[Jonboy]

Yeah, I know the idea of space wreckage is NOT new... this idea IS NEW!!!! zOMG!!!eleven!!

When ships are destroyed in space an object is left where the ship was destroyed. It would look like junk. Its contents somehow would resemble the contents and equipment of the ship that was destroyed, either labelled as broken or just as base mats.

What's new?

The previous owner of the ship would be left a salvage-rights slip. The slip is just a piece of paper, containing data on the ship that made the junk, and location.

ONLY the possessor of the slip can salvage the junk.

Salvaging the junk requires flight to the junk and retrieval equipment and cargo-space.

You can sell the slip to other players or even your faction station.

The junk (and slip) have an expiry date (to reduce space-clutter).

You can recycle the junk!

[Tim]

Nice.. do you envision this coming back as raw comods, or could a pilot pay some sort of repair cost and have working equipment? Or would the pilot just sell the whole thing to a faction station, for a quasi-random amount of money (based loosely on ship cost and equipment at the time of destruction)?

[Jonboy]

Personally, i would have the slip be worth cash and the junk be worth raw commods, possibly with a chance of gear. However, Jumpgate Classic had no luck-based events apart from pure and arty spawn points. A chance of random gear in the junk would change the resell value of the slip, which in my mind would be good.

[Jonboy]

Continued... (i had to go mind junior!)

Notes, advantages and disadvantages:

The main reason I want this in is so that mining is not the SOLE source of materials. The percentage of raw commods that would be returned in the junk can be raised or lowered. The percentage would be primarily controlled by the GMs, e.g. a base stat of 75% recovery would keep a lot of base commods in-game, but still require some mining. The percentage also could be dynamically changed by player rep and sector control. (Please note: I WANT MINING to be important, but i want to add flexibility to what the GMs can control).

Control of salvage rights prevents ripping for the loot.

It would create a new role-play of salvaging.

Salvage would require player action.

Space-junk *could* look cool.

Bumping the junk *could* cause interaction with players (there are MANY possible disadvantages you could put here - initially i'd default to no bad interactions possible, but I'm pliable here) (also, 'bumping junk' sounds dirty).

Possibility of random loot in the junk creates variety for the players.

Insurance would be less necessary, as your trashed ship would still have value.

The junk would require use of a server AI, even if it was pretty simple.

The main disadvantages I foresee include that excessive junk might look bad. Also, a person who DELIBERATELY trashes equipment would retain control of the junk - although there would be a paper-trail and it might be possible to have conditions where the trasher is stopped from getting the rights.

[Jump]

Why would a pirate care about, and therefor be limited to, salvage rites?

Also a rites time limit so players don't use space for storage.

Good idea overall.

[Jump]

Actually, if you are paid off by the insurance company then they own the salvage rights. And they could then issue salvage missions. Which could be accepted in bulk or singularly. Singularly would give the player who may only have a short time to play that day something to do during that session. Accepting missions in bulk of course would be more efficient and time consuming.

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Jump

Why would a pirate care about, and therefor be limited to, salvage rites?

I think you've misinterpreted me. Pirates would be interested in killing a ship if they could keep the loot. In Jumpgate, I *think* this would be bad. But, I want the loot to be recoverable, so I'm tieing the loot to the person who paid for it, so PKing is not encouraged.

Actually, if you are paid off by the insurance company then they own the salvage rights. And they could then issue salvage missions. Which could be accepted in bulk or singularly. Singularly would give the player who may only have a short time to play that day something to do during that session. Accepting missions in bulk of course would be more efficient and time consuming.

I like this too, although the insurance would agree the rights deal before the ship crash, and in my system, you'd get automatically get the rights after. I realise this is a change from the current 'purchase insurance' arrangement. I can only say that you may still want to purchase additional insurance, particularly if the value of equipment was reduced to the value of raw commods.

Also a rites time limit so players don't use space for storage.

Agreed, i can see that an exploit may be possible. i'm still proposing that (the value of) most/all equipment and tier 2+ commods would be reduced to (the value of) tier 1 commods, reducing the applicability of the exploit. (i.e. broken equipment would have to be brought to a recycling plant and turned into base materials.)

*edited*

[Jump]

How about tiered insurance.

Tier 1 less costly. Pays the normal return if and only if you salvage your own wreckage and it's not there when you get there. If you get there in the specified time and someone has illegally pirated the wreckage then you are paid and the insurance company issues a bounty mission for the pirate. Not a bounty, but a mission that must be accepted. If you salvage it you are paid for the difference.

Tier 2 is more expensive. You just get paid for your loss and the insurance company issues a salvage mission to any takers. Salvage missions can be paid in cash, not as much as equipment is worth, or they can be paid in insurance vouchers.

There you go, more things for players to do that make sense.

Though pirates being able to see it floating there and not grab it is just too far from reality for my brain to accept. Just make it have some danger.

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Jump

Though pirates being able to see it floating there and not grab it is just too far from reality for my brain to accept. Just make it have some danger.

I see your point, I'd thought of the RPed explanation of having retrieval equipment that required the slip to work, as a key. Obviously, one could argue that an illegal one should be possible that would open any junk. I just don't think it would be a good idea to implement it. I'm scared of encouraging PKing given the response I expect from non-PvPers.

[Jump]

Well, those that like to pk always say "space is dangerous". In return, killing people is and should be dangerous and costly if caught.

[Jonboy]

I'm now scared of you, Jump.

[Ambrosius]

Movin' on UP . . .