Born from another thread, the suggestion here is for StarGem to go back to the PvE missions and re-record the audio briefings. At present, they are dull and generic, offering nothing in the way of narrative, and the missions do not clearly tie in with the wider game.
The new narratives would fix that - they would establish a goal and explain how it ties in to the wider universe. These are not meant to be long briefings, just small snippets of ‘flavour text’ that set the scene and help players understand what is at stake.
Proposals for how these narratives might be done are given below, but are by no means meant to be a set-in-stone “it must be this way!” solution.
An awesome added bonus would be to have different voice actors for each faction, further cementing the idea that we are actively fighting for specific groups, rather than one generic employer.
EMPIRE MISSIONS:
Blackwood Shipyard:
[Round 1 Brief] “Mercenaries! The Blackwood drone squadrons have gone AWOL and are trying to gain control of the nav stations! If they succeed they will spread across Ontregos, destroying everything in their path! Keep the threat contained to Blackwood Shipyard, no matter the cost”
[Round 2 Brief] “Scans indicate the Blackwood AI is controlling the drone fighters through nearby communication platforms. Destroy those platforms and the drone fighters should deactivate. Good luck!”
[Round 3 Brief] “We’ve found the AI! It is commanding the drones from an experimental warship! You must destroy that ship and end the threat once and for all!”
[Victory] “Great work, mercenaries! The people of Ontregos owe you their lives! Mission accomplished, come on home!”
Captured Dreadnought:
[Round 1 Brief] “We’ve found them! The pirates have been operating out of a captured dreadnought on the edge of our space! They’ve had free reign of our system for too long! Get in there and disable the nav beacons. Without those, they’ll have nowhere to run!”
[Round 2 Brief] “Scans indicate the Pirates are trying to reactivate the Dreadnought’s main weapons! If they succeed they could cause catastrophic damage to our nearby facilities! Take out those turrets, mercenaries!”
[Round 3 Brief] “Great work! All that remains is to disable their missile batteries. With those destroyed, we can send in a strike team and take back the Dreadnought!”
[Victory] “Excellent work, mercenaries! Your actions this day have gone a long way to helping us drive these b*stards back to Fort Muerto! Mission accomplished!”
FEDERATION MISSIONS:
Processing Rig:
[Round 1 Brief] “Attention! This is a Priority One alert! Our forces are trapped aboard a Cartel mining station, and long range scans indicate enemy reinforcements are on route! Locate and destroy the Cartel troop transporters before they can dock! Move it!”
[Round 2 Brief] “Thanks to you our mission was successful, but as long as those defenses are online we can’t risk an extraction. Destroy them missile turrets so our troops can safely evacuate!”
[Round 3 Brief] “Our personnel have obtained critical information regarding Cartel activities in this region. It is imperative that you get those transports to the jump gate safely. Be warned, mercenaries; the Cartel are going to throw everything they’ve got at you!”
[Victory] “Thanks to you we now know the location of several major Cartel strongholds. On behalf of the Federation, thank you. Mission complete!”
Ice Reef:
[Round 1 Brief] “The Cartel have been hiding out in this reef for weeks, trying to rebuild a lost Dreadnought. Now that our agents know about the base, we can flush them out! That’s where you come in. Disable the Dreadnought, shut down the nav stations to prevent enemy reinforcements from jumping in, and get out!”
[Round 2 Brief] “Those nav beacons are vital for the Cartel. Without those beacons they will be unable to make safe warp jumps through the ice reef. All you have to do is shut them down!”
[Round 3 Brief] “Mercenaries! Scans indicate that a few Cartel ships made it back to the base before you shut down the beacons! It looks like they’ve got some kind of prototype warship with them! You have to destroy it!”
[Victory] “Excellent work! Thanks to you, the merchant fleets will be a lot safer! Come on home, mercenaries - drinks on me!”
Ellydium:
[Round 1 Brief] “Our intelligence indicates that the Cartel are stockpiling alien technology in this captured colony. We have reason to believe they are developing new and powerful warships. We can’t let that happen! Get in there and destroy the station’s power cores, then prepare to assist our troops in a frontal assault!”
[Round 2 Brief] “Troop transports are inbound! We need you to escort them as they make their approach on the main hanger. Once they’re in, they’ll capture or destroy whatever the Cartel have stockpiled. Be advised, the Cartel are not going to take this lying down!”
[Round 3 Brief] “This is Command! We’re detecting strange power readings from your area! It could be enemy reinforcements! [at this point, the communication begins to break up] Stand by… we’re losing the signal…”
[Victory] “Amazing job, mercenaries! That battle was one for the history books! Come on home!”
JERICHO MISSIONS:
Crimson Haze:
[Round 1 Brief] “The Families will no longer tolerate Cyber interference in this sector! Your mission is to destroy the Cyber stronghold in this region. Your first objective is to disable their primary defense network. Operation Crimson Haze is go!”
[Round 2 Brief] “The station’s primary weapon systems are controlled by three platforms on the far side of the base. Proceed through the hangar bay and secure these platforms to disable the main weapon system. Be advised; the Cybers have called for reinforcements, so you must act quickly!”
[Round 3 Brief] “Cyber assault teams are incoming. We cannot allow them to regain control of this facility! We recommend you turn their own weapons against them. Good hunting!”
[Victory] “Exemplary work, mercenaries! The Family Council shall hear of your work this day! Mission Accomplished!”
Pirate Base:
[Round 1 Brief] “Mercenaries, these pilots have absconded with valuable Jericho technology! This cannot stand! Your orders are to secure our technology and extract it from their stronghold! Disable their defenses to allow our strike team to begin the extraction!”
[Round 2 Brief] “Our strike team reports they have secured our technology. Guard the transport as it makes its exfiltration. The transport must not be destroyed, mercenaries!”
[Round 3 Brief] “Sensors indicate the presence of alien technology nearby; the Pirates must have used it to augment their ships! We cannot allow this to continue! Destroy that ship at all costs!”
[Victory] “We are indebted to you, mercenaries. You have served us well today, and we shall not forget it.”
