How FD can fend off a hypothetical goon takeover (or even a real one)

[William Prospero]

The "Goons" or "Goon Squad" have been a presence in many MMOs, and the current explosion of threads about griefing makes me suspect they might be around here too. Goons typically look to control the playing field if they can, and sometimes extort or kill other players. In Eve Online they have usually controlled much of the areas of space that aren't policed, and kill other players who enter.

This could happen in this game too. We could have swarms of players blocking off certain systems (e.g. those with rare goods, like Lave) from other players; either killing them outright if they enter or extorting them for cargo. A more ambitious goal might be to take control of all of Alliance or even more, shutting those worlds off from non-members. And when I say take control, I don't mean that in the way the game is supposed to work: gaining influence with systems and so forth, but on top of that, by locking out other players. This is all hypothetical, as I said. I don't know what they're up to.

To protect against such a scenario, FD could:

1. Hand out a bounty penalty for killing a clean CMDR of 100.000 cr. (The Pilots Federation protect their own.)
2. Not let bounties be cleared by death. (Are they now? I'm unsure.)
3. Not let bounties be cleared by paying money at a station.
4. Let players work to clear their bounties by killing wanted NPCs or players in the same system. The bounty awarded from the kill is subtracted from the player's penalty bounty.
5. Set a maximum amount of 10.000 cr to be subtracted from the penalty per kill, to prevent players working together from easily clearing bounties by killing each other.
6. Make security forces actively hunt commanders that are wanted in the system: chase, interdict and try to kill.
7. For a bounty <100k, they send a Sidewinder; for 100k-199k, an Eagle; 200k-299k, a Viper; etc. Quality of interdiction also goes up.
8. No police forces in anarchy systems.

In this manner, PVP would be free in anarchies, and still possible in friendlier space, although you might make yourself unwelcome; players would help police the systems, and working off your bounties might be more appropriate than "bribing" a station to forget. (And there would be no "carebear" space for goons to cry about.)

 

[Flappers]

Your thread is based on assumption of that this squad from EvE Online will come here...

Even so, places are instanced. I can't remember the exact amount, but I believe it's 10 players max per instance, so if there are too many, you get put into a new instance.

As for your bounty hunting changes, this would discourage ANY sort of PvP, not to mention killing of Piracy completely.
There are legitimate reasons for pirates to kill clean players. If they refuse to give up cargo, then you go for the kill run to teach them a lesson.

If the bounty was raised to such a ludicrous amount, then no one would want to pirate in the game.

PvP is already free in anarchy systems. You do not become wanted, regardless of who you kill.

Moral of the story is... just because it happens in EvE, doesn't mean it will happen here.

 

[lilikin]

Goon's aren't going to be big in this game, more skill needed here, most MMO games (this isn't an MMO remember)the fight is one before joining a dogfight is different.

Secondly, the bounty system is easily exploited already your suggestions are silly because you get a bounty go to an outpost land then launch, get killed by your mate spawn at the station again, launch get killed by your mate, launch get bounty, you can see where this is going here can't you?

 

[Memnoch]

I think the simple fact that the game is heavily instance to 32 players would stop this behaviour nicely. If FD had gone down the route of massive, centralised servers with many more players in an instance it may have been an issue.

 

[Red Kite]

With a max of 32 per instance there is no way a group could interdict a station or an area of space. There is no way they could even guarantee they would be in the same instance unless they form a private group, in which case they won't see any other players. I don't know much about Eve, but I understand all the players in the game are fully represented in the server, hence you can have large groups working together. The mechanic in Elite is very different.

 

[Seonid]

This could happen in this game too. We could have swarms of players blocking off certain systems

No it couldn't because no you can't.

 

[Hyena]

Main Menu > Solo Play > Go around them > Open mode.

The mechanics of this game mean that it's impossible for any group to cause a major issue, as they can just be avoided.

 

[ollobrains]

say we got 2000 goons online at once here in open play they could cause nuisence in a number of systems. Or find a random faction in the enviroment and attempt to get them to take over space. That said the influence system is broken. of course space is so big and solo mode is there as well so it would be just another factor in a large game world. The instance limits are another limiting factor, such goons are unlikley to be a factor, if they choose to abandon eve online and come here it could jsut be the thing the game needs, is there any solar systems called goon that anyone has found that could be interesting

 

[Sentenza]

As I said in a previous thread, this pretty much can't happen here since there is no single playground shared by all players. The Goon Squad would quickly find that the server locked them in an instance without anyone else.

 

[brumster]

Main Menu > Solo Play > Go around them > Open mode.

