The Job Centre

[William Antrim]

Plaza 2 - Its a safe zone and it is as big as a faction HQ but it has no real purpose or use. Why is it there? A throwback to NC1? The forgotten and never implemented Trader Union?

I remember when NC had no safe zones some people used to go there to "hide" from the evil. But today we have safe zones again and still no use for it. I would like that to change.

Currently we have a small amount of "newby" content - in the form of MC5 and the Jones missions. These are great btw. I love them. Just what the game needs. However I am thinking it might be nice to expand that hand holding time a little further. I want to spread the newbs out through the game a little more. I think the Job Centre is just the place to do it.

Essentially I am thinking the short version is we put a handful of NPC's in there and give them repeatable quests. These quests should not be faction specific or biased in any way shape or form. They should each send the noobs to different parts of the Outzone/Pepper Park/Industrial Zone.

They should each pay - upon completion - a handsome amount of credits and some decent XP. Lets say for arguments sake 1k XP per skill across all skills. I would like to write up some small story lines for these NPC's and also perhaps have some way of adding them into the game (through the in game mail suggesting noobs go to the job centre or perhaps Mr Jones can suggest it?).

This is the bare bones of my idea anyway. I want to get this project off the ground in the next few weeks before submitting it to the powers that be as a fully functional scripted idea (as in words rather than code script).

I would however like a bit of feedback from the creative geniuses that are our current community before I do this. Essentially I am thinking that the only requirement for these missions would be to take noobs from /5 or whatever they finish Jones at, potentially up to /15 or even /20.

I am aware that they might take over the current Citycom missions that are in game but to be fair that whole thing needs a good rework anyway.

So yeah I would like to see some more foot traffic moving through Plaza 1 and 2 and perhaps a few more of the really helpful NPCs that are already in there would get used more and help them out with the game. Not only that these sort of missions might be fun for some of the older heads who have decided to make new chars etc.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions/improvements?

[Mr. Kassad]

To be honest: I play this game for years now and I was quite often at the front desks (still P2 zone) and was always disappointed that they just tell me to go to the CityComs, but I can't tell for Reza's sake how the Job Centre looks on the inside. I guess I was never in there. I have to check it out as soon as I got some time for playing at my hands.

If it is as big as a HQ I really support your idea. It could be a perfect newbie training centre. Additionally to the missions I would add some NPCs that explain some really basic gameplay stuff like how you research something and that built weapons are better than bought ones, etc. This could replace or add to the (bad) EMail-Tutorials.

[Dribble Joy]

I'm currently coming up with many an idea for missions, runs and general content; the Job Centre is just one place that features.

[Riddle]

Not the only huge disused area, p1 con centre is a great area but always sadly empty.

Some good ideas here though mr Antrim for the job centre was only in there last night lol

[William Antrim]

The con centre is in the job centre now. 3rd floor. As for the tutorial npcs yeah there are some there already. I'm gonna draft up some ideas I think.

[Mr. Kassad]

I'm pretty sure the con centre is in Plaza 1 across the small Neocronicle office.

Damn, it has been only 5 days and I'm already totally insecure about the Plaza layout! :D

[Trivaldi]

Moved to Brainport. I'm interested in seeing what you guys come up with. This location is on my list. ;)

[Ascension]

Moved to Brainport. I'm interested in seeing what you guys come up with. This location is on my list. ;)

It would be great to see community input forming an integral part of the new player experience. I've also noticed a lot more bug report threads, which can only be having a positive impact of bug squatting?

[William Antrim]

The conference centre used to be there yes but it got moved in nc2 with the shake up of all the shops and stuff as far as I can recall. As for ideas well hell yeah triv I guess that that is open season for the creativity. I will jot some more thoughts down at a keyboard properly tomorrow.

[kane]

Plaza 2 is not a safezone and that is the problem. I watch new players walking across and get gundown like dogs all day long with afking anti city guys. Plaza 2 needs weapon lock again and move the fighting back to PP1.

[Doc Holliday]

Plaza 2 is not a safezone and that is the problem. I watch new players walking across and get gundown like dogs all day long with afking anti city guys. Plaza 2 needs weapon lock again and move the fighting back to PP1.

Kane i agree with you but most people still use the LE anyway so it makes little difference.

@ logan. Drawing a dole cheque now the emporium is closed?
On Topic. One idea could be to send people that way is to have an npc in plaza somewhere or maybe have Jones direct the runner to the faction HQ. Here you could have another who gives the person a welcome brief explains where the gr is and then offers them the information of going off to the job center and using the nav ray to get there.

