An opposing force to the sleeper killers.

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:57 pm

This is the first time I am doing this so be nice.

Idea:

As a new way to get money and EXP.
A tow service can be created for those people that aren't so evil as to kill people while they sleep.

The purpose of this idea is as stated above, to give an alternate way of earning money and exp for those that are active enough to search planets but don't have the attention span to trade between starports. These people would be able to tow sleepers for a price. Kinda like a taxi service for the money and EXP gained, and the patron would need to pay a fine to get thier ship out of the "impound lot." Here is a plus for sleepers. If they are found by a tower then their ship will more than likely be in one piece, the tower would have to dodge enemy ships and what-not. They would have to pay a quarter of the price to get thier ship out, and if they can't pay it then they would have to buy a smaller ship with the trade-in value (Minus a quarter). I was thinking that the CORP ship would be perfect for this job. Either that or you create a specially made tow ship that can take a bit of a beating and still keep going. The speed would need to suffer though (for equality). Think of it as a mini-CORP ship. Now I understand that there are a lot of people that like to float around in U.N. space and they would not be protected but that is the point of an inn, your supposed to stay at it until next time unless you can't afford it, then you go hide on a planet outside the U.N. protection. So you either hide at an Inn or get towed back to Sol and pay a fine.

Any extra thought would be appreciated towards this Idea.

dirt · Post by **dirt** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:10 am

Interesting.

I see the a couple downsides though, 98 percent of sleepers are players who don't play the game and they are in escape pods with no money and barely any exp. Also if your invading a planet and find a sleeper your more than likley going to kill it, instead of going to a base to purchase the ceo ship.

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:45 am

Where's the increased bennifit for the person who would be killing that sleeper to make them want to tow someone? It sounds like a lot more work to get exp/money (buying ship, towing them somewhere,warping, using more fuel, ect) when they could just kill them on spot and get the same result? I know that if there isn't any increase in exp/money gained, I'm gonna keep killing sleepers quick and easy

vecna · Post by **vecna** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:56 pm

how about this. the sleeper goes into a hardware slot like a normal taxi and is automatically dropped off at any port when the guy towing them docks to reshield. that way, you dont have to fly to a base and back to undergo such a task.

is the reward money coming off of their ship in their sleep?
this would mean that towing most sleepers would be worth nothing.

is the reward money coming from nowhere?
this could be a hugely unbalancing exploit. friend 1 logs in system, friend 2 picks him up and docks at the starport in system, then comes out of the port to log in space. friend 1 logs in and picks up friend 2.... etc.

i like this idea because you could pick up your enemies from that planet you just invaded, leap through a black hole, and deposit them at a port 70 hops from where they were when they logged. also imagine a garbage barge contractor with 3 maps and 10 wisdom hauling not weapons but the entire invading fleet to and from distant targets.

another issue with your idea though. what would this do to the token market? instead of buying tokens to limp home on fumes, i could just hire someone for credits to tow me around wherever i needed to be.

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:05 pm

Yes there are some down sides to the Towing buisiness that is why I thought that There would be a higher EXP and credit rate for towing from further away. (I.E. Taxi) And the pod could be taken in for free for those people that just got blasted, You would still get the alloted exp and money but as a pod they would have to pay nothing because it was a sort of rescue mission. I also mentioned that it would be good to have a freshly created ship espesially for this job, for the people that can't afford the CEO ship.

Now about the pros and cons of towing...

-pro- Gain more exp and money for trouble.
-con- takes time and fuel.
-pro- You have a good feeling of saving someone from getting podded.
-con- you would most likely be a target for the bullies of the galaxy.
-pro- since you basically work for the government, taxes are cut in half.
-pro- Get a set amount for towing certain ships. (maybe a quarter of the price to buy the ship)
-con- The towed ship can wake up at any time during being towed and wreak havok on the towwer. (it might be good to have a partner ship out there guarding your back.)

I can't think of any more.

