Insights from Luke Pressley, Senior Principal Systems Designer regarding unclaimed ships and their towing regulations

Hello everyone, I realized these points should have been discussed individually, so I’ll elaborate on them.
Currently, it is permissible to damage, demolish, tow, dismantle, or salvage an unclaimed vehicle.

  • Unclaimed vehicles refer to those for which players have chosen a replacement through the ASOP or AI ships that lack pilots.
  • Damaging, destroying, towing, dismantling, or salvaging these vehicles is allowed anywhere, including within Armistice Zones.
  • However, after reviewing the scanning details, I can’t see a clear method to identify whether a ship is owned. I have reported this issue since it used to show the owner information. Please inform me if I’ve overlooked something. Fortunately, towing does not immediately incur a Crime Stat, as there is a warning system allowing players to act without immediate penalties.
    Towing ships outside green zones is now legal.
  • Green zones correspond to Armistice Zones.
  • Towing an owned ship within Armistice Zones remains illegal; however, I am working towards extending the grace period before a Crime Stat is issued, enabling players to relocate vehicles a short distance to clear obstructions.
  • It is now allowed to tow owned vehicles outside of an Armistice Zone, but do remember to keep your shields activated!
    These adjustments were implemented as immediate solutions to mitigate the number of abandoned ships blocking key areas, but additional measures are under consideration. A critical aspect that still needs addressing (besides the ability to differentiate between owned and unowned ships) is ensuring that an unowned ship’s shield turns off if it is active. I propose that once a ship is unowned, it should automatically shut down to help with their removal.

hey, i noticed a few issues with tow regs too. its oddly complicated when owner data is missin. maybe auto shut off for unowned ships could ease things. keepin ur shilds up helps, but overall, a bit more clarity would be gr8.

An additional perspective on this issue involves the practical impact of the current towing regulations on in-game operations. From experience, the lack of immediate owner data not only complicates the process of distinguishing between claimed and unclaimed vehicles but also stresses resources when managing space and access to key areas. It appears that clearer owner verification protocols could streamline towing efforts. The automatic shutdown proposal is promising, as it might eliminate needless delays and complications, allowing players to focus more on strategic gameplay rather than administrative hurdles.

Hey everyone, I’m also really intrigued by these changes! I agree, the removal of the owner data makes it a bit trickier and the lack of automatic shield power down on unowned ships feels like just another layer of complexity. Personally, I’m wondering what would be the best way to implement that? Maybe some kind of visual cue or alert when a ship becomes unclaimed could help players quickly assess whether a ship is safe to interact with? Also, how do you all feel about the grace period for re-towing owned vessels in Armistice Zones – does that seem like a fair compromise between gameplay flexibility and preventing abuse? Would be cool to see if others have some creative ideas to further smooth out these processes or maybe tweak them in a way that benefits both sides of the coin. Curious to see what others have to say on balancing these mechanics.

hey, auto shutoff for unowned ships is a neat idea but im worryin bout misfires. a brief delay to recheck owner info might help ease errors. might be worth a shot to clear up congestion without snagging innocent ships, ya know?