Another thing is within the text i think that the npcs should state the job center is in plaza 2 as it will make it easier for them to navigate here and then use the nav ray.

Finally the skill advisors for all classes absolutely MUST be placed here as if no where else this will get them maximum exposure.

ok another thought would be to suggest having the quest runs assign weapons/armour of a good quality but in the usual line for the runners class that is of outstanding quality with/without slots. Armour could be good, even an underwear but these are easily made. Weapons might be better.

Considering the emporium is no longer available and no ones taken up the challenge yet at least offering guns around tl7-10 to the runners who go here is gonna be a benefit to them. It wont make any impact on anyone's business (traderskillers) either because nobody builds low level guns to hand out anymore.

As for the runs well i would have to get my non sleepy thinking cap on for that.

[William Antrim]

My initial thoughts are one run being something courier based. Think johnny mnemonic or shadowrun on the Snes. Another one would be a sewer sweeper type job. One for tradeskillers might be repairing or constructing a part for a machine in industrial area. Perhaps the end game for it all could be going to jeriko mutant pool. It would send people all over pepper park and oz first though. I will write more later on.

[kane]

I was thinking today id love even small new missions for example Christmas is here right? We have the tree's and models already in the game? Maybe even other Christmas items. Maybe some cool missions just for that nothing to complex to make it take weeks for them to do just something more moderate and maybe some more run around the world style hehe. Encourage exploration!

[Load]

a Bit OT but just had an idea of NCPD being used to set PvP missions if that makes sense. Kill someone from xxx faction or a red in general for some sort of benefit (obviously this leaves it open to massive exploitation but was just an idea). and obviously would have to set one up somewhere for antis (one of the abandoned HQs or in TH)

[William Antrim]

As you said yourself Load that would probably be massively exploitable in open world. We had similar discussions (I had a similar idea) in another thread but the holes that could be picked in it were evident from the get go.

Kane we have had in the past "egg" hunts with anything from MC5 chips to Lazar Rifles in them. Something for everyone. I would love to see these come back.

Be prepared this is a LONG POST!


As for my other ideas:

First one would be a Sewer Sweeper job. 4 NPCs - one per class of runner

First part takes place in Pepper Park sewer - Aimed at runners around the /5 mark. Anything around level 4 sewer type of thing. Mutant scouts and the like to be farmed essentially. I am not sure what is in Via Rosso these days but there used to be a Level 4 sewer just by the entrance to the Hovercab station that I used to go into a lot. It was basically a LAB underground when you zoned in and had mutant warriors in there.

This kind of thing I think would provide an appropriate level of monster for /5 to /10 runners. You could give them a job to go in there to retrieve something from a monster or kill a quota or earn a set amount of credits or possibly have a random drop item that will fall on one of the mobs or more whilst on the quest. Collect X amount of the item and return for a reward.

In mission 2 the npc could tell them they have earned the right to call themselves a sewer sweeper now and it is time to venture a little further afield. Perhaps here the Outzone comes a calling. They get tasked with going into Outzone 1 for example or 2 for some reason. Again it could be just to fulfill a quota or perhaps collect something or even to go find a missing sewer sweeper who had already ventured down there and noone had heard from him. An NPC spawns in a location and the runner goes to find him/her and retrieve another item. This gets him up to around level 10 maybe. He can obviously do his jones mission in between this also.

Part 3 and the final part of the mission would be to take the final exam in being a fully qualified sewer sweeper. the task at hand would be to take down a butchee/spider queen. Something big anyway. Way bigger than any opponent already seen. The runner might be encouraged at this point to team up perhaps if not already done so. They will have to recover an item from said creature or at least get a mission successful notice (like in the epic) for the first butchee kill/spider queen that they can get. They again would be directed to an area that has said mob in it and there are plenty about. I would expect them to have to go into the Main Sewer at some point as well. Perhaps there could be a mission inserted that takes place in there fulfilling a certain cash quota of kills or something.

At the end of the third mission they might get a nice cash bonus. Say something huge (to a noob) like 20k? The rewards during the mission might be cash as well and maybe some medkits or some armour (kevlar/battlevest/basic spirit armour) or something similar. Something they can really use anyway. I think giving them defensive stuff is a good allrounder regardless of class and cash can be spent on other stuff that they think they need but sometimes getting an item rather than just cash just makes everything feel that bit more personal. I am a big fan of giving them armour because it would not be class or weapon skill specific and therefore easier to do.


