I certainly wouldn't use it for such low-level things as orders - I don't want to start dealing with delays in commands...that's just going to get too messy. But I do like the idea of it as a mechanism for allowing news to propagate. And it's really a very simple system that could be implemented easily, so I like that too!
I like, for example, the thought that a trader moving from system A to B would carry with it news that system A has an excess of Meatsteak Cahoonas (:P), and, as a result, other traders in system B might then realize this (because the news had propagated to them), and consider making a trade run.
I do not want information to be strictly local, so the above example might be too extreme. But, at the same time, having everything be globally-visible is boring (even if it would make sense given the technology level). I like the way this method ties the globalness of information to the actual simulation of the game itself, i.e., it ties information propagation to the actors themselves, which will probably bring about more emergent behavior than any of us can fathom at the moment
At any rate, I'm not sure exactly how it fits in, but, as I said, it's a great idea, so I would like to use it somehow..
DWMagus wrote:I just see it as a way for reputation changes. I mean, if you get attacked by some faction, and one of them takes off running, you get a chance to try and take them out (if they're not faster than you) to prevent the dissemination of the information that you may be a threat to that faction. Basically, taking out the witness.
This is also a great usage...cool concept, and makes piracy far more interesting and appealing.