A suggestion:

Create a data field for each ship that a player buys that allows them to name and rename their ship.

To use an example, in Star Wars, Han Solo flew a modified YT-1300. It was named "Millenium Falcon".

In Sector chat, use the name of the ship instead of the pilot's name. Allow the pilot to toggle whether or not the ship name is used in Sector chat. If it is, the pilot could try to pass as someone else (to bypass pesky blockades and such).

This idea could be expanded into fake transponders and such that pirates could use to pass unharmed in sectors where they should be attacked. There is always a chance the transponder would fail though and when it does, it's unusable again in that faction's space.

Chance is bad.
-:sigma.SB

Then don't base it on chance.

Instead, if you come within a certain distance of the space station, it automatically fails. (The station's computer sees through the deception)

Any other comments on the naming of ships by their pilots? Or is "Chance is bad" the horse head in the bed that kills the suggestion?

hmm using the ship's name instead of character name is an interesting idea. but, are ship names exclusive? ie can there be 2 Milenium Falcons?

also i think your idea about fake IDs should be thought out a little more. i mean who sees your name verses you ship's name? and what exactly does a fake ID hide: sector list? chat entrys? the id when you are targeted? etc?

also mayplayers emulate the "Fake ID" idea by having multiple characters and using the alst as aliases of the original character.

I like the ship name Idea as well,

if and when things can be gained from scrap, it would make a lot more sense to be "picking up Scrap Metal from the Millenium Falcon"
than it would be to "pick up Shape's scrap metal"

Personally, I think that if we do ship names, they perhaps ought to be applied using player-defined macros:

First, in your wgaf.cfg, you currently have a line that reads set hailmsg "hail".This variable, hailmsg, can be changed in the options menu. Wouldn't it be nice to define more of these variables?

Well, perhaps we should add a subcommand to the /set tree, "macro". With a syntax of /set macro [macro name] [value], one could add a few of these macros to their wgaf.cfg file by typing the following (I'll use my own character's info for this):

set macro fullName "Miharu Sena Kanaka"
set macro lastName "Kanaka"
set macro shipName "IEV Solea"
alias tehHailOne "msg %target% This is &rank& %lastName% of the %shipName%, do you require assistance?"
alias tehHailTwo "msg %target% %fullName% speaking. Can I help you?"

Note how I enclose the macros with percent signs, like the %target% macro. Also note the one macro enclosed in ampersands (&). That particular macro (rank, in this case) is a game-defined macro. It cannot be defined by the player. Default "rank" would be "Captain," perhaps.

The two hails would create the following output with the macros given above (text replacing the macros is in italics):
*Miharu* This is Captain Kanaka of the IEV Solea, do you require assistance?"
*Miharu* Miharu Sena Kanaka speaking. Can I help you?"

Now, there is a macro that not everyone knows about: %sector%. Try doing /msg <yournamehere> %sector%. What it will do is provide you the sector ID, a number somewhere between 1 and 7680. For example, Odia M-14's sector ID is 5597.

I have tried to see if this works with the /navroute add <system> <sector> command to see if there was a fast way of making a return route through the /navroute commands, but it doesn't work. Of course, were %sector% to expand to "Odia M-14" instead of 5597, perhaps it would work.

Also, note that %target% and %sector% don't work outside of the /msg commands. Perhaps this should be changed.

wait, %sector% does something?

okay, I completely like the idea of making ships nameable. but I am completely against the idea of encouraging use of that as a spoof technique... Naming your ship should be for novelty and customizability only... though perhaps names should be in limited supply (you can't take a name for your ship that is currently in use by some other character)

that said,

WE NEED %target% SHORTCUT IN ALL COMMUNICATION MODES NOW

thank you...

Ships should ABSOLUTELY be given names on purchase. The use of false ship signatures to gain access to otherwise KOS areas should be VERY difficult to obtain...

Jerol Troglan,
Free Trader Beowulf

^^ huh?

I think we should only be able to name HACs. If all ships have their own name, names don't feel as special.

Hummm... I think I'd call mine 'punkin'... (but you'll *never* know why)...

Is it a reference to yer badge?

Think about it this way...

If you have a Cappy... it should have a name.

If you have a fighter... that you are bound to lose rather quickly and keep replacing... it shouldn't have a name.

You lose Cappies less, (or should lose them less), than you would fighters.

No names for fighters.

Throughout history, men have been naming the ships they sail. Even small sail boats at the marina have names. In science fiction, ships routinely have names (again, harking back to the Age of Sail). Ship names are not "special" -- nor should they be. It's not a reward, it's a right. If I am a trader, eeking out my existence in a ship -- indeed, virtually living in the vessel -- then you can be sure I am going to name it.

If you want to have an option to not name a ship or type of ship, fine... but I'd like to have the option. It is also a great roleplaying aid, of course.

Jerol Troglan,
Free Trader Beowulf

I don't really have an oppinion in this topic.
But aren't our ships more like cars? There aren't a lot of people (I hope) who give their car a name.

Space has always been portrayed as being analagous to the sea. The word "pirate" doesn't make you think of someone driving a car. Star Trek used the name "Enterprise" (and many others: Reliant, Constellation, etc) lifted directly from ocean-going vessels from history. Space vessels "ply the trade lanes" (shipping term), travel in convoys (again, shipping term), and participate in piracy.

There are also clear connections to air travel as well, but most classic science fiction clearly uses the space-sea connection. By the way, in Star Trek, even the shuttle craft (which look remarkably like a bus, btw) had names...

Jerol Troglan,
Free Trader Beowulf

SINGLE PERSON FIGHTERS DON'T GET NAMES!!!

SHIPS DO!!!

If they did... then Vader's Tie would have been named Genevieve or something?!?!

Yarg...

So far... all we have access to are Fighter class vessels... the Moth is the only one which is kinda weird in that respect...

I dunno, I think our ships should be more like marine vessels, where you should give it a name.

I'm firmly w/ icbm on this one.

When you name a ship, you're becoming attached to it. And these fighters you're attached are expected to blow up every few minutes... that's not a feeling of attachment.

And when you give EVERY ship a name, the feeling of attachment starts to diminish until it just ends up being a useless feature.

The fact that you "expect" your ship to blow up is just sad fooz

Giving the ship a name will make you want to NOT die as much and that is a good thing.

naming a ship should be somethiung you actively have to do. ie, you don't get prompted every time you buy a ship to name it. but it should also be available for all ships.

that way ANY ship can be named, but only those who's captain/pilot has chosen to name will be. Thus just because the PVP jocks don't care about their ships doesn't mean no fighter pilot is attached to their fighter (in WW 2 for example british pilots were often attached to their spitfires and commonly named them. thea same is true to a lesser extent with bomber crews and i'd expect military pilots in general.)