The courier run would be a lot easier to do than the sewer sweeper. It would involve something akin to the delivery jobs that the factions get but delivering stuff to random npcs around the various zones. As you drop off an item at one perhaps that guy can give you some cash for doing it and some stamina boosters (to keep them running) and offer to give them another mission along the way. That way they can choose to take it now and continue on the chain or they can cancel it at any time and go back to whatever other grinding theyre doing at the time or spend a bit of time looking around the area it has just taken them to.

If they decide to continue at a later time then the main npc in the Job Centre can give them another "starter" mission and they can carry on the chain up till say four or five drops and then it comes to an end. The last guy can say thanks for bringing me X I have no work for you. Then they get a nice dollop of xp and some more money and stams/medkits.

The construction/research missions would be something really small and simple like going to a certain NPC to collect a part and then constructing/researching that part (obviously tradeskill dependent) and then passing it onto another guy somewhere else. A little like the tradeskill missions they get currently but also with some delivery/collection missions going on at the same time. Perhaps these guys could be advised to ask another runner to team with them to ride shotgun for part of it as they have no real combat skills and someone else on a courier run could maybe go with them to help out?

These are all ideas based on my experiences of NC as a noob with someone helping me out and showing me the game and where to go and stuff.

This way they have gone all over Outzone/Industrial Area/Pepper Park/Via Rosso and Plaza and they have seen all there is to see of nc. That is the final aim.

Perhaps then at the end the main quest NPC that they saw could say you have learnt all I can teach you now perhaps you should go out to the Military Base or to Jeriko Launcher pit and seek out your fortune there.


As an add on to that maybe you could put an NPC over at Jeriko OP who is "stranded at Jeriko and cant get back to NC without the help of the player" (I know it is only one zone but bear with me) and he needs certain mutant junk to recycle up to fix his car so that he can drive out of there and he pays noobs for any launcher junk they collect? (something along the lines of the guy who bought junk off players in NC1 during the Johnny 5 storyline stuff in TT hq)

So that would encourage runners between 20 and 30 to go and farm Launchers etc at the Mutant Pit. This guy would take as much junk as they could get for him (I mean that car will take ages to fix!) and so it would be a lucrative way for a low level runner to earn alot of extra cash.

[Izeo]

I really hope this idea is implemented. I've wandered around there a couple times and it really is a nice zone.

I definitely think you are right in that Mr. Jones should tell you about the Job Center upon completion of the starter mission. I also would even say that all of the text currently in the JobCenter NPCs should be rewritten.

The text both has weird things:
- To girl behind the counter: "Hi can you tell me about this place?" Reply: "Check the JobTerms."
- To guy behind the counter: "Can I join you and a group of friends?" (Kinda weird to say to a stranger who is at work. lol)

And incorrect things:
- "The LE reduces skills for certain tools etc"

Having all NPCs types (even the workers in the cubicles) potentially be a part of a mission received there would be nice. No one in there should say the default, "Get lost wanker" I think.

The CA guards may need to be removed so that anti-city players can use the zone without being killed. (It's a safezone anyway, so no need for protection from guards).

Having the missions send players to lesser-used zones I also think is a good idea, like Industrial-A etc.

One final thought:
In some existing missions, such as CST/RES missions, the NPC in the HQ which you need to speak with is decided randomly. Maybe this concept could be applied to these larger missions as well, encompassing existing NPCs that are actually intended for other existing epic missions. For example maybe as a part of these JobCenter missions, it was randomly decided that you needed to deliver something to Thompson in Garriot's in P-2, or Hontoka in Industrial-A, or maybe for the later ones, Matt Tronstett or Susan in Point Red.. something like that. (of course it shouldn't include ALL npcs that are way out in random wasteland sectors)

The point being to re-use existing NPCs to make the world seem maybe a bit more alive.. like, if I ever meet an NPC (like Hontoka in Industrial-A) and he says the generic "go away" message, I already know for a fact that he will only ever speak to me during his epic mission. Having to deliver (or receive) something generic from him during a newbie JobCenter quest, and then visiting him again later during an epic, might be kind of cool for a new player.

I'm not sure if that last thing is possible, but either way I'd like to see the JobCenter be the source of nice (and rewarding) missions, too.

[William Antrim]

Izeo yes that final part is what I was intending. We used to have a TG runner in OZ called Jade who you had to go to for the TG Raygun quest (before we had those grenades we have now).

I want this idea to be as simple basic and easy as implement as possible. Sending runners to random generic NPCs (rather than to faction HQs) means you can get away with not having to code faction specific missions. Hopefully this is less work for the DEVs and stands more chance of being implemented.