McGrod · Post by **McGrod** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:40 pm

At first I loathed this idea...now I think it will be pretty cool. You wont get much but a few bob and pat on the head and a nice little thing to do occasionally.

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:53 pm

i like it, when i read this idea i thought about drawing a towing ship which could be created but i think putting a ship into a hardware bay would be easier and probably less work for the developpers since there would be no need to design a ship or use a lot of time drawing a ship in 3d so it looks good, altho only way i could see about what would happen when a planet came online while being towed (if he ever does) is fall back into space, so he doesn't really know what was happening too much other than he is far from where he was lol

duece · Post by **duece** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:06 am

And what stops me from towing 8 barges that are "sleeping" right after I loaded them with nukes?

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:16 am

robotchicken wrote:And what stops me from towing 8 barges that are "sleeping" right after I loaded them with nukes?

my guess is since you killed them they wouldn't stay in the planet either they would be in sol or you would have to hunt them down to find them agian. lot of trouble for nothing if u ask me

tsat8994 · Post by **tsat8994** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:30 am

Instead of making this an exp/money engine why not make it a rep engine??

Give a much higher rep award for "saving" someone from being killed by taking them to safety. Make it more lucrative that way.

Hell, if you want to work for the UN tow service make it so you have to buy (new hardware device) a special towing device. By purchasing said device you agree to be bound by the Intergalactic Insurance commission.

If you engage the tow device YOU are responsible for the ship in tow, if it is lost or damaged the insurance commission dings YOU money for the loss, or gives you an "asset protection fee" for moving their protected interest to a safer space.

On a lost tow you lose exp, money, AND rep.
On a successful tow you get a fixed fee, some exp, and a good amount of rep.

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:34 am

i like it, but most people love xp since on places like rebang and whatnot, even permas plp love xp. i agree it should definatly give a lot of rep, but i wouldn't cut out the xp part, since people wouldn't tow anyone just for rep, here's an idea let's say get got 120 rep per tow (example) then we would get 60 xp. so half of rep would be your xp, not sure if it's good but it's an idea on the table

McGrod · Post by **McGrod** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:57 pm

the rep thing would be good it will save a few million creds (if you weant pos rep) and will be something to do that is actually good in order to get 'esteemed' enough for the un commission. also those wanting to knock a few creds off there UN sleeping tax will be happy....so yeh to the rep and nay to the xp

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:43 pm

McGrod wrote:the rep thing would be good it will save a few million creds (if you weant pos rep) and will be something to do that is actually good in order to get 'esteemed' enough for the un commission. also those wanting to knock a few creds off there UN sleeping tax will be happy....so yeh to the rep and nay to the xp

why not both? just half of the rep amount like i said

Jwilson6 · Post by **Jwilson6** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:47 am

feenix wrote:
robotchicken wrote:And what stops me from towing 8 barges that are "sleeping" right after I loaded them with nukes?
my guess is since you killed them they wouldn't stay in the planet either they would be in sol or you would have to hunt them down to find them agian. lot of trouble for nothing if u ask me

? do you have any idea what he is talking about?

Hes is referring to hiring 8 barges, loading up their hardware with nukes, then making them logoff while he picks them into his hardware and carries them to wherever he needs them
thus saving
*time
*fuel
*the chance that your barges will be shot down

I hate this idea, It would never ever ever be used as intended and its possible abuses make it way too overpowered

Any attempts to stop the abuses would only negate the positive effect

Zavrith · Post by **Zavrith** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:15 am

I think the REAL problem here is that we have an overwhelming problem of "getting a buddy on another server to help."

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:45 am

Jwilson6 wrote:
feenix wrote:
robotchicken wrote:And what stops me from towing 8 barges that are "sleeping" right after I loaded them with nukes?
my guess is since you killed them they wouldn't stay in the planet either they would be in sol or you would have to hunt them down to find them agian. lot of trouble for nothing if u ask me
? do you have any idea what he is talking about?