The mechanics of this game mean that it's impossible for any group to cause a major issue, as they can just be avoided.

Exactly. It's a non-event.

 

[Seonid]

That won't stop people trying to solve problems that don't even exist with solutions that are not needed.

 

[MadMarchHare]

As I said in a previous thread, this pretty much can't happen here since there is no single playground shared by all players. The Goon Squad would quickly find that the server locked them in an instance without anyone else.

Not to mention that once goons realise they can't get their kicks by being bags to all and sundry will off and find another game to ruin.

 

[mondog]

Goons typically look to control the playing field if they can, and sometimes extort or kill other players. In Eve Online they have usually controlled much of the areas of space that aren't policed, and kill other players who enter.

1) In EVE everyone tries to control the field, it's how SoV works in EVE. You're required to win. That does involve any kind of PVP, scamming or whatever you want to call it. Everyone does it who takes part in SoV which is 10's of thousands of people.
2) The most space held in EVE currently is Northern Associates, a renter alliance run by Northern Coalition. Goons have never owned 'most' space or even a quarter of it.
3) Anyone who owns space in EVE kills people who enter it. Why own your own space just to let people come in and kill your miners or whatever.
4) Mittani sends his regards.

 

[Memnoch]

That won't stop people trying to solve problems that don't even exist with solutions that are not needed.

And how!

I think it fair to say that the Goon menace is unlikely, which must annoy the hell out of them and yet gives me a warm tingly feeling inside!

 

[Skip Intro]

32 players, per instance, I think. - NINJA'D

In answer to the OP, it is hypothetical. We're all getting our knickers in a knot and jumping at shadows over something that is being blown out of all proportion. I don't think I fit fit any more cliches into one sentence.

There's a thread saying the Frontier has has a potential playerbase of > 250,000. Of these, a tiny proportion have been killed by real players in the 'Siege of Love'. Some of this small proportion have joined the forums to tell us about it. There must be something approaching 99.99% of players that are not affected by this at all.

Also, if anyone wants to take control of a system, then can, by using the in game systems. This is working as inteded.

 

[talharbash]

Such a ridiculous thread

If it bothers you PLAY SOLO

 

[Cidcaldensfey]

I don't think the goons are interested in Star Citizen or Elite. I think challenging them though by making threads like this is something they would get entertained by. Don't think it's enough for them to come unless there are possible luls to be had.

 

[Tigga]

1. Hand out a bounty penalty for killing a clean CMDR of 100.000 cr. (The Pilots Federation protect their own.)

No. 100k is far too much. You don't want to cripple legitimate PvP piracy. You don't get many kills doing this, but some people simply refuse to drop anything when given plenty of chance, and have to be killed.

2. Not let bounties be cleared by death. (Are they now? I'm unsure.)

They are not, they are marked as doment, and reactived on next crime. If you have a bounty at your last visted station you have to pay it off on rebuy AFAIK.

3. Not let bounties be cleared by paying money at a station.
4. Let players work to clear their bounties by killing wanted NPCs or players in the same system. The bounty awarded from the kill is subtracted from the player's penalty bounty.
5. Set a maximum amount of 10.000 cr to be subtracted from the penalty per kill, to prevent players working together from easily clearing bounties by killing each other.

I like this idea.

6. Make security forces actively hunt commanders that are wanted in the system: chase, interdict and try to kill.
7. For a bounty <100k, they send a Sidewinder; for 100k-199k, an Eagle; 200k-299k, a Viper; etc. Quality of interdiction also goes up.
8. No police forces in anarchy systems.

This is how it works already. The problem is the same as NPC pirates: the NPCs are completely useless at doing anything but tickling people. If you want to make NPCs effective against people with bounties, you're going to have to make them effective as pirates as well. I'm all for this, myself, but it's going to have to be all NPCs, not just police.


In any case, I really don't think there's a threat of this causing a big problem in Elite. Inhabited space is big, solo mode exists.

 

[Stench]

This type of play WILL come here. Every persistent world MMO has players like this. Humans seek to control and exploit anything and everything, why would Elite be any different?

Some say it adds to the experience but that depends - for example when you get players who can dedicate time (and money in some cases) to being among the richest and best equipped so others cannot match them.

"So group together!" I hear you cry.

So. Do. They.

 

[Alric]

A large coordinated group could certainly cause disruption and annoyance, but most of the major things you could do in EVE are completely undermined by solo and private group switching.

I think that EVE paranoia has a detrimental effect on this game, so prefer not to worry about imagined problems. And like it or not, goons are people too! They can play ED and will.