We used to have loads of npcs in plaza 1 even a long time ago (in nc1 i remember distinctly having more pop up during the story line) so I would like some of them to come back as well.

We also need some information type guys telling runners about things like constructing and repairing and of course the LE. I would go so far as to use a generic statement advising runners not to take the LE out of their first char at all until cap. This way they get to learn some more about the game and it sounds more believable coming from an official than some runner who "just wants more people to gank" as has been thrown around here in the last few days.

I honestly do not know if these guys are already in MC5 (I do not go there on a noob char - I started before it was implemented) but I think even if they are to duplicate them here would be a sound decision just to maximise their exposure to the noobs to ensure that they DO stick around in NC.


Please note I do not want to detract from the Citycom missions that are already in game. I am just thinking of putting together some OTHER stuff for noobs to do to get them involved in the game a little more.

The reason why I picked going from 0/2 to sort of /20 would mean that by this point the final guy on these missions might want to lead the Runner onto starting their Epic Quest as well.

Essentially by this you're mapping out a rough guideline for progression through the game for each runner whilst maintaining the freedom of openworld combat and exploration that made NC so great in the first place.



In the longer term I would like to possibly expand on this by having another set of missions for level 30-40 runners that sent them off to various caves and Outposts to fetch items or speak to people. However I think that that is all for another thread and another day. :)

[Izeo]

I honestly do not know if these guys are already in MC5 (I do not go there on a noob char - I started before it was implemented) but I think even if they are to duplicate them here would be a sound decision just to maximise their exposure to the noobs to ensure that they DO stick around in NC.
The only guys that teach you about game mechanics in MC5 are the Tank/PE/Spy/Monk class trainers in the second room. I guess there are eight in total, four being clones on the balcony outside.

Although, one NPC tells you a tiny bit about PvE (he suggests trying to corner the harder robots and killing them with your knife) but I think that's all. One NPC offers a mini-mission for finding 3 identical implant parts, one NPC offers a mini-mission for finding 4 prototype chips which drop from robots, and one guy outside asks for 3 identical vehicle parts which is currently not possible as they don't spawn in boxes or drop from mechshells etc.


The reason why I picked going from 0/2 to sort of /20 would mean that by this point the final guy on these missions might want to lead the Runner onto starting their Epic Quest as well.

Essentially by this you're mapping out a rough guideline for progression through the game for each runner whilst maintaining the freedom of openworld combat and exploration that made NC so great in the first place.
Now that you say that, that's a really good point.

(Mr. Jones after completing his mission)
- - good job here's your quad, btw you should check out the citycoms or the JobCenter
(JobCenter guy after doing hard difficulty?)
- - thanks here's your money, btw you should check our your faction epic mission npc

[William Antrim]

Well by the time you reach level 20 youre already qualified to complete the first 2 missions of your epic. Tbh once you have done two of them I think youre likely to want to continue but if you have these missions to do on the side it might help your character a little to "guide" them to levelling zones etc.

If anyone says this is a bit "wow"ish then yeah I would concur. It is a little bit like that but to be fair if an idea works then why not copy it. You could even give the noobs some form of mission to go to the MB bunker/TG canyon next (dependent on faction).

I would also like to see some sort of copy of the MB Bunker at the canyon, only substitute the cyclopses for Large and Small Reaper Spiders and a few butchees etc.

You could add some story line about mutants living there too or get those low level chaos minion style mobs in there for the lower level chars.

I think this would be good for levelling TG/Crahn/FA/BD noobs. I know a lot of people go to MB in all factions and levels and I realise that the TG and CM etc factions are for advanced players but seriously if a noob wants to play as TG then I think we should let him/her.

The more places mid-level players get to level the more chance they will stay to high end games. If you take them by the hand the first time they experience NC they are more likely to stay for a second char levelling and so on. Well that's the theory.



On another side note completely:


What do you think about having Cave Missions? Like an NPC gives you a mission to go to a particular swamp cave/chaos cave (subject to PVE being more balanced) to get something?

[murdog]

I realy like the idea of a Job Center and i like Williams ideas
But we should get a bit away from the "official" Missions from Term or Job Center.
NC needs more shady mission giver, npcs in bars and such, more Mr. Jones

murdog

[William Antrim]

Like the guy in the Tiki Tornado you mean?

[murdog]

Like the guy in the Tiki Tornado you mean?

Yes, or the little run in the Vibes Club.