I've had following scenario happen to me couple of times in Elite.
The ship intends to finish what it started however it quickly realizes how screwed it is. The offender attempts to run away while the station defenses slowly become aware of what's going on. I try to follow along side it but I can't do anything because we're well within the No Fire Zone. By the time we're outside the zone and I can open fire without fear the offending ship warps away scot-free.
When this happens I feel like I should be able to do something about it right then and there. I watched for a good minute as a Type 10 that had just attacked me bumped into a station multiple times, then slowly turned around and started to run away before station authorities reacted to what was going on and gave chase.
One thought was to make it possible to request to open fire. Here's how I'm thinking it could work:
The No Fire Zone is still in effect. Simply deploying your hard points inside of one will still get you in trouble.
Instead you:
Possible reasons for denying your request:
- I get interdicted
- I submit and drop from hyperspace
- The attacking ship is too much for me to handle so I run
- I get to a safe port only for the offending ship to drop out next to me.
The ship intends to finish what it started however it quickly realizes how screwed it is. The offender attempts to run away while the station defenses slowly become aware of what's going on. I try to follow along side it but I can't do anything because we're well within the No Fire Zone. By the time we're outside the zone and I can open fire without fear the offending ship warps away scot-free.
When this happens I feel like I should be able to do something about it right then and there. I watched for a good minute as a Type 10 that had just attacked me bumped into a station multiple times, then slowly turned around and started to run away before station authorities reacted to what was going on and gave chase.
One thought was to make it possible to request to open fire. Here's how I'm thinking it could work:
The No Fire Zone is still in effect. Simply deploying your hard points inside of one will still get you in trouble.
Instead you:
- Locate and scan a wanted ship. This can be the one who just attacked you or one you just happened to come across.
- WITHOUT CHANGING TARGETS select the station under Contacts and then select "Request to Open Fire."
- Wait for approval.
- Once approved you'll hear the station manager say something along the lines of "Criminal infractions detected, you are free to open fire."
- You are free to attack that one ship. If there are multiple ships in a wing you'll have to submit a new request or wait until they attack you.
Possible reasons for denying your request:
- You're inside the station or too close to the mail slot. For some reason people don't like stray bullets whizzing around unarmed civilians. You'll hear the station manger say something like "Request denied commander. We'll take it from here."
- They like the attacking ship better than you. Local reputation matters and if the attacking ship is considered an ally to the controlling faction and you're not they might just let this one slide.