While the game has a basic reputation system, there is room for many more content-creating possibilities. Why not deepen the reputation system by adding another layer called Notoriety. NPC factions would still respond to player ships based firstly on reputation, but a player has individual notoriety, good or bad. For example, an NPC faction is hostile to your faction, but you have honored notoriety with the encountered NPC faction. While you couldn't approach in your faction ship, you might be able to approach on foot or in a small unfactioned SV, a facility if your individual notoriety is good enough. Give players an opportunity to be a spy, or to go to the unfriendly NPC's to acquire hard to find items. Give individual capitol ships their own notoriety (ID based so upgrades to a ship wouldn't effect it's notoriety. If your ship, the USS PewPew had killed Zirax corvetts on a regular basis, the ship's notoriety goes down. At some point, corvettes will run from you, or call immediately for backup while a missile destroyer would simply engage. As your notoriety gets worse, even the destroyer will eventually call for support, or try to evade/escape. In the neutral area of notoriety with negative reputation, the targeted corvette might wait a bit to call for support. What enemy commander doesn't want to bag a wanted target for his resume. A Tovera might never flee, but with enough negative notoriety, it might call for support at some point. Adding a layer to the rep system offers so many new game loop possibilities.
