Elite: Dangerous - Design Decision Forum

[NigelJK]

Was it just me or did I get a hint that you can have a career as a 'baddie' and still make it to Elite?

[Cody]

I certainly hope you can... it's a legitimate career choice!

[Gimi]

Revised proposal and latest summary about shields in Elite Dangerous

After *a lot* of consideration, here is a revised shield system rules set for you guys and gals to consider. It’s in some ways quite a departure from the first proposal.

We had a few goals that we wanted to achieve:

• A rules set where there were more chances to “break” shields and directly attack the ship without making shields pointless
• The ability to dynamically “buff” specific shields
• Lots of customisation potential

This is the result. I’ll leave this thread up for a week or so, then take the comments and fire off the internal proposal. I'm still a little worried about the complextity, though we have tried to move much of this onto ship outfitting, where player's will have more time to peruse options. I've also decided to avoid shield penetration (in my opinion it makes less sense when shields will break more often). Anyway, have a gander!

Shield System

Components

• Shield Zone – a section of ship protected by shields
• Shield Emitters – A hull element (physical entity) on the hull of a ship representing a shield zone
• Shield Generator Module – determines properties of a shield zone:
  • Recharge rate – how quickly a shield zone’s health replenishes
  • Resistances - damage below this value is deflected without affecting shield health
    • Resistances can be damage type specific
  • Health modifiers – modifies the base health value of a shield cell (see below)
  • Heat – determines how much heat is generated when the shield zone is active
  • Power draw – determines how much power is drawn when the shield zone is active
• Shield Bank Module – a powered module that can hold a number of shield cells
• Shield Cells – munitions that determine a shield zone’s base health
• Configuration
  • A shield system for a ship has a set number of shield zones and associated emitters
    • The layout of shield zones is set and cannot be changed
  • Each shield zone can be assigned a number of shield cells from the shield bank
    • This assignation can be changed dynamically using a cockpit interface
    • All shield cells in the shield bank must be identical
  • Each shield zone can be connected to one or more shield generator modules
    • This assignation can be changed when docked
    • This assignation can be changed dynamically by physical interaction (not in first release)

Operation

• The values for each shield zone are derived from the combined values of all assigned shield generators and the first assigned shield cell (called the active shield cell)
• As a shield zone receives damage the health is reduced
  • Different weapon types can do increased or reduced damage to shields
• When not under attack shield health replenishes
• When a shield zone is reduced to zero health the shield cell “shorts”
  • If there are additional shield cells assigned a new shield cell is activated after a delay (seconds)
  • A “shorted” shield cell resets after a delay (minutes)

Shields would start to recharge after no more than a second or so of suffering an attack.

A collision would count as an attack - the shields are there to prevent damage.

Resistance is our preferred solution to the situation where a tiny ship attacks a huge, heavily shield ship. If a weapon's damage value cannot overcome the shield's resistance value then the damage is deflected completely.

Interestingly, a few points which we have talked about internally lots but I now notice are conspicuous by their absence (sorry, this always happens when we designers go over and over... and over and over something ):

* Damage dealt to a shield from multiple sources within a short time period (fractions of a second) are likely to be added together. This would mean that *lots* of little ships could potentially damage a heavily resistant shield.

* Ships can pass through shields without trouble, though shields react to each other. This would mean that a tiny ship could potentially lower any shields and fly into the shield zone of a much bigger ship, rendering the shield ineffective.

Hopefully the diagram makes the proposal a little clearer.

1. The power plant provides power to the generators
2. The powered generators provide a resistive force (shield resistance) along with the shield itself
3. The shield emitter actually produces the shield zone based on the attributes of the combined generators assigned to it
4. Incoming damage to the shield zone is either deflected due to the shield resistance or funnelled through the shield into the assigned shield cells
5. The shield bank holds all the individual shield cells but each shield cell is assigned to a specific emitter and can be changed in flight
6. Damage funnelled from the shield zone to a shield cell causes that cell to lose health (i.e. the cell stores the energy of the attack and then slowly releases it safely in the form or heat, but too much heat causes it to shut down)
7. A burnt out shield cell requires a cool down period before it can be used again
8. Other cells assigned to the same emitter activate in turn after each burns out providing a slight opening where the shield is left open

The shield bank is a single ship module as are the shield generators. Shield cells are placed within the shield bank.

