Protect It or Lose It

Rules of Engagement for Star Trek Fleet Command US Server 44

(Effective Noon Eastern Time on April 17, 2024)

1. You may not hit a UPC survey vessel unless:

– It is on a zeroed or stalled mining node OR
– It is engaged in PvP or raiding OR
– The hit scores points for you or your alliance in any event **listed under the EVENTS tab in-game.**

2. You may not hit any vessel in a system with a Cost to Travel (i.e. a token system)

3. The following are always okay to hit, regardless of 1 and 2:
– Any vessel mining Anomaly Samples that is not a Voyager.

All other vessels and stations are fair game.

(The following is an edited version of content pulled from Coreplex, which helps explain our Rules of Engagement…)

What is zero node, protected cargo, OPC, etc?

Zero Node Example Selecting the node shows 0 resources available - This is a zero node
Zero Node Example
Selecting the node shows 0 resources available – This is a zero node

Protected cargo is the amount of cargo your ship protects and you do not lose when your ship is destroyed.  The amount of space is shown by the split in the bar that fills up in your ship’s status panel.  It can also be seen in the details tab about the ship.  The amount will vary by your ship’s class, level, and the crew assigned to it.

Split in Ship Details Portion to left of split is your protected cargo space
Split in Ship Details
Portion to left of split is your protected cargo space
Protected Cargo Details As seen from the Manage Ship page - Under Details tab
Protected Cargo Details
As seen from the Manage Ship page – Under Details tab

OPC – “over protected cargo”.  A ship that is carrying more cargo than its protected cargo limit is referred to as OPC.  You can tell if a player’s ship is OPC by checking the possible rewards for defeating a ship. If any resource types are shown (not including chests!) then you know the ship is OPC.

Over Protected Cargo Example
This ship shows Decoded Data Resource as a reward – so this ship is OPC

UPC – “under protected cargo”. A ship that is carrying LESS cargo than its protected cargo limit is referred to as UPC. You can tell a ship is UPC by checking the possible rewards for defeating a ship. If no resource types are shown (not including chests!) then you know the ship is UPC.

Under Protected Cargo Example This ship shows no resources in the Rewards panel, so this ship is UPC
Under Protected Cargo Example
This ship shows no resources in the Rewards panel, so this ship is UPC

KOS – Kill on Sight. When a player is declared KOS by an alliance, it means all players from that alliance are free to ignore ROE constraints and attack the named player in any circumstance.
Warships – All ship types that are NOT survey class ships (ships with the inverted triangle icon).
Deep Space – Systems labeled as Deep Space, except Origins / Territory.
Origins Sector/Territory – Special region of deep space designated for Territory Capture.
3* Lucrative space – The systems that require spending a “Lucrative 3* Transwarp Cell” to access: (currently: Mira, Forin, and Perek).

What do I do if someone doesn’t follow the ROE?

First, communication is key!  Don’t try to make every kill into WWIII or complain endlessly.  Pick when to make an issue of things.  Your reputation in the game is not trivial.

Check your log and see if you were OPC.  If you show any resources lost in the fight, you were OPC and the hit was allowable.

Check your inbox for any messages that you were on a zero node.  In a few specific circumstances (see the ROE list above) Players might message you prior to hitting you if you were on a zero node.
If you believe the kill was not ROE-compliant, take a screenshot of your log details for the battle. Message the player and challenge them why you think it was out of ROE. If you act like a jerk, don’t be surprised if you get attitude back. Listen to the player – sometimes simple timing issues lead to mistake kills, or fat-fingered something. ‘Do unto others…’ and message them proactively if you hit someone mistakenly as well. Try to clarify if the hit was intentional or within the rules. Note that many newer or lower level players are not familiar with ROE. Point them to their alliance for support if they are unclear, or help them by pointing them to resources to help them understand. If there is a dispute, take screenshots of your chat for future discussions.

If you still believe the hit was not within ROE – server 44 ROE allows you to retaliate once within 24hrs and hit one of the player’s ships ignoring ROE protections.

If the situation escalates, or you have repeated problems with a player, look at their player profile, view their alliance details and message their admiral (or RoE officer if they have one listed), explaining your dispute with the specific player.  If you can not get a reasonable response, escalate the issue to your own admiral.

Platforms like Discord are very helpful to share supporting information (screenshots) between players.  Inquire if your alliance and/or server have a Discord instance where files are easily exchanged.  Use screenshots to capture details about your exchange in a dispute.  Your battle log to show who attacked who, timing, your chat log, etc.