Discovery Gaming Community

I considered recently to build a character (or group thereof) who would plow the lanes in combat vehicles, basically clearing out any pirates you find. Wishing to operate sirius-wide, and not for profit but for vengeance, I looked over the various IDs. I could find only 2 that made sense: Bounty Hunter and Vigilante.

Bounty hunters are motivated largely by profit. Vengeance fits the Vigilante better. So I checked what was allowed in that. And what I found severely put me off: The ID is simply way too restricted. Let's compare it to it's unlawful version, the "Pirate" ID:
- Vigilante may only use fighters and freighters. No gunboat apparantly. Pirate may use gunboats and transports.
- Vigilantes are SEVERELY restricted in where they may dock, they cannot use unlawful bases, but no true lawful bases either. Pirates can dock at junker and unlawful bases, almost freely.
- Vigilantes have only civilian weapons at their disposal. Anything else is a nice shade of red on the tech chart. Pirates are white against all common unlawful groups, and purple for Zoner, which opens up the nice Zoner GB Connans without questions asked.
- Vigilantes must display an IFF displaying their ZOI. Naturally, Freelancer can be abused for this, but it's a hassle. Pirates do not need to display an IFF.

I recommend the following changes:
ID modifications:
- Allow Vigilante's to dock at lawful bases, Sirius wide (they would dock as civilians).
- Allow Vigilante's to use transports (bait) and gunboats.
- Drop the IFF requirement, OR (preferably) add it to the Pirate ID as well.
- Allow Vigilante to escort convoys with the stipulation they may not ask credits for it. (Convoy is pirate bait)

Tech chart modification:
- Turn lawful factions not associated with house governments white (GMG, IMG, BHG, Zoner) - Vigilantes are often members spawned from these factions, fed up or on a quest for bitter vengeance. These factions can show sympathy for the vigilante's cause.
- Turn Zoner and/or BHG purple. If Zoners sell their guns on the black market for all independant pirates to buy, they'll certainly sell them to piratehunters too. (On that note, these guns should probably be purple for all edgeworld factions, OR white for pirates too)


These modifications make it a bit easier for people to create an independant pirate hunter who is not motivated by profit, but by conviction (or vengeful wrath) instead. Right now I can't see anyone using the Vigilante ID without an SRP, because of these excessive constraints on it.

I suggested this, and I support you on it. But apparently Vigilantes are a waste of time and don't need to exist.

I personally say go the other route. Restrict the generic Pirate ID more.

-Take off the gunboat (and possibly bomber) allowances on the generic Pirate ID. You want to fly that gunboat (or bomber), then you'd better be affiliated with someone and consequently be subject to their zone of influence. Nothing makes more O.o than seeing a Kusari Explorer with a pirate ID extorting credits in Stuttgart.

-Restrict where a generic Pirate ID'd ship can dock. If you're not sporting the IFF of the group you're trying to dock at, tough crackers my boy. Allow them to dock on all Freelancer bases, all Junker bases, maybe Freeports as well (though it's sketchy there), but nowhere else unless they've got the paperwork.

-Same goes with weaponry. If you don't have the IFF to match them guns, tough rocks. If civvie weaponry is good enough for Vigilantes and their generic ID, it's good enough for generic ID'd pirates.


I do agree with you that the Vigilante ID is very restrictive, especially compared to it's primary target. But the thing is that Vigilantes are loose-Connans per say, and as such aren't really "welcome" anywhere by anyone. Or at least that's the seeming "logic" behind how the ID's written.

I also agree to allow Vigilantes to dock on Zoner bases and be allowed Zoner weaponry as well. "They'll sell to anyone" has been a tag-line for Zoners for a long time, why isn't that enforced? I don't agree with allowing GMG/IMG/BHG/etc to be purple and semi-friendly. Vigilantes still operate as quasi-unlawfuls, and would probably be frowned upon by these groups.

While some minor editing would make the ID more appealing, the very thing the ID suggests, taking the law into your own hands, just begs for PVP abuse, so that is why there are so many rules relating to it right now

anything more and it is possible to have another no-bounty-BHG ID issue from back in the day when hunters were allowed to kill unlawfuls just because they could... these restrictions are there to prevent another fiasco

letting them dock on any non police lawful base would be enough for change, no its no so good to play vigilanties.

perhaps allowing planetary docking will be enough to make people happy

' Wrote:While some minor editing would make the ID more appealing, the very thing the ID suggests, taking the law into your own hands, just begs for PVP abuse, so that is why there are so many rules relating to it right now

And how is this different from the Pirate ID, who have no law to begin with? All I am asking for is a balance here. If the unlawfuls have a generic ID that allows them to basically harass lawfuls at will with gunboats and reasonable weaponry, then how would it be "abuse" to give the lawfuls an ID with similar (light) restrictions?

Alternatively, tightening up the Pirate ID might also be good. The amount of unaffiliated pirates in Kusari Explorers and Roc's these days just isn't funny.

The pirate ID is restricted by the fact that they are supposed to only be attacking traders and perhaps bounty hunters who get too close to their bases....pirates should not attack government ships willy nilly, that is what the terrorist ID is for

Vigilantes can attack any unlawful with no reason other than the fact that they are unlawfuls...pirates do have rules regarding targets, making demands for instance