Let me know if there is anything else that needs clarifying.

[Gimi]

Next topic in the DDF
"Whenever we needed money, we'd rob the airport" Crime in Elite: Dangerous

Hello Guys and Gals!

I'm very sorry for the delay; things have been a bit hectic! But anyway, here's the deal for the weekend and next week:

* Early next week I might hopefully be able to reveal our finalised rules set for hyperspace.
* I'm temporarily closing the ratings and reputations thread so that we can get an update sorted and dished up here for interrogation - probably mid-next week.
* And here is the next topic waiting for the bright light of the DDF to cast aside nefarious shadows of bad design!

It's another big one, which has proved challenging to say the least getting the initial proposal together, but lots of fun all the same. I hope you enjoy dissecting it and we look forward to your observations! I think it's fairly comprehensive, so enjoy trying to prove me wrong!

Personally I'm a little unsure about the potential number of different bounties and fines that a commander could have knocking about, even though it would allow me to do my best (terrible) Star Wars impression and declare: "I have the death sentence in twelve systems!"

Also, what do you make of the potential for "sanctuary" by fleeing from the jurisdiction of one faction to another? Is this cool, or is it going to force people apart?

And finally, I wonder if anyone will want to comment on the fact that all crimes are basically auto-reported (except in a lawless area)?

Note that I've kept away from talking about a potential criminality reputation, as this will do nothing more than modify non-crime response of NPCs and event/mission generation.

Some useful headings:

Crimes
Factions
Fines
Bounties
Multiplayer
Jurisdictions
Detection

Well, have a gander, and of course a good weekend!

Crimes

• There are a set number of recognised crimes:
  • Collisions – colliding with a ship or owned structure enough to cause damage is considered a relatively minor crime
  • Attack – opening fire/employing aggressive systems against an owned structure is considered a serious crime
  • Murder/Ship Destruction – causing death/destruction of an owned structure is a very serious crime
  • Stolen Goods – Being detected carrying stolen goods is considered a minor crime
  • Illegal Goods – Being detected carrying goods that are classified as illegal in the current system is considered a minor crime
    • Jettisoning toxic waste is counted as the Illegal Goods crime
  • Obstructing Justice – ignoring a request from the local authorities (such as fleeing instead of stopping to allow a scan or trespassing in restricted space) is considered a crime
• Crimes are effectively always “seen” in a mechanical sense
  • This effect allows reputations to alter and to alter the mix when events and missions are generated
  • There is no guaranteed response beyond what was present when the crime was committed
  • A criminal must be detected as such before a response can occur

Detection

• The commander is always aware of their current fines and bounties
• A close range active scan of a ship will reveal any outstanding crimes in the form of a fine or bounty
  • Upgrades to sensors can increase the range, decrease the scan time and mask the scan
  • Criminal data obtained via a scan has a time limit, after which the data becomes obsolete and a new scan must be initiated
  • This is the primary method of detection by authorities
    • If a crime is scanned and detected by an authority vessel system
    space docks automatically detect the crime
• Various locations have “most wanted” bulletin boards which effectively “scan” a criminal so that their fine/bounty is visible when they are encountered
  • Such notices may also hint at where the criminal has been and/or currently is
  • Like scans, data obtained from a bulletin board has a time limit, after which it becomes obsolete
• When docking there is a chance, based on the severity of the commander’s unanswered crimes and the lawfulness of the space dock, that the ship will be scanned and crimes detected