Hes is referring to hiring 8 barges, loading up their hardware with nukes, then making them logoff while he picks them into his hardware and carries them to wherever he needs them
thus saving
*time
*fuel
*the chance that your barges will be shot down

I hate this idea, It would never ever ever be used as intended and its possible abuses make it way too overpowered

Any attempts to stop the abuses would only negate the positive effect

Feenix is thinking that to load something w/ nukes is to fire at it w/ nukes till it explodes.

But as stated further above if the tower were to be destroyed then he would have to pay for the eight barges. Or a set price for each of them. It would be easier to pod him because he would have no protection other than primary and secondary weapons.

And I thought I made it clear that they would only be able to be set down at Sol or some other starport (such as a pirate base) That way it can't really be abused. And I didn't think of putting the ships in the compartments. I was thinking of a way to utilize the tractor beam used by the CEO ship, since it is pretty much useless in battle. (I think anyway)

Hmmm...what do you think of the part that they would have to pay a quarter of there ships total price to get it out of detention? (only word I could come up with that sounded moderately right)

Cheesy · Post by **Cheesy** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:48 am

how bout this, you make ship with a special wepon that forces a ship to fly to the nearest starbase. this would be like a escourt but the payout could be better. if a person loggs on the tower doesnt get rewarded and the owner of the ship is sent directly to sol, this method would lower damage to the tower and keep it pretty fair, plus if the tow is sucessful you get 1\2 the credits the ship owner has on hand and a commision bonus based on distance towed, 1/4 his exp and 1/4 rep plus a set rep for each ship bases on its number of sheilds, this will keep it balanced and a bit more rewarding. it will also make that 8 barge idea pretty dumb and the buddy from another server would sol or lose half his cash on hand. also if you tow 50 peeps you get a medal, 100 you get anothe and so on

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:54 am

not at all what i was saying, i was saying that it would be hard for someone to kill a player than haul him back into sol since they would either be in sol or somewhere around where he was blown up, so it would be a waste of your time to try to cheat to get twice the xp by killing them and hauling them back. hope this clears it up

edit: ok i had ti wrong but my point still stands plp wouldn't kill the sleepers to try to haul them so get twice the xp or rep, but i understand now what was meant by the reply now

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:40 am

Cheesy wrote:how bout this, you make ship with a special wepon that forces a ship to fly to the nearest starbase. this would be like a escourt but the payout could be better. if a person loggs on the tower doesnt get rewarded and the owner of the ship is sent directly to sol, this method would lower damage to the tower and keep it pretty fair, plus if the tow is sucessful you get 1\2 the credits the ship owner has on hand and a commision bonus based on distance towed, 1/4 his exp and 1/4 rep plus a set rep for each ship bases on its number of sheilds, this will keep it balanced and a bit more rewarding. it will also make that 8 barge idea pretty dumb and the buddy from another server would sol or lose half his cash on hand. also if you tow 50 peeps you get a medal, 100 you get anothe and so on

The medals for every 50 towed would give insentive but in one of the servers I play in there are like 100 + people just floating in space 1 jump from sol so we would have to put a minimum jump distance for the medals. Perhaps five jump distance to be eligable for the medal and every tow thereafter would have to be at least five jumps from Sol to be able to get said medal. Can't make it too easy to get, after all.

And the rep based on the Sheilds would be very useful because you would get less rep if your charge were to get attacked in the middle of transport. Maybe a lessening of money also if the ship goes below 50% sheilds.

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:07 pm

nice!!! any ideas to balance this idea even more?

Cheesy · Post by **Cheesy** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:02 pm

i got an idea, it probly sounds stupid but if you have towed at least 100 sleepers (5 hop restriction) you could buy a impound lot and place it on a planet so that you can tow sleepers in far away areas, and you could make money off this, on the downside the UN would tax you 1k credits for every person you have there till either they buy their way out or you tow em from there to a star base, the idea is to have a kind of colony that hold sleepers not colonists, they could buy sheilds from your store so you could make other money off this and bail there way out, plus they should hav acces to their bank there, i think it could be invadeable and basically be sort of a colony, plus this would give you experiance like a col would and more rep than a col hold. i was thinkin i could be bout 1mil maybe less. again this may seem dumb but think about it, also you would be able to set up defences but the solar would be powered on how many sleepers you have there, like 1-3 sleepers= 1 shot, 4-6=2 shot and etc, it would kinda be a player owned hotel, if you tried to land you could go to the place as a guest or land hostile and invade or hit cancel, sorta like the log out screen b4 you log out of a server.

