I think a great mission string would allow a player to switch sides. So, here is my idea. A station (neutral) becomes quarintined. A strange disease takes over and begins threaten in coming ships. Desperate calls for help rage over the radio waves. A player that answers the call starts the mission. During the mission he/she is approached by the nutreal nation to join them and raid blue/red nation. May decline, but if accepted finds evidence in the wreckage. As more and more evidance is gathered the state respocible is unmasked. It is a plot to destroy other nations without firing a shot. The offending nation is using the virus to wipe put all enemy stations. The player can join the neutral nation to help them or the blue/red to enter in a battle for the virus or the offending nation to continue the work started. The virus could be used as a weapon against the frigate or to quarintine a station. those with a cure could release a station, for a price or for the option of switching sides. People with a cure could enter the home systems of other nations for this purpose. They would be able to keep all their money and ships. A more detailed story could be delivered if the devs like this.
Thanks all

As an EV player I like the idea of mission strings... but do they really have a place in a MMORPG? I think that I would almost rather see people create their own missions, by developing characters that have goals, and communicating with others...

I don't think major story driven plots are the way to go for a mmorpg, however I would like to see missions along the lines of deliver x cargo to y sector in z mins with a slightly larger cash reward than just bringing cargo there the usual way. Or perhaps defend a sector from a bot invasion, or human invasion for when (and if) short radio distances are put in to inform players of an attack. Perhaps even guild driven missions for when there are recognizable factions. But yes there needs to be some sort of interaction with the game beyond buying low, selling high and shooting things.

The devs want to include missions. My idea would allow people to interact as well as change teams. Therefore allowing them to choose more freely.

The concept of mission-play is good... and I thin your mission idea is good, too; it just doesn't fit into a huge multiplayer universe. Why? because any mission will create problems if that mission's story impacts other players too greatly. Again, this is because those other players probably have their own mission already and don't want to get sucked into yours.

And, as I hope will happen, when there are thousands of people playing Vendetta v1.0 people will develop their own missions, quests and goals as well (outside of game missions). If a mission is triggered by some player that suddenly turns someone else's missions upside-down, you'll start to hear a lot of b****ing.

Missions that involve running a trade route, blocking a convoy of NPCs, killing x number of another nation in under ten minutes, etc. would work easily in a MMORPG.

For an example (a lame one): If my home station suddenly gets locked into some chemical weapons threat right as I'm about to launch a massive coordinated attack with my 25 best friends, it will not be fun. If My fleet is gathering around the same station, and a blockade runner suddenly comes hurtling through, wounded and asking for protection from the dozen high-powered NOCs that are chasing him ruthlessly from sector to sector... that would be fun! What's the difference? i'm free to ignore one, but not the other.

the whole idea of missions is to allow people to accept or decline them. In this mission you may gain a weapon or a way to change teams. The mission is not manditory. Maybe the mission is to involved, but instead of gaining a virus weapon a new weapon. In order to get it you must follow a given mission

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The only way missions can work in a large, multiplayer universe is by making the objectives something universal and repeatable, like destroying a Frigate. Anything that alters the universe in a permanent of semi permanent way is not suitable as a single player mission. Only a quest that involves many objectives and players could change the universe for good.

Tempest: Agreed. Single-player-style missions won't work unless they are the type that can not change the game universe.

Multi-player-style missions probably shouldn't change the universe either, unless it means evolving the universe over time along with a common story line that supports the back-story. For example, it could be possible to have an invading force hostile to all teams (red, gold, blue). If we don't put up enough defense against them, our common hostile borders become overrun. we lose sectors, and in turn friendly nation sectors are added elsewhere to accommodate. This could provide a real ongoing history to the game, but would require ongoing, active development.

If you are familiar with Earth & Beyond you'll know that they made the exact same mistake of trying to treat missions in a multiplayer universe as exactly the same as those in a single player universe. I heard alot of comments along the lines of 'Saving the planet from emminent disaster was alot less exciting and alot more comical when you realized that 10,000 people had already done the exact same thing.'

Missions in a multiplayer universe are more along the idea of 'jobs'. Someone gives you a job. It's the sort of job that more than one person could legitimately have. Heck, you and several of your friends might all have the same mission and cooperate together in performing it.

Some ideas for missions:

'Scientific mission' You get these from various academic type NPC's. Go into a particular sector and either spend X ammount of time thier 'collecting data' or scan an 'roid or wormhole in that sector for X ammount of time 'collecting data'. Various gizmos would reduce the ammount of time you'd have to spend to complete the mission. More valuable missions require you to go to hostile or dangerous sectors.

'Passenger missions' You get these in stations. These are NPC's that want to go from X to Y in time Z. The longer the distance, and the shorter the time, the more money they are willing to pay. To get the best paying passengers you have to equip your ship with 'passenger cabin' gizmos. The most valuable missions require that you efficiently navigate through a series of hostile sectors.

'Cargo missions' You get these from merchants. These are NPC's that want you to take X to Y in time Z, and will give you a share of the profits if you do so. The longer the distance and the shorter the time on the contract, the better they will pay. The most profitable missions involve smuggling contriband or require you to navigate quickly through a series of sectors infested by NPC and PC pirates. Note that in the full universe, a player probably couldn't acquire enough money to become an independent trader (ei you own the widgets you are carrying) quickly, and for the first period of his career would have to take 'cargo missions' to build up enough money to buy widgets and trade them himself.

'Courier Missions': Like cargo missions but the widget takes up no space in your hold, and usually time is very short. The most valuable missions involve carrying stolen information that can get you in alot of trouble if you are caught, ei you are a spy.

'Military Mission': You get these from military type NPC's after you join a factions military. Various types require you to either 'gaurd' (basically the same as a scientific mission, go somewhere(s) and wait for X minutes but there is no way to hurry it), 'patrol' (visit a series of sectors with X ammount of time), or 'attack' (go to a sector and destroy one or more enemy vessels - PC or NPC). Completing them successfully will advance your career. Failing to complete them can get you kicked out. Unlike most missions, these are not usually 'voluntary' - if the NPC asks you to do then you are assumed to have accepted the mission.

'Privateer Missions': Like military missions, but you don't have to be in the military, and they are voluntary. Available only to those with very high reputations who have obtained a 'Letter of Marque' from thier faction.

'Supply Contracts': You get these from Merchant type NPC's. The merchant agrees to pay you a favorable rate for providing X widgets in Y time. Without a contract, making a good profit trading or mining is often harder.

In general, if you accept a mission and you fail to live up to your end of the bargin your 'credit rating' suffers so you'll be less likely to get profitable missions in the future, and you'll have to pay a fine.

Thinking about these missions it occurs to me that cargo needs to be flagged 'owned' or 'unowned' at the time it is acquired. Attempting to sell 'unowned' cargo should be a reputation violation and 'honest' merchants shouldn't purchase it (you don't have a valid bill of sale). Hmmm... maybe I should do a post on merchants.

A good mission writer should be able to provide reasonable justification for the mission, at least partially disguise the mission within the RP, and link a series of missions together in a larger arc. Successfully completing missinos should give you access to increasingly profitable missions, and to NPC's who sell rarer and more valuable gizmos.

Also, some distinguishment should be made between a 'tiny plot' and a 'mission'. A mission is some task the player is supposed to preform. A tiny plot occurs when a NPC vessel or group of NPC vessels spawn and engage in a particular behavior. For instance, the Frigate appearing in 16 is something like a 'tiny plot' albiet a really primative one.