Blog Banter 32 - Vigilantes!

Allright, so as a cop-out on writing more fiction I will participate in this month's Blog Banter 32. The Apple of Discord was thrown by the author of Sand, Cider and Spaceships, and it looks like this:

"A quick view of the Eve Online forums can always find someone complaining about being suicide ganked, whining about some scam they fell for or other such tears. With the Goons' Ice Interdiction claiming a vast amount of mining ships there were calls for an "opt out of PvP" option. 

Should this happen? Should people be able to opt-out of PvP in Eve Online? Should CONCORD prevent crime rather than just handing out justice after the event? Or do the hi-sec population already have too much protection from the scum and villainy that inhabits the game?"

I never quite understood the mindset that drives people to look for weak and defenseless targets because it never felt like an achievement to me to blow up someone who can't put up a fight. I definitely like trying to hit those back who do, though.

Unfortunately, the opportunities to do that in highsec are way too few for my tastes. Highsec griefers like to say, that miners and mission runners should be prepared for non-consensual PVP. The way I see it, it's them who are in fact not prepared for it. They set up their engagements in such a way that there is usually no real risk of any retribution. You want non-consensual PVP? I think you are definitely entitled to it. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:

In the most recent episode of Notalotofnews, Erin suggests that there should be a possibility for players to put their kill-rights on the market after getting ganked. I would actually go and fly around in highsec again for other things than shopping if I could make ISK by shooting people on behalf of victimized miners. It would also finally effectively create the profession of bounty hunter in an official way supported by game mechanics.

Also, why are kill rights only extended to individuals? If someone ganks my corpmate, I should be allowed to go after them too, for the same amount of time. That would encourage high-sec players to form small gangs and seek retribution.

Furthermore, why are gankers allowed to safely wait for their GCC to expire in a pod or station? It should absolutely be allowed for players to pod them, especially the victims. Such offenders should not be able to jump out of the system or dock as long as the GCC lasts, just like an Aggression Timer. Contrary to the author of this post, I would not like CONCORD to pod the gankers, but getting a few corpmates together to hunt a pod that can't jump or dock would be fun.

Another thing I thought about, would be the possibility to pay a monthly fee to CONCORD and become a registered enforcer. Doing so would make it legal to not only shoot -5 targets, but generally everyone with a negative sec status. It's one thing to know that you can steal from this two-month old miner in a small corp with no combat pilots, it's another if there could be scores of people out there who are both allowed to, and capable of blowing you up for it.

Measures like that would increase the amount of PVP in highsec while introducing more consequences for criminal behaviour at the same time. That would make such acts more difficult and therefore would indirectly increase the safety of the more peaceful industry types, without restricting PVP by set game mechanics which do not rely on player interaction. It would also introduce a new PVP playstyle into the game: Vigilante anti-griefing. I am sure there are people who would enjoy that. I know I would.

On a final note, I'd like to say, that I often get the feeling that highsec players are not frustrated and angry because their ships get blown up every so often. The real frustration is, that they know the griefers will get away with it, have their 'lolz' and happily move on without any worries. Personal revenge is not the only form of closure, some people are perfectly happy if others carry it out for them.