Idea for new PvP bounty hunting and piracy mechanic

[BunkerBird]

I don't know if something like this was already suggested or not in the past.

My idea would be to add something like a tracker dart/limpet (don't know which would be workable) to the game.
This would work similar way as the hatch barker (only unguided) and could go through shields and attach itself to the ship. It would mark the ship for a limited time (1 min - depending on module class) on the galaxy map for the player who hit the other ship with the tracker. Something similar as a wing beacon.
The module could be either a limpet controller or a utility mount.
To get rid of the tracker dart/limpet the marked ship would need to drop out of SC and go into silent running to disable the tracker. As the tracker would draw its energy from the shields and the heat would fry it.

This could be useful for PvP bounty hunters and pirates alike in which case someone could mark the target and in another system wing mates could interdict him.

It's just an idea, probably would be subject to ganking but who knows.

 

[Arindor]

An interesting idea, but there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth if the person you've tagged jumped into solo/private. And, yes, it would also be a useful ganker/griefer tool too.

 

[StiTch]

I can see this being a networking logistics nightmare, but I am 200% on board with an improvement to tracking.

IMO it can be addressed with two basic tools: firstly a change to the high wake scanner to make it usable on live targets as well as wakes. If used on a live target that high wakes out, their wake is instantly scanned to the CMDR with the scanner, and they can jump straight after them.

Secondly I'd like to see the implementation of a bounty board that ties in with karma. Karma locks appropriate criminals to Open, bounty boards advertise the last known position of said criminals. This last known position is updated only when that criminal docks at a non-anarchy station but does advertise when they were seen there. This allows all potential PvP bounty hunters an estimated location of a criminal, who needs to do his business in high/low sec stations pretty quickly.

 

[BunkerBird]

An interesting idea, but there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth if the person you've tagged jumped into solo/private.

This issue could be addressed with a log out timer. Not the best way, but hey it's something

 

[BunkerBird]

I can see this being a networking logistics nightmare, but I am 200% on board with an improvement to tracking.

IMO it can be addressed with two basic tools: firstly a change to the high wake scanner to make it usable on live targets as well as wakes. If used on a live target that high wakes out, their wake is instantly scanned to the CMDR with the scanner, and they can jump straight after them.

Secondly I'd like to see the implementation of a bounty board that ties in with karma. Karma locks appropriate criminals to Open, bounty boards advertise the last known position of said criminals. This last known position is updated only when that criminal docks at a non-anarchy station but does advertise when they were seen there. This allows all potential PvP bounty hunters an estimated location of a criminal, who needs to do his business in high/low sec stations pretty quickly.

It could work on the same basis as wings. Something like "temporarily" wing, after marked.
High wake scan wouldn't be necessary as the pursuer could easily track the target on the gal map. Once the target got rid of the tracker, then the wake scanner could be utilized.
This would give a chance to the tracked CMDR to escape.

An the Bounty board would be usefull, but it should show only wanted CMDRs in Open.

 

[StiTch]

It could work on the same basis as wings. Something like "temporarily" wing, after marked.
High wake scan wouldn't be necessary as the pursuer could easily track the target on the gal map. Once the target got rid of the tracker, then the wake scanner could be utilized.
This would give a chance to the tracked CMDR to escape.

An the Bounty board would be usefull, but it should show only wanted CMDRs in Open.

Ideally under karma, the real offenders will be locked to Open anyway - and it would only be those affected by this extent of karma that would be displayed.

The problem is that ED's base mechanics just do not facilitate "the hunt". I'd really like to think that extended chases can happen, but I suspect with any tracker limpet - or to be fair my own adjustment to the wake scanner - by the time you've seen the target's location and jumped there, they've high waked to a new system already.

 

[Dagwit]

The fundamental problem with PvP bounty hunting and piracy isn't the mechanics. It's that there's always going to be an order of magnitude more players wanting to be bounty hunters or pirates than there are masochists yearning to be their victims on a regular basis.