Greetings Commanders,
To start a bit off topic, I've always associated trucker traffic, smuggling, evading law enforcement with movies like Smokey and The Bandit or Big Trouble in Little China to name two. With that said, I think that there can be an huge immersive component added by adding a local comm chatter channel that can be used more like, but not quite CB communication. Hacking voice channels or ship components as examples ...Suggestions and features, here is my say...
So to start, it would certainly be something that can be developed into the game, or perhaps a project that can be an add-on like voice attack.. to a degree; elected to enable or disable on demand either fully participating or not on Public-only servers. Being that programs like voice attack can already identify, in real time your system and location in-game, I wouldn't see why the same couldn't be done with a local-roaming voice channel. It could give someone a way to find and or communicate with others in the game for the sake of general chatter, or it should/would be better developed into a tool that commanders can use to their advantage.
As a general example; scenario one:
2 groups of 3 winged commanders have this feature or option enabled. Say these groups (average allegiance balance) one with the Empire and one with the Federation. Each face each other at the community goal with opposing objectives. These groups engage in their strategic ways.
8-light years away, another player in the universe hears [of whom also has this option or feature enabled] ; identifies or otherwise notices a rogue live communication from a fellow allied galactic or faction member and wants to assist.
The player can then decide to follow a beacon.. or other identifier (ie. a signal strength -vs- direction selector) or not. Either decision can dramatically add depth and superior, anonymous player v. player experiences. This player gets curious and decides to see what was going on.
This is a pretty decent explanation as to how I am imagining something like this to be implemented. To elaborate on the possibilities for game play immersion, some features can also be added for a far superior multi-pilot pvp ship battle.
For a slightly different scenario and application, here is a second scenario:
A commander (Commander A) is in any system... In that same system, in any Conflict zone, another commander in a very fast and maneuverable FDL, engaged in local space with an additional crew member on board at weapons. Much like a raptor in Battlestar Galactica. This said, Commander A just wants to listen from somewhere else in the system, eavesdropping safely away from danger to this fine-tuned CB signal... Can interact if he or she desires.
In the conflict zone, the two commanders have not yet chosen their alliance. But, instead they just want to undermine the battle and sway the results in some way.. by way of mission, taking out ships, or just because.
The pilot navigates into a perimeter and needs to stay within 2km. Keeping within, taking careful notice of the radar looking for an indication that a sneak attack is about to be noticed, while his ship mate manually cycles through a console screen trying to crack a code.
This code can be generated automatically and randomly; craked, {created and changed in many ways} or it can be manually set and changed on demand by a multi-crewed ship, where plausible for a single player to control, but not possible while flying the ship at the same time.
With success, he takes down the shields of the selected target, rendering him defenseless in the heat of battle. This time, the targeted ship didn't notice the hack attempt and was hacked before it was able to identify the FDL to the rest of the fleet but wouldn't take more than a few attempts or a ship scan before everyone else catches on.
With this same strategy, these two commanders decide to respond to an identified live distress call 8-light years way and they decide to see what was going on.
This would be a feature that can be used within a limited radius of the ship. For the sake of limits I would say 8-10 light years would be the max plausible distance for a feature like this. With each 2 light year distance measurement being less clear or more digitized the further from the source you, as a user in the universe, are.
Revisiting the scenario at the community goal, when the Raptor-like FDL arrives and sees the 2 other wings in battle, they decide to cause their havoc all while Commander A navigates his Type-9 full of medical supplies through an unguarded station entrance. This would be a possible scenario that I would love to play out. I can only see the effect being more players in pvp. And sure, you will encounter wings baiting other players, and possibly some trash talking, but all resulting in more realistic and enjoyable game play. Being much more than black or white, this will allow multiple players who just want to mission up the opportunity to literally ask players for help instead of jumping onto a forum or only playing in private complaining about griefers instead of enjoying the game. (if one argue about griefers at all)
And with all that said, it would also be amazing to be exploring way out in the deep and stumbling within the listening range on the receiving end of a one-sided conversation just like Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China chatted out...
https://youtu.be/UeR27OP4V7U
...Thoughts?
