Missions
The last two weeks have been very busy. I finally managed to get the mission system up and running. This allows you to take on a variety of contracts, such as smuggling, hacking, and bounties.
With multiple factions in the game, you can choose which jobs to take based on your loyalties. If you prefer, you can also take jobs based strictly on how much they pay. After all, galactic politics can be someone else's concern. ;)
The first type of mission I've implemented is the classic cargo delivery. Someone needs goods transported, and you're the pilot they've hired. Sometimes this will be easy, sometimes you may find things becoming a little more difficult. For example, entering enemy territory may become a challenge unless you plan ahead and forge your ship's ID. If you don't, you may find yourself on the run from enemy patrols (and elite bounty hunters).
It's been a lot of fun working on this system so far. Previously, a lot of my time was spent getting base systems in place. This included things like creating a playable character, creating ships you could move in/out of, that sort of thing. Now that I'm getting into the actual gameplay, I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
The process I'm using for adding new features is broken up into multiple stages. They are:
- Stage 1: Get the first playable core activity in place (not finished, very basic)
- Stage 2: Continue working until the feature becomes representative of the desired experience
- Stage 3: Playtesting, iteration, and polish!
The goal of course is to try and get the overall game to Stage 2 before taking individual features to Stage 3. This way I reduce the chance of spending time polishing a feature that may not even fit in with the rest of the game.
Which brings us back to missions! Now that I have cargo missions working, the player has a way to make money. So the next step is to get a basic store working, which will allow the player to spend that hard earned loot. :)
See you next time!
Shawn