Piracy/interdiction changes to keep Traders in the game

[SkipRat]

Griefing is easy, and needs to be discouraged, but real pirates need some love from FD and it should be easier to temporarily disable a ship and take the cargo.

Nope, never, something like that will just be exploited as a combat tactic just to kill people easier. What you need is improved limpets that can override systems and drops a number of goodies, as well as, defenses against that. So sometimes the pirates wins, some times the victim wins and gets away with all his cargo.

 

[NeilF]

Nope, never, something like that will just be exploited as a combat tactic just to kill people easier. What you need is improved limpets that can override systems and drops a number of goodies, as well as, defenses against that. So sometimes the pirates wins, some times the victim wins and gets away with all his cargo.

That is the concern of course... So the balance should surely be mindless murder results in a harsh penalty, enough such that it should deter from repeat offenses? At the same time though, CMDR piracy should be given mechanics to permit its chief goal, to steal/extract the cargo from victims. Either by the victim paying up (via an easy set of options/mechanics), or the cargo being forcibly extracted from the victim if needs be.

I'm coming around more and more to the thinking that murder should only be appealing in the appropriate circumstance, and piracy isn't one of them. Instead the game should promote more sorts of military/mercenary based tasks/missions where destruction of "enemy" (opposing) CMDRs is fine!

 

[Mephane]

Dedicated (interdiction) messages

Allow default messages to be defined (against hot keys), so you interdict someone and quickly let them know they need to pay with X tons of their most valuable cargo for example.​

Not just for piracy situations, but in general I would like to have a simple macro macro system, where we can define a few key bindings to pre-defined chat messages that we can send at a button's press (would include the /l /t and /w, so even while you have, for example, wing chat active, the macro would send the message to your target if it opens with a /t).

 

[SkipRat]

That is the concern of course... So the balance should surely be mindless murder results in a harsh penalty, enough such that it should deter from repeat offenses? At the same time though, CMDR piracy should be given mechanics to permit its chief goal, to steal/extract the cargo from victims. Either by the victim paying up (via an easy set of options/mechanics), or the cargo being forcibly extracted from the victim if needs be.

I'm coming around more and more to the thinking that murder should only be appealing in the appropriate circumstance, and piracy isn't one of them. Instead the game should promote more sorts of military/mercenary based tasks/missions where destruction of "enemy" (opposing) CMDRs is fine!

In regards to temporarily disabling a ship, I think it would be far easier just to not implement it and save all the hassle and use the developing time to balance the game out elsewhere.

I think that psycho's should be extremely punished full stop in game, regardless of circumstances. Also, a pirate that kills his prey is a bad pirate.

As for combat zones, they should also be in planetary rings, especially ice rings... Imagine a full out blown combat zone in ice rings, with a derelict mining station, ala CQC style, with multiple destroyers on both sides and wings of enemy fighters... (Dribbles)

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Not just for piracy situations, but in general I would like to have a simple macro macro system, where we can define a few key bindings to pre-defined chat messages that we can send at a button's press (would include the /l /t and /w, so even while you have, for example, wing chat active, the macro would send the message to your target if it opens with a /t).

Voice attack, would be your best friend ... for now.

 

[Raiko]

Nope, never, something like that will just be exploited as a combat tactic just to kill people easier. What you need is improved limpets that can override systems and drops a number of goodies, as well as, defenses against that. So sometimes the pirates wins, some times the victim wins and gets away with all his cargo.

Hi Skiprat, sorry I didn't notice your reply, and I'd forgotten to subscribe to the thread.

I wouldn't actually be in favour of a weapon that made it *simple* to disable a ship, but I would like a weapon that could be used to temporarily disable a shieldless ship in the same kind of time that lethal weapons could be used to destroy a ship (or take out the drives).

So that a pirate who didn't want to kill would have an easier time stopping an uncooperative Trader without destroying them. Such a weapon would be less useful to a griefer than a lethal weapon of the same power.

Eg I'd be looking for an EMP cannon approx the same power as an railgun, fixed only, high power and thermal, that only damages shields and does temporary damage to subsystems.

After giving it some more thought I'm more in agreement with NeilF now that my idea about hatchbreakers was poor. Maybe they should cause a hatch malfunction, so that some cargo spills out until you recycle the hatch (open/closed).

Some great posts by you both since my last post. +repped

 

[SkipRat]

Hi Skiprat, sorry I didn't notice your reply, and I'd forgotten to subscribe to the thread.

I wouldn't actually be in favour of a weapon that made it *simple* to disable a ship, but I would like a weapon that could be used to temporarily disable a shieldless ship in the same kind of time that lethal weapons could be used to destroy a ship (or take out the drives).

So that a pirate who didn't want to kill would have an easier time stopping an uncooperative Trader without destroying them. Such a weapon would be less useful to a griefer than a lethal weapon of the same power.

Eg I'd be looking for an EMP cannon approx the same power as an railgun, fixed only, high power and thermal, that only damages shields and does temporary damage to subsystems.

After giving it some more thought I'm more in agreement with NeilF now that my idea about hatchbreakers was poor. Maybe they should cause a hatch malfunction, so that some cargo spills out until you recycle the hatch (open/closed).

Some great posts by you both since my last post. +repped

This is what I was thinking with fixing the limpets. Forcing a small random about of goodies out of the ship that is being pirates, 5 - 15 or something.

But that to me seems the best idea for runaway traders.

