I have seen a somewhat rise in people having an IFF that is hostile to me, yet the ID is not. For example:
I am a Bounty hunter IFF and ID, I see a Corsair IFF ship with Freelancer ID lets say.
Now if lets say a normal ship captain comes across with a ship that registers as a hostile on the radar, by which it looks up the IFF and not the ID, would in terms of RP would you be allowed to engage or question the individual with the IFF squawk codes? I mean AEGIS cruisers in the USA fleet, if they saw an anemy IFF squawk code aircraft coming towards them, they'd load up the missiles fast like.
I have jumped the gun once when I attacked a Corsair tagged Raven Talon outside Manhattan in my Train, and won. But when he spawned he had a Mercenary ID. When I saw the tag I jumped and on the comms shouted "A Corsair!? Computer fire up the weapons, target his thruster!", I didn't hesitate after that. I didn't want to lose my cargo nor my life... After the death he didn't really care, he wanted to 'teleport' back to Delta through death. I was just a tool...
Anyway would you engage craft over IFF? NPC's would in my eyes, and we are RP'ing them in a sense.
the ID is all important. - nither player-faction tag, nor the shiptype or the IFF means anything for the matter of determining if an attack is appropriate. - it is all about the ID.
so, if a BHG meets a corsair ship / corsair weapons / corsair IFF - but a freelancer ID. one should consider him suspiciously - but still not as a hostile. - in such a case, one can ...
taunt the corsairs a little to check if he jumps the boat and feels hurt by someone insulting the corsair faction - or one can just wait untill he attacks ( happens surprisingly often ) - but at least tell him that "you are watching his very steps".
imo - even if a ship had a [TBH] tag, a corsair ship, corsair weapons and a corsair tag - but a freelancer ID, this ship would "only" be a freelancer. - that is what the rules say. - not like it happens ingame.
a generic ID is often told to be specified by its IFF. - so a merc with a corsair tag should be friendlier to the corsairs while unfriendlier to the outcasts... but in terms of rules, he is still only a generic, factionless player - and must be treated like that.
' Wrote:the ID is all important. - nither player-faction tag, nor the shiptype or the IFF means anything for the matter of determining if an attack is appropriate. - it is all about the ID.
so, if a BHG meets a corsair ship / corsair weapons / corsair IFF - but a freelancer ID. one should consider him suspiciously - but still not as a hostile. - in such a case, one can ...
taunt the corsairs a little to check if he jumps the boat and feels hurt by someone insulting the corsair faction - or one can just wait untill he attacks ( happens surprisingly often ) - but at least tell him that "you are watching his very steps".
imo - even if a ship had a [TBH] tag, a corsair ship, corsair weapons and a corsair tag - but a freelancer ID, this ship would "only" be a freelancer. - that is what the rules say. - not like it happens ingame.
a generic ID is often told to be specified by its IFF. - so a merc with a corsair tag should be friendlier to the corsairs while unfriendlier to the outcasts... but in terms of rules, he is still only a generic, factionless player - and must be treated like that.
That was my stance towards it as well. But in my Bounty Hunter ship I keep seeing political enemies in IFF and then Freelancer tags or Zoners to 'escape' the fights.
Isn't the Freelancer tag a ticket to less fighting? Just like the Zoners? But I can understand the Zoners, they worked hard for their political stance in the game.
Freelancer ID's, are they abused? Or is this derailing the topic...
Well, i see only 1 major problem to this. The Zoner ID. I was told it is sold while not having them maximum friendly. As it is so, i'm considering those having only Zoner ID not as "true Zoners". It's not that hard to make yourself Zoner IFF, if you know how.
Also, those traders having Zoner ID's i met yet, were usually poor RPers. "I'm Zoner, you have no right to tax me" is not really good RP in my eyes.
In a brilliant tactical movement, i charged backwards.
abuse is what you make of it. - freelancers by definition are .. non affiliated to any faction. - mind, what i wrote was about the letter of the rule. - all that is important when its about the rule is the ID - nothing else, cause ... in a way, everything else might be down to roleplay and so much more complex... but the ID must fit the role as much as possible.
so, a merc might have a brilliant roleplay about having a red catamaran, an inferno, a supernova, and 4 colada del cids. - after all, he decided for a good reason ( no idea what reason, but lets assume it was a good reason ) to have a rheinland tag.
this is possible in terms of roleplay - no doubt there.
but we must consider that player by its ID, which is "merc". we do not know if he is an enemy of the state or not - that involved deepers scans and questions - more information is needed before one can pull the trigger. - of course that is all just theory - but considering someone by more than its ID can lead to misinterpretations - and once someone feels unjustly attacked, things become very quickly .... ooc.
