Selectable comms would have been more useful than hand signals

I reckon having a series of preset communications between ships to choose from would have been way more useful than waving and pointing on foot. Being able to negotiate with NPC and CMDRs for a chunk of their cargo (regardless of language you speak) would open up the pirating side of the game for example (which is all but neglected).

I'm sure it would have many more applications. Many a cmdr has bitten the dust over the language barrier between them.
 
And the random delay with pirates - you have ten seconds to drop me cargo, but I'm already shooting - bad luck hoooman!

I think you're suggesting human to human, but it would help new players if npc pirates weren't complete nutters that have no concept of time or irony!
 
I mentioned Cutthroats in the Hotel California thread, the video below shows how the signal flags worked.
Of course if I submit to being interdicted I'm usually the one opening fire first... They're always so busy trying to scan me it doesn't seem to register that they're staring down the barrels of 5 of the most powerful weapons around...
 
And the random delay with pirates - you have ten seconds to drop me cargo, but I'm already shooting - bad luck hoooman!

hmm, that's manageable tbh. Sure one has to comply rather quick, but i did managed to almost fill almost 300t of platinum on a Conda in a haz res (well, in the outer 33%) by basically complying with each and every request they made. The fact that i mined a lot of other stuff like gold, silver, etc helped me to discard the less "useful" stuff and keep my precious platinum

the only annoyance came from those bastids that were specifically asking for platinum 🤦‍♂️
 
hmm, that's manageable tbh. Sure one has to comply rather quick, but i did managed to almost fill almost 300t of platinum on a Conda in a haz res (well, in the outer 33%) by basically complying with each and every request they made. The fact that i mined a lot of other stuff like gold, silver, etc helped me to discard the less "useful" stuff and keep my precious platinum

the only annoyance came from those bastids that were specifically asking for platinum 🤦‍♂️

Lol - you are a patient man - I prefer to shoot people!
 
Lol - you are a patient man - I prefer to shoot people!

Most of the time i do too, but it's rather hard to kill them using mining lasers or mining tools 😇
So i decided to give it a try, and it kinda worked - well, obviously i could not please my OCD by leaving with a full cargo/refinery and i actually had to bail out of it with about 15-20t of limpets in my hold, but overall it was a success...


(i was running a universal mining conda with 5 mining lasers, abrasion blaster, subsurface and core missiles)
 

Zac Cocken

Junior Product Manager
Frontier
Whilst I think the on-foot emotes have a lot of value, I do agree a similar system for ships would be beneficial. Tying that into NPC behaviour is a different kettle of fish though and would be a relatively more significant undertaking. The ship 'emotes' - how do you envision them working? Translated text into one of the game's supported languages?
 
Whilst I think the on-foot emotes have a lot of value, I do agree a similar system for ships would be beneficial. Tying that into NPC behaviour is a different kettle of fish though and would be a relatively more significant undertaking. The ship 'emotes' - how do you envision them working? Translated text into one of the game's supported languages?

Maybe a set of predefined and/or custom phrases - it would really help with fast coms, assuming a convenient way to deliver them is also implemented in the UI
 
Whilst I think the on-foot emotes have a lot of value, I do agree a similar system for ships would be beneficial. Tying that into NPC behaviour is a different kettle of fish though and would be a relatively more significant undertaking. The ship 'emotes' - how do you envision them working? Translated text into one of the game's supported languages?

Could you implement a system to hang semaphore flags out the window? People could use the moochy slf pilots to wave them, and give them a job, and it would mean they were visible in the cockpit - killing two birds with one stone.

An alternative would be like those planes that carry message banners out the back, but the commando could get the message out with a clever puff of exhaust.


I look forward to receiving my royalty cheques in the mail from next Monday, and in case anyone thinks I'm being serious, this is a joke!
 

Zac Cocken

Junior Product Manager
Frontier
Could you implement a system to hang semaphore flags out the window? People could use the moochy slf pilots to wave them, and give them a job, and it would mean they were visible in the cockpit - killing two birds with one stone.

An alternative would be like those planes that carry message banners out the back, but the commando could get the message out with a clever puff of exhaust.


I look forward to receiving my royalty cheques in the mail from next Monday, and in case anyone thinks I'm being serious, this is a joke!


Great suggestions.
 
Whilst I think the on-foot emotes have a lot of value, I do agree a similar system for ships would be beneficial. Tying that into NPC behaviour is a different kettle of fish though and would be a relatively more significant undertaking. The ship 'emotes' - how do you envision them working? Translated text into one of the game's supported languages?
Normally "ship emotes" are kind of like predefined phrases that could effect the targetted ship.

The old wing commander game had a comms panel with pre-defined messages which could be sent to other ships in the wing. i.e Attack my target, help me out, form on my wing, status report? Each of those could just appear as messages in the wing as one player requests help from another.

It gets interesting where effecting opposing ships. Sending opposing pilots insults could make NPCs act more aggressively or sending a 'Stand and Deliver!' threat to a ship, might make a NPC pilot drop their cargo and run if the difference between the combat ranks are high enough. e.g. an Elite Commander threatens a Harmless NPC commander, the the NPC decides to drop his cargo and run but if the same elite commander threatens a Dangerous NPC, chances are that NPC will fight. (Although the commander still gets flagged as a pirate).

Might be nice for this to be considered when Crime and Punishment is reviewed.
 
Could we use something similar to the CZ interface where you select a side at the start? For players it would need to be more complicated and there would need to be a command to trigger the communication with a target, but it might be something that would work with NPCs when you're intedicted at least.

Although I admit I do like the idea of the ones that shoot first regardless occasionally. "I'm not one for scans, I'll just blow you up and scoop up what's left" (or something like that) makes it a bit more interesting.
 
In addition, I want rude emotes that I can use when piloting!

Possibly, with my COVAS announcing "Your target is angrily shaking their fist at you", or an announcement along these lines in the upper right panel!
 
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