And no probs about the reply, I am not going to throw the teddies out of the pram, because I am not instantly replied too

 

[Muetdhiver]

I totally agree about murders, the current crime and punishment system is not working. I think that the bounties for murdering clean CMDRs need to come from the Pilot's Federation not the factions, and the murderer needs to be made to pay the combined rebuy costs of all his victims to continue playing (with the alternative being permadeath of that CMDR).

And it would make sense, since the pilot federation is also the insurer. I mean, If player A kill clean player B in a non-anarchy system,
then I would expect the insurance to turn against B for the cost of the insurance claim of A when B makes a claim.

Also, credible authority response and juridictions are key here. That is, depending on the Bounty, I think having bounties range increasing in the order :
minor faction > power > major faction would make sense.

Also, if you are wanted for multiple murders, you should expect to be hunted down by clipper/FDL deadly+ wings (i.e. ohhh, this guy => send the SWAT in...)

About giving pirates a way of "stalling" traders to rob them. It is very delicate, as any tool for "stalling" is likely to double as a tool for ganking.
(though, if the punishment is harsh enough for the agressor, both in insurance and NPC harassement, it might be okay.)

I could see an FSD scrambler weapon that drains a lot of juice as a possiblity to do this.

 

[Raiko]

I think that as long as it's more difficult to stall than to kill outright with an equivalent weapon, then any such weapon will be of no interest to gankers.

 

[H3lios]

As a player who is fresh off of EVE online, I can safely say that pirate players will always call for something to be nerfed untill traders have absolutely 0 defense against them.

 

[NeilF]

Also, if you are wanted for multiple murders, you should expect to be hunted down by clipper/FDL deadly+ wings (i.e. ohhh, this guy => send the SWAT in...)

I've suggested before the game needs to self police better. ie: Repeat offenses should start increasing the number/response rate of law inforcement ships in the individuals/areas instance.

About giving pirates a way of "stalling" traders to rob them. It is very delicate, as any tool for "stalling" is likely to double as a tool for ganking.
(though, if the punishment is harsh enough for the agressor, both in insurance and NPC harassement, it might be okay.)

I could see an FSD scrambler weapon that drains a lot of juice as a possiblity to do this.

I think:-
a) Combat logging needs to be addressed, so it's not so appealing to use.
b) During an interdiction, the mechanics should allow the victim to surrender and pay up via a nice system.
c) If the victim refuses to pay up, the pirate should be able to severely damage the ship to the point of forcibly extracting the cargo. It's interesting that ships now can seem to enter this "mode" don't they? ie: If they are damaged enough, they lose the ability to react? The victim can flee or fight back and even destroy the assailant.

 

[Bromius]

Sorry, but if the problem as stated is how to get traders to play in open world, then none of your solutions will come even close. Most of them are just absurd.

You are basically saying, "Come play in a world that leaves you defenseless against predators, in service of governments that support the piracy implicitly by the easy access of markets for your goods and explicitly with insurance systems to make preying on you safer. But don't worry, we'll tweak the UI to make it easier for you to give up your profits to someone else."

Pirates are the scourge of the Pilot's Federation yet wanted pirates still fly with their CMDR tag and with little hassle at all are soon welcomed into the same systems they victimize. From the perspective of world creation this is patently stupid. Pirates are pariahs in every civilization from the very beginning because they drive up the price of commerce. The idea that the major factions as well as individual governments would turn a blind eye is insulting.

The reason traders leave open world is that it is game breakingly easy to be a pirate. Address that issue. Let me mount my weapons facing to the rear. Let me drop mines that can cripple a large ship with a hit or two. Let me hire NPC escorts. And increase the bounty on wanted pirates ten fold.

Let me hack my Vulture's signature so I show up on scanners as a type-7 and let me go strolling through the trade routes trolling for pirates. These are things that will bring traders back from solo. Nobody wants to come back just to be rabbits lead to the slaughter.

 

[SkipRat]

Sorry, but if the problem as stated is how to get traders to play in open world, then none of your solutions will come even close. Most of them are just absurd.

You are basically saying, "Come play in a world that leaves you defenseless against predators, in service of governments that support the piracy implicitly by the easy access of markets for your goods and explicitly with insurance systems to make preying on you safer. But don't worry, we'll tweak the UI to make it easier for you to give up your profits to someone else."

Pirates are the scourge of the Pilot's Federation yet wanted pirates still fly with their CMDR tag and with little hassle at all are soon welcomed into the same systems they victimize. From the perspective of world creation this is patently stupid. Pirates are pariahs in every civilization from the very beginning because they drive up the price of commerce. The idea that the major factions as well as individual governments would turn a blind eye is insulting.

The reason traders leave open world is that it is game breakingly easy to be a pirate. Address that issue. Let me mount my weapons facing to the rear. Let me drop mines that can cripple a large ship with a hit or two. Let me hire NPC escorts. And increase the bounty on wanted pirates ten fold.

Let me hack my Vulture's signature so I show up on scanners as a type-7 and let me go strolling through the trade routes trolling for pirates. These are things that will bring traders back from solo. Nobody wants to come back just to be rabbits lead to the slaughter.

I quite agree.

 

[Sozzac]

First why dont go play eve online they endorse pvp and griefers

I kickstarted this game for offline gaming

I am a trader therefor I want to trade in a         trading ship not a        ** battleship

I paid for this game and I have clearly stated with my kick donation I wanted offline game as promised by frontier.

To avoid greifers and psyco people that wants to kill my little freetime I have.

Bugg off