NPC Improvement and suggestions.

[Tallios 24]

This post is to suggest improvements and expansion of NPC's within the game, to facilitate management of bases so that players can more freely focus specifically on what aspects of play they enjoy most.

I would like to complain that NPC's do not function very well.  While on a cannon, or a mounted position, they are pretty solid. Off of a position, they are crap.

• Ship Board
  • Crew Assignment - We need to be able to assign crew members permanently to a ship.  They should ignore all orders from anyone but the captain and officers.  
  • Deck Hands - Should be ready put out fires, and attempt to repair holes, and bail water.
  • Marines - Should be standing ready to board enemy ships, and repel invaders.
  • Crew Prioritization - A way to prioritize manning on the ship so certain activities could be done based on captains prerogative.
  • Perhaps the captains priorities could be run off his computer to save server processing?
• Guard 
  • Guard Posts - A small building to position NPC's as an Guard/Policeman on land. Perhaps like underground water pipes they could patrol?
  • Guard Provisions - The post should store gold and food like a larder or resource box.
  • Capture or Kill Order - With a blackjack and manacles patrol members will try to capture not kill intruders.
  • Which leads me to the next item...
• Melee
  • 1 NPC in armor, with a pike missed 9 of 10 swings.  A chicken & Sheep kept healing before NPC landed another blow.
    • Also the NPC's would rush back for a lunge way to many times, always missing. (again maybe running the script off the Player's PC who is leading them would be best?)
• NPC Skills
  • Instead of health, stamina, stomach, melee, etc.  Could we possibly get Handyman, Sailor, Gunner, Marksman, Soldier and the like.
  • The higher the level the more an NPC should cost.
• Harvesting Resources - This is a highly under developed area.  
  • Allow NPC's to harvest resources, when directed by a player and equipped with applicable tool.
  • Make NPC's better than Animals when collecting resources.  (Also Animals should be nerfed to hell on collection)
  • Guild Workers - Allow specialty NPC's who are more talented to a specific task than a general NPC, they would cost more but get more done, also no training in other skills.
  • Harvesting Building - allow the crafting of a specialty resource collection building, so that you can assign an NPC to harvest specific materials via assignment to that building.
  • Transport System - Allow movement of goods from point A - B for automation of materials around a base.
    • Porter- A NPC pick up goods from 1 place and deliver them to their post. The distance would be limited.
    • Supplier - Delivers Goods to a single place.  Such as a supply post, mess table, resource box, feed troughs, etc.
• Containers 
  • Allow for folders to limit delivery items in a box, like the bank no tax items.  To simplify delivery of goods by suppliers or players.
  • Allow a max # of resources in a resource box, based on specific item.
• Carry Tools
  • Hands - Only allow 2 stacks of items up to their 70% of their weight capacity.
  • Backpacks - Item for NPC to expand carrying capacity to 4 stacks (2 in hand and 2 in pack) and slight weight reduction (5% to 15%?).
  • Wheel barrow - Allows for 1 stack to be delivered, but reduces weight of item by 85% and slows NPC by 20%
  • Handcart - Allows for deliver of 8 stacks of items, weight of items are reduced by 25% and slows NPC by 10%