Solo player party system leveraging upcoming NPC systems.

[krazmuze]

Those familiar with classic isometric computer RPG had 'real time with pause' party play, where you could switch which character in the party is the leader that is assigned to your controller and assign an AI package to the others.  The game already has pause feature allowing UI interactions without advancing time.

 

Presumably  AI packages will exist with upcoming NPC that they will be able to shoot, melee, ride etc so it is just an additional feature of those NPC for joining your party where you can control their AI package and follow, stay, or dismiss.   The game is taking inspiration from the community builder genre (rimworld, dwarven fortress) with NPC schedules - but those games also have features to select specific NPC and have user controls overriding the AI - which happens often as the AI steers into chaos!

 

The game currently supports solo party play using load add more, it also supports local coop play using additional controllers both features leverage the multiplayer code to have more than one player character in your saves.   This is a rare feature in sandbox survival games to have solo play be more than just a multiplayer server with a single character so great that these features was added.

 

The disadvantage of 'solo add more' is that if you logout in a car, and then use that car on another character you will login and find yourself outside where the car was.   It is not possible to have a raiding party drive together, they must take different cars at different times.  Of course there is pros/cons of splitting the party vs. staying together.

 

Local coop play it is cumbersome to manage solo party play having to swap controllers to takeover the other character, but has the advantage the characters can stay together by frequently swapping controllers else you just leave someone behind just like 'solo add more' would.

 

The problem with the CRPG genre is you most follow the scripted branching storylines, but adopting their solo party control features that adds optional ways to play than  coop/multiplayer for a solo party type of play that is about unscripted emergent gameplay.     This allows the solo player to create a reactionary narrative for their party which like writing a book is a very satisfying creative endeavor.   Telling other players online what to do to fit the story in your head is highly frowned on in coop/multiplay party play and most people are really bad at improv.   Even if stringent RP servers that have narrative rules exist for proper improv, the group usually cannot login together and actually play as a party at all the times you want to play   

 

I applaud the company for already recognizing that coop/multi is not for everyone and that solo parties are a valid playstyle.