Yeah, one option in my favorite mission system Escape Velocity was the use of titles - arbitrary bits linked optionally with a character string - as enabler for mission.Cornflakes_91 wrote:Maybe we could use stored metadata to create some semblace of "follow up" missions.
For example data like the general area, what enemies encountered, general performance etc to determine if someone should be hired again for some mission that has some similar border conditions.
"This person did well when protecting our transport against the guristas in the northern asteroid field, we should hire him for our attack on the gurista base"
Maybe no "epic" arcs would emerge from that, but at least something resembling a continouscarc.
Example: after successfully delivering a Galactiv Express parcel in an introductory mission, you get the title of "accredited Galactic Express Agent". Routine delivery missions are available to persons with this title. Some mission disguised as a routine mission actually has a more complex story (e.g. successfully repeal an attack by pirates) and set another title "trustworthy GE agent" (which is however not explicitely communicated to the player, so he does not know about it) that enables higher risk / higher reward missions.
This is certainly feasible and extensivle to arbitrary info (links to factions, companies, locations, achievements, ...) and using boolean conditions on titles allow even more flexibilty (must be a "trustworthy GE agent" but not a "friend of ups").
Some titles could be pre-defined and usable for all modders, while a mod may define its own titles to allow for its own mission tree that cannot happen "in the wrong order" and without the other assests of the mod.
Note: See much higher in this thread on how to make scripted missions compatible with a no-spawning universe.