As a poor pirate, I've always used a cobra. Now I have a vulture and max cargo is 36. So I've never asked a trader to drop more than 36 and they usually have no problem with that.
Piracy and smuggling need love.
- Thread starter VladtheImpaler
- Start date
As a poor pirate, I've always used a cobra. Now I have a vulture and max cargo is 36. So I've never asked a trader to drop more than 36 and they usually have no problem with that.
Maybe an EMP missile that cuts power on a ship for a minute? Not as sexy as grappling hooks, though...
Put it on an harpoon. Instant shex.
EMP harpoon!!! AYE!!!!!
I should be charge of FDEV. Think of the cool stuff!
I already see where this is probably going. They're going to restrict certain goods to certain ships and in certain amounts. Meaning slaves over a certain amount will become limited to an Orca etc.
This is stuff I had suggested before too something like an FSD Interdiction discharger with an account bound cooldown and an FSD Scrambler to block hyper space jumps for a limited time. Target-able cargo scoop. An EMP torpedo that tethers a harpoon on impact... how horrifying, trading just got exciting. Now if the trader can deploy robotic space monkeys that shimmy down the grapple and crowd the pirate's windshield we've got some serious content.
"I was once a pirate like you, until I took a space monkey to theknee cargo scoop."
This is stuff I had suggested before too something like an FSD Interdiction discharger with an account bound cooldown and an FSD Scrambler to block hyper space jumps for a limited time. Target-able cargo scoop. An EMP torpedo that tethers a harpoon on impact... how horrifying, trading just got exciting. Now if the trader can deploy robotic space monkeys that shimmy down the grapple and crowd the pirate's windshield we've got some serious content.
"I was once a pirate like you, until I took a space monkey to the
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Sounds like gorilla warfare to me.
You guys, always Apeing around, I don't know.
Now, anyone like some PG Tips?
Now, anyone like some PG Tips?
I've always enjoyed quite a bit of pirating and smuggling, I actually have an ancestor who was a smuggler so it's sort of in the blood), though I've never bothered pirating another player - I'd be too busy re-typing all the 'yars' and 'ye scurvey space dog' to notice that they'd already got away.
However I have to agree with the sentiment of the OP, it's always been a side show to the main professions (apart from mining), though with the new missions since Power Play smuggling and piracy have become infinitely more profitable and the fines have become significantly less punitive. However what is definitely lacking in the game, for me, has always been my prime motivation for piracy: awesome frock coats and buxom wenches in ridiculously tight corsets. In a galaxy with this many humans it should be rich with these things, yet they are no where to be seen.
Whilst I believe that FD Dev need to answer formally on this matter I have to concede that some concept art I saw previously for pilots did have at least one with strong hint of frock coat. No gold braid or overly bejeweled rings, but going in the right direction.
However I have to agree with the sentiment of the OP, it's always been a side show to the main professions (apart from mining), though with the new missions since Power Play smuggling and piracy have become infinitely more profitable and the fines have become significantly less punitive. However what is definitely lacking in the game, for me, has always been my prime motivation for piracy: awesome frock coats and buxom wenches in ridiculously tight corsets. In a galaxy with this many humans it should be rich with these things, yet they are no where to be seen.
Whilst I believe that FD Dev need to answer formally on this matter I have to concede that some concept art I saw previously for pilots did have at least one with strong hint of frock coat. No gold braid or overly bejeweled rings, but going in the right direction.
This would fix piracy.
Jettisoned cargo for shooting a hatch to 0, jettison (abandoned) for hatch breaker limpiting IMO, in any case successfully doing either should dump ALL cargo...PD turrets would sure have a reason to be on trader ships again (including NPCs). Cops get to assault scenes exceptionally quick now and reinforce with anacondas if you fight them. THAT should be the deciding factor when it is time to leave after completing one of the first mentioned tasks, not this pansy limpit off 1-8 cargo or shoot the hatch slowly and hope it to drop out a few more before their running gets you out of range of the first dropped cargo and it immediately dissappears current . In any case vs other players it would still be better to coerce them into dropping cargo to avoid the police responce...against NPCs it is a race against the clock. Also removal of any cargo purge limit in open space, why this is still in is silly. The ONLY place this was an issue was people abandoning 500+ tons around stations.
