Install Towbar and buy Laser Reductor, then you can just "convince" the pirate to abandon ship and increase your "kill count" without blowing him to bits, with the added benefit of scooping his escape capsule, potentially collecting insurance+bounty on delivery to GalCop station, and if your ship has enough mass relative to his, towing his derelict ship to a station for salvaging.Reval wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2020 7:01 am
Kill-counting in Oolite is a sticky problem, granted. Remaining 'Harmless' closes off cargo, passenger and courier work. So, again, we are forced into hacking the savegame-file.
I'd rather not kill, even in a game. And I'm sure there are others here sharing the sentiment. Something needs to be addressed in the core coding to allow for us. Really. All the newbie posts contra pirates testify to this. Game balance is all skewed against the player, and currently the only way to even the odds is to go into equipment.plist and forbid the NPCs military hardware.
Why not base the 'elite' rating on trading, rather than laser, skill? Or, better still, offer Jamesons the choice of adopting the role of Trader or Hunter, with subsequent ability to switch. Choosing Trader would empty the space-lanes of hostiles and they'd be playing in a relatively peaceable Ooniverse.
IMO fighting just strains the wrists; it's not at all enjoyable. And I'm happy to remain a humble Space Grocer.
That deals with moral objections to killing, you can defend yourself without killing, but yes, combat can be intense and does take a toll, but you can avoid the worst by not dogfighting: install a long-ranged hard-hitting aft laser or cannon (New Lasers or Laser Cannons OXPs) and run while whittling the enemies with it... that's much easier on the body than dogfighting.
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