NPC Crews or NPC Humanoids In General (Less empty worlds)

Definitely an NPC crew. Not everyone has a cult of players wanting them to worship you as their captain or wants to do anything but kill on sight (happens when I try to play multiplayer). I just usually play with my brother or alone. It's fun, one of my all-time favorite games, but the world feels empty.

I would like there to be a free small standard crew and extra would be expensive. But still not to be treated as you will. If you like just kill them they fire back? or they can "leave" if you can't pay them?

Friendly NPC's can be exciting a bring to life your space station/ship or other things.

However, it creates problems too.

1. But if we keep the design simple to start, then it should be easier on the devs....

How about like this:

Crew NPC's:

Crew NPCs can be hired to help your ship or space station or even just you.

They can do the following:

• Follow a path from A to B (user-defined), patrol it and repair nearby objects
• Walk around, sleep, look out windows, general "activity"
• Can manually mine an asteroid
• Can 'Fetch items for you, from a storage container'
• Can use a gun to fire at pirates! (pirates have NPC crews too?)
• It can be assigned to man a turret and fire!
• Go to "sleep" when you're not in range, to save on computing power (assuming that's an issue? Can be toggled to do so? Set a range before they turn on/off?)
• Can be assigned to a ship and ordered to 'fly around' in a predefined area and scout/salvage/attack/notify activity (like incoming pirates or environmental hazards, asteroid storms, etc...
• They should cost a constant/day-by-day salary, We already have an economic Space Credit System in-game, why not give it an amazing purpose.

If you spend hours building this epic base and ship fleets, wouldn't it be nice to have a way to use that great fleet you spent hours making, so what do you guys think?

The NPC ships would be cool to board and have an NPC crew to defend it. An empty ship with just turrets inside is basically non-immersive. or unrealistic. and makes the appeal to even go out and get the ship not worth it. oh cool, I got ship I'll go part it next to other thousand ships I have to "show" no one.

In No Mans Sky, there are like trading outposts where ships land and there basically settlements. there are NPC space Stations. That makes it more enjoyable to play. This game has the potential to Be the best, but it's lonely. not going to lie.

Now if you want to bring huge ships to battle I think those are more suited for guilds/factions. Where its more coordinated effort but you still get to fly your ship/do your part.

Please let me know what you think. I have dreams and this game keeps getting better, hope that this can be at least considered.