Exemptions, Factions and Jurisdiction

• Crimes are the same for all factions, however, they are not always active:
  • Illegal goods vary from system to system, determining whether this crime is active or not – though fines and bounties gained this way are persistent
  • Imperial Letters of Marque, Federal Contracts and Corporate Sponsorships deactivate the crime of Attack, Collision and Stolen Goods within a designated jurisdiction against vessels and structures with open allegiance to designated factions
  • Specific military missions and events disable Attack, Collision and Murder within a designated jurisdiction against vessels and structures with open allegiance to designated factions
  • Specific independent systems may be more or less concerned with the law. Attack, Collision, Murder and Stolen Goods may be inactive within the jurisdiction except against authority vessels
• There are three major factions: the Federation, The Empire and the Alliance
  • Any system allied or under the direct control of a faction is interested in crimes committed in its jurisdiction (systems where there is a relevant authority presence)
  • Crimes committed outside this jurisdiction are ignored
  • Fines can be claimed/paid at space docks inside the jurisdiction
  • Bounties can only be claimed at space docks inside the jurisdiction
  • Factional fines and bounties do not expire – they must be paid or removed by completing events/missions
• There are systems not under the influence or control of the three major factions, instead run by independent organisations (sometimes legally recognised, other times not)
  • Crimes committed in these systems generate system fines and bounties
    • A system fine or bounty will not expire whilst the commander remains in the system
    • Once outside of the system the fine/bounty will expire after a game time delay
      • Re-entering the system resets any active timer
    • System fines and bounties can only be paid off/collected at a space dock within the system
• A commander can have multiple fines/bounties (one for each of the three major factions and any number of temporary system ones)
• There are systems, including many (but not all) dark systems and anarchies, that have no meaningful concept of law
  • No crimes are reported in such systems – commanders travel here at their peril
  • Authority vessels and structures can arrive at such systems – whilst they are present crimes are reported as if the appropriate faction permanently controlled the system

Punishment

• There are four forms of punishment for committing a crime:
  • Fines – automatically created when the crime is committed
    • Fine amounts are based on the crime committed
    • Fines are factional or system-based
    • Below a set threshold, fines can be paid off at an appropriate space dock
    • If detected whilst docked, a fine must be paid before launching is allowed
    • Once fines breach a set threshold they become a bounty
    • Events and missions can be generated that have the ability to modify or remove fines
  • Bounties – these are basically large fines that have the following additional rules:
    • Bounties are factional or system based
    • Within the jurisdiction of the bounty the commander may be legally and freely attacked
    • The ship that caused catastrophic damage receives a bounty information data block which can be traded in at an appropriate space dock for the reward
    • Commanders with bounties can be attacked outside of the appropriate jurisdiction for a bounty data block – though the act of attacking may itself constitute a crime if in a different faction’s jurisdiction
    • Events and missions can be generated that have the ability to modify or remove bounties
  • Authority response – being detected as a criminal may result in direct action:
    • Local space docks automatically detect crimes when docking
    • Direct attack will occur in the case of a bounty
    • A heavier authority presence may occur if enough crimes are committed at a location
    • Events may be generated that have corrupt authority vessels willing to “look the other way” for a price etc.
  • Multiplayer - crimes against human commanders that cause a bounty to exist make the criminal able to be matched with any other human commander present in the “all players” group
    • This punishment lasts for a set amount of game time
    • Bulletin board “most wanted” notices are generated to help bounty hunters track the criminal commander down

[Cody]

Very interesting, and those proposals seems to make some sense to me... thanks, Gimi.

[Fatleaf]

This is looking to be a lot of fun. I am glad it will also be available as a solo adventure as well. Never been keen on the MMO crowd. But I might get involved a bit with the Oolite armada.

I read that in MMO's people form Guilds. Is there going to be one called 'The House of Giles'?

[Gimi]

Latest update on Hyperspace jumps from the DDF

Hello Backers!

Here is the hyperspace rules set that we've agreed on, following another set of extensive debate, both in the team and on the forum. We'd like to thank everyone for their involvement! As with the Death Penalty thread this will stay here for a few days, then be moved to the archives section.

