Processor raiding is maybe too ludicrous

[Nachtu]

It works like this:

 

You find a station that buys Processors. You check if they still need processors. If they do, you can camp their position and raid incoming Cargo transports until you're fat with a good that takes 0.1 cargo space and gives 7858 credits. When you see the first ship, and destroy it for loot, pretty much immidiately another Processor transport appears to the sector to fulfill it's predecessors role. And so the loop continues until you've had enough and the Processors slip by to get delivered. Then you can raid the station if you're still lacking.

 

It's usually hundreds of millions per fast trip. If you spend an hour or three, it can be billions. I've done it, it's not even hard as long as you're stronger than the faction and have cargospace in your ship(s). They are easy to sell too, since Repair docks are nearly always buying about 25000+ per station.

 

I know the economy needs a drastic overhaul anyways, but this issue could be fixed already. To to fix the issue I propose the following:

- nerf the cargospace/credits -relation of Processors

OR

- transports need to carry less of them

OR

maybe some of both.

[AstroOwl]

This definitely seems too exploitable and nonsensical. But i think another type of fix would be better (although maybe harder to implement):

 

If the cargoship spawned to deliver goods to the station is destroyed, no other transport spawns to do so in another X time, being afraid of encountering pirates. X might be around 1 hour, i think.

 

Really, when you think about why this is nonsensical, it's not because lucrative goods exist or because npc carry them in large numbers, but because of how endless stream of traders carrying that good appear out of thin air. Where do they even get all this processors?

If you limit this rate, you make this thing not so ridiculous, but still profitable, and it becomes more believable.

 

And this also solves this exploit not only for Processors specifically, but for any other possibly too exploitable good, while leaving you with ability to get some amount of specific good by piracy if you want to.

[WSY]

Implementing a spawn cool down timer as well as a ludicrously armed response would also work.

 

The problem being is if your in let's say iron tier territory and you have trinium, nothing strong enough is going to respond.

 

Unless you had a fleet labeled "Third party response team" or "mercenary enforcement" that spawned with either oganite level tech or scanned player ship for material and their highest material is the tier the enforcement fleet shows up at, or better, one higher, with the exception that it cannot be avorian. Would encourage hit and run.

 

If you defeat the mercenary group, one more civilian ship shows up, and then after you kill it, all legal traffic to the system stops, and waves upon waves of local faction fleets keep coming as if there is a faction war.

 

Probably a bit complicated though, when you leave system, starts a timer on player before system resets. Like pirates or xsotan, the fleets aren't saved, but immediately respawn upon player return if they return before the timer runs out.

 

Can't exploit for money except for twice for a cooldown period, but a fun way to declare war on a faction in a way. Maybe even have it so during that cool down, their fleets have a chance to spawn on you like pirates or xsotan. Could create a risk vs reward system.