempt to make a
fail they can result in worse results. You see
living as a thief or smuggler, a tamer, advance these types of options in many missions, not
through diplomatic skills, build a home or specifically to a category.
city, build custom robots or vehicles, etc.
Missions are also available in non-combat Diplomacy missions focus a bit more on them
varieties and are tailored to your character. though, and often also shape your personality
traits. When you are rude to an NPC, helpThe list of non-combat skills include: Fishing, ful, heroic, etc. these things get filed into a
Logging, Mining, Foraging, Firearms Craft- memory that helps establish your playing
ing, Robotics, Tailoring, Hacking, Tracking, style. A diplomacy mission will typically
Vehicle Engineering, Armor Crafting, First involve no combat, but the branches and
Aid, Carpentry, Pharmaceuticals, Artillery dialog options you choose will help shape
(construction), Cybernetics, Cosmetic Styling, those flags, which could open up additional
Horticulture, Installations, Melee Weapons future opportunities.
Crafting, Disguise, Chemistry, Stealth, Thievery,
Survival, Trap Knowledge, Veterinary Medicine, IGM: How difficult was it to develop a
Diplomacy, Intimidation, Leadership, Vehicle multi-stage mission system that is tailored
Control, Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Swim- to individual player characters? What did
that process entail?
ming, Entertainment, and Metalworking.
IGM: Players are not forced into combat J.C. Smith: It was tricky. Traditionally, generroles, but how much variety is there for ated mission systems used mission generator
terminals or time changing things, which
non-combat mission types?
allowed you to interact with one NPC to get
J.C. Smith: It really depends on the type of a slightly different result. Custom generating
missions you’re looking for. If your idea of fun everything for your character in real-time
in missions is simple deliveries, interactions, in that manner eats up CPU power. With
or diplomatic-type solutions, there are quite the design that we wanted, we had to think
a lot of those. Overall, there are 1,033 differ- outside the box.
ent missions in-game, but the bulk of those
are generated missions, so there is actually We have separate mission servers which run
outside of the normal world. Periodically
quite a lot of reusability already.
(based on how many missions slots you have
If you’re asking about skill-specific things open), it will check to generate new missions
like Tamer missions, Medic missions, the for your character. Missions themselves are
mileage will vary. For some types, there are designed as templates, just like you would
quite a few templates already. For example, with a static quest. The main difference is that
there are 38 different Underworld-themed our templates allow them to flag which areas
generated mission templates currently, and they are relevant for, which NPC personalities
63 different trade skill-related templates, but are required, etc., and then it generates apin other areas there are far less available. This propriate NPCs, items, and locations based
is something we’ll continue to strengthen as on what is available in the area.
we build towards launch.
Another feature of our mission system is that
IGM: More specifically, what do “diplomatic” we wanted players to be able to affect the
missions entail?
world and influence future missions, Engage-

www.indiegamemag.com

ments or events. To do this we needed NPCs to
have some traits which can change over time.
That also has its own separate server process
to manage these persistently. The cool thing
about this system is that sometimes you’ll
hear an NPC talking about something that
another player did in a previous mission, and
by altering an NPCs mood, dilemma, or the
cause of that dilemma, you can make them
qualify for involvement in other missions.
For example, if you wrong an NPC with a
vindictive personality it could set their mood
to Vengeful, their Dilemma to Betrayed and
their cause to you. This could make them
capable of being in missions they weren’t
capable of before, and they could start bad
mouthing you to others.
IGM: Can you talk a little more about Rogue
Nations?

15