NPC caravans and couriers

[Vít Eliášek 17]

When you travel between towns in game you will immediatly notice one thing - with the exception of few static hostile mobs, the roads are empty. You can see Frankin riders posts in towns and by the road, but you never see their couriers delivering mail or packages. There are bankers and merchants talking about, even giving you quest related to trade routes, but you never actualy see anyone traveling them.

All towns in game are connected, rely on, or profit from trade, as stated in lore (fluff), but at the same time completely cut off from each other.

 

So I suggest the following, have NPC caravans, merchants and Frankin rider couriers travel the roads between towns.

These caravans would function like town events: traveling between town centers or garages (if they are close to towns), stoping at each town for certain amount of time (10-20 min) before moving on.

While on the move, these caravans and couriers could be randomly attacked by groups of hostile mobs, either wild mutants or bandits.

 

Once the caravan reaches town the NPCs will give quests to players, hiring them as caravan guards or collecting items. Revards for these quests could be faction rep (Franklin riders, Bankers or townsfolk - depending on the type of cavan), chips of course and maybe even some cosmetics and AP for high level sectors like Alpha country.

 

Some of the NPCs could act as rare component merchants as well, giving players more incentive to protect these caravans.

 

There could also be caravans traveling from factions towns (main factions Tech, CHOTA etc.) to PVP zone faction camps. These would be attaced by members of opposing factions who could be rewarded in either faction rep, chips, rare mats or DT once the caravan is destroyed. Of course players belonging to the same (or allied) faction as the caravan will be rewarded for protecting it. Also players of the faction that currently holds the PVP zone keeps would get better reward.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Vít Eliášek
Typos

[SolomonBull 17]

This is a cool idea and would contribute a lot to the feeling of the world being alive. 

 

NPC traffic probably doesn't have to be simulated or have them actually move along paths, though. Defiance does this thing where it spawns in NPCs, mobs, and minor events along the roads when players are in the area. That would give the impression that the roads are being traveled, without having to create nav paths and mobile NPCs and things between settlements.