I have some suggestions that would make it harder for more advanced players and easier for new players. I dont know if this has been sad befor but any way I might say something agin and might come with an different view. I also know that this is a test version for testing the game engine, but for make the game more appeling...

1) Different bounty

First of all the bounte should not only be based on who many kills this player have made since (s)he last got killed, but also depend on the players score, his ship and weapon equipment. And the bounty don't have to be positiv. eg a first timer in the buss with govement equipment, with no kills, no cargo could get eg -50 in bounty i other words if you kill this one you will lose -50 in your score. But if you have the best fighter unequipped (and no score) then you will get eg +100 and with an fully loaded eg 400 or so. Then if you are an good player you might get up to 1000 (or so) i bounte and that with no kills. The figures have to be tuned but the point being that first timers would be a less atractiv target but longtimers very atractiv.

2) Scanning equipment
To make it more realistic the pirate can have scan equpment on board that they can use to "see" what cargo a ship (and weapon, sheald, armor) so it attacs ships that actualy have something onborad. "Looker" new users that wont to see the univers can travle safer, espesially if the ship dont have any weapons...

but then there also could be scan block. That can deceive the scanners, and there can be scanners that can by pass, but more inacurate. Both this could exist up to eg level 3. but when a scanner of lev3 and a scannblock of lev3 meets then the scanner are ieg 50% accurate. And lev3 block meet lev2 scanner the accuratesy only are ie 20%...

3) Generic carco space.
So that the I can use cargo space for ammo, batteris, speciall devices and different equipment, carco takes different size.
ie the buss has 6 places to day but with generic cargo space it could have 8. And I as a user can load the buss with 2 batteries , 1 large/fast engine (takes 2 places), 1 scanblock, 1 shield improvement and 4 cargo. And I could trade with weapons also. But weapons in the cargo cant be used for fighting (exept for ammo to rocket lancher). Of couse this ship would not get -50 in bounty more like +100 :)

4) Govement robots (police??)

That specially hunt good players that have kill a player with negativ bounty. Thay are only dangerus to players with scoure above 10000. Ther colud be lie one ploice for every section but the can travle between sections....(Obs only the police :) )

The could also be called IRS or so, but the are in good ships, good AI and a bounty on say 500. So they are killebel but they will hunt you even more if you do so...


/my 2 cent

Sounds excellent, I think this is what the Devs have cooked up for the future!

I like it.

Very good idea. Personally, I think the bounty system which is itself a holdover from the arcade days will be replaced by a reputation system when the time is right, but nonetheless the idea is good.

here here !!1

Good one - i like it !!

/me likes the idea of AI police.
Maybe this will control those players pro's that get out of hand. This would give Newbies more of a chance - but this could work in the reverse- (might cause good ppl's to attack newb's just to get chased). So i'm wondering whether bounties should be added to the AI police or just give them low bounties?- It stops them from being hunted by the players. But they would upset a players game play if he/she got out of hand?)
From personal experience if a couple of 75 bounty bots started shooting at me, i could just fly away without being hit or have any problems.. But if a couple of 75 bounty police bot's started. I'd have to control my attitude or face a Tough combat with a high possibility of being killed.

It would be really good to see some sort of scanning equipment added, or even a cloaking device? And substuting cargo space for Weapon slots would make things real fun !!

Cheers

White Magic

Good it seams that you like it :)

I have more Ideas, scoring/bounty system could also take in account your score so that it gets more like in xchess. There when you meet a better player you will get more points then he if you win then he will if he wins. It is even so that if you meet a much better player you will get pointes even if you lose.

ie in game:

Player A has 1000 points
Player B has 2000 points

Both in a buss, empty free weapon, then if A wins he gets 100 points but if B wins B only gets 50 points.

Depending on what rules you set the better player could even lose points in a fight.

Player C has 100.000 points in a fully loaded valk
A vs C
If player A wins he gets 10.000 points and C lose 5000 points
If player A lose he gets 1000 points and C lose 1000 points
so it is a win-win for player A and a lose-lose for player C, this could also be applied to the bots...

If this should affect score or credits or both, I don't know but it would help newer players.

AI police could actually be fairly good bots like 350 or 500 bots in, whay not, valks, and no negativ points when killing them. They would only hunt bad guys, ie a player that have violat the rules, kill/shout at a polic-bot, kill a newbee, or any other "law". They would after some time or when they have killed you "forget your violation". This whould make it easyer for beginners harder and something harder to shoot at. The AI police might even be able to modify armor and trim its engines. So it gets even harder to kill.

"Theres no end to the possibilities" :)

/erikg

that would be cool!

and add some turrets that ARE the station

/me flies into sector 7 and the station starts firing Dev cannons at him o_0