Cheers,
-Mike

Hyperspace Rules

Before the player can initiate a hyperspace jump they must set the final destination of the journey:

• The player selects a destination using a galactic map navigation interface

• The destination choice is hard-limited by several factors:
  • The amount of fuel available determines the maximum distance of a trip
    • Ships have an internal fuel capacity – additional fuel can be carried as cargo and transferred to the ship’s tank
  • The basic jump range of the ship’s hyperdrive, determines the distance of each step of the trip
    • Different hyperdrives have different capabilities
      • Jump range
      • Fuel efficiency
      • Charge time
    • Hyperdrives can be replaced with better models to increase capabilities
  • Jump locations available to their star map determine the route of the trip
• The player may also have access to additional information that could inform their decisions:
  • Activity heat maps for trade, piracy, conflicts etc.
  • Hyperspace tracking/prediction devices to monitor local ship activity
• A hyperspace journey may comprise of a number of jumps depending on the distance travelled
• When inputting a journey, there may be multiple routes available to choose from
• Once a destination has been inputted the hyperdrive can be engaged

Once a journey has been set, the player can engage the hyperdrive:

• When the hyperdrive is engaged it begins to draw power from the ship’s power plant until it is fully charged:
  • The hyperdrive cannot be initiated if its power draw would make the total power draw of the ship exceed the ship’s power plant capacity
  • • The player can disable power safeguards to enable the plant to run at over 100%, suffering fatigue damage in the process
    • The player can turn off other powered systems to free up capacity for the hyperdrive
  • The hyperdrive cannot be initiated when the ship is too close to a celestial body or large man-made structure; the ship must use in-system travel to reach a minimum jump distance
  • To create a safe transit the hyperdrive must perform real-time changes based on ship’s power draw; changes to the ship’s total power draw (up or down) slow the charge rate by a percentage value for a duration
    • The percentage value and duration is based on the quality of the hyperdrive
  • The hyperdrive is sensitive to interference caused by incoming attacks; when an attack impacts on the hull or shields, the hyperdrive’s charge rate is slowed by a percentage value for a duration
    • This effect cannot stack with itself
    • The percentage value and duration is based on the quality of the hyperdrive
  • Special exotic modules can be fitted to ships which when activated interfere with a targeted hyperdrive in range, slowing down charge rates by a percentage value whilst active
    • This effect cannot stack with itself
    • The percentage value and duration is based on the quality of the module versus the quality of the hyperdrive
  • A hyperdrive module that has suffered damage may suffer a malfunction when initiated
    • The charge rate may be impaired
      • The percentage value and duration is based on the severity of the malfunction
    • The hyperdrive may misfire, becoming inoperable for a short duration whilst it runs diagnostics, after which it can be initiated again
    • The charging process may generate extra heat
    • The hyperdrive may misjump
  • Whilst charging the hyperdrive generates heat
• Once the hyperdrive is fully charged it activates:
  • The appropriate amount of fuel is removed
  • The drive discharges all power
  • The ship enters hyperspace
  • Time-based effects (charging shields etc.) continue as normal during a hyperspace transition
  • A residual opening is left, which dissipates over a duration (up to minutes)
• After a delay (a few seconds) the ship exits hyperspace at the destination area
  • If the journey consists of more than one jump the hyperdrive automatically begins to charge for the next jump
  • The player can cancel/pause the journey at this point
• Certain types of hyperdrive can use fuel upgrades, and modules are available to allow normal hyperdrives to use them
  • Fuel upgrades are carried as cargo units and can be committed to a hyperdrive jump whilst a route is being plotted
  • Fuel upgrades increase the capabilities of the hyperdrive for a single jump
  • Fuel upgrades produce dangerous waste as cargo units

These multiple jumps for a journey can go via dark systems, rogue bodies surrounded by lightless, dust-filled space, which will:

• Support all sorts of interesting encounters in their own right
• Become useful physical star map locations to discover
• Allow multiple routes to a destination
• Allow players to meet each other far from civilization

There are actions that players can take which directly interact with hyperspace jumps:

