Distress Beacons?

[Stealthie]

How many people routinely carry a fuel transfer controller and a supply of limpets aboard their ships?

Yeah, me neither.

So, what's the point of legitimate distress beacons, aside from destroying the ship if you're feeling malicious?


How about if FDev created a module called, say, an "Emergency Scanner" which worked in a similar way to the discovery scanner (perhaps even to the point where there are basic, intermediate and advanced versions) which would pinpoint any distress beacons within their range and then you could dash off in a suitably-equipped ship and heroically rescue the ship in question (and be suitably compensated, of course)?

It'd give people something else to do while they prowl around systems in search of engineering mat's, create a bit of extra gameplay and it could form the basis for a system which'd allow CMDRs to respond to distress calls from other CMDRs too.

 

[Chris Simon]

1) someone might actually deliberately look out for these and make it part of a gameplay.
2) If you can keep the attackers at bay for long enough, an SAR vessel will appear and refuel the stranded ship. So you can take a genuine part in "saving them".
3) Free mats!

 

[OfftheRails]

I have the same horrible guilty feeling whenever I drop in on one of those. Like there's nothing I can do, but it feels like there shouldn't be. If only fuel transfer limpets would be merged with collection limpets, I'd have one 90% of the time.

 

[Suteksio]

Id' love to see this kind of gameplay expanded. USSs deserve some kind of love.

 

[insanephoton]

1) someone might actually deliberately look out for these and make it part of a gameplay.
2) If you can keep the attackers at bay for long enough, an SAR vessel will appear and refuel the stranded ship. So you can take a genuine part in "saving them".
3) Free mats!

But the unlucky 'out of fuel' ships don't usually have any attackers. You just drop in, they ask for help, you shuffle uncomfortably on your seat as you realise there is nothing you can do (unless you happen to be kitted out as a Fuel Rat). Then you either leave them to their fate or put them out of their misery. Since they aren't persistent, there is no point rushing to station to pick up the right gear.

 

[Gunnet]

How many people routinely carry a fuel transfer controller and a supply of limpets aboard their ships?

I do this fairly often. Started after the first time I dropped on a non-combat distress beacon without knowing what it was and had to abandon a poor forlorn T7. Single player fuel tankers unite!

I also always drop in on the combat distress beacons if I'm flying an armed ship. The game is really lacking on content that allows you to directly cooperate with NPCs, so I'm going to take advantage of it where I can.