Warfare & Tactics

Just recently, I left an MTU behind (on an alt) because of a real-life emergency I had to attend to. Some player found it and shot it down. No biggie. It had some loot from an L3 mission i was in the middle of before i had to go so yay for him!

However, what disturbs me about it is this: In addition to getting some nice loot, the perpetrators of the action in shooting down my MTU... wait for it... RECEIVED A BOUNTY PAYOUT! What on earth is that about? So basically one way to make money off of bounties is to go around and shoot down the MTUs of bounty-ridden players?

According to the combat report of this MTU being destroyed while I was offline:
Total worth of destroying the MTU: $5.3m
Total payout of bounty for merely destroying this MTU: 541K

I repeat.. i was offline and nowhere to be found. It was an attacker against a THING. I mean if MTUs came with some combat guns and stuff... okay. But this? seriously? Dam. Leave it at "they go suspect" and leave the bounty out of it... that's what I say.

I play EVE because the creative industrialist side of me is drawn to the depth of gameplay in that area that EVE has to offer. I'm not particularly interested in becoming a PVP combat pilot, though I know i cant ignore that part of the game. I'm still a new player. I am learning to be aware of my surroundings since EVE is a hostile environment, and am learning slowly how to protect myself thanks to an awesome corp who coaches me through my development. So I get that if you shoot me down because I'm afk or not paying attention or flying around unprepared -- OKAY... collect your bounty. you deserve it!

But seriously? shooting down my mobile "can of industrial goods" is valiant enough to collect bounty? I know I'm new but... cmon...

How about instead of actually CATCHING a criminal, I'll go to his house and shoot down his garag. Surely that's aggressive enough to deserve reward payment from the local authorities isnt it? Sends a message doesnt it? NOT! The reason this upsets me is because it'll be just a matter of time before a bully corp like CODE will find a way to exploit that mechanic like they do with everything else in EVE. The line needs to be drawn somewhere.

Someone please explain to me the logic behind this and how it supports the bounty game mechanic of EVE? I'm hoping that it's just an oversight when they introduced MTUs to the game.

Risk vs reward, its everywhere. Sorry to say, but don't leave you stuff in space. And don't worry bout CODE. They have more miners and freighters to catch. Plus if they, or anyone else, is going for yoru MTU they really just want your ship.

Okay, not resolved.... there's a further question.

When i see a couple of other MTU losses in my combat log, two others to be exact, both of those times, the MTU was completely empty. The total value is written as "unknown". and zero bounty was paid.

This demonstrates that the MTU itself doesnt constitute as an ISK-loss. And therefore it has no bounty attached.

While I understand the game mechanic of basing bounty payments to ISK loss, this MTU issue above still doesn't compute. Because if you loot a can, the owner of that can loses ISK doesnt he? But there's no bounty involved there. And the perpetrator goes suspect, just like someone shooting down an MTU.

If it is the actual act of aggression on the MTU that makes it different from looting someone's jetcan, then they ought to go criminal, not suspect... the risk that is rewarded with bounty if they get away with it. To me, "going suspect" and collecting bounty do not mix. Their risk of going suspect to steal someone else's goods is, and should only be, rewarded with the loot they get away with. Leave the bounties out of it, I say.

I'm sure this is some kind of oversight on CCP's part. They ought to make the two activities consistent with each other.

Except that can may be abandoned, while MTU can't.
Also, lack of bounty payouts will make MTU loot denial a nightmare.