@CCI45-thingy: while i understand your point, it would mean to consider some factions harsher than others - when we should consider all factions the same. when a ship has a zoner id... he is a zoner, there is NO doubt about that. - when a ship has a rheinland military ID, - he IS a rheinland military, etc etc etc. players and their characters must get used to that. - what we "wish" is not what should be.
i know zoner IDs are sometimes chosen to gain an advantage - but who am i, who are you to tell who is faking a zoner ID and who is not. - hard to consider that in the short time of an encounter.
' Wrote:abuse is what you make of it. - freelancers by definition are .. non affiliated to any faction. - mind, what i wrote was about the letter of the rule. - all that is important when its about the rule is the ID - nothing else, cause ... in a way, everything else might be down to roleplay and so much more complex... but the ID must fit the role as much as possible.
so, a merc might have a brilliant roleplay about having a red catamaran, an inferno, a supernova, and 4 colada del cids. - after all, he decided for a good reason ( no idea what reason, but lets assume it was a good reason ) to have a rheinland tag.
this is possible in terms of roleplay - no doubt there.
but we must consider that player by its ID, which is "merc". we do not know if he is an enemy of the state or not - that involved deepers scans and questions - more information is needed before one can pull the trigger. - of course that is all just theory - but considering someone by more than its ID can lead to misinterpretations - and once someone feels unjustly attacked, things become very quickly .... ooc.
@CCI45-thingy: while i understand your point, it would mean to consider some factions harsher than others - when we should consider all factions the same. when a ship has a zoner id... he is a zoner, there is NO doubt about that. - when a ship has a rheinland military ID, - he IS a rheinland military, etc etc etc. players and their characters must get used to that. - what we "wish" is not what should be.
i know zoner IDs are sometimes chosen to gain an advantage - but who am i, who are you to tell who is faking a zoner ID and who is not. - hard to consider that in the short time of an encounter.
I'm not disputing that say a player has a Zoner ID is a Zoner, but seeing one in my experience being red with me in a freighter and no he wasn't guard, I was neutral to them. You must think its odd that a Zoner ID ship is hostile IFF to my Hunter. What did he DO? IFF shows your past, and some people would like to make them, repay that debt... e.g. that Zoner may have killed BHG ships for some bizarre reason. Which in reality is totally oorp. I kid you not, I saw a hostile Zoner. Very odd.
Try flying up to Malta in a Manta with BH guns/tag and a merc ID and see what happens, Jinx. Though the rules technically say to judge by the ID, in this case since its a generic ID you have to take a look at everything else - the ID is no longer generic, as it takes on the identity of the ship, tag, and equipment. I have a Freelancer: FL ID/tag, civilian/Zoner guns, Liberator. In the story its stolen, but I still dont expect the best of welcomes around Liberty pirates, even though everything but the ship screams "neutral".
My 2 cents : I'm a mercenary in Raven's Talon with zoner guns and IMG IFF... Working mainly in lawful escorts, I can fulfil bounty and proceed to... Unlawful escorts...
I choose IMG tag because :
-it's as neutral as possible.
-I'm too hot-bloobed to keep a neutral or zoner tag (too many NPCs shoted).
-I RPed a IMG past, and I always says "I hate IMG bosses, but I'm still an IMG in spirit", or something like that...
-If I hadn't done that, I would fly in RT around Manhattan with a corsair tag, too look for hiring... I personally know better ways to get hired by traders than having a unlawful tag...
Moreover, I now know what happen when traders sees a "Corsair" RT around this planet...
OK for gentle RP, OK for gentle PvP too. What do you prefer ?
Hurk hurk hurk...
[\JG/]Pim (mercenary, ex-IMG)(Raven's talon, New London and New Berlin mainly)
John Smith(independant trader, ex-contract killer on Manhattan)(Heavy Tanker)
For any of the specific ID's you must shoot based on that but the generic ID's make it a little less clear, for example if I see a Corsair GB with Corsair IFF and Pirate ID next to Alcatraz, as my Rogue, I'm going to ask some questions, becasue that suggests to me that the Cannibals like you a little too much for my taste. But I won't open fire until they disobey my Order to leave or refuse to answer questions. Same as if I see a Wrath with Military IFF and Military ID in Liberty, i'm going to assume it's a Rheinland spy, but I'll ask questions before or If I'm going to open fire, just to make sure the engagement is as RP as it can possibly be.
Saint Del is considered a holy healer of diseases of children, but also as a protector of cattle.