Killstealing - battlefield etiquette

[mic]

I accindently made my first kill steal today. I was at a nav point looking for pirates and while waiting was watching another CMDR go at it on a Fed Dropship. When the dropship was at ~15%, it seemd like the CMDR jumped out. He vanished from sight and from my radar. Not wanting to miss a almost free lunch, I pounced on the dropship and claimed the 7K reward. Suddenly the CMDR was back on radar and chat.

I of course apologized and thankfully he was cool about it - I owe you a beer and 7K CR!

But it made me think - what are the unwritten rules when multiple CMDRs are engaged at the same spot. Conflict zones are more black/white, or red/green, but how does it work elsewhere?

Does a commander get exclusive rights on a target? And if so, when?

 

[Raf von Thorn]

There is no such thing as a kill steal. If you decide to fly away to reload your shields, so your precious hull doesnt take any damage, its your choice, you know, that you risk losing the reward.

If its your kill: TAKE IT!

 

[Kitiara]

Kills belong to the last player to shoot them.

That's Frontier's design, and their stated intention was to make bounty hunting competitive.

Bottom line, there's no ettiquette other than getting the last hit.

 

[Katkon]

Kills belong to the last player to shoot them.

That's Frontier's design, and their stated intention was to make bounty hunting competitive.

Bottom line, there's no ettiquette other than getting the last hit.

I strongly disagree with you, along with countless other BHs. Swooping in at the last second would make you a cotton headed ninny muggins.

 

[Kitiara]

I strongly disagree with you, along with countless other BHs. Swooping in at the last second would make you a cotton headed ninny muggins.

Object to your heats content. It won't change that the bounty went to whoever shot last.

 

[Starbuckz]

Object to your heats content. It won't change that the bounty went to whoever shot last.

Which is wrong. With the recent changes kill stealing is not possible anymore. I don't know the exact time but I often let my target be killed by police forces roughly 5 seconds after my last shots I still get the reward.

 

[Snakebite]

Object to your heats content. It won't change that the bounty went to whoever shot last.

No it won't, But I wouldn't expect anyone who deliberately did that to be well regarded by the BH community.... And they are not ones to get on the wrong side of...
I propose that there should be a Bounty Hunters code of conduct.

 

[thewzdoc]

Which is wrong. With the recent changes kill stealing is not possible anymore. I don't know the exact time but I often let my target be killed by police forces roughly 5 seconds after my last shots I still get the reward.

This only applies to NPC's....CMDR can still get the "I dired the last shot, I get the bounty" reward.

 

[ste]

The unwritten rule is Dog Eat Dog,

Which is wrong. With the recent changes kill stealing is not possible anymore. I don't know the exact time but I often let my target be killed by police forces roughly 5 seconds after my last shots I still get the reward.

That only works against NPCs, a cheat the community requested, we cant cheat humans. Its unfair, so in a humans case it is last shot that counts.

 

[thewzdoc]

No it won't, But I wouldn't expect anyone who deliberately did that to be well regarded by the BH community.... And they are not ones to get on the wrong side of...
I propose that there should be a Bounty Hunters code of conduct.

I would assist a BH that's tackling a large ship. I'd stand down once the bounty is nearly at hand. No reason BH's can't have a code among ourselves.

 

[Starbuckz]

The unwritten rule is Dog Eat Dog,



That only works against NPCs, a cheat the community requested, we cant cheat humans. Its unfair, so in a humans case it is last shot that counts.

Well that never happened to me before, but if someone did, he/she would be just next on my target list. Simple as that. I'm sure his insurance is higher than what he got from that steal.

 

[JohnMalcolm]

The bounty voucher is for the person that "killed" the person with the bounty. Not for damaging or destroying the ship they happened to be sitting in at the time.

 

[ste]

The bounty voucher is for the person that "killed" the person with the bounty. Not for damaging or destroying the ship they happened to be sitting in at the time.

Yep, Unless its an NPC, they you get rewarded whatever.

 

[Kitiara]

Well that never happened to me before, but if someone did, he/she would be just next on my target list. Simple as that. I'm sure his insurance is higher than what he got from that steal.

A perfectly reasonable response. Of course, you'll have to pay off your bounty if you succeed.

Bounty hunters are not knights. They're out to make money. The only reason to back off a kill in favour of someone else, is a prior agreement, or expectation of increased cost as a result of not doing so.

I would assist a BH that's tackling a large ship. I'd stand down once the bounty is nearly at hand. No reason BH's can't have a code among ourselves.

I'd be more likely to wait till it was at 1% and hit it with a railgun

 

[Anopheles]

Kill stealing is wicked, terrible and unethical.

Which is why I enjoy doing it.

 

[Cmdr_Arri]

When I see other CMDRs shooting wanteds, I go the other way and find my own wanted. Yesterday I jumped to one of my usual nav beacons and there was a CMDR already there bounty hunting, so I jumped to a different system where I was alone.

I don't like competition when it comes to bounty hunting. The more targets for you, the more money you make. Having other CMDRs around means less targets, and more time waiting for targets to spawn.

I would never swoop in and take a kill from another CMDR while bounty hunting. It's already hard enough making money bounty hunting as it is.

 

[Katkon]

Object to your heats content. It won't change that the bounty went to whoever shot last.

The post was about "etiquette" not "kill award mechanics". From an etiquette or socially acceptable norm perspective, kill stealing is generally frowned upon.

It's a bit like piracy and murder in anarchy systems: you'll never get a "wanted" status as the game allows and supports it, but the majority of players will suggest it's morally dubious. But if you want to be a criminal in the game, the game allows it.

You want to be a cotton headed ninny muggins of a BH, the game allows it.

 

[Kitiara]

The post was about "etiquette" not "kill award mechanics". From an etiquette or socially acceptable norm perspective, kill stealing is generally frowned upon.

It's a bit like piracy and murder in anarchy systems: you'll never get a "wanted" status as the game allows and supports it, but the majority of players will suggest it's morally dubious. But if you want to be a criminal in the game, the game allows it.

You want to be a cotton headed ninny muggins of a BH, the game allows it.

And I happen to disagree with you that kill stealing as you put it.... claiming a bounty as I put it is a bad thing.

 

[Jay8ch]

It can be dealt with in game. If someone annoys you in an anarchy system, for instance by making a perceived kill steal, you might choose to destroy them. It adds to the richness. Be careful taking food from a big dog's bowl.

 

[Kitiara]

It can be dealt with in game. If someone annoys you in an anarchy system, for instance by making a perceived kill steal, you might choose to destroy them. It adds to the richness. Be careful taking food from a big dog's bowl.

Indeed..... the only way to control a bounty hunter's decisions are through pressure on the credit balance