Ron Hope is an idiot [spoiler]

[TheRightDoorIsNotTheLeft]

When you confront Ron Hope about his scheme and he explains what he did and why, I can't help but judge him as a total idiot. So he discovered a substance that boosts mineral content. The concept of partnering with farmers or homesteaders on marginal land was not even in his mind as an option. Sure, he wouldn't get 100% of the profits, but he'd be totally legitimate and actually boost his image by being able to produce bounties out of marginal land. But oh no, Bethesda needs an idiotic villain. But maybe all villains are idiots. Think about our own here and now. Imagine somebody comes up with a similar substance and sets up mineral "farms" in barren landscapes on Earth where farming is absolutely not possible. Whoever did that would be called a genius and heralded as an economic savior. Imagine the possibilities. And Ron Hope is living in an age where there are endless moons to harvest. Total dumbass.

[DocClox]

It was a disappointing end to a decent questline. They went for a sort of hybrid between Pale Rider ("rich man bullying honest blue collar folk") and Erin Brockovitch ("corporate scumvage poison community and cover it up") and neither really work. It would have been better to pick one or the other.

 

That said, I cut it some slack for letting me kill the Ronster who had my trigger finger itching from the word go.

 

Edited September 29, 2024 by DocClox

[Reigor]

I wish we had the option to arrest him. Either through a persuasion check or knock him and his guards out with EM weapons and take him back to Akila for booking and trial. Killing everyone or letting him go felt like I was forced between two bad choices. 

[DocClox]

It does seem like an odd omission., I agree.

 

Maybe as a rich white CEO, he had to die because Diversity or something, With this game, it's hard to be sure sometimes.

[brown66]

11 hours ago, TheRightDoorIsNotTheLeft said:

When you confront Ron Hope about his scheme and he explains what he did and why, I can't help but judge him as a total idiot. So he discovered a substance that boosts mineral content. The concept of partnering with farmers or homesteaders on marginal land was not even in his mind as an option. Sure, he wouldn't get 100% of the profits, but he'd be totally legitimate and actually boost his image by being able to produce bounties out of marginal land. But oh no, Bethesda needs an idiotic villain. But maybe all villains are idiots. Think about our own here and now. Imagine somebody comes up with a similar substance and sets up mineral "farms" in barren landscapes on Earth where farming is absolutely not possible. Whoever did that would be called a genius and heralded as an economic savior. Imagine the possibilities. And Ron Hope is living in an age where there are endless moons to harvest. Total dumbass.

 

Believe me, I've met people like that. One of them went to college with me and is now a successful businessman (and congressman!).

 

So you can believe that idiots like Ron Hope exist in real life!

 

However, I agree with Reigor - there should be an option to persuade Ron Hoper to go to prison, even if it was an option with a great degree of difficulty in success.

Edited September 29, 2024 by brown66

[TheRightDoorIsNotTheLeft]

On 9/29/2024 at 4:25 AM, Reigor said:

I wish we had the option to arrest him. Either through a persuasion check or knock him and his guards out with EM weapons and take him back to Akila for booking and trial. Killing everyone or letting him go felt like I was forced between two bad choices. 

 

Sadly, for all that the Rangers chide us for having bloodlust, we're unable to arrest ANYONE in the vanilla game.

[Reigor]

On 9/29/2024 at 7:44 AM, DocClox said:

Maybe as a rich white CEO, he had to die because Diversity or something, With this game, it's hard to be sure sometimes.

 

I don't think it had anything to do with that. I think it was more likely not having the time to develop a game system and/or world changes to support it. Either killing or letting Hope go was "good enough" for release. Arresting him, putting in the animations, having an actual arrest system, setting up the scene(s) for the arrest and perhaps trial (where the player would have been called as a witness) might have been something some Devs wanted, but the game got featured locked before they could put it in. Much like maps, need for a vehicle, no underwater traversal, limited npc schedules, etc...Starfield needed more prep time and taste testing before being put in the oven.

 

"Arrest Ron Hope" would be a nice mod to have in the list eventually. 

 

[brown66]

On 9/30/2024 at 10:09 PM, TheRightDoorIsNotTheLeft said:

 

Sadly, for all that the Rangers chide us for having bloodlust, we're unable to arrest ANYONE in the vanilla game.

 

Hold your horses there!

 

In the Crimson Fleet quest, we can collect evidence of crime from "normal" citizens who secretly collaborate with Crimson Fleet personnel, deliver these proofs to the hot Lieutenant on board the UC Vigilant and, on the following visit to this ship, we can now visit these people arrested in the ship's dungeons and even talk to them.

 

One of the things I regret about Crimson Fleet is after we finished this quest, aligning ourselves with UC SysDef, the Lieutenant didn't become available as a follower.

Edited October 4, 2024 by brown66

[TheRightDoorIsNotTheLeft]

1 hour ago, brown66 said:

 

Hold your horses there!

 

In the Crimson Fleet quest, we can collect evidence of crime from "normal" citizens who secretly collaborate with Crimson Fleet personnel, deliver these proofs to the hot Lieutenant on board the UC Vigilant and, on the following visit to this ship, we can now visit these people arrested in the ship's dungeons and even talk to them.

 

One of the things I regret about Crimson Fleet is after we finished this quest, aligning ourselves with UC SysDef, the Lieutenant didn't become available as a follower.

 

I meant, in the Ranger questline.