[Suggestion] Non-lethal response to criminal traffic

[maderas]

I realize this would be very low on the list of priorities but it would be cool if there was an EMP gun or something you used to disable criminal traffic and then a station police vehicle flew up to simulate arrest, or some other less-than-lethal method of policing them. While summary execution of smugglers and escaped convicts is fitting for factions like the Split or maybe Paranid, it feels a little weird when Argon station security contacts me with a wink, smile, and 500 credit reward after watching me machine gun a tourist bus while the occupants wail and beg for mercy over the radio.

[Otas Elite]

Naaa killing the guy who stole some ice cream is the only morally justified solution.

[Socratatus]

I realize this would be very low on the list of priorities but it would be cool if there was an EMP gun or something you used to disable criminal traffic and then a station police vehicle flew up to simulate arrest, or some other less-than-lethal method of policing them. While summary execution of smugglers and escaped convicts is fitting for factions like the Split or maybe Paranid, it feels a little weird when Argon station security contacts me with a wink, smile, and 500 credit reward after watching me machine gun a tourist bus while the occupants wail and beg for mercy over the radio.

Agreed. I have also mentioned this. I don't like killing people for just nicking stuff or minor crimes except murder. Arrest fine, a Court of Law can figure it out.

It's why whenever I target a criminal I press `C` first to give him a chance to surrender. Of course, he never does cos he's not scripted to surrender or explain his situation. And then when I shoot him he goes, "Mercy!" but still won't surrender. And dies.

I would like a mode to call them and demand their surrender cos they're wanted and sometimes for them to say, "Fair cop, Guv!" and be escorted to a cop vehicle or whatever.

[Loltak]

You're not alone, I always feel bad when I shot one of them .
I know it's part of the game, and "just" a game but yeah most of the time I avoid shooting at them.

[PersonyPerson]

I thought about this too.

Though I'd expect the Split, Terrans and Paranid to just destroy someone without a trial based on their governments and culture. Argon, Teladi and Boron tend to be viewed as more reasonable and probably have more fair judicial systems in place.

So if this were to be implemented, it would have to make sense to that.

[chew-ie]

Sounds very nice indeed!

My scale-o-escalation would look like this:

• ARG, ANT, BOR, RIP: non-lethal
• TEL, MIN, VIG: bribe or non-lethal
• SPL, PAR, HOP, TER: lethal*

We could use the stun-them-and-grab-them-mechanic for two things: deliver criminals to prisons or deliver bounties to bounty-hunter-guildes.

* we could collect their .... dog-tags.

[Falcrack]

I was thinking about this the other day. I once heard advice that we should not do stuff in a game that we wouldn't do in real life. Like steal, murder, etc. I think it is a bit corrosive to our souls when we do morally bad stuff, even in a fictional game. The thing is, killing civilian traffic is just such an easy way to get rep in the game. I justify it thinking they each had a death sentence already.

[PersonyPerson]

My scale-o-escalation would look like this:

• ARG, ANT, BOR, RIP: non-lethal
• TEL, MIN, VIG: bribe or non-lethal
• SPL, PAR, HOP, TER: lethal*

Some Teladi criminals bribing you to get you off their tail sounds very fitting for them. I like it. Vigor Syndicate however would just blow you up if you crossed with them, like the rest in the lethal category.

Perhaps the way to stun them would be to use anti-shield weaponry of various forms.

[Socratatus]

I was thinking about this the other day. I once heard advice that we should not do stuff in a game that we wouldn't do in real life. Like steal, murder, etc. I think it is a bit corrosive to our souls when we do morally bad stuff, even in a fictional game. The thing is, killing civilian traffic is just such an easy way to get rep in the game. I justify it thinking they each had a death sentence already.

I'm very similar, I do everything not to steal (unless desperate for heals/not to starve, ie in rpgs) and won't murder. I won't kill unless in self defence or to keep others safe. Killing civilian `criminal` traffic and having no idea why trips my conscience even in a game...

But everyone's different and it IS a game. Not everyone thinks like us. I am reminded of playing Morrowind like this ages ago and invited a friend to play and the first thing he did was to just start nicking everything in the starting area then sold it for cash, completely opposite to me. lol!

