First of all, remove those checkboxes, they're pointless since you'd never give someone a key if you didn't want them to dock and not be shot.

Second, the key types. There's two currently (User and Owner), I propose three.

Master, Owner and User.

Master keys can distribute Owners and Users.
Owner keys can distribute Users only.
User keys just have access to the station.

In addition;

Master keys can revoke Owners and Users.
Owner keys can revoke Users only.

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While this is not a total solution, it is a step in the right direction, since 98% of keys are compromised and then left to collect dust.

+100 Great idea

Yes, a Master key *zelda chest opening sound*

+1

+1

Excellent! +1

Also add a key log.

Like the guild bank and activity log.

Date/time - Grunt1 granted user access to grunt 2.

-1 This undermines the anonymity that allows players to take advantage of the key bots.

FistOfRage, point us to the developer statement/release notes that indicate keys were ever meant to be anonymous and the current limitations of their implementation are intended long-term desired behavior.

+1 to Savet's log suggestion

Lol piss off strat, not going back to 2010 to find that :p

-1 for removing checkboxes. You've got to be forward thinking to when keys are used for more than just conquerable station access.

+1 for an additional Master Key tier, this is an essential addition. However, master key holders also need to be able to give out other master keys, or else there could only ever be one.

+1 for the key log

@ Savet That was meant as a tongue and cheek observation that there is some value (at least imo) to having the opportunity to use deceit in the key system.

You've got to be forward thinking to when keys are used for more than just conquerable station access.

That's fine and dandy as long as permissions don't get cleared every time the key is deactivated/reactivated.

+1

Meridian, the whole point of having a single owner/master key is to have a single arbiter in control of the asset. We have the current problematic situation because you can have more than one master. The owner should, however, be able to transfer the owner key to someone else if they wish.

The three levels that are most necessary are:
User - access the asset
Manager - assign user-level access
Owner - assign manager-level access, transfer the owner key

It would be nice, if it were also possible to split assets off of a given key if more than one asset is assigned to the same key.

draugath, I'm not saying that there would have to be more than one master key, merely that the option should exist. If the sole arbiter of the master key were to disappear for a stretch of time, then the key becomes equally as worthless as a key polluted by too many owners. Of course, it would be completely up to the player whether they want to have multiple master key owners, and you'd obviously only give it out to people you trust.

Having the ability to transfer the master key would certainly help to mitigate things but not resolve it completely for all circumstances.

That's fine and dandy as long as permissions don't get cleared every time the key is deactivated/reactivated.

That's a completely different issue from the scope of this topic and deserves its own topic in the bugs forum.

In the interest of dynamic gameplay not being limited by mechanics, I'd kind of have to agree with meridian that there's no reason to limit the master tier to a single person. I'd even go so far as to say that master should be able to prune their own level of other masters.

Yeah, then westacular can steal your bank and physical asssts.