It's really comical to me to read that people actually PvE pirate with the current mechanics for table scraps. The only money making PvE pirating...and I use that term loosely...is in the permit systems where you can pirate Antiques worth 90k a piece...though again, this takes an EXTREMELY souped up ship to pull off successfully where 90k cr each is already peanuts to you.
When I pirated a lot, rare goods sold for maximum value as if you traveled 160 ly with them regardless of where you stole them from, IE Rares from Lave sold for max value in Leesti (or even a different station in Lave) when pirated (16-20k per ton). This made pirating in the Lave cluster, where I mostly stayed, very lucrative...though still nothing close to trading, you could do about 1 mil/hr during peak player times if people were complying some (you were usually taking local rares worthless to them, they often gave up everything) and you were successfully limpiting some (only worth 50% of max value then). I earned enough solely player pirating starting in a midupgraded cobra to buy a clipper, then kept pirating til I was in about a mid upgraded clipper before I stopped pirating as my sole way to make $, this was all against players of course. When the dropped goods distance modifier was patched, that pretty much killed rare goods pirating as well as anyone making their money solely from player pirating.
Commodity trader pirating is a bit more difficult than rare trader pirating was as you have to find a good route with high cost goods and a lot of people passing through during peak times. This can still be fun, but you need a pretty souped up ship to be successful at this, on the level where the money you make off it is already pointless.
Anyway that's just a bit of history from an old successful pirate, but the part I originally quoted from the OP would make pirating at least a decent profession for now. PvE it would be worthwhile to find a ship hauling a large amount of expensive goods, then work fast to get it to dump everything, then scoop as much as you can before the cops rough you up too much. This would make piracy a viable money making career from probably a cobra on up to even the largest ships able to pop type 9's for 500 gold...but STILL not even close to BHing or trading profits in comparible ships. Plus do you load up more SCB's to tank while you scoop, another collector limpit drone to scoop for you, or more cargo bays to let you get bigger hauls...wow pirates would actually be able to make decisions on different loadouts weighing their options out.
The same goes for PvP...you would actually see less dead traders if you could force them to dump an amount of cargo worth a damn rather than just a dozen tons or less and/or simply blowing them up. Still coercion with no cop involvement would be the best way.
Hope the change goes in OP, but I HIGHLY doubt it.
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Smuggling non-stolen goods should count towards your trade rank. Has FD said why it does not?
Everything sold counts towards trade rank.
Piracy is definitely the bottom of the barrel.
But I think you are behind the times on Smuggling, its one of the top 3 earners right now since 1.3. Prices are up, and you can take advantage of Archon space low security to smuggle in Anacondas with ease.
But I think you are behind the times on Smuggling, its one of the top 3 earners right now since 1.3. Prices are up, and you can take advantage of Archon space low security to smuggle in Anacondas with ease.
- TRADING - I heard numbers up to 6-7 million an hour in 1.2, now with good Torval routes and such as high as 9+
- SMUGGLING - Similar to Trading. Smuggle slaves into black markets, I made 4 million an hour in a lowly T7, heard of Anacondas doing 9-10 similar to trading.
- BOUNTY HUNTING - Can be as low as 4-5 an hour, or if you take full advantage of Lavigny bonuses and get a good RES, 10+ even seen 15+ maybe higher, though possible random luck with RES spawn based on what others have been posting.
- MINING - Since 1.3 I can pull in 1.5 million an hour worth of ore. If I get lucky and find a bunch of mining missions however, that same hour's worth of ore can be flipped for 3.5 - 3.8 million (though not factoring in time spend refreshing bulletin board). Somewhat luck based due to missions randomness. With average luck maybe a solid 3.2 or even 3.5 an hour? Though missions are kind of a broken mechanic and if those were removed, only 1.5 million an hour maybe 2 at best.
