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Author Topic: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")  (Read 3468 times)

Dabor

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So I go to Valhalla to start attacking Tri-Tachyon for a Hedgemony bounty. Since I'm not hostile with them yet, I decide I may as well go transponder-off - no reason to have it on if it'll make catching some weaker fleets harder immediately.

So I take out a Tri-Tachyon group and get my bounty for it. Right around the Tri-Tachyon base, a lone hedgemony frigate comes and does the usual "turn your transponder on" thing within sight range of 2 other Tri-Tachyon groups.

I know that I could murder him quietly, or run away without killing him, but the likliest thing is that I'd get harried and lose 100 supplies, and I don't want to. Why can't I whisper him and say "hey, I killed some of your enemies 5 days ago over here, can't I just reveal myself only to you?"

Is there some way out of this I'm missing or am I forced to take a hit one way or another?
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Nanao-kun

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2015, 01:18:01 PM »

Transponders transmit your identity. That fleet doesn't know who you are or that you helped them in the first place.
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Gothars

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2015, 01:31:11 PM »

Is there some way out of this I'm missing or am I forced to take a hit one way or another?

Not at the moment, no. Alex said he wanted to take a look at patrols enforcing transponder rules outside their jurisdiction, but I guess in a shared system like Valhalla there will at least always be edge cases.

Thing about "whispers", i.e. identification upon direct contact, is that a patrol has to chase and catch you first, at which point it is understandable that they are irritated.

Maybe it would be nice if you could purchase a faction specific transmitter on the military market when you have high reputation. It would be an item that adds a a campaign ability that toggles a separate transmitter which is only visible to patrol of that faction.



Transponders transmit your identity. That fleet doesn't know who you are or that you helped them in the first place.

But he could ask as soon as he catches you. I think at high reputation it would be more believable if patrol captains would more respectful.
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Dabor

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2015, 01:44:17 PM »

Transponders transmit your identity. That fleet doesn't know who you are or that you helped them in the first place.

I received a bounty from Ragnar Complex for killing that group, which means there was some way for me to verify to the Hedgemony over closed channels that I did so, and therefore this guy should be able to check it over those same channels.

Unless getting a bounty for killing them with transponder off was a bug or caused by a mod.
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Clockwork Owl

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2015, 03:03:52 PM »

Bounty - you go up destroy a fleet, send the flight log data alon with you identification code to bounty givers, and they send you credits(which is digital currency and can be transmitted via comm). Transponder is not involved in this process.

So yeah, makes perfectly sense if a player can remotely verify his identity code to a specific fleet via secure channel.
Gameplay-wise, bounty hunting along with patrols or ambushing convoys in warzones would be much more interesting since there are more options to take.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2015, 03:06:13 PM by Aron0621 »
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Cik

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2015, 08:49:41 PM »

Quote
But he could ask as soon as he catches you. I think at high reputation it would be more believable if patrol captains would more respectful.

this would be really nice.

"oh, you're the scourge of mimir! i've heard about you! i'll tell my kids about this meeting!" or whatever, and they waive the rep penalty as long as they don't catch you too often.

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Achataeon

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2015, 10:08:35 PM »

Or maybe have such mechanics tied up to missions. Accepting Mission X would give you a pass to allow you to travel transponder-off in Mission X's system.
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DeltaV_11.2

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Re: Transponder Whispers (aka "please reveal yourself to our enemies")
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2015, 03:42:49 PM »

Maybe it would be nice if you could purchase a faction specific transmitter on the military market when you have high reputation. It would be an item that adds a a campaign ability that toggles a separate transmitter which is only visible to patrol of that faction.
This would make a lot of sense. "Coded IFF" or something, shorter range but tells ships of a certain faction that your identity. Good for edge cases like this, also good so that when we get more war mechanics, military fleets can switch their transponders off while still being identifiable if you're allied with them.
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