Attention all Pirates, Pirate corporations, Pirate Leaders, and PVPers in general.

[Balance]

How many posts have you seen on this forum in the last few days regarding piracy? How many related to small corporations desperately trying to increase their ranks? Are you starting to notice a pattern?

My goal, and dream (if you will) is to provide intelligence, guidance, direction, and coordination amongst the many pirate and general pvp entities in the galaxy. Sharing not only operational information, but tactics, intelligence (and counter-intelligence) and even just understanding of game mechanics (both how they exist now, and how they'll impact our lives in the future).

Don't worry, I'm not looking to lead you. I'm not asking you to sign into a forum, register on my website, join my (insert voice communications here). I have no interest in running a guild, clan, corporation, faction, or anything of the sort. I don't want mergers, acquisitions, or to fish the good players from your group.

I simply want piracy (and pvp in general) to flourish, and I want to be the person working behind the scenes to ensure that happens as rapidly as possible. I also want to kill people and take their stuff.

I've spoken with over 100 of you in the last week getting the ball rolling. I'm ready to expand, to scheme, plot, and most importantly - get results. With or without you.

I'm offering information on where fellow pirates are operating. When they play. What kind of operations they're running, and what their goals are. Looking for a pirate corp? I can help find you one that fits your play style and has active players that play when you do. I can tell you where the action is, and what the action in the future is likely to consist of. I can get you in touch with people that want to do the same things you do.

What I need from you? Help expanding. If you're willing to coordinate with other pirate entities, need recruits, or simply just want to know the latest tactics, reach out to me - I can help.

Let me help you, or your (corp/guild/clan/whatever) make a name for themselves.

Thanks for your time, and happy hunting.

-B

 

[Adrian Steel]

I sympathize with your goal, but I think this is an uphill battle. There are many game mechanics that are allowing players to avoid being pirated while playing in the "all group." I don't know how the devs plan on addressing these:

- Logging off during combat. (I think a ship lock timer should be implemented here.)
- Bouncing back and forth between groups to avoid players. (I think characters should be locked to specific groups. Players should not be able to influence the market/storyline/influence system in the "all group" by playing in other groups.)
- The sheer number of systems (This is regulated somewhat by having events and/or high value goods in specific systems; already in place.)
- Island server populations and instancing. (Will FD increase the number of players in the same island and/or instance when they get more revenue to spend on servers? Only time will tell.)

I think that's what private groups should be about. For the rest of us - the full advertised game experience of a "cut-throat galaxy" (to quote FD) should not be watered down.

TL;DR: I think your time is best spent lobbying the devs with your pirate contacts because specific game mechanics can make or break piracy in this game.

 

[Sandmann]

To the OP... good luck with your venture. I'm not a pirate but the game does need REAL piracy and has a place for REAL PvP... as separate from simply ruining someone else's day for your own pleasure.

 

[Adrian Steel]

All piracy is non-consentual PVP by definition. As long as FD considers it a viable gameplay method, it cannot be considered griefing. By playing in the "all group" you give your consent to be pirated by default. Effectively, you consent to non-consentual PVP.

 

[Sandmann]

All piracy is non-consentual PVP by definition. As long as FD considers it a viable gameplay method, it cannot be considered griefing. By playing in the "all group" you give your consent to be pirated by default.

No argument with your strict definition, other than that many people use it as a thin excuse to cross the line between role playing a pirate (fun and fair for everyone) and griefing (bullying a weak person for your own satisfaction).

 

[Joe Spivey]

Yup, sure makes a change to have the shoe on the other foot. Ohhhh but those PvP tears are soooo good. All kidding aside, ED is not, i'll repeat that... IS NOT a PvP centric game.

A quote frim DB for you "It is important that players enjoy the experience. We are writing this game for ourselves, and the fun of the game is the most important thing. Player-player encounters should be interesting, and part of this is the ability to hide - whether from other players or AIs. Most of the ships you encounter will be AIs - and in many cases you will kill them - which is why we want the majority to be AIs. Generally speaking we expect players, even beginners, to be more of a challenge than an AI ship, and something that players will tend not to attack, but more cooperate with, and we are designing the bounty system (and others) to discourage PvP and encourage player cooperation.
Let those words sink in. ED wants a player coop game, not a PvP game.

 

[Adrian Steel]

ED wants a player coop game, not a PvP game.

If this is indeed their direction, their advertisement of a "cut-throat galaxy" (on the front page of their website, I might add) is misleading. It should be changed to "a heart-warming experience with patty-cake and campfire songs."

 

[CaptainKremmen]

Adrian Steel, I'm all for toughened mechanics stopping things like combat logging.

But I won't give your posts much reading time if you throw around stuff like "cowards" and other silly phrases.


Want people to play the pirate/prey game? Simple: Make it fun. Keep it fun. Avoid insulting people.

People will always communicate their wants and needs to FD. Treat those people with a modicum of respect, and you might just find them being interested in playing near you. Insult them, and they won't.

 

[Joe Spivey]

If this is indeed their direction, their advertisement of a "cut-throat galaxy" (on the front page of their website, I might add) is misleading. It should be changed to "a heart-warming experience with patty-cake and campfire songs."

No it isn't. Don't read into it what isn't there. Nowhere in FD's advertising do they suggest PvP. A cut-throat galaxy yes, but they are talking mainly about NPCs here.

