I fail to see FD's intention on whether the game is suppsoed to be cooperative or competitive in terms of multiplayer (Let's just stick to Open modefor purposes of).
I know that the game was sold on the premise of 'forging one's own path' which would suggest an amount of individual players hcoosing whether they wished to play competitively or cooperatively, but neither options are adequately supported.
Let's look at extremes to highlight this:
1) Cooperative play would involve being able to help and support other players. Those with mroe being able to subsidise those with less. Yet there is no way to transfer money, ships or modules to other players. I appreciate this soolves a lot of what may be considered exploits of multiple accounts etc. and maybe duplication tricks - but if this is a mechanic for COOPERATIVE purposes (not duplication bugs, but transferring credits etc.) then isn't it a good thing?
2) Competitive play is NOT griefing. Griefing is already against the rules. So more ability for rival organisations to organise and coordinate faction wars with each other - we can set specicific players to "friend", why not to "enemy"?
When and before the game was launched PIRACY was always on the list of possible "career paths" - FD were advertising that it would be just as valid to pursue piracy as it would to be trader, explorer etc. YET piracy is .
You have 2 options as pirate:
1) Ask (tell)people to drop their cargo or you will kill them
2) Just attack anyway and hope people give over their cargo or you kill them and take it.
Now I appreciate that piracy ought to be big in the risk/reward stakes and a lot of people tend to not like pirates - but again, bear in mind there's huge difference between pirates and griefing, and griefing is against the rules anyway so one should not be afraid of this - can be reported punished and in circumstances, compensated.
"Successful piracy" is simply obtaining cargo or pitiful synth mats from blowing up other players. Piracy vs NPCs makes no logical sense. You can't order a non-threatening NPC to drop their cargo without shooting them despite it being patently obvious you can blow them out of space in one volley.
Once a player has dropped their cargo, well, given the circumstance, as it stands now, there's absolutely nothing (relaly tangible) to lose but to kill the other player anyway.
The whole concept of piracy in this game is poorly implemented, unsupported and almost seems to be actively DISCOURAGED by FD.
The only argument I can see for this is because of how it might "upset" those players who are 'victims' of piracy.
Yet again, though, causing upset and no mutual entertainment is already a violation of the rules on grieifing. There are policies in pklace against being a and trying to disguise it as "piracy"
So being a 'pirate' can still be encouraged and supported as an avenue for RP that actually improves the gameplay, excitement and enjoyment for the pirates, the traders pirated and others.
Again, a mechanic to offer direct credits is a big one here, as might be an ability to designate known pirates as 'enemies' and be actively hunted (not just as bounty hunting) by traders' representatives (oh look cooperation AND competition!) - If a pirate can make credits and even (going out on a limb) Blackmarket ranking - through encounters with other players that involve FUN AND EXCITEMENT FOR BITH PARTIES and does not necessitate a pointless bounty or destruction of ships - then it's win -win for players AND FD alike.
There are anarchic systems and pirate stations, these should be more prevalent on major trade routes but now FD have made it too easy to circumvent this.
It makes no sense in a universe.
There is real potential for this game to be bigger and deeper and with player interaction rather than simply being tools with which we interact with a bland NPC universe,
Until then, "påirates are eitehr greifers or murderers with no viability in the game -
I know that the game was sold on the premise of 'forging one's own path' which would suggest an amount of individual players hcoosing whether they wished to play competitively or cooperatively, but neither options are adequately supported.
Let's look at extremes to highlight this:
1) Cooperative play would involve being able to help and support other players. Those with mroe being able to subsidise those with less. Yet there is no way to transfer money, ships or modules to other players. I appreciate this soolves a lot of what may be considered exploits of multiple accounts etc. and maybe duplication tricks - but if this is a mechanic for COOPERATIVE purposes (not duplication bugs, but transferring credits etc.) then isn't it a good thing?
2) Competitive play is NOT griefing. Griefing is already against the rules. So more ability for rival organisations to organise and coordinate faction wars with each other - we can set specicific players to "friend", why not to "enemy"?
When and before the game was launched PIRACY was always on the list of possible "career paths" - FD were advertising that it would be just as valid to pursue piracy as it would to be trader, explorer etc. YET piracy is .
You have 2 options as pirate:
1) Ask (tell)people to drop their cargo or you will kill them
2) Just attack anyway and hope people give over their cargo or you kill them and take it.
Now I appreciate that piracy ought to be big in the risk/reward stakes and a lot of people tend to not like pirates - but again, bear in mind there's huge difference between pirates and griefing, and griefing is against the rules anyway so one should not be afraid of this - can be reported punished and in circumstances, compensated.
"Successful piracy" is simply obtaining cargo or pitiful synth mats from blowing up other players. Piracy vs NPCs makes no logical sense. You can't order a non-threatening NPC to drop their cargo without shooting them despite it being patently obvious you can blow them out of space in one volley.
Once a player has dropped their cargo, well, given the circumstance, as it stands now, there's absolutely nothing (relaly tangible) to lose but to kill the other player anyway.
The whole concept of piracy in this game is poorly implemented, unsupported and almost seems to be actively DISCOURAGED by FD.
The only argument I can see for this is because of how it might "upset" those players who are 'victims' of piracy.
Yet again, though, causing upset and no mutual entertainment is already a violation of the rules on grieifing. There are policies in pklace against being a and trying to disguise it as "piracy"
So being a 'pirate' can still be encouraged and supported as an avenue for RP that actually improves the gameplay, excitement and enjoyment for the pirates, the traders pirated and others.
Again, a mechanic to offer direct credits is a big one here, as might be an ability to designate known pirates as 'enemies' and be actively hunted (not just as bounty hunting) by traders' representatives (oh look cooperation AND competition!) - If a pirate can make credits and even (going out on a limb) Blackmarket ranking - through encounters with other players that involve FUN AND EXCITEMENT FOR BITH PARTIES and does not necessitate a pointless bounty or destruction of ships - then it's win -win for players AND FD alike.
There are anarchic systems and pirate stations, these should be more prevalent on major trade routes but now FD have made it too easy to circumvent this.
It makes no sense in a universe.
There is real potential for this game to be bigger and deeper and with player interaction rather than simply being tools with which we interact with a bland NPC universe,
Until then, "påirates are eitehr greifers or murderers with no viability in the game -
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