As far as I know, there is no good way to check this. This can become problematic when you're trying to find a safe place to fire.

usually, I just hold off on firing till we're a good ways out, and then fire 1 in no direction in particular to check if we're outside of the NF zone. but, unfortunately, this is a technique I can use only once, as firing again will not give me the same warning.

If we're going to be punished for attacking someone within that zone, at least let us know where that zone ends.

perhaps a small 'S' Indicator in the lower right hand corner of the hud, much like what the old elite games used. When the S appears, you are in a station defended zone.

Or just make it obvious and keep a green warning sign just below your crosshair that says "You are in <such an such station>'s No-Fire Zone" If you ignore the sign and fire, you get your single warning that you are in the No-Fire Zone and attacks on other players, yada yada yada.

Cops don't post the extent of their speed traps. Why would stations post the limits of thier no fire zones? What do you want, a sign that says, 'Murder is legal here'?

hmm, entrapment anyone?

The fact is, there are places in grey space where its useful to know. If you kill an itani in itani monitored space, you're still going to get the faction drop. But in grey space, it gives PvP'ers a little leeway

BOOO to no fire zone indicator.
BOOOO.
BOOOOOO.

Let me add that the officers, DO post speed limits, and post where they change.

Cops can kiss my ass!!!! F them all!!!!

But I think the indications are just fine, NO FIRE means NO FIRE, attack at your own risk.

The speed trap analogy doesn't work. Cops don't let you know because they are after your money, they want you to violate the zone. If they just wanted you to not speed they would make it obvious that there was a radar gun ahead.

It is in the stations interest for the no fire zone to be well defined to prevent accidents and keep a safe station environment. They gain nothing if you violate the rule and in fact would lose money from the reputation gained as being an unsafe place.

This could also help the faction system be less frustrating to people.

I think a little indicator would be great. The fact that n00b doesn't want it makes it sound even better ;)

Really, people. Take the "Police are just out to get me - especially when I speed! I don't get it!" discussion elsewhere.

A little badge would be handy, but the current HUD's getting rather crowded. Let's consolidate it into a set of badges in the corner.

Little S means "Station Zone"
Little M means Monitored
Little D means Docking Zone
Little W means Wormhole.

Oh, and put 'em on colored background for quick recognition.

and a FFA for free for all pirate stations

common man, atleast one station just 1! for old times sake should be completly out of AI control.....something really valuable should be at that station and everyone should want it
so everyone would be willing to fight for it

why not a red or green circle around the station on the Radar screen? when you're inside the circle, you're inside the no fire zone, i think this would probably be a trivial thing to add, would basically just mean changing the graphic for the station tag

I rather like the nondescript knowledge of it. I can judge distance fairly well by size now, (quick lock on turbo and rotate to see the distance. ) or simply lock a part of the station in my aim before I move outwards.

Also, it makes for a lovely set of engagement, take someone on in combat a bit out, then pull them in while purpously missing them (disabling the aim is a good way) and letting them hurt you just enough inside the no-fire zone.

Then pull along after them and kill them outside the no-fire zone. Works splendidly even if they are protected ;-)

Hoax: The point in not telling you where the speed trap is is that you are forced to conclude that it could be anywhere, and hense, that you must be careful not to speed (or at least not get caught) whereever you are.

Likewise, its in the best interest of the station not to tell people where the no fire zone is, so that they are forced to conclude that it extends to some arbitrarily large radius around the station and thus take there problems well well away from the station. A poorly defined boundary actually protects the station better than a well defined one would, because a well defined boundary is an inventation to engage in violence beyond the edge of the boundary.

And if the 'cops' in the real world are just out to get you (whatever), well then it makes since that the 'cops' in the virtual one would be too. Maybe they have salvage rights over anyone they get to gank?

"They gain nothing if you violate the rule and in fact would lose money from the reputation gained as being an unsafe place."

No if you would only try applying the same sort of logic to municiple magistrates and the speed limit...

I agree with the accuracy of your statement Celebrim but I think it's 6 of one half dozen of another. In other words I think both our facts are correct we just differ in opinion on what the facts mean.

I think speed traps are set to both make you:

"conclude that it could be anywhere, and hense, that you must be careful not to speed"

And also to generate revenue.

<OT>
My brother-in-law worked as a cop in a small town in Oregon and would set rolling stop traps at ungated Rail Road tracks to fill the traffic infraction quota at the end of the month and pad the department budget. I can't believe people really think cops never write tickets for profit.

Maybe y'all live in nice not mixed race rich 'suburbia' neighborhoods, I sure don't though. I'm not intending to bash police, I have many police friends and much respect for most of the job, just not the typical traffic enforcment I witness. It's things like that that lead people to see police as enemies instead of friends.
</OT>

So anyway I think it's just the personal preference of the particular department that decides how those things work and so the whole real world argument shouldn't even enter this thread. Either way it's done has real world equivelents.

As to game-play, I still like the idea of it being a clearly defined border but I see there is probably merit to doing it both ways.

Personaly I don't like the sneaky 'trick someone into shooting in a no fire zone' thing. Yes it sounds fun to do, but so was being a tri-flare whore during alpha. It's not fun for the victims. Combined with the faction standings which people seem to have trouble understanding and may also be causing frustration I think we need more clarity.

I do agree that it probably does make the space beyond the no fire zone safer due to the ambiguity of the border.