Multiplayer jobs — co-op and competitive
Peacetime job-board maps (like Peacetime Remastered) let several player ships share one patrol. A single Quest Mode, chosen when you set up the map, decides whether those ships cooperate on the work or compete for it — and whether one ship can spoil another's job.
Jobs are drawn from a shared pool: everyone sees the same board and Accepts the jobs they want. What changes between modes is what happens when two ships go after the same piece of work.
The three modes
| Mode | A target you start working is… | Who gets paid | Griefing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-op | never claimed — shared by all | every ship holding that job | impossible |
| Protected (default) | locked to you the moment you engage it | you only | blocked outright |
| Claim-jump | claimed, but stealable | whoever finishes it | allowed — the whole point |
Protected is the default — friendly by default, with no accidental spoiling.
How claiming works
The instant a ship works a target — grav-tethers a cargo hulk, hails a derelict, scans a contact — it claims that target.
- Co-op does no claiming. Deliver a barge and every ship that accepted "Tow the Barge" is credited; the multi-step arcs advance for the whole crew together. This is the classic "everyone pitches in" behaviour.
- Protected hard-locks a claimed target to its owner. A rival who tries to grav-tether it is refused — the beam won't grab, and they're told "claimed by another ship." Only the owner is paid. No one can take or ruin your job.
- Claim-jump claims targets too, but nothing is locked. A rival can grav-tether a claimed hulk out from under you and take the claim — you're told it was claim-jumped, they're told they claimed it. Payment follows whoever actually delivers.
Multi-step arcs
The guided, multi-console arcs — the Ghost Freighter, Sweep & Recover, Cold Tip, Wildlife on the Lane — work the same way at arc scale:
- Co-op: the whole crew runs the arc together; every holder advances step by step.
- Protected / Claim-jump: step one is offered to everyone, but the first ship to act (hail, scan, or get the tip) claims the entire arc and runs it to completion solo. Other ships that accepted it wait for the next one.
The grav-tether is the competitive tool
In Claim-jump, the grav-tether tractor beam is the star of the show: the fastest way to win a contested salvage is to tow it away from the ship that claimed it. Reach, positioning, and a quick tether lock decide who banks the credit.
Scoring
Each ship banks its own earnings — a per-ship tally separate from the shared side credit pool, so same-side ships are ranked against each other. When more than one ship is competing, the standings are posted to the info panel during the shift, and the top earner is shown on the end-of-game screen.
Setting the mode
Pick Quest Mode on the map setup panel when you start the map:
- Co-op — friendly group play.
- Protected (default) — everyone works the same board, nobody can spoil anyone.
- Claim-jump — a friendly-PvP race for the same jobs, grav-tether and all.