Fender Bender at Shinrarta Dezhra

[Ouchies]

I have been playing in open because players can add an unpredictability to the game that bots cannot. But until recently encounters with other players have been rare and uneventful. However, I recently got to Elite on exploration so have been visiting Shinrarta Dezhra which is a very different environment from that which I am used to - as the following tale indicates.

I had used my Krait Phantom exploration ship to gather materials at a nearby system and was entering Jameson Memorial on auto dock where I would use them to engineer an Imperial Cutter I was outfitting there. As I went through the mail slot an Imperial Cutter came out leading to a collision. It was no big deal, my Phantom landed intact and I did not even bother to exchange a few unkind words via chat with the other player.

But my Phantom is an exploration ship fitted out for jump range and speed to outrun any hostile players. Its shields are small and weak and this collision all but took them out. My question is what would have happened if my shields had dropped and I had taken damage? Would the station have reacted with violence? My ships are unarmed and I have the automatic mayday call enabled.

Also, was this a major breach of etiquette by the other player and would I have been justified in deliberately dropping my shields and taking damage so the authorities would have given him a spanking? I had right of way - I was on auto dock and my docking computer obeys traffic signals. It occurs to me that, by hitting the silent running key, I could have done this easily enough.

[loandreu]

I would have said something to that idiot, honestly.

[Sighman]

If a Cutter is going through the slot, you wait. Otherwise it's like getting on a skateboard and arguing right of way with an 18-wheeler.

If they're going below 100 m/s they don't even get a fine. Some gankers exploit this by rubbing player ships until the player fires back, at which point the station destroys them.

[Walrus-Sama]

If ships have a collision, they will receive a fine if they are moving over 100 meters per second. If one of ships is destroyed by the impact, it will count as murder and the Station will destroy the other ship.

Big ships always have 'right of way', especially Cutters. The Cutter is the most dangerous ship to be rammed by, due to it's high hull mass and fast boost speed. It can easily one-shot most fragile ships if it boosts.

I'd suggest not using the docking computer at Jameson Memorial. It has a lot of Elite Commanders who like to boost through the mailslot. It's kind of funny, but a few ships do get exploded every now and then.

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by Ouchies:

Also, was this a major breach of etiquette by the other player and would I have been justified in deliberately dropping my shields and taking damage so the authorities would have given him a spanking?

Etiquette? Some people do it deliberately just for the fun of ruining other players' fun. And if they fly under 100m/s while doing it, they wouldn't even get spanked. But that's one of the added unpredictability you are after when playing in Open.

[malorob]

Rule of thumb for me.
if only flying to shipyards then playing in open is ok.
There is a exception to this Rule A person who is cheating and has jammed them selfs in the mail slot too prove a point to the F'devs.

But

If flying to a Out-Post then solo is better "why- as people tend to like to on the limited land bays and stay there not allowing other players to use them"

making it even harder for others to finish their missions.

[Un1k0rn]

Originally posted by malorob:

Rule of thumb for me.
if only flying to shipyards then playing in open is ok.
There is a exception to this Rule A person who is cheating and has jammed them selfs in the mail slot too prove a point to the F'devs.

But

If flying to a Out-Post then solo is better "why- as people tend to like to on the limited land bays and stay there not allowing other players to use them"

making it even harder for others to finish their missions.

Funny thought I just had thanks to this.

Not saying this applies to you, just that the comment on the limited number of outposts made me think:

We do have a lot of folk playing Elite who say they want realism.

Until it inconveniences them.

I've lived at a harbour my entire life and nothing is more realistic in this game than having to wait for a space to open up to dock.

Frequently see IRL freight ships waiting entire days to dock.

I find this mildly amusing to consider.

[jimbalayajones]

GTA meets Elite...Learn to deal with it or fly SOLO...

[Ouchies]

Originally posted by jimbalayajones:

GTA meets Elite...Learn to deal with it or fly SOLO...

Learning to deal with all the "its" that Open offers makes ED a far more interesting game.