[Zloth2]

I like this idea, too, but I'm not sure how to give everybody's ship some non-lethal weapons. And would the non-lethal version mean I don't get yelled at if I miss the criminal and hit the station?

Naaa killing the guy who stole some ice cream is the only morally justified solution.

Killing the people the guy on the radio said stole some ice cream. For all we know, the guy on the radio stole the ice cream and is just removing witnesses.

[Blitz4]

Q: Do you still need a Police License to legally eliminate criminal traffic?

[Socratatus]

Q: Do you still need a Police License to legally eliminate criminal traffic?

This one is a good question. Sometimes no, sometimes yes. I can shoot criminals for a bit without a licence before I get a warning and I am the criminal! Still not quite sure how that works. Maybe they don't mind at first then are like, "We can't have vigilantes around here!"

[MageKingS70]

Q: Do you still need a Police License to legally eliminate criminal traffic?

No. The only difference a Police License makes is that you earn more credits from doing so (1500 instead of 500).

This one is a good question. Sometimes no, sometimes yes. I can shoot criminals for a bit without a licence before I get a warning and I am the criminal! Still not quite sure how that works. Maybe they don't mind at first then are like, "We can't have vigilantes around here!"

If they get mad at you, it's usually because you shot someone else; this is usually because there was a civilian right behind your target, or you shot the station too many times. You'll never get in trouble just for shooting criminals. The other possibility is that station security detected illegal goods on your ship, which can take you by surprise because, unlike police ships, they don't ask you to stop so they can scan you—you'll just instantly get in trouble and might have to check your log to find out why. This is particularly annoying if you only have the illegal goods because you flew through the wreckage of the criminal you just blew up and picked up their spacefly eggs, or whatever. Fortunately, all police hostility is just temporary as long as you don't kill them, so you can just fly away until they calm down.

[geldonyetich]

Honestly I am more inclined to remove it entirely. It's annoying for the station controller to suddenly yell at you to stop that ship when you don't need the faction points. And when you do need the faction points, sniping a helpless ship is an overly easy way to earn it.

This is probably part of a bigger discussion related to an overhaul of the entire faction point system. One thing I was thinking might work to to slowly have your faction points pulled towards neutral over time, so you're going to need to keep doing favors, trading, or whatever to keep faction perks.

[Socratatus]

Q: Do you still need a Police License to legally eliminate criminal traffic?

No. The only difference a Police License makes is that you earn more credits from doing so (1500 instead of 500).

This one is a good question. Sometimes no, sometimes yes. I can shoot criminals for a bit without a licence before I get a warning and I am the criminal! Still not quite sure how that works. Maybe they don't mind at first then are like, "We can't have vigilantes around here!"

The other possibility is that station security detected illegal goods on your ship, which can take you by surprise because, unlike police ships, they don't ask you to stop so they can scan you—you'll just instantly get in trouble and might have to check your log to find out why. This is particularly annoying if you only have the illegal goods because you flew through the wreckage of the criminal you just blew up and picked up their spacefly eggs, or whatever. Fortunately, all police hostility is just temporary as long as you don't kill them, so you can just fly away until they calm down.

It has to be this cos I'm extremely careful not to hit criminal ships with the Station in the background! I didn't know Stations could scan me like that! And you're right- there's absolutely NO warning that they're scanning you! Wow.

I can't believe that the Devs never implemented any kind of Station warning at all that they may or will scan you, like the cops do. There's not even any kind of indication from your own ship! That's a pretty huge oversight.

[Fatsack]

I realize this would be very low on the list of priorities but it would be cool if there was an EMP gun or something you used to disable criminal traffic and then a station police vehicle flew up to simulate arrest, or some other less-than-lethal method of policing them. While summary execution of smugglers and escaped convicts is fitting for factions like the Split or maybe Paranid, it feels a little weird when Argon station security contacts me with a wink, smile, and 500 credit reward after watching me machine gun a tourist bus while the occupants wail and beg for mercy over the radio.

I agree. The game is as vast as an ocean, but only an inch deep. I want more depth to the interactions, gameplay, immersiveness. I want to interact on the micro scale, getting involved in a lovers quarrel on the docks of a trade station, AND on the macro scale, commanding fleets from the bridge of a battleship and disintegrating entire stations.