- EXPLORATION - Hard to get solid numbers since most explorers go on long trips and don't count the clock. I would guess pretty low though, maybe 1 - 1.5 million an hour if they actually count all travel time? Would love to hear more feedback from Explorers on this.
- PIRACY - Again, hard to get solid numbers. I've heard of some getting lucky with NPCs, but even then I doubt they were pulling in a million an hour. Any pro Pirates please correct me on this. Of course PvP piracy has a whole set of issues on its own.
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I just bought impi slaves at point A, sold on black market at point B. My smuggling amount in the right hand panel went up, but the trade amount did not.
I've smuggled for the past week, and i went from early merchant to 30% broker.
I don't buy more than half of those numbers. It's ok though, because one time, I caught a fish T H I S Big.
Then why the hell didn't mine go up???
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Agreed.
Best I can find with Torval slaves one way, and something else return is (in my 436t Conda) is ~7M/hr. Problems usually come up in the form of crappy supply for the impi's, or too many jumps to get the $/hr, or low supply on the other end that lowers the $/hr after about 2hrs.
Smuggling, maybe, but best I could find is a shade over 8M/hr.
FWIW, I am 160M from Elite trader.
Best I've found thus far in my brand new space cow - Type 9 - is non-torval imp slaves @ 8.6M / hour.
*using A FSD but not so optimal parts elsewhere. Think with few more upgrades to squeeze out one critical jump that currently is two because of laden range, can shorten the route and turn this into ~9M - 9.5M / hour
Tried smuggling a week or two ago after being inspired by memories of insonina's smuggling attempts on youtube. Gotta say I am very disappointed in the lack of difficulty. It really is just trading under a different name. My temps would be in the low 20s and even lower at times with my diamondback. I would never get scanned. I didn't have to have silent running on or anything, just disable nonessential modules to drop my temps and just stroll right through the gates.
It seems ridiculous to me that huge trading ships can fill up on illegal cargo and go right through the gates unopposed.
As far as pirating being the least profitable thing to do, I don't really see any reasonable way to change this without breaking other aspects of the game. And I don't really have too much of a problem with them being at the bottom of the credit totem pole because what it lacks in credit/hour it makes up for in fun/hour.
It seems ridiculous to me that huge trading ships can fill up on illegal cargo and go right through the gates unopposed.
As far as pirating being the least profitable thing to do, I don't really see any reasonable way to change this without breaking other aspects of the game. And I don't really have too much of a problem with them being at the bottom of the credit totem pole because what it lacks in credit/hour it makes up for in fun/hour.
I'm fine with skepticism and correction, but please bring some data.
These are not all my own numbers, but different estimates I have compiled through others experiences.
They are rough estimates, but they come from various isolated sources who all had similar numbers, which is why I don't believe they were all 'big fish'. Occam's Razor, etc.
What exactly do you find hard to believe and why?
If you have better estimates based on your experience, please share so I can update my own information.
I agree that higher end Bounty Hunting numbers are rare cases and require Rank 5 Lavigny.
EDIT: Well, I will say I feel I can confirm the Mining and Smuggling from experience (with the Smuggling being the point in this thread at least).
Mining is all my own numbers.
Smuggling, I don't have an Anaconda yet, but I did do a smuggling route in a T7 (228 cargo) moving slaves into Archon space. Making about 3.5 million an hour. So, if in an Anaconda (448 cargo) at that same rate, that would be 6.8 million an hour? And that was on my first self-planned route and I'm not expert, so someone with a better route and better flying could certainly push it to 9 million eh?
Same goes for Trading. Especially with imperial slaves in Torval systems with Torval bonuses (back when she was #2). Neither of those are really unbelievable.
Bounty Hunter, I could understand disbelief there. But hey, if you can make 5 million in an hour then with rank 5 Lavigny that's 10 million I guess yeah? So again, those don't sound too crazy. Not the average, but that's why I listed lower numbers at the start. Bounty Hunting does suffer from randomness.
What I would really like is some solid data on Exploration and Piracy.
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