Post by spike on Apr 2, 2011 14:05:18 GMT -5
While undertaking a Surveillance contract, I pass through Rychart space and meet a warship patrol. I Surrender to the warship for search. They seize records from my hold and the contract is voided. I think the contract was against Rychart, I can't be sure.
All of which would make a certain amount of sense - if I had already completed the Surveillance and had the Records in my hold. In fact I was still en route to the target area, about 10AU away. I don't even think I had Records in the hold, and I certainly didn't have Surveillance Records from the target.
Clearly it's illogical for a Faction to bust you for a Surveillance mission you haven't even done yet (unless they were tipped off, or set you up, and they frame you). But it also makes me think that you shouldn't get credit for completing a Surveillance mission unless you make it back to a world of the sponsoring Faction, with the Records intact. I know that it's tricky to track specific Records. You would need to have a 2-step mission success flag (1 - gain Records, 2 - get back to sponsors) with also a check for the right number of Records in the hold at Step 2. And deduct the Records on arrival (no cash payment). All of which would make Surveillance missions tougher, so you would want to increase the payouts.
It's not logical for payment to be made when the Records are generated because Records can't be transmitted between worlds, certainly not instantly, probably not at all, otherwise no one would be freighting them around the galaxy in the Q-EM pods of ships.
One more clue re the bug - cccording to Hall of Records I have accepted 10 Contracts, completed 9, rejected 0, failed 0, allowed 0 to expire. Which sounds like 1 Contract is still in effect. But Status - Contract is blank.
All of which would make a certain amount of sense - if I had already completed the Surveillance and had the Records in my hold. In fact I was still en route to the target area, about 10AU away. I don't even think I had Records in the hold, and I certainly didn't have Surveillance Records from the target.
Clearly it's illogical for a Faction to bust you for a Surveillance mission you haven't even done yet (unless they were tipped off, or set you up, and they frame you). But it also makes me think that you shouldn't get credit for completing a Surveillance mission unless you make it back to a world of the sponsoring Faction, with the Records intact. I know that it's tricky to track specific Records. You would need to have a 2-step mission success flag (1 - gain Records, 2 - get back to sponsors) with also a check for the right number of Records in the hold at Step 2. And deduct the Records on arrival (no cash payment). All of which would make Surveillance missions tougher, so you would want to increase the payouts.
It's not logical for payment to be made when the Records are generated because Records can't be transmitted between worlds, certainly not instantly, probably not at all, otherwise no one would be freighting them around the galaxy in the Q-EM pods of ships.
One more clue re the bug - cccording to Hall of Records I have accepted 10 Contracts, completed 9, rejected 0, failed 0, allowed 0 to expire. Which sounds like 1 Contract is still in effect. But Status - Contract is blank.
