I'd like to see a feature in future versions where there is a fine for killing certain "friendly" ships such as the salvagers and the escorted freighters.
Not only do you get docked a fine when you dock at a Commonwealth station (or thrown in jail if you don't have the cash), you also have your ship inspected for a smuggler's hold (not to mention anything illegal inside it). If you had a smugglers hold and you have too much cargo to fit without it, you lose the excess (randomly chosen?). A bit of devious penalties for naughty behavior in the game.
I don't think I like this. The game is already going more and more forcing you to play a certain way with the instant death scenarios for killing stations.
It's still free-form. I don't mind paying a fine as long as it's not unreasonable. After all, killing salvagers and transports can yield some good loot. If the fine exceeds the average value of loot, then it's no longer worth the risk. Maybe if such a change were implemented, better loot on these ships could be implemented as well. Lets say for instance that the salvagers also repair any items they pick up (making their loot better as well).
Well, maybe the fine for killing a salvager should be a portion of the loot removed from that salvager. Or the freighter. For example, you got a couple turbolaser cannons, a couple particle beam, a few barricades and other assorted weapons and armor from a salvager. The fine is 5000 credits. The commonwealth then takes that amount of loot from your hold that was removed from the affected ship. Or if it was not that much, then additional loot from your hold is removed based on the selling value to the station(turbolaser @ 350 credits (not an actual price)).
If there is not enough in your hold to cover the fine, then there might be an option to remove weapons or armor for sale to the station, or an option to do a mission, kill pirates, escort a freighter, something until the fine is paid off. Of course, you can not leave that system until the fine is paid!
Why not have a fine for blowing up pirates without a military id then. I can't see people like vigilantes well. (at least then it would be fair for both ways of playing)
Betelgeuse wrote:Why not have a fine for blowing up pirates without a military id then. I can't see people like vigilantes well. (at least then it would be fair for both ways of playing)
Thats not a good idea. you'd be defensless early on.
I am just making a suggestion on how to make it fair. People often forget that time is also a factor in the cost of getting things (think farming I don't do it but some people do) so if you put a fine on looting certain wrecks people wouldn't do them because it would take allot of time which could be spent better other places (lowering the chances people will do a certain thing by making it a waste of time). That is the case now but it isn't the case the game is telling you what you can and can't do. (of course the station kill penalty is basically making everyone clones of each other anyway)
It is just getting boring how you need to play the same nearly every game it would be nice where there was some room to play as you wanted. I agree it should be balanced but with suggestions like this it seems while we have more types of weapons and ships (even player ships) there is less and less you can do.
What about this as a less limiting option. If you blow up certain "friendly" ships like freighters, transports and salvagers, you will be searched for illegal items next time you dock at a commonwealth station even if you have a smugglers hold. I'm just looking for ways to occasionally defeat the "unbeatable" smugglers hold in a way that makes sense. You could make hold searches random, but I think it makes more sense to make it a penalty for blowing up friendlies. I agree that the game should not limit you on how you play, but there needs to be certain ballances to make sure that nothing is "bulletproof" if you know what I mean.
The escorted ships are smugglers. They carry illegals and dock at pirate bases. You're doing the Commonwelath a favor.
If you blow up certain "friendly" ships like freighters, transports and salvagers, you will be searched for illegal items next time you dock at a commonwealth station even if you have a smugglers hold. I'm just looking for ways to occasionally defeat the "unbeatable" smugglers hold in a way that makes sense.
You could make hold searches random, but I think it makes more sense to make it a penalty for blowing up friendlies.
That way doesn't make more sense to me. You're ignoring the murder, it's like killing someone for their wallet and being charged with petty theft.
First of all: why does it need to be 'unbulletproof'? It's not an exploit
to break the rules set down in game (Commonwealth laws).
I think fighting non-friendly ships should always be legal, because it would be a pain to determine whether or not they fired first, but I think maybe there should be repercussions for destroying certain kinds of bases without a military ID. For instance, nobody is going to be offended if a civilian takes out a slaver base or one belonging to a sovereign that is openly hostile to the Commonwealth, but I don't think any government would approve of vigilantes seeking out and destroying the homes of criminals, especially some of the lesser threats like the Anarchists whose worst crime may be bootlegging movies.
It shouldn't be completely prohibited, but discouraged. Perhaps have there be a random chance whenever you destroy one of these stations that a witness was able to report which ship did it, and you get fined and possibly even have your weapons confiscated next time you pull into the station, but most of the time you may be able to get away with it.
I thought some more about this, and thought of an interesting tiered punishment system.
Every time you destroy a base, unless you were wearing stealth armor there is a 50% chance that it was reported back to the Commonwealth. If it isn't reported, the game continues as normal. If it is reported, the next time you pull into a commonwealth station, the following will happen.
1st report - Nothing. Your explanation that you were fired upon without provocation and returned fire is believed and accepted.
2nd report - Official Warning. You are given a speech where you are told that the Commonwealth has it's eye on you and that destroying these bases is not to be continued. In the indeterminate future (i.e. not in the timeframe of the game) there will be a hearing regarding the incident. You are advised to avoid these bases when they fire on you and not to return fire.
3rd report - Arrested and released. Any contraband you have, even if in a hidden hold, is confiscated. You are forced to pay bail amounting to 50% of your net worth - if you don't have that much liquid funds, you will have to sell gear from your ship to continue the game. You are going to trial for attempted genocide in months to come (after game time).
4th report - Arrested and escaped. You've screwed up this time. The Commonwealth locks down your ship, removes all weaponry from it, empties your cargo hold, and you are being held without bail when you manage to escape and get to your ship. If you can get away with whatever fuel is in your reactor, you cannot dock at any commonwealth or corporate stations without being immediately arrested. Commonwealth fortresses and ships will fire upon your ship on sight. It's black market, tinkers, and ringers for you for the rest of the game.
Obviously you don't want to let it get to the 4th report level. Up until then you can redeem yourself by earning a military ID chip - the commonwealth realizes in hindsight that the base attacks were justified and covers up any evidence that says otherwise because they've decided they want you on their side, and you now have their official sanction to destroy criminal bases.