• Players that have become Allies (an explicit in game selection of a "friends" flag) can slave their ships together and jump as a single entity
  • All ships involved must fully charge their hyperdrive before the jump is initiated
  • If any of the ships suffers a misjump, all ships misjump together
  • Each slave jumping ship must remain within a set range to at least one other slave ship
    • If this distance link is broken, the jump is aborted for all slaved ships
  • For each additional slaved ship the chance of a malfunction causing a misjump is lowered
  • Ally groups enable the strongest match-making rules, prioritizing the integrity of the group over match ups with other players if it would result in splitting the allies group
• Using specialized ship modules a residual opening can be analyzed to determine the exit point of the hyperspace jump
  • This analysis takes an amount of time
  • It takes at least as long as the time window for tailgating (so you can’t do both)
  • It must fully complete before the residual opening dissipates to give a result
  • Analysis of a miss jump gives the original target as the result, with a probability of a misjump based on how quickly the analysis was started after the jump occured
• Ships can target a residual opening and attempt to “tailgate” after the ship that jumped
  • The tailgater must be in close proximity to the residual opening and activate the hyperdrive
    • The time window for tailgating is a fraction of residual opening’s total existence time
    • There is a significant reduction in charge time for tailgating
    • Fuel is expended for the jump as normal
      • If the tailgater does not have enough fuel to reach the destination they misjump
    • If the actual jump range is greater than the tailgater’s hyperdrive capability they misjump
    • The closer the residual opening is to dissipating when the tailgate jump is initiated the greater the chance of a misjump
    • The tailgater suffers an amount of hull/module damage during the jump based on how close the residual opening is to dissipating
    • If successful, the tailgater appears very close to arrival point of the tailgated vessel

• Special ship modules exist that when active can give brief forewarning of ships about to arrive nearby at a location
• Specialised munitions can be obtained which disrupt residual openings, preventing tailgating and analysis

Misjumps have their own set of rules:

• Misjumps can result from a number of scenarios
  • A hyperdrive malfunction can result in a misjump
  • A galactic map malfunction can result in a misjump
  • Activating the hyperdrive inside certain space phenomena can result in a misjump
  • Attempting to tail-gate another ship’s jump can result in a misjump
• A misjump transports the ship to a new destination
  • This distance between the new destination and the target destination is a random value based on the distance travelled (the longer the jump, the greater the misjump range potential)
  • The misjump destination may be the outer limits of an inhabited system, or a dark system
    • Such systems may not yet be in the player’s galactic map
  • Very rarely, a misjump can result in turning up somewhere else
• After a misjump, the hyperdrive automatically runs a diagnostics test for a duration before it can be charged again
• There is no way to force a misjump other than directly sabotaging the hyperdrive module to guarantee a malfunction

[DaddyHoggy]

Oh, no forced misjumps...

But it looks like the mechanics have been nicely thought through and I like the idea of tying up with friends and jumping together...

[drew]

Oh, no forced misjumps...

Indeed. That was a bit of an annoying one for me!

Cheers,

Drew.

[Gimi]

Oh, no forced misjumps...

They have left a small opening though:

There is no way to force a misjump other than directly sabotaging the hyperdrive module to guarantee a malfunction

Not sure what they mean by this, but maybe you can fiddle with your own ships systems.

[Gimi]

Updated proposal on Crime from FD.

"Negotiation's over. Sentence is death." Crime in Elite: Dangerous

Hi Guys!

I'm Dan, a member of the design team and I will be joining in on the DDF from now on in.

We've had a good think about the crime proposal that we put forward and the discussion that followed and have put together an updated proposal for you guys to mull over. Enjoy!

Crimes
There are a set number of recognised crimes, they come in two severities:

• Minor – Punishment by fine
  • Unlawful Discharge - Unauthorized firing of weapons near a structure or ship of authority
  • Collisions – Colliding with a ship or owned structure enough to cause damage
    • Collision happens when two objects collide higher than a set speed between them
    • Collision will not happen if you have shields up and have a flight speed of half this speed above
    • Above this speed a collision will occur and both parties will be blamed with the consequences, unless one party does not have their shields activated or has them polarized (an explicit player option for penetrating other’s shields), in which case they will take the blame.
      • For example:
      • If a one ship has no shields up and slams into a larger ship that has their shields safely up, the blame falls entirely on the unshielded player
      • If two shielded players collide below the safe speed, their shields will soak the momentum of the collision
      • If two shielded players collide above the safe speed they will receive equal punishment for the collision
      • Likewise if two unshielded players collide, they will both be punished
  • Stolen Goods – Being detected carrying stolen goods
  • Illegal Goods – Being detected carrying goods that are classified as illegal in the current system
    • Jettisoning toxic waste is counted as the Illegal Goods crime
  • Obstructing Justice – ignoring a request from the local authorities (such as fleeing instead of stopping to allow a scan or trespassing in restricted space)

