Distress beacon - Are they always dead

[MacHurto]

When you go to a Distress Call SS, sometimes you can help a NPC that is out of fuel, or attacked by pirates, etc.

However, every time I "answer" a planetary distress call, everyone is already dead or in a escape pod. Am I being unlucky or is this all there is? No missions to save people out there? I can also scan the dead bodies but cannot do anything with the information.

 

[gooddoc]

When you go to a Distress Call SS, sometimes you can help a NPC that is out of fuel, or attacked by pirates, etc.

However, every time I "answer" a planetary distress call, everyone is already dead or in a escape pod. Am I being unlucky or is this all there is? No missions to save people out there? I can also scan the dead bodies but cannot do anything with the information.

Yes, there certainly could be a lot more that can be done on the Missions side, which does seem to be being added slowly now with every other update.

So much more could be done with the dead bodies in the game. Searching & looting them spring to mind, however as long as we have the current inventory system in use, with ridiculous maximum levels, then that would become pointless rather quickly.

A lot of this revovles around lore & content......something which is still desperately needed in EDH/EDO to make it a much better game.

 

[GroG79]

It might be time to verify this? Would be a shame if they are really broken..

 

[MacHurto]

For dead bodies, I think just giving a small reward at the Search and Rescue contact for scanning them in those POIs would be enough, same as you can turn in escape pods. That should (sic.) be easy to implement.

What would be even better would be to be able to save alive pilots. Maybe the easiest would be to get a mission prompt (like in attacked megaships, etc) and if you accept, an occupied escape pod appears and you can turn it to Search and Rescue.

There are, of course, many more options that would be cool (returning info/escape pod to specific stations, having the person you save in the seat beside you, whatever) but the above two would be easy to implement and (I think) give some more depth.

 

[MacHurto]

It might be time to verify this? Would be a shame if they are really broken..

I don't think they are broken, just maybe not enough options. I also imagine there is very little demand for this kind of gameplay so maybe not much time from FDEV to implement, even if "easy"

 

[Northpin]

When you go to a Distress Call SS, sometimes you can help a NPC that is out of fuel, or attacked by pirates, etc.

However, every time I "answer" a planetary distress call, everyone is already dead or in a escape pod. Am I being unlucky or is this all there is? No missions to save people out there? I can also scan the dead bodies but cannot do anything with the information.

Yeap, nothing to do there unless you have a mission to pick something from the container nearby (Personal Data, Schematics, etc)
However, there is a solid chance the ship might have one or even both Power Regulators in working condition - so they make a good source for PR

It might be time to verify this? Would be a shame if they are really broken..

I dont think they're broken - for the time being, that's how it is.
A Ship, a container, a dead body.
As i mentioned above, the ship might contain 1-2 good Power Regulators locked behind cuttable panels

 

[MacHurto]

As i mentioned above, the ship might contain 1-2 good Power Regulators locked behind cuttable panels

Exactly, maybe that is the preferred way of playing (grinding for engineering to be able to do other content) and increasing options for a more casual play is not in the priority list. A shame.

 

[Mogen Teras]

Exactly, maybe that is the preferred way of playing (grinding for engineering to be able to do other content) and increasing options for a more casual play is not in the priority list. A shame.

Given that only a minority of players actually engage with Engineering, it seems kind of short sighted to prioritize engineering.

 

[Helvellyn]

Got a spare seat on your ship? An NPC survivor should be able to climb in. Although since FDev seem to view NPCs in your cockpit as a religious prohibition maybe you should at least need a passenger cabin.

 

[Northpin]

Exactly, maybe that is the preferred way of playing (grinding for engineering to be able to do other content) and increasing options for a more casual play is not in the priority list. A shame.

Grinding is not mandatory
But i do like there is an option for grinding

 

[photomankc]

Although since FDev seem to view NPCs in your cockpit as a religious prohibition maybe you should at least need a passenger cabin.

It does seem to be a commandment.

 

[JoeDavidson456]

I just went to a Distress Call Threat 0 in Ody. First time, there were several ships, sending messages in local chat, but I could find no way to help any of them. Then I went to a second call (same type) and it was like the old Horizons kind. When I got close, it asked for fuel, and said it would write me a song. I like that.

 

[Jack Winter]

I ran into one asking me for illegal drugs, and another for narcotics..

Like they expect me to carry drugs around, and then to give it away for free!

The one that wanted illegal drugs, left with a "I guess charity is dead after all"

 

[TobiasFuzz]

So... i just found no other appropriate thread for the question and did not want to create a new one:

I am in a populated anarchy system at a distress beacon (threat level 2) in space. The faction mentioned in the HUD is the ruling anarchy faction. There are 5 ships (one Federal Dropship and some Sidewinders and Cobras) marked as "no faction" just flying in formation straight. After some time the ships just wake out. What i am supposed to do here? What is the emergency? There are also no comms at all from the ships, no requests and no task given.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I am in a populated anarchy system at a distress beacon (threat level 2) in space. The faction mentioned in the HUD is the ruling anarchy faction. There are 5 ships (one Federal Dropship and some Sidewinders and Cobras) marked as "no faction" just flying in formation straight. After some time the ships just wake out. What i am supposed to do here? What is the emergency? There are also no comms at all from the ships, no requests and no task given.

Maybe that one you're supposed to be the emergency?