What's your problem? FD already made a game mode for players like you. It is called SOLO MODE. Let me spell that. S O L O mode. And if you don't want to be hurt by other players, G R O U P mode. Open mode is for the hardcore players that like real consequences and challenge.
I'm not a psychopath. I'm a player playing in the universe built for me.
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I'm a pirate. I didn't kill traders out of spite and despite my tough guy attitude, still don't, because I feel FD will rectify the 20 ton cargo limit situation so my career choice is viable again. What I DO kill is players in armed ships that can fight back. I'll murder them all night long until I can go back to my usual business of tax collecting.
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Murdering is not griefing. Murdering is a valid gameplay mechanic. You are using the word griefing... WRONG.
Firstly, Where is the "real consequences and challenge" in arming yourself to the teeth and going after harmless traders and explorers? Find a cargo not worth your time, kill the player for the lulz! Find an explorer with no cargo at all, not even the capacity, ditto.
Whereas I cannot deny that you in particular don't play like that - not having come across you in-game - there are enough experiences on this forum alone that tell FD that it is a problem. And I don't support 'blanket' measures to change the system throughout the game. But it should be expected that murder in a core system, the home base of a major power, or a high-tech system should be harder to get away with than out in the boonies somewhere in an anarchy system. And let's face it, most systems are "Anarchy" systems. I have been 40% of the way to Sag A*, and out there there are nothing but anarchy systems.
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Secondly, this galaxy was not built for YOU. If YOU want a galaxy built for YOU, go play solo. Yes, that's right. Open was built for US [including you, if you want to play there]. If you want a galaxy only for you, go play S O L O!
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As a primarily explorer-based player who uses trading to pay for the upgrades I want before I go out again, I have no problems with pirates when played properly. I submit to interdictions - there's not much point in doing anything else in a T7 so far as I can see - and am willing to part with a REASONABLE portion of my cargo. I understand the risk I take, and that does include the risk that I will be destroyed after I have dropped. I do not support the, frankly rediculous, 20T limit FD have implemented everywhere and am preparred to wait and drop another when you have finished. As that will take about 20% of my cargo, I do reserve the right to resume my flight when I have done so, leaving you to finish collecting your dues. Unfortunately NO pirate I have yet encountered has been reasonable in that regard. They either want "All" or most. What they get then is an increased bounty and my dissapointment.
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But as you say, Murder in itself is not griefing, unless a specific player is repeatedly targetted by the same 'murderer' - or they are using exploits such as ramming other players within the NFZ of a station. [And I am sure you agree with that statement, corret?]
Like I said earlier--you want real consequences for murderers, then you need real consequences pertinent to the daily grind for being good. That means minimal pay, maximum effort, overtime and little reward. If you want realism, we can go full realism. But... if we did... it'd be a game nobody wants to play.
Just what do you think those hardpoints on your ship are for? Sparklers? Flower pots? Tribbles?
As a Non-Combat orientated player, they are a waste of space on a T7. I would need hardpoints on the top, bottom, and both sides of that truck to be able to defend myself against anything quicker than a stunned slug. You prey on the defenceless and claim they can fight. How "Hardcore" of you! And if "Space Truckers" were limited to goods with a profit of 100Cr, that would kill pirating as you guys would be forced into selling at a loss when you consider your expenses and the lower price of selling on the black market! Or are you thinking that you would demand "All" of the cargo? Why should a trucker hand over all his load (Unless FD actually DO implement automatic insurance on cargo so that traders only suffer a 5% loss, then I could care less.) Why should a player hand over even half their cargo? At that point they are not playing the game for their enjoyment, they're playing for YOURS!
I'd be quite happy if traders ships were forced to stay in an instance for a few minutes so I could pillage their hold. IF a few things happened:
1. Their ships stopped moving when I blew out their drives.
2. When I shoot out the hatch completely, all the cargo spills out.
3. When I shoot out the hatch completely, I can limpet as much as I want to grab cargo.
4. The cops don't show up for an extended period of time so I can pick up that cargo.
Make those happen and it'll be great. I won't kill any of the traders. I try to kill as few as possible as is. I don't like killing plants that might continue to bear fruit.
But as it is right now, traders run, traders die... until they stop running. And if they stop soon enough, they pay the tax and get to live.
In my experience, I die to pirates no matter how fast I stop. If I stop, they demand everything. If I am going to have to play for an hour to get back to where I was two minutes ago, I might as well play for two and increase the chance you actually get a bounty hunter after you and give you the excitement of having to play that. [A high bounty, the gift that gives pleasure to others.]
1. This is space. You don't magically stop because your thrusters stop operating. It would be quite irritating if ships with destroyed thrusters would just stop.
2. That would negate the purpose of hatchbreakers.
3. This makes some sense, yes, but I don't know whether this needs some downside or extra difficulty for it to be balanced.
4. In a system with a working security force, especially high security level, of course the cops should show up soon, and any piracy attempt would involve the danger of them showing up at the crime scene any moment. For piracy without interference from the police, there are anarchy* systems, which is precisely where piracy (and crime in general) is meant to be rampant.
*I believe there should be more reasons to go through or into anarchy systems, however. For once, they could provide safe havens for pirates wanted elsewhere, and the economy sim should consider their existence for determining prices. If all the shortest routes to the nearest source of palladium goes through one or multiple anarchy systems, the price of palladium should reflect that added danger, so that traders have an interest in doing trade runs through these anarchy systems.
This is an intelligent post. Have some Rep!