Crime & Punishment

Yes, that's kind of what will happen. Most small-scale baiting and flipping is going to disappear, and will instead be replaced by big groups of experienced players who will use such force that your average white knight wouldn't be able to deal with it. Basically, person A steals from a can, person B shoots person A, and then the rest of the alphabet comes in with enough logistics and Vindicators that person B, or anyone who helps him, won't have a chance. Due to the nature of the ships/numbers involved, these big groups will seldom fight each other due to the inherent risk of betting too much in order to gain too little, so only the little guy will get trounced.

At some point, the little guy will learn and won't engage can thieves anymore, just like people learned not to take from bait cans shortly after can-flagging was introduced. Seriously, when that feature first came out, you could get dozens of kills a day can baiting. I did. Now everyone knows not to take from a can/engage a can-baiter. The same thing will happen with the suspect flag.

Exhumers make for a bad example by the way, since a suicide-ganker gets the CONCORD anyway.

Person A will have enough logistics to make sure that person B has no chance of killing person A, and even though those logistics will acquire suspect flags, there's going to be to many of them that no one will engage them. On top of that, any remote assistance to person B will also become suspect, and that's where person A's backup combat ships will come into play.

Of course, that's a generalization. Every once in a while you will see two big groups of high-sec hardmen fight each other this way. But it will be a rare event. People like that usually stay away from each other, and would be hesitant to put a few billions' worth of assets at risk for the reward of maybe getting some killmails and maybe looting some T2/faction modules.

The only way to win will become a numbers game. People already rely on numerical superiority as the primary strategy in pvp. With this change, it will become the only viable strategy. The little guys, be they loot thieves or white knights, will have no chance.

Right now, RR only becomes flagged to people with existing aggression flags. That is to say, you take my can, I aggro you, you aggro me in return (let's say at the 15-minute mark, so you lose aggro to the rest of my corporation right after you aggro me), and then if you get assistance, only I will be able to shoot your logistics. This means that you can probably get by with one, maybe two logistics at most, since you only have to contend with the damage coming in from one ship.

With the crimewatch system, everyone will be able to engage your logistics, because you are a suspect. This means that you will be either forced to not steal from my can, or you will have to bring enough logistics to be able to protect yourself from any white knights who decide to intervene on my behalf.

Like I said before, with this change, the only way to win will be via numerical superiority. And yes, I do live in high-sec, and while I do plenty of pvp in other areas of space, I don't want to lose my enjoyment of this particular aspect of EVE just because some carebear apologists claim that CCP needs high-sec to be completely safe for increased subs.

Ok now I understand. Thought you want to RR the can owner.
You have a point there, but I still feel it will make things more interesting, and in most cases more balanced. The only downside indeed is when the fight escalates on both sides, and the "thief" gang will only be able to RR and nothing else. But that could happen in the current state too, if only with corp members from the can owner.

It's identical to the inferno wardec mechanics in that the increased level of risk and the costs required to mitigate those risks force all but the most well prepared people from being able to participate and not get horribly destroyed.

Lol. I love the imagery there. I also would be applauding the living hell out of the little guys for ganging up together and trying!!

~Z

As I understand it assisting the victim (who has no flag except the special flag towards the suspicious guy he is shooting right now) should raise no flag. I couldn't find information if even player A gets any rights due to this..

Adapt or die.

Stealing from cans for the most part, as in the case of flipping miners and mission runners, or picking up/ninjaing loot from ganks or other kills in empire.

I'm sure if you give them enough time, CCP will also extend the suspect flag to such hostile actions as scanning a person's ship, targeting them without their permission, or sending them a mail with cuss words in it.

Crimewatch will simply separate the real PvPers from those annoying coward PvPer hiding their incomptence behind game mechanics. You can't store your t3 in your comfy Orca or use your lame neutral logistics in hi-sec anymore? RR carrier at undock might die by a hotdrop? So, what's now? Pro-tip: Unsub or die.