Do you want to dock?
That's pretty cool. The only thing that I would change are the detection rates. With the special hold installed, I think the rates are fine, but without it, they seem a bit low. Whenever you dock at a Commonwealth station with illegals normally, they take them all. It doesn't make too much sense that you would be scanned twice, and still have a very low chance of all of your illegals being taken.
Remember that almost all the illegals are drugs and pretty small. Also, it's a lot easier to hide things from a long range scan like that - put your laudanum ampules in a box of wrenches and maybe only a very patient operator will take the time to look through the jumbled mess.The only thing that I would change are the detection rates. With the special hold installed, I think the rates are fine, but without it, they seem a bit low. Whenever you dock at a Commonwealth station with illegals normally, they take them all. It doesn't make too much sense that you would be scanned twice, and still have a very low chance of all of your illegals being taken.
As for Burzmali's method, I like that a lot. Following the ships back to a station has a nice feel, where you get a long time to think about whether to run (and a lot of oppurtunities).
However, one thing: what if you get attacked enroute? Great diversion if you want to escape, but if you just got hauled in on a false positive, you'll be sorry when you break to avoid a missile and trigger the "fleeing' response.
Basically, the trip back to the station would be handled by a reoccurring timer event. Since the escorting ship will attack anyone that attacks the player, it should register in the shpIsUnderAttack function. Normally, the routine would expect the player to make some headway towards the station, but if for 180 ticks the player hasn't closed the distance, they get a warning, after 600 they are declared a fugitive and attacked. If shpIsUnderAttack is true, the timer stops and the distance counter is "reset".
Arguably, you could try to lead the escort into an enemy base, but I don't know if that should be prevented...
Arguably, you could try to lead the escort into an enemy base, but I don't know if that should be prevented...
Exactly. This giving you a VERY small chance of being caught unless you are lugging around tons and tons of cancer dust. The "roadside" scan success rate should be increased a little, but once you get back to the station, your stuff should almost always be taken provided you don't have a shielded hold. As of right now, if I dock at a Commonwealth station with a hold full of drugs, they will take them 100% of the time. If you get pulled over, and forced to go to a station to be scanned a SECOND time, you'd think they'd have more than a 10% chance of finding an item, even with a shielded hold. I was under the impression that when you docked normally, you were scanned, thus the shielded hold works. However, if you were brought in, you'd think people would board your ship and actually run a search by hand.OddBob wrote: Remember that almost all the illegals are drugs and pretty small. Also, it's a lot easier to hide things from a long range scan like that - put your laudanum ampules in a box of wrenches and maybe only a very patient operator will take the time to look through the jumbled mess.
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dvlenk6
- Militia Captain
- Posts: 519
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:56 am
- Location: Sanctuary and beyond
- Contact:
I don't think so personally.Burzmali wrote:Arguably, you could try to lead the escort into an enemy base, but I don't know if that should be prevented...
Being a cop is a dangerous job.
The rest of it sounds really cool
The stopping thing is easy, bring along a glorified mule auton. They stop, and then the player can dock.
so:
1. Scan
2. Please dock (if you dock)
3. Halt!
4. *you are being shot at*
It makes perfect sense that a road patrol (who don't want to waste time) won't get all your goods while a customs check will. However, these road patrols would probably not exist in systems post the first appearance of dwarg masters(out of depth IMO (I've seen them the seccond system after St. K, the first military station was in that system as well)).
so:
1. Scan
2. Please dock (if you dock)
3. Halt!
4. *you are being shot at*
It makes perfect sense that a road patrol (who don't want to waste time) won't get all your goods while a customs check will. However, these road patrols would probably not exist in systems post the first appearance of dwarg masters(out of depth IMO (I've seen them the seccond system after St. K, the first military station was in that system as well)).
Oh. We're talking bout different things. I was referring to the roadside scan, not the customs inspection. The customs inspection is the same one you go through at any regular CW station. So we agree.sponge wrote:Exactly. This giving you a VERY small chance of being caught unless you are lugging around tons and tons of cancer dust.
SNIP, etc.
As for frequency, I think anywhere there is a station that will currently confiscate your illegals, there should be patrols. This gives a natural fall off after St Ks because people stop caring late game. If a Centurion or two gets annihilated by dreads who cares?
Very nice job. This could fit well in the early game, i was thinking the patrols could be triggered by mines as well or instead of CW stations.Burzmali wrote:1. A police squadron equipped with scanners spots the player ship (by range for now and by event if possible to account for stealth armor).
2. Once they have closed to within scanner distance, the player' ship is scanned. Every 10 kg of illegals creates a 1% of detection normally, and a 0.1% if a smuggler's hold is installed (i.e. 100 kg of illegals would be detect 10% of the time with a normal hold and 1% of the time with a smuggler's hold). In addition, there is a small chance of a false positive.
3. If the scan is positive, the player is directed to dock at a nearby customs station (or nearest CW station) for a contraband search. If the player has a targeting ROM and/or Visual Display enhancement, the station is targeted and/or highlighted.
