Rise of the machines quest mod.

[Radon18]

I actually posted this in the suggestion board earlier but the eventual consensus was that this would make a good mod rather than official content. I'm posting it here now in the hope that someone far more talented (and with far more time on their hands) can take this idea and do something great with it.

So the post multiple apocalyptic world is dotted with lots of ancient science labs and workshops but in terms of game play they serve as short but difficult (for low level characters with low numbers) dungeons. The problem with this is you would really expect something like an ancient science lab from an ancient precursor civilization to have strange artifacts and knowledge oozing out of the walls which is conspicuously absent from most of these dungeons. (The Reprogramming Lab was a great addition that had me nearly shitting my pants when the horde of lobotomized skeletons decided I was their new bestest friend in the whole world.)

This is where the quest begins.

So in scavenging one of the lesser ruins like a library you come across literature describing the use and merits of centralized AI manager systems. The article explains that widespread use of networked computerized machinery with an AI manager can perform far better than human operated systems. The old empire obviously used this kind of system at a large scale for their biggest facilities but the article would describe the location of a lab which was experimenting with using the same system at smaller scales.

This being Kenshi you can decide to visit the lab or just chuck the paper cause 'meh it's not worth the inventory space' but if you decide to go you are met with a longer than usual dungeon built underground or something and at the end you find an active AI core with a personality that has been operating the facility since the fall of the empire but has never been able to leave due to both it's sedentary nature and programming shackles.

It asks you to take it from the facility and install it into a small structure. (which it gives you the plans for)

When you have it at your base it provides some sort of of global bonus. I like the idea of increased efficiency of material usage in crafting but it could be whatever. It also provides tidbits of knowledge and insight into the old empire a bit like Burn does. Eventually after working with you for a while the AI starts giving you small quests of it's own. (Probably fetch quests to other ancient ruins.)

At some point along the way it should become obvious to the player that if the holy empire found out about the AI and the things you're doing for it that it would result in the up jumped church boys being very cross with you. I'm of the opinion that you should come into contact with some inquisitors over the course of these quests and be forced to kill them or go through great pains sneaking around in order to actually complete the quests without their knowledge. Ya'know for them good ol' consequences RPG lovers like so much.

Eventually after getting the AI all the stuff it wants it gives you another schematic for a crafting bench that allows you to build (through great effort) things like Skeletons, Iron/Security Spiders, and whatever other kinds of automation they decide to put into the game.

(Which I am told that at this point is impossible due to not being able to spawn new humanoid NPCs)

I have a list of additional features that could be unlocked through this quest that would make completing it very attractive to players.
Including:

Drones that can be used to automate the delivery of goods to and from crafting benches.

Fully automatic crafting benches.


Modules that you can give to iron spiders to make them the game's equivalent to a semi truck with a huge storage space, a platform that has a single harpoon launcher that has to be manned (may or may not be possible within the limits of the current game engine), and one that boosts their melee abilities.

I would be more than happy to help out anyone wanting to take up the torch of this but my talents begin and end with writing dialogue.

So what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? Shut up and go away you lazy moron? Let me know what you think.