Trader & NPC ideas

[HunterAlpha1]

It's been rumored that TFP are planning to add human NPCs to the game, and IIRC, BeatKidz added some in a mod a few alphas ago. So here are some ideas I'd like to see implemented:

 

Instead of traders just automatically being protected from zombies by invincible landclaims, they'd be protected by armed NPC guards, and of course would be able to defend themselves. They'd be attacked on horde nights, and players would be able to help protect them. Failure to repel the horde would result in the trader being unavailable for a few days.

 

Instead of there being just one NPC at each trader who buys/sells everything and gives quests, there'd be multiple trader NPCs who trade in the various goods and give related quests. So you'd have a weapons/ammo trader who gives clear quests, a resources trader who gives fetch quests, farmer trader who asks you to bring certain foods, etc..

 

And the quest rewards you'd receive would improve based upon your relation with that trader. Each trader settlement would be its own faction, and they'd have relations with each other. So doing quests or selling in-demand items to one trader would increase your standing with that trader, and a smaller increase in relations with their friends, and a relations hit with their enemies.

 

I think this would help up the ante for PvP. It would also turn the trader into a sort of neutral zone, as any player that attacked another player in good standing with the trader would then be slaughtered by the guards, though of course if you have reason to believe that the player has something worth dying for, it might be worth it...

 

There'd also be other perks to getting in good with a trader, such as being able to hire NPCs to guard your base, having them hold an item you're looking for for you if another player sells it to them, and being able to trade with them for longer hours, all the way up to 24 hours a day.