Distress Call

[sovapid]

Elite makes it plenty easy to be a murder hobo, but there aren't really game mechanics to help someone.

A suggestion: Distress Call

This should be a mechanic that can build on existing in game mechanics.

If I am in a combat capable ship, I can sign up/opt in to receive distress calls from other cmdr's in trouble/being attacked. Signing up would work like multicrew where I make my ship available to jump into.

Another cmdr, in a trading ship for example, if they start to get interdicted/attacked, the send out a distress call. Any cmdrs that opted in to receive these calls are notified of the distress call. The call can go out in system or maybe to close systems.

Once accepting the distress call, the combat cmdr is put into a wing with the sender.

Maybe some handwavium to get the combat cmdr to the trade cmdr's location quickly.

 

[Gully Foyle]

Unfortunately, this idea could also be used to bait innocent CMDRs into ambushes, correct?

 

[sovapid]

"emergent gameplay"

at least you'd be showing up in something armed expecting trouble.

and could make that only trade ships / non dedicated combat ships can place distress call. so no fdl's, or fas's sending out distress calls.

 

[Galactic Fork]

"emergent gameplay"

at least you'd be showing up in something armed expecting trouble.

and could make that only trade ships / non dedicated combat ships can place distress call. so no fdl's, or fas's sending out distress calls.

What sense is that? If a trader ship can send out a distress call, so could an FDL. Of course you could have a distress call include the ship type in the signal message. Perhaps just alert the people of the ship name and ship type.

 

[sovapid]

What sense is that? If a trader ship can send out a distress call, so could an FDL. Of course you could have a distress call include the ship type in the signal message. Perhaps just alert the people of the ship name and ship type.

Works for me.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

Works for me.

Are we talking Commanders only, or Commanders & NPC's....or both?

 

[Hell Razor5543]

How about a tweak to this idea then? A Player can only send a distress call when they are in danger (and would, if they tried to exit gracefully, have to wait 15 seconds to leave the game). That way a rescue Player will know they are heading to somebody in a combat situation.

 

[Robert Maynard]

How about a tweak to this idea then? A Player can only send a distress call when they are in danger (and would, if they tried to exit gracefully, have to wait 15 seconds to leave the game). That way a rescue Player will know they are heading to somebody in a combat situation.

Interdict a puny NPC, fire at it once to annoy it, ignore it - broadcast a Distress Call.

Given the time it takes in Supercruise to travel to and then drop into a wake, it'd be likely that a player in genuine distress would already have been destroyed by the time anyone arrived in response.

 

[Siobhan]

I also imagine it'll be abused. Wing upon wing of PKers signing up to receive distress calls, just so they know where the easiest (or saltiest) targets will be.

Honestly, I like the idea of distress calls, maybe attached to escape pods or for damaged ships, but it would require a massive culture change (maybe as part of the much discussed upcoming karma system) before it would work. Maybe a huge karma boost for responding, but an even bigger karma hit for attacking the distressed ship. Note I said nothing about attacking the rescuers, and the original attacker shouldn't get the extra hit of course. Something to prevent every murder-hobo in jump range from instantly descending on the damaged ship like vultures round an injured animal.

Anyway, it's something that merits discussion, and with a little thought could work, though as Robert Maynard said above, getting there while there's anything left to rescue would be an issue. That said, if there were more incentive for pirates to disable rather than kill, and if potential rescuers could have repair systems, then maybe it could work. Failing that, there's always black box salvage...

 

[sovapid]

Are we talking Commanders only, or Commanders & NPC's....or both?

Commanders only, don't multi crew or wing with NPC's. I guess it could be NPC's, but in the options when opting in.

 

[sovapid]

Given the time it takes in Supercruise to travel to and then drop into a wake.

Thats why I mentioned the handwavium to get there faster. Not sure how to do it though. And this is just a rough idea, obviously.

 

[sovapid]

I also imagine it'll be abused. Wing upon wing of PKers signing up to receive distress calls, just so they know where the easiest (or saltiest) targets will be.

Hmmm, had not considered that angle. At least you would then have the trader and two different gankers. Hopefully the gankers fight each other instead.

 

[Davor Granic]

Abusing distress call can have karma repercussions if its implemented.

 

[Andrej]

Good idea, but unfortunately, commander in trading ship don`t survive

 

[dognosh]

Only friends get the distress call

 

[Davor Granic]

Well basicly security services will respond faster than players but maybe distress call can result in multicrew players responding. Maybe you can search for multicrew seats on ships with distress calls. When someone gives out distress call you are asked then if you want to respond by jumping in ships multycrew seat. It wont help much but atleast few pips are welcome.