 

[Pheyes]

Wow this is the best space trucker game i have ever played, in all seriousness i have played both pirate and bounty hunter now, and being a pirate in this game totally sux with how fd have made it, once you choose payee don't bother think about doing anything else. Choose your path i call cow droppings.

 

[technophebe]

There are many game mechanics that are allowing pilots to avoid being pirated

I've always found the PvPers tendency to slur PvEers particularly irritating. You play the game, we play the game. We call you a PvPer, you call us names.

Funny attitude. Compensating for something?

 

[Adrian Steel]

Adrian Steel, I'm all for toughened mechanics stopping things like combat logging.

But I won't give your posts much reading time if you throw around stuff like "cowards" and other silly phrases.


Want people to play the pirate/prey game? Simple: Make it fun. Keep it fun. Avoid insulting people.

People will always communicate their wants and needs to FD. Treat those people with a modicum of respect, and you might just find them being interested in playing near you. Insult them, and they won't.

You're insinuating that I'm disrespecting people by calling out combat logging and player-avoidance-group-swapping individuals as cowards. Guilty as charged, then.

 

[CaptainKremmen]

If this is indeed their direction, their advertisement of a "cut-throat galaxy" (on the front page of their website, I might add) is misleading. It should be changed to "a heart-warming experience with patty-cake and campfire songs."

You and I were posting at the same time. If I'd read this, I honestly wouldn't have bothered. You seem to be posting in Balance's thread purely to provoke a reaction.

No longer biting.

Have a nice day, all.

 

[Joe Spivey]

You're insinuating that I'm disrespecting people by calling out combat logging and group swapping (to avoid players) individuals as cowards. Guilty as charged, then.

PvPers are always very keen to point out that PvP is part of the game. Well, so is group swopping and it is working as intended. Combat logging is a different matter and hopefully FD will find a method of dealing with it soon.

 

[technophebe]

Combat logging hasn't been possible for several days now.

And if you're finding that people are swapping groups to avoid playing with you, perhaps there's a reason for that?

 

[Sandmann]

Wow this is the best space trucker game i have ever played, in all seriousness i have played both pirate and bounty hunter now, and being a pirate in this game totally sux with how fd have made it, once you choose payee don't bother think about doing anything else. Choose your path i call cow droppings.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say - it doesn't make much sense but perhaps english is not your first language?

I do find it odd that someone who had (still has? No interest, haven't checked) the highest bounty in the game would complain that they don't enjoy the piracy aspect. Perhaps you'd like a bit more "arena & victims" and a bit less "galaxy & freedoms"? There are quite a few games that offer that, if you're so disliking this one.

 

[Sandmann]

You're insinuating that I'm disrespecting people by calling out combat logging and player-avoidance-group-swapping individuals as cowards. Guilty as charged, then.

I think the insinuation was more that you're behaving like a troll and a bully.

 

[Jaiotu]

I'm extremely new to online multiplayer games. I play this game because, well, it's ELITE! I still have my original copy of the C64 version from 1985.

That said, the most fun I've had in-game has been the contact with other Commanders. Even though I generally am on the losing end of the pulse laser when those contacts have been hostile. I'm fairly disappointed that seeing other players in-game is so very, very rare.

1. Logging off during combat is just bad form. If you don't want to potentially fight, and lose, to other players don't play in Open.
2. I'm greatly disappointed that the Open game universe and the Solo game universe are tied together. I understand why FDEV has done this but it kills some of the potential player-driven dynamics. Imagine a group of players decides to blockade Lave to keep other players from trading in Lavian Brandy. They can't do it! Just pop into Solo and fly into Lave. Blockade? What blockade?
3. The sheer size of the game is amazing! 400 billion systems? WOW! Unfortunately until we have 400 billion players there is always the chance that the nearest player will be 100s of light years away. Right now playing in "Open" is little different then playing in "Solo."
4. Instancing. This really needs to be fixed. It makes it impossible to play with friends. Not that I have any

in spite of all these flaws... I'll still play the game. Because it is Elite. It feels like a continuation of the game I started playing in 1985. And if I meet you in-game and you try and pirate me? I'll drop some cargo. Or give you the best fight I can.

 

[Lanatir]

Wow this is the best space trucker game i have ever played, in all seriousness i have played both pirate and bounty hunter now, and being a pirate in this game totally sux with how fd have made it, once you choose payee don't bother think about doing anything else. Choose your path i call cow droppings.

Still bitter about having to pay your own bounty i see. Yeah. Those pvp tears REALLY taste good.

 

[Joe Spivey]

2. I'm greatly disappointed that the Open game universe and the Solo game universe are tied together. I understand why FDEV has done this but it kills some of the potential player-driven dynamics. Imagine a group of players decides to blockade Lave to keep other players from trading in Lavian Brandy. They can't do it! Just pop into Solo and fly into Lave. Blockade? What blockade?

Yes, solo allows this but so does the instancing system. Territory control by players is not meant to be part of ED. Once again, ED is NOT a PvP centric game. Blockading is there to mainly stop NPCs. If a player wants to attempt to run the blockade then they can. But if they don't want to then they have that choice to. The ability to play the game the way you want to is a basic tenet of the design.