Several times lately I've witnessed (either personally or via the death message) something go bang above Pittsburgh because it was stealing scraps and more often than not it turns out to have been a civilian under level thirty. If the offender is over this level then they are a valid target within the bounds of role-play and stealing would definitely be a good reason to attack. However, those below level thirty are NOT valid targets under any circumstance except those stated explicitly in the rules, and stealing is not listed. But this doesn't seem to matter to a lot of miners, they have no qualms with shooting a Defender with umpteen transport turrets because it scooped up 15,000 worth of ore that they had laid claim to.
This needs to stop. Yes, stealing is stealing yet it does not permit shooting an under-level player.
Worth asking: Can underlevel Civilian ID'd people kill each other over this stuff?
I know they can't be attacked by high levels, but I figure that they can just start killing each other
No, the rules clearly state that attacking level 29 or below is not permitted except within the given conditions. As for civilians, regardless of level, attacking somebody who is level 30 or above, there is in fact no reason that they can do this because they are essentially neutral to all factions and zones (despite the default reputation for new players), especially to other civilians.
The trouble is that the ID does not state that they can or cannot attack anything, this can lead to interpretation.
Maybe I'm missing something here,but don't low level pilots by and large have ships with tiny cargo holds?So they would maybe scoop in 30 scrap metal or so before it was forced to return to Pittsburgh?
Or does everything you've mined disappear when they hit 'B'?