This is a simple suggestion to add some more RP and customization to station ownership. Allow owners to set automated outgoing private messages to be sent to ships as they enter the station sector. There could be at least three types of messages; one for non-key-holders, one for user key-holders, and another for owner key-holders. These could be customized in the same way as a hail, so you could include the target's name and such if you wanted. The message could come from a station guard or from the station itself, maybe identified as coming from the "dockmaster" or something. If it comes from a station guard, attackers could perhaps disable the message by killing the guard.

A message to a non-key-holder might be something like "This station is controlled by killaN00b92. Leave immediately or you will be destroyed." This would let people know who currently controls the station, and they can then decide if the will try to conquer it or maybe contact the owner for a key. The messages sent to users and owners might obviously be set differently. The owners could also disable the messages altogether. Have the settings attached to the owner key, so if a key is reactivated, the old settings are automatically re-enabled.

Currently, there is no way for a non-key-holder to see who owns a station, and no way for an owner to let people know that he or she owns it. We can't customize writing outside of the stations or anything like that. This would just allow us to make our ownership known more easily. This wouldn't add anything amazing in terms of gameplay, and I can think of dozens of suggestions that I consider more important, but this seems like a nice easy thing to implement.

+1

+1

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Also, delay the message by a quarter of a second after entering sector so targetless doesn't wipe out the message.

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Do not automate it. Someone entering sector by accident may not even notice stations (that should allways be more far than 5km from jump entry spot).

I proposed long ago that when you hail conquerable stations' guards and turrets they should return the owner tag, for either friends or foes.
-Hail from *[botname] defending [StationOwner]'s station.
-Turred [TurrName] owned by [StationOwner].

or something better written. It would also be very very more RP enhancing that Guild was included and provide a way for owner to rename conquered station.
-[StationName]'s guard [botname] on behalf of [StationOwner] (from [Guild]).

-*-

How to deal with abuses with user provided hail phrase?
?

this is redundant since every conquerable station in the game is owned by an alliance that totally defeats the purpose of having conquerable stations though, amirite?

i figured just a "git outta here d00d or yer gunna kersplode" message would suffice.

when you jump into sector, it's pretty clear from the beep beep beeping of missiles that you are not welcome.
hur hur

Working with other players to control a station defeats the purpose of having conquerable stations? Anyway, let's stay on-topic.

Alloh, the suggestion is for automated messages, not what you're talking about. Maybe the message should only be sent when you're within a certain range of the station? We can assume the station has radar extension technology (for fogged sectors, etc...). If the owners want to keep people who don't already know where the station is from finding it, they could disable the message for non key-holders. As far as "abuses with user provided hail phrase"; it's not an issue, at least not any more than with regular hail messages, which no one seems to have a problem with.

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Regarding user-provided hail messages abuse:
The thing is you can ignore a player if their hails bother you. If the station message were to come from a 'dockmaster' with a unique name at each station that never changes, and that dockmaster could be ignored, it should solve the issue. It would also provide a means for users to not see the message if they so desired.

I'd rather see the message when near the station as opposed to when entering the sector (assuming the station is far enough away from where you enter the sector). It would make it feel more personal, as if the station is responding to my actions rather than just some auto-generated message.

The only thing with the message being based on range, meridian, is that the turrets fire on you as soon as they can, as soon as you enter the sector, as far as I know (maybe not in fog sectors?). It seems silly that they would fire on you, but not message you until later when you are closer. I think the message should be sent as soon as they can see you on radar, which is when they start firing. Good call on being able to /ignore messages from the station.

Turrets shooting at you is an expected behaviour, but not automatic personal offenses!

/ignore station makes no sense. Imagine someone enter a sector looking for something else than a station, as ores or bots. Then he gets severily insulted. And his/her watching father gets very offended by game engine spitting those bads words??

Why would someone mute something (s)he doesn't know yet?

So, unless you make all stations in universe (spam)hail every newcomer, make only those who actively asks the stations defenses to receive a standartized message.

Just like "asking" the Levi about his court, or hailing a marshal about bounties, that information must be a reply to a player action.

There's a chat filter enabled by default, you ****ing ***hole.

"this is redundant since every conquerable station in the game is owned by an alliance that totally defeats the purpose of having conquerable stations though, amirite?"

This would be an issue if there were enough players to generate diversity. A larger player base would inherently create more concrete divisions. As it is, people tend to gravitate to each other regardless of faction, guild or career. One would think that multiple trade / mining guilds would be at odds with each other as the various pirate guilds would be competing over territory. Seriously, you can't tell me that JCPennies wouldn't do the happy dance if Macy's went out of business.

this is a good idea

No real problem with OP.

+1

Yep, OP good idea.
+1

+1, could add a little more immersion.
"Greetings, prepare to die!"

I'd like the customization and can stand the abuses if that is a reply to an action, as hailing or shooting at guard/turret. But specially turrets should reply a fixed standartized text.

just imagine when you return again one more time to same station, and again hear that taunt repeat...