If you mount a hive fast charge and/or a hive positron (or gat, etc) then your ship is accepted by the hive unless you bump or shoot one.

As a variation, the more hive add-ons you have, the closer you can get to a hive bot before it "recognizes" you. A single add-on lets you get as close as 500 m. Two add-ons lets you get 300m. Three add-ons let you get to 100m (eg. a Hog 2 with a hive positron, hive Gatling turret, and a hive fast charge.

This will increase the demand for Hive drops for players to trade, particularly hive fast charges, allow traders to take more risk with their moths in storms, and give pirates more opportunity to venture into storms and hang out.

Yes. I don't see it as particularly useful in ion storms, but it would make for more interesting alternatives when mining in bot sectors, while not completely negating the risk.

+1

It'd turn a pirates' UDV Raptor into a sour surprise in a storm that's commonly travelled. You'd have the Radar and safety. Quite a good thought.

And I can mine the botty sectors with less danger. Also not a bad thing.

If ion storm exits weren't trivially close to the point where you jump in, that would matter more.

+1 to transponder spoofing in general.

Hmmm, by that logic player owned Tridents should be worshiped by hive bots like Hive Queens since they are mainly built of hive parts.

I have nothing against that, just give us a command to rule our minions and do our bidding.

Poppycock.

You should be able to manufacture hive ships in conquerable stations at a risky cost though.
Manufacture a Hive ship. Equip it with anything you want. You are now KOS while in that ship with everybody except conquered stations (being keyed to said station(s) counts) and even show up on player radar as a hostile even though your name appears in sector list. Any and all hive bots will leave you alone. They think you're one of them. Once you leave that ship (in conquerable stations only), everything returns to normal including faction standings and radar appearance.

+1. I like the cloaking idea against bots, especially for miners or people who may outfit their vessels to repair others, basically non-combatants.

+1 to transponder spoofing/hive id spoofing' whatever

+1

But I'd like it to go a step further and let a player become aligned with the hive faction and make hive-only ships flyable. This would also open up a wide array of mission tree opportunities.

I liked this idea better when it was mine.
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/29395

Your idea was good. This is an improvement on it since it would use in game items for new functionality. Creating new items would be more work.

Awesome idea. I'm looking to see some friendly hive!
+1
I don't think there needs be a whole new drop to make this tick. Existing powcells and such can be used.
I propose this:
1. To qualify for Hive Acceptence status your ship must have a Hive component, or be a dent.
2. Once you are accepted, the behavior will depend on the bot's personality.
a. Suicidal: Will be a bit less suicidal
b. Generic: Will not attack. If you have no weapons, are in a hivelike ship (bus, Revenant, Centaurion, Atlas, or Rag) and it is a collector, it will fly up and dump it's ore at you, thinking that you're a Transport
c. Aloof: Will follow you and attack your enemies. It will not attack hive bots, and if you shoot it it will have second thoughts.

"I liked this idea better when it was mine."

I like this idea better because it's not yours.

This line of ideas could create new professions such as, technician, programmer, or bot operator. Something like that.

+1 -- I also like mitchness' idea of being able to manufacture hive ships at conq stations, especially if we could manufacture a hive queen ship that could have a single docked ship and some cargo space (I assume the rectangle in the back of a hive queen is some kind of dock).

What about making the hive queens that spawn to protect a Levi capturable. It could require the use of a special add on only manufacturable at conq stations that would only work inside the hive queen. Yes you can get a small ship inside between the engines. You would then have to fly it to m7 and dock, all the while appearing hostile to all NPCs and players. Then in m7 you would have to take a mission to rebuild the queen core using a bunch of ores and trade items and a queen core of the hive the queen is from. The queen could then be named Queen ___________ and be flown as a capship sociable only by the owner. 2 large ports, one small, 500cu and no turrets. No hostility shown by bots to the queen only. Undock in a not sector and they'll go for you.

Spoofing hive id so you don't get attacked by hive looks like moving to "Carebears in space" gameplay - strolling in your xc thru ion storms, mining in bot sectors without a worry in the world.

Ok, we can do this but with one exception - every faction/nation NPC and PC sees a ship with a hive spoofer as hostile and is free to shoot it down anywhere it runs into it (KOS standing with all nations/factions).
In monitored nation spaces ships with said spoofers are tagged as hostile and strike forces are sent to shoot them down.
You can't dock with a spoofer at any faction/nation station (guards and SF shoot you down), only able to dock at designated conquerable station.