• Major– Punishment by bounty
  • Attack on a ship or structure– firing on an owned structure or locking on and firing at a ship
  • Murder/Ship Destruction – causing death/destruction of an owned structure
    • This includes destruction through collision

Once the commander’s outstanding fines have reached above a certain threshold they will receive a bounty

Detection

• All crimes are logged by the ship but there will be no consequences until the crimes are detected via a scan
• If there is any form of authority presence when I commit the crime it is automatically detected, if this is a minor crime then I will be fined the next time I dock
• A close range active scan of a ship will reveal any outstanding crimes in the form of a fine or bounty. Scans can happen when a ship docks or be carried out directly by law enforcement
  • Upgrades to sensors can increase the range, decrease the scan time and mask the scan
  • Criminal data obtained via a scan has a time limit, after which the data becomes obsolete and a new scan must be initiated
  • Bounty data about another ship can be acquired via scanning and sold by the player for a nominal fee
  • This is the primary method of detection by authorities
    • If a crime is scanned and detected by an authority vessel system space docks automatically detect the crime
• The commander is always aware of their own fines and bounties
• Various locations have “most wanted” bulletin boards which provide a remote scan of a criminal with a bounty so that the player can then hunt them down if they choose
• Such notices may also hint at where the criminal has been and/or currently is
• Like scans, data obtained from a bulletin board has a time limit, after which it becomes obsolete
• When docking there is a chance, based on the commander’s criminality reputation, that the ship will be scanned and crimes detected.
• If a player is caught carrying illegal goods in a routine check, they will then be checked again for other crimes.

Punishment
There are four forms of punishment for committing a crime:

• Fines – automatically created when the crime is committed
  • Fine amounts are based on the crime committed
  • Fines are factional or system-based
  • Below a set threshold, fines can be paid off at an appropriate space dock
  • If detected whilst docked, a fine must be paid before launching is allowed
  • Once fines breach a set threshold they become a bounty
  • Events and missions can be generated that have the ability to modify or remove fines
• Bounties – these are basically large fines that have the following additional rules:
  • Bounties are factional or system based
  • Within the jurisdiction of the bounty the commander may be legally and freely attacked
  • Commanders can only legitimately attack a ship once they have scanned to confirm/discover that the ship has a bounty.
  • The ship that fired the last shot receives the kill and can then acquire the bounty data with a scan of the dead ship, which can then be traded in at an appropriate space dock for the reward
  • If a group of allied ships cooperate on a kill, they share the bounty
  • Commanders with bounties can be attacked outside of the appropriate jurisdiction for a bounty data block – though the act of attacking may itself constitute a crime if in a different faction’s jurisdiction
  • Events and missions can be generated that have the ability to modify or remove bounties
• Authority response – being detected as a criminal may result in direct action:
  • Once crimes have been detected, they are automatically detected by all ports within that faction.
  • Direct attack will occur in the case of a bounty
  • A heavier authority presence may occur if enough crimes are committed at a location
  • Events may be generated that have corrupt authority vessels willing to “look the other way” for a price etc.
• Multiplayer - crimes against human commanders that cause a bounty to exist make the criminal able to be matched with any other human commander present in the “all players” group
  • This punishment lasts for a set amount of game time
  • Bulletin board “most wanted” notices are generated to help bounty hunters track the criminal commander down