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:01 am

wow, it would be realistic compare to the world but....... i dought anyone will like or even get implemented. but let's say i like the idea personnnaly, but not sure about it in this game.

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:08 am

The only thingI would change about this is that instead of a hotel it could be used as a waystation so that you can get sheilds and such on your way to the Starport. Maybe you could transfer weapons to the impound lot from your weapon factory. Sell your nukes at the impound lot and such. maybe...IDK.

Cheesy · Post by **Cheesy** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:03 am

how bout keep in the hotel and makin it a impound lot/hotel/marketplace? so if a person stays online while they r there they can use it as a market for weapons, i like the idea, of course if this is ever actually implemented it would be well after towing would be implemented. now we'd need a way to make it stand out too, a beacon might do it, since its already a wepons market you coud grab a beacon and stick it outside plus the owner could publicise it. it would look like a gray col if you wanted to keep the design simple and the buildings could look like: Hotel= dome with like pure building inside no vegitation and maybe a small dome sticking off with vegitation, Impound lot=wep factory but with holes in the side and pics of some ships sticking out, market place= refinery level 3 with platforms, solar cannon=solar cannon with a pipe connected to the impound lot./s basically keep the format on the planets the same.

dirt · Post by **dirt** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:07 pm

What i like about this is the Idea of a Tow ship. A tow ship cannot haul more than one barge, but it can haul up to 8 ships. I think this would be a sweeeeeet idea.

However to balance it, the ship would be kinda slow, and anyone who was docked with the tow ship would get charged 4wf per hop they go or something. Perhaps the towship secondary would be a shield generator as it would be a slow ship.

Idk i like it though.

feenix · Post by **feenix** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:19 pm

dirt wrote:What i like about this is the Idea of a Tow ship. A tow ship cannot haul more than one barge, but it can haul up to 8 ships. I think this would be a sweeeeeet idea.

However to balance it, the ship would be kinda slow, and anyone who was docked with the tow ship would get charged 4wf per hop they go or something. Perhaps the towship secondary would be a shield generator as it would be a slow ship.

Idk i like it though.

me too....
do i think it'll get implemented?..... no but i like it

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:40 am

I was recently podded twice on one of the servers and I read something in the game that gave me an Idea. It said that because I was stranded out in space for so long a rescue ship was sent to pick me up. (here's the idea) It took a small portion of my fuel to get me back to Sol. Now if you could syphon WF out of the ships for payment along with money, exp and rep. It would have a higher chance of being used properly because you wouldn't be able to get fuel as payment if you transported several invader ships to there desired destination. You would have to take them to Sol to get your Extra Fuel. You would be able to fly for longer periods of time, and that would negate the "waste of fuel" people were talking about because it would lower fuel usage to a degree for a successful tow job.

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:40 pm

Does nobody like that idea?

Lev · Post by **Lev** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:13 am

I took a planet, and a sleeper popped out, and I didn't kill him!! Can you believe it? Pat me on the back. That's prob a first. I just waited til he landed on a planet then shot him til he got to 0% shields and left him. He's located at... j/k

Ohhhhh.. now I just got a devilish idea. Soon as soon as I get logged back on (can't log on since last update) I might have to do something

stumoore · Post by **stumoore** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:16 am

Any Ideas to enhance this thought? Not the one directly above me.

Starport: Galactic Empires

An opposing force to the sleeper killers.

An opposing force to the sleeper killers.

Well...Yeah!

yes this is a possibility.

Interesting

interesting Idea

one can only hope

What?

Ideas