4. Two ships are dispatched to escort the player to the station. The first leads the way, and the second follows the player and recovers any cargo pods that the player jettisons. If the player strays too far from the lead ship, they are warned, then declared a fugitive.
5. At the station, each illegal type has a 10% per kg change of being detected and removed normally, 1% per kg if a smuggler's hold is equipped.
1. The police squadron need a centurion (or two) to be a good match for the playership. That should make for bad odds for the player normally. The squadron may be faster than you but has a typical formation so you will see them coming and can adjust course to get out of scanning range.
2. and 5. the percentages are already being discussed...
4. When declared a fugitive the player could be banned from mines and CW's and the like including being treated as an enemy. Hotels, weapon- and fueldealers act normally. The blackmarkets including the tempus labs and/or the corporates should be able to help you out of this but at a price.
Alternatively you could be fined but from then on a record is being kept which will be used against you if you're busted in any way. Maybe i better stop here cos these are all pretty harsh penalties making smuggling hardly worthwhile anymore. Getting cash can be hard early game.
An idea just hit me:
What about the ability to go to the police and say "I found these Illegals please confiscate them" and get some sort of reward in lieu of and less than selling them. This would only work at stations (perhaps a specific police one, or maybe only just the large ones and not the settlements) as otherwise you could just get out of any penalties from the patrols.
A police station would make an interesting line of anti-BM missions. Police stations wouldn't be able to do much more than sell you a scanning device, offer rewards for quests, repair armor and refuel and thus wouldn't serve as a replacement for the BM but... And that only for people who have done some work for them.
What about the ability to go to the police and say "I found these Illegals please confiscate them" and get some sort of reward in lieu of and less than selling them. This would only work at stations (perhaps a specific police one, or maybe only just the large ones and not the settlements) as otherwise you could just get out of any penalties from the patrols.
A police station would make an interesting line of anti-BM missions. Police stations wouldn't be able to do much more than sell you a scanning device, offer rewards for quests, repair armor and refuel and thus wouldn't serve as a replacement for the BM but... And that only for people who have done some work for them.
Oooh yes, police stations! I like it a lot, because right now you can either be a crook or miss out on the BM. There's no "good path" except abstinence (and no benefits).
I think they could be as useful as BM. You could buy military stuff (or police-only as-good-as-military-stuff) at the armory, and maybe there could be other perks, like being able to call for backup (a few police gunships) every now and then if you're high ranking enough.
Here are a few police missions I drafted up back on the UTF ages ago:
Traffic Cop: the first mission, just like in the militia. They give you a scanner. Set up a checkpoint at the stargate (really just wait around and scan every ship that comes through) and search incoming ships for contraband. After a few ships, you'll get a smuggler who tries to run - take him out.
After you get the scanner by doing this mission, at any time if you scan a ship and find illegals, you can bring them in (or what's left of them) for a small reward.
Sting: Go undercover (with your wingman wingman) and meet some drug dealers outside the system, and then bust them (with force - you can't really detain a ship) . Make sure they don't escape through the gate.
Surveillance: Kee an eye on the local drug lord - follow him (not too close) to the outskirts of the system to his secret base. Take out the base and confiscate the drugs. Make sure no one escapes, again.
An alternate "surveillance" is in a nebula system, where the target is hiding in the nebula and you have to find him. Every now and then you get a brief indicator indicating the general direction.
Detective: Some ship carrying something or someone important got attacked. You go to the wreck (where there is another ship you talk to) and find out a little back story about how some corp or individual (randomized for repeatability, see) had some reason to kill/destroy someone/thing. You run a few errands (getting mysteriously attacked by badguy financed assassins the whole way) to prove it, then find the bad guy's ship and destroy it. A bit of a long mission, but good pay.
Now, here are a few more experimental missions. See, I was thinking: there's not a lot of obligations when you join stuff. You can be a member of the BM and the military simultaneously and neither will make any demands of you until you feel like asking them to. So I was thinking, say you join the police, really join them (you could also just sign up as some sort of militia equivalent and just get the above missions) and then every now and then you'd get called out to do a mission whether you liked to or not- just like police officers get a call on their radio. So you'd get stuff like:
Piracy/domestic disturbance: Some freighter or other innocent ship is being attacked, get over there and help them. (a nav point appears and you have to go defend the ship in question)
Variant on piracy- officer down: same situation with a police ship being attacked by multiple enemies (basically a harder version).
Hostage situation: Several enemy ships have taken someone important hostage- take out the ones that don't have the hostage on board and hold out until backup arrives (with EMP ships to detain the bad guy have I mentioned that all police ships should have EMP, it's pretty handy)
Terrorist: A ship is bound for some friendly station with intent to destroy- stop it at all costs.
Speeder- um okay, never mind
299,792,458 m/s! It's the law!
I'm sure there could be more...