Exemptions, Factions and Jurisdiction

• Crimes are the same for all factions, however, they are not always active:
  • Once a player has been locked onto then fired upon by another player they have the right to retaliate and defend themselves without consequence.
  • Illegal goods vary from system to system, determining whether this crime is active or not – though fines and bounties gained this way are persistent
  • Imperial Letters of Marque, Federal Contracts and Corporate Sponsorships deactivate the crime of Attack, Collision and Stolen Goods within a designated jurisdiction against vessels and structures with open allegiance to designated factions
  • Specific military missions and events disable Attack, Damage, Collision and Murder within a designated jurisdiction against vessels and structures with open allegiance to designated factions
  • Specific independent systems may be more or less concerned with the law. Attack, Collision, Murder and Stolen Goods may be inactive within the jurisdiction except against authority vessels
• There are three major factions: the Federation, The Empire and the Alliance
  • Any system allied or under the direct control of a faction is interested in crimes committed in its jurisdiction (systems where there is a relevant authority presence)
  • Crimes committed outside this jurisdiction are ignored
  • Fines can be claimed/paid at space docks inside the jurisdiction
  • Bounties can only be claimed at space docks inside the jurisdiction
  • Factional fines and bounties do not expire – they must be paid or removed by completing events/missions
• There are systems not under the influence or control of the three major factions, instead run by independent organisations (sometimes legally recognised, other times not)
  • Crimes committed in these systems generate system fines and bounties
    • A system fine or bounty will not expire whilst the commander remains in the system
    • Once outside of the system the fine/bounty will expire after a game time delay
      • Re-entering the system resets any active timer
    • System fines and bounties can only be paid off/collected at a space dock within the system
    • Independent systems honour ALL faction bounties - anyone can freely attack a bounty ship without fear of authorities
• A commander can have multiple fines/bounties (one for each of the three major factions and any number of temporary system ones)
• There are systems, including many (but not all) dark systems and anarchies, that have no meaningful concept of law
  • No crimes are reported in such systems – commanders travel here at their peril
  • Authority vessels and structures can arrive at such systems – whilst they are present crimes are reported as if the appropriate faction permanently controlled the system

[Commander McLane]

All crimes are logged by the ship but there will be no consequences until the crimes are detected via a scan

I don't like this very much.

It's not completely clear from the rest whether there will be a routine scan of your ship each time you dock, but if there is, this means that absolutely no crime can ever go undetected. It also says nothing about degradation of the log, so we have to assume that a scan will be able to detect (and lead to a punishment for) every crime you ever committed.

This seems too much like Big Brother. In effect it's total control by the authorities. It makes the job too easy for the police.

I like Oolite's model of "if the authorities don't watch it, they don't know it" much more. If Frontier wants something more than that, I'd propose the following:

Police have to collect evidence, just like in real life, in order to link you to a crime. For instance, it could be that your ship leaves a trail of tachyon radiation (or whatever technobabbely they come up with) as a unique signature, which can be traced for a period of time, until it disperses. Practically, this would mean that the authorities can identify you as the perpetrator (or at least as being present), if they arrive at a crime scene no longer than x minutes after the crime was committed. This would be an extension to Oolite's way of crime detection: the police doesn't need to be present when the crime is committed, but would also slap a bounty on your head if they came patrolling by x minutes afterwards.

But not automatical detection and logging of everything you do, which can be read out at any time. No de-facto omniscient police.

[Gimi]

See your concern, and detection has been discussed quite a bit in the DDF. (Too much to summarise here)
The model used in Elite/Oolite comes with it's own problems. Mainly it opens up for grieving and other player exploits that would not be relevant in single player.

There will be several mechanisms for avoiding scans, editing own computers, blocking scans, and so on.
The system must be balanced, and that is probably going to be quite a difficult, but as it stands, I think the proposal is OK, and better then the alternatives that have been discussed..

[willo]

I hope the game will support pentium 3 computers.

[Cody]

... nothing about degradation of the log, so we have to assume that a scan will be able to detect (and lead to a punishment for) every crime you ever committed.

If that was applied to my Oolite career, I'd have a rap sheet that'd stretch to Alpha Centauri... and back, probably!

The whole thing is becoming rather too complex for my old frazzled brain, I think.