Mercenaries, assassins , spys and other cloak and dagger. not supported

[ahiredgun]

I would like more support for cloak and dagger actions. Especially spys or intelligence gathering. At the moment I could be called a bounty hunter or freeloading freelancer because none of the powers fully support mercenaries, there is no power willing to pay more unless you go to thare territory. This is why I really want player started missions to start working as a hired gun. As for spying I would think it would be like sneaking pirates except you go after Intel instead of cargo and you can not be caught. Think a long term silent running steak out until someone carry very important Intel comes near then you steal that Intel without being seen. Of course spys would require extremely rare ships that are capable of never being seen. And equipment designed to copy data without triggering alarms.
It would be cool if thare was a power that can work for any side and can be bought. Like let say the alliance is suffering and needs help they can temporarily hire soandso power to help defend and fortify and fight off attackers. When these mercenaries are no longer needed they are paid and go back to being a neutral power .
So many ideas so little time. Opinions are welcome.

 

[Kristov]

We already kind of have all of that, including the data stealing, just read the missions on the bulletin boards...

As for a data stealing ship that can't be detected, yeah, no way in hell, nothing should be an automatic win like you are asking for, that's just...no.

 

[ahiredgun]

We already kind of have all of that, including the data stealing, just read the missions on the bulletin boards...

As for a data stealing ship that can't be detected, yeah, no way in hell, nothing should be an automatic win like you are asking for, that's just...no.

Data stealing missions pay horribly only for minor factions and it's violent. You find the target kill it and take the data that pops out. Its small insignificant and violent. I'm talking about missions that can change outcomes of battles save or destroy entire power play factions. As for the ship a modified black painted diamondback scout can easily do it. You force the data handler out of supercruse and copy it's data while avoiding its escorts and stay close enough for you to hack the data copy it and retrieve it. Get away without being scanned and boom that power takes a hit because secrets were revealed

 

[R3DB3RD]

Soooo... once you've pulled your target out of supercruise. You know that gives the game away right? Being all covert operations and stuff, your first action generally reveals you.

Ooooh wait, you want an everlasting impervious cloak that doesnt use power, is always active and allows you to carry out whatever activity you so desire whilst remaining completely and utterly undetectable. And pull ships out of Supercruise...

Im sure there are hacks for that.

And to please the Open PvP advocates -

'We already have that, its called Solo!'

Boom da da boom tish.

I thank you.

'Captain, we've been pulled out of supercruise and someone is hacking our databanks.'
'Yes, it must be that Diamondback Scout off to our Portside thats rather shoddily painted black and keeps bumping into us. Open fire Corporal Jeffery...'
'I very nearly didnt see him sir, he appears to be carrying a large billboard picture of a starfield on the nose of his ship, if he had been facing us directly, he would have been completely invisible, Captain'
'Indeed, Corporal, however, if you look closely you can see the Handpainted by Rufus Van Gough in Lugh for Shelters for Homeless Veterans label up in the far right hand side corner'
'Oh, indeed you can. Firing portside batteries now sir...'

 

[ahiredgun]

Silent running in a dbs is really all you need no fancy stealth system . I already scare cmdrs by sneaking up on them and scanning them unfortunately scanning reveals you.

 

[Soliluna]

Silent Running does this. Stay 3 KM away and I doubt they will see you in a DBS.

Ultimately this comes under mission variety and I think things like this are coming (mission variety). Whether or not they contain what you are specifically requesting here, I don't know.

Regarding the paint - unless the ship is granted to you as a loan for the mission I doubt that will happen. Ship paint jobs seems to be available only if you pay.

 

[ahiredgun]

I am not saying that's how spying should be done I just couldn't think of anything better at the time. What I am trying to say is thare is a lack of cloak and dagger under the radar gameplay. And that mercenaries assassins and freelancers are not fully supported when pirates are supported fully.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Mercenary, Spy and Assassin gameplay are all best executed through emergent content.

Elite: Dangerous players are largely introverts, and thus allergic to emergent content. Sorry.

 

[Serapo]

I would be happy if they just included this ship into the game (in a 3300 FTL spaceflight version, but without much modifications):

Blackbird

The most beautiful craft ever to fly over the earth, so far. Somehow the golden age of aerospace lies in the past and we can't even get to the Moon anymore. Damn my generation is such fail.

Dunno its in game mechanics, but a very long silent running mode even in SC, a drive disabling electromagnetic weapon that can't damage anything else and a quick gtho mode. It would not interdict, but hit and run at space stations approach area.

I would then not complain about anything else for a long(ish) time. Even the Thargoids could wait.

 

[Vasious]

Of course spys would require extremely rare ships that are capable of never being seen. And equipment designed to copy data without triggering alarms. .

They already have those ships about, you just can never see them......

 

[simulacrae]

I admit - I wish the silent running was truly silent and you could fire .... but also a total glass build ... your only defense in being tough to see - wold make assassination fun.

 

[Roberto]

As for spying I would think it would be like sneaking pirates except you go after Intel instead of cargo and you can not be caught. Think a long term silent running steak out until someone carry very important Intel comes near then you steal that Intel without being seen. Of course spys would require extremely rare ships that are capable of never being seen. And equipment designed to copy data without triggering alarms.

