Crew NPCs
IntroductionCrew NPCs are automated characters that can perform certain operations aboard a starship. Currently they only appear in starship simulators, but this may change at a later date. To give them orders, one must use the starship's intercom, accessible with the PA-command. An attempt has been made to make commands as natural as possible as to not spawn confusion. Take heed that while this system is new, there may be bugs or oversights in NPC responses. Please REPORT these as they make themselves known to facilitate fixing them. Furthermore, this help file may be in flux as we add (or remove) compatible commands.
Combative NPCs
Combative NPCs are non-player characters that can operate a starship's weapons. They can be given sets of coordinates and ship titles, ship numbers as indicated by the FOCUS-command, or simply told to shoot at the closest vessel.
Commands
RANGE (or GO) - Notify all crew aboard to begin firing upon the currently focused ship. This used to be the closest ship. May not actually be necessary as the crew will begin firing automatically when the ship moves within range of the focused ship.
FOCUS <ship name> - Focus all attacks on <ship>. If there is no ship present in the sector with such a name, nothing will happen.
<coordinates> - Instruct all crew aboard to fire at <coordinates>. Coordinates can be a comma-delineated list or simple numbers. (Example: 3, 3, 3.)
SHIP <number> - Instruct all crew aboard to target <ship>. The number provided should be the number that corresponds to the FOCUS menu.
STOP (or ENOUGH, STAND DOWN, KNOCK IT OFF, HOLD YOUR FIRE, SEASE FIRE) - Instruct the crew to stop focusing on the currently focused ship.
Notes
If an NPC is stationed in a weapon room containing varying types of weapons, it will traditionally pick the most effective one. For example, if there are four laser turrets and one cannon, it is likely that laser turrets would be preferred over bardenium cannons since the combined damage is greater.
Engineering NPCs
These NPCs will act as an engineer. They will repair based on priority, abort repairs when more important damages arise, and announce warnings when critical components are damaged.
Commands
REPAIR (or REP) <component> - Your engineer will stop any ongoing repairs immediately and switch to the requested component, provided that the component isn't destroyed or undamaged. (Example: repair turret 1.)
START REPAIRING THE HULL AT <percent> (or just REPAIR THE HULL AT) - Notify your engineer that they should start repairing the hull when it reaches <percent>. Note that if desired, you can simply use a number without the percent (%) symbol. Furthermore, the NPC will begin issuing warnings via the intercom when the hull breaches this percentage. (Example: Start repairing the hull at 60%.)
WHEN ARE YOU REPAIRING THE HULL - In case you forget when you told your NPC to commence repairs on the hull, this is the command.
WHAT ARE YOU REPAIRING - Self-explanatory. The engineer will announce over the intercom what he or she is repairing, along with an estimated timeframe until the repair's completion.
STOP REPAIRING - Instruct your engineer to stop an ongoing repair. Your engineer will not repair anything until he or she is told to repair something else. After that, they will assume they should begin working again.
Notes
Engineering NPCs will categorize components based on priority and damage. Conclusions of whether a component is important enough to repair at the time or not are often correct, but in the cases that it seems your engineer is repairing something that it shouldn't be, please report it using the REPORT-command.
Conclusions
Crew NPCs are yet another way to sharpen one's combat prowess and learn the intricacies of commanding a starship crew. Like players themselves, they befall the same restrictions of roundtime and delays; do not expect them to be facsimiles of perfection. Enjoy commanding your crew!