In order to shorten the recruitment process and to make playing IMG| easier for new players, this thread has been created. It tries to give new IMG| players a fast overview of what to do and what not to do.
1. General:
a) Attack rules:
never attack lawful navies, police and the intelligence(usually shortened to Intel group) factions.
never attack the following unlawfuls/semi-lawfuls (self-defense is allowed): Lane Hackers, Red Hessians, Mollys, Junkers, Xenos, Blood Dragons.
>For competitors (as long as there are no lawful forces) : BMM, Kruger, GMS and Daumann are valid targets as for piracy the official IMG currently avoids pirating DSE as we don't have a bad history with them.
> For Alien IDs(Nomads, Vagrants and the assorted wilds) It is left to each member's discretion. The in rp advice is to avoid hostility.
free to hunt actively/attack actively: !!!IMPORTANT!!! Only in our ZoI
> Corsair ID in systems with an IMG base (likely: O3, O7, O-48, Dublin, Newcastle)
> Outcast ID in the Tau's Zone of Influence (likely: Tau 37, Tau 23, Tau 31, Tau 29, Tau 44, Orkney)
> Pirate ID in systems with an IMG base (our ZoI, see ID!)
if in doubt: Simply do not attack!
if you are attacked, screenshot the text, his ID, the attacker and fight back.
if you are pirated role play is advised. Following the pirates demand is a valid option but it is on you to decide how to react but keep it civil.
b) Piracy Rules
IMG| does pirate we can ID-wise). We do not pirate without reason (even if we could ID wise) :
All corporate IDs are allowed to pirate each other but we avoid doing so without a sufficient rp reason examples:
>Our competitors are always unwelcome in our mining zones
>Assisting enemies
>They are a known pirate
>Actively breaking laws.
Remember to keep the demands reasonable and not use it to just openly engage transports.
As for the competitors piracy is an option that you can always choose. They are encroaching into our mining zone only fair for us to defend the Guilds claims.
IMG gets pirated. It happens. It's part of the game and of our role. Still, it causes trouble all the time. These tips will help you to cope with it.
If you are the victim of piracy:
Relax. It's part of the game. It keeps trading interesting.
Roleplay. There are pirates that appreciate the offer of roleplay. Also roleplay sometimes lowers the bills. Try it.
Expect a 10 % loss to piracy on any trip you make. It's normal. Paying less then 100 thousand credit on a HRC* runs to pirates is perfectly fine.
It is no "piracy" if Hessians, Mollys, Hackers demand small amounts (up to 20 thousand). => Be friendly and pay them.
If the demands are acceptable: roleplay and pay. IMG| doesn't risk a high profit transport for a small demand! Think of the money as "pocket change" and expect a loss of 10 % to piracy.
If the demands are unacceptable and you can win: fight while running to the next base (turret steering!)
If the demands are unacceptable and you cannot win: Die in dignity.
Never give the pirate cargo/money and your blue message.
Never give the attacker money/cargo and an easy sanction because you went oorp and insulted or rule-lawyered them.
Remember: Blowing up in dignity while fighting or running is perfectly acceptable. Pixels were blown, imaginary money lost on a space shooter game.
Always: Screen any unacceptable/weird engagements/demands. We can react with bounties, diplomatic pressure, sanctions, etc. if we have good material.
c) Secret Diplomacy
Cooperation with competitors isn't allowed except if there are Outcasts or Corsairs involved.
Those two unlawful groups take priority over any other enemy if encountered.
Avoid cooperation with our allies that have animosity (Hessians-ALG, Xeno's-Technocracy) for each other in the presence of both.
Our laws in the Tau's trump all others but not actively try break CR laws.
IMG is neutral to many criminal/unlawful factions. We do things that some lawful people would not like. So they have to be done in secrecy.
!!! General rule: Never cooperate with any unlawful's in house space (and avoid doing so outside house space) when anybody is near who could give evidence to the lawful's !!!
Therefore:
Tau's Omegas And Independent Worlds:
Do not do allow competitors to mine our ore without interacting with them (GMS, BMM) because the Tau's are independent.
Do not do allow competitors to mine our ore without interacting with them (Daumann, Kruger , BMM) because we were first in Omega-7.
Follow House laws in Bordering Systems and Coronado in presence of law enforcement.