Ah, the fascinating "wait ages before pressing a button, with zero chance of failure" mission! I'll pass, thanks. Wouldn't say no to a steak, though.

It would be cool if thare was a power that can work for any side and can be bought. Like let say the alliance is suffering and needs help they can temporarily hire soandso power to help defend and fortify and fight off attackers. When these mercenaries are no longer needed they are paid and go back to being a neutral power .

Hmm... Maybe? Thing is, how would the actual gameplay for members of this (I'm assuming) Powerplay faction be any different from what's available now? They'd still be doing the same stuff, no? Also, that Delaine fellow already caters for the "willing to kill anyone for money" crowd (albeit with a side order of anarchy) pretty well.

I am not saying that's how spying should be done I just couldn't think of anything better at the time.

Having encountered several of your threads now, I feel like you should maybe give some more thought to your ideas before presenting them. And, in some cases, not present them at all.

"What are your ideas, then?" you might reasonably ask. Well, if we're talking spying, I'd suggest missions to the home systems of rival factions to "observe" capital ships stationed there. So, of course, you'd need to actually have capital ships in those systems - which in itself would add a bit of spice/interest. There should also - if you're a member of a hostile power - be consequences for being "spotted" loitering near said ships. So you'd need to employ silent running to get in close enough to perform your scan (maybe you could be given a special scanner for the purpose, à la Frontier). There'd be a risk of overheating if you weren't sharp about it - and a risk of other players scanning you and thus revealing your position. No risk, no reward (excitement-wise).

Assassinations - well, we have those already, though I confess I haven't tried one yet. Maybe because the payouts don't seem high enough?

More generally, as I'm sure others have said, we could do with multi-part missions. They could be like little "choose your own adventure" stories.

Top of my personal wish list would be Top Gun-style military academies for the three major powers (and hell, maybe a "pirate academy" too), offering training missions (including FA Off manoeuvring) and eventually full-on military campaigns. This would offer a more realistic method of ranking up than donating to charities or smuggling! You could also be awarded medals and permits in place of the (in my view) somewhat absurd higher ranks (King, for God's sake!). I'd also make it impossible to serve in two militaries simultaneously (unless you're offered some kind of Manchurian Candidate-style long-term undercover mission!). I appreciate this would require a hell of a lot of work, but we're talking fantasy features here

Elite: Dangerous players are largely introverts, and thus allergic to emergent content. Sorry.

I produced some "emergent content" earlier, as it happens. Then I washed my hands...

 

[ahiredgun]

Ah, the fascinating "wait ages before pressing a button, with zero chance of failure" mission! I'll pass, thanks. Wouldn't say no to a steak, though.



Hmm... Maybe? Thing is, how would the actual gameplay for members of this (I'm assuming) Powerplay faction be any different from what's available now? They'd still be doing the same stuff, no? Also, that Delaine fellow already caters for the "willing to kill anyone for money" crowd (albeit with a side order of anarchy) pretty well.



Having encountered several of your threads now, I feel like you should maybe give some more thought to your ideas before presenting them. And, in some cases, not present them at all.

"What are your ideas, then?" you might reasonably ask. Well, if we're talking spying, I'd suggest missions to the home systems of rival factions to "observe" capital ships stationed there. So, of course, you'd need to actually have capital ships in those systems - which in itself would add a bit of spice/interest. There should also - if you're a member of a hostile power - be consequences for being "spotted" loitering near said ships. So you'd need to employ silent running to get in close enough to perform your scan (maybe you could be given a special scanner for the purpose, à la Frontier). There'd be a risk of overheating if you weren't sharp about it - and a risk of other players scanning you and thus revealing your position. No risk, no reward (excitement-wise).

Assassinations - well, we have those already, though I confess I haven't tried one yet. Maybe because the payouts don't seem high enough?

More generally, as I'm sure others have said, we could do with multi-part missions. They could be like little "choose your own adventure" stories.

Top of my personal wish list would be Top Gun-style military academies for the three major powers (and hell, maybe a "pirate academy" too), offering training missions (including FA Off manoeuvring) and eventually full-on military campaigns. This would offer a more realistic method of ranking up than donating to charities or smuggling! You could also be awarded medals and permits in place of the (in my view) somewhat absurd higher ranks (King, for God's sake!). I'd also make it impossible to serve in two militaries simultaneously (unless you're offered some kind of Manchurian Candidate-style long-term undercover mission!). I appreciate this would require a hell of a lot of work, but we're talking fantasy features here



I produced some "emergent content" earlier, as it happens. Then I washed my hands...

Well it is a rough idea. Usually I come up with ideas when my internet goes down. When my internet comes back I quickly though my idea out thare before I forget. I will give farther thought on future ideas maybe write them down on (gasp) paper. Maybe make some basic concept art and some lore behind it. Oh wait then nobody would even try to understand my ideas because it's a huge wall of text and that the last thing we need. I do have some decent ideas of course with good ones come bad ones . This might be a bad one