Ok, so we all know that it's possible to cause a number of problems to other players by abusing the fact there is currently no legal system in the game. But this thread isn't about all those things (such as shooting pilots in docking areas for example), however, there are a number of other potential abuses - that are 'legal' and that in fact no law system could easily prevent.
As far as I can see, much of this comes from the fact that the game has kept many of the old Elite concepts (such as small docking doors), and all of this can easily be abused in multiplayer.
Here's some of the more obvious ones.
1) Following a pilot into the docking hatch, and then shunting them into the grill or sides.
2) Ramming a pilot that is already on a landing pad. It is possible to destroy a player like this.
3) Hovering over a pilot attempting to land, and then shunting them downwards, or off course.
4) In space wait for a pilot to attempt to align for a hyperspace jump, and them keep within close range. You will mass-lock them and if they don't pay close attention to their heat they can explode.
5) Blocking docking hatch by 'hiding' behind it and then flying upwards suddenly as someone enters.
There are no doubt many other 'tactics' that will be employed by less than scrupulous players once standard beta is released (and even more during gamma).
To be clear, these aren't 'methods' I have ever used - but they are ones that are pretty obvious to anyone that thinks about the game mechanics for a short moment. They are also very difficult to prevent, an in-game legal system won't be able to detect if these were malicious or not.
I'm looking forward to seeing how commanders deal with these sorts of things, as well as what methods Frontier employ to prevent them.
EDIT: It shouldn't be underestimated the level of fun people take from doing these things. In APB Reloaded, people would drive around in trucks and simply ram into players who were merely attempting to complete missions. It was very easy to kill the other player and to destroy their vehicles, by doing this - and prevent them from completing their mission.
In Ultima Online, people would stand in doorways and simply leave their character there. Or they would invite all their friends into one specific area and cause lag problems.
In an interview for No Man's Sky - they were talking about some of the game mechanics and how they may affect the persistent world. The interviewer was very keen on the idea of poisoning oceans and messing things up for other players; not that this is possible, but it highlights the attitude I am talking about.
Some types of players like pulling things apart, and smashing other peoples sandcastles (or turning the beach into concrete)...and if they can find a way to do it - you can be sure they will.
As far as I can see, much of this comes from the fact that the game has kept many of the old Elite concepts (such as small docking doors), and all of this can easily be abused in multiplayer.
Here's some of the more obvious ones.
1) Following a pilot into the docking hatch, and then shunting them into the grill or sides.
2) Ramming a pilot that is already on a landing pad. It is possible to destroy a player like this.
3) Hovering over a pilot attempting to land, and then shunting them downwards, or off course.
4) In space wait for a pilot to attempt to align for a hyperspace jump, and them keep within close range. You will mass-lock them and if they don't pay close attention to their heat they can explode.
5) Blocking docking hatch by 'hiding' behind it and then flying upwards suddenly as someone enters.
There are no doubt many other 'tactics' that will be employed by less than scrupulous players once standard beta is released (and even more during gamma).
To be clear, these aren't 'methods' I have ever used - but they are ones that are pretty obvious to anyone that thinks about the game mechanics for a short moment. They are also very difficult to prevent, an in-game legal system won't be able to detect if these were malicious or not.
I'm looking forward to seeing how commanders deal with these sorts of things, as well as what methods Frontier employ to prevent them.
EDIT: It shouldn't be underestimated the level of fun people take from doing these things. In APB Reloaded, people would drive around in trucks and simply ram into players who were merely attempting to complete missions. It was very easy to kill the other player and to destroy their vehicles, by doing this - and prevent them from completing their mission.
In Ultima Online, people would stand in doorways and simply leave their character there. Or they would invite all their friends into one specific area and cause lag problems.
In an interview for No Man's Sky - they were talking about some of the game mechanics and how they may affect the persistent world. The interviewer was very keen on the idea of poisoning oceans and messing things up for other players; not that this is possible, but it highlights the attitude I am talking about.
Some types of players like pulling things apart, and smashing other peoples sandcastles (or turning the beach into concrete)...and if they can find a way to do it - you can be sure they will.
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