Do not ally/cooperate with Crayter Republic , BAF unless Outcasts are present.
We have no issue with DSE but don't let them bully you in Coronado.
Intercept Cardamine shipments (unless they are friendly to us.)
Bretonia:
Do not do anything that breaks Bretonian (BAF,BPA,BIS) laws (including insulting them or publicly supporting Mollys in house space, Omega-3 and Dublin (Try not to be in Dublin if possible when there are active lawfuls))
Do not get caught in the New London's Cumbria Asteroid Field nor Southampton Debris Field
If you are in combat with hostile corporation elements of Bretonia and the lawfuls join in, screenshot and provide DSAce logs. If you are engaging said groups and are asked to stop by the Lawfuls compliance is encouraged.
Hide our Alliance with Mollys!
Hide our cooperation with Technocracy.
Avoid being seen with the Coalition.
Never dock at a Molly base when anybody is near
Transporting goods to Molly bases especially Dublin is smuggling, and a crime in Bretonia.
Rheinland
Do not do anything that annoys lawful Rheinland in there house space (RM, RFP,)
Do mine silver in O7 (Our Silver is worth it as our main pob is in the system).
Do not attack Rhineland military ships unless in self defence. If you are attacked by them remember to screenshot and provide DSAce logs as we have an active treaty with them in Omega-7. If they were to ask you to stop attacking our competitors, comply with it.
Hide our neutrality to Hessians!
Avoid being seen with the Coalition.
Hide our understanding of the Bundschuh!
Kusari:
Do not do anything that annoys lawful Kusari (KNF, KSP, Samura...)
Hide our neutrality to Blood Dragons (but do not rely on that neutrality. The rp is not solid)
Do not attack Hogosha in Kusari (they count as lawfuls in Kusari)
Remember: You can only actively attack where we have a base (we do not have bases in Kusari)
Liberty:
Do not do anything that annoys lawful Liberty (LN, LSF, LPI...)
Hide our neutrality to Lane Hackers
Hide our association without the Order. (From Technocracy too)
Hide our friendship with the Xenos (from Auxo too)
Hide our cooperation with Technocracy (From the Xenos and the Order as they are at war.)
Hide our sympathy for the Zoner
Do not pirate DSE in Coronado
Gallia
Do not do anything that brakes Gallic law (We are allowed to use the Tau-23 to Languedoc)
We are friendly with the Union Corse (official faction guaranteed and AdZ tagged ships. Independents might be hostile)
And... once you have been playing IMG| for a while, you will realize that many of these rules are only 75 % rules and that there is a lot of grey area to operate in, but for the beginning... these rules will keep you out of trouble.
Good luck and feel free to ask any IMG| for advice!
02-23-2013, 12:23 PM, (This post was last modified: 02-10-2025, 04:40 PM by Independent Miners Guild.
Edit Reason: update e.g. for Jakarta T39 -> T44 move and "new" TS
)
The following ships are recommended (make them step by step once you have money):
1 or 2 transport to run between our mining zones (recommended: Shishapangma [4,3k] or the Border World Transport [3,6k] )
3 mining ships (freighter recommended )
2 fighter/bombers (both) one in T23 one in O-7 (choice: Sirius Tech , Bretonia and Rheinland Civilian, IMG line, Borderworld ships; Rheinland unlawful tech but use it outside of House space)
optional: Gunboats( Sirius Tech or IMG line; Rheinland unlawful tech but use it outside of House space ) or Cruiser ( IMG line or Hel).
Later upgrade to:
2 Transports: one based in Omegas, one in Taus => flexibility (when you are dead e.g. in T23)
More Defense (bomber/fighter/gunboat/cruisers) in both Omegas and Taus
2. Recommended Loadouts for ships
a) Annapurna NOT Valid for now
Slot 1: Class 10 of your choice
Slot 2: Debilitator turret (the 750 speed one)
4 x mining turrets (in the last 4 slots)
Train CD
Mine (Nuclear or Ripper)
Freighter shield (best SNAC protection vs solo bomber)
Enhanced thruster
Fortress CM
Armor: UAU8 or higher
Available: T44 (Jakarta) and O3 (Aland)
Turret steer it for maximum effect!