Of course it's a little more relaxed than reality, you can do what you want between missions (which are possibly at the rate of roughly one per system) and you should be able to take "vacation" (temporary halt on mission) or "retire" (no more missions, just ask for this at a police station) pretty much at will.
I think they could be as useful as BM. You could buy military stuff (or police-only as-good-as-military-stuff) at the armory, and maybe there could be other perks, like being able to call for backup (a few police gunships) every now and then if you're high ranking enough.
Here are a few police missions I drafted up back on the UTF ages ago:
Traffic Cop: the first mission, just like in the militia. They give you a scanner. Set up a checkpoint at the stargate (really just wait around and scan every ship that comes through) and search incoming ships for contraband. After a few ships, you'll get a smuggler who tries to run - take him out.
After you get the scanner by doing this mission, at any time if you scan a ship and find illegals, you can bring them in (or what's left of them) for a small reward.
Sting: Go undercover (with your wingman wingman) and meet some drug dealers outside the system, and then bust them (with force - you can't really detain a ship) . Make sure they don't escape through the gate.
Surveillance: Kee an eye on the local drug lord - follow him (not too close) to the outskirts of the system to his secret base. Take out the base and confiscate the drugs. Make sure no one escapes, again.
An alternate "surveillance" is in a nebula system, where the target is hiding in the nebula and you have to find him. Every now and then you get a brief indicator indicating the general direction.
Detective: Some ship carrying something or someone important got attacked. You go to the wreck (where there is another ship you talk to) and find out a little back story about how some corp or individual (randomized for repeatability, see) had some reason to kill/destroy someone/thing. You run a few errands (getting mysteriously attacked by badguy financed assassins the whole way) to prove it, then find the bad guy's ship and destroy it. A bit of a long mission, but good pay.
Now, here are a few more experimental missions. See, I was thinking: there's not a lot of obligations when you join stuff. You can be a member of the BM and the military simultaneously and neither will make any demands of you until you feel like asking them to. So I was thinking, say you join the police, really join them (you could also just sign up as some sort of militia equivalent and just get the above missions) and then every now and then you'd get called out to do a mission whether you liked to or not- just like police officers get a call on their radio. So you'd get stuff like:
Piracy/domestic disturbance: Some freighter or other innocent ship is being attacked, get over there and help them. (a nav point appears and you have to go defend the ship in question)
Variant on piracy- officer down: same situation with a police ship being attacked by multiple enemies (basically a harder version).
Hostage situation: Several enemy ships have taken someone important hostage- take out the ones that don't have the hostage on board and hold out until backup arrives (with EMP ships to detain the bad guy have I mentioned that all police ships should have EMP, it's pretty handy)
Terrorist: A ship is bound for some friendly station with intent to destroy- stop it at all costs.
Speeder- um okay, never mind
299,792,458 m/s! It's the law! I'm sure there could be more...
Of course it's a little more relaxed than reality, you can do what you want between missions (which are possibly at the rate of roughly one per system) and you should be able to take "vacation" (temporary halt on mission) or "retire" (no more missions, just ask for this at a police station) pretty much at will.
.
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Betelgeuse
- Fleet Officer
- Posts: 1920
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:31 am
I like the police idea. Even them pulling you over but then there would need to be a way of getting back into the good graces of the commonwealth.
Right now it is worthless to take on commonwealth stations due to them controlling all the early game docks. Ether there needs to be a different early game alternative to there docks or a way to get back in there good graces.
I am not saying they do nothing. I just like the balance of the corp stations right now you can get alot out of them and they still try to kill you and you even loose out on the trade stations but that is nothing compared to the commonwealth.
Right now it is worthless to take on commonwealth stations due to them controlling all the early game docks. Ether there needs to be a different early game alternative to there docks or a way to get back in there good graces.
I am not saying they do nothing. I just like the balance of the corp stations right now you can get alot out of them and they still try to kill you and you even loose out on the trade stations but that is nothing compared to the commonwealth.
Crying is not a proper retort!
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dvlenk6
- Militia Captain
- Posts: 519
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:56 am
- Location: Sanctuary and beyond
- Contact:
Well, fugitives existing at the edges of civlization (Commonwealth) isn't a new thing. Neither is corruption.
Maybe if you are wanted by the CW, you could still be able to bribe your way into stations and drydocks. Early on anyhow. As you start leaving CW space, just don't worry about it and live as a complete outlaw from the CW.
Is the commonwealth, militia, and fleet all considered as a single sovereign? If you have crimes against the commonwealth, could you still be able to dock with CSCs on the fringes of CW space, get dock services, missions and the like?
Waht about fortresses?
Maybe if you are wanted by the CW, you could still be able to bribe your way into stations and drydocks. Early on anyhow. As you start leaving CW space, just don't worry about it and live as a complete outlaw from the CW.
Is the commonwealth, militia, and fleet all considered as a single sovereign? If you have crimes against the commonwealth, could you still be able to dock with CSCs on the fringes of CW space, get dock services, missions and the like?
Waht about fortresses?