Zoners

[Crackpunch]

... I'm very tempted to make all Zoner bases with the exclusion of those in Baffin and O-74 Freelancer IFFd ones, along with the patrols. Just to drive a point home. The Nommicron Zoners can be that united semistate and get pounded on by the Sairs at will. Other Freeports will actually be Freeports. Under noone's control, since the Freelancer IFF is unhandled.

No, just delete those bases. Make people have to use POBs if they want a base to launch raids from.

---

[Thyrzul]

... I'm very tempted to make all Zoner bases with the exclusion of those in Baffin and O-74 Freelancer IFFd ones, along with the patrols. Just to drive a point home. The Nommicron Zoners can be that united semistate and get pounded on by the Sairs at will. Other Freeports will actually be Freeports. Under noone's control, since the Freelancer IFF is unhandled.

Sounds good.

---

[Pancakes]

... I'm very tempted to make all Zoner bases with the exclusion of those in Baffin and O-74 Freelancer IFFd ones, along with the patrols. Just to drive a point home. The Nommicron Zoners can be that united semistate and get pounded on by the Sairs at will. Other Freeports will actually be Freeports. Under noone's control, since the Freelancer IFF is unhandled.

Cheers! Just like freeports should be. Each one handled by it's own locals (as per INRP) rather than having one, huge, global organization of Zoners that can control freeports everywhere.

Though... I could see the backdraws of it. Zoners might be scattered and not united, but their diplomatic support of one anther is what lets them have their freedom.

I'd say that only freeports that are now practically inside house space (not core space, mind the difference). Such as Freeport 1 in Omega 3, or the one in Bering.

You get the point I'm trying to give in here.

---

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

[Syrus]

I see problems with setting someone hostile to the respective base...
Player H. for example angers the person W. in charge of Freeport n for example, and now W. wants to set H. to hostile to Freeport n, so H. can't dock anymore or even gets shot at. With them being Zoner repped, you could set H. hostile to Zoners, this would need to be discussed among the official factions and there might be a chance to do that. H. would end up hostile to all Zoners then.
With the Freeport being a Freelancer base, there are bases which are definatly not Zoner bases; our beloved BGS and Heisenberg. There's no way to do that, unless some new mechanics or more reps are implemented.

---

[AeternusDoleo]

Only drawback would be that there would be no way of making Freelancer IFF'ed pirates hostile to yourself, without screwing up reputation with the Freeports, but that's it.

Rephack on Pirate ID and all other unlawful/quasilawful IDs: Max Freelancer rep = +0.7. Problem solved, Pirate ID players no longer get to use the Freelancer IFF. The Criminal IFF instead might be more suitable for that.

edit: although, rises some questions with Freeport administrations and their duties, if those still exist.

RPwise, they can continue their duties. But they'd no longer have the power to FR5 anyone. I can guarantee that will cause problems when indy pirate groups decide to base themselves off of a base like Freeport 1 and noone can do a flippin' thing about it other then to plop down a lawful playerbase loaded to the brim with razor platforms aimed at the Freeport's undock lane.
But that's what Zoner Central is basically asking for by declaring themselves an organised nation and thereby completely departing from their role in the game.

[Edit] @Above: Heisenberg and Barrier Gate may not be Zoner bases, but they're definately freeports. The question is if the majority of the Freeports are actually Zoner bases, or first and formost Freeports, where a lot of Zoners live. Casting the base as Freelancer IFFd pushes the role of Freeport first, and Zoner base second. But this was just an idle though of mine anyway, not planning this for the player beta without a good discussion about the pros and cons with the other devs and admins.

[Edit2] Freeport 1 is a special case actually. It's drawing way too much attention, and is now on the route from Bretonia to Sprague. I could see Bretonia eventually pressuring the Zoners out, and have for instance Bowex buy out the station - with some tenacious Zonerfolk then rebuilding somewhere away from the lanes.

---

Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.

Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.

[Anaximander]

This doesn't really resolve the question regarding the Zoner military might (yes yes, colony ships - they've still got Battleship weaponry and hefty powercores) and non-existent explanation for the surge in technological prowess in mere 20 years.

Also there's gonna be a lot of trouble (as pointed out above) with raiding parties based off of the Tau-37 or Omicron Theta "Freelancer Freeports". Making those stations 100% guaranteed safe-havens for anybody is going to cause more trouble than it will fix. Mind you, Indie Pirate ID'd players catch all the flak, but there's no stopping Corsairs or Outcasts or anybody else from doing the exact same things, so a rephack for indie Pirate players will have absolutely no effect in that regard.

How about just splitting the ID's? A core Zoner ID (with no warships) and an Omicron Zoner ID (with warships and a desire to colonize the Omicrons, and a more integrated society than the "core Zoners")? Their internal relationship could be an ambiguous one; so they'd be aligned yet different from one another, and each could be supplied with fitting and realistic lore.

[Eduard]

But that's what Zoner Central is basically asking for by declaring themselves an organised nation and thereby completely departing from their role in the game.

Apart from only one zoner faction, I've never seen anyone stating or upholding this statement. Please do correct me if I am wrong.

I do not think a radical decision such as this should be made only for one zoner faction. I personally believe that the current freeport system si ok. Why try to fix something that isn't broken?

---

King Eduard is the greatest

[Curios]

We have this issue constantly rising, so something must be done - answering to above.

Also on raiding parties from Freeports - let them be. Lol? Yes, let them be so people can come and attack you or me or anyone else because that's what is called the game - not just random dudes sitting on top of own rocks and cybering.

---

[Eduard]

We have this issue constantly rising, so something must be done - answering to above.

Also on raiding parties from Freeports - let them be. Lol? Yes, let them be so people can come and attack you or me or anyone else because that's what is called the game - not just random dudes sitting on top of own rocks and cybering.

and how will that solve the problem?

and doing what you suggested would ruin the freeport neutrality leading for more rp and diplomatical issues and eventually the appearance of even more zoner factions of this type.

situation will only worsen

---

King Eduard is the greatest

[Crackpunch]

Also on raiding parties from Freeports - let them be. Lol? Yes, let them be so people can come and attack you or me or anyone else because that's what is called the game - not just random dudes sitting on top of own rocks and cybering.

I was just looking for a bit of realism; you jumped the gun a bit there.

---