Careful: it is a freighter now => it dies to a snac (whatever your armor is)
b) Hegemon NOT Valid for now
Civilian transport shield (good SNAC protection vs. solo bomber)
Charon Transport Turrets
4 x Heavy Mining Arrays (in slots 1-4)
Enhanced thruster
Fortress CM
Minimum Armor: UAU8
Recommended Armor: CAU4 => you can make it to T44 normally
Available: T44 (Jakarta) and O3 (Aland)
Turret steer it for maximum effect!
c) Transports
Light Civilian Transport shield
Shishapangma (IMG Battletransport - 100 % core): available at Singapore Shipyard/T44)
Border World Transport (For the 500 speed)
Civilian Frigate (Frigates are better in combat)
3. IMG Restart
Tau IMG restart: /restart fcIMG => places you in Tau 44 with perfect IMG reputation
For Omega ships: /restart RhCivilian => places you in New Berlin => get an IMG| from a member (e.g. in Conn)
4. Naming Conventions
IMG|Name.Name[R]
IMG|Shipname[R]
IMG|Callsign[R]
no too lulzy names
no memes!
make sure your name is in accordance with the rules
[R] is obligatory for "recruit" status. Saves you in case you screw up.
5. Discord
We use Discord on every convoy and in fighting.
Typing gets people killed when things go bad.
Download: Discord (standalone version is more stable)
IMG| flies lots of convoys. To learn how to do it, these basics might be worth reading.
1. Get Discord:
Communication is everything.
Group is used for roleplay, but when it gets tricky, it's TS that saves the day.
2. Get a Scout to fly in front
20 k in front in open space cruises
1-2 lanes ahead of the first transport (= T1)
Scout reports any dangers: "!!!" = danger
3. Scout, T-1 and T-last should have Discord
4. T-1 should...
know the route
know alternative routes
know risks (also diplomatic risks in semi-legal action)
alternative: be small and agile (e.g. Nanga Parbat)
5. No transport flies in front of T-1 (because T-1 and Scout communicate)
6. Scouts use "!!!" to signal "Danger, Convoy Halt! Look for next safe place" because a typed out report is too slow.
7. If caught...
roleplay is obligatory (it often also reduces the price)
paying is generally not a problem if the demands are acceptable.
run&fight => See next chapter
8. Run & fight:
In general the fighting capacity of a convoys is underestimated. The general idea is: stick together, focus fire, thrust to safety.
Remember: The main idea is to ensure the safetly of the cargo, not the kill itself.
Set direct waypoint (not the one that chooses lanes/shortest route) to the next base
All transports huddle around the target (like very close!)
All transports thrust towards the diamond while keeping together
All transports fire at the attacker via turret view (good position: above/below the target for a good shot at incoming bombers)
Repeat until you are at the base
Special case: solo gunboats are best attacked in force when you have sufficient numbers. Just hit them with everything (convoy-gank-style).
Special case: Nova bombers that stay at range and nova from a distance are best treated with your scout snub. If the distance to base is too far, it may be wise to convoy-gank it.
9. Frequent Mistakes:
Distance between convoy and Scout is too short => warning comes too late
Transports are too close and ram each other => death or docking bug
Know your route and stick to it
Read the chat (e.g. for change of course)
Flying in formation. We do not do that.
Alt-Tabbing out: We do not do that.
Targeted transport panic's: try to stay calm. Yell on Discord, but thrust to safety stubbornly. Only your mates can rescue you anyway.
A beginner's guide to Countering Metagaming and Successful Reporting
New players are often unable to successfully report players, often because they lack the tools and the knowledge. Also many are unaware of the metagaming possibilities that experienced players use automatically and thus are easy victims. The combination often leaves inexperienced players in a very weak situation. This tutorial aims at changing that.
A. External Programs:
1. Fraps for Screenshots
You need to be able to take screenshots, fast, in short succession, reliably and without making you FPS lag. Because in Disco there is a rule: "Pics or it did not happen." If you have no good screenshots, forget it. You won't get anything, neither in a roleplay thread, nor in a feedback thread, nor in a sanction report.
Dxtory has the advantage that you can limit your maximum FPS in case you want to unlock them.
[
2. DSAce.log: The Disco Logfile
The text file DSAce.log saves all the conversation, all death messages, just everything. It adds timestamps when configured correctly.