To start a bit off topic, I've always associated trucker traffic, smuggling, evading law enforcement with movies like Smokey and The Bandit or Big Trouble in Little China to name two. With that said, I think that there can be an huge immersive component added by adding a local comm chatter channel that can be used more like, but not quite CB communication. Hacking voice channels or ship components as examples ...Suggestions and features, here is my say...
So to start, it would certainly be something that can be developed into the game, or perhaps a project that can be an add-on like voice attack.. to a degree; elected to enable or disable on demand either fully participating or not on Public-only servers. Being that programs like voice attack can already identify, in real time your system and location in-game, I wouldn't see why the same couldn't be done with a local-roaming voice channel. It could give someone a way to find and or communicate with others in the game for the sake of general chatter, or it should/would be better developed into a tool that commanders can use to their advantage.
As a general example; scenario one:
2 groups of 3 winged commanders have this feature or option enabled. Say these groups (average allegiance balance) one with the Empire and one with the Federation. Each face each other at the community goal with opposing objectives. These groups engage in their strategic ways.
8-light years away, another player in the universe hears [of whom also has this option or feature enabled] ; identifies or otherwise notices a rogue live communication from a fellow allied galactic or faction member and wants to assist.
The player can then decide to follow a beacon.. or other identifier (ie. a signal strength -vs- direction selector) or not. Either decision can dramatically add depth and superior, anonymous player v. player experiences. This player gets curious and decides to see what was going on.
This is a pretty decent explanation as to how I am imagining something like this to be implemented. To elaborate on the possibilities for game play immersion, some features can also be added for a far superior multi-pilot pvp ship battle.
For a slightly different scenario and application, here is a second scenario:
A commander (Commander A) is in any system... In that same system, in any Conflict zone, another commander in a very fast and maneuverable FDL, engaged in local space with an additional crew member on board at weapons. Much like a raptor in Battlestar Galactica. This said, Commander A just wants to listen from somewhere else in the system, eavesdropping safely away from danger to this fine-tuned CB signal... Can interact if he or she desires.
In the conflict zone, the two commanders have not yet chosen their alliance. But, instead they just want to undermine the battle and sway the results in some way.. by way of mission, taking out ships, or just because.
The pilot navigates into a perimeter and needs to stay within 2km. Keeping within, taking careful notice of the radar looking for an indication that a sneak attack is about to be noticed, while his ship mate manually cycles through a console screen trying to crack a code.
This code can be generated automatically and randomly; craked, {created and changed in many ways} or it can be manually set and changed on demand by a multi-crewed ship, where plausible for a single player to control, but not possible while flying the ship at the same time.
With success, he takes down the shields of the selected target, rendering him defenseless in the heat of battle. This time, the targeted ship didn't notice the hack attempt and was hacked before it was able to identify the FDL to the rest of the fleet but wouldn't take more than a few attempts or a ship scan before everyone else catches on.
With this same strategy, these two commanders decide to respond to an identified live distress call 8-light years way and they decide to see what was going on.
This would be a feature that can be used within a limited radius of the ship. For the sake of limits I would say 8-10 light years would be the max plausible distance for a feature like this. With each 2 light year distance measurement being less clear or more digitized the further from the source you, as a user in the universe, are.
Revisiting the scenario at the community goal, when the Raptor-like FDL arrives and sees the 2 other wings in battle, they decide to cause their havoc all while Commander A navigates his Type-9 full of medical supplies through an unguarded station entrance. This would be a possible scenario that I would love to play out. I can only see the effect being more players in pvp. And sure, you will encounter wings baiting other players, and possibly some trash talking, but all resulting in more realistic and enjoyable game play. Being much more than black or white, this will allow multiple players who just want to mission up the opportunity to literally ask players for help instead of jumping onto a forum or only playing in private complaining about griefers instead of enjoying the game. (if one argue about griefers at all)
And with all that said, it would also be amazing to be exploring way out in the deep and stumbling within the listening range on the receiving end of a one-sided conversation just like Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China chatted out...
https://youtu.be/UeR27OP4V7U
...Thoughts?