Do you want to dock?

[F50]

"There's no "good path" except abstinence (and no benefits)."

I beg to differ. Blow up a BMS and you'll know what I mean. My most recent game saw two BM stations (not shipyards) in one system pre St K. When I got my military rom I came back to collect the spoils. I found an Ion weapon (forget if it was the luminous one or the ventari one) *three* TeV9s two Invincible-class deflectors, one cydonian (useless), a Mammoth 50, an unidentified rom (probably military map), an akan 600 turret, something else military, and a partridge and a pear tree. Not bad for two stations. And with the (unbalanced IMO) frag missiles, it hardly took any work at all.

One (I think possibly even moddable) solution idea for the don't destroy CW problem is the ability to dock at enemy stations just like CW stations. The trouble is, of course, finding some way to do an initiation mission.

[Frits]

But when playing i always feel like i'm in a warzone so the system is not under control of the commonwealth and there wouldn't be any police about.

[Burzmali]

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.

Actually, I was thinking along similiar lines. I figure that instead of paying you for the illegals, you would gain XP in the police faction (a new sovereign, svCommonwealthPolice). I was thinking something like:

Level 1 - Informant
XP required: 0
Other Requirements: Sign-up at Commonwealth Police Station
Benefits: Illegals confiscated at Commonwealth Stations counted towards XP gain for police

Level 2 - Freelancer
XP required: 100
Benefits: Cargo scanner (type 1) available to player

Level 3 - Patrolman
XP required: 300
Benefits: Police ID issued to player (allows player to carry level 1-5 military equipment), standard issue gear available from armory

Level 4 - Officer
XP required: 1000
Benefits: Cargo scanner (type 2) available to player, missions available

Level 5 - Lieutenant
XP required: 3000
Benefits: SWAT ID issued to player (allows player to carry any military equipment), special issue gear available from armory

[Sponge]

Sounds cool. I would hope other ways of getting XP would be available, though. Having to get hundreds of illegals for an ID that seems to be identical to a military ID seems a bit funny, if you ask me. Maybe starting at the Freelancer or Patrolman level, simple missions could be available. Such as, "Come with the rest of us while we bust a slave camp."

Cargo scanners could be cool. I don't know if it'd be worth a device slot, but being able to see what's in a ship before you blow it up would help determine if it was worth it to blow up. Is such a scan actually possible using mods?

[F50]

Except that with this you can get a military ID pre-St K. almost every game this way (which I think is too good). That is, unless carry means just carry and not install in which case I would like to include immunity to customs (you are an undercover agent trying to make a bust).

Is there any I-V millitary equipment?

The missions as a Lieutenant might allow you to get your hands on some nice equipment (you are supposed to bring back a TeV9 and you acquire (perhaps buy in some cases) a Dual Particle cannon for your own use).

Having a police ID would get you killed if you dock at a BM without being on a mission (having your cover arranged for you etc.).

Perhaps a Cafe would be at the police station and function similarly to the military bar (ie. companions).

Some missions would be available at level 2. Some missions mandatory at level 3 and above (ie. you complete one mission and receive an emergency call).

Maybe a new level 6 or perhaps even level 5 might require a military ID (at least to do missions, because you are handling military equipment).

Oh, and level 3 or so would contain a mission that alienates you from the BM. And the BM should have more rewards that the Commonwealth Police Station because you are free to blow up the BMS.

[Sponge]

I REALLY don't think it would be possible to get a military ID before St. K's. Maybe a Police ID, but I can't think of any I-V military weapons. 3000 XP worth of drugs before St. K's would be borderline impossible, and not worth it either way because you can't find many military weapons before St. K's anyway.

[Betelgeuse]

I wouldn't mind getting the military id as I do right now if it didn't make black market stations worthless (and other means of getting military stuff). Why do stations that have nothing to do with the commonwealth deny me equipment that I can easily get in the first system?
I don't like this "evening out" that is happening. Let the player get lucky or let the good players who know what they are doing get an advantage, don't make them play the same way as everyone else.