Finding it: You find it best by using a file search. Opening it: It opens with a text editor when clicked.
DSAce texts can be used irply as your ship's "logbook". For roleplay, the DSAce logs are totally sufficient. Same goes for feedback threads.
In sanction reports, however, DSAce logs do not count as evidence! They can be posted to clarify the context in which the screenshots happened. If your report relies on DSAce, don't even bother filing it.
B. Ingame Settings:
Timestamps: "/set chattime on":
To get it, type "/set chattime on" when logged in. It puts timestamps behind every written line. Timestamps are imperative when you want to report. They show what happened when and can prove e.g. whether an engagement was too fast. Without a timestamp, don't even try to report.
C. Successful Reporting: What to screenshot?
ID shot: Always go for the ID. Without an ID shot, many sanctions (especially 1.3) are impossible.
Full Conversation: If you report, you have to give the Admins the full conversation. Normally, you have time to screen the conversation after you died. Makes sure not to leave time gaps. Footnote: That's also why you do not swear in group chat or green, because every broken rule in a conversation log makes the screenshot useless.
Timestamped Picture of the attack: The only way to prove reengaging is to be able to prove that the ships that you blew up was actively in the fight at time X and later again at time Y. Also very useful for in-roleplay answers because they normally look good.
D. Successfully Countering Metagaming: How to do it?
Now some people will likely cry out, but I am only being realistic: Most players metagame that know how to do it. Those who do not know it are the ones who are the easy victims to those who know it. And all the people that will hunt you - as a new player who reads this - know how to do it and I would say 80 % of the encounters are not chance.
On your tagged IMG| transport, you will normally be "the food" that unlawfuls look for. They look for your mining operation to log on, to bring their unlawful character to pirate you. Or they see your convoy on the list and decide to log their pirate in the system in front of you.
And don't get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with it (if it is not overdone) and I am not pointing fingers. If unlawfuls did not metagame, this game would be boring as hell as no one would ever find anybody else to interact with.
The Player List:
Experienced players scan the player list to see where the action is. Is there a Leeds raid? Or a Delta brawl? The player list has that info. Then the players decide whether to log on or not, and which character to bring, which side to choose, etc. Basically, this metagaming increases the chance of roleplay interactions, which is generally positive.
In IMG| you will likely find yourself in a cat&mouse game that can be pretty intense. Every side has the same tools (see below), and you challenge your opponent. It's an art to interpret the intel correctly, predict movements and react to it. If you feel bad, don't. The people who log for you use these tools a lot longer and likely better than you. You counter their move, from an inferior position.
Sort it by systems to find out where the action is.
Refresh it regularly (F5), to get accurate readings.
But: It has a delay now, so that you do not get accurate readings any more.
The status quo you get is a few minutes old. Enough to find action, but not enough for fast loggings and quick responses.
2. The Ingame Player List:
When flying, you do not want to tab out of the game. You will lane into a planet sooner or later.
So you use the ingame list. Click the "speech bubble" symbol to get into the "chat" window. The chat window has the ingame player list. It is the only list that does not have a delay implemented.
a) Who is where?
> Check your system for contacts (sort by system)
> Check the system you are jumping to for contacts (sort by system)
> Check the locations of known enemy players that log in (after the red message showed they logged in) by sorting by player name
> Note: To be successful, you should memorize the most common enemy tags and also names of known enemy indies.
b) Interpreting Player Rank
The rank is calculated from the overall worth of your ship, armor, equipment and the money on it. So do not rely on it, e.g. some of my miners are level 90 (by putting 1 billion onto them), and look more like Cruisers than easy targets.
The ingame list allows you to sort by "group". If players set up a trap, they are often grouped. If you see one of your known enemies on the list, and in your path, look at who is in his group. Look at their positions and read their movements. You can be sure they have been reading yours for quite a while.
3. Know your Foe
The player list is only useful if you know the tags and names of your most active enemies.
a) Tags: Know your enemy's tags
Baddies:
JM|
Y| (Golden Crys., OC allies)
CL}
101st
[XTF]
~SR)
MNS (indie capital ships)
K'Hara
b) Individual players: IMG| Enemy Database
The IMG| keeps a list of known enemies, so new players can check and do not have to learn it all by pain. Inquire for it in the IMG Skype channel.
