Oolite Bulletins

I sometimes even attack assassins who are waiting for someone else...

Fine... as long as you're sure they are assassins!

Of course. But I can hear it in the radio...

Cody wrote:

The question for professional couriers is: would you assist a fellow courier being mobbed by assassins? Or would you be thankful for the diversion, and cruise blithely by?

Usually they concentrate all on me and leave the other guys alone. If there's anyone...I suspect they go down quickly or head away and I certainly have to look after myself in that situation. My current commander once saved an escape capsule from being destroyed, I think assassins are the only ones doing that ? So probably "yes".

I once escorted an escape capsule because my scoops were damaged. It took a long time, but finally we passed a group of bounty hunters (?) and one of them took care of it. Of course, I didn't get the insurance sum, but of course that's not my motivation!

Whow. I must confess, I do not have a thing like a conscience in game. I had the faintest doubt when I was assigned to kill a judge once during a Random Hits mission, but apart from that I shoot whatever disturbs my path to the station. Let that be pirates or a clean ships that mass-locks me. Escape Capsules are either ignored or taken on board to get the reward.

Cody wrote:

The question for professional couriers is: would you assist a fellow courier being mobbed by assassins? Or would you be thankful for the diversion, and cruise blithely by?

In my ooniverse couriers have a code of honour - so yes I'll gladly assist.

It is sad that the game doesn't really award "being good". There is some vague statistics controlling police and NPC behaviour depending on how the player behaves, but it's so subtle that is is hardly noticeable, if at all. I've helped police at least a hundred times, I've killed perhaps three thousand pirates, but if I accidentally hit a clean ship or a viper in a dogfight, I'm still the bad guy instantly. If I hadn't changed a config file, some traders would still run away from me, although I've defended many of them against pirates. And they still drop their cargo for pirates, even if I'm present...

The only reward for being good is that you can dock everywhere without getting fined or attacked. And of course there is the honour. And the good feeling!

Which is almost identical to real life down here on earth
If you are not caught, you remain clean forever.
If you are caught, it does not really matter, how long and how much you have been on the good side.

Last night, I went to the aid of a fellow courier in an Asp. Unless already badly damaged, my ROE require it.
Thing is, while I was fragging assassins, the Asp went on its way - thanking me profusely, but not helping.

@ralph_hh: It does matter - every judge should look at the past life! And every civilised law distinguishes between accidental and intentional, but Oolite law doesn't.

@cody: I noticed that too... NPCs don't behave very thankfully. I've helped assassins against Thargoids. First they thanked me for helping, then they attacked me...

Fritz wrote:

I've helped assassins against Thargoids.

I'd be more inclined to lead a bunch of assassins into interstellar space, rather than help them!

I did that once, but must of them jumped out again... actually saving me because I didn't have enough fuel. It turned out to be a very risky strategy!

In the case I mentioned I didn't know they were assassins.

Cody wrote:

Last night, I went to the aid of a fellow courier in an Asp.

Ho on earth do you determine if the ASP is a courier? Or a pirate who is yet undiscovered by Galcop? Or a trader? Or an assassin waiting for someone else? Or just a rich tourist having a trip to see space?

ralph_hh wrote:

Ho on earth do you determine if the ASP is a courier?

Clean ships of certain types, attacking a clean ship of a certain type (and sometimes the comms make it clear too).