Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[vorpal+5]

This seems silly. The Hegemony is fighting over one of its worlds against the Hivers, a powerful hostile faction (it could be anyone really; it does not change the logic), and I'm trying not to get spotted too easily by the Hivers. If I switch my transponder off, a Hegemony picket will stop me, as this is against the law. Something is amiss here; the whole area is a battlefield! In an area where military operations are ongoing, you don't ask ships to keep broadcasting their position.

[Phenir]

This seems silly. The Hegemony is fighting over one of its worlds against the Hivers, a powerful hostile faction (it could be anyone really; it does not change the logic), and I'm trying not to get spotted too easily by the Hivers. If I switch my transponder off, a Hegemony picket will stop me, as this is against the law. Something is amiss here; the whole area is a battlefield! In an area where military operations are ongoing, you don't ask ships to keep broadcasting their position.

Why not? In a hostile scenario anyone that doesn't identify themselves could be an enemy performing stealth operations or illegal actions. Just because a war is going on doesn't mean the law stops being a thing.

[Bungee_man]

I do think it'd be reasonable for factions to say "yeah, fair, I wouldn't be signaling my position either", if their system is experiencing heavy pirate activity and you're on good terms with them. Would make reputation feel a bit more meaningful, given that the patrol inspection frequency thing is more of a soft mechanic that's easy to miss.

Nexerelin could then expand that criteria to include invasions.

[Siffrin]

In the tutorial the station commander gives you permission to keep your transponder off as you sneak into Derinkuyu Mining Station. It'd be nice to see this mechanic return for when you're cooperative with a faction and they have an active system bounty.

[TheCaptain]

In the past (~15th to 18th century, probably other times too), armies used brightly colored uniforms. So its not completely unrealistic that being able to see allies is valued above allies not being seen by the enemies.
This probably applies even more to some kind of freelancer like the player that is not technically a member of the army.

[Nettle]

Expectation: patrols let player run without identification because their system is overrun by pirates.

In-game: patrols hault you for questioning if you run without identification even when their system is overrun by pirates.

Reality: patrols shoot on sight anything running without identification for safety's sake because their system is overrun by pirates.

[Worldtraveller]

In the tutorial the station commander gives you permission to keep your transponder off as you sneak into Derinkuyu Mining Station. It'd be nice to see this mechanic return for when you're cooperative with a faction and they have an active system bounty.

This would be a neat addition to the dialogue options. When entering a system (with transponder on), dock with a friendly station and talk to the Station Commander and ask permission to run silent to help hunt pirates. There could maybe be a small fee (not SP, just a 'paperwork fee') to allow it.

[vorpal+5]

I have been pondering this and the first reply to my remark yesterday. I still don't think it's fair, under certain conditions. Precedents from the middle ages may not really apply, I believe, so the closest parallel could be a modern-day mercenary group. If they are fighting alongside a regular army, they would likely have an identification procedure to avoid being mistaken for enemies by the regular army, but they would certainly not broadcast their position. This was essentially what I was forced to do. I was allied with the Hegemony, fought some battles with them against the Hivers (replace them with Pirates, it works the same), but at one point a Hegemony patrol stopped me and demanded I turn my transponder ON, damaging our relations. It really broke my suspension of disbelief.

I don't know if Alex will be willing to introduce an ID code and procedure that only apply to two factions, but if not, then the transponder rules should be relaxed under certain system conditions.

[vorpal+5]

As in "Hello baddies, I'm there!"

Returning to the subject, being forced to set transponder ON on a patrolled system, with a pirate base presence is not logical. I'm a mercenary group, why do I want to broadcast my position to pirates?
I had previously the issue with being caught by Hegemony with which I had a commission, while fighting several battles with them against a third party. It's nonsensical too.

[Nettle]

Returning to the subject, being forced to set transponder ON on a patrolled system, with a pirate base presence is not logical. I'm a mercenary group, why do I want to broadcast my position to pirates?

So the patrols know that you are, well, not pirates.

[vorpal+5]

Indeed, but that's not how it works in the real world. You can and should IFF, but that's not a general omnidirectional broadcast!

[Thaago]

Merged into the topic from a few weeks ago on the same subject.

[majk]

Just be grateful that they don't shoot first and ask question later, it would certainly be less dangerous to shoot first with pirates and whatnot rampaging in the system.

[Tempest]

Something is amiss here; the whole area is a battlefield! In an area where military operations are ongoing, you don't ask ships to keep broadcasting their position.

The thing that is amiss is the fact that your civilian ship is flying in a war zone, not your transponder.

Modern civilian aircraft is not allowed to enter airspace where combat operations are ongoing. They probably don't even want to in the first place. They don't turn off their transponders.

Military aircraft use IFF systems to keep track of their own forces. Their orders are to either hold fire, attack only identified hostiles, or attack any hostile or unidentified aircraft. So the whole idea of turning off your transponder makes you a rule breaker either way.

[vorpal+5]

Except I'm not a civilian, I'm a mercenary with a commission and I have helped the regular forces defeat their foe.

Listen, I'll stop discussing the subject, it seems obvious no one but me sees a problem, so that's on me.