[Burzmali]

Sounds cool. I would hope other ways of getting XP would be available, though. Having to get hundreds of illegals for an ID that seems to be identical to a military ID seems a bit funny, if you ask me. Maybe starting at the Freelancer or Patrolman level, simple missions could be available. Such as, "Come with the rest of us while we bust a slave camp."

I figure it would be by value, so it wouldn't be too bad. I addition, I was thinking of creating a "Most Wanted" list that the player can use to hunt down fugitives traveling in civilian ships.

Cargo scanners could be cool. I don't know if it'd be worth a device slot, but being able to see what's in a ship before you blow it up would help determine if it was worth it to blow up. Is such a scan actually possible using mods?

Actually, it's pretty trivial. A little abusive though, being able to scan Sung Citadels for QACs and Spheres before attacking them.

[evilbob]

Actually, it's pretty trivial. A little abusive though, being able to scan Sung Citadels for QACs and Spheres before attacking them.

Perhaps a way of resisting scans, like the cyber attack resistance.

(oh, and you'd think someone would have made a "life support off" cyber attack)

[Sponge]

The Most Wanted List would be very cool. Great idea.

As for scanning stations and such- is it possible to limit the scan function to only scan ships? I don't even know how you would make a scanning device in the first place, but could you check the target for certain terms like "Citadel" or "Fortress" and deny the scan due to a thick hull or something? Perhaps it's instead possible to determine the class of the object. Salvager nomads only seem to like wrecks, and those illegal cargo ships only dock with stations, as far as I've seen. Maybe steal some of that logic? I don't know if it's possible, and if it's not, it's not that big of a problem. I think that most people will destroy stations even if they can scan to see if they have good loot, especially enemy stations.

[Yugi]

Maybe a Cargo Scanner (type 3) can scan stations?

[OddBob]

Except that with this you can get a military ID pre-St K. almost every game this way (which I think is too good). That is, unless carry means just carry and not install in which case I would like to include immunity to customs (you are an undercover agent trying to make a bust).

I think that you should get acces to some police only hardware instead (which doesn't exist in game already)- low grade, obsolete military stuff like a "Tev-6" which is better than a shuriken but not quite military grade. Perhaps some decent shields as well - the R series only has the R1 and R5 in it, there needs to be an R3. Also, perhaps something like a "riot gun" - a sort of EMP morning star.

And the BM should have more rewards that the Commonwealth Police Station because you are free to blow up the BMS.

I think it's backwards - the BM should have a bigger punishment for angering them because it's not equal to that of angering the police (which is the same as angering the CW)

[Burzmali]

I think that you should get acces to some police only hardware instead (which doesn't exist in game already)- low grade, obsolete military stuff like a "Tev-6" which is better than a shuriken but not quite military grade. Perhaps some decent shields as well - the R series only has the R1 and R5 in it, there needs to be an R3. Also, perhaps something like a "riot gun" - a sort of EMP morning star.

That's more what I was thinking. Basically, trading a level for the +Military tag. For instance, adding "dual" or "omni" to a weapon, typically adds a level, but a dual omni turbolaser cannon that was military would cost and use power closer to a level 4 weapon than a level 5. Also, I was planning on creating some non-device items that are military (for various nefarious purposes).

[F50]

And the BM should have more rewards that the Commonwealth Police Station because you are free to blow up the BMS.

I think it's backwards - the BM should have a bigger punishment for angering them because it's not equal to that of angering the police (which is the same as angering the CW)

That's what I was saying. You should have more rewards for going with the BM because if you go with the police then you are free to blow up the BM (having angered them already).

[OddBob]

That's what I was saying. You should have more rewards for going with the BM because if you go with the police then you are free to blow up the BM (having angered them already).

What you say here does not agree with what I said in the quoted statement...

Well, first of all,if you side with the BM you are free to blow up CW stations and get ridiculous loot as well.

The black market rewards and the police rewards are more or less equal. However, the punishments are not equal (they are really equal though: the punishment is denial of service and death if you dock for both [actually the bounty hunters make the BM punishment worse]- but there are fewver BM stations so it's less of a deal when you anger the BM - hence the CW being worse) and because they are not equal, they should be made equal, so that either side is a valid choice.

(Note that joining the police doesn't anger the BM, just makes them unusable - blowing them up angers them).