Pilots on the behalf of their nation could deploy a 120cu Spy Platform in any sector. The platform would transmit the names of all pilots in the sector to a master Locator List for that nation. Any pilot of the same nationality could see the list of all pilots in sectors with spy platforms in their sensor log. The spy platform would be "stealthed" - visible to the eye but not on radar. Enemy pilots would have to search out the platform hidden in a sector. It would show up on radar with the aid of the "radar extender" when a pilor flew into range. It would be heavily armored. It would report to a channel if attacked. (IE 301 itani, 302 Serco, 303 UIT) It would be moderatly expensive to buy, say 50,000 credits.

This idea would generate several new missions:
1. Deploy Platform
2. Destroy Enemy Platform

It would also add a strategic level to the game. Guilds or nations could track enemys with a large network of platforms placed in WH and station sectors. Therefore they would invest their effort in deploying them - which requires a vulnerable behemoth and probably an escort. They would also hunt enemy platforms. This would give an improved role to the radar extended "Craptor." The attack notification would allow nations to defend their platforms. If they had queen strength armor there would be enough time for a defense force to respond. Perhaps there could be a deployable defense turret too....

Given the size of a sector, this would be a clusterfuck.

I don't know, Dr. Lecter1. We could make it have a radar signature that can be seen from any point in the sector. Just make it have a really faint signature, akin to a roid, that gets changed to an ordinary ship signature as soon as you enter normal radar range. This would make it more of a 'search appropriate locations (roid fields) or scan the radar for improbable roids' type of game.

If it were only to show up when within range, I agree, it'd be a clusterfuck.

Let me explain how it works.

Step (1): I fly my moth into a sector, and engage the turbo.

Step (2): I leave it sit for a few days or a week.

Step (3): I deploy the thing, and at a distance that nobody in their right mind will ever touch.

Even if it's visible, they're bound to become more or less permanent fixtures.

Give it non-infinite turbo.

its a great idea but you could give the platform 20Km range and people would see it from 17Km something like that

What if it was basically a station defense turret that was colored black or some other low visibility color.

-Will attack if attacked otherwise it will just sit there
-Small radar signature (maybe shows up as gray dot on radar at 500m)
-Only reports ships within standard radar range (5km)

I'll sink the damn things into ice yo's, DEEP so even prox mines cant touch em

Allow it to be only deployed only as a structure on the side of an asteroid.

But I don't really like this idea(the whole tracking thing). I do like the idea of deployable objects serving various purposes for various people though.

Good thoughts on problems with finding a spy platform needle in an infinate sector. A scientist at Inubus Research explained to me that the platforms will transmit back to their originating nation only if deployed within 5,000 meters of the system center. He went on to add that any pilot could detect that there was a platform in a given sector due to their non directional subspace transmissions. For this reason sectos with spy platforms are identified on the system map with a dot of the origionating nationality's color. However to actually locate the platform requires storm extender radar. This yields a sphere with a volume of 523,000,000,000 cubic meters. The craptor with one storm radar exterder can see 2000 m in any direction and fly 210m/s - thus examining 2,637,000,000 cubic meter/ sec. It would take the craptor three to five minutes to find the platform. This seems like a reasonable search time. Without the storm extender technology, regular radar is limited to 500m range on spy platforms - just